Settling In

This is my third week at my new job, I am FINALLY not sick (it was a long 12 days of snot), and I barely remember life on the road. There is something so comfortable and wonderful about waking up in your own bed. I already feel like a new, refreshed person. Every day this week I was able to walk to my new office (about 20 minutes from my house) and I didn't eat out once! Most importantly, I am officially part of the Vynamic team.

A heavy snow storm started Saturday afternoon just as we were getting ready for a night of celebrating the 25th birthdays of my brother and sister in law. We hosted the family at our house for dinner and cake, and then headed over to Kathleen's for the real partay!

On Sunday we headed to the semi-suburbs in search of barn wood to finish off our stair landing (finally). We discovered an incredible salvage store in an adorable little neighborhood in Mount Airy. Andrew finally found the barn wood he was looking for at a reasonable price ($7/sq. ft.).

The shop offered a 3% discount for paying in cash so we stopped in the local Weaver's Way Co-Op to grab some money, quinoa, and yogurt covered raisins. This was my first experience shopping at a neighborhood-owned co-op and I loved the concept of the neighborhood finding a way to provide high-quality, fairly priced foods, with a broader understanding of it's importance to the members and community.

After we got our co-op fix, we loaded the 10 foot barn wood into the trusty Civic and headed home to cuddle down for the afternoon. We spent the evening watching the Academy Awards so we will ride out this winter watching all the movies we haven't seen yet (top of list: Birdman, Theory of Everything, Still Alice, Grand Budapest Hotel, and many more).

Working in Philadelphia

This week was my first at my new job and in Philadelphia Monday through Thursday. I couldn't be happier! Vynamic completely surpassed all my expectations in my week of orientation, and I am so excited for my career at this great company. I also LOVE being home with my husband all week! Andrew always finds special activities in Philly through Reddit and this week he found free ice skating at Penn's Landing's Winterfest. It was freezing and I am a pretty terrible ice skater, but it was so fun!

My man

I was really impressed by the set up of Winterfest. They turned Penn's Landing into a really nice atmosphere with bonfires and s'mores, food trucks with Jose Garces food, fun couches set up in front of fireplaces, and big screen tvs to watch any sports games. I would definitely recommend visiting if you haven't already, we will be back for sure!

Since I am just getting over being sick and it was so cold all weekend, we laid pretty low. Andrew was able to get us reservations at Supper for Valentine's Day, which was really nice! The menu was a prix fixe, four course meal, so we left very full and satisfied.

We both work tomorrow, President's Day, but I am looking forward to my first Vynamic project! I am hoping to spend the week educating myself on health care and getting to know my team and client! If you have any interest in starting a career at Vynamic, let me know :)

Funemployment

My final week at Accenture was spent in Charlotte, helping with a project and spending time with old friends. Being at the airport for my final travel Monday morning was less than romantic as we took off in a blizzard. I realized how ready I was to stop traveling and be in Philadelphia Monday-Thursday.

View of my plane being de-iced

It was great being back in Charlotte after so many months in cold, dreary New Jersey. The weather was nice and mild and I forgot how sweet of a city Charlotte is. It reminded me that I will miss the opportunities traveling provided me, getting to know so many new cities and the great people that work in them.

View from my Marriott Charlotte hotel room

I celebrated my final Wednesday night out with my dear friend and career counselor, Emily, with drinks at the Ritz in downtown Charlotte. On Thursday we said goodbye with a final drink at the airport and that was that, my life on the road was over.

Wednesday Night celebrations

Final drinks at the airport

I was home Thursday night to unpack and re-pack for a trip to Charleston with my mom. We decided to road trip down there on Friday, like we used to when I was younger. My mom had never listened to Serial so we listened to that the whole ride down, making the trip go quickly. It was all worth it for the beautiful weather we found at my grandparent's house when we arrived.

View from my grandparent's house

On Saturday we headed down to Folly Beach for lunch with my Granddad. It is amazing how lunch in the sun can lift your spirits after this dreary weather. We ate at Rita's, a new little restaurant in the heart of Folly.

My parents are planning on heading back to Charleston for two weeks in May to celebrate their 30 year wedding anniversary. My mom found a house on VRBO, a cute little house which will allow them to spend 2 weeks on Folly, with the dogs.

On Sunday we joined my grandparents at their church, St. Phillips, in downtown Charleston. My Granny Jean directs the children's choir so we were able to see them sing during the service, which was really beautiful. My mom and I were both so happy to have had the opportunity to spend the morning with my grandparents and meet their church friends.

Unfortunately, while I was getting ready for church I dropped my brand new cell phone in the toilet. It worked for awhile but stopped working right after church. We went to brunch at one of our favorites, Blossom, so I put the phone in a bowl of rice. After a night in a bag of rice, my phone worked again! If you ever have the same issue, try it!

On Monday my mom and I got in the car and drove to Savannah. After all these years of being in Charleston, I have never taken the two hour drive to visit the beautiful city. We got on a Old Savannah Tours trolley for a 90 minute historical tour of the city.

After the Savannah tour, we headed to Beaufort for dinner with my dear friend Tara. The little town of Beaufort is adorable and we had a delicious dinner right on the water. I am so jealous of the weather!

We spent our final day in Charleston running along the battery in Charleston and walking on Folly. This trip was exactly what my mom and I needed to recharge and for me to get ready for the new job! Granddad cooked us a delicious dinner and Wednesday morning we were on the road bright and early to head back to the cold.

Now that I will be home Monday-Thursday every week, I am looking forward to adding healthy routines in my life, starting with my face/make up routine. It's a silly excuse, but having to pack all my toiletries every week left me with a very weak face routine. Friends of mine had nothing but great things to say about Jan Marini so I am trying out her face products at night and in the morning. I started with a cleanse, serum, and lotion.

Next on my house to-do list is put together a station for applying my make up every morning. Right now, I am using my dresser in my guest room but I am on the hunt for a single drawer, white table and fun chair, similar to inspiration I found on Pinterest.

Current situation 

Tomorrow I start my first day at Vynamic! This week is simply orientation and I cannot wait to get started on this new chapter of my life!