Dear January

Dear January,

I feel like you are usually a pretty tough month to get through. Between getting over new year expectations and just trying to adjust back to reality after holiday celebrations, I'm usually thrilled when you're over. But now that we are almost leaving you, I wanted to tell you that you were a gem this year. 

We started you with a week in the Alps, full of beautiful skiing and precious time with family. Then you presented me with an incredible job - thanks again for that, you really couldn't have timed that any better. You brought the most amazing 'winter' weather I've ever experienced, a trip to Tahoe, and a husband's birthday. You helped us make some big 'wedding' decisions, introduced us to some new friends, and allowed for plenty of city walks. February sure has some big shoes to fill. Until 2014, January!

On My Mind

Today was a great day. Had a good morning at home, a tasty coffee-to-go, busy morning full of meetings and calls, great lunch with my team, even busier afternoon, and a long, out-of-the-way walk home. I made a quick and easy dinner, caught up with a friend, and watched basketball with Felix. But now I'm sitting here staring at the screen pining for something to write about, and feeling very un-blog-worthy.

There are some weeks when I can't contain my excitement and motivation for this blog - when I'm overflowing with post ideas and writing inspiration. This is not one of those weeks. I spent the last hour catching up on and reading some of my favorite blogs and now I'm feeling very insecure and crappy about mine. Which is exactly why I'm making myself post tonight. Give my big lack of confidence a huge slap in the face. 

This blog is both my friend and enemy. Sometimes it is really painful and annoying and inconvenient. So you ask, why do I do it then? Because I know that writing makes me happy. And it is a long-time (and distant) dream of mine to be a writer (Even if that ends up meaning a writer of my own personal blog). It's a challenge sometimes but that's why I continue to hold myself accountable to it. Goodnight from sleepy San Francisco.

Over the Weekend

Happy Tuesday evening! I'm slowly but surely adjusting to this whole having a full-time job thing. And it really helps that I'm enjoying what I'm doing and feeling super challenged. It feels really good to leave the office at the end of the day feeling accomplished and absolutely wiped out. I'm sitting in bed at the moment doing everything in my power to keep my eyes open and finish this blog post. 

Over the weekend, we took a few long walks, went to a goodbye party, had dinner with friends in North Beach, went to the farmer's market, addressed 'wedding' invitations, did laundry, made cookies, played lots of Balut, and slept in. Yesterday was my first Monday at work and it was long and full, but I ended the day with a girl's night of guilty pleasures: the Bachelor and wine.

If I didn't love this city enough already, this last weekend with all it's simplicity and normalcy won me over all over again. Cheers San Francisco. You make me feel so at home. 

Goodnight friends!

How do people do it!?

While I can't say I've been flawless at posting every day, I have been pretty darn consistent when it comes to my 'friday smiles' posts. But today I am making an exception for a few reasons: it's only my second post of the week (oops), and I have a strong need to vent and explain why this is only my second post of the week.

First of all, I love my new job. Like really, really love it. It is an inspiring group of people and I look forward to getting to know many of them. I have already learned more than I thought possible in my first week. That being said, there were a few times this week when I literally thought my head was going to fall off from information overload. Or something like that. But I am fully immersed into the International Development world and absolutely love it so far. I am seeing a completely different side of a non-profit (the office side) and while incredibly different from the work I've done in the last 2 years, I am really happy with how challenging it will be.

And on that note, I have to go on to say that I DO NOT UNDERSTAND how people who work full days manage to function in any other area of their lives. Granted it's only been a week - but a stressful week at that, crammed with trainings and meetings and orientations. But still, I have major respect for people who work full-time, work out, blog, meet with friends, have hobbies, and are just generally productive outside of work (which, really, is most of my good friends). I know it will take some time to get used to, especially coming off of almost 3 months of full on unemployment. But when I got home from work tonight, it took a lot of will power to not chug the entire bottle of wine I opened.

And I'm still concerned about when I'm going to fit in my 'me' time. And for those of you who have always had a steady, full-time, normal-houred job, that is the time right after I wake up where I sit on the couch with a large cup of coffee, read my favorite blogs, and watch The Today Show, sometimes even all the way to the Kathy Lee and Hoda segment. 

But bottom line, I really couldn't be happier with where I'm at. It is so exciting that I get to immerse myself into a company and cause that I absolutely believe in. I'm sure I'll soon be able to find a balance between work and everything else that's important to me, especially blogging. Sending so much love from SF tonight and wishing everyone a glorious weekend - I know I'm going to enjoy it! (And here a few random shots from the last week).

Job, Job, Job!

If the title doesn't make it clear enough, I have a job! I accepted it last Tuesday and have been patiently waiting for my first day, today.

After countless coffees/teas/smoothies, 91 applications (yes, I counted all of them), 13 rejections, 8 interviews, and 2 job offers (the rest went unanswered/ignored), I got a job as a Development Assistant for a non-profit called Room to Read. Their focus and mission deals with gender equality in education and increasing literacy rates in 11 different countries.

I am so excited to be finally investing myself and my time into a company. After day 1, I can already tell I am going to learn a lot. I am so ready to be challenged and to work long hours and to be exhausted after a long day. I was so stir crazy, I would have been happy to bury myself into anything, but this happens to be an ideal stepping stone and gateway into what I want to be doing in the future - international development. The job deals with everything from event planning and donor management to writing and managing e-newsletters and budget reports. 

The first day was great. Tons of information, names, documents, resources... And this glass of wine I'm drinking right now tastes way better than it has in the last 3 months. It's been a loooong road of unemployment and job searching (I think it's felt much longer than it actually has been though). I am so excited to be starting a new chapter with this wonderful company. Until next time, blog.

Cheers!

3 Smiles

Pretty Friday night sky after my first truly relaxing week in a long time (because I start a new job on Tuesday! - more details to come)

 Warm and sunny winter day in the city

 'Wedding' invites were delivered - hopefully getting them sent out soon

Calm Day

Today was one of those days where I had a ton of things I wanted to get done, and ended up accomplishing none of it - but it still somehow ended up being a really productive day. A walk around the neighborhood. A long lunch outside. Some huge sighs of relief and feelings of anticipation. Helping my little brother in law with his last college applications. And 'wedding' plans are in full swing! We've been making some really fun decisions lately (invitations, menu, photographer, etc.). It's so exciting that in less than 8 months we're going to be celebrating our marriage with all of our family and friends. I hope everyone had a great Tuesday. 

Lake Tahoe

Over the weekend, we headed up to Tahoe with a big group of Zoosk friends. We rented a house near Northstar for everyone to stay in and spent the weekend cooking, drinking, skiing, and hot tubbing. I had never skied in Tahoe so I was completely blown away at how amazing the mountain was. The snow was epic, it wasn't too crowded, and the selection of slopes was great. Overall, a wonderful weekend away. Now that I'm back in the habit of skiing, I am so excited to make the trip out to Tahoe more this winter. Happy Monday everyone! 

3 Smiles

Lingering Christmas decorations in my doctor's office

Packing for a ski weekend in Tahoe

 The cutest animal butt magnets

Holiday Recap

We had such an amazing 2 weeks in Europe for the holidays. We began the vacation in Paris at Felix's parents house. We opened presents, ate lots of delicious food, went on walks, spent time with aunts, uncles, cousins, and a grandma, and celebrated a birthday, all with a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. Night after night, it never got old watching it twinkle.

After a week in France, we headed to Germany to visit the other Grandma in a small farm town called Wadersloh. We spent half a day with her, sharing pictures, enjoying cakes and coffee, and hearing stories about her wedding and memories of her husband. 

We spent the night in Duesseldorf in the Bernhoerster's house, and left early the next day for Switzerland. We spent the next week in a beautiful ski-in/ski-out chalet in Nendaz, a small town about an hour from Geneva. The week was full of skiing (duh), swimming, eating, drinking, and playing games. Thankfully, since I was in a rock hard cast, I was pain-free the whole week and was able to ski all day, every day. There were 22 of us in the group from 4 different families, so I got to know a lot of new people (coming from Denmark, Germany, Australia, Canada, U.S., and Japan). We had a massive New Year's party, learned the fabulous Danish game Balut, and enjoyed everyone's company so much.

I've had 4 Christmas vacations with Felix's family now, and each one is better than the last. This year was extra special for a few reasons: it was our first holiday as a married couple, and I feel like I got to spend quality time with several members of the Bernhoerster family. 

Here are some photos from the 2 weeks. Happy Thursday evening!

 

My sister-in-law is better than yours

For Christmas, my sis-in-law gave me my first legit camera (she actually found it at a work event, and then got it serviced and gave me all the pieces it was missing). If you know me, then you know that this is something I've been wanting for awhile. It is a beauty. I'm still learning how to use it and playing around with all the cool functions. But I'm stoked. And if the embarrassing picture below (genuine happiness and my pathetic attempt at a thumbs-up in a cast) doesn't show that, then I don't know what does. I am so excited to start taking more photos with this gem and to stop pretending my iPhone is so great. Thank you again Nicola!  

Cocktail Class

For Christmas, Felix's brother gave us tickets to a cocktail making class for Monday night. It was probably the best timing because it kept us social and awake, despite miserable jet lag. The 'Beverage School' (haha) was located inside the coolest speakeasy bar a few blocks from our apartment. I had no idea how prevalent the 'speakeasy' scene was in San Francisco, but now that I've been to one, I am pumped to find others. Passwords and secret passageway doors and delicious gin and tonics? Yes, please. We learned to make a traditional Old-Fashioned, a Margarita, and a classic Martini, among many others. I used to think a 'cocktail' was a drink made of any type of alcohol with any type mixer. But I was quickly taught that mixing vodka with pre-made cosmo mix is not a cocktail. I learned that fresh lime juice is the only way to go. And I learned the real meaning of 'with a twist.' I am so excited to slowly start stocking our home bar and make real cocktails the next time we entertain friends. Cheers!

Home, Jet Lagged, and Happy

Well hello, blog. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We are finally home and unpacked and doing our best to adjust back to schedules and pacific standard time.

Per usual, the longer I go without posting, the harder it is to get back in the swing of regular posts. The last few weeks have been wonderful. We had such an awesome 2 weeks in Europe with Felix’s side of the family. Obviously, there will be some picture heavy updates coming in the next weeks.

As expected from spending a long amount of time overseas, we are fighting some major jet lag. On Monday, we were wide-awake at 3 am. We watched a movie, did laundry, and had a breakfast date, all before 8 am. It actually felt really cool to be so productive before the sun came up. But by 7 pm at our cocktail making class (more details to come), we had both hit a wall. This morning was mildly better, and hopefully by this weekend we'll be back on SF time.

This is just a teaser post. I needed to get something down on the screen to break the writer’s block. 

Big cheers to 2013! I look forward to getting back to regular posts this week.