Work Hard, Play Not So Hard, if You Play At All

Wow. Going from a month of relaxation and no responsibility (save job hunting), to working 48 hours this week was a BIG change for me. Though I do love the work, as well as having some responsibilities in life again, it is exhausting! Being on my feet all day, dealing with sometimes snobby customers, resisting the awesome fashion garments, and getting used to all of the policies and technology at Nordstroms has been tough. Tough on the body and the mind. I even dream sales.

That said, my free time, in lieu of my first paycheck, has consisted of homely endeavors. Mainly, upping my running distance (up to about 3-5 miles every day), sleeping, and playing with my camera. Free time yesterday yielded this.  No one could guess what the first picture was without seeing the others - can you?

Tomorrow is my first day off, thanks to Easter. Have a happy one!

The Charles Deering Estate, Fully Furnished with Manatees

Though it's located about a mile from my house, I visited the Charles  Deering Estate just a couple days ago with my mother for the first time. With great landscaping and prominent history, this was a really cool daytime excursion. 

Charles Deering was born in 1852. His father was an entrepreneur, owning a very successful company that manufactured agricultural machines. This gave Charles a deep  appreciation for agriculture; as he grew he also developed an appreciate for the fine arts. He became friendly with many famous artists of the time, amassing a large collection of art (most of which hangs in the Chicago Art Institute today), and  becoming somewhat of an amateur artist himself. He was  so ashamed of his work as a painter, though his artist friends praised the work, that he requested in his will that it all be burned upon his death. Now there's nothing left, save one or two works that hang in his house.

Baring the interesting history, the estate was magnificent! Mr. Deering, having lived  in Chicago around the time of the Chicago Fire, was paranoid about flames. Thus all doors were made of metal - an interesting touch. The  over-head lamps were glittering chandeliers; the gardens and mango groves leading up to this historical, sea-side mansion were more picturesque than my camera allowed me to capture.The house was gorgeous, and inside, we found many things reminiscent of the early 1900s. My mom spontaneously began pulling at a book case; before I had decided whether she had gone crazy or not, lo and behold, a liquor cabinet was produced. Gotta love the Prohibition era!

The house had a very Latin style architecture, and ample amounts of vegetation. The ocean front was gorgeous and well kept.

Though we didn't see crocodiles, we did watch a couple of manatees play right in front of us for half and hour. It was wonderful to sit back and enjoy the wildlife of the area. 

I started work this week, and  absolutely love my job. Commission work has always been my thing- I'm hoping to save as much as possible for my next adventure . Until then, Miami suits me just fine!

Clearwater & Kind-of-Bittersweet Water

Feeling the urge to escape from Miami life, my Mom and I took a weekend vacation (if you can call hauling our things from one beach to another just that) to my favorite place in Florida, Clearwater.

My parents do own some property in this laid-back, quirky little town. Known for its magnificent fine white sand beaches, it's off the beaten path for most Spring-Breakers, who tend to opt for more metropolitan areas in the state. Having said, there was still a much heavier foot traffic here than we normally find. We had fun, no matter the company: spending long hours lounging by the pool, and... well, that's about it.

This past week, our good friends, the Russo Family, came to visit. They had just finished a grueling week long cruise to the Bahamas and Jamaica, and [grudgingly, I'm sure] put off their return to chilly Chicago to spend the afternoon with us. It was great to see them again, especially on my brother's behalf. He was reunited with his best friends from childhood - who have ballooned into young adults. 

Great to see them, but harder still to see them leave. I have lots of aches and pains from travel - not the least is whole-heartedly missing my friends and family. 

A Bridal Shower to Remember

Yes, I realize that I haven't posted in forever (which, by my definition, constitutes a period of more than 7 days). And, yes, I realize that a lot has happened since my last post. 

So, let's get down to the nitty gritty, so to speak. Life got quite busy as March came to a close! 

Firstly, I had my big trip (4 days) up to the cold nether0regions of my home country. I flew into Chicago early Thursday, and made my way immediately to Libertyville to have lunch with some dear family friends. That evening, I had dinner with an old roommate, whom I haven't seen in forever (when reffering to friendship, the meaning of this word changes to infer a period of time closer to a year than a week). The night was spent with one of my best friends. I had an amazing day, filled with emotion. I almost decided to quit traveling right then and there and move back up to Chicago to start my life as a teacher. 

But the next morning set me on the move again. My mom picked me up from Starbucks (where else?) and we drove up, up, up to Michigan to see Albion College, where my sister is currently studying, among other things. It was a great day with the family back together again; we added in even more family as we drove down to Fort Wayne the following morning. I even had the pleasure of gushing over my cousin's gown, which was previewed at a fitting that day. And, after much preparation, my cousin Julia's bridal shower finally came together Sunday, the 22nd. What a great time! 

The lovely couple, Julia and Steve, made no effort to disguise their affections.

The Bridal Party, a.k.a. Busy Little Bees.

Sister and Cousin Kevin, on his 18th Birthday!

Grandma Dunk charming the babies.

Games!

Games and Laughs. And Mamosas.

Grandma Dunk's FAMOUS kolochkis!

le Punch.

This was a hilarious game- each team was given a roll of toilet paper and 5 paper clips, then left to their own devices to create the most elegant wedding dress! Steve almost married them on the spot. Almost.

The Cake (B is for Baker, my cousin's new last name, believe it or not!)

Presents. Lucky her!

Definitely a successful party!