Photo Shoot

I'm so thankful for my family and friends these past few months- many of them have found freelance gigs for me, helped me in my job search and let me borrow their 'much-too expensive-for-a-student' equipment. A huge thanks goes out to Caryn, a pod mate of mine at CarringBridge, for allowing me to experiment with photography on her first born. I didn't really know where to start with a photo shoot of a sixth month old but I gave it a shot anyway. I got tons of great photos of the lil drool machine playing with his parents. Here are some of my personal favorites:





So once again, thanks Caryn! Your little guys is such a charmer!

Meet the Gals!

A few days ago I posted a sneak peek of my new summer hobby - taking vintage earrings and broaches and making them into so dazzling and funky rings. So without further adieu, meet the girls...

Meet Alice.
This dazzling ring is the life of the party.

Meet Regina
This dazzlin' young thing is sure to draw you some attention, and who knows maybe someone will buy you a drink next time you two are out on the town.

Hello Rebecca.
Elegant burst with center pink stone makes this accessory the icing on your outfit.

Meet Norma Jean
This little pink thang of fun is perfect for those first dates.

Hello Minnie
Some striking color and a bit of shine, you know Minnie's in for a good time :)

Meet Lucille
She'll add a brilliant sparkle to any summer couture.

Meet Florence.
Elegant, Black simulated pearl enshrined with faux diamonds. She's ready for a night on the town.

Hello Evelyn.
Driving in a convertible with a scarf around her hair, this daisy can always be found in the sun.

Add one of these fine ladies to your accessories. Ask me for pricing
Each ring is unique, I can't make duplicates so be sure to tell me if you want a particular one.

CaringBridge Banner

I am just lovin' my internship at CaringBridge. We are wrapping up the "One Act of Kindness" campaign and my design was chosen as the wrap up banner.

Sneak Peek!

Jennifer and I went to Estate sales last weekend and bought some goodies for our new hobby!

Here's a sneak peek of our new creations.
Each ring is $12 and they are unique so we cannot duplicate them.

Please let us know if you would like one of these or if you would like us to contact you when we get more made!

Scottie's Graduation

Thank Goodness that is over!
25 pounds of of taco meat and 12 desserts later Scott has officially celebrated his graduation from Eagan.
Although we were crossing our fingers for sunny skies, it ended up misting or pouring most of the party. So, what would have been a very organized and colorful event ended up being chaotic mass of people going back and forth between the garage and the house... But what type of a Yung event is it without some stress right?
Aren't these chocolates so cute? My dad is so clever.
We served 25 pounds of tacos and that's to my mom's 4 sisters, had 15 dessert bars to choose from. yum!

It was so good to see everyone - especially family from up North as well as family friends we hardly ever see anymore. Even though the weather sucked, it was a great time!

Sound of Music Flash Mob

Dance Classes at Zenon

I can finally go up the stairs with out my whole body hurting!
Two weekends ago my friends and I drove to Minneapolis to take dance classes. Back in high school our lives consisted of danceline practice for a couple hours after school followed by competitive studio class for 3 hours after that. Dancing was our lives, to say the very least. I could fouetté, pirouette, kick to my nose, bust out some hip-hop moves on a whim and tap my little heart out. And although practice had it's rough moments and too much drama, quitting dance might be one of the biggest regret I have.

So when Zenon offered a free day of classes for adults, we thought "hey, why not give it a try?"

While Lauren coaches a high school dance team up at college and does workshops in the summer, Marissa and I haven't danced for three years. The first class we went to was break dancing. We learned how to two step, spin on the floor and had a whole 20 second routine at the end of an hour! That's when our arms started hurting. The next class was a Broadway jazz class. I think this is when I pulled the muscles in my leg from leaping and kicking. Our third class was Afro Modern and by far my favorite class of the day. We mimicked what the instructor was doing for an entire hour - right on down to her breathing and "HUH!" I think this is when my neck started to hurt. Our last class of the day was hip-hop. Lauren, Mo and I had taken a hip-hop class a few years back with the instructor Stephanie and it was just as we remembered it. Stephanie demonstrates about 10 moves at a time and it's up to you to figure it out for yourself and how your body interprets the moves.

I'm not sure if there will ever again be a time when I am enrolled in dance classes, (Sadly I don't think they have any for my age) but we will definitely participate in the next free day at Zenon. The pain of walking up the stairs, taking 5 minutes to walk from one room to the other and grumbling of how sore we were was well worth it. It was so much fun and I'm truly thankful that I have these ladies in my life

Here's a photo for old time's sake. Back in our sophomore year of High School.

Summer Internships

Abhrajeet and I both landed internships this summer in Minnesota. It's great to have him back in Eagan for the summer and it's even better that we were both able to find jobs so close to home.

After months of researching design firms, bugging the receptionists for information about summer job opportunities, setting up information meetings and networking anywhere and everywhere I went, I am ecstatic to be working for CaringBridge this summer. If you're not familiar with CaringBridge just check out their site - you've probably been on it before and not even known it! CaringBridge is a free, nonprofit web service that connects family and friends to share information, love and support during a health crisis, treatment and recovery. I was first introduced to the site back in highschool when a classmate of mine had a page. I saw how beneficial and powerful the journal entries were and how meaningful the guestbook was to the family.

My official title is Web Design Intern. (Pretty sweet right?) I create and program the templates users can use, send out reminder and thank you emails for donations made and will contribute to the corporate site. I'm starting to get more familiar with how to read code and what CSS has to offer.

But what kind of designer would I be if I didn't give my desk some flare?
I'm still not finished. The white paper behind is the blank slate ready for posers, cards and inspiration. I'll keep you updated if anything exciting happens with the desk.

Pardon My French

Back in High School my friends Pete, Jennifer, Abhrajeet and I started a tradition where we would go to IHop every once in awhile. To us, IHop was the only solution to our hunger. But after all these years we agreed it was time for a change. Lucky for us, it seems like you can always find something new here in Eagan. Case in point: Pardon My French

Once we got there we were completely overwhelmed by the selection. Everything looked very authentic and delicious. We aren't very familiar with French cafe food so this place was a great introduction. Abhrajeet and I each ordered Prosciutto sandwiches with soups. Meanwhile Pete decided he was really hungry and ordered two full sandwiches while Jennifer ordered quiche and some couscous. Upon Pete's suggestion both him and Abhrajeet ordered a 1776, the only French beer available.

After our lunch we just had to go back for dessert! There was such a wide selection that it took over 5 minutes to decide which dessert to order. All the hesitation paid off in the end because the desserts were delicious.

No more IHop for us. We've moved onto bigger and better things. I have a feeling we will be going back to this little French cafe many times this summer.


-Abs and Kayd-