I de-stress....

by shopping. Seriously.

If I'm stressed, sad, angry, or feeling not-so-cute, shopping always cheers me up. Usually it's clothes, shoes, purses, books, or art prints.

But obviously I can't spend loads of money everyday due to a small amount of money. So where do I go to calm down and slowly roam the aisles?

Goodwill. No matter what, no matter where, I am always in the mood to go thrifting. There is nothing better than walking overcrowded aisles of junk, trying to maneuver around deaf old woman, and try not to touch any sticky items.

So I went to the Goodwill in Oakbrook Terrace today after work. Here's my haul:

-Three hardcover books (one being a copy of The Stepford Wives from the 70s)

-Two boxes of brand new Christmas cards that are seriously so cute

-A vintage, ceramic owl bank that's orange and yellow and brown

Total price = $5

Even though I'm way over the whole "go green" movement, I do feel that I'm helping by recycling other people's possessions. Another bonus: stimulating our awful economy.

It's a win-win.

My PR Prediction

I love love love "Project Runway" on Bravo. As in, obsessed. Last season, I correctly predicted Christian making it to Fashion Week, and he ended up winning! Amazing. 

So, here's who I think will make it to Bryant Park this season, (in no particular order):

1. Kenley

2. Korto

3. Terri

I really don't think any guys will make the top 3. Kenley is my favorite, and I heart her name. 

But what I heart more than the name 'Kenley' are Leanne's glasses:

Seriously, they are so cute. I have an eye doctor appointment in two weeks, and I'm hoping they have some frames like these. And then I can pretend that I'm a contest on "PR" and act like I'm sewing right along with the other designers, but only in my living room...

Oh, Lifetime. Thanks for being there.

Now that I have 200 channels, I'm discovering stations I've never watched before. I had no idea there was a channel solely devoted to Lifetime movies. Right now, I'm watching "Invisible Child". It's about a nanny that begins working for a family. But there's a third, invisible child that only the mom can see. So the rest of the family have to play along and pretend to see this little girl. 

I've never been a huge fan of Lifetime movies, but this is too crazy to pass up. 

I love my friends

This weekend my friend Kristy turned 23! So we celebrated...and took many pictures.

Surprisingly, the last photo is at last call. Shocking!

There were some more interesting ones, but I didn't feel comfortable posting those.  :)

No more broken internet

I have reliable internet! I cannot express how comforting that is. Whenever I need to, I can go to my MacBook and my internet will always be there. BTW, AT&T > Comcast. 

So get excited for more frequent blogs!

xoxo,

Kristen

"She's crafty"...

Before...

After: Saucy!

Bench from Goodwill = $5

New Fabric = $4

Total Cost = $9

"My kind of town..."

Ever since I was five, I've always wanted to live in Chicago. I can remember thinking how amazing and fabulous it would be to live downtown, and that I would really be an "adult". Living in Chicago is still a goal of mine. I have a few friends that have recently graduated, and are going to be living in Wrigleyville while going to graduate school. I am so jealous of them! They get to live in a great neighborhood, and focus on going to school, and that's it. I wish I could just go to school full time and pretend like I'm still in college. I keep trying to tell myself that I'll be done with my MPH in May 2009, and I'm getting amazing experience by working in my field simultaneously. But it's so hard to talk to my friends who get to still get to act like college students. I don't know if living in Chicago will ever happen for me. After I graduate and complete my internship, I may head down to St. Louis to be with DJ. I haven't had to make too many difficult decisions in my life, and this will probably be the first big one. I really like STL, it's a cleaner and cheaper and small Chicago.

I just keep going back to the goal I had as a little kid. I always knew it would happen for me, and now I'm realizing that it may not work out. Most likely, I'll be doing my internship in Chicago next summer. My first choice is Planned Parenthood, and my second choice is the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. So that will be a good opportunity to spend some time in the city. For now, I can visit my friends and go to Cubs games, and pretend I live there on the weekends.

I don't want to stress out about it now, because it is awhile away. So I try and focus on the positives: I love my job, and the people I work with. I'm saving tons of money in rent by living in the suburbs. I'm close to other friends and family. I really like my school and am almost finished. And, I don't know...I can actually drive my car anytime I want, and not pay millions to park it in a garage?

Final Thought: Chicago, I love you. You will always be that exciting place with amazing neighborhoods and restaurants and shopping. You will always feel like "home" to me. And you will always be there, if I need to visit. : )