Currently

I so should be asleep or close to it right now. I worked at 5:30 a.m. today and am back at 7 a.m., so I could really use it. But first I wanted to do a quick "currently" post with a bunch of random categories I selected as I went along.

Loving: House sitting in a place with a programmable thermostat. This probably seems silly, but being able to make sure the house isn't freezing when it's time to get out of bed is maybe the best thing ever. I'm sold. Someday I'll have one of my own.

Watching: Downton Abbey. Oh. My. Gosh. I can't even talk about it (and wouldn't anyways because I hate spoiling stuff for others--just like someone did for me on Facebook about the last episode). I also finished Private Practice. Kind of weird to think it's over. I caught up on New Girl and watched an episode (or two of Grey's Anatomy. Let's just say the Roku (more on that in another post) and Hulu Plus have changed my life.

Listening: It varies depending on my mood, but I've been on a bit of a Girl Talk kick, again. I also downloaded Tyrone Wells latest CD This Love with a gift card. And I'm still loving The Heist by Macklemore. I really should it mix it up more though. Any good recommendations?

Thinking: About whatever is next and trying not to get myself worked up about it. Luckily I have some amazing people in my corner. But it's still hard to not know.

Celebrating: Three mornings managing the Internet at work by myself. Okay, not the whole Internet, but our website and social channels. And I had to be there at 5:30 a.m. for it. My high school self would not know what to make of current me.

Wishing: For time to pass quickly and slow down all at once. I have some fun things planned in the coming weeks, but I also need all the time I can get for my job and figuring out life. Also, I'm starting to crave travel again. It has been quite a while (August) since I set foot on a plane. At least for me. What a first world problem...seriously.

Splurging: On a trip to Ulta. I had a few things on my list that I needed, and then other things started hopping into my bag. I don't know exactly how that happened. I might just have to do a little post about some of the goodies I grabbed. If I get around to it.

What have you been up to currently?

Photo Catch Up

It's been a while since I've shared photos. Of course, if you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen most of these, but that's not going to stop me.

(In reverse chronological order, join me in traveling back through time)

It finally rained. No seriously, it had been two weeks.

So excited to play with this. And it came with Angry Birds. Great for productivity.

Doing my part to celebrate my sister's birthday on Sunday.

Pretty awesome view from the helipad at work.

Cute (enormous) puppy missing his parents.

Bloody Mary to go with Sunday morning football.

Pretty speckled egg. I couldn't bring myself to cook it that day.

Gorgeous view driving down the highway. Love where I live.

Frosty. Brr.

My dad's cinnamon roll are the best. Hands down.

I haven't been doing the best job of taking pictures lately, but in my defense life hasn't been that exciting. 

(On Instagram, add me @eewiley. I'd love to see your pics!)

Working and Hunting (no guns needed)

This transition back to work thing has thrown me for a bit of a loop, mostly because I had to be at work at 5:30am Monday morning (but also because I really need to grocery shop--or is that a different issue).

And I'm doing the early shift again this coming Friday and morning. We're a bit short-staffed at the moment (the whole reason why I was brought in), so it's a little crazy.

The good news: they trust me enough to put me in charge of the website/Facebook/Twitter/livestreams by myself.

Being back in the newsroom has been really enjoyable overall. I've already worked a variety of shifts so I'm getting to know a lot of people and learn a lot.

Luckily, while there isn't a job for me there, I am working with people very willing to try to connect me with other places that do have openings.

And since I'm really not very good at job hunting, I'll gladly accept.

Because here's what I realized today: I've never really done a full out job search. There was a period in 2008 where I did job hunt, but I found my job through a friend.

Any position I've gotten has been relatively painless. And when I talk to friends going through interview processes and job hunts, I realize how lucky I have been (and feel a little unsure about what to expect).

For now, I'm going to set a few goals in terms of the number of jobs I'm applying for, continue to work on networking, and see what happens. Oh, and keep learning a lot at my current job.

Any tips for this inexperienced job hunter?

Awkward and Awesome: Back to the Grind (Kind of)

After a crazy weekend and short recovery period, I headed back to work this week. The TV station where I interned this fall asked me to come back and help out during a transition period.

It's not a permanent position, but I'm flattered that they asked me back and am excited to have a paycheck for a while.

This weekend is full of fun down here in Seattle, so now I just need to get through work tomorrow to enjoy myself. Even though I didn't work a full week, I still spent most of today thinking it was Friday. Apparently it was a long day and a half at work. :)

With that, I leave you with my awkward and awesome moments from the past week.

Awkward:
- Lunch today was a Cherry Coke Zero and pita chips. I don't really want to talk about it. I need to work on putting lunches together for myself. Cuz this girl can't survive on that type of meal.
- I hate having notifications, unread emails, etc. Does that bug anyone else? FB especially has way to many feeds, notifications, all of that.
- My job hunt. Adding work to my schedule with hours that vary day-to-day has not made me very productive. This weekend my goal is to apply for at least five jobs. I know that's not a ton, but I have to start somewhere.
- My sleep schedule. I thought I was going to work starting at 7am everyday, but apparently it's going to be all over the place. For example, tomorrow I go in at 10am, but Monday I'll be at my desk at 5:30am. So that's fun.

Awesome:
- As part of the job I spend time monitoring social channels, so if you notice me tweeting more often, that's why.
- New shoes never fail to lift my mood. It's a blessing and a curse.
- Long conversations with my cousin. We can seriously talk for a long time, which is unusual for me. And we always spend at least part of the time talking about food and things to make, because we are awesome like that.
- I made an appointment to get my windshield replaced and because I don't have a deductible for that with my insurance, it's not going to cost me a cent. Yay for a non-cracked, new windshield.

I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting, but at this point, I'm ready for sleep. What has been awkward or awesome about your week?

All the Fun One Weekend Could Hold

I  mentioned yesterday that I spent a few days out of town. This past weekend was jammed packed and wore me out, but in a good way.

I started Friday with a happy hour get together for my program. On the first Friday of each month, current students, alumni and potential students have a chance to network, catch up and share war stories. I ended up hanging out for over four hours because there were so many good conversations.

The next morning I headed to brunch with some wonderful ladies who were kind enough to meet early enough so I could join. Stevie, Cari and I have met up before but it's been way too long, and Berrak just moved here from DC, so it was definitely time to meet up.

We were waiting outside the Coterie Room before the doors opened and had the restaurant mostly to ourselves the whole time. Tasty beverages, delicious food, and full conversation had all of us promising to get together again soon. Now we just need to make it happen.

I left brunch to meet up with my parents before my mom and I headed south to Portland. We went down to celebrate the engagement of my oldest friend. Chels and I have known each other since I was a mere three weeks old.

After a quick stop by Powell's to browse drool over alllll the books, we made it in time for the party....all seven hours of it. I kid you not.

Chels' mom throws the best parties around. Over a hundred people were packed into the house. There was champagne, football, dancing, and a whole lot of fun. And we stayed until the bitter end, since we spent the night at their house.

Sunday morning was lazy (and depressing) as we sat around watching the Seahawks game. I still can't talk about it specifically, but I will say I'm incredibly proud of my team and wouldn't trade Russell Wilson for anything.

Chels stopped by her parents' house before my mom and I headed back home, and asked me to stand up at her wedding! I was surprised and honored, and can't wait to party more. :)

My mom and I made it back to her house in time to collapse into bed Sunday night, and I spent Monday cuddling on the couch with the dogs and recovering from the driving and lack of sleep.

Tuesday Birthday Funday (not mine)

I've spent the day helping CC, one of my best friends, celebrate her birthday. She's still in grad school and was able to free up most of her day, and I start work tomorrow, so the timing was perfect for a day of fun.

We met first for a little shoe shopping, as both of us were lucky enough to receive gift cards for Christmas. I came down from my parents', so it was a bit of an early, rushed morning, but definitely worth it. 

CC and I left DSW victorious, both able to find the shoes we were looking for.  I picked up a new pair of flat, black boots and some minnetonka slippers (cannot wait to wear those!), while CC got a pair of gray boots and some cute, casual tennis shoes.

Next we headed to the spa for my gift for her, shellac manicures. Let's hear it for nail polish that won't come off in a few days!

Wood fire pizza for lunch completed our morning adventures before CC had to head to class. That gave me the chance to head home and unpack after three days away, and relax a bit.

Then I met up with CC and her family for a delicious Italian dinner. Overall, I think we both enjoyed her birthday. :)

Thanks for including me, CC! And happiest of birthdays to you!!

Awkward and Awesome: All the Phone Calls

I am not a person who likes talking on the phone. I never have been. In high school, I worked (briefly) in a doctor's office and I dreaded having to answer the phone.

That said, today was spent making any number of phone calls. I had a list of to-dos that I had been putting off and I finally made a list and got almost all of them done. I still have one more phone call to make (okay, maybe two), but at least everything else got a check mark beside it.

Anyways, I thought I'd take a couple minutes to recap the awkward and awesome moments of my week.

Awkward:
- A complete lack of motivation. I was only successful today in getting things done because I made a list. (Perhaps there's a lesson to be learned there.) Next week, I start working again, and at 7 a.m. too, so I won't be able to be quite as lazy going forward.
- The place where I'm house sitting has an old school rotary phone and the ring is so loud. Seriously.
- There's also a mail slot in the door. The mail scares me every single day I hear it come crashing in. The first day I literally jumped. And then was embarassed because I was also still in sweats.
- My love for Biscoff cookies (or speculoos, as the non-branded name goes). I bought a package at World Market (a.k.a. the most dangerous store ever) over the weekend and they were gone by Tuesday. Tomorrow I plan on attempting to bake some of my own. Bad plan? Probably.

Awesome:
- I finally watched the first episode of Downton tonight. I know many of you have seen the whole season already, but I've been saving it. While it seemed a little slow, I love the dialogue and varying unfolding plot lines. Plus, a friend came over to watch while we snacked and enjoyed some wine, so it was a pretty perfect evening.
- I'm headed to Portland for the weekend with my mom. One of my oldest friends, since we were months old, got engaged and her family is having a party. Then we'll watch the Seahawks (win, fingers crossed!).
- But first, I'm having brunch with some lovely ladies I met via blogging and social media. It's so fun to see community formed through the Internet.

Apparently most of my awesomes are in the future, but at least I have something to look forward to. What have been the awkward or awesome moments in your week?

Looking Ahead at 2013

Last week, after my 2012 round-up, I had planned to do a post looking forward to this year. Instead of typical goals/resolutions, I wanted to pick a theme for how I would approach life.

However, after my failure to actually write that post, the theme I'd chosen seems a little silly. But I'm pressing forward with it anyways.

In 2013, I hope to live life intentionally.

Do you get the irony of my slacker-ness now?

(I have managed to get through a good chunk of the Tudors, so I haven't been totally unproductive.)

I'm hopeful 2013 holds some big changes for me. First and foremost being a job. Quickly followed by a place to live, a gym membership, and more. You know, I just want to settle into a (finally) adult life.

But I want to be intentional about my choices, actions and decisions. And I don't want to be passive.

If the first week of the year is any indication, I have a ways to go.

I was also struck this past week of how much Seattle is starting to feel like home, and how much I want it to be. There was a moment where I felt like this is my place, at least for now.

So it's time to get intentional with my job hunt.

For the moment, I've moved out of my apartment, am house sitting for the next five weeks, and have a short term job starting next week. So I'm set for the next month or so, the perfect cushion to at least get started with my hunt.

Onward and upward, 2013. Let's do this.

Seahawks Season Finale

This past weekend I was lucky enough to get to attend the final regular season game for the Seahawks.

A friend had an extra ticket and I was free (a.k.a. I cleared up plans so I could be free).

Last year, I attended my first ever NFL game (which I apparently failed to blog about) and I was excited to go back. Century Link is possibly the loudest stadium in the league and our team is pretty good this year.

It was chilly but not rainy, and we were sitting down in the lower bowl, much closer than my last experience.

While the game against the Rams was a little nerve wracking, the Hawks managed to pull out the victory, a great way to head into a first round playoff game against the Redskins (another team who has been playing very well).

Thanks to Amy for inviting me along!

What's your favorite sport to watch? What has been your best in-person fan experience?

2012 in the Rearview Mirror

Better late than never, right?

Before I jump into my hopes and goals for the coming year, I wanted to do a little wrap-up on the past year. I put together some of my favorite posts from the past twelve months.

2012 held so much for me, a lot of it unexpected. Because of school I had numerous opportunities to travel, make knew connections, and learn...a lot.

Between three different road trips I covered more than 8,000 miles, saw 17 states--5 of them new, and even had the chance to published in print.

Another thing about this year, I ate and made a lot of really good food. But that's a pretty constant thing in my life.

I don't know what the future holds or even exactly what I want it to be, but I know that if what's ahead is as good as what's behind, it's going to be a blast.

Here's some of the fun I got up to the past twelve months?

January: I went to Indy for a friend's 30th, helped surprise my sister for her birthday, and cooked some delicious food.
February: Spent a long weekend with family, started working out again, and gave you a little tour of my apartment.
March: I had a fun St. Paddy's Day and went on a food tour of Pike Place Market.
April: I went on a fun trip to the East Coast, including to Pennsylvania and North Carolina, among other states.
May: I talked about words, shared more travel pictures as well as pictures of more everyday life, and talked about my grandfathers--awesome, both of them.
June: I went on yet another road trip, enjoyed a stay-cation and a visit to my cousin in Boise. Then my parents got a puppy!
July: The Finnish relatives came for a visit and I finally saw Mt. Baker.
August: I took a surprise trip to Boston, only to drive back across the US.
September: A friend visited and we went to Whistler (amazing!) and I shared some random facts about me.
October: My last quarter of school started and I made some savory dutch babies, yum!
November: I made yummy sweet potato muffins, was thankful, and shared recent photos of life.
December: Christmas! Also, I made more delicious food (can you see a theme here?).