6 things... (wedding whirlwind version)

1. Flew to Raleigh, picked up my parents, and then jetted to Los Angeles.
2. Stayed in five different hotels out of the six nights we were there. Best bed: the Marriott.
3. Rented a car, navigated the freeways and spent countless hours in traffic. Coming from New York, it was extreme culture shock.
4. Walked the Santa Monica pier with my adorable family and saw the Hollywood sign (from the freeway).
5. Saw all of my aunts and uncles and three of my cousins for the first time in more than a decade. Geez, everyone in my family is super duper tall. I feel shortchanged (literally).
6. Watched my brother marry his perfect match in the most beautiful, fun ceremony. There's a Chinese saying, "fang xin," which means to "let go of your heart," or release any worry. That's the way I feel about their union. It makes me happy to know that Tim will always have the loveliest, sweetest partner to walk with him throughout life. Happiness.

just beautiful

On Saturday, Tim and Sherry got hitched. I just love my brother, and I'm so happy and grateful that he found the sweetest, most beautiful woman inside and out. It was perfect in every way.

almost wedding time

In a few days, I'm off for Tim and Sherry's wedding whirlwind bonanza in Los Angeles. After all these years, I'm finally getting a lovely and amazing sister. I couldn't be more excited!

6 things...

...I've been loving lately.

1. The Scuttlebutt sandwich from Saltie. The combination of the buttery focaccia, salty capers, and creamy egg is positively drool-worthy. Finished off with a Compost Cookie from Momofuku Milk Bar, of course. Hm...is it too early for lunch?
2. The NBA finals. Whaaa? It's true. The drama was so riveting! And, for the same reason, the Bachelorette.
2. Color me behind the times, but I recently downloaded La Roux's latest album. I've been loving running to it. (And, uh, also lots of 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys from iTunes' 69 cent downloads...)
4. Finishing deadlines. Here's to some free time this summer!
5. The Brooklyn Flea, especially Smorgasboard. Delicious foods, fun people watching.
6. $3 used books on Amazon. Looking forward to being a bookworm (see #4).

three months!

When I decided to quit my job, I asked all of my freelance friends what their transitions were like. One wise pal told me that it takes at least a month or two before the office fog lifts, and you remember what your hands and feet look like, and who you are as a person. Now that three months have passed since my exodus from the cubicle life, I feel like clarity is starting to set in. I've done—and learned—so much during this short period! Here are a few realizations I've had recently.

1. I was not myself. Since I'm a naturally cheery person and can always find the silver lining in situations, I thought I was happy enough. But now that I've left, it's dawned on me that I was like a Sharon-bot towards the end of my last position. The daily grind had worn me down. Finally, I feel like my old self again!
2. The cache and swag isn't that important. Confession: When I left, I was a little worried that I was going to feel deprived of going to the fancy-schmancy events, getting courted by PR people, and having free products delivered to my office daily. While those perks were nice, I don't miss them at all. My apartment and inbox are less cluttered, and I much prefer going on a bike ride or spending time with friends instead of getting wined and dined. (Disclaimer: You'll have to check back in when the time comes to buy my own beauty products. Ha!)
3. I adore writing about different topics. I spent a lot of my previous job giving tips on how to slim down. To be honest, weight loss is overrated -- as long as you're healthy and active, you're perfect. Better to have those extra 10 pounds and happily eat dessert without an ounce of guilt than monitor everything that goes into your mouth. Now I write a lot about inspiring women and eating for athletic pursuits, and I love it. :)
4. Being in control of your own schedule is awesome. I can't stress this enough! I have so many fun summer adventures planned that I would not be able to take if I was chained my desk. Granted, I am probably logging more hours work-wise than ever, but it's nice to have the freedom to take a day off when it counts or go for a long mind-clearing stroll without having to tell someone. Huzzah.

summa-time

Oh my gracious, where did the past week go? I think it was a blur of deadlines, meet-ups, and interviews. (Insert head-spinning here.) This past weekend was pretty low-key, just went to delicious Smorgasboard with a buddy, soaked up all the glorious summer weather and watched the Justin Bieber movie. In Erik's defense, he wanted see all of his clothes that are featured in it, but I ended up developing a big-sister crush on the little guy. Too bad I'm old enough to be his mom. Like, literally. I think me and his parents are the same age. Anyway, I'm going to take a little neighborhood stroll before I start the second half of my editing day...