21 Things

21 signs you grew up in the '90s...and I totally get all of them!

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Lately

Life is good.

It's been awhile, but I can say that right now, I am very, very happy with my life.  I love my job and my coworkers have become great friends who I spend my weekends with, too.  I love where I live...San Diego is a fantastic, laid-back city with everything I could ever need only a twenty-minute car ride away. Hillcrest has virtually everything I need within a few blocks!

Last night, for example...I rode my bike home through Balboa Park with Josh and Karen, two coworkers. Then, I stopped by my house to drop off my bike, then walked to Trader Joe's. On the way back, I got frozen yogurt. When I got home, I talked for a long time with my roommate, Anne, swapping crazy family holiday stories.

Today at lunch, I was talking to my friend Ashley while we walked to Mona Lisa (an amazing Italian deli in Little Italy). We both echoed the same sentiments about being mid-twenties, single and in the more urban areas of San Diego. Basically, we both love being free. I know that is vague and sounds strange, but think about it. Most of my friends are at work, so if I want to make plans, I just ask around at the office and there's generally someone who's up for a drink or a night out. If I want to be lazy and just have a TV night in, I do that. But there's always company when it's wanted or needed, and we've got each others' backs. One of our company core values is, "Treat each other like family." The Ludus team does that every single day without trying.

Now I sound like I'm writing one of my work blogs. But, that's just another thing to illustrate how happy I am with where I am right now. I mean those things I write in the Ludus blog about it being awesome.

Like I said...life is good :)

Proud Friend

My friend Margaux qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games two weeks ago (by winning gold at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara).  Today, she won gold at the Champion of Champions tournament (featuring the top 18 international women in pentathlon) in Sicily. Needless to say, I'm pretty freaking proud of her!!

GO BESTIE!!

Headed to Hillcrest

No more PB for me!

Shortly after the roommate who I replaced moved out, she got evicted from her new apartment. Instead of looking for a new place, she took advantage of the fact that she still had her housekey and just moved onto our couch without asking anyone.  We're understanding people and let her stay.  But, over the past several weeks, she suddenly decided to take her frustration with other aspects of her life out on me.

Without getting into the details, she treated me very, very poorly for a week, culminating in several uncalled-for text messages that made me question my safety in the house.  I wasn't technically on a lease yet, so I was able to tell the landlord I was moving out by the end of the month and ended up finding an adorable little place in Hillcrest (a more inland, urbanized area with cute stores and a lot of culture) almost immediately.

I'm moving this weekend!

Here's some pictures :)

Once I actually have things in my room and it's more to look at than just empty space, I'll post pictures of it!

Working Life

As promised, here's a little work update from San Diego!

I'm working at Ludus Sports, a travel and hospitality company that sells travel packages to the Olympic Games, Oktoberfest, Running of the Bulls, World Cup events and other major international sports and cultural events. So far, I'm loving it! I love the people and I love the work! That's not to say I haven't had my little road bumps already (I have), but, as always, you just have to learn and grow from them!

My desk when I first started working...it's a little messier now.

Two of my coworkers, Lindsay and Melinda

My boss's daughter, my co-worker (and roommate!) Larkin and me at a Padres game...the whole office went as a fun little trip!

In other happy news, Margaux won gold at Pan Ams and qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games!! So excited for her :)

RIP Steve Jobs

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Think Different, narrated by Steve Jobs

RIP Steve Jobs, one of the greatest innovators of our time.

"This could be paradise..."

I'm FINALLY updating!  I know it's been awhile, but it's been pretty chaotic settling in.  I went back to Colorado and got all of my things packed up a few weeks ago, and all of those things finally arrived last night.  It was a hectic night of unpacking...and let me tell you, consolidating an entire apartment (even if it was tiny) into a small bedroom is no small task!

I also managed to get out and take the pictures I've been promising since I moved!  I really want to get to the beach late at night one of these nights because there's some algae causing the waves to glow right now.  Night photography is definitely not my forte, but I definitely want to try to capture something cool like glow-in-the-dark waves!  Shouldn't be too hard since I live 2 blocks from the ocean!

Life has been very stressful, but I am finding my niche here in San Diego courtesy of my amazing roommates and coworkers.  It's been a struggle trying to make new friends and figure out how to grow with the older friends who have now become long distance.  It has not been easy at all, and I have not handled myself the best, either. I just have to hope that the friendships I have made are strong enough to last through a few big speed bumps.  As is usual for me, I've found some solace from these stresses in music, particularly Coldplay's new song "Paradise." 

"So lying underneath those stormy skies, she'd say, 'Oh, I know the sun must set to rise.'"

It's sort of an optimistic take on dealing with bad things.  Yes, I might be stressed and dealing with a lot right now (although I have many positives to be grateful for, too), there's a sunrise around the corner.  You just have to stick it out to get there.

I'll post an update on work before too much longer...want to snap some photos around the office before posting on that! But...I am loving the new job!

That's it for now!

A Warm Welcome

I'm all moved to San Diego! I'm currently living in Pacific Beach (better known locally as PB).  I haven't gotten the chance to get out and take a lot of pictures yet, but I'm hoping to do that soon!

Work is going really well.  As is to be expected with a new job, it got off to a slightly slow start since I had to get set up with all the right software, logins, etc, but now it's picking up and I'm setting some good goals for myself!  If you haven't yet, go like the Ludus Tours page on Facebook...part of my goal for this week involves getting those counts up!

I'll give a more substantial (and photographic) update soon...but just wanted to let everyone know that I am alive, well and loving San Diego!

New Adventures

I'm setting off on a new adventure in two weeks...I accepted a position as Marketing and PR Coordinator at Ludus Tours in San Diego, California!

It'll be an interesting journey.  I know virtually nothing about San Diego, but moving to a new city is never something that's bothered me.  This will be my first time moving somewhere without a secured place to live, though, so that will certainly be interesting! Fortunately, the company I'm going to be working with has some great employees who are willing to lend me their couches while I apartment hunt when I first get out there! 

I'll also be dealing with a higher cost of living, California traffic (I hear it's bad...could be wrong), year-round 75-degree weather, beaches AND mountains...definitely a lot of new things!  I will miss my Colorado friends so much, but true friends aren't going to go anywhere just because they are physically not in the same place.

Excited to start this new chapter in my life!

On the Road Part II

The other day, I posted about a few of my favorite travel experiences...and here's a few more for you!

 

The Harry Potter Experience

My second trip to the UK was as part of a college class on British literature. We had some classroom stuff before going, then finished up the course by going to the UK and seeing the things we had studied. Being a big Harry Potter fan, my favorite part was seeing a few of the sights from the movie! In Oxford, we went to Christ Church College and got to explore the Great Hall (which also has some Alice in Wonderland connections) and in London, we went to King's Cross and saw the little Platform 9 3/4 area they have set up! 

The Guinness Storehouse

In Dublin, I went on a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of beer, the tour itself is exciting and the building is very impressive. It's shaped like the traditional Guinness pint glass, complete with foam on top (the top floor is a bar with floor-to-ceiling glass windows while the rest of the building is dark). They have a ton of interesting exhibits and interactive displays...and now, having been to a few other breweries, it still ranks as number one in my opinion!

The Best Chocolate Shake EVER

Unfortunately, I haven't made it to San Francisco to visit the original Ghirardelli Soda Fountain...but I've been in Chicago and Orlando, and it was, without a doubt, the best ice cream experience of my life. My sister and I lovingly refer to Ghirardelli's chocolate shakes as "Heaven in a Glass." It doesn't matter whether I'm on a health kick or if it  requires a bit of a walk...if there's a Ghirardelli in the neighborhood, I'm going!

Walking Across Monaco

One weekend while I was studying abroad, I took the TGV down to Nice, France, for the weekend with some friends. Since we were only a 5 euro train ride away from Monaco, I opted to go there for a day and walk across the country! It is a gorgeous little country with a very interesting blend of historical and modern. 

On the Road

Over the last couple of weeks, it seems like travel has come up a LOT.  So, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite travel experiences...

French Stereotype Night at Le Tour Eiffel

Studying abroad in Paris was a phenomenal experience over all, but obviously there were lots of little events that stood out while I was there.  "French Stereotype Night" was one of the first of many of our outings to the Eiffel Tower. On this particular night, we befriended a pair of Moroccans and practiced our French with them (they had initially tried to charge us to use their wine opener to open our bottles of wine), posed with berets and the French flag (see above) and had lots of wine and cheese. It was a great bonding experience for our little group of Americans!

European Public Transportation/The Munich Incident

Subways are awesome. Yes, I know New York City has an awesome subway system, too.  But the awesome thing with the London and Paris transportation (not just subways, but train networks, as well) systems is that you can get within walking distance of anywhere you need to go without ever having to use a car. Okay, maybe not absolutely everywhere...but you can get pretty damn close.

Oddly enough, my first time in Europe, I had a pretty bad experience with the Munich U-Bahn (subway).  When rushing to grab the train before it left with my school group, I happened to be running the fastest...and was the only one to make it onto the train before the doors closed. Since I was not running this tour and it was our first night in town, I had no idea where we were going or how to get around the city, nor did I speak a word of German (except for sheiße, which probably wouldn't have gotten me far). Ultimately, I did end up finding my group (which included my grandma...she was pretty relieved when I got back) after experiencing some more colorful areas of Munich. I definitely learned some very important things about traveling: always know your hotel's name, and always know where you're going!

My love of European public transportation is kind of ridiculous...I even made a little video of my study abroad experiences with the Paris Metro.  If you're clever, you might be able to find it on YouTube somewhere.

Trunk Bay, St. John, USVI

Most. Beautiful. Beach. Ever.  After returning from a few trips to Europe, I got a little bit of a big head...why would anyone vacation somewhere so close to home (I lived in Florida for a few years, so the Caribbean seemed WAY too close to be considered a vacation)?  Still, my parents wanted to visit the US Virgin Islands because my mom had lived there for awhile when she was fresh out of college. So, we went...and I fell in love, quickly deflating my little travel ego I had developed. Soft, super white sand...crystal clear water that seemed even cleaner than most pools...a coral reef just a short swim away... It really is the perfect beach destination.

Magnolia Bakery, New York City

If you know me, then you probably know of my love for cupcakes. It rivals my love for European public transportation, although I have yet to make any videos about cupcakes.  The vanilla-vanilla cupcake at Magnolia is still the best cupcake I have ever had in my life. I'm sincerely hoping that the recent news of Magnolia starting a franchise results in two things: 1. delicious Magnolia cupcakes close to me and 2. loyalty to the original, so amazing recipe. Seriously, guys...go eat these cupcakes.  They're so good that I made Josh wake up at 6am with me on Easter Sunday (our last day in NYC) so that we could trek across town (the subway stations nearby were closed) and buy a dozen to take home. 

More travel memories to come...

"Love never fails."

I'm not typically one to push religion. Yes, I have my religious beliefs, but I also believe that faith is a personal choice and shouldn't be forced on anyone. If people have questions, I'm always more than willing to talk about faith with them...but like I said, it's a person choice.

Last night, though, this phrase got stuck in my head: "Love is patient, love is kind." So, I got online and looked up the full chapter (yes, I was being lazy...I didn't feel like walking to my bookshelf to open up a real Bible). Somehow, this chapter gets me every time! And I think whether you're religious or not, it's just a beautiful piece of writing that I feel anyone could relate to.  For me, I read this chapter as sort of an instructional guide to not only romantic love, but friendship.

So, friends of mine out there, this is what guides me towards being a better friend and person.  What guides you?

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."  (1 Cor. 13)

30 Days of Photos - Day 17

Day seventeen - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

Yes, that's right...the Department of State. After getting excited about the possibility of joining the Foreign Service a few years ago, I got a little sidetracked by internships and jobs. However, a few months ago, the idea popped back into my head and, instead of just thinking about the Foreign Service, I acted on it and actually took the FSOT...and passed! The whole process thus far has only served as a great reminder about why I got excited about this in the first place so many years ago. Even if I don't make it in this time around, I'm going to keep trying until I do. It's a big challenge to get in, but it's a challenge I'm willing to take because I know it's a great fit for me.

PNQs

One more step in my quest to join the Foreign Service has been completed! I submitted my personal narrative questions (PNQs) last night. Technically, I had two more weeks to work on them because of a technical glitch that meant I didn't get an email notification about my FSOT scores. But, since I had them completed, I figured I'd go ahead and submit on the original due date.

So, now I have six to eight weeks of waiting to find out if I make it through to the next round. According to statistics I've read on various Foreign Service blogs, there's around a 40% chance of making it through PNQs to the OA. So, I'm hopeful but I'm also continuing to go about life as usual just in case I don't make it on to the next round.

For now, I'll just fill my time reading all kinds of Foreign Service blogs...because even if I don't make it this time around, I'm going to keep trying until I do make it in!

30 Days of Photos - Day 16

Day sixteen - A photo of someone who inspires you

My grandma!  She raised six children, was married for nearly sixty years and took care of her husband through cancer. And, even though her husband (my grandpa) died last year, she has kept her life full of the things and people she loves.  She is over 80 years old, yet she's out meeting people and going on exciting trips all the time! I am extremely blessed to have such a great, strong female role model in my life.

PASSED!!

I PASSED THE FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER TEST!!!

I haven't talked about it on here because I honestly didn't think I had ANY chance of passing.  I decided to take it at the last minute, so I only had a few weeks to study for it (and there are people out there that study for years for it!).  Fortunately, my political science education paid off!!!

For those of you who don't know what this means, the Foreign Service Officer Test is a standardized test that people interested in working in the foreign service (for American embassies overseas or for the State Department domestically) take.  No, this does not mean I'm leaving my current job or anything...the hiring process takes about a year and, even with the test passed, there's still several more phases to pass in order to even get on the hiring list.

Next, I have to complete six essays and submit those.  From what I've read, about a third of the people who are asked to do the essays are passed on to the next stage.  After that is the oral assessment (in Washington, DC).  If you pass the OA, you have to get a medical and security clearance, then you're added to "The Register" based on your OA score.  As jobs become available, they take people off of the register and assign them to the jobs based on their skills and scores!  If you haven't been called off of the register after a year, then you get to start the whole process over again.

So, even though there's still a ways to go, it's still super exciting to have gotten over the first hurdle!

And although this probably means nothing to anyone reading this (they base passing scores on t-scores, not your score-out-of-100 or anything like that), here are my individual results:
Job Knowledge: 52.13
Biographic Information: 61.06
English Expression: 55.93
Essay: 10

Burning Up

It's officially summer in Colorado...which means it is officially HOT!!!

Today, it's supposed to be 95 degrees.

My apartment (along with much of the apartments out here) is not air conditioned.  This is fine at night because it still gets decently cold at night.  Until the sun sets behind the mountains, though, it's pretty toasty!

Still, I've had a lot of fun in the heat!

The other night, Margaux and her sister, Isabella (who's in town for a week or so), came over and we danced and just goofed around.  This, of course, included some very random pictures!

Last week, I participated in Ad2 Denver's annual kickball tournament with a bunch of people from Vladimir Jones, the advertising agency where I work.  We unfortunately didn't do so well...but we did well enough that we didn't make it into the losers bracket (but not well enough to get in the winners bracket, either!).  We all had a lot of fun, though.  It seemed to me that the day is more about making connections with other people in advertising (both on the agency and the vendor side) and lots and lots of drinking.  I volunteered to be DD, though, so no boozing it up for me!

Triathlon training has been consuming a little bit more of my life lately, as well.  August 28th isn't too far away and, although I can already swim, run and cycle the distances of the triathlon I will be doing, I don't want to just show up and do it.  I want to really give it my all!  Last night, I had the best swim I've had in years...I swam 1100 yards (a little less than twice the distance I'll be swimming in August), all at a brisk pace.  Sometimes, I have a tendency to get lazy and linger at the ends of the pool since I'm awful at flip turns and don't generally (and by "generally," I mean "ever") do them, but I was actually swimming to the wall and immediately going back out.  I am even getting the hang of this whole breathing to the side thing (although having long bangs does not make this so fun...gotta get a swim cap!).  I'm very thankful for the people who have helped me out with everything so far!

On Friday, Lola and I are heading to Indianapolis for a week to spend the 4th with family!  Not looking forward to the drive through Kansas in 100 degree weather, but it'll be nice to see everyone again!

Run, Riley, run!

30 Days of Photos - Day 15

Day fifteen - A photo of something you want to do before you die

Yes, I'm showing my girly side that I usually like to hide.  I want to get married someday...but I don't mean the big, white dress, big, fancy church traditional wedding!  I've never been very enamored with the idea of a big wedding, and I can't imagine myself getting married indoors.  What I really want is a tiny destination wedding on a beautiful, far away beach somewhere.  As part of a very large, very close extended family, I never thought this would be an option so that's probably why I wanted it...but the older I've gotten, the more I've realized that I can have that.  I'll just throw a big reception party with an open bar when I get back ;)

30 Days of Photos - Day 14

Day fourteen - A photo of someone you could never imagine your life without

So, I'm cheating and choosing two people I couldn't imagine my life without!  I honestly don't have any memories of life before my brother and sister were around.  We've lived all over the country together, shared crazy childhood adventures and continue to have way too much fun together as adults (and referring to my sister as an adult is strange).  I'm so very blessed to have two siblings who are not only my family but two of my very best friends.  BroPod and Sistradre - couldn't ever imagine not having you guys around!

30 Days of Photos - Day 13

Day thirteen - A photo of your favorite band/artist

It's virtually impossible for me to choose just one favorite artist or band because I absolutely adore music...but I'm going with Coldplay because they've been around for awhile and I've never lost my love for them.  I get quite irritated when people say all their music sounds the same...listen to the Parachutes album and then Viva La Vida and you'll have two totally different listening experiences!  They have a perfect song for every mood and every feeling...and I've got a hunch that their music will remain relevant to my life for quite awhile!  By the way...they put on one of the best live shows I've ever been to!

One Year

One year ago today, I arrived in Colorado Springs with my brother after a long day in the car.  And I'm currently writing from Indiana, a few days after yet another long day in the car with my brother.  It's amazing what can happen in a year...looking back at everything, I'm shocked that it's only been that long!

So, true to form...some photo highlights from the year that has elapsed.  They aren't in any particular order.

Played tourist with brother for the first week in "Colo Spgs"

Went rafting on the Arkansas River twice in July

Tackled two 14,000+ ft. mountains in one day, successfully summiting one before storms drove us back to treeline

Got certified to scuba dive (again) with Jimmy

Conquered the Incline...multiple times

Lived here and spent a LOT of time staring at this view (and no, it still hasn't gotten old)

Worked for the USOC's Digital Media department

Went to some Rockies games

Did the Incline way too many times!

Climbed Pikes Peak with a little pit stop at Devil's Playground

"Acquired" an Iron Man mask

Went to the Coors Brewery in Golden

Made (and lost) some good friends

Had one hell of a Halloween

Attempted to make grilled cheese over an open fire on 4th of July weekend

Worked as an official photographer at a pentathlon world cup in Palm Springs, CA

Moved into an apartment

Got a puggle named Lola

Had a lovely 25th birthday

Learned to ski on the Rocky Mountains

Made a friendship that will last a lifetime

Made and played tourist with some friends at work...and said goodbye to one of them

Made some Russian friends and had some crazy nights with them!

Played dress up at an awards dinner

Got my Masters degree

Gave into my love for tart frozen yogurt any chance I got

Got into photography and saved my pennies for my very own Nikon D90

Had a LOT of cupcakes...including the original bacon cupcake from Tee and Cakes!

Celebrated Hanukkah

Shared lots of stories...and drank a lot of Starbucks (which, coincidentally, was where lots of those stories were shared)

Went to the first US team trials for the London 2012 Olympic Games (they were for taekwondo)

Worked as production assistant on a video series shoot with 1996 gold medalist Dan O'Brien

Saw one of the most amazing sights in nature - Colorado's Great Sand Dunes

Went a little crazy at the USOC Warehouse Sale

Got some speedskates

Wore a gold medal (which belonged to 2010 gold medalist, Steve Mesler)

Got published...a lot

Saw quite a bit of colorful Colorado

All in all, quite the year.  And the photos don't even begin to cover EVERYTHING that went on, obviously.  If I put a photo from everything I did this year, I might break the internet!  

Needless to say, I've learned a lot and had a lot of great experiences.  I've met some amazing people, made some great friends and learned who maybe wasn't as great of a friend as I thought.  I figured out what I truly want to do with my life, and I made great steps in the direction I want to go. 

Let's see where the next year takes me!