Parker Place Day 2

Well, Anne was having a terrible pest issue in her bathroom the last time I went to Parker Place. So this morning I woke up at 5 am or so and it hit me that she needs to set off a bug bomb. So I told her my idea when I got there this morning and we went to Ace and she got some. After that we took a little buying trip to Salvation Army and this store called Habitat for Humanity. I had never been there and it was full of sinks, tubs, cabinets, furniture, basically anything you would need if you were restoring or building a house. So that was a helpful place to know about since Alex and I are doing just that here shortly. Anne also showed me the location of her first store before she moved downtown.

Then for the rest of the afternoon I gave some organization to her fabric rack, re-arranged the area I did the other day (because stuff sold!!), and also began a new project that I didn't get to finish today. I also priced stuff because there was alot of things missing a tag. So that was my fun day. It flew by. I think I could volunteer doing this forever haha.

internship day 1

I completely forgot to tell you all how my first day at Parker Place went! Well I started on a Saturday, I got there at 11 (thats when they open so I get to sleep in!). My first task was to give some organization, theme, and basically re-arrange this area that lacked focus. If you haven't been in the store before it is broken down in little sections...almost like rooms. The "rooms" are arranged by color, textures, patterns, themes (nautical, garden). Anyhow every part has some kind of theme and the "room" I was doing lacked it completely.

It was sort of a big task to take on in my first hour there but I did it pretty lickity split with the help of Annes daughter who is 11 or 10 I believe. At first I tried to do a kitchen theme but there is this large purple chair in their and before I knew it I was using the lavender chair as my inspiration and putting things in the section that matched purple. I got to pull things from the basement and around the store (as long as I replaced them with something!) When I first started the task I thought it would take me almost the whole day but of course after I had inspiration I was done in an hour.

Then Anne got us Pizza and I didn't do too much for the rest of the day. Sat out in the garden center for a while, re-arranged a few things around the store. It was really fun. I think this experience is only going to re-confirm that I want to be my own boss and do what I want. In the past few jobs I have had there has been so many rules, regulations, and policies that I feel like I have no creative freedom and it drives me nuts! When I worked at Cato it was my job to dress the 4 manicons. I pretty much got to dress them in whatever I wanted and I really loved doing it. Then when I worked at Aeropostatle, every manican had to wear exactly what the company told you to put on it. It was the most daunting task and I hated doing it!

I really wish I remembered to bring my camera so when I go in tomorrow I will take a picture of my "room:" to post on here :D

the unfamiliar

Lately I feel as though I have been faced with a lot of prejudice and misconception.

People are scared of things they are unfamiliar with.

A few months ago I told my friend I was going to become Catholic and they said "You know that Catholics pray to Mary right? Its like a cult"

That is something I thought long and hard about and I realized yes Catholics pray to Mary; but she doesn't realize WHY they pray to Mary! Alex and I read together at night and we are reading this book that Stephanie gave me about Catholics and how they entered Catholicism. I am so glad that I am reading it with Alex because he fills in the blanks of areas that I don't understand. I didn't know what a protestant was! (and I was one for years! haha) The more I read this book the more being Catholic makes sense.

Jess is going to laugh at this, but my favorite topic in all the world might be prejudice. Give me a drink and I will go on for 20 minutes about how I don't understand prejudice. People are scared of things they are unfamiliar with. Again I say this because I think this is true to so many topics. When I first began UMES I wouldn't say that I was prejudice in a mean way but I was prejudice in certain senses. I wouldn't even say it was my fault that I was prejudice because it is just how I was brought up. My parent's don't have friends of other races and in highschool I really didn't either (except Amanda).

So there I was a freshman at a historically black college that I just went to because I was an underachiever and didn't really figure on graduating anyway. I think the first three years felt like day and night to me. "Those students were black therefore they had worse grades than myself, funky hair, and a different fashion sense." Now five years later I can honestly say God planted me at this HBU (historically black university) to show me that everybody is different (in a good way), everyone is valuable (in every sense), and everybody has a different personality and something different to bring to the table. Thank the Lord for diversity. If I learned nothing else at college let it be known that I have a true appreciation for other people and what is in their heart and who they are, not what color their skin is.

up to my ears!

I am up to my ears in marital bliss. Next week I have a wedding. Then I have a bachelorette party. Then i am in Gabis wedding in August which is in nearly West Virginia, It is a 5 hour drive. Which means a bachelorette party and a bridal shower sometime before that. Then I am going to North Carolina for Ben and Carrie's wedding! Is this an overwhelming summer or what?! I keep making all these plans with people but the truth of it is financially I am not going to be doing ANYTHING. Wedding presents cost alot and 2 of the weddings are destination weddings.

I guess this is just that time of life. I guess its better than babies and cribs and stuff. haha

dear sleep

Dear Sleep,
You were once my best friend; in fact you are still MY best friend but YOU do not love me anywhere. You never grace me with your presence. Please come back from your long long vacation and come home to me! I really need you. Tonight, tomorrow night, the next night. My eyes hang droopy with dark circles, my skin looks dry, I look all around tired...and it is all your fault! Please return, your presence would be greatly appreciated. Love -Jamie

Seriously this is how I feel. I haven't been sleeping at all. I cant fall asleep. I cant stay asleep. I wake up early. It is greatly effecting my social life. I don't like it one bit! What really pisses me off is when Alex comes over and goes right to sleep. Makes me so mad that I wake him up! If Jamie can't sleep he isn't either!!!

GOODNIGHT and sweet dreams to all of you that sleep at night.

asiago chicken sandwich

Tomorrow is my first day at Parker Place! I am very excited. I think I am excited because I am not getting paid...so if I screw something up or am late or something I won't feel like I am costing Anne money. I already know I will give 150% because thats how I am but it takes the pressure off! Anne is also a fun person to be around and it never hurts to have fun people in your life. I feel there is lots of things I can learn from her so thats what this experience is about for me...Oh yea and I get a grade at the end of the summer for it haha.

Today my sister, niece, and nephew drove home for Mother's Day weekend. Alex and I showed them 510. Mom and Dad came as well. It is kind of funny because I see a whole world of potential and all they can see is stress and work. I by no means am a dreamer but suddenly I am thinking I am. I have always been very realistic and I don't think that fixing this house up is that unrealistic!

OH I meant to say that I made an appointment to go have a tour of the Merry Sherwood. I think mom and Alex are coming. Alex didn't want to come but I informed him that its his wedding too! MEN. I really wanted to decide where the wedding was going to be by the end of the summer. Some of these places book way in advance. I know when Gabi and I went to pick out dresses we couldn't go with this one company because it took over 12 weeks to order the dresses...I mean thats 3 months. To me 3 months is ample time to order a bridesmaid dress. So needless to say I want important things done in plenty of time and nothing is more important than LOCATION.

In other news....This is what I have left of school:
2 presentations
3 exams
finishing 1 powerpoint

YESSS. :] I know the title of this post has nothing to do with anything but thats how I am haha.

venues smenues

Today I called two venues. Merry Sherwood...no answer. I will continue to pester them haha. And Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond. I was pleasantly surprised at their reasonable rates. Looks like there I can book a place for the ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinner with catering, place to get pictures taken pre wedding, and of course wouldn't have to buy flowers for all under 4,000. That seems like a killer deal. That knocks out all the big things. There is also about 5 places to actually get married there because it is so huge and they all have different rates. Plus Lewis Ginter was rated one of 2009 ten best places to get married...because its freakin GORGEOUS!! I almost think that place is too good to get married at haha.

Regardless, I think I still want to book a tour of Merry Sherwood. The simplicity of getting married there I really like. Wouldn't have to get a hotel room for the bridesmaids or groomsmen, being that its 30 minutes away. And its very beautiful there. Plus it has an old timey feel that I like and it would go great with my milkglass flower arrangements :] Plus the reception and the wedding can both be at the same place. I hate having to go to a wedding then drive somewhere else to the reception. I think thats a good way to lose guests.

tata!!!