Wine and a Camera

It always seems that my weekends are that much better when Blake is here. I guess that's why I'm marrying him. We had a good time playing with my new camera and spending time together.

Friday night we cooked in, which was an adventure. Blake and I living (and cooking) together will be an absolute adventure. That's just one of the many challenges we will face. Blake has a tendency to just throw things in the pan... and not that I'm Rachel Ray or anything, I just like to be the one throwing in I guess. It will be fun though. I'm into it.

Saturday we got ready for our housewarming/birthday party that night. We cleaned the apartment. Katy cooked up a storm. I made the rice crispies! We had the cutest set up for the party. We also had a lot of wine. I think our party turned out to be a success! Here are a few photos for you to enjoy. I'm loving my new camera.



After our party we went out on 7th Ave. That was fun seeing as it was our first time out in our neighborhood! On Sunday Blake and I headed up to Hell's Kitchen. We walked through Time Square. We had lunch at a really cute pub, which was delicious. We then headed over to Intrepid. There we saw a lot of cool airplanes, got to go on a submarine that carried nuclear weapons during the Cold War. The beds on it were so insane. I'm not even sure how they got in them, and how they didn't bonk their heads each and every day when they woke up. It was a beautiful sunny day so we got great views of Jersey. We could even see the Statue of Liberty! After that we headed to Washington Square Park because neither of us had ever been there. We wanted to see the Arch. We took some photos and headed over to the Pourhouse which is a KU and Chiefs bar in the city. Blake took some photos for his internship and we headed home. That night we relaxed and, much like last time, the morning came all too soon. Blake had to head back to KC and I had to go back to work. I miss him already. Here are some photos. There will be more to come next weekend as my sisters and mom come to town! YAY!



Those are the beds. WOW. Teensy. Now, these last few photos are just because I want to share them.

New York City First

I had another New York City first today. I had to hold the train doors open for myself. Yeah, I know. It may seem miniscule to a NYC native, but that was interesting for me! I've seen it in the movies, and now I can say that I've officially done it.

While writing this, I had another first. I just heard a huge cat/dog/creature fight. Loudest cat I've ever heard. Hands down.

I also purchased my first dslr camera today. You know what that means... MORE PICS! I know you're excited. I bought it so that I can take photos of my niece when she comes, but I figured I'd go ahead and purchase it now so that I can take photos in NYC while I am here as well. I can't wait to practice with my new toy!

Have a good day. Stay cool if you're in NYC, stay warm if your in Kansas and stay awesome everywhere.

72 Hours Never Seemed Shorter

This past weekend I hopped on my always-delayed-Frontier flight out of LGA and headed back to my roots. Because my wonderful fiance is the man (of my dreams), he was at the airport to pick me up with my sweet dauger Macy!

She remembered me, of course. I was very thankful for that. I am a bit of a worrier, and being that Macy can't figure out how to look at the screen when Blake and I Skype, I thought maybe Macy wouldn't recognize me. I was wrong! She loved me as much as ever. It took her about 2 minutes to warm up to me. I miss that sweet girl so much. I can't wait until Blake, Macy and I get to live together! Oh that time will come soon enough... Until then, let's get you caught up on the weekend!

Friday morning I woke up early and headed to VZW. I had to show of my ring obvs! I loved catching up with co-workers and getting caught up on VZW goings-on. I feel so out of the loop now that I am no longer working for the company. I miss it! After visiting for a while, I headed to Nicci and Brad's apartment. Man, it is nice! I couldn't help but think, "damn, this would cost 5 G's a month in NYC." I am so jealous of their place, but I mean I love our place in NYC. Nic and I went to Global Cafe on Mass St. for breakfast. It was delicious! After breakfast, I headed home and then to my grandma's house!

It was nice to visit with her and show off my ring some more. She told me how excited she was to have Blake in the family. I am so lucky that I found such a great guy that my family loves so much. At grandma's we raided her closet! I got some great vintage blazers that were my moms. I love them. After g-ma's house, Mom, Aubs and I went to Jen's salon to get my hair done!

Jen and I got to catch up, which was obvs great. We gave Jen my mom's old leather jacket for her birthday because I knew she would love it! I left there with a great head of hair and met Blake at home.

I went back to VZW to visit more co-workers before dinner in Lawrence. Blake, Kate, Jimmy and I had dinner at Bigg's BBQ. I got to meet Blake's boss which was nice because I've heard a lot about him. I was so spent from not being able to sleep the night before that I was ready for bed at 10pm. So that's what we did. Well... Blake started a movie and I fell asleep.

Saturday Blake and I went to visit Hannah Hashman and my aunt before we headed to the Homecoming game. It was great to see friends in Lawrence, but the game was not so great. That night Blake and I went back to Kate and Jimmy's house. We had a chill night there... well everyone else did... I was still having post-game fun.

Sunday we had lunch at Blake's parents house with his parents, my parents, his grandmother and brother. It was a fun in-law lunch. Again, I am so lucky to have found someone with such a great family that I am so happy to be a part of. We even figured out that Linda might watch my niece when my mom goes out of town!

Speaking of niece, I couldn't be more excited. I am literally thrilled to be an aunt and I just cannot wait until I am ACTUALLY an aunt rather than just talking about it. I am getting myself a nice camera so I can be the baby's paparazzi!

Sunday evening I had to head home. It was all too soon. I will say that as much I am loving New York City, Kansas is my home. I am happy to be coming back to Kansas soon enough.

Speaking of New York, things are going well for me here. I am enjoying both of my jobs. As I think I've already told you, I'm learning a lot. I am so glad I decided to come. Katy, Lisa and I hang out regularly. I really like our apartment and our living situation. It's so fun. I'll miss living with them when I'm gone!

Thanks for getting caught up, and I'll be writing to you soon!

And with the drop of a knee...

Everything changes!

I could shout it from the mountain tops. I could have shouted it from the Empire State Building if I hadn't been in complete shock! I'M ENGAGED! I am so excited. I'm pretty sure I could not be more excited than I am. So now, to get you excited too, I'll tell you the story!

But first, a little background... I want to keep you waiting! Before I left for the city, Blake and I sat down and chose a weekend for him to come visit me. We both were prepared for our long distance relationship as we had done it once before while I studied in Spain, and we knew we would want to see each other as much as possible. To make things easier on Blake after I told him I had for sure decided to move, we bought a ticket so we knew for sure when we would see each other again. I was very much looking forward to his visit, but of course, he was delayed! It wasn't too bad though because Lisa and Allison were both flying out on the plane that Blake was flying in on so they kept me company for the majority of his three hour delay! When he finally got here, I was so excited to take him back to my apartment so I could give him a real tour of our place!

I also had another surprise for the Blakester! I didn't have to go to work on Friday so we would get to spend the whole day together. I thought this was great, but I came to find out Blake thought, "oh shit!" He had planned on doing some preparation that day, but in my world of proposal oblivion, I hadn't planned for that!

Friday we just ran around Park Slope and hung out. We had planned to go to the Empire State Building that night, but we postponed it for Saturday. Saturday morning we woke up. Well.. let me be clear. Blake woke up, and then thoroughly annoyed me until I woke up. By the time we got up and around it was 11 so we headed to Manhattan to watch the KU game. That was depressing so we left there to go shopping. Blake was oddly cranky that day, (I think he was under a little stress ;)) but we had a great day. Blake helped me finally find some boots that I have been hunting for! After I found my boots, we walked up Fifth Avenue and went to the Empire State Building. The line was sooo long! We waited for at least an hour and a half before we got up to the top, but I can now say it was totally worth it.

Once we got to the top of the Empire State Building, it was around 6:30. It was sunset. The city looked so pretty! I was a little shaky because it was chilly. Blake was a little shaky for his own reasons. We had made our way around 3/4 of the building and stopped to look out to the east. Blake mumbled something and the conversation went as follows:

V: What? Did you say 'do you know what would look pretty up here?'
B: No
V: Oh. Well I was going to say a big fat diamond.

It was the perfect setup!

And as I turned around to giggle at my comment, I noticed Blake was not towering over me as usual. I heard, "Babe. I am ready to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" So the obvious reply was, "uhhh yeah!" Then Blake stood up and gave me a million kisses! I was in total shock. I had been teasing him about proposing because let's face it, we're made for each other, but he had said literally the day before, "Val, seriously, no. Not 'til after I graduate." I think he was trying to keep me off his trail and it worked!

Once I had my beautiful ring on my finger I was so afraid to be up there. I just knew I was going to drop it! Blake called his mom, and we spent a little more time looking at the city. It wasn't until we were about to go down that I actually realized what had happened and started to tear up. My heart was racing, much like it does every time I look down at my left hand and see my ring. I have never worn a ring on that finger specifically so that when I got engaged, it was even more special. It feels so weird to have a ring there!

Now I'll keep the rest short, because I know that nothing compares to that. That night we went to dinner in Chelsea with Katy, friend and assistant wedding planner, and to Norwood. We had a champagne toast to start our engagement, but we headed home early. I had had a big day and was ready to snuggle up in my cozy bed... I mean futon. Sunday Blake and I went down to see the Statue of Liberty, hung out in Battery Park and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a perfect first day as an engaged couple. Alex took us to City Island to dinner that night. Blake and Alex are obvs bffs, so they love hanging out. City Island was a nice escape from the city. After dinner we headed to LaGuardia to pick up Lisa. It was nice to have her home!

Sadly, the next morning Blake had to leave at 5, and I had to be back to work. I was wishing my weekend with Blake could last a little longer, but I had to get back to my real life... in New York City! I still love that. I'll post a pic of the ring, but I don't think my iPhone does it justice! It's perfect for me. I am in love with it. More so, I am absolutely 100% in love with Blake. No one makes me happier. No one makes me giggle like he does. No one balances me out quite like he can. No one can make me feel better when I am mad, sad, stressed. No one ever, ever will. I used to be a little afraid of spending the rest of my life with one person, but now I'm more afraid of what my life would be like if I didn't get to spend it with the one person that I care about the most. Yeah, yeah, mushy I know, but if ever I can get away with a lovey dovey blog post, this is it! I'm in love, and I fall more and more in love every day. Signing off as the future Mrs. Kasselman, which is still weird, but I have two more years before I have to get used to that! Here are the pics.

Me right after Blake proposed.

Close up of my ring!

Movin' and a'Shakin'

I have good news! I have a source of income! I am now officially a paid intern, and the best part is... I GET TO WORK WITH MY BEST FRIEND. I am so excited. Details will come when they are available. As of now, all I know is that I start on Monday. I will continue to work at Strategic Group on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I could not be more thrilled with the amount of experience that I am going to get this fall.

Also, Lisa and I have started a running routine. My body is rejecting it. It seems I haven't been an avid runner in quite some time, but I am more than happy about getting back into it. I always love to run. Every time I am out running I think, "why do I let myself forget how great this feels?" I never have an answer. I hope I won't forget this time. Maybe I'll work toward a half-marathon.

I have to get. I have to run to the bodega for a few last minute items I need before I head off to D.C. for the weekend! I am so excited to visit Washington D.C.! I love my life right now. And to top it all off, BLAKE ARRIVES ON THURSDAY! I could not be more excited about that either.

Oh, OK. Last thing, I promise. I booked a visit home, and coincidentally, it's for homecoming weekend. I am so thrilled. What great timing. My life rules. So does yours, I'm sure.

Absolutely Unpredictable

Had you asked me one year ago today if I would be living in Brooklyn, NY, I would have said absolutely not! I mean... had you asked me a month ago I would have said probably not. But things don't always go as planned, and sometimes they work out way better than expected.

Before visiting Lisa in August, I had been looking around for jobs in New York City, but I hadn't had much luck due to not being immediately available for interviews. So when I arrived, I had zero interviews set in stone, and I knew that was not good enough for my planner friend Lisa. So the morning after I arrived, Lisa had to go to work so I stayed in for the morning and sent out some resumes. Thanks to Diane O'Byrne at the J-School, I know how to write a fierce cover letter, and that really helped me out I think. I heard back from several jobs and internships and set up interviews for Monday. Then I exhaled because I knew Lisa wasn't going to kill me and began enjoying my visit.

I met Jacey for coffee then we met Lisa. We went and saw a few things, I think... I'm forgetful, then had dinner and drinks near Stuy Town. I had a cosmo... I mean who am I? Carrie Bradshaw. (Tangent) I actually said the other day, "I mean, I'm actually better than Carrie. I love shoes, and I am not a fictional character."

Blake arrived the next day, and we all had a great time. That night we had a sushi date, which is one of my favorite things to do with the two of them separately so it was great for us all to be together. The next night Lisa, Alex, Blake and I went to Time Square. We ate dinner at a nearby restaurant and got to know each other a bit. After that, we went Jacey's place of work and received complimentary champagne--who doesn't love that? It's a really unique place, very exclusive. We saw Carmindy from What Not to Wear that night. It was exciting.

The rest of the weekend is a blur. We viewed some horrendous... oh yeah! That's what we did the night I got there... saw apartments in Manhattan. Lisa and I were not impressed. Then we decided to view an open house in Park Slope in Brooklyn. Katy was with us... I had told Leas I wasn't ready to commit to a lease because I had no income and no definite plan. It turned out to be perfect. It is an absolutely adorable apartment. It's the first floor of a 6-story walk-up, which is much better than the 5th floor apartments we had previously seen. It has a spare/extra room/office which I am currently using! Its perfect. Lisa has to walk through my room to get to hers, but I kind of like it. It's like we're hanging out all the time. I love that my friends have let me shack up at their place. I am actually sharing my room right now with Jacey, which I also love. It's kind of like college again... only this room is smaller... and I live with my best friends.

So back to the interviews. I had several, and they all went very well. I was offered two positions, one at Strategic Group and one at a dental spa. The Strategic Group position was an internship in my field, but it was unpaid. The dental spa was paid, not in my field, but would provide excellent experience. What was a girl to do? Take the internship. I love that it's in my field, and it's something I would never have the opportunity to do in Kansas City. I mean, I met celebs my fifth day on the job. I love it so far. I am getting great experience. I actually get to blog as a part of my internship!

I've also been interviewing at Patch.com, which is where Lisa works! I would be a Marketing Intern there, which would teach me a lot about a different aspect of the strat comm world. I'll hear back this week and keep you posted. I can't wait.

OK, bear with me. I'm almost done.

This past weekend was KS girls weekend in the city. It was perfect to say the least. I loved having my friends here. I am so fortunate do have stumbled upon this group of Braves that were kind enough, and let's be honest.. lucky enough, to welcome me into their friend group! We always have endless amounts of fun and laughs, and this weekend was no exception. Thanks to a friend of Jacey's we were legitimately treated like celebrities both Friday and Saturday. We had bottle service and free food to boot. It was so great, and we were so lucky to get to experience that part of NYC. I had to remind myself that I lived here this weekend. I caught myself thinking, "Maybe I should buy this for Blake to take home." Then I realized, I'm not on vacation. I live here. I live in New York, New York. Wait... what? Is this my life?!

It sure is, and I am loving it. It is hard to be away from Blake, my family and my dauger, but worth it. I am so glad to get the chance to live in NYC. Not everyone can/would/could move and make it here, but I can and I am. I'm missing some cravings and baby kicks, runaway ponies, algebra homework, wedding flower shopping, my boyfriends hugs and my dogs kisses, but I am living in the greatest city with the greatest girls in the greatest neighborhood gaining invaluable experience in my field. I am so fortunate to be able to do this. I thank my friends who are cutting me slack on my portion of the rent. I thank my family for the support. I thank Blake for putting up with me when I get a little crazy because I don't know how to handle being so far away. I thank Macy, in advance, for forgiving her momma for leaving for a few months. Most of all I thank myself for believing enough in myself and being able be spontaneous and gutsy enough to literally decide to move and pack my bags and be gone one week later. It was an unbelievably hard decision, but I couldn't pass this opportunity by. I am so glad I didn't.

I'll keep you updated more often. I mean this is the most expensive city in the world, and blogging is free. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go work on my accent.

Life as a lounger

Life certainly has been different. It's so relaxing nowadays. I really don't have much to update you on. I've been enjoying my part-time lifestyle that I've been missing since I was a senior in High School. I only have to work 30 hours a week. That's it. That's ALL of my obligations, right there. It's nuts.

I've been doing a few administrative tasks lately though. For example, today I put my resume on monster.com. I figure I better start getting in contact with some people if I legitimately want to move to NYC. Lisa (what a surprise this is) has kicked into planner mode. She has been sending me apartment listings, U-Haul quotes, etc. It's actually quite exciting. Am I really going to move to NYC?! I hope so. I'm going full time in July, I think, to help save more money. As of right now, I am kind of banking on early September for the move. That will give me two and a half months to save, save, save so I will have a little bit of a cushion when I get there. Lisa and I have also been looking at 3 bedroom apartments for my friend Katy to join us. It would be SO awesome if we three lived together. All we would need would be a Miranda and we would be SATC. Lisa and I have already discussed who is who. I am proud to say I'm Carrie. Yeah, I like nice shoes.

I've also been making all the medical appointments I need to get taken care of before I get booted off my parents insurance! I am lucky that Verizon provides health insurance. If I don't move to NYC, come August, I will be covered by VZW.

OH! I do have a little bit to update you on. I've been working with the Marketing Team and it's so fun. I've been corresponding with people in the Governor's office. They are in charge of the Fiesta Mexicana in Topeka, and that is the event I am helping facilitate. I am really enjoying it. I am looking forward to assisting with other projects, which I think will be soon!

I went to the lake this weekend. Let's just say I cannot wakeboard. I can hardly drive my car my arms are so sore. On the other hand, I'm a decent tuber. But, let's be honest, how hard is tubing? We also took the 4-Wheelers out. That was fun, but scary. Blake is not a safe driver. And speaking of what Blake isn't, he's not a good co-pilot either! I had to drive down Saturday morning because Blake bartended Friday night. I was fine with it, no problem. Blake got the directions from Jimmy and just said head to 71 South. So I did, and I stayed on 71 South until Blake woke up. Here's how it went:

Me: Good morning. Nice nap?
Blake: (mumble, mumble, rubs the eyes) Where are we?
Me: Like 40 miles outside of Joplin.
Blake: We aren't going through Joplin.
Me: Uhhh, I think we are.
Blake: Well, did we pass Harrisonville?
Me: Yeah, like an hour or so ago.
Blake: Well, did you get off of 7 Highway?
Me: No! Was I supposed to? Why didn't you tell me?
Blake: Oh, hmm. I didn't think I was going to sleep that long.

So we decided I'm the navigator and Blake is the driver from now on, which still gets me a little nervous.

Well the sun just came out, and I am going to go for a walk with my dauger. Macy girl is a full-blown dog now. It is so nice to know that I took this dog out of a bad home, gave her lots of lovin' and turned her into a real dog! I wish I could do it more often, but one dog is really quite enough for me right now. Maybe later in life....