Hi-ho, Hi-ho...

It’s off to school I go!  Due to a recent engagement in the family, my mom has been playing Disney music in celebration… please excuse the Snow White reference.  And, more on the engagement later.  We’ve got a lot of ground to cover in this post!  It’s life change central in this casa.

Interior design called my name, so I answered.  I’ve been accepted into the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM)’s Associate of Arts program in Interior Design.  I am in their Professional Designation program, which basically means that since I already have a college degree, I can skip the first year and complete the program in half the time. 

Last time I went through this process, I was accepted to college in December, decided on my school in April, and began classes that next August.  A nice, drawn out process designed to ensure I was making a good, solid choice.  This time, things are fast-tracked… I completed my application last Monday, got my acceptance Friday, and begin classes in a week.  No time for thinking, it’s GO TIME!

The truth is, though, I’ve thought about this, a lot, for a long time.  As early as freshman year of college, when I first found out that an Interior Design major even existed, I experienced my first thoughts of buyers remorse… or rather, major remorse.  But, I stuck with Strategic Communication, and even added on French for the fun of it, never considering changing my path.  I was not the student who went into college undecided and changed her major 12 times before she really decided.  And maybe I should have been – in which case I wouldn’t be going back to school now.  But, even if I had considered switching majors that early on, would I have chosen the right one?  Interior design crossed my mind, but I really never even thought myself capable or artistic enough.  If I’d changed majors in undergrad, it might not have been to Interior Design at all, and I’d still be in this situation now.

Enough with the What-Ifs… I’m an “everything happens for a reason” kind of girl.  There will always be a part of me that wants to scream at my 18-year-old self, “What are you doing, you don’t LOVE your major… switch now, while it’s easy!!!”… but who doesn’t want to take a jab at their teenage self… and if you say you don’t, I know you’re lying.  Let’s be real here. 

This time around, I didn’t need 9 months to know this decision was the right one… I needed about thirty seconds.  It makes me sound a little flaky when I put it that way… but all potential to sound flaky aside, I know this is the right decision.  Not a hint of buyers remorse.  I’m a realistic lady – I know that this can change… I mean, I haven’t even started classes yet… but so far, I’m a calm cucumber about it… with the exception of my bursts of excitement.

Speaking of bursts of excitement… my dear cousin Catie and her (now!!) fiancé got engaged this week!  I am SO thrilled for them… they are a truly special couple who complement each other so beautifully… they are two peas in a pod and I have zero doubt that they will have an absolutely loving, joyful, fantastic marriage.  When Suite D got the news it took us all of 2 minutes to bust out the champagne toast and turn Pandora to our Disney station.  CHEERS to the happy couple!! 

PS – why the Disney music, you may ask?  I ask myself that all the time.  I think it’s a sickness my mom has, really – when big, exciting things happen in her children’s lives, on comes Beauty and the Beast.  It’s not uncommon to find her leaping through the backyard singing along.  It’s also not uncommon for any family members present to join in… yep – this is my life. 

It all began when John and I got engaged and my moms reaction was to turn on, “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady, followed by all of my favorite childhood songs, champagne, and joyful sobs.  Now I’d say it’s somewhat of a tradition… or maybe just an automated reaction to severe joy.  I’d say exciting family news + joyful time to celebrate = Disney Music, wouldn’t you? 

So with the engagement and my acceptance to FIDM, we really have had a lot of Disney in this house.  Did I say Disney, I meant celebrating.  Oh well, same thing. 

xxx

Helpful Hints

When it comes to decorating, I am all about using whatever resources are out there… in fact I’m all about using resources for everything… if help is out there, use it!  No shame here. 

I saw these little tricks on Restored Style and saved them – they are keepers and will come in handy time and time again!  

Hope these help at some point in your decorating adventures!  Check out my Tips & Tricks board on Pinterest for more helpful hints!

xxx

Career Change Update

Interior design is my passion – so I’ve decided to take the next steps to make it my career.  Today I met with admissions at FIDM – Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising – to discuss their Associate of Arts in Interior Design.  I know that I want to be an interior designer, and I am at a point where I am fully willing to do what it takes to become one – be it school, internships or being someone’s assistant.  It will certainly be a change of pace and is what some might call a bit of a speedbump… but I know that this is what I want, and I’d rather take a minute to slow down now, rather than later when life gets more complicated.  I’m excited! 

This excerpt from my admissions essay sums up this whole career change... 

"Childhood evolved into adulthood and I took a different path.  I chose what I thought to be a practical degree in college and began a career in sales and marketing that lead to disappointment.  The creativity that I thought I would enjoy in marketing lacked the opportunity for artistic ingenuity.  While I appreciate the business savvy that I have developed through my sales experience, I’ve come to the understanding that it is not how I want to spend my professional life.  

What I now understand is that there is no such thing as a practical path or a practical career - it has become clear to me that a successful career is driven by a sincere desire to work in a particular industry, in a certain position.  I now see that passions and hobbies need not remain pastimes; they can be livelihood as well.  There is no better way to drive a career into success than by truly enjoying it.  At a turning point in my life, having just moved states and married, I have decided that I will not waste any more time working in a field that I do not love.  My passion is pure, simple, beautiful design, and I want to make it my career".

So – stay tuned for what happens… who knows what this meeting will lead to!

xxx

So Long, Summer

I’m lying when I say goodbye to summer, because it’s 100 degrees in San Diego today… seriously?  It’s got to be a record…. but in true Southern California fashion, we pretended to transition from one season to the next with a final summer girls night. 

My mom and I pretended to include my sister on the planning – because it actually doubled as a surprise birthday party for her!  All the ladies brought a bottle of wine for my sister, Elis, and wrote a little note to her.  At the end of the evening we surprised Elis with a birthday cake and a giant bucket full of wine bottles with bright, sweet notes.  Of course, that is the one thing that I don’t have a picture of… but worry not, I managed to catch most of the food  on camera– you can see where my mind was at. 

We decorated with summer brights – full lemons in glass vases and lemon leaves as our tablescape… Pink Hydrangeas and colorful yellow and pink polka-dot napkins all around… all very girly, summery and spunky.

A fun addition to this party was our specialty cocktail – it was a light and breezy blend of basil, lime, vodka and soda… it was simple and delish.  We also managed to sneak some champagne in there too… it was a birthday celebration, after all!

The best part of the evening was the company – women who have been friends with my mom for 20 + years, who have been “other mothers” to me, and friends of my sister and mine, all in similar stages of life as us.  It was a wonderful mix of generations, and it was really lovely to see everyone interact and genuinely have a good time together, disregarding age or place in life.

So rather than say goodbye to summer, we all just hung out and enjoyed being together… but isn’t that what it’s all about anyways? 

xxx

Home is Where the Heart Is

I never thought that when I got married I would be back living with mom & dad. But, here we are!

YIKES! AHH! WHAAAAAT?!? WOO HOO! … are some thoughts that go through my head when I think about it. So, how did we end up here? I’m from California; John is from Ohio. We were living in Ohio together – where we both went to college, then lived and worked - but the itch to get back home to sunny San Diego was nagging at me. John liked the idea of San Diego too, so we got to thinking… We sold our condo in Columbus, quit our stable, cozy jobs and headed west. We didn’t have jobs waiting for us… or a place of our own to live… but we had a dream (and a fall back plan) and decided to carpé diem. Here’s a brief recap of the past year:

June 2011 – woo hoo – engaged!

July 2011 – visited San Diego where thoughts of home pulled at my heart strings. Set a wedding date – July 6, 2012 

March 2012 – Put our Columbus condo on the market

April 2012 – Condo = SOLD

May 2012 – Final days at both of our jobs/packed up all of our belongings/hit the road jack

June 2012 – 3 week westward road trip - visited friends & family, knocked out a few national parks, camped (and survived), and landed in San Diego.

July 2012 – got married! Lots of wedding parties and festivities & general joy all around. Honeymooned in Big Sur. Honeymoon cut short due to job interviews (story for another time). Got jobs (miracle)? Unpacked and moved in with Mom and Dad!

Now – this brings me to Suite D. Living with the ‘rents may not be ideal for newlyweds… but we couldn’t be happier. We loved our home in Ohio and we look forward to having our own home in San Diego. In the mean time, my dear parents are willing to help us get on our feet in a new place. We call our little room Suite D to remind us of all of the places we’ve lived – because no matter where we are, home is where the heart is. xxx