maybe this time

ok, so i suck at this thing...for one i can't figure it out, and for another i've been gone the past 2 and a half weeks so i haven't read or updated in forever. if you do want to read one of my posts though, go to the comment i made (unintentionally) under one of gina's posts (i think). so, maybe this time i will be able to manage the oh so complicated computer world of blogging.
anyway, i just spent two weeks in california which was amazing. nothing like getting out of the negative degrees for a couple weeks. michael flew out there as well the first few days that i was there and he got to meet all my extended family in southern cal. then my mom and i made our way up the coast and i spent 4 amazing days with gina. whenever i see chels or gina i always think of at least one european memory (usually while in switzerland b/c that was my favorite time ever)! so, i've been kinda feeling bad about myslef b/c i've realized that i'm a total loser that has no job and sits at home all day.
i'm a sub. at my old high school and i'm trying to finish my sub. application for the public school district that i live in, but you would have honestly thought that i just got out of prison because of the process they're making me go through. i'm on my second set of college transcripts that have to be sent in now.
i'm trying to wedding plan as much as i can, but i'm just not that type A personality (i don't think any of us are) that wants to go out there and get 'em. so, i've kinda been sucking and my mom told me tonight that there's not going to be any wedding b/c i won't be able to get it all done! boo mom! what does she know!
but, i do really think that chelsie and tara and i need to hang out. and, i need your addresses sarah and tara! july 22 is my magic date so just want you to plan on it.
alright, i have nothing more to say, but i'm going to be proactive (not the acne medicine) and productive this week. hopefully i'll get called to sub. so i can make some money. i miss you all dearly and think of you all the time. love you guys!
whit

And On a More Positive Note...

Hiya Girls! So I promise this is going to be a more positive post than last one. Still adjusting to the new city, but I'm beginning to put things into perspective. When I remind myself that all I ever wanted to do was live in New York, it makes things seem a lot better here. Also, my dad came into town last night!!! which makes me very happy. He, my sister and I have a big weekend planned. That also means that I got furniture! I think actually not sleeping on the floor and getting my clothes out of plastic bags (Tara, think Pollo) will make me settle in more here. I already feel better. And my buddy Jenny, who I think you all have heard about, my friend from middle school days and college roomie, moves up to Queens with 2 friends on Wednesday so I am so psyched about that! And if all goes according to plan, I might be seeing my long lost but never forgotten other half on the East coast in a few weeks:) fingers crossed!
So I had 2 interviews this week, one was with a job hunting agency about substitute teaching which went really well. He said I'll be getting a call to work as soon as they need a sub! And this guy works with non profit organizations too and is on the lookout for me!! Then I had the 'big' interview with Teaching Fellows. Not sure if I told you all about this, but when I first moved up here I applied to NYC Teaching Fellows which is kinda like Teach for America if y'all have heard of that. Basically it's a 3-step application process and you are placed in the most high-need inner city schools as a public school teacher for 2-3 years, working towards a masters. You can teach anything from 1st grade to 12th. I am looking at working with special needs children. Anyway I made it to the interview round which I was surprised/pleased about and I think it went well. Hard to tell, it was a 5 hour process with a lot of different components. Anyway I should hear in about a month. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet, if I would want to do it or not, most likely I would, but we'll see. At any rate, I would like to be offered it.
So that's a lot of info at once, hope you girls are doing well. I miss you guys more and more everyday if that's possible.

address

hey (Gina) - i forgot - my new address is
1122 N. Hoyne Ave.
Apt. #3
Chicago, IL 60622
could you all send me your addresses as well...that would be excellent!

Hey girls! okay - so sorry i haven't written until now. sarah - yes, a big thank you for putting this thing together! wow...so how are all my european adventure friends!? i too have come to realize that being in europe where the only thing to worry about during the day was what major attraction to go visit and what to eat for dinner - pizza? or just more gelato? - was a pretty amazing thing. oh how i miss those days. but am so thankful for the two months i had to travel with all of you. i was looking at my pictures just a few days ago and i was thinking about how awesome it was to see things like the eiffel tower, and the swiss alps, and the coast of the cinque terre, but most of all how awesome it was to get to know all of you and become closer friends. you all mean very much to me. so...a quick recap of what's been going on in my life lately. i got home from europe and got engaged right before thanksgiving. went home to colorado for the holidays. moved back to chicago in jan. where i am now currently planning a wedding (june 17th - write it in your calendars!) and nannying for a little six year old girl five days a week. yep...five days...i agree tara..five is just too many days. but she's a cool kid and we have fun together. it's actually a sweet job because she has like all these activities she goes to after school every day so i just sit around in starbucks drinking hot things and reading books until she's done. so no complaints. that's basically all i do right now. i get to hang out with whitney more now that i'm back in CHI town so that's sweet..but she ditched me and left for california for a while. booooo! i miss all of you tons! we seriously had such great times together. dang - we are all sooo funny! allright - i'm off to bed but i will write again soon. It was so good to read the updates on what's going on with all of you. keep 'em coming! Happy Valentines Day to all of you

4 days a week only, please

Ok...I am seriously not good at keeping up with this...but I promise I'm going to try as hard as I can to update once a week!!

Anyway, yes, ladies!!! Here we are...and it is exciting as all get out for me! I seriously need you funny, crazy, beautiful, willing-to-do-anything friends right about now.

Quick recap for Chels and Gina: I am not, in fact, in DC. It is a long story, but it just comes down to the fact that the school wasn't what I thought it would be and I decided not to go. I just couldn't validate spending 12,000 bucks a semester for something I wasn't positive I wanted. so...I'm now living back at the family abode (and contemplating jumping off our 2nd story deck everyday) and working for the local newspaper company selling advertising. I actually like my job...it's hard to try to convince people to do it, but at least it gives me something to do all day.

Let's see, what else....I'm running a 1/2 marathon in St. Louis on April 9th if anyone wants to come and join me. I still have no boyfriend or potential prospects...seriously, where are all the eligible bachelors??? I am more obsessed with my dog than ever before and I find myself missing her when I am at work...scary.

gosh...I am so freaking boring...damn it ali.

Actually all is good and I'm trying to live each day to the fullest and take advantage of any and all opportunities that arise.

Title reference: I hate working five days a week...does anyone else?? This is horseshit! I can handle 4, but 5, nope...I just sort of shut down. What ever happened to long train rides and hostels with men screaming from the top bunk??

Missing you all dearly...

FLASHBACK CAFE: Remember the time we went skiing in the alps and Whitney & Sarah spent the day on their butts....that was really funny...I'm laughing...seriously...I'm laughing right now.

Hi there girls. Ok, so are we all in agreement that since this is just for the five of us, it doesn't have to be Pulitzer-prize winning writing? I'll do my best, but thought I'd add this little disclaimer on just in case.

So here it is Friday night and I'm getting ready to head to a movie with my sister and her roommate. I have now been here a month which is kind of hard to beleive, although I am just beginning to feel like I live here. I think it has something to with the fact that I lived at my sister's for 2+ weeks and although I'm now in my own flat, I still don't have any furniture until my dad comes up at the end of the month. I am really loving my place though, my roommates are so great and nice so that's made everything that much easier/nicer. Still working at CPK and I have to say that I think that working there might be part of the reason that I'm not having quite the experience I had hoped for as of right now. I do not regret that I moved here for a minute, you all know that this is what I have wanted to do for 9 years now. But not gonna lie, it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. I work with some nice people, but so far, hasn't gone anywhere but 'work friends' yet. I rhink I'm just a little frustruated because I want so much to be doing something worthwhile and helpful to others, but here I am waiting tables. Anyone else find it funny that I'm looking for a non profit or teaching job, something that is there to help others and what our country is supposedly in dire need of, having such a shortage of teachers, yet it's one of the toughest sectors to break into. I just don't get it...I have to say I think one of the things that frustruates me the most though is that I know I'm not doing all that I can to find a job that I want. My dad told me the other day, in an attempt to make me put things in perspective, that I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself and get on with it. He was right too. Instead of just being thankful that I had the past 7 months in Europe, I just keep wishing I was there. I miss London more and more everyday, and I know that that's holding me back from 'getting on with it.' I just miss everything about Europe, and most of all, the people. I feel very alone here which is something that I am not used to. I don't think that I've ever been in this position, but I suppose this will be good for me in the end. Nothing worthwhile is easy. I just sometimes worry that I'll lose a part of myself that I found while away and that scares me the most because more than anything, the time abroad really put me in perspective to myself, if that makes any sense at all.

Wow sorry to jsut go on and on about this, but it really does help to write it and I don't know who else I would say this to. Don't start worrying though, I really am fine and doing what I should/want to be doing at this point. If I wasn't in NY, I know I would always regret that, and if there's another thing that I want to carry over from last year, it's the NO REGRETS attitude. I also need to remember that this is a pattern with me, college was sort of like this at first, as was London. Funny how that you always remember the good about your previous life when in a new situation. Because I can tell you, I haven't been thinking about trudging through the rain looking at the 100th sketchiest flat, or the 45th day in a row of lugging that damned backpack up another hill just to realize that we've missed the train...again. Ha I wrote that to say that things sometimes sucked un Europe too to throw some perspective on the situation, but now I'm sitting here laughing and smiling remembering those times. (And the story of Whit, Chels, and Gina missing like 90 trains in one day)

Ok girls it's time for me to go. Tomorrow's my day off, then it's a double for me on Sunday, Monday Tuesday, and opening Wednesday, thursday and Friday. Yes that's right, 9 shifts in 6 days. Probaly won't be around much next week, but hopefully will make enough money to ease up on the restaurant and really search for other jobs the following week. I did apply to a few jobs tonight though, a lot in the education field, so keep your fingers crossed! I love you girls and hope you're all doing well.

Blog to you soon,
Sarah

And It Begins...

Alright Girls...Here I am hanging out in my new home New York, and all I can think about is how much I miss traveling, specifically, around Switzerland, with you girls. You are the four most wonderful girls I have ever met, and I know how hard it is to keep track with everyone. So here is the blog we all promised to contribute to. Tara, Whitney, Gina, Chelsie...I love you guys and I want to know what is going on with everyone...blog away. We will always have Switzerland.