Travels Start in the Morning!

Okay Marshmallows,

Thus far this blog has been a total fail, let's be real, Chantel and I started these as a challenge to each other... and it's maybe turned into an elongated facebook status. fail.  That's GOING TO CHANGE!

I'm pretty sure that this will mostly serve as a photo journal of my trip, which means lots of pictures and little writing! Just like a picture book from your childhood, minus the rhyming... well there may be some rhyming.

Anyway, don't judge my grammar and I won't judge you either and we will all be great friends!

I can't believe I leave tomorrow...

xoxo,
Vero

Donesos!!!

Well blogosphere, the day has come. I am officially a college graduate! Go team go! This is the reasoning behind my extremely failed blogging habits of the past few weeks... to come will probably be a post about DDD Tour- we shall see...

To keep you updated, what has happened the past few weeks is graduation, moving out of my apartment, DDD tour, trying to cram my entire apartment into my bedroom at my parent's house, and applying for my visa for China. I can't believe I'm done with school- but on to new adventures.

My amazing Fam Bam @ Graduation 

I bought a tour book (what a tourist, am I right?)... lots of pictures,
because let's be honest who wants to read when you can look at pictures!

To Dance is To Fly

"Dance, the hidden language of the soul."

Although I still have a week of class before finals, I've begun to switch to "play" mode.  I don't have much to do anymore academically so I got to do a lovely photo-shoot this weekend.  It was a ton of fun even with Moscow's crazy winds! Here's a little look at the results.

I thought this week would be different...

I thought since I was finally done with my capstone project, my week would look something like this;

Lots of Sleep, Sun, a Good Book, and yummy Food and Drink...mmmm

Or maybe a little bit more accurately like this; because the weather in Moscow is RIDICULOUS and usually one day is comprised of sun, rain, wind, annnnnnd snow (yes at different times, or together, or really any mixture thereof)

Am I the only one who sees that she is wearing a sock on her right foot but not her left?
 Probably makes us more alike actually... Also I haven't decided
 if she is eating ice cream, yogurt, or a classy looking cup-o-noodles...
 You should also probably take out the city in the window and replace
 it with cows because I live in a cow town- moooo

So what? I chose really attractive cartoon animations of what I thought this week would be like, it's my view and of course no one is going to make themselves look like an ugger in their imagination!

But you want to know the reality of this week? What I really looked like? Are you sure???

"Gotta go to presentations, then rehearsals, oh shoot there
 are two shows this week that I said I'd perform in...
 Am I supposed to be on stage right now?
 Tour rehearsals are starting already?
You want me to help you what????"

I think I stretched myself a little thin, as per usual... woopsies...

but I'd rather be busy than bored.

xoxo happy saturday loves

The month in the eyes of my 'dumb phone'

While their cameras are great and all, I have yet to jump on the 'smart phone' band wagon... but I'll be the first to admit that I'm totally jealous of anyone with the new iphone.  Although my friend and I were sent on a 45 minute wild goose chase once upon a spring break by none other than the lovely Siri, I have to say those phones seem pretty slick.

So my dears, this is some of the fun that my 'dumb phone' has recorded this past month... embrace the lack of technological innovation... I'm calling it artistic...

It was sunny... kinda a big deal at the time.
There's a great view of campus if you ignore the
 parking lot and the dumpster....

View from the office for a job I interviewed
for before accepting my China internship.

A beautiful day at Alki Beach

Trying to make someone jealous of the beautiful day at the beach... 

Mmmmm coffee... so pretty!!!

Wrote the outline to my presentation at the bar...
just trying to embrace my last month as a college student.

Working on the animation project.

Chillax a Little

Thank goodness that project is over my friends! I had my big presentation yesterday so I've decided to take the first half of today off to chill on my semi-broken futon with a cup of organic local coffee (what a hippie right?) and a copy of Vogue and Home & Architectural Trends (ok maybe hippie slash megga nerd- what can I say).  Also note the lovely flowers given to me by one amazazaZING friend for finishing my project!  I'm so happy that the stress is over, but my inner nerd is going to miss the project a little.

Capping It Off

A Page From My Presentation (not quite finished obviously...) 

work, work, work... this week is full of homework.  My senior capstone project is due on monday and I've been working like a crazy person! Many a nights have been spent in the computer lab on campus to create the 'perfect' presentation.  Who knew I'd be working so much on architecture, 3d modeling, and graphic design on top of being an interior designer?

Big Girl Pants

WHAT MIGHT THE 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES, MULAN, AND I HAVE IN COMMON? BEIJING!!!

The past month I've been looking into jobs for after graduation.  I haven't actually gotten around to filling out any applications, well actually I filled out one, hence this post.  One particular opportunity came up, I ended up applying for an internship with a firm in Beijing, China and GOT IT!!! That's right ladies and gentle-persons, this kid has a j.o.b. SHABAM!      

Beijing has a population of 20,693,000, that'll be a bit of a change from where I've been living the past four years... a good ol' college town of 24,000. My new years resolution this year was to take risks, and I'd say that this is the perfect opportunity to do just that.  It's gonna be time to put on some big girl pants and maybe learn a little bit of the local language. (I don't even know how to say hello, hopefully my employer is aware of this... just kidding they totally are)                                                                                                        

Dancing, Drumming, and Dreaming

THE OUT OF ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO MAKE IT THROUGH TECH. WEEK, COFFEE IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT...
Wowee! Two blog posts in one day? Be impressed! I have been slacking on blogging lately, but I do have an excuse. The spring collaborative performance for the university's dance and music departments was this weekend.  Dancer's, Drummers, Dreamers is by far the most original show that I have ever been a part of, where else can I dance vaudeville and modern in one show?  While the show is crazy fun, it's also a crazy amount of work putting it all together.  While we've been in rehearsals for the past two months, we still had a lot to do this past week and no one left the theater before midnight the entire week.  Did I mention that the week came to an end with five shows in a span of three days? Crazy right? CRAZY FUN that is! It's amazing how you can be so tired and yet so happy at the same time, I will tell you the experience is stressful but totally worth it.  

And guess what? It's not over, I've just been asked to go on the 2013 tour this summer of Idaho and Washington State.  A whole week of shows with a bunch of smelly dancers and musicians, and probably a lot of crappy food... but I'm pumped!!!

Veronica, the real world is on the phone...

BECAUSE WHO CAN BLOG WITHOUT A DRINK IN HAND, TODAY IT'S A VANILLA LATTE (EXTRA HOT PLEASE) 

Oh my goodness marshmallows! Things just got real... I picked up these lil' buggers today, not the biggest fan of the poo brown tassel, but holy wow I'm graduating in a little over a month! Now to find a job...

A Weekend Escape…

GRAB A FRIEND, TWO MUGS, BOIL SOME WATER. TODAY I'M ENJOYING A SPICED CHAI.

This weekend was a weekend for a ski vacation... My family and our oldest family friends decided to meet up at Mission Ridge for a little ski trip.  I think we were all in need of an escape- my family suffers from a little problem I like to call the Februaries.  Christmas is now far in the past, but spring still seems a million miles away, and of course school, work, and life always seems to hit hard this time of year.  Yes this was a weekend we all desperately needed. 

So after Friday classes I turned off my phone, left the computer at home, and drove with the girls to meet our parents at the mountain.  It was a weekend of fantastic food, awesome skiing, and fireplace conversation… maybe a few wrong turns in the car- but it’s ALL GOOD! Leave it our gang of geese to take over the hotel lobby and use it as our personal living room for the weekend.  If we weren’t skiing, eating, or sleeping, you could find us hanging out by the fire with a cup of wine or coffee.   I laughed till I cried, Did the Electric Slide on skis at the top of the mountain, and I know I was skiing with the gang because I’ve had Crocodile Rock stuck in my head for the better part of the past two days. (Courtesy of the playlist we’ve been playing after skiing for the past 10+ years) I’m so thankful to have such a loving group of people in my life; this was an escape to remember. 

Valentine’s Day: Not Just for Couples…

Find yourself a cup;  the teapot is behind you. Today I'm drinking Princess Grey.

Valentine's Day. It’s a holiday that’s dreaded by pretty much the entire modern world- with maybe the exception of thirteen-year-old girls.  Don’t get me wrong I don’t hate Valentines Day. I enjoy chocolate and roses just as much, if not more than most girls.  I think it is actually very important to celebrate love.  But truth time? Valentines day is stressful, it has this power over us that can somehow make us worry more about “not screwing up” the gift than the relationship… or in my case, it makes us hyperaware of how much we are not in a relationship.  As a girl who has never had a true valentine, I’ve become a champ at celebrating “single’s awareness day;” there were the handmade mailboxes of elementary school- obligatory valentine for every student in the class, the socks from mom in middle school- still wear them, and finally the annual high-school valentine’s day ham that anyone who was single could take a bite of- kinda gross right?    

So it seemed only right that college would be no exception to this no-valentine rule that had become a constant in my life thus far.  Freshman year, my two best friends Hannah and Chantel decided we needed to do everything in our power to stay close although we were now living in three different states.  We sent each other letters and pictures and when the holiday of love came around, we decided it was necessary to make it something we could look forward to; because who really needs a guy to have a valentine? Am I right? And thus the JoyBOX was born, a care package that as the name would hint, brings a little joy and a mid semester pick-me-up to whomever receives it.

It’s that time of year again, and no surprise I find myself without a valentine… again.  After a stressful and just down-right not fun week; I came home to a wonderful care-package from Chantel.  Not only did she spoil me with gifts- she also themed the box “Things to Remember” which was the perfect inspiration to shake off a tough week. 

Here’s some of the wisdom and the gifts that went with them;

THINGS TO REMEMBER...

• Take a moment to relax and be happy and healthy (Tea/ Emergence-c)
• That life is fruity (Strawberry gum)
• That feeling pretty on the inside makes you pretty on the outside (Shirt)
• To seize the day
• To loosen up (Chardonnay- she’s trying to get me drunk)
• To always be thirsty for adventure (London mug)
• To always be sweet to those who need it (Chocolate Truffles)
• To take your vitamins (Chocolate Vitamins- who knew?)
• To remember what friends are for (Cookie Monster Picture)
• Don’t forget to act silly and laugh like a little kid (Highlights Joke Book)
• To color outside the lines (Crayons)
• To no take life or yourself too seriously, and laugh often

Happy Vday My Loves.

A Chair to Remember

Thank God for Tea! What would the world do without tea? Today I'm sipping some Jasmine Green.

My sophomore year of high school, I was one of two girls signed up for shop class. Admittedly, the only reason I took the class was to avoid taking a second science; I never imagined that I would ever step foot in a shop again. But as life tends to do, it surprised me. At my university, all interior design majors are required to take a furniture design class in which the final project is to design and build a chair. You'd think that since I took shop in high school this would be an easy feat right? Wrong! As much of high school learning tends to do, all my knowledge of tools had left me as soon as I crossed the stage at graduation.

After about two months of designing, redesigning, and hard work (along with a nice pair of biceps from all that sanding), this is what I came up with...

Welcome!

Hi There!

Welcome, my name’s Veronica.  I am a full time student studying Interior Design and Architecture.  I'm graduating from university this spring, but I'm not too worried about it.  I am a total dork, I love to dance, drink coffee, and sing whether or not it sounds good.  This blog is a collection of thoughts and my day to day happenings. Enjoy!

-Vero