those who can, do. those who can't, go to grad school.

Time for another monthly update. Issa's wedding was so much fun!!! It was beautiful weather and I fell in love with Boston. Issa was gorgeous for the wedding. The reception was so much fun and only got more fun as the night went on and the wine continued to be poured. I missed my college girls so much and it was a great chance to see everyone. The highlight of the weekend however was dancing with my matthew :-) He looked so handsome in his suit!

The whole grad school process has been stressful because both schools managed to lose something. It's all straightened out now though and yesterday I was accepted to Univ. of MD at College Park (outside of DC). That's the 1 year program. I'm pretty much accepted to Univ. of MD Balt. Co. (UMBC) because the Education Dept told me that I was in if my GPA was above a 3.0, and it was a 3.57. I'm now most likely going to go to UMBC for the 2 year program. Unfortunately the down side to that is that I have to take a pre-req at HCC in Educational Psychology. I'm sure it will be an interesting class but I feel like I'm too much of a snob for community college. I can just see the first day going around the room introducing ourselves, "hi i'm avery and i have a bfa degree from rit in upstate ny and i'm only taking this class as a pre-req for a masters in teaching program at umbc."

I took the Praxis Exam 2 weeks ago. Passed Math and Reading, waiting to hear about Writing. It's basically the exact same format as the SATs. Piece of Cake. Felt strange to do high school math again after 6 years!

I'm talking with Jill (the store's owner) to possibly make me some sort of marketing director of the store. It would be creating flyers and posters and other promotional material, planning monthly store events and promotions, and overseeing the mailing and emailing lists. I'm really hoping this happens, we're going to talk about it Thursday in more depth. It would be really good experience too.

Matt has been teaching me to play golf. We go to the driving range once a week and practice. I even bought my first golf club! (a 9 iron). I'm anxious to actually play on a course so I know what I'm in for and should be working on. In other Matt news our 1 year anniversary is coming up. I'm getting him a digital camera (he's been wanting one to take pictures of the work he does and will be doing) and also making him a website to put the pictures on and be his sidework business site. Those of you who know him please don't tell him what he's getting or where you found out :-) thanks yo.

dream walkin'

Here is an update for the people, (Krissy).

Work has been extremely busy. Jenn and I co-produced this years fashion show and it was a hit. I modeled 2 outfits, and poor Jenn was so sick and felt horrible. A lot of the people that RSVPed didn't show up which irritated me a little, but all we really did a good job and had some great ideas this year. I really need to be a party/event planner, I was so born to do that. Cause let's face it, I love parties and I love to plan. Thank god Rach is letting me help plan her wedding.

Grandma Helen had a stroke last week and has been in intensive care since then. Mom flew out early Saturday morning to be with her. Sunday she had a pacemaker put in, and today she had artery surgery. I spoke with mom today and Grandpa Morrie is a nervous wreck and mom is trying to be the strong one. Before she left I was trying to be the strong one for her but Saturday night all the pressure of everything going on in my life combined with worrying about my grandma led me to just break down. I'm so lucky to have the best boyfriend in the world cause he calmed me down. I'm still really worried and can't get my mind off it.

Attempting to change the subject and think of something else... I'm applying to UMBC and UMD College Park. Both are for a Masters in Teaching in art. UMBC is a 2 year part time program and College Park is a 1 year full time program. I'd rather be done in a year even though it means a shitty drive to Shady Grove. The good side of that is I can just hop on the metro and hang out in DC if I have a big gap between classes. I would start either program this summer.

Matt and I leave Wednesday afternoon for Issa's wedding. We'll drive up to Waterbury, Connecticut to see his grandma and then Thurs morning it's another 2 hours to Boston. That night is rehearsal and dinner and bachelorette party. Friday morning is the bridesmaids luncheon, and then dinner at her parents house. Hopefully that night meeting up with Brendan. Then Saturday is the wedding and primping for it. Sunday there is brunch and then we drive back home. I can't wait to see Rachel and everyone.

That's about it. I'm still catching up on sleep, and trying to get grad school stuff taken care of before leaving not to mention buying last minute things for the wedding.

raining in baltimore

I suppose an update on life is due since I've been living in MD for a month now. As far as work goes, I'm back to being in charge of Vera Bradley, even though now I can't stand the stuff. Every girl and her mother and grandmother all use it and it makes me want to vomit. In other work news, Jenn, her mother, and I are in charge of planning this years fashion show. It will be far superior this year. I have taken on the position as marketing manager.. hehe.

As far as my progress of becoming an elementary school art teacher... Getting through to the MD school board is pretty comparable to getting through to a radio contest. Once I find out what classes I need to take, I'll be registering at Towson or Maryland and hopefully be done in only a semester. I'm hoping to find a job in Howard County but we'll see. I also have an opportunity from a family friend who works at an advertising firm near DC that is hiring artists right now. They do all their work for nonprofit organizations, Habitat for Humanity being one of them. It would be a crappy drive though.

Issa's wedding is coming up so soon I can't believe it, seems like we were just sitting at Macgreggors when she had just gotten engaged a year and a half ago. Matt's coming up to Boston with me for the wedding, which is actually a 4 day event. It's going to be a very fancy evening wedding so it's gonna be fun to get all dressed up and we're getting our hair done. It's also going to be a 2 year reunion for the college group, Issa, Rach, Shana, Ori, Will, Stacie. Speaking of Rachel, she got engaged last Saturday. She wants me to help do a lot of the planning because lets face it folks, we know how I am about planning. She also knows I'm not going to let her pick out a bad bridesmaid dress for me to wear :-) So I'm very happy for Rachel because she left Rochester finally and loves Maine.

Things with Matt couldn't be better. We've had all kinds of fun dates like visiting Amy at the Aquarium, going to the cherry blossoms. We're planning a camping trip for our 1 year anniversary. Oh yeah, he got a promotion at work and is becoming a project manager, so yay for him!

Allie is moving to New Zealand in October, so she has a checklist of things she wants to do before leaving America. Soon we will be conquering that list. I believe Preakness is the first activity up. Nothing beats a giant tailgate party with some horses running around!

That about sums up the last month of life. I couldn't be happier that I moved back. I probably won't stay in MD forever, but definitely the East Coast.

P.S. This week 2 amazing albums were release and you must purchase them. Matt Nathanson's LIVE recording is so good I can't stop listening to it. Also the new Rascal Flatts album is outstanding as well.

Stalking The O.C.

Today started out with me and dad riding bikes along the beach just to the Redondo Pier. When we got there we were locking the bikes up when we noticed all the security everywhere and all the trucks and random equipment everywhere. I was hoping deep down it was what I thought it was and I was right! The security guards would only let us up the pier to about 50 to 100 ft from the filming and when I asked him what it was he said "The OC." We saw them film about 2 different scenes. The first one involved Adam Brody (Seth Cohen) and Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan Atwood) walking towards "The Bait Shop" and into it. The second scene involved both of them leaning against a food counter talking. We found out they were filming a beach scene at 2, so we went and had lunch and came back to see more filming. They wouldn't let us past the bike path because they were super strict about what was showing up in the shot. It was still really cool. Then as we were getting ready to walk away this guy was walking up from the beach and as he walked past me I realized who he was, it was the actor who plays Volchok (the mean surfer dude who always fights Ryan) He is way hot in person, and I totally would have taken a picture if I had the time to react. So being the huge OC dork that I am, I embraced my inner 16-yr-old-stalker and here are the best pictures I was able to get.

Adam Brody (aka "Seth Cohen") on his cell between takes.

Benjamin McKenzie (aka "Ryan Atwood") w/ the black jacket.

Both of them leaning against the counter during one of the scenes. Adam in the dark blue and Ben in the green.

Shooting a scene under the pier.

explore. dream. discover.

In less than two weeks, I will be embarking on my great American road trip. Some days will include driving The Mother Road, or Historic Route 66 as it more commonly known as. Passing through old ghost towns abandoned after the Dust Bowl, less than mediocre roadside attractions to provoke tourists to stay in town for awhile, and some of the best kept natural secrets of the country.

I firmly believe that at some point in every person's life, they should take a road trip. A serious drive-across-the-country road trip. A throw-away-the-mapquest-directions road trip. A don't-make-any-motel-reservations road trip. This is something I have wanted to do for the last six years now. Ok, so maybe seeing the worlds largest cross west of the Mississippi or the ten old graffiti-covered cars planted nose first into the ground aren't completely necessary. But having a picnic lunch at the Grand Canyon, seeing the oldest inhabited town in the country, the Acoma Pueblo, walking where a government building once stood in Oklahoma City that now preaches intolerance to terrorism, seeing the motel room Martin Luther King Jr. slept his last night in exactly as it was left, crossing the great Mississippi, seeing the home of country music... these are the experiences I'm talking about.

I'm not saying this road trip or seeing those things will change your life forever, but if you take away from it a photograph of yourself in front of somewhere new, or even a smile, then it was all worth it.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -Mark Twain

and i need to take a pill to make this town feel okay.

It's hard to believe that already a year has gone by since I first started planning my move to Los Angeles. Now the weeks ahead will be a reversal, an undoing of that planning. This has been an amazing experience full of good and bad that ultimately made me come to the conclusion that I belong in the East. No town is worth having to take anti-anxiety medication.

LA is a great place... if you want to take a vacation and pass through it on your way to something better like San Diego or San Fran. But beneath it's sunny exterior is a city of cities that is far from feeling warm and welcoming and most importantly home. I have learned that home is most imporatantly where you heart is as corny as that may sound. I have a great family that I'm passing up dinners with dad, shopping trips with mom. I have amazing friends who always give me a 100% guarentee that we will have fun. I have a wonderful boyfriend who I could fall asleep with any time I wanted to. What could possibly be any better than these people?

March 1st Amy flies out here, followed by the movers coming on the 2nd, and Friday, March 3rd we embark on the great road trip. The Grand Canyon (yes my 6th time there), Santa Fe, Texas (fortunately only for a brief section), Oklahoma City (seeing the memorial to the bombing), Memphis (yeah I'm walking in Memphis), Nashville (yay country music!), and then up through Virginia on to home. Our expected arrival date is Thursday, March 9th, possibly the next day if needed.

In honor of the East Coast Blizzard, I am now off to the beach on this sunny day in Californ-I-A.

five

This week is almost over, which means it's almost the week I get to go home. I'm anxiously awaiting getting off that plane and getting a kiss from Matt :-) It's been six long weeks. I miss lying in bed together fighting over the remote: football vs. desperate housewives. football vs. the oc. football vs. laguna.

I'll be going to Thanksgiving dinner at his house, it's my first holiday type thing with a boyfriend. I absolutely love his family. It's such a different experience then my family dinners. His are loud and every is laughing a drinking. Gotta love an Irish family. My family dinners are quiet and usually end in some sort of play the kids put on for everyone, or a slideshow of my dad's latest trip. Of course I love my fam, it's just nice to be part of another one and get to celebrate their way as well. Especially when the celebration involves hitting up bars after dinner to entertain his cousins.. :-) Black Friday will be Thanksgiving at dad's house with the PA relatives visiting.

The rest of the visit will be a nice step into actual winter. It doesn't seem right to be 80 degrees out when it's the end of November. I'll be helping Matt move into his new place and paint it. Allie turns 21 which means it's time to teach her to drink, since she's a newbie.. riiiiight.

I finally conquered the poster I had to redo and it was approved and loved. I also got a commission to design the stores new business cards. I've basically done their entire new identity which is pretty cool. I mean I even designed their inlayed floor logo and type. First is to do yet another poster for them for the holidays.

I suppose I should take advantage of this weather and get me a tan. Beachin-it.