work: week two

Time is starting to fly by. I was much busier this week, because all the designers were back. They have given me more responsibility as time goes on. The start of this week we put some boards together for the Kuwait Palace, and were to work with Kelly to create some "vibe" boards. The main designer I work with is Leana, and she has had me do a custom cabinet in CAD. Her response when I finished was...."cute!" That was awkward, who knew a cabinet drawing could be cute? I also worked on tile patterns, an office elevation, a celebrity's door design (secret, secret, but she is a BIG one), invoices, POs, vendor runs, client drop offs, and we got to go to some really cool stores and look at antiques. This stuff would never be found in Utah. :( (Sorry Dad, it's inevitable that I get out of beloved SLC). Check it out-JF Chen.

I am loving this experience and figuring out my own style and ways of working. I love all the designers and learning from them.

finally here

Sorry this blog has taken so long to form, just been too busy and tired from this new California life. Well, we arrived here in Glendale, just north of downtown to a complete foreign world. We had no idea where to get gas, or groceries, or anything. Luckily we had Mandy. Mandy is our trusty GPS. We can't go anywhere without her. Our apartment is behind an old craftsman house, and is just perfect for what we need. Pictures to follow.

We are snug, but happy. We started work and I couldn't believe how beautiful the office was. Marble and brass everywhere. It's really pretty and everyone is really nice. The week went slow, mainly due to the fact that Kelly wasn't around. As everyone should know, I idolize her and was kinda sad we didn't meet her. Needless to say, the change was a big one, we have our own intern stations, and we basically do whatever the designers tell us to. It's mostly been running errands and filing. We did finally get to meet Kelly and I was so nervous. She is such a tiny little powerhouse, but her voice was so high and dainty. She is super down to earth and FASHION. But I am learning a lot and getting more and more excited to do this one day on my own.

The weekend went well, we went to GLEE live, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a farmer's market, Universal City, and to Hard Rock.

Glee was so fun. I jammed out to all the songs and it was worth every penny. Loved it.

The postings on this blog are short, sweet, and random due to crappy internet. Surry... Let's hope for better next time. For now refer to facebook.

los angeles

yes. it is true. i am moving to LA LA Land. I know repetition is real annoying, but I am the luckiest girl in the world. I have been given the life changing opportunity to internship at one of the top designers in the world....Kelly Wearstler. I love her fresh funky contemporary style and am honored to be able to work with her. Although I won't be getting paid, I will be earning the experiences of real design that are invaluable.

Here's how the rundown goes. I have loved Kelly from the beginning of my time as a designer. When confronted about which designer to internship with my heart went directly to Kelly. After months of grueling portfolio putting together, it was done and I was ready to send it to Los Angeles. The next month would be the hardest time waiting, and waiting, and waiting. I had called to check back and she told me to call back in 3 weeks. Yeah, 3 weeks! I patiently awaited my fate only to have to call back with another week of dissapointment. I headed to St. George with my family and went to my favorite cafe, 25 main. I walked down to this store I love and noticed I had missed a call. Yes, it was her....Kelly Wearstler Inc. on my screen. I called back and recieved the great news. Jen, the office manager, was lovely and I couldn't be more excited for this opportunity. I will report (sounds like a mission) May 17 and stay for 2 months working full time. Keep posted for this upcoming adventure!

wac champs

The game on Saturday was epic to say the least. We became the WAC champions for the 3rd time in a row. Immediatly after the buzzer, we ran onto the court and watched as the team cut down the net. It was intense and jam packed full of people. I love being an aggie for this pure reason. The Aggie fans always show up in full gear, signs, painted faces, and of course their voices to lead the team to victory! I love being a part of it. Unfortunately, this was the last home game. Good luck in the NCAA tourney!

i think you called it wonderland

So... on Friday, Megan, Jess, and I hosted a dinner party for the new release of Alice in Wonderland. It is probably one of my most favorite Disney movies. We planned every little detail to make this party spectacular, and indeed it was. I loved every second of it. Although it was a little stressful we made it fun! That's what you get when you put 3 perfectionist together. Megan was an awesome cook and the food was delicious. Jess was an awesome helper in decorating and making pink lemonade cupcakes. I think it turned out well. After our party we all went and saw the midnight premiere of the movie. I may have dozed off for ten or so minutes but it was incredible! I loved the animation and the costumes.... okay, mostly just the costumes. You should all go see it! Such a good time. Thanks girls for pulling it off and everyone for coming.

caterpillar pasta

cheshire cat pasta

two-one in the two-oh-one-oh

21. This may not seem that old to many of you, but to me it came as quite a shock. 21. wow. I have lived that long. I have changed that much and I now have that much responsibility. I want to go back, my childhood was perfect. Although I hated the fact of my newly acquired age, and it took some reassuring myself that it would all be ok, I had one of the best birthdays ever. I got to go to Disneyland right before. I had a nice cake and friends who shared it with me, I went to an awesome dance at the school, and I had warm wishes all day. I am truly a lucky girl. But that is where the real luck starts.

My cutest friends Meg and Jess decided to plan a trip to Vegas for my birthday weekend. Mindy came along and we had an enjoyable drive down, arriving in St. George close to 11pm. We dropped our stuff off and immediately headed to eat and then hot tub. It might have been a little too cold for such but we were determined to make it a party.

After that we headed to bed. Next morning we woke up and I headed over to my brothers really early to spend some time with him and Koen. He made me a delicious breakfast and we played and laughed for a long time. He is the best brother and such a good dad. I went back to the condo, girls were barely waking up. Megan made us another delicious breakfast of apple pancakes. 2 die 4. We proceeded to get ready... four hours later, we headed over to see Grandma Dine for a short time. Sure do love her. Then we headed to grab lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, 25 main, and we were off to Vegas.

This would be the longest indecisive day of my life. We got there around 3 in the afternoon and decided to do some shopping... for about 5 hours. My legs were real tired and I had not found anything worthwhile to buy. I eventually made my way to Urban Outfitters, and struck gold. I got myself a cute little party dress. After this we were tired and starving so we headed over to Caesar's Palace to hit up my favorite restaurant, Cheesecake Factory. My friends are adorable and got me a birthday cheesecake which we shared. We were then revitalized and ready to hit Vegas. Due to the season, all rides were closed. All shows were on break. And all casinos were not paying out. We hit some slots and changed for the night. We had many offers on clubs, with special passes and whatever, but decided to try this club TAO.

My brother, the great one, got us the hook ups. He told me to drop this name at Tao, which happens to be THEE hottest club in Vegas and ridiculously packed and hard to get in to. I made Mindy walk up to this bouncer and ask how to get in with our names on a list. He pulls one out. We drop the name. He begins to radio to another guy. He tells us to wait. I start freaking out. What happened? Who is this guy? Bigger and even more bouncer-esque he walks over and starts asking us detaild questions about how we know this guy, where we met him, etc. I drop answers in the best way I can think of and he hands us tickets and escorts us personally to the front of the 3 hour line. I could not believe it! Thank you brother! Once we were inside we started dancing hard core. It was funny because everyone was drinking but us. We had such a fun time, laughing at crazies, and ourselves. The club was really designed well and had an interesting Asian theme, which we all know I love. Everyone got hit on, minus me, and we called it a night. It was now 3 am and we still had to drive back to St. George. Needless to say it was a long night and I had a hard time staying awake. We made it back safely and hit our beds hard.

Next came the long drive back to SLC. We woke up packed and headed out. It was a great weekend with great friends and many experiences I will never forget. 21 is not that bad I guess.

happiest place on earth

I would say I am the luckiest girl on earth. I got to spend my pre-birthday at the happiest place on earth...DISNEYLAND! Not only did I get to go, but my entire family, including aunts, uncles, cousins, and my nephew. We stayed at a family suite hotel with multiple rooms to accomodate us. I love being a kid again, and seeing the excitement on others faces as they loop through roller coasters, relive childhood movies, and see their kids having fun. I know it was like that for me. We tried to ride on every ride, but I don't think we managed. It took a lot of organizing to keep everyone together and scheduling where to be when. At times it was extremely hectic, and I question if we will do it again, especially my dad. :) There were times when I had to ride in the trunk to fit us in one car. There were times when I had to sit with screaming babies. But there were also those times when I laughed like a little kid. Held hands with my adorable cousins. Shared memories with my parents. and relived childhood with my brothers. I want to go back every day. We had the best time and enjoyed every long minute of it. I am so blessed to be able to have opportunities like this in my life. Not every person in the world gets to go to Disneyland, let alone six times. I am grateful to my dad and mom for letting us go and laughing our heads off at the dumbest things. They are my best friends and I LOVE being able to spend time with my family. I think that's what makes it the happiest place on earth.