Long Time No See

Been awhile again since I have written in my blog. I have began moving out of my apartment into my parents till I find a job. Since I have been living in my parent’s house we have no internet, therefore no uploading blogs. L I can say I have been waiting patiently for a response from Americorp. Paulson’s Construction called me and was interested in having me work a few days a week in their showroom. I have a interview with them on Thursday. The downside of this internship is that it is unpaid and it is 40 minutes from my apartment (that I only have for another month). I am going to take this job for the time being though so I can start working again. Speaking of working, I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. I loved working there. Not only am I learning the basics of construction but I am also helping the community. 

About two weeks ago I received an invitation to a open house/ reunion at Fallingwater for all residency alumni. As soon as Ksenia and I received word of it we knew we had to go. I reserved a campsite at the Ohiopyle state park which was really nice to stay at. My friend Tyler Strong came with me. 

Feelings put into words

I have always had this feeling in my heart that I want to help people in need in one way or another. Since I have received a degree in interior design, I feel like I am going to be helping people through design. But this feeling, which I have always had, I could never say the right words to truly explain how I feel and this quote says it perfectly. 
"There are people all over the world who are needy, and they dont need to be reminded that they are needy. They need to be reminded that they matter. "- from the book The Scent of Water.

This past week I applied to many jobs through AmeriCorps....to be continued 

killer kitty and a crying baby

Day one watching the baby went great for the most part. She wasn't feeling well (a cold and teething) so she was a little grumpy but nothing a little bit of advil couldn't fix. We went for a long walk around Sparta today, it was nice to get out of the house and get fresh air. Callie loved being outside seeing all the different things around us. It was so cute to see how happy she was to be outside. :)
As for the killer kitty, well Jessica and Josh have a new kitten and it likes to attack feet and hands and well whatever it can get. He seems to like biting for some reason. I am not sure why but he does. It can become very unpleasant to play with.
Josh was so funny yesterday, he was showing me the room that I would be staying in while he is gone. He kept hinting to me staying here the whole summer. I think he really wants me to be here before he leaves and while he is gone to stay with Jessica. He told me he would rather have me here than Aimee. We both like her but I would be a better roomie, coming with less "baggage" to say the least. Josh is like a brother to me, we never come out and say that we "love" each other but you can tell in the little things that we do for, with, and to each other to show our appreciation. He has always been my best friend, even before Jessica, and always will. It just so happened that my two best friends married each other. Josh is due to leave for Afghanistan some time in July. For being their second deployment, you think we would be used to it. But in all honesty, we are more scared about this one. All we can do is pray for the same outcome as before.
Tomorrow we are going yard saleing it's gonna be great!
See you on the flip side
-j

What's Next?

Saturday I graduated from Michigan State University. And I tell you what, it's a weird feeling to think that after 5 years of college I am done. But what is next? Like every other graduate I am going to look for a "real person's" job and begin developing my career. In the meantime, I have decided I am going to focus on my artwork and my faith to stay productive and positive while I try to find a job. 
I have started working on a 24x36 acrylic painting for Andy Berry. I would have to say it is looking pretty good so far. Pictures will come later when it is done. I also will be finishing up a set of wine glasses I started around Christmas Break. I am excited to see what all I will be able to sell. 
Today I went to the Christian Book Store to pick up a book or two for a summer read. I found one called The Scent of Water by Naomi Zacharias. 
"Follow Naomi Zacharias as she talks to women working in brothels in Mumbai; survivors of an Indonesian tsunami in which more than 160,000 lives were lost; a young girl waiting on an operation to save her life; and victims of domestic violence horrifically burned by fire. Be still with her when she realizes the pain she feels in the face of these extreme injustices reveals a common struggle that exists within all of humanity. And rise with her as she wrestles with confusion over her identity, comes face to face with redemption, and then begins to understand her own story...and to find her calling.  

The Scent of Water  will open your eyes to the complexities of the world, showing you pain can also be beauty, and how each is found in the unlikeliest of places"

I will begin reading this book later today when I am relaxing outside soaking up the sun. :)

Ever since I started going to MSU I have put my faith on hold. I will admit, I had "better" things to do such as sleep or study rather than go to church. There is no excuse now that I have graduated and don't even have a job. When at the book store I also got a 365 day devotional, Starting today I am going to become a better Christian and not but my faith on the back burner.  In some ways I don't like who I have become so each day I am going to try to respond to my devo to help better myself.

And with that I am out! See you  on the flip side... 

Inspiration

It’s art if can’t be explained.
It’s fashion if no one asks for an explanation.
It’s design if it doesn’t need explanation.

— Wouter Stokkel

Spring Break

Things are starting to get really busy, graduation is coming to a near and our senior thesis is due in a few weeks. I have been working on resumes like crazy. Still no luck but I  have a good feeling about gettin a job soon.
On a happy note, Spring break was a couple weeks ago and we went to Las Vegas. We as in my roommates (Liz, 2e, Caroline, and Lindsey). Now that we are back the trip feels like it was a dream. and Let's just say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. :)

Resumes are going out to Austin, TX and possibly somewhere in Louisiana.

No Luck

I called all the places I sent resumes to Jan 19th and I had no luck with finding a interview. Maybe next week.
I had a good feeling going into the job search but this put a damper in my motivation. I found it very discouraging, when everyone is telling me NO, when I have no choice to get a job out of high school.
But I will keep my head held high and have faith that I will get a job.
See you on the flip side.
-j
"Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."

Yoga

This weekend was a blast. We successfully pulled off Liz's surprise party. When she came into the door and saw everyone in the apartment, she was so shocked. It was worth all the planning 2e and I did.
So this week we are doing a competition for ASID. We are designing a yoga studio, and tomorrow we get more information about what the project is guidelines are. This project should be interesting. I have done some research on yoga, and I have learned so much so far. It makes me want to do some yoga, maybe I will do some tonight or tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow I need to contact the people I sent resumes to and see if I can get some interviews. Lets keep our fingers crossed.
Time to get back to my homework.

A Merry Monday

About an hour ago I sent out ten resumes to various firms near and in Virginia Beach. Tonight I think I'm going to work on a few more tonight. With all this job searching I have found that my room has become a complete disaster. I have clothes, food, art supplies and whatever else scattered all over the floors, and on any clean surface available. So It looks like I have some home improvement to do before I work on the good ol' resumes tonight.
Today we got some information for our ASID competition we have to do for class. Looks like I'm designing a yoga studio... I don't know anything about yoga. Oh well. I hope this competition doesn't take up as much time as I think it's going to. I swear everyday I feel like our work load is getting busier and busier. And it is starting to stress me out a little bit. I just have to remember that I need to stay focused on this semester. I am almost done!
Time for class, I'll let ya know how the room cleaning goes. :)
-j

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I just brewed myself a nice mug of Pumpkin Spice Latte, which is delicious. It is going to get me threw a long night of the senior project and resumes.
Over the weekend, I talked to a friend of mine about moving to Virgina Beach with him, and It is a go. I have plans to go to Virginia Beach for Spring Break, work on getting interviews and pick up some applications for this summer. I am getting really excited about moving away from Michigan. As much as I will miss my family in Ravenna, I know they won't mind coming to Virginia for summer vacations.
Tonight, I have a goal of printing off 5 or more cover letters/ resumes to send out tomorrow. I have to call the five firms I already mailed resumes to, to see if they have received them and are offering interviews. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I really hope everything works out with finding a job in VB, It has been my dream for a long time to live/ work out there while.  I need to get away from MI while I still can.
See you on the flip side
-j



An idea is salvation by imagination.
Frank Lloyd Wright 

A Spark of Ambition

I decided that today was the day I would go shopping for some new grown up clothes and get a professional hair cut. I got some awesome clothes! I can't wait to wear them...some day. But my wardrobe is being rebuilt with some nice suits and blouses.
I have also got a lot of hair clopped off. I told the man cutting my hair I was a professional hair cut for my curly hair. So what does he do? Cuts it all the way to my collar bone, then styles it straight. Why didn't style it curly since I want to wear my hair curly? Oh well we will see how it turns out after I shower.
After my shopping spree and hair cut, I got the motivation to work on my website and start looking for some more jobs. As well as, post my resume on Monster.com.  Friday I need to call some firms and get names of designers so I can mail out some more resumes.
I just added Boston, MA to my list of places to move. Pat and Hannah just received orders to move to Boston. So why not look for jobs there, they would love for me to be around :) They are like my second family. So now I'm looking at Virginia, Colorado, and Boston. I have pretty much given up on looking for jobs in Michigan.
Let's see what tomorrow brings me.

See you on the flip side
-j

Vision for a Church

For my senior thesis I have decided to design a contemporary church located in Old Town, Lansing. I want the church to be directed towards youth and young adults. Traditional churches don't appeal to the younger generation any more. The building would have classrooms for bible study and small groups, the sanctuary, and a lounge in the balcony for casual lounging or class rooms for small groups. The sanctuary will have stackable chairs so that they can be removed during the week for homeless to have a roof to sleep under.
For the finishes of the church, I want to use bright colors and multiple colors throughout the space. I want to get away from the basic wooden cross and go with a metal sculpture cross that can hang on the wall behind the pulpit. I have included a image of my preliminary design. Design on a budget i have found is hard, but I like the challenge. I have always wanted to help people and I think this is a great way to do it.

Trying to grow up

When graduation is right around the corner, I have started to get anxious. I have been busy with sending out resumes to many different firms, but it't hard to get resumes sent out and focus on school work. This years work load isn't to bad but it is only week 3 so I don't want to become a slacker now. Our senior thesis project is something that I would like to do for a career. My project is to design a church, soup kitchen and food bank/pantry. I believe this is my mission, to design for people in need. This IS my ministry. When I have some more time I will elaborate on my project and my ideas behind it. If anyone is reading this I would like input, so feel free to comment.

Time to go back to class and learn about Donald Judd.

See you on the flip side

-j

Hello World.

I have just became a blogger. I hope that I can get on here daily and put my two cents into cyber space.
I will be back later to do this for real.
See you on the flip side