Why Do I Blog?

Why do I blog you ask?

Social media has been a popular phenomenon over the years and with this comes a great opportunity to get into my writing again.

Throughout my school years I have always loved to write-essays,writing contests,you name it I did it. For fun I used to write poetry,short stories,and I as a child I remember winning an author contest for a short story book that I have written. In high school I was involved with newspaper and yearbook committees.

Then college came, and with that came academic papers-unless it was a creative writing course, I really did not have time to write about things that I enjoy. My writing became required final papers 15-20 pages long in Grad school as well.

When I got selected to write after submitting a sample on GalsGuide, I was ecstatic. It's something that I just want to get into again. Although my life is hectic right now, I really do hope I can continue to do writing as a hobby. Writing is soothing,and allows you to just get things off your chest. I also just enjoy giving people advice on a variety of things whether it's how to cope with stress(that's the Social Work in me) to where to grab deep dish pizza in the city.

Dress done.

So I finally found a dress. That was probably the most stressful thing I ever had to do! I mean, I have had many stressors in my life by far,but for something as simple as choosing a wedding dress was like a job. I tend to be nit-picky when I try on clothes and I am my own worst critic,and shoe shopping forget it(you will be so surprised,I am not the typical girl who has 1,000 pair of shoes like most girls,because I just get so frustrated!). But this time I had to be a little opened minded.

I was glad I chose a dress finally because the consultant told me that it will arrive in June,and then I will need alterations. So I was cutting it close,I had to choose and I had to choose fast. But I am so glad it's over with. My mom was happy what I chose also,I was going for something traditional and it has some modern touches to it,and it was very close to what I was looking for.

Now,I need to start working out! I hope it warms up in the next couple months, I really want to start jogging along the lake. Or even jog through some Chicago neighborhoods-scenery helps. My fiance and I live 5 min from Clark St, and we were thinking once the weather gets better,to walk/run the entire street,through Wrigleyville, up until the South Loop Target-what a challenge huh? :-p

Coffetalk-growing up is hard to do.

So I just had coffee with one of my fellow GalsGuide contributor authors in downtown Evanston. She also is getting married just like I am and is experiencing the same phase in our life where we are not really "young college girls" anymore but rather "maturing young adults". We are both experiencing that time in our life where we need to buckle down and stablize our life as much as we can.

Although I have been done with school for quite some time and am working in my career,along with of course getting married, I feel that there is so much more I can do-I want to work towards getting a house or condo one day,work towards my clinical license,and work on my writing that I have always loved to do but had not really much time for it because of college. I eventually would like to open some small business one day and get in touch with my creative side as well. I am also slowly adjusting to a lifestyle where I don't go out as much because quite frankly,I need to think about my future-saving money,work towards a home,kids,and so forth.

During your college years are the years where you explore, have fun,and can be a kid a little bit longer. But there comes a time where you eventually have to say "Time to grow up,do something with your life!" A lot of young adults struggle with this and either fail and continue to act like kids even after 30, or just snap out of it and begin to think about what they want going for them for the rest of their life. Family,kids,advancing their careers,etc are all part of life as well.

I do,however,would like to continue to be active and participate in extracurricular activities and organizations,maybe even do some fundraisers(I have always wanted to do one of those fundraisers with a fashion show event or something). I think you should still maintain your interests whether it's writing,making music,sports,etc.

Growing up may be hard to do,but it is something that we just have to deal with. Good luck all that are crossing this path.

Just a few of my favorite things...

Oprah has a list of her "favorite things". I, as well have my list! Here are some of my favorite things:

Beauty/Fashion
Favorite eye shadow: MAC in Satin Taupe

Favorite eye concealer: Erase Paste by Benefit

Favorite conditioner: Aveda

Favorite store to get work gear: Limited,Gap

Favorite store to get "dolled up": H&M,Forever 21, Bebe

Places to go

Favorite coffeehouse: Iguana Cafe (West Loop)

Favorite neighborhood in Chicago for lounging: Fulton Market District

Favorite park: Millenium Park

Favorite spot for House music-Green Dolphin Street Mondays

Favorite radio station: Columbia's CRX radio

Favorite neighborhood for family living: Bridgeport

Favorite Beach: North Ave Beach

Favorite area for shopping: the shops of Michigan Ave

Favorite spot for outdoor coffee and people watching: Mariano Plaza

So there you go, some of my favorite things-check any of them out and I am sure you won't be disappointed.

Wedding Dress Shopping

So today I went to Schaumburg to Demetrios, a bridal salon and got started trying on wedding dresses. I have been engaged since August but really,I was SO busy that I really did not have the time to go right away. I don't know how some girls literally jump the next day and start looking for dresses when their weddings are so far away. My assistant, a really nice girl named Mandi, told me that I am at a perfect time to start looking,considering my wedding is this midsummer.

My experience for the first time was not so bad but let me tell you, it's kind of not cool that you MUST make an appointment to try on these dresses-I just want to get in and get out. It was nice that I had my own assistant to help me with the dresses and all but I don't know,the dresses were pretty heavy to try on your own. Oh, and I had only an hour limit to try on the dresses, I don't know how the other boutiques are but at Demetrios, if you are coming during a weekend, they only give you "an hour" to try on the dresses because they get a lot of customers. If you go during the week, they said they can spend more time helping you out choosing a dress.

Demetrios though will cost you. A lot. And honestly, I have seen dresses that cost way less and just as good. So the search continues.

Northside...Southside...which do you prefer?

Last night,I decided to take a cruise through the northside of Chicago. I haven't had a chance to really navigate the Northside of Chicago since I moved in several months ago,considering I was visiting my now fiance a lot in Bridgeport,which is on the Southside of Chicago. Since he lived close to the South Loop,we spent many summer and fall days down there,especially Michigan Ave and Rush St.

If you don't know already or you are not from Chicago, Chicago has two areas in in which they "rival" each other. There's the Northside,home of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigleyville,and then there is the Southside of Chicago,which is home of the Chicago White Sox,whose US Cellular Stadium is located in Bridgeport. These are the main references to the North and South side,however the North and South side stretch far and wide.

I love and miss Bridgeport because of the family oriented vibe that this neighborhood has and only few steps away from the South Loop. Not often do you find a neighborhood in a city with real houses and sidewalks. You can also catch the red line or orange line in this neighborhood if you ever want to go downtown. Check out Bridgeport Coffeehouse if you ever want to stop by this neighborhood and have a java. There are no words for the South Loop-very metropolitan,and a prime area for tourists from all over the world.

The Northside,primarily the streets of Clark,Addison,and Belmont,has a somewhat different scenario. Here,you will see many young individuals,ranging from students to young businessmen. Especially close to the Cubs stadium,you will see streets stretch painted with bars, trendy boutiques,restaurants,and coffeehouses. And no matter what time or day it is,this area is always buzzing,especially when there is a game going on. Metro Smartbar is highly recommended if you want to see local artists for a small fee ranging from $15-20.

Which side do I prefer? It's hard to say now. I will always have a special place in my heart for Bridgeport and the Southside,but the Northside is sort of growing on me too. Usually when people move to the city they move to the Northside first,Lincoln Park or Lakeview,etc. But I started off in the South Loop first, and have many memories there as well. I loved the fact that I was so close to downtown. I will probably do some more exploring once the weather gets nicer.

Either way,Chicago is Chicago,and the city as a whole is truly a gem.

Resolutions and keeping them...or at least try to...

So 2009 has finally arrived. Winter is half over but we still have a long way to go... I pondered over the last couple days as my computer got cleaned and updated(Tony thank you! Seriously,my computer is running so much faster now). Here are a couple that I am going to try to stick to:

Of course,the typical resolution which is, lose weight,eat better. I just went to visit my parents in Indiana this past weekend and also went to Sam's Club,where I went at it with healthy groceries. I am just waiting for the weather to get better so I can start jogging along the lake,but for now I need to just work out indoors and watch Body By Gilad video's. I believe if you can find your niche and stick with it you can lose weight and be more fit.

Another one is,to be more efficent at work. I have been known to be a procrastinator,writing 15 page papers in Grad school the night before it's due,while keeping MSN on for study breaks. I am trying to get my tasks done ahead of time so I can have more time with my patients doing fun things.

And one more is,get some books on opening a business. I want to open something which I don't want to reveal,right now I just want to do some research and think it through,I do see myself doing Social Work in the future,but on a part-time basis,as it is a field prone for burnouts. I don't know if I can really see myself being a full time social worker for the rest of my life,although I have considered maybe doing Life Coaching,which is becoming popular now,basically it's helping people figure their life out and getting them on the right track,something I have definitely experience in.

So there you go,my New Year's resolutions. Will I keep them? We'll see.