Laundry Inspiration

When I was in Jerusalem, I started to really like laundry. Maybe it is because I had so few clothes, maybe it is because they were always dirty, and maybe it is just because I liked singing in the long hallway between my room and the laundry room. Either way, it was good times.

Ever since then, laundry hasn't been much fun- mostly just a hassle. But all that changed.
Ok, not really.
But I do like it more since I moved to Dallas. And it is because I was inspired by a pin I saw on pinterest (thank you Reagan Brown Nelson).

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I was intrigued by the picture because I wanted to know what it was. Then I read about it, realized it was a DIY project, and then went through my checklist of whether it was worth my time, energy, money, effort, etc. And it passed. 

So even though certain family members thought it wasn't my smartest move, I went to 3 different stores to find the ingredients to make my very own laundry detergent! 

You just grate a stick of Fels-Naptha Soap. (takes forever, but smells delicious)

Then add some borax and washing soda. 

Ta-da! I initially stored it in a tupperware, but then I splurged and bought this jar at ikea and it makes me happy every time I do laundry. If you want to read a review about it or get the step-by-step directions, here is the link. 

Buying Furniture

Sometimes when you move into a new apartment you have to buy furniture. This concept was totally new to me a few weeks ago. But, I rose to the occasion and bought some things. It was less stressful than I thought it would be, and way more satisfying than I ever would have hoped.

I was lucky enough to find an ad on Craigslist put up by an architect. Awesome, right?! I just love saying that I bought furniture from an architect. He had a couch I wanted to look at, but when I got to his house I fell in love with his table, so alas I made a deal and got both!

I was also lucky enough to have a really nice sister and brother-in-law who not only let me borrow the van, but also removed the seats for me so I could have a big space to move things around. Big shout out to the Woods! And while we are doing shout-outs, I would also like to thank my roommate for coming with me (more on her later) and the awesome boys in my ward who carried my couch up our stairs and around the corner (no easy task!).

With no further adieu, may I present my first couch:

I love that it is long. I love that is has real lines and it is comfy but looks modern. And I love love the little weave pattern. 

My roommate, Stephanie loves it too. And I bet my mom is going to love my Christmas postcard collage. She sent me these and they are pretty much our only Christmas decorations. 

p.s. We rented a carpet cleaner and shampooed the couch 4 times before we sat on it. So don't be grossed out? Ok? Ok. 

Now to the table! I am pretty sure the previous owner bought this beauty at IKEA. Actually I know he did, because I saw it at the store and in the catalog. But everything is still in great condition! 

Pardon all the things on our table. We were hosting a church activity so my roommate had made tons and tons of cookies so we had to make an adorable presentation. 

I really like the spot where we put the table because I can eat breakfast with the sun creeping over the next building over and the sun kind of gets in my eyes while I eat my Frosted Mini Wheats. 

And I like that. 

Thank you Dallas Craigslist and thank you helpers! 

My Brother, the Model

Remember how my brother is a model?! I do. 

So I realized that I mention my sisters in the blogosphere fairly often, but I have other siblings too. 

And yes, I am related to a model. 

Let me tell you some more about my brother Jesse. 

He is super funny. His hair is better than mine. 

and

He speaks Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese fluently. 

So of course he lives in China... duh. 

When he isn't modeling, he is doing awesome stuff all over Asia with Zuriick shoes - only the coolest and trendiest shoes in the art department at BYU and every other place that is cool.

And when he is not doing that, you might find him working on visual displays for a little company called Converse. Awesome, right?

Or maybe you might find him setting up stores for Australian designers.  

But right now, it is easiest to see him here on my blog from the scanned magazine spreads I made from the magazine Modern Weekly. They did a feature on Prada so he is wearing all Prada clothing. I don't think I've even touched anything with the name Prada. He has. 

Well let the countdown begin! I am picking him up from the airport in a week and one day. He is making the long trek from Shanghai to Dallas, TX. My whole family is going to be in Dallas for Christmas. How wonderful! Go team!

Modern Weekly Images

Living Arrangements

One reason I wanted to move to Texas is because I thought it was always warm. Turns out, I was wrong.

Today it was 35º all day.

It wouldn't have been so terrible, but then there was a fire in my building and we had to evacuate. Meaning we spent a good while outside watching the fire trucks and the helicopters swarm around. I think it turned out to be ok because the firefighters weren't moving very quickly.
I digress. My point is that Texas is really hot and really cold.

But it's ok. I love where I live. And it's so cute that it doesn't matter if it is hot or cold or just right.

Lastly, I have been discussing a couple controversial topics today. 

#1 Skinny jeans are banned at BYU-Idaho. Interesting. Here are the details. 

#2 The Standard of Liberty Foundation. Here is their opinion about how BYU handles same gender attraction. 

Thanksgiving

Dearest loved ones, friends, fellow bloggers, and random people who happened to click on my blog link from one of my sister's posts, and also the wandering folk who have clicked on a series of links who may happen to come to my blog, and even those who searched for something in google and randomly had my blog appear in the search results...

I love you all. 

Let me explain. I moved to Dallas two weeks ago. I have not had internet access at my new apartment, but if all goes well I will finally get it today. Without going into specifics it's been quite the complication to have internet installed.

I have heard many people say that the times they were separated from the internet felt liberating. They may have accomplished several other tasks they had not been focused on, written in their journals, pondered on the meaning of life, explored their neighborhood, expanded their interests, made new friends, etc. 

I have done all those things, and it has indeed been rewarding, but I wouldn't use the term liberating. You see, I really like the internet. I used to be scared of it, thinking if I spent too much time on it then I would be a lame person, socially awkward, and probably a gamer. 

But I love the internet because of the connections I form and the knowledge I can gain / have gained. 

So on this post Thanksgiving weekend, I would like the internet to know why I am grateful for the internet. 

I landed a job. 

Not through career fairs or networking or the church employment specialist. But by posting my resume and portfolio information on different websites, sending a lot of emails and filling out many digital forms.  

I had experience to help me land a job. 

Because of my interest in the web, I now have a job designing and coding for the internet. By taking classes and doing an internship all about web communications I expanded my portfolio and had meaningful experiences that led me to a career path. 

I can keep in touch with all the people I've ever met (if I want to).

There are many ways to do this. Here are my choice favorites.

Blogs are fabulous. 

I can hear about what is going on with my friends or even friends of my friends. I can find out facts about them and interesting stories just by visiting a URL. And I can do all of this on my time. No, nothing beats a phone call or an update, but let's be honest- it's a little awkward to call up someone you haven't seen in years. But with a blog we can reconnect. I can hear about their life and even comment and interact with them in just a few short lines. I can still be some part of their life even when we are miles apart or just in different phases of life. 

I have many married friends who I love and used to love spending time with. But when they start a family, it is difficult to communicate as often. We spend our time differently and it can be difficult to converse frequently because of the change in lifestyle. But I still love them, I want to hear about their day, their struggles and triumphs. So when they share on their blogs and I comment, we reconnect and have the opportunity to share again even when our lives are so different. A blog gives me access to their life without having to be consistently involved. 

Facebook is amazing. 

In college, I created a MySpace account and tried to understand it. Then Steven Shelley wrote on my MySpace profile and said, "Snyder. One word: facebook." So I went and checked it out. The first time I went to the site I was so excited about the white background. It felt so clean and wholesome. This was before I knew anything about graphic design and user interface design, but I knew I had landed on a good thing. 

It's been six years and I haven't opened my MySpace account. I love Facebook and I love that so many other people love it too. I won't go into too much detail because I already wrote my ode to Facebook last year when Mark Zuckerberg spoke at BYU. But I love to see people's pictures and the fun things they are doing. I like when they share interesting links or funny status updates. I like when I find my 3rd grade teacher and become her friend. I like being in the know when past roommates get engaged or when people want my address for their wedding announcement. It is a great tool to reconnect- not for networking, not for business ventures, not for commercial advertising, but just for people. A lot of people like to have the inside scoop on celebrities: what they wore, who they are marrying or divorcing, where they were spotted, what they're doing this weekend, etc. There is a whole slew of people focused on getting celebrity information to the masses. But most of us really don't care about Jennifer Aniston. But we do care about the people we have spent time with or the boy who grew up around the corner or that one girl who was really nice to you when you were in a new location for a short while. Facebook gives us the contact information and ability to connect or reconnect with people I have met from all walks of life. Awesome!

Twitter is pretty neat. 

I like twitter because it feels like Facebook, but I can "connect" with people in many different industries who are unattainable. You can follow Justin Bieber if you want and hear about his day from him rather than his tabloids. But you also have the option of following any public figure that you like. You can read about quick updates about your industry or get links to interesting things from interesting people that you have never met. This year I learned via twitter: Osama Bin Laden died, BYU published a student review, Adobe purchased TypeKit, and coupon deals. 

I could spend hours on Linked In. 

I know that most people use Linked In for networking, but I just like to read people's resumes. It is fascinating to become linked with someone whos career profession I know absolutely nothing about. I have linked with previous bishops and people in my ward who had a very specific role in my life. But on Linked In, I can read about what they really do all day, how they got there, what companies they've worked for, what they studied in school. It is really motivating to see that most people have had a variety of jobs and many different work experiences that have been catered to make them reach a certain point of productivity. They have had rich experiences that have guided them to what they are doing now. 

The internet provides entertainment. 

Being the frugal woman I am, I don't see myself buying a TV or cable access anytime soon. Thus I am grateful for Hulu and the ability to watch Modern Family, clips from the Today Show, documentaries, the Sing-Off, and explore other things on TV without having the commitment of a full hour with commercials. Plus it is free. So cool.

Youtube is really special. 

I mostly appreciate it when I have a song in my head and I want to listen to it rather than buy it. It boggles my mind how people will just put up random stuff. Someone took the time to track down the intro of Bobby's World and put it up online so that we can all enjoy it. 

Netflix is fun too. 

Instant play is golden. It is like having a Blockbuster in your living room. Too bad it is so expensive now, but hey it was good while it lasted. 

Vimeo provides the latest and greatest in sweet short videos. 

I think motion graphics are awesome and I think film is a very inspiring medium and thus I really appreciate all the goodness on vimeo because only the content creators are posting the work. It is a fabulous little corner of the web. 

Email is the best thing. 

I love email, most specifically gmail. I love getting messages because I can label them and respond in an organized manner. I can type out my words and slowly think about them. I can add pictures and links and big documents. I can pass on information and keep it all in a tidy conversation list. I can send a quick note without having to use my thumbs on an itty bitty phone dial. I love email. 

My list could go on. And it does in my head, but mostly in my browser history and cache. I didn't even expound on wikipedia and TED talks. It just amazes me that so many people contribute to this big collection of information. Yes, some of it is rotten and yeah some people are just sick or want your money. But so much of it is good. People write on forums and answer each other's questions. So many people post tutorials and want to help you be successful. And the craziest thing is that all of these tools, programs, streams, browsers, are most usually free. 

So even though some people think the internet is lame and that my generation spend too much time on it, I love it. I have had an email account since the 5th grade. It is a big part of who I am, how I learn, and how I connect. And this year, I am mighty grateful for the collection of inter-networks we call the world wide web. Happy Thanksgiving! 

ships

I woke up this morning feeling pretty sad that today is the day before I move. Meaning, the last of my Alpine days. Not really, because who knows- I may end up living here the rest of my life. And even if I don't, I will always come back multiple times a year.

But this is the end of an era for me.

My mom and I have been rushing to get things done all week and I keep feeling really emotional. This scene from the final episode of Gilmore Girls keeps running through my head.

Last night as I was making my final drive from BYU to my house, I kept thinking, "What am I doing?" I had a super fun night with my friends, I ran into 2 other great friends- one from high school and one from Jerusalem. I navigated through Provo so effortlessly and stopped at my favorite cupcake place. I came home to a warm house and had a nice chat with my mom and planned out the delicious meals we would be making today. All this week I kept running into great people I've known for a long time or given people the update. It is just so fun seeing so many people that know me and my family. It's just so easy.

But I'd like to remind myself that I am ready for this adventure. I keep thinking of this quote that my sister turned into a great print for her shop:

I knew I liked this quote. But I loved it a lot more after Elder Costa gave a devotional at BYU last year with this quote as his thesis. He spoke about getting out of your comfort zone, choosing a career, and moving forward with your life- even when it feels uncomfortable.

Turns out, BYU devotionals are really worth it when you make time for them. Probably wouldn't be moving to Texas right now if it weren't for that one.

If You're Gonna Play in Texas...

My parents love the band Alabama, and I grew up singing these lyrics. Well team, I've had them stuck in my head all week. Why? I'm deciding whether or not to pack my violin because...

I AM MOVING TO TEXAS! 

Not just to sit around and play with my niece and nephew at the park, or to watch the Sing-Off with Aaron and Melissa, but to work at a real job, at a real office, doing real work!

 I have often heard the phrase, "when it rains, it pours." Usually it is Sarah Jane referring to my dating life because I will go a long time without having a date and then one week, I will have 2 or 3. Crazy! Well that is how the job hunt in Texas has been. I had several interviews, usually 5 or 6 a week on the phone or in person, but in general it was fairly slow. All summer, I have just been hoping and waiting for something really awesome. Then last week, I had 3 interviews in one day with 2 job offers, and then I had to decline invitations for 3 interviews the next week. I am really glad I had all those interviews because I got to meet so many interesting people along the way and learn about all the creative ways people make money.

But luckily, I got the dream job. This was seriously the job that I wanted more than any of the other interviews or job descriptions or companies I heard about. A recruiter found my resume on monster and got me an interview with Click Here, the interactive and digital agency for The Richards Group advertising agency. The interview went great and they offered me a position the next day to design and build websites. A dream come true!

Turns out, it is kind of hard to find a place to live and pack everything up in a week, but luckily my mom is awesome. She has already printed our maps and itinerary and most importantly, she is going to join me for the long drive from Utah to Texas. Best mom ever, right?

So if any of y'all out there have great packing tips or ideas of how to fit everything I have accumulated in my life into a mini car, give me a holler!

Lonestar state, here I come!

Virtual Personality

It took me awhile to get onto the TED talks bandwagon, but now that I am riding- I really like this site. I watched this video about a week ago:

You can watch it. But you don't have to, obviously. Ever since I watched it, I have been thinking a lot about the idea of virtual personalities. 

The speaker, Adam Ostrow, defines your virtual personality as this cloud that stores your facebook status updates, the connections you make on twitter, the comments you leave on a blog, etc. Your social media presence becomes your virtual personality. 

In this TED talk, he mentions a program called "My Next Tweet." It can scan your status updates or your tweets, and it can predict others things you might say based on your past content. Fascinating and weird. But his whole point is that we are creating a digital archive of our self.

I heard about someone in the news who recently died. She went to BYU, so I looked her up and saw her facebook profile. I couldn't see much of the details, but it is so odd to think that facebook could be this human collection project. Will our profiles ever be deleted if no one else knows the password? 

Well, I asked google the question and got a link to this article in TIME magazine. Apparently, facebook "memorializes" the profile and it can only be accessed by friends and family, but nothing can be changed or updated. Also, you can not access the page from search results. But I don't know if I want my profile to be memorialized. 

I don't know if I would really want my virtual personality to be saved until the end of the internet. 

Case in point...

The bulk of the people that I actually interact with in life are different from the people I interact with on the web. There are a select few who I spend time with in person and online. 

It is always so interesting to see how someone's virtual personality differs from their human personality. I can think of one friend in particular who is fairly quiet. It's taken me years to really get to know her because she is so shy. But on her blog, I hear about all these crazy things she does and the way she describes them is so so different than if you were having a real conversation with her. She is much more expressive (and perhaps at ease) in her virtual environment. 

The more I think about it, I can think of many examples of people who seem to have such a different virtual persona than they are in real life. Sometimes I read blog posts of my friends and think, wow is that really the person I know? Have they changed or are they just different online? Or maybe this is just a side of them that I have never seen. 

My point. I think my personality in real life is similar to but not identical to my virtual personality. I still don't know how to indicate if I am typing a comment that is meant to be sarcastic. I use plenty of exclamation points because I don't know how else to indicate that I am happy or smiling. I am used to showing a lot of enthusiasm when I talk to people, but you can't really do that without knowing the best ways to use punctuation. I am also a typography nut. I own hundreds of fonts and I will analyze them for far too long when I am working on a project. But I never use any type variation online or in an email. 

So if I am collecting this digital archived collection of "who I am" then I don't really know if I want my virtual self to be "who I am." As of now, I would prefer to have my journals and my sketchbooks saved much more than my blog posts. 

But the internet isn't going anywhere, and I may spill water on my journal. The ink isn't going to last. Things could burn or be lost in some natural disaster. So I wonder if emergency preparedness could be about preserving stuff or thoughts just as much as preparing food and having an escape route. 

I know that every time someone's hard-drive crashes, I always hope that they are internet savvy so that they won't really lose everything. Now days, if you have picasa or flickr, or if you are one of those people who uploads every photo you take on facebook, then you don't really need a back-up hard drive. And if you have pinterest, you have inspirational images and quotes that you love. If you have your life synced up using google calendar, then you don't really need iCal or all of that other stuff. 

And think about how cool it will be, 40 years from now. I was thinking about my little adorable niece today. I was picturing her as a mom and trying to remember what year it was when she took a certain vacation. She will be able to pull up her mom's blog and be able to quickly browse through the archive and blog titles and she can know exactly what dates they were gone, where they went, and what they did because her mom keeps it all updated. She is going to have a crazy awesome record of her personal history. 

I don't really have a main point or a way to end this. Except to say that I love not being in school anymore. Of couse I loved loved school, but it's also really great to be able to learn whatever you want to learn. 

And just as an update, I still am here in good 'ol Texas looking for jobs. Luckily I have had tons and tons of interviews, but I am still holding out for a full-time offer. I'm grateful that I have had plenty of free-lance projects, melimba orders, a really nice sister and brother-in-law, and 2 adorable toddlers who love to pop bubbles just as quickly as I can blow them. We have also been enjoying some delicious artisan breads, home-made lasagna, roast beef sandwiches with aujus, pumpkin muffins, home-made sweet and sour chicken, and tons of chocolate chip cookies. Yep, I think I have literally gained 10 lbs since I have been here. I have another job fair this week, so if ya'll could twist your fingers in my behalf, that would be great! 

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