No sleep till...Brooklyn

I have been off the blogging path for quite some time now. But, I am back! Here’s what I have been up to:

First and foremost: Dereck got a new job! He moved from being the Loss Prevention Manager at Home Depot (in charge of one large store) to now being the Loss Prevention Manager at Radio Shack (in charge of 39 stores). He’s based at home and just has to travel to his stores as problems arise. He’s really liking his job and the hours are a million times better than at HD. Did I also mention that he’s given a company car? So many great perks. I am so happy for him, had to brag a bit.


Next most importantly: I FINISHED FINALS! After too many sleepless nights, I finally completed my 4th semester on May 14th. I kind of can't believe it's over. I was happy overall with my projects, but again, would have benefited from more time... My mom took some pictures of a few of the pieces that I created for my final collection from my design studio class, however they didn’t turn out the best. This is a rain jacket.And a jumperAnd a dress, with one very HOT model (Kijuana)




I will try to get some better ones, but in the meantime these will have to do.

I also had to present my business idea to a group of panelists (for my business/ent class). Basically the entire semester centered around all the steps required to starting your own business. At the end of a semester we presented our idea to a panelist that included: 2 designers, a wall street financial exec, a small business owner, and 2 design professors. Needless to say it was nervewrecking presenting this powerpoint presentation that had to capture their attention and persuade them to want to invest. It was great experience and I got some good feedback which I will definitely be using in a few years when I start KGrace Designs!

And finally for my technical drawing class, I created a collection for Benetton using Adobe Illustrator. It is an amazing program, but so time consuming, at least for me! These wouldn't upload, so sorry.



I think I only have 2 more semesters (maybe 3 left). I will be glad to be actually working in the field.

Once finals were over, I treated myself to a massage. I went to Silk Day Spa and oh was it dreamy. I would highly recommend it to anyone needing a getaway. I came out feeling very relaxed and stress-free.

The very next day, Dereck and I went to DC to watch Devon and Nate.

They look so sweet and innocent, yet we were sooo exhausted by the time the weekend was over. It was insane. I truly don’t know how mother’s do it. It was a good weekend and a sad weekend. We went down there because my sister was hospitalized for her anemia again. She received 3 units of blood and I actually took her to the hospital right after we drove in while Dereck stayed with the kids who were sleeping. That woman takes on so much and definitely needed a little break, I just wished I could stay longer to help her out!

For Memorial Day weekend, Dereck’s mother came to visit. It was the first time we had hosted her since we’ve been married, so it was fun for her to see our apartment and show her around the city a bit. We really tired her out by attending a summer street fair, went to a delicious lobster roll spot, saw Radio Golf, and did some vintage clothing shopping, and of course more shopping and eating at home and various other favorites.
She had to take a day off work when she got back to recover from her vacation…

I also went back to DC to the week of Memorial weekend to hang out with my sis again.

My mother was also visiting and so we did Devon's hair...ok not really, she was insistent that all of those hair clips go in that spot. Apparently she felt extremely glam.This is our cute friend Jenna who visited from Bermuda. I missed seeing her by ONE day! But, it was great to see my mom and sister and the kids. I just wish we could see each other more often!

Dereck and I also went to a Red Sox v. Yankees game. It was the first time that I had been to Yankee stadium, so it was pretty fun. Unfortunately (according to Dereck) the Red Sox lost. Apparently when you marry someone from Boston you are obligated to hate the Yankees. I just went there for the cotton candy and the people watching so I wasn’t disappointed.

Just this past weekend we went to Boston. We decided to go on Saturday afternoon, so we got a last minute hotel deal on hotwire.com we found a 4.5 star hotel for $125. We had to call to find someone to teach our Primary class, but it was sort of fun to get away. We got there around 6 and of course Dereck had to go straight to his favorite sub shop. Then, we went to his sister’s hung out for a bit, checked into our hotel and then went with his sister, Alexia and his cousin John to a late dinner at Masa. It was delish. We were going to go back and play scrabble, but it got too late and we are old.

The next morning, we got up and were heading to his mother’s house and got sort of turned around. Well, I knew that Amberli might be at church and said to Dereck, what if we ran into Amberli? Lo and behold, I spotted her!!! She was out chit-chatting after church and I literally jumped out of the moving vehicle and ran towards her. It was as though she was the only person in the room. Hilarious. We caused such a scene dancing and hugging. Anyway, we got to go to breakfast at the new IHOP in Cambridge. YUM! It was so much fun catching up with her.

YOu can check out pictures of us here: http://bostonmccoys.blogspot.com/

After that, we got to spend some time with Dereck’s grandmother. She is so cute and has some amazing stories since she has lived in the same house in Boston for over 40 years. We finally got home late on Sunday night.

Also, we watched the tivo'd very last Sopranos...so disappointed.

And last but not least, I survived the dentist. My dentist is this tall pretty blond woman who one might think to be she was very sweet. However, she is a no-nonsense woman and had no patience for my antics. I just blasted my IPOD so I couldn’t hear the drill and I must say it didn’t even hurt and she was really fast. However, I thought her work was really sloppy and I still don’t think my bite is even.

I really thought that once school was out, life would be all layed back and easy, but Dereck and I were talking yesterday how we were so tired because we haven’t been home after work in the evening all week. Maybe this weekend we’ll stick around. Although, Sarah presented us with an invite to the hamptoms…

Beware: sensitive information contained

I have the longest blog in history to update my life from the past month or so that I have been meaning to post, but something happened today that just had to put up for discussion. It’s really one of the most disturbing things that I have ever encountered and if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I probably wouldn’t have believed it myself.

This morning I got off the train and was heading to work as usual at the 42nd street (grand central) stop which is a very busy station. As I was walking, this guy was also getting off in front me says, “Watch your step” and put his arm out. I looked down and saw a red pile of blood or something on the ground. I looked closer and realized that it was a mini baby fetus on the ground. It was still wrapped inside the placenta and the umbilical cord was lying next to it.

I am still in shock. Nobody should almost step on a baby on they’re way off a train! What kind of person either has an abortion on the train platform or miscarries and then heads uptown. I immediately broke down seeing that lifeless helpless little soul. He/she wasn’t even given a chance! It breaks my heart to know that there are so many that would give anything to be a mother and another person just leaves their baby on the train platform. The fetus was only about 3 inches long, but you could clearly tell what it was through the placenta.

I guess it can take these types of things to just really make you think. I have so much to be grateful for!

We don't do that here...

Apparently I am still the wussiest dentist goer ever. Dereck and I went to the dentist last week and I proceeded to cry during the cleaning. I swear that it really does hurt me. I told the hygienist that I had EXTREMELY sensitive teeth and to be gentle. Apparently she didn’t believe me. I think it’s a combination of the noise from the electric pointy thing they put in your mouth and the idea of not having control of the pointy thing while in my mouth. It all stems from the time that I went to the dentist as a child, he said to let him know if it hurt. I told him that I could feel it and that it hurt and he proceeded to drill!?! I screamed and cry and he kept on going (“Oh, it doesn’t hurt,” he said - Are you in the chair, sir?????) From that day forward, if I had to get a cavity filled, they would just knock me out.
Anyway, to make a tortuous day into a bloggable event, basically I asked if they would put me under while they filled my cavity. The response was, “We don’t do that here”…
WHAT is THAT supposed to mean??!?! Does that mean that they don’t allow grown ups with real childlike fears go to the dentist? Does that mean that just because I am a wuss that I am supposed to act like an adult and just get my cavity filled like a normal human without going under? I don’t understand. Anyway, after I cried the hygienist felt really bad and gave me a hug and said sorry a million times, she was really sweet. My dentist only looked at my mouth briefly, but she seemed really nice, and I told her that I was afraid and that she would have to be gentle, so we’ll see. Anyway, Wish me luck next week!!!!

http://www.hopstop.com/

This is the coolest website! You put in your address and where you want to go and it will tell you what subway trains to take. It's like mapquest for walkers in new york. I will never get lost again. Try it, it's fun!

Guess who?

Dereck and I got called to teach the Sunbeams (children age 3) class at church. One of the other teachers gave a lesson that required us to turn in baby pictures and the kids had to guess who everyone was. It was so funny looking through our old pictures. It goes to show you that things don't really change that much...

Dr. Ben Carson

Kijuana had the good fortune to meet Dr. Carson during her trip to San Diego earlier this month. He spoke at the conference that she helped put together. I have always loved his miraculous story and was especially inspired reading his book, Gifted Hands, growing up. I was worried when she told me that she shook his hand, because his hands are truly a magical part of the surgical work that he does. I advised her not to squeeze too tightly!

One quote from his website that I liked was this -

"'Thinking big" means opening our horizons, reaching for new possibilities in our lives, being open to whatever God has in store for us on the road ahead. "

Anyway, he is someone that I have always admired and so I was very jealous that she got to meet him and thought I would share.

My trickster husband

Dereck thinks he's sooo funny. He has scared me twice in the last week. The first one was really good.
It was Sunday afternoon. We were both in our lounge clothes, aka pajamas, and we hear a knock at the door. I bolted upstairs, but I hear Dereck open the door and talking to someone. Then he came upstairs and whispered, you gotta come downstairs, it's someone from church, but I can' t remember their names! I was mortified, not only did I look a fright, but our apartment was a wreck. I had sewing stuff everywhere, Dereck had been reading the paper and it was scattered about, we hadn't cleaned up our dinner dishes, you get the idea. So, I throw on a pair of jeans and a normal shirt (I can hear him, she'll be down in a minute) and go downstairs to find him laughing hysterically because nobody is there. Apparently a delivery person got the wrong address....
I got punked.

Number 2 -
I got home from work and he was home and could apparently hear me come and decided to hide behind the door. So, when I closed the door he was there. He didn't jump or anything, but I literally almost peed my pants. I was mad at him for the whole night. Seriously, who does that?

The Blind Leading the Blind...literally

Yesterday I saw the coolest thing. There was a man and woman, they looked like they could have been a couple. Probably in their 50's or 60's. The interesting thing was that were both blind! They had walking sticks in one hand and were holding hands with their other hands. I am so amazed at how blind people navigate this city. Truly incredible to watch!

The purse war

I do love to blog, but sometimes my posts may seem trite. For example: This morning on the train, I had a purse war with this lady. Here is the scene, we were both standing up with our backs to eachother in the middle of the isle hanging onto the poles above where people are sitting, so in front of both of us are people sitting down. My purse is swung forward a little bit so it was under my arm and her arm was by herside and her purse was positioned so that everytime she would shift, move or otherwise her purse was like ramming into my back, so I adjusted mine so it would alert her that there is a person there who does NOT enjoy having a purse rammed into her back first thing in the morning. I mean, the space is small people. Be aware that you are not alone in the train. Give me a break. Of couse we never spoke, just kept adjusting our purses and pretending to read....
Just think, I could be writing about IMUS, Darfur, or global warming. oh well.

TOPSHOP

I finally got my topshop order!!!! So cute! Highly recommend shopping there. Just beware of the exchange rate... :)

Lunch at the Shake Shack

Today my husband met me for lunch and we decided to go to the Shake Shack! It was fun, but way too cold for that nonsense. After standing in line for about 30 min, we brought the shack back to my office because there was no way we could have sat outside and ate. In the sun, it's kind of warm, but there is still a cool breeze. But, nonetheless, it was a fun way to break up the day. I have been getting home super late these past few nights, so it was nice being able to see him during daylight hours. Sorry, no pictures to prove it actually happened. :)

Happy Easter!

Planet Earth

Did anyone else watch the documentary on planet earth on the discovery channel on Sunday night? It's an 11 part series, so if you missed the first week, you still have some time to catch it. It is an amazing documentary! You can check out the website here. Or if you are really lucky you can buy it! I was so excited to watch it and was hooked once I saw it. The images are truly fascinating and really made me grateful to live in such an amazing world. It is even more evidence that our earth was created by our Heavenly Father. There is no other explanation for the beauty and craftmanship and design. So set your tivos because it should be required viewing for everyone. Just an added incentive to preserve what we have and not to waste what we have. Apparently it took over five years to film it. Such patience those filmmakers had. It's a beautiful work of art! Can't wait till next week!

Dress up

For one of my classes we "get" to play dress up. Normally I would relish in this type of assignment, but it gets tricky because I have to wear my "costume" to work. Last time our theme was Punk Rock. I chose to do more of a corporate punk. I wore a bright green button down, some black pants and black boots and a black faux leather belt worn high around my waist and my hair in a side pony. Pretty lame, but what can I do? Next week it's hip hop week. Any suggestions?

I HAVE BEEN CLONED!!!

Yesterday I got my cell phone bill and the amount was $900! After reviewing why it was so high, I realized that someone had used my phone to call various people in the Dominican Republic at 99 cents/min. The strangest part is that the calls originated from New Jersey, while I was at work…. Right….
After being on the phone for exactly 66 minutes and 42 seconds they finally reversed the charges and told me that my phone had been cloned!!! So crazy! I personally think that it happened when I took my phone in to get it fixed. Some shady worker who thinks its cool to clone phones so he could call DR. Anyway it was quite a scare to think that I had racked up a $900 bill. I didn’t even know these types of tricks were possible. Identity theft is everywhere nowadays!!!!!!!!

Technical Drawing Midterm

WIC

So, the title of this post is kind of an inside joke from long ago. But basically it means Worst in Company...long story. But, I am definitely WIC at blogging. So busy and overwhelmed, however, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's called Spring Break! Just wish I was going somewhere. Spring Break just isn't what it used to be. Instead of going to Vegas or a tropical destination with friends I will be using this break to prepare our taxes, catch up on much needed rest, and try to get ahead on home and school projects.
Gotta love being an adult.
I have been working on some fun projects these past few weeks that I can post later on.

Fun with Friends

I was so lucky to get a chance to see Leah, Amy, and Jen for a few hours on a trip through Salt Lake City (last month). Here are the pictures to prove it! Apparently all restaurants close prior to 9pm, but we did find that CPK was open until 10.



Apparently we are very vain



All of us together. Thanks again ladies - it was wonderful to see you! Thanks for staying up late for me :)

I got to meet Cynthia Rowley!

She was our "guest professor" last week. Click here to see her designs.

Our teacher, William Eadon, has worked with Cynthia for over 10 years and so he asked her to come and teach us! She was really cool and so tiny. We had to present our collections to her and she gave us advice on how to clean it up and make it better. Talk about intimidation! But, it was a good experience in really learning how to believe in your designs and “sell” yourself. It’s all a learning process. She said that my layout was a little bit cluttered (which was true, I always tend to put too much because I get excited). She also told me to limit my fabric choices because there were too many different types and the color palette was too broad. Which, again was true. I go to the fabric store and there are sooo many beautiful choices and you just want to be able to use them all. Unfortunately you can’t. But, she did say that she some of my designs and there was one aspect of the collection that did work very nicely. It was really great to get her perspective and feel her energy. She has amazing ideas and I really respect her work through the years.

Coterie

Today I got to go to the Coterie show for a school assignment. Not only did I get to peruse all the Fall fashion for 2007, but I got to meet some interesting people. The show was held at the Javits center which is a huge convention center here in New York. There were tons (probably 1000 or more) booths of different designers who were selling orders to boutiques. It was
somewhat intimidating being there, yet exciting. There was an undeniable energy there that was really cool.
One day I will have a KGrace Design booth and I will be the one selling to boutique owners!

Out of touch...

I should be put into my own non-bloggers with blogs list! Who do I think I am? The reasons for my non-blogging you ask? Well, one word: Parsons. I've started up a new semester and it may prove to be my most time-consuming and challenging yet. I am taking 3 classes once again. They are:

1. Fashion Design Studio - This class I am starting from the beginning and creating a full collection. For the past 2 weeks, we've been creating mood boards, sketching our looks (30), and collecting fabric swatches. This portion is due tomorrow. My teacher, bless his heart, has been busy with Fashion Week, so we've been working on our own the past two weeks and tomorrow we have to present what we have been working on. Once our designs are approved the remainder of the semester will be filled with making 4-6 of our looks. This class will be great because at the end of it, I will have an actual collection for my portfolio.

2. Business/Entrepreneurship - This is a really interesting, scary class, but by the end I will have a tangible business plan that I can woo my investors with. My teacher started her own line 5 years ago and has tons of practical knowledge to share. If I can make it through the budget portion, then I think that my life will be happier. Anyone have an extra $50K that they want to invest into KGrace Designs?!? :)

3. Technical Drawing - This is mostly using Illustrator to create flat sketches. This would be what we would send to a factory who would create our designs. Still learning Illustrator, so it's not my favorite class. It's not super interesting, but definitely important to learn...

So there's an updated to what I have been doing. I say this every semester, but I will try and post my project when I finish.

On a happier note, our couches finally arrived! Dereck volunteered to stay home today to receive them and so he is currently lounging as I work and head to class...what a nice husband...he was so willing to break them in! We got the couch and the chair - no ottoman.

Finally, we don't have to sit on the bed and pretend it's the couch!

I hope everyone is having a great day. It's a really snowy, blistery day here in New York City.

Brooklyn Museum Exhibit

Last Saturday I went to the Annie Leibovitz exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. It was great. She is such an interesting person and an amazing photographer. For those of you who don't know, she does photographs for Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Rolling Stones. (She did the Brangelina photos of baby Shiloh) Interestingly enough a lot of her exhibit was filled with personal photographs of friends and family. I would highly recommend you try and see it if it comes to your city. (dates are listed if you click on Annie above) It was very well done.
One thing that stuck with me is she said something to the point of: she is not a journalist who has to have an objective point of view, but she has a distinct point of view to share with the world. I like that perspective - that you CAN and SHOULD have your own point of view and be respected for the way you see the world.

Today is a great mail day because our came today too!!! They match our new pots and pans (These are NOT the ones that we banged to ring in the new year!) Can't wait to put everything up and make our apartment more of a home.

Hooray! My kitchenaid mixer came today! We ordered it awhile ago using some of our Target giftcards that we got as wedding gifts and it's finally here. So excited! Just trying to decide what delicious item to make first...

Still waiting for the icecream maker attachment...hopefully it will come with the next shipment.

Thanks to everyone who contributed with your gift cards!!!

Photoshop/Illustrator Project

My assignment was to create a new extension of an already existing brand and create some type of a promotional item. I chose to create a children's line for Tracy Reese.

I decided to call it Tracy Reese's Pieces. Here is my color palette and logo.

Here is my promotional item (onesies) with the different logo colorways.

It was a fun project. I wish I would have had a little bit more time actually to do a little bit more, but perhaps one day I can work for Tracy and show her my ideas....

Fashion Industry Design Projects

Here are a few of my designs that I had to present for my Fashion Industry Design Project. I had to create 2 collections. The titles for my collections are: The Modern Debutante and The Deserted Tumbleweed. I thought I had the mood boards on my thumb drive, but do not, so I will just post these. They consist of the fashion sketch along with the technical design sketch.
Just thought I would post before another semester goes by with none of my work posted! They look much better with the mood boards next to them that show the fabric choices as well, so I will try to find the folder or at least take pictures and repost. It really helps to capture the type of woman I invision in these clothes.

I want to be a Dream Girl!

Jennifer Hudson STOLE the show!

AMAZING.

Her voice is AMAZING! I never watched American Idol, but this girl is off the hook! She deserves all the hype and press she is getting! Such a fun movie! I would recommend it to anyone! So great. On Friday night I went with 3 girls from school and one make-up artist and all we could do is talk about the outfits and the make up. Such a fun girls' night out movie. After the movie we went to dinner at Earth. Great place! Such a nice ambiance and great food.

Overall a fun night!

The Children

Just wanted to post some funny pictures of Devon and Nate (the niece and nephew). I miss these little cuties!

I feel like I haven't seen them in forever. I hope they know their Auntie still loves them very much!

Not to brag, but they are SO cute!

My cute friend Seung

Last week I said good bye to my friend, Seung from Parsons. She has been living in New York for the past year and a half and her husband and four year old son have been living in South Korea. She is amazing. She has sacrificed so much to come to America to be trained in fashion and to follow her dream. She already has a degree from a Korean design school, also. She was an intern at Kenneth Cole and was working full-time at Coldwater Creek but decided that she missed her family terribly (they missed her too!) and has moved back to Korea. I am going to miss her. She has been such a darling friend and classmate. I wish her well in her endeavors and will cherish the day that I see her again! Whenever I think that I am sacrificing to go to school, her story will stick out in my mind as one who truly sacrificed to make her dream come true! She is a fantastic designer and I know she will do well in all that she does.

Bon Voyage, Seung!

Back to the Grind

It was so hard waking up for work this morning. After all of my resolve to get to bed on time, be on time for work, and eat healthier, I woke up late, was 4 minutes late to work and ate crappy Chinese food for lunch.
Seem to be off to a great start...
So tired.
Wish I was back at home, watching Oprah or something.
Oh well.

Bang the pots and pans...2007 is here!

Happy New Year! 2007 is going to be a great year. Dereck and I brought in the new year watching MTV, toasting to sparkling apple cider and of course banging the pots and pans! This is a tradition that my grandmother passed to our family and while Dereck was hesitant at first, he later embraced it. It causes a lot of ruckus and that makes it all the more fun! Hopefully our neighbors enjoyed it.

I try to spend some time on the 1st day of every year contemplating my upcoming goals and objectives while reviewing what I did and didn't accomplish from the previous year. It's a perfect time to start fresh, clear any unwanted distractions from your life, continue on the life path that you are creating and accept the blessings that you deserve. While reviewing, there are always things that were unexpected and unplanned, but that have hopefully transformed your life for the better. I am looking forward to a year of hard work, embracing the love around me, spending time with friends and family, attracting positivity, and enjoying any unexpected moments.

May all your goals and dreams be put into motion in this brand new year!!

IPOD

So, Dereck (aka Santa) got me the Nano for Christmas! It's so fun! I know I am one of the last people to get one, but I held out for so long because my Palm has an MP3 player on it, so I could use that on the train. So, on Christmas I loaded all my songs onto it, but now I am having some problems with it.

The first is sorting. When it's on shuffle it goes from India Arie to the Beach Boys to Thievery Corporation. Kind of annoying. I don't want to have to go through everything and group it myself but a lot of my songs have no labels therefore they won't just go into different sections.

Secondly, sometimes songs come on I want to sing or even dance. But then people look at you weird. I don't want to make a complete spectacle of myself.

One of these days I will organize, but for now I will enjoy my crazy mix tape and try not to dance.

My last day of school...(for the semester)

Hooray I am finished! I couldn't be more excited. I am welcoming this break with open arms! After a few nights staying up till 3 or 4am, I turned in my final projects on Wednesday and came home and crashed.
I will post the rest of my projects later, but I had to turn in my mood boards and drawings for 2 collections and present them to my class for Fashion Industry Design. For Illustrator/Photoshop, we had to create and "extension" of an already existing brand, and for Construction III we had to turn in our corsette, with some sort of bottom (mine was combined into a dress) and some sort of cape. I am wearing my cape and my dress is on the form. The picture isn't the best, I hope to get some additional copies later.
It's amazing that something always seems to happen at the last minute no matter how prepared you are, such as putting the button holes on the wrong side. Oh yes, that happened, but what can you do! I can say that I tried really hard, but it wasn't my best work.
Between working full-time, my three demanding classes and trying to spend time with my husband I felt like I was always stretched thin. But, you live and learn.
I love coming in the last day because you get to see everyone's different styles and see how a simple project can produce so many different types of designs. I love it!

Note to self: Don't get married during the semester. Below is a picture with Irina (our teacher) and my friend Wevly. [I am peeking in the background!]

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Last night Dereck and I went to see the Rockette's at Radio City Music Hall. It was a fun, festive event and I feel like I am finally in the Christmas spirit!
It was filled with Santa, ice skating, synchronization (obviously) and even LIVE animals for the nativity scene at the end. (Camels and sheep and everything)
Dereck liked it but said he didn't think he would "choose" to go back again. It truly is amazing that they can all be in sync like that. Talk about some serious practice!
Merry Christmas!!

2 Steps Forward...1 Step Back

I had the most "interesting" thing happen to me last week. I took my boots in to get them fixed and then when I went to pick them up, decided that they should be shined as well. The worker had me put them on and then climb into the hot seat while they shined my boots. I was sitting there and this elderly gentleman climbs up next to me. He was talking to the guy that was shining his shoes and said - "Since when did we allow women into the men's shoe shine shop?" I glanced at him, but didn't say anything. He then said, "Next thing you know they will have women flying planes."

I looked at him and said "They already do."

What an old-school jerk! He claims he was kidding and proceeds to try and make small talk with me, but I wasn't having any of it. With these types of comments and then the Michael Richards ridiculousness it just proves (yet again) to those who aren't aware that racism is alive and well and has been for quite a while.
I like his quote from this article in the Baltimore Sun:

After all, modern bigotry usually isn't some nitwit screaming the N-word. It is jobs you don't get and loans you don't get and apartments you don't get and health care you don't get and justice you don't get - for reasons you get all too clearly, though no one ever quite speaks them. It is smiles in your face and knives in your back. And it is, yes, a sitcom - like Seinfeld - that presents New York City, of all places, as a black-free zone.

The people that we idolize (celebrities/actors/etc) are just human beings with their own upbringing and predjudices. This guy has probably been in most American families homes as the lovable Kramer. Who would have guessed that he is in fact cabable of this.
We take 2 steps forward and one step back...

Things to be Thankful For

SO many!
I often look so forward to the holidays more for the much needed break instead of a true celebration and reflection period. So, as Dereck and I prepare for our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, I am thankful for where my life is right now. All of the experiences that I have had helped create the person that I am today. There are always things that I am working on or wish that I was better at, but it helps to appreciate the ups and downs that have shaped your existence.
I am thankful for a husband who truly loves me and really tries to make me happy (not always an easy task).
I am thankful for my family. We may be disfunctional in our own way, but I can't think of anything in this world that I would trade them for.
I am thankful for my friends. As my mom said tonight, "you're friends are so cool". And they are. How did I get so lucky?
Seems simple, but I am thankful for a roof over my head. It's cold outside.
I am thankful that I have the knowledge of an afterlife. It would be difficult to go through life thinking that death was the end.
I am thankful that I am able to do what I want to do. I am grateful that I live in America (with all of it's problems and all) and am able to pursue what I want to pursue without feeling guilty. Some people make just enough money to barely eat or have to give any leftover money to their families for survival.
I am grateful for my teeth. Can you imagine if you didn't have any? They aren't perfect, but relatively straight (thank goodness, I have a teeth thing).
I could go on all night, but won't.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!!

Mood Boards

I am learning in my Fashion Industry Design class then when designing a collection, you have to first figure out what season you are designing for (obviously), then choose a theme for your designs. Once you have a theme, you have to translate that theme into a mood. Hence the term "mood board". The mood board consists of pictures and fabric swatches and that go along with your color story (palette) that all help to define and invent your theme/mood. The second part of the mood board will generally consist of the sketches of the designs or even sometimes pictures of the actual garments.
I am really enjoying this part of the process because there are unlimited options! This will be the first time that I have attempted to create a cohesive full (6 outfit) collection. Normally, I choose fabrics randomly and then later think of what to make or sometimes in class we are told what to make and then we get to find the fabric, but now we can really use our imaginations to design whatever we feel like as long as it fits into the theme that we create.
The only problem is that I don't have much time to do this since I have 2 mood boards due on Monday (in addition to unpacking, spending time with my husband, shopping for fabric to go with my corset, and creating 3 flats in Illustrator, and wanting to go to the Nordstrom anniversary sale) but as Dereck keeps reminding me I am following my dream...

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

My Corset

Here is the corset I have been working on for my Construction III class.
It is made of a luxury velvet and the inside is silk. This picture is kind of hard to see as I took it with my cell phone. I still have to finish the bottom and create a jacket or cape of some sort. We will meet with our teacher today so she can approve our sketches so that we can work on the rest of it. I am happy with how it is coming along, but there was sooo much hand stitching that it took a long time. Here is proof that I have been busy!

Rain boots!

I finally got some rain boots a few weeks ago and today it rained! I never thought I would be excited to wake up and see rain coming down outside. I feel like a true New Yorker with my red boots. I can splash in puddles and it doesn't even matter. I get to work and my feet are dry. I really don't know how I ever lived in the city without them!

The Honeymoon

Aaahhh Jamaica!
It feels like it was forever since we were there! Now we are back to our busy lives with no time to just sit and watch the sunset and feel the island breeze...
We stayed at my dream resort - The Rockhouse. It seriously looks like the pictures on their website. The staff was so friendly and nice, the food was great and it is in a somewhat remote location and each villa is private, so you feel as if you have your own little slice of heaven.

After waking up at 4am to catch our flight, we were pretty tired when we landed in Negril. Garfield (our driver) came and picked us up and took us to the resort. Here's Dereck all ready to relax.
We got in the little mini-bus and we were expecting to hear the reggae pumpin' but instead he had this crazy mix of American oldies blasting! This crazy Chubby Checker remix.
Anyway, it was a beautiful relaxing drive through the crazy Jamaican roads - well somewhat relaxing considering the 4 heart failures I almost had. The driving seemed like utter chaos, but in fact everyone seemed accustomed to the chaos, so it was somewhat controlled chaos if that makes sense. Not only were people driving on the "wrong" side of the road, but cars would just turn and cut right in front of you. I was grateful for Garfield's skills by the time we got there.The hour long drive was worth it because here was a picture of the entrance to our villa.
This is the walkway to the restaurant.

We show up at the hotel and were starving, so we ate at the restaurant at the hotel. It was an open air restaurant that overlooked the water. So peaceful.
Basically the rest of our time we only did a few things - relax, sleep, swim, eat.
Pretty much all you need for survival.

Here is our private swimming area at our villa. This picture doesn't really do it justice because you would walk down the stairs and since the villas were on a cliff, you have this little area underneath that you could swim and feel like you were in the middle of the salty ocean.

This is where we would sit every evening and watch the beautiful sunsets. It was so fun being "the honeymoon couple". Everyone was so nice to us! We really felt like we got the royal treatment everywhere we went. I would recommend the resort to anyone -- it was amazing.

Here are a few more resort pictures. I look at these pictures and it's hard to imagine we were actually there!

I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful, unique honeymoon. It was private, serene and perfect. Thanks D for a marvelous time!

P.S. Dereck took some great pictures with his camera, but we couldn't get them to upload, so we are stuck with only mine...