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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

what I wore wednesday


shirt: banana republic//skirt: h&m//shoes: steve madden//watch: target
today I woke up with 15 mins to get ready. I also get to enjoy my first work webinar today. should be great fun (jk).

linking up here today.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

two months down, eight to go..

exactly two months ago, I arrived in winston-salem.  which means I only have 8 months left.
whoa.

I have one of those weird feelings where it feels like it's gone slow and fast all at the same time.
today, while driving for work, I thought of the blog post I did the morning before I went to the church for the first time to meet everyone in my programs. it was a list of intentions for the 10 months to come.
I honestly could not even remember all of them (terrible but true), so it's definitely time for a check-in...

the main thing I've noticed is that I definitely do not have as much free time as I thought. 30 hours at the food bank and 10 hours at the church does not leave as much time to things as I thought....and I thought I was going to be bored? that was naive.

so far, this program has been so much better than I expected and completely different than what I expected. we were welcomed with open arms, but at the same time kind of tossed into the fire and left to figure it out. it's all a learning process

I'm looking to the next 8 months, and hopefully they'll be even better than the past two.

intentions for the next 10 months:

- be present where I'm at - not worrying about people or things in chicago/iowa (I haven't had facebook for a little over two months now, and that's really helped)
- make a difference (working at the food bank allows me to do this on almost a daily basis-even if it is frustrating)
- grow spiritually (attending morning prayer as often as I can, and church every Sunday)
- read as much as I can. having a year off from school, especially after being a history/international studies major, is a welcome break but I don't want to learning for a year. (studying for the LSAT has pretty much foiled this intention for now)
- go hiking
- get back into running/yoga (starting to-registered for my first 5K! and went to yoga this week)
- learn to trust the process more, and not try to rush things.
- learn how to budget better/money isn't everything - should be easier since my stipend is tiny! (not easier at ALL! but I am forced to budget so that's good)
- cook more meals (I cooked with the crockpot yesterday, and have made a pie! progress)
- learn to cope with my grief (working on it)
- be true to myself, and really take this year to figure out what is going to make me happy.



Friday, September 21, 2012

high five for friday

1.beautiful morning drives
2. mat kearny pandora station
3. birthday celebrations
4. it's boot season! yay for first day of fall.
5. I'm going to carolina oktoberfest this weekend. bring on the beer samples!

linking up with from my grey desk here.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

what I wore wednesday

shirt: The Limited//jeans: Forever 21//flats: Target
so when I got dressed this morning, I though to myself 'how many trends can I put into one outfit?' -ok, not really, but I did unconscienously ended up rocking the peplum, colored jeans, and animal print all at once today.

too much?

linking up at http://thepleatedpoppy.com/blog/.

Monday, September 17, 2012

my office space



as part of my almost two month update, I thought I'd give you all a peek into my office space. it isn't much (it's a cubicle in the break room), but I tried to make it a welcoming work space.

most of the stuff I already had like the flower, bowl, and buddha. the little push pin boards and the weekly dry erase board were purchased at Target from the dollar section (score!). now if only this could make me more productive and less sleepy every day....



Sunday, September 16, 2012

a tour of the new room

the sign above my bed says "enjoy what you are"--thank you thrift store. also, yes, that's a corona below my night stand.

a huuuuuuge closet! kind of makes up for not having a dresser

I finally bought some mod podge, and made the two middle frames by using some sayings from some old cards. they turned out well! I also bought some chalkboard spray paint this weekend. sup craft time! 

dressing area

desk area...complete my new chalk board! might have forgotten to actually buy chalk...oops


reading nook with my new diy terrarium






Saturday, September 15, 2012

a TAP update

since moving to Winston to start the Abraham Project and my year of service through the Episcopal Service Corps, a lot has happened and I've been horrible about writing updates even though it's kind of the purpose of this blog but at least there's been some cute outfits in between?

and on with the updates..

-the internship at the food bank is going well. I feel like I'm finally starting to figure out what exactly my job is and how to do it.  the food bank definitely moves at a fast pace, and everyone is swamped with work, so finding time to train me has been a challenge, no matter how much I try to learn on my own. my supervisor is also the previous intern in my position who then got hired....which can be intimidating but I also feel like it will push me to do my best this year.

 I went on my first FNS (food stamps) outreach meeting on my own this week and it was successful! I'll start doing my own outreach this coming week. 

also, since my stipend as part of the abraham project is seriously tiny, I applied for food stamps myself. it was definitely a learning experience.  part of my job at the food bank is educating about all the myths and stigmas surrounding food stamps, and while sitting in the waiting of Social Services, I had to confront some of my own stigmas.  

I started a food drive at the church, and am working on ways to involve the children and congregation with the food bank. so far, so good but lesson learned: I could never be a teacher..creating bulletin boards is hard work and definitely not my talent. props to all of you teachers!

my bulletin board//agency relations staff in the photo booth at the food banks 30th anniversary//
paper plate project//one of my favorite plates
-church life has been interesting. not bad, but just so much more than what I'm used to. I've been trying to go to morning prayer almost everyday, and then monday and wednesday nights also involve church activities.  it's a good change of pace, but as a little overwhelming. I feel like there's a lot of expectations   placed on me and the other interns, but I trying to figure out a balance between internship, church, and having a life.
birthday dinner for my brother jeff //apple pie
thrifting finds//new teal pants
-life at the TAP house has been going well.  we're all still trying to figure out how to live with each other. having four girls in one house is not a piece of cake. the rooms and who was sharing got changed recently so I now have my own room (and so does my other roommate molly)! honestly, this has improved a lot of things. I'm an introvert so living with 3 brand new people already stresses me out, and sharing a room was too much. 

september is always kind of a weird month for me. my brother jeff's  birthday is sept. 8th, so I planned a celebration dinner with all of his favorite foods on his birthday. this much more public than I normally am with grief, and especially with people I've only known less than two months. despite all of these, it went well.

it's weird to think that I'm only around two months into my internship and the abraham project but north carolina is already starting to feel like home. when I was looking at grad/law schools, I realized UNC was my number one. this wasn't the case less than a month ago. so strange how fast these things happen. I can't really explain it. now I just need to study more for the LSAT.....
molly and I had a candle light dinner last night. high rollers!



I also got a haircut, complete with bangs! they are a little short, but I giving it a week before I decide to hate them.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

what I wore wednesday



sweater: j.crew//pants: gap//t-shirt: victoria's secret//wedges: target//necklace: forever 21
september is a crazy month, so it's been a lot of simple and quick outfits around here. also, little time for actual outfit photos (sorry!). life updates coming soon!

linking up at http://thepleatedpoppy.com/blog/.

ps. did anyone watch The Voice this week? what's with the parrot on cee-lo's shoulder? I miss the cat, and the tweets from the cat, but thank goodness blake and adam's bromance is still going strong.


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

what I wore wednesday

dress: Target//boots: Hunter//scarf: bought whil estudying aboard in France
Fr.Steve (the Abraham Project director) asked me if I was going to a funeral today...and then my roommate Molly snaped that photo of me dancing.  there's a 30% chance of rain so I took this as justification for wearing my green wellies. it's currently sunny and hot.

clearly, today is going to be an interesting day.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

humble brag + great style

my best friend kat got inducted into the honor society for english at loyola (!!!!) this past week. she also has some wicked fashion sense, and texted me a photo of her outfit. pretty much made my entire week!

so proud! this girl can pull off bangs better than anyone I know.

Monday, September 3, 2012

labor day weekend

it was so great to have a full three days off of work in a row....much needed! september is looking like a crazy month with LSAT studying, food drive organizing, and lots of saturdays spent working.

this weekend has been pretty calm for the most part. I spent it studying, cleaning, and hiking around salem lake (highlight of the weekend for sure!). the hike ended up being 7 miles so my outta shape booty is soooooore!


the weather immediately after our hike. helllllo flash flood!
my roommate molly and I also rearranged some of furniture in the house (we lead exciting lives), and then decided to invite friend over to the house. this was first for the TAP house, and it was nice to realize after a month we actually do have some friends. wahooooo! plus it was an excuse to have a wine and cheese night.

I finally hung my new DIY project. all I did was lay some old dollies over a canvas and spray paint (thank goodness for pinterest), and it turned out great! and cheap.  cheap is my new best friend while living on a budget.