Not Another LA Blonde

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nobody likes you when you’re 23
I am officially out of the age where nobody likes you! I turned 24 this past Saturday and boy am I starting to feel a little bit old.

Here’s me and my baby on my birthday!

As I laid in bed at the end of my birthday, it hit me that I am going to be 25 next year but as I sit here and write this post, I: 1) realize that I have absolutely no purpose to this blog post and I don’t even have a title for it yet and 2) start thinking about my life up to this point. Have I done enough for someone who is 24? Could I be doing more adventurous things? Should I have my dream/forever job right now? Should I create a bucket list of things I want to do before I turn the big 25!?

I think that I have accomplished a lot but there are A TON more things that I could have done before I turned 24. I mean don’t get me wrong I graduated college (yay me!), I landed a job (not my dream job, but one that will provide me with health care and a pension), and I have a great boyfriend of almost 5 years. Buuuuut I still live at home (hey, times are tough), I haven’t done nearly enough traveling (it’s super expensive right now) and my non-existent 5 year plan could really use some attention.

So here I am at 24 and I want this year to be the best one yet; so I’ve decided to make a bucket list and share it with all of you!

Things to do before I turn 25:
1. Get engaged (I know this one isn’t up to me, but I can hope right?)
2. Buy a new car – I have wanted a new one for a while as my current car is 10 years old
3. Save enough money to move out of my parents house – this one is a little unrealistic at my current pay scale but I’ll still put aside money
4. Travel to at least 5 places big or small – I can’t currently take time off with my new job because of a probationary period
5. Follow through on plans I make with friends (It’s always the same…”omg, let’s hang out” and then it never happens)
Last but not least, I have decided that all I really want to do for my 25th birthday is to spend an entire week either in Hawaii or in New York City! I know they are completely different but I enjoy both and the relaxation from Hawaii would be great after my 1 year probation (I can’t take any time off for a whole year) but at the same time, NYC is my absolute favorite place to go. I guess I have some time to figure this huge dilemma out!

Let’s hope for the best this year and make every moment count!

XOXO
July 18, 2016
the long road to finding a job

Why is it that almost every adult tells you to go to school and get a college degree so that you can get this AMAZING job when you are done? I went to school, I got decent grades (they could have been better), I graduated in December and here I am in the tail end of June still looking for ANY job that will take me.

Trust me, I’ve been looking, but apparently I lack experience and my qualifications aren’t there…I would love to know how an entry level job expects candidates to have 3-5+ years of experience!? I’ve looked high and low; I’ve applied to almost 40 some jobs and have gotten either rejection emails stating my lack of qualifications or I’ve just gotten lost in the sauce of hundreds of other applicants.

Don’t get me wrong I know that everyone wants a job and all, but someone with a Bachelor’s degree should not have this much trouble getting a job that only requires a high school diploma!! I know that I’m being a little picky when it comes to looking (I don’t want to drive too far or the pay isn’t up to par) and I’m definitely spoiled by my internship that is officially over in August (I get paid over $15 an hour here). I’ve even moved my search criteria beyond looking for jobs that I went to school for (Marketing) and looked into secretarial jobs, office administrator jobs and real estate assistant jobs (I recently got certified to take the CA Real Estate exam).

I currently have one job pending with the City of LA, but I’m honestly not 100% sold on the position. I know that people would kill for this opportunity and that I should start thinking about benefits and retirement now, but I don’t know, it’s not what I went to school for and the starting pay isn’t great. But it is a job and there is a lot of room for promotion within the city the longer you stay with them.

But until I get a job the poor me saga will continue in my head of wondering how in the world a recent college grad could possible have the 3, 5 or even 10 years of experience necessary for that entry level job!

XOXO

June 20, 2016
WANDERLUST

wanderlust: (n) a strong desire to travel

I never knew the true meaning of this word until recently. I have such a strong desire to travel everywhere!! It all started when I went to New Jersey last September with my mom for my brother’s high school football game; I have that constant urge to drop everything and get on a plane to go somewhere!

A little back story- My brother just graduated from a high school where the football team was nationally ranked and won a national title in 2013 and came close the following 2 years, so naturally that kind of prestige came with teams all over wanting to play you. We went to Hawaii in 2014 and followed that up with a quick weekend to Las Vegas to play Bishop Gorman high school.

So anyway back to 2015, my brother had a game early in the season against a team from New Jersey so my mom and I flew out there and stayed at the same hotel as the team. The trip was great- I got to spend quality time with my mom, see both of her sisters and my cousins, and most importantly taking the train into the city (New York City) and I absolutely fell in love!

Me, my mom, my aunt, and my 2 little cousins

Me, my brother, and my 2 New Jersey cousins

The minute we got home I knew I HAD to go back to New York, so I started planning a trip for Robert and I for after the new year. I thought that I would make a whole big trip out of it and hit more than one state. So I got online and searched for weeks for the best deals on flights and hotels. I finally decided on stopping in Chicago before going to New York. I booked and planned everything to the “T” and then proceeded to watch the weather for weeks leading up to the trip. I knew that going back east in February would be risky weather but being from California, I just had to see winter (despite getting to both cities and having record breaking cold (-5 degrees in NYC) there was hardly any snow to be seen and I was bummed). We literally got to see everything that we had planned and wanted to see in Chicago plus we got to see Robert’s best friends mom who lives there now (we didn’t get to go to Wrigley Field, but that’s what another trip is for). When we got to New York, we got to see almost everything that we wanted to but I definitely think another day or so would have been perfect. Needless to say it was the best Valentine’s Day weekend I could have had. I mean who else gets to be on top of the Empire State Building in 10 degree weather after dinner on Valentine’s Day? This lucky girl, that’s who!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our Valentine’s trip!

Doing touristy things like finding the bean despite the single digit temps!

Standing, looking out above the city from Willis Tower in Chicago

Sitting on the glass platform at the Skydeck in Chicago!

One of the first things we did in New York: One World Trade Center

Braved the freezing temps to see the Statue of Liberty

Our last morning in Time’s Square

Anyway, there I went on a big ol’ tangent…back to my original thought WANDERLUST! I have this immense desire to travel everywhere! I am constantly planning trips that I know I won’t be taking anytime soon. I’ve planned trips to Hawaii, Nashville, Texas, Philadelphia, St. Louis, back to Chicago and of course back to New York for various times of the year. Luckily, one of Robert’s friends is in Missouri for 2 years with a grad assistant program, so there is definitely a trip in store for us, it’s just a matter of when we will go. I think that this desire to travel should be taken advantage of while you still can; it’s something that will only be around for a while. Once you get a full time job or you have kids that availability becomes less frequent. I have a bucket list of places all over the world that I would love to go to. I don’t mind starting small and staying within the good ol’ USA right now.

XOXO

June 20, 2016