Missies!!!!

PS- didn't mention how much I miss my fam on the east coast but it's sorta a given! Looking back on the summer I learned so much with my internship, myself, and life in general... I am so so incredibly thankful to all of my family for all their support and love through the whole summer! My Aunt Cathy, Uncle Jim, and Kelly were so generous all summer and I can't express how much I miss them all!!!! Sending lots of love to the east :)

Catching up

Hello!

It's been a little while since we've talked... hehe... I'm finally getting settled in to Colorado and the very thin air! Thursday after I got back, my dad, Joe and I went on an 11 mile hike- haha yeah... not a grreeeat idea. Massive headache that night- but well worth it- such a beautiful hike! I got to go shopping with Lucy too and tried to hang out with fam as much as possible before coming up to foco. I went on a student leader retreat with FOCUS up in the mtns... Then I went back Wed (aug 18) night to have dinner with my fam for my mom's birthday. Ever since i've just been getting settled into the apartment again. Lots of little misc. tasks- getting schedule for school set, getting internet/comcast to work, etc... This semester i'm taking my senior capstone, volleyball, and then i'm TA-ing for 2 professors. I'm also going to try to get into another fun class. It will be nice to have classes that aren't so time consuming because my senior capstone is going to be very very time intensive. We are also doing a service learning project on the side and we will be working with a couple homeless shelters to help with an addition/renovations to make the spaces more functional. I'm super excited because that is the part of design that I am interested in most- making a difference in the community for people in need. So overall i'm super excited for the year!!
We have a BUNCH of activities going on this week for FOCUS so i've been busy hopping around from one thing to another but it's been a great week. I'm prob not going to update this very often since i'm back now but i'll try to keep you up to date as much as possible :)

One Chapter Ends... Another Begins

Again time has flown by! Tuesday we went to wing night... love itttt... We went out to dinner Wednesday night with AC and her friend/friend's aunt in Margate. There's a giant elephant (known as the "world's largest elephant") shaped building in Margate and the restaurant we ate at was right next to the elephant! Her name is Lucy the Elephant haha... I worked a couple days this week but otherwise I just hung out on the beach. Yesterday I took AC/UJ/Kel out for breakfast at Brian's Waffle House. I got banana nut waffles- delish- but nothing like my dad's homemade waffles. I've totally killed all my exercising and healthy eating this week haha... after bfast Kel and I ran a couple errands in Stone Harbor before I worked... dinner was from Tortilla Flats (a good mexican place on the island) and then I went over to Wildwood to hang out with Steph Pott! We just went on the boardwalk and rode the Ferris Wheel... She had never been to the Wawa so we went to wawa and got milkshakes too. haha I feel like we've been living the same summer so it's been fun to compare experiences!

This morning i got up and had sticky buns (from Kohler's bakery- generously provided by UJ/AC!), went and ran a few errands, and came back to go on the beach for a little while- I haven't seen dolphins at ALL this summer! Today was my last beach day and there was a dolphin swimming up the coast so close to the beach!! I got a pic so i'll put it up soon with others... Then this evening I went to dinner with Uncle Bob(my dad's brother) and Aunt Lynn- We walked around Stone Harbor for a bit in the shops and then had dinner at Jays on Third. Then we went and walked on the beach for a little bit... I had a great time!! (Thanks for everything Aunt Lynn and Uncle Bob!) They took the truck for me back to where they live (near my gma/gpa) which is a HUGE help!

Now i'm back home- packed a little bit. Tmrw i'm working all day and Monday I think i'm going to philly to hang w/ kel/vic and then i'm off for CO on Tuesday!! Prob won't write again till i'm home... Have a super sunday!

New York City, NY 2010

I can't believe I have 8 days left here! This summer has FLOWN by faster than anything before...

Friday I worked all day and then went to Raritan, NJ, to stay with my cousin, Melody. Friday night we went to a little lounge/steakhouse and had drinks and appetizers... then Saturday we took a bite out of the Big Apple! We went to Times Square, St. Patrick's Cathedral, 5th Avenue (sax 5th ave 'free' makeovers), plaza hotel, oooing and ahhing at all the stores I could never afford haha), had lunch, went to Central Park, got some ice cream, took the subway (my first ride on the subway!) to see Columbia University, St. John the Divine Cathedral, took the subway back to 42nd street, got starbucks, went to Top of the Rock, and then had dinner at the Hard Rock cafe in Times Square... needless to say, legs/energy were no longer at full capacity- but we had a GREAT time so it was worth it :) We also saw Minnie and Mickey outside of M&M world so we got our pictures with them- duh. I was pretty excited- disney in NYC!? slice of heaven ;) Then in central park I was so excited because all I could think of was the movie Enchanted... haha- yup I'm a little obsessed. Right before we had dinner, we met up with Stephanie Pott! She goes to school with me in ft collins... I have another friend, Angie, who's also in NYC but we didn't get to meet up cuz we weren't near each other. Sunday i had to go to work so I left melody's at 7am and worked all day. Then I had been texting with Steph and she was saying she was coming down here to the shore!! So after mass, I went to Atlantic City to pick her up from the train station and we had dinner there... then we went through Avalon to Stone Harbor and got the delicious Springer's Ice Cream before bringing her back to where her aunt/family is staying in Wildwood. I think we were both dying to share some of our stories with someone from home so it was great to catch up a little and figure out where we're at in life! haha

Tuesday i'm going to visit my grandparents in the morning and then over to Aunt Bern's for the afternoon. I am hoping to soak up the beach and Avalon as much as I can for the next few days! I also have to get all of my internship stuff together cuz technically the class ends friday. We just have to create a poster with a work sample of what we did this summer... should be interesting. I also need to start thinking about packing/if i want to ship anything home/plan of attack on getting to the airport. Friday I'm bringing Uncle Jim, Aunt Cathy, and Kelly out for breakfast as part of a thank you for hosting me here this summer :)

I think this is quite long enough haha... pics of the weekend to come!

Fun, fun and um.... more fun!

The past few days have been so much fun!

Kel and Tim came for the weekend and then Kel is staying here for the next three weeks... she's coaching a field hockey camp here. Sooo we hung on the beach, ate ice cream, etc...

Monday I worked for a few hours and then when I got off, I was gonna go to the beach. Then I decided I didn't feel like going and I was in a mood where nothing really sounded like fun... so I decided to do something different and signed up for a pilates class that night! I walked to the post office to send off a couple things in the afternoon and then went to the class. I must say it wasn't as good as the classes i've taken before-- Stacy Hepp is my personal fav :) Hoping to go to Pilates on the beach on friday morn! anyways... after class I got a hoagie and enjoyed it out on the porch...

Yesterday, I went on a client visit with Maria in Cape May!! It was sooo fun and I loved it. We met with the client (Cathy) and her husband who own this old victorian inn/restaurant called Peter Shields Inn(see photos). You can also see it at www.petershieldsinn.com They want to renovate the whole place from the dining rooms to the guest rooms. They just bought it from the previous owners, and the old owners sorta put "band-aids" everywhere the interior was falling apart so it's very random and needs a lot of updating/TLC. Cathy wants to go for more of a beachy feel while still including that victorian essence. It's gonna be really beautiful! After we finished there, I walked around Cape May and looked at all the victorian houses and went in all the little shops and such. Had such a good time just taking my time wandering around haha

Today, I went to Lavalette (Northern NJ) to visit Sonja (we've gone to school together since elementary school) and her family! We layed on the beach and then went to the boardwalk and got pizza in Seaside Heights... right before we fist pumped, we saw Ronnie and Sammi(and an entire crew of body guards/camera crew) from The Jersey Shore TV show!! haha didn't reallly fist pump but did see the people :P To be totally honest I have only seen 2 little snipits of the show, don't know who the ppl were that we saw (I looked up their pics online after I got home), and don't really have any intention of watching it ever haha.... anyway Sonja's family invited me to dinner but then I decided I should go back to Avalon.... only to run into traffic right before getting on the parkway... so I called them and turned around and went to dinner! I had SUCH a good time with them!

Just enjoyed a small bowl of ice cream... i'm off tmrw so I think Kel and I are gonna go to the beach!! AC is down now- I think for at least a few days-- I hope! Friday i'm working and then i'm going to Melody's (cousin on my dad's side) for Saturday (maybe staying the night fri and/or sat night)! I think we're gonna go into NYC!! Will post again next week after the weekend!

PS- coming home early- Aug 10!! So soon... sorta sad to go now that i'm having all this fun haha.... but excited to see family /friends! Will most likely be in Foco on the 14th or 15th... <3

Just Peachy

Today is a beautiful day! I'm feeling a bit better... at least energy-wise... slept and read all day yesterday to try to kick this cold.... went to bed early last night and got up early this morning. Went for a walk on the beach and found lots of sea glass and shells. Took a shower and then UJ/AC's friends (who are here for a few days this week) got coffee and peach coffee cake... delish. I'm working this afternoon at Beach Dwellings and then hostessing tonite. Kel should be here today or tomorrow... I talked with Maria and next week i'm going with her to a site in Cape May!! There's an old Victorian inn/restaurant that she's renovating! I'm gonna sit in on the meeting with the client as they discuss design/floor plan ideas and do some measurements. I'm very excited!!! Maria is excited about it too so it should be a good time! :)

Alrighty.... off to get ready for work... <3

Look for the Joy in the Day

Last week of hostessing! Last day is friday but i want to try to get out of doing friday haha... I have a bit of a cold but today i have the day off so i'm trying to take it easy- haven't really been successful lol... This morning i did a bunch of laundry, watered the plants, walked to the bank to deposit checks, went to the post office, and came home to have lunch... went to beach for a couple hours and talked to Aunt Bern and Emily Koenning!! came home a few minutes ago- just in time to beat the rain. Gonna grab a cup of tea and my book in just a minute :)

Saturday i went to the beach around 10 or 11... can't remember... and it was so beautiful- the waves were HUGE and there was no one there until like 1!!! The pic i posted with this is from Saturday-- i love the part right where the wave is folding... and when two parallel waves meet and crash together! so beautiful! anways... i had to work on saturday night- we had the busiest night yet this summer! 103 covers! Which is a lot for them... and everything went so well- the kitchen was so on top of things and everyone was happy. Of course, as I come to the end of the job, i've been enjoying the job and have been able to talk with a couple of the people a little more... there are a few ppl who work there that are Bulgarian (including the owner and her husband) and one of the waiters, Tihi, was telling me all about their school system the other night. So it's been neat to be able to learn about their culture while i've worked there!

AC and UJ are actually in CO visiting my family! haha so i'm just here and I'm watching their dog, Maggie, while they're gone. Kel is coming this weekend and will be here for a few weeks! I'm planning to go visit my grandparents and Aunt Bern in the beginning of August. I'm also going to NYC with my cousin Melody at the end of this month!!!! Hopefully i'll also get up to Philly with Kel after she's back up there... btw Rockies play Phillies this weekend- Go Rockies! ;)

I never know if i should keep exercising when I get sick... i haven't been running since friday because I felt it coming on saturday morning and didn't want to make it worse.... and now it's in my chest so i figured running + crud in lungs= no breath/bad idea haha

This summer has been a great challenge to my faith but I think in a good way.... I definitely haven't kept up with it as much as I do in the school year but I've become more aware of God in diferent ways and have realized how I really do rely on my faith for so much! I've also become more aware of who I am, setting boundaries for myself, and being confident to face challenges/fears.... among various other things... sooo i'd say those are all pretty good lessons- of course I have not mastered any of them by any means but at least I am aware... My Aunt Bern is who inspired me to write this little tid-bit about faith... and my older sister, Kate, who also helps me to look for the positive.... aBern has M.S. and, yet, has such a positive outlook on life.... for example, her answering machine for her phone says: "Remember to look for the joy in the day. Then scatter the joy wherever you go and you will end up with more than you found"... such a good reminder!!! and she sure does know how to scatter joy! :)

alright... i'm off off for R&R before making an Acme run... love to all!

Days Go By

I can't believe how fast this summer is flying by! I have exactly one month left here in NJ! Kel and AC have been here and UJ was down on the weekend. One of my mom's other sisters, Nancy, has also been here this week with her daughter, Rachel, and Rachel's two LAX friends. Monday i had a ton of errands to run. Yesterday we went to the point in Stone Harbor and then Wing Night at the Windrift hotel. The point in Stone Harbor is the farthest south you can get on the island. So there's a large open beach and at low tide there are tons of shells- especially the conch shells (the big spiral ones you can hold up to your ear and "hear the ocean"). I found a shell with the conch (the actual animal) still alive and inside- totally disgusting. haha but i got it out of the water, showed aNancy and the girls and then we put it back in the ocean. Sometimes you can find the big shells without the conch inside- which is ideal cuz if u want to keep the shell and the animal is still inside, you have to boil the shells to kill it = staanky. So anyways, we looked around for a while and then went back to get dressed for Wing Night- basically, the BEST wings ever and beer on a deck overlooking the ocean... it's rough and I don't recommend it ;) and then on the way back we got ice cream- don't even ask how many calories that was- i have no interest :P Ended the night with a game of Scatergories out on the porch... fun fun

Apparently Jon Gosselin (from Jon and Kate Plus 8) was in Avalon last weekend... probably with some rando chick haha he was 'spotted' at the Golden Inn (near the windrift) and at Uncle Bill's Pancake House (a popular local bfast place)... haha something exciting in Avalon! ;)

Just a random thought I had- you know when you're listening to a radio station and they play their radio "theme", if you will, that says the station name and plays little bits of songs they play? I always get so upset because when they play the song snipit on the commercial, it normally means they aren't gonna play that song for a while and sometimes it's a song I really wanna hear! hahaha random but true, no?!

I realized I don't have many pictures from the summer! Which is kinda great because i've been just trying to enjoy things and soak in the moments rather than trying to capture it all on film. Pics are so great to have and I will prob take a few of different places we've gone and such before I leave, but it's been great to not worry about where my camera is and how the picture turned out, etc haha...

Other than hitting the beach when I'm off during the day, i've been hostessing (too much) and going to my internship... so i've been working a TON- but my last day of hostessing is next Friday- i can't wait. It'll be nice to have evening flexibility. Now that my hostessing job is coming to an end, i've been trying to find comfy shoes hahaha... and a beach cover up... hahaha... better late than never?

AC and UJ are going out to CO on Sunday so it'll be just me and Mags hangin here! :) And i think Kel is gonna come back (she's up in Philly at da moment) at some pt... I think it will be good to have a little down time here but I also lovvve having AC/Kels/UJ and everyone here! We do know how to have a good time haha love ittt

Sea to Shining Sea

This week was yet again, busy busy busy! Tuesday we dropped off the truck to get new brakes... yikes! and then tuesday afternoon I came into my internship. Wednesday I picked up the truck (brakes=soo much better) and then I went to watch Jack and Nolan while AP did some cleaning around their house.... Jack is 6 and Nolan is 3, I think... We went to the park and 3 hours later we returned to their house in melt down mode! hahaha.... I have no idea how they lasted that long! Apparently they napped for 3 hrs after I dropped them off so at least AP got some more things done!! After a quick nap for myself, I went to hostess...

Thursday I went to the beach and watched the boys again for just like 1/2 hour till AP was done showing the summer cleaner what to do at the house. We were at the beach and Nolan went up to the lifeguard and goes "HEY! Whatchu doinn?" ha! the life guard acted all chill and said "hangin on the beach man! what are you doin?" and then Nolan walked away haha nicce

Friday AC, UJ, Kel, Tim, Pat, Ali, Mike, Stephanie, and a bunch of Pat's friends came in for the wknd! (Kel, Mike, and Pat are all my cousins and Tim, Steph and Ali are all significant others respectively haha) I had my internship and then hostessed in the evening... came home to have a beer and play the end of trivial pursuit... fyi- I can't play trivial pursuit to save me... haha Saturday I got up, cleaned ARose's condo and then went to the beach for a couple hours. The water has been so pretty the past couple days! And the beach is soo wide because they did the dredging last wk... I hostessed last night again- we had a few cancellations so it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be... which is surprising because the island is PACKED... so busy- cars/ppl everywhere!!

Last night I got home from work and everyone was playing Apples to Apples... love it! I joined in/took over for AC and then AC came into the room w/ a cake and candles and everyone started singing happy birthday... I had no idea who's bday it was so i just started singing and Kel goes "Anne it's for you" hahaha awkward. But it was very sweet of them to think of me! AC gave me some wine glasses/accessories so i'm sure i'll put them to good use!

Tania, my boss at Black Sea, gave me the night off so after I get off my internship i'm thinking about hitting the beach for a few hrs! It's hot-- like 90s... And then it's food, drinks, fireworks tonite!!

I've decided there are 4 things I definitely want to do before I leave... parasailing, surf lessons, drink a margarita on the beach, and go to NYC... we'll see if I can achieve them all ;)

Thank you to all who serve or have served our country! God Bless and Happy 4th of July!

Ja oder nine?

How could I forget! Azra is leaving tomorrow!!! I didn't mention it in my other post but I've been thinking of her and our family allll day! Azra has been an exchange student for the past year living with my parents in Berthoud. She has been going to BHS and she and Lucy have been SUCH great friends... basically sisters. I know it's going to be very difficult to say bye but i'm sure we'll see her soon! Maybe Lucy will even be able to venture over to Europe and visit her!

When she first came to our house, she and Lucy came to my apartment in Fort Collins and we made s'mores over the stove! hahaha... then we went into old town for a bit... then they stayed the night and in the morning we went to see CSU's campus... I had a great time with the two of them! All year we've been quoting Azra... she's hilarious!! The only thing i've ever known how to say in German is "yes or no" and so I ask her that all the time haha.... i'm not totally sure how to spell it out in German- maybe "ja oder nine"? It sounds like "ya odor nine"...

Even though I haven't been around Azra as much as my family, i'll definitely miss her and hope we get to see her again very soon! Sending love to Lucy, Azra, and the rest of my fam as they send her off on her journey home!

... Out with the old.... in with the new!

Sooo... I'm getting tired of being on facebook so much... which i know is partly my fault haha but I decided to switch to a blog so i'm not always signing on to FB and then getting distracted for who knows how long haha...

It's been so crazy here recently! Last week I got a couple beach days which was great! I had a typical work weekend this weekend... except Sunday night I had off because they were so slow, so Tania (my boss) called me and said I could have the night off! haha which was great because AC and Nana ended up coming for the night!

Last Monday I ate it (totally flat on the ground) running and got a big ugly scrape on my chin... there was only a small part that broke the skin but it was swollen and bruised and really gross looking. So all of last week I had band aides on my chin and was trying to get it to heal... haha... talk about humbling. Today was the first day i went without any band aides because it's basically all healed. There's still a bit of a swollen area so i'm going to have my uncle look at it when he comes this weekend for the 4th...

I had to get the brakes on the truck fixed so it's in the shop and hopefully i'll pick it up tmrw or thursday... it'll be nice knowing the brakes work haha

My internship is good... sorta slow but i'm trying to make the most of it... So when i'm there and dont have anything to do, i'll go through books and catalogs in her library to get familiar with carpet manufacturers, fabric names, furniture dealers, etc... I'm also starting to organize her materials library which will be a big task but it'll be good to, again, get familiar with different fabrics and companies and such. I think i've mentioned it before but Maria is a very fun lady... she's very perky and we get along great!

As I mentioned, i'll be doing my posts at this blog now... I will still get on facebook every once in a while but hopefully this will help me from getting on too much ;)