Flying by

Wow, I can't believe that I've already been here 2 weeks! Thank you for all the checking in emails. I miss all my crafty activities and while I don't really have any progress to report, I wanted to post and say hello.

Work has been great. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming. Even though it's a large company, it definitely doesn't feel that way. While the majority of the employees are scattered across the globe, in the HQ (where I work) we have a few hundred but you'd never know it. People are always introducing themselves so I'm meeting a lot of new faces. It's great since I'm such a people-person.

I'm settling into a routine too. My room is starting to feel like mine (thanks to Brooke for providing some fabulous pictures that now live on my wall!) I'm even making peace with my roommate's cats - well, except when they whine early in the morning! ;-)

Summer has definitely arrived here in the District. During the time I was a student here, I managed to avoid the "real" summer, as I arrived in the early fall, was abroad in between my first and second years of grad school, and then left before it got really hot. I know I'm in for a doozy - thank goodness for ceiling fans, central A/C, and summer dresses!

I've got a somewhat lengthy commute so I've gotten a lot of reading done (which I love, especially having my Kindle!) and am satisfying my crafty craving (well, sorta...) with a little embroidery. After seeing all the photos people took at Quilt Market, I'm itching to get some new fabric and have my sewing machine. ::sigh:: I'll be back in NYC next weekend and hope to get a little stitching time in. I'm crushing hard on Anna Maria Horner's "Loulouthi" and a number of prints from Tula Pink's "Prince Charming." So happy to still be reading crafty blogs and perusing flickr often. I'm living vicariously through all of you!

Well, off to do laundry, groceries, etc. Have a great long weekend everyone! :)

Make it mine

Today was my first day of work! It went GREAT! People were friendly, welcoming, and helpful. As is typical of most first days, there was a LOT of information thrown at me, and I tried to absorb as much as possible. Phew, going to take a while to get into the swing of things.

I'm settling into the house here just fine. My housemates are very sweet and fun. There are 2 cats that live with us and while I'm not a cat person, these 2 are pretty entertaining. (But man oh man, do I miss my sweet Louie!)

My room is pretty much all set up - it's small and since it's just me, I have a twin bed (outfitted with my sheets from college - talk about flashback) and a few other things. While I don't need to fill it with tons of stuff, I do need a few things for the walls, as it looks a little bare. My cubicle at work too could definitely use some sprucing up! Anyone who wants to send pictures or other pretty things, just let me know... ;-) I'd love make both spaces more homey and more "me".

I'm completely wiped (no surprise) and am waiting for my dinner to finish baking. I'll probably pass out pretty early but I just wanted to check in, say hi, and tell you all that I'm settling in well. I definitely have no energy to sew, so it's not a big deal at the moment that my machine is still up in NYC. I'm sure as I get more used life here, I'll be craving it. Hopefully I'll get it down here soon...

The big day

I can't believe it's finally here: tomorrow I'm moving down to DC! So many emotions but certainly excitement is at the top of the list.

After a whirlwind few weeks, I'm taking the day to pack up and get organized. Yesterday, I got my haircut - a pretty big change since my hair was down to the middle of my back. It was waaaaay to long (and big!!!) and now that I have a real grown up job, I wanted to a new look to go with it. :) I've had my hair a million different lengths, from pixie cut to long curls, but this look is so perfect! I really love it and think it'll be especially perfect for the steamy DC summer.

No crafty news to report as my sewing machine is currently sitting in my NYC apartment (I'm Upstate at my folks' house). Ah well.

Will report back soon once I'm settled. Wish me luck - my new job starts Monday!!!

Last day

Today is my last day here. I'm packing, hanging out with Louie, going to my favorite Italian restaurant with my sweetie for dinner, and getting a mani/pedi. I've traced out a new embroidery project to bring with me since my sewing machine will be staying here for a while. I think it's perfectly appropriate for me and my new journey.


This space will probably be quiet for a while as I settle in. But I'll be back! :)

Changes

Wow. What a Monday morning. As someone who is about to begin a professional path working toward peace (yay!), particularly dealing with development in Afghanistan, I can't express to you the significance of Bin Laden's death (but I don't need to, as it's clear to everyone). I must admit a sense of relief knowing that he is no longer alive (even as someone who doesn't favor the death penalty and other such acts), as he was responsible for so much death, destruction, and sadness. I'm not sure that any other end result could have provided the same sense of resolution that is now felt by so many of us. Let us all remember those who were victims of terrorism and honor their memory by working toward tolerance, peace, and ending hatred.

Anyway...

This is it - my last few days in the Big Apple. So bittersweet. I feel like I still have a million things to do but I'm trying not to worry as I'll be back in about a month! It's not like I'm leaving forever, thankfully. :) But I have finalized that agenda for the last few days. I also plan on pretending to be a tourist and am toting my camera with me for the new few days.

I've been packing (ugh I HATE packing as I always bring too much) and cleaning and organizing. I don't think I'll be sewing much but I'm going to try to work on a few things in between all the stuff on the to-do list.

But I did have one big finish: my Supernova quilt! It's all done and I love it. I backed it with some solid brown fabric and a few prints from Robert Kaufman's "Mingle" line in coordinating brown/green prints. I bound the whole thing with scrappy binding made up from some Katie Jump Rope strips. I'm so glad I finished it and can leave it here with my sweetie. Big thanks to Lee for a great quilt-along.

I'm off to start my busy day - hope everyone has a good Monday!