First World Problems...

Last week it rained which ushered in me the most real and enlivened sense of fall. After an early morning client meeting I enjoyed a peppermint mocha (with half the peppermint – have you noticed the intensity of those things if you order them at full strength?), which only solidified the song in my heart. It was time to begin CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! I am a handmade Christmas kind of girl – but I do love to add some store-bought sparkle and I have to do it on a budget, so it was undoubtedly time to allow the store stalking to commence.

My first stop was Pier 1 Imports, but the meat of this story takes place in Nordstrom Rack. I walked in full of high hopes and eager anticipation – I was ready to conquer and just knew I would be knocking some names off the holiday shopping list before the night was through. I perused the jewelry and didn’t find anything that jumped out at me. There were some darling (and oh so brightly colored) Kate Spade wristlets but they were a bit out of my price range, so I moved on. Next up was the smell-good section, which also disappointed.  I decided to use one final surge of searching strength and headed to handbags. There was a gorgeous collection of Kate Spade bags that had already caught my eye and was subtly requesting interrogation. I picked up the softest leather purse in a natural cream with a black and white polka dot interior. I knew in my heart I wanted this bag, but I had yet to glimpse the price. I cautiously reached for the tag trying not to be overly optimistic at the slight sight of a red clearance sticker. In the flashiest of flashes (2 points if you can name that movie) I looked at the price and was ELATED to find it was a mere $79.80 – a ridiculously AMAZING price considering the bag was originally ticketed at $488.00. HOWEVER, it is the holiday season and with much shopping to accomplish for others, I hesitated. I walked around the store several times trying to justify such a purchase. I casually glanced at the bag on my arm at every mirror and confirmed my absolute love. I got in line to checkout. I waited excitedly and then a moment of horror. When the lovely cashier rang it up, it was $179.99. She kindly explained that a Juicy Couture clearance tag had mistakenly been placed on the Kate Spade of my dreams. She felt terrible about it, but did not offer to honor the price. She took the bag away, and I left the store empty-handed and a bit heart-broken.

The next morning I told a co-worker my “devastating” story when I got to the office. She has a friend who just happens to be the manager of that particular Nordy’s Rack. Coworker (who shall remain anonymous) sent a text on my behalf to see if she could get me a deal. Well friends, the manager was LIVID – the cashier absolutely should have honored the sticker price. WHAT A BUMMER! I almost had a blog-worthy deal on a beautiful Kate Spade.

Moral of this story – I didn’t buy a single gift and now I really want a Kate Spade for Christmas…

Sister to Army Nurse Kev...

I am anything but a prolific writer, and I’m a pathetic blogger based on the number of entries I’ve posted in 2012; but the past few weeks, perhaps months have been filled with changes, and I think its time to start putting some of it down on paper.

In June my brother Kevin graduated from Nursing School. I knew his graduation was the beginning of our goodbye. I can remember sitting in the bleachers watching him walk across the stage feeling a surge of intense pride and instantaneous unexplainable sadness. My brother has always wanted to be military, and when he embarked upon his educational career at San Diego State University, he was presented with an opportunity to join the Army and upon graduation serve as an Officer in the Army Nurse Corps. Selfishly there was a huge part of me that hoped he would decide against it, though my heart knew this was a dream realized for him. He accepted. Over the summer he studied veraciously and passed the NCLEX, all that was left was to wait for official orders. They came. On October 7 we said a tearful goodbye and on October 9 he officially began OCS.

He hasn’t even been gone a month and yet that goodbye seems like a lifetime ago. So much was wrapped up in that hug and the handoff of a letter than encapsulated as much of my heart as paper can hold.  I wasn’t just saying goodbye to Kevin as he left for OCS, I was saying hello to a new chapter in my life – a chapter entitled, “Sister to Army Nurse Kev”... a chapter that feels completely incomprehensible to me… a chapter I cannot possibly prepare for and yet one that is an unavoidable reality. It is being written. Kevin will be home in December for approximately two weeks. He will meet his daughter Charlotte (who will be here sometime soon) and we will celebrate the holidays together. Then THEY will leave. My brother, my sister, my nieces. They will all leave.

I really cannot even begin to fathom THAT goodbye. I think I will probably cry until my eyes are bloodshot and my cheeks are chapped.  I know we can still talk via Skype, and I really am so thankful we live in a modern technological age; but, it just isn’t the same as driving to their house and giving them squeezes, watching them put on shows, or catching a documentary together. It isn’t the same as borrowing Madeline for the weekend to go on adventures with Aunt Shell or letting her eat as much ice-cream as she wants – can can’t give a kid ice-cream via Skype. They’re moving to Hawaii, which I realize is completely AWESOME and I’m TOTALLY excited to visit the island sometime soon…but my brother and his family are a large part of what made San Diego feel like home and I have a feeling it’ll take a while to regain that footing. Bottom line, I am going to miss them like crazy funky and it makes my heart ache just thinking about it. I’m not good at normal goodbyes – and this is way beyond that.

For now I suppose I should just praise the Lord we have another month or so together before they board that plane. A month to laugh and make memories and get as many hugs and kisses as possible from my favorite littles. AND then I should plan a trip to Hawaii…I think turning 28 in paradise sounds perfect!

1-year CELEBRATIONS!

Tomorrow marks an entire year since I started at AkinsParker Creative.

It seems like such a monumental accomplishment. I’ve made it through my first year in advertising – aka – CRAZY TOWN!  I’ve come a long way in my career, and yet in my personal life I’ve apparently declined. If you are reading this, you are probably well aware that blogging has really gone by the wayside – and the posts I have managed to publish are almost all about nail polish (the one habit I have managed to maintain! Yay no naked nails!) I used to spend a lot of time working on design projects and now that I work in a design oriented industry, I do very little. But that has GOT to change! beganwithabow cannot just sit dormant forever. SO in honor of this occasion, I am OFFICIALLY opening “beganwithabow” on etsy.com. The site has a ways to go – but at least I can say I’ve started! CHEERS to a great year – and hopefully many many more!

If you'd like to visit my etsy shop (and see the ONLY current listing) use the link included below!
etsy.com/shop/beganwithabow

i went vegan...

but NOT in what I eat!

Any of you who know me are well aware that I'm really not the vegan type.  I don't have anything against being a vegan, but I'm a girl who likes...well...man food. I'm a steak and potatoes kinda girl. Now don't get me wrong, I can go for a salad here and there - but there had better be some chicken on that salad, and I'd prefer that chicken be in every bite. ANYWAY that is not the point of this post at all. This post is actually about shoes. I know, SHOCKER! Here we go, I'll make the connection for you. I was gifted a pair of TOMS and they just so happened to be vegan. AMAZE BALLS! They're ridiculously cute and super fun for summer! SO cheers to my new vegan lifestyle. My feet are happy and so are my taste-buds!

insta-nails

A lot of people do that whole "instafriday" thing and it's uber fun. Unfortunately I have a blackberry (I know, I know, TERRIBLE choice...it was FREE! I'm up for an upgrade in December and I have a feeling an iPhone is in my future) and can't participate legitimately in any insta-festivities. It makes me a tinge sad, but it doesn't mean I don't take phone pics...I just take TERRIBLE phone pics that don't have any awesome editing. However, today I decided to give you a glimpse of my phone photography in SPITE of the terrible quality because it is HYSTERICAL that the majority of photos in my phone are of my nails. Cheers to nails being one of my primary forms of self expression.

big bad biliary atresia

Last night I went to visit cutie pa-tootie Izzy Mae at the hospital. She has spent a lot of her life hanging out at CHOC already...On December 19, 2011 sweet Izzy Mae Sanchez was welcomed to the world by adoring parents (my dear friends) Carrie & Joe. Almost exactly 2 months later, Iz was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, a devastating disease of the liver. BASICALLY the bile ducts that are supposed to drain bile from Izzy’s liver don’t work properly so bile remains in her liver and causes scarring and loss of liver tissue. Eventually her liver will not function properly and cirrhosis will occur leaving sweet Iz desperate for a liver transplant. She already had the Kasai procedure in hopes of prolonging the transplant, but the surgery was less successful than we would have hoped. Izzy celebrated 4 months of life just a few days ago and is already on the transplant list waiting for a new liver. Please join with me in praying for my dear friends and sweet Izzy as they endure this. They are surrounded by supportive family and friends and have not lost hope, but we need a miracle!

Awkward & Awesome

Awkward:

· Donating to a friend’s mission trip to Kenya and finding out my name and donation amount would be posted to her website. Sooo sorry I’m poor friend.

· Attempting to bend wire to make words. Seriously just looks like a bunch of jacked up wire. And I tried NUMEROUS times. I let that vision die.

· Walking into the office after a client meeting to have Yen find an XL sticker on my sweater…and my zipper down. YUP. HOT MESS.

Awesome:

· Champagne truffles. Seriously, SO good. My sweet co-worker Julie got me a box of 9 for my birthday. I have savored them. I am down to 2 and gonna be SO SAD when they’re gone gone gone.

· TAX RETURNS (not to be confused with doing taxes, or having to pay taxes)

· Getting to see Madeline AGAIN this weekend! WOOT!

· All my friends and the babies they are having! WOWZA! I think the count is up to 8. INSANE. When did I get old?

The Big Picture View...

There is no way to possibly catch up on all that has occurred in the last eight months, so let’s start with a post including the MAJOR highlights (and lots of photos – because let’s all be honest, THAT is why people read blogs).

FALL 2012

• Carrie Wright (one of my favorite roommates of all time) got married and became Mrs. Carrie Sanchez. It was SO MUCH FUN coordinating their wedding and getting to dream with her through the entire process. It was a TON of work, but for such a dear friend, it was DEFINITELY worth it! Almost our entire LifeGroup was there and we had a BLAST drinking and dancing the night away!

• I said goodbye to Ev. Free Fullerton and embarked on an entirely new career trajectory at AkinsParker Creative. AP has been quite the adventure thus far…but we’ll save THAT story for another post entirely.
• Life with roommates has been tumultuous for me. I have had good ones (iloveyou Rachel, Shalina, Carrie) and I have had some hard ones that I do not miss. In December I got two new roommates that have been such a joy. Rebecca MacKenzie and Sarah Oliver are now permanent fixtures in my home – we have gone on two roommate dates and have enjoyed many an evening together in front of the television. They are WONDERFUL women and it is a delight to share my home with them!
• Kevin and Jamie won free tickets to Disneyland on the radio and we surprised Madeline with a day at the Happiest Place on Earth.
• On December 19, 2011 Izzy Mae Sanchez was born to proud parents Joe & Carrie Sanchez. I got up early that morning and headed to the hospital with Starbucks in hand (for the daddy to be). I stood next to Carrie’s bed as she labored and realized what a TOTAL rockstar she is. Later that day she welcomed Izzy to the world and I literally could not WAIT to meet her. Izzy Mae has had quite the journey thus far…but again…we’ll save THAT for another post.
• Christmas with my entire family was relished as I watched with a heavy heart knowing it could potentially be our last Christmas together. My older brother Kevin is in nursing school at SDSU, but upon his graduation will be an Army RN and will be leaving for training and a new life as a military man. I honestly cannot envision coming home without Kevin, Jamie, and Madeline there. It is going to be terribly hard – so I soaked up the moments we had together and enjoyed them all.

Spring 2012

• In January, Emily came to visit from Missouri! It was GREAT getting to spend some time together (even though her stay wasn’t nearly long enough). Megan happened to be in town that weekend too, so we made it an adventure. Em and I had dinner at Bruxie’s Wiffle, shopped in Santa Monica, went to Disneyland, met up with World Changers friends for dinner at Downtown Diz, had breakfast at Old Vine Café, attempted to ride a hot air balloon, went to the Carlsbad outlets, had dinner at CrowBurger Kitchen, enjoyed hot tub club, and said goodbye all in less than 65 hours. It was a whirlwind, but it was WONDERFUL having her here!
• Baby fever has OFFICIALLY hit my group of friends. I remember when they all got married – now I’m watching as they all have babies! In early spring I went up to Visalia to celebrate with my dear friend from college Krista (Machado) Piper at her baby shower. I am also looking forward to celebrating friends: Kimie, Amber, Christina, Stacey, Krissy, Jenny, and Tessa who are all having babes in 2012.
• In March Megan, Rebecca and I jetsetted to San Francisco for girls weekend. I will probably do an entire post on THAT adventure at some point – but here are the highlights: breakfast for lunch at Dottie’s True Blue, shopping for vintage letters, a beautiful city view, dinner at Foreign Cinema (OH MY GOSH DELICIOUS!), hot tub club @ the hotel, breakfast at the ferry building, blue bottle coffee, seeing the iconic San Francisco bridge, a bike ride in the rain through Great Park (ps, did you know renting bikes is only $5 / hour, CRAZY CHEAP!), dinner at Zuni Café (seriously the food in San Fran RUINS you!), a quick stop at Gap and Anthropolie, and MORE COFFEE (all good trips with my girls include a LOT of coffee!). It was AMAZING to actually get away and enjoy some new scenery for a change. LOVED IT.
• I turned 27 on March 12. CRAZY. I officially feel old.

Other than Easter with my family that about brings us up to speed…at least from the big picture standpoint. It still feels GOOD to be back…I should have made this a priority a LOONG time ago!

catch ya later work week!

it has been POURING down rain all day in typically sunny southern california. like music to my soul i've listened to it beat against the pavement in perfect harmony with the swooning wind and bending trees. at lunch (when i was able to escape the desk that entrapped me) i sat by a window and soaked it in while reading one of the most beautifully written and poignant pieces of literature i've picked up in quite some time.it was magnificent. the perfect beginning to what promises to be a wonderful weekend. cheers to sleeping in, eating breakfast for dinner, crafting, and catching up with friends. catch ya later work week!

Hello Blog.

It has been months since I posted anything on this blog.

Let me assure you it is not because I have nothing to say.

I have been BUSY. Period. That is my only excuse.
Although technically I’m not sure I need an excuse since keeping a blog (for me at least) is purely a choice.

So TODAY I choose to start writing a blog again.

Because I have much to say.

And I want to remember it, even if you don’t want to hear it.

So I’m back. I don’t know if I’m better than ever, but I’m back.

HELLO BLOG.