betcha didn't think you'd see a post from me on your Google Reader...

And I didn't think I'd be writing one! Hello friends. I hope you all had wonderful holidays and New Years' and are feeling productive and happy in the beginning of 2012! I've been feeling like something has been "off" for the last 6 months or so, and I think that goes hand-in-hand with my (long!) break from blogging. I wasn't blogging because I wasn't quite feeling like myself (and, uh, who can blog about themselves without really knowing what exactly that means), and in turn I was really missing this creative and supportive outlet in my life!

I still don't think I'll be churning out the posts because, unfortunately, I'm still stuck putting in 11 or 12 hour days at my all-consuming job, but I'd really like to jump back into this, reconnect with all of you (and I've been reading your blogs the entire time and following your wonderful adventures! It's been so fun to read about new engagements, new houses, new babies and fun parties!) and document a little more of my life here in LA. The adjustment has been w-e-i-r-d, to say the least, but I won't be here forever and when I'm gone I might just actually look back and wish I had taken more pictures and written more.

(I just re-read that last line and it sounded like a morbid meditation on life, when I really just mean I won't be in LA forever. Not, you know, on this earthly plane.)

It feels good to be back :)

What I've Been Up To!

Hey ya'll!

Soo ... it's been awhile! In addition to starting my new job (which has me away from home for 11 hours a day ... meaning I have gone over one week without ever opening my laptop haha!), I've been working on a little side project with L. I don't know yet what it means for this blog, but I am excited about this new project since it's a creative outlet for L. and I to work on together. It's a football blog, which I know some of you ladies could probably care less about haha, but what makes it interesting is that it's going to be from two perspectives, a male and a female. I'm going to be posting gameday receipes, hopefully hosting giveaways, and just writing about my favorite sport from a gal's point of view. So if you want to see what I'm up to, catch up with me over there! =)

Two Point Conversion

And I've still been reading all your blogs faithfully ... sometimes I feel like I enjoy reading about you guys more than writing about myself! =)

working girl

I know, I disappeared again. L. and I had one of our best friends from college come visit this weekend, and yesterday I started my new job! And I.love.it. Which, hush hush, I actually wasn't sure I would. Of course, it's only the second day, and my duties will change a lot as I move up the ranks (hopefully in the next couple weeks), but the atmosphere is so exciting and interesting, and I'm running around a lot, and I'm rarely bored. I work 10 hour days, so that's saying a lot! Plus, my office is in downtown Beverly Hills, right off Rodeo, so there's lots of pretty places and people to look at!

The only downside? Seven, count 'em, SEVEN water blisters on my feet. OUCH! I'm on them all day, so I don't expect they'll heal soon. At least it's good cardio! =)

don antonio's

One of the first orders of business upon moving to LA was to find some great Mexican food, which is my absolute favorite. Surprisingly, the best Mexican food I've ever had was in New Hampshire (go figure!), but I knew there had to be somewhere in LA that was on par!

L. and I have already been to Don Antonio's twice. The food is just as good as my favorite restaurant in New Hampshire--or as any Mexican food I've ever eaten--but get this: their huge, cheesy, fill-up-an-entire-plate, I-can-only-finish-half burritos? $5.95. Seriously. And taco truck this is not...it's a really pleasant dining experience. And for two people on a budget, like L. and I are, it just doesn't get much better than that!

Heidi and Spencer frequent Don Antonio's (or used to) (and, I know...), but we haven't seen them in the few times that we've been there. I think they sit in the special "cave" room, which I haven't figured out how to gain access to...yet. Maybe next time...because my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! L. and I are trying to avoid being the car as much as possible because of Carmageddon, but we are driving over to Santa Monica tonight to see Harry Potter!

fourth of july (better late than never!)

This post is so ridiculously late, but what are you gonna do? L. and I went to Santa Barbara on Fourth of July weekend for his graduation party on Saturday and wine tasting on Sunday--- the latter deserves its own post (if only for Solvang alone. You'll see.) But then Monday we rushed back to LA (we still haven't had a full weekend in LA without either having guests, aka L.'s parents, or going on a trip!) to see fireworks. We went down to Culver City and it felt delightfully suburban, almost like being back in New Hampshire.

Almost.

(Who knew I would miss New Hampshire so much? Boo.)




Do you like my red, white, and blue floral dress with my blue cardigan? What can I say--- I love America. Happy Belated Birthday!

gainful employment. finally.

Today is a good day. Today, I am not waking up feeling anxious, with a stomachache, and unwilling/unmotivated to work out or do anything productive that requires energy. That is because today is the first day I've woken up knowing that I have a job!

A few days ago I learned that though I was in the top two for the teaching position I had really wanted, the school had offered it to the other girl. It was a blow, and I really started to feel down in the dumps. I felt a little spoiled-- here I am, in this beautiful apartment in this fantastic city with my wonderful boyfriend, feeling sorry for myself. But I just didn't pack up my life and move across the country, and leave my family, to lay by a pool and run errands and shop all day. I needed to feel like I was doing something meaningful.

Then yesterday, I finally got the call-- the other job for which I had interviewed offered me a position! I start on July 25, which gives me some time to finally relax and get in better shape before I start. I was feeling guilty that L. was at work all day and I was home, so I was running around all over the place, cleaning and grocery shopping and cooking these three-hour meals and doing laundry and getting the car washed, to feel like I was contributing. But now that I only have two weeks left in my last summer vacation ever, I'm going to lay by the pool a little more!

I can't tell you where I'm working (and in this industry, it takes NOTHING to get fired, so I'd rather keep work-related posts, if I write them at all, completely vague). BUT. I will give you one hint, in addition to a hint I gave a couple months ago:

graduation

So, in part one of this post, I mentioned that I don't do well with change, and I usually dread it before it happens but then move on from it very quickly afterward. The days leading up to graduation were sort of a daze, but I was pretty positive on the day itself I would be an absolute mess.

We lined up and began marching in bright and early, and luckily we were graced with a beautiful (but hot in those gowns!) day.


Most of Williamstown turned out to wish us well along our route.


My best friend (and high school boyfriend of four years) came to see me graduate!


Here's a great one of me and the in-laws ;)



And L. and my family

After all the photo-taking (I ripped my gown off as soon as my high school graduation was over, and so I had to indulge my mom this time around), it was time to pack up and get out. Williams is great, but we all joked about the fact that they put on this amazing senior week and graduation ceremony for us, and then four hours after it's over they kick you out (we were required to be out by 5pm that day). The next couple hours were a whirlwind of packing, and so for the couple moments I felt like a breakdown was coming on I immediately had to focus on something else, and kept pushing it down, and pushing it down. I forced myself not to cry when I said goodbye to my best friend C., who is studying in England for a year.

The one moment that day that got me was when the guys in my suite and I took the following picture. We recreated a cartoon that Andrew had drawn earlier in the year for our newspaper. (The scene is probably some amalgamation of us watching a football game and/or playing video games).



You can't really tell in the real-life picture, thankfully, but I completely lost it at this point. It only lasted about 5 minutes (because I had more packing to do), and then, strangely, I didn't cry for the rest of the day (or at all since). I drove home in my car alone and my dad, mom and brother followed behind, thinking the time to myself would help, but I just felt sad in a quiet way I've rarely experienced. It's definitely been the first time in my life that I haven't over-dreaded the upcoming change and then adapted within a couple days. Maybe it's because I don't have a job yet, and am sort of feeling a little aimless and unsure of what to do with myself. L.'s working now, so I spend the day grocery shopping, working out, cleaning, and exploring the city--which should be a great life! But I think until I start doing something that keeps me as busy and as engaged as Williams did, I'm still going to feel this strange disquietude.

On the upside, I do have a lot of fun posts written about our first couple weeks in LA, and I can't wait to share them with you guys!