Blog Change

My new blog is now here and I am currently writing a lot about my study abroad experience in London.

Thank you!
Kara

Summer plans and goals

Since I didn't make 2016 resolutions, I am going to make Summer 2016 goals. But first I must tell you what I am doing this summer. 

• Interning as a Publicity and Promotions intern at Allied Integrated Marketing. Right now I am mostly doing office work and some errands (delivering flyers for promo events, doing grassroot outreach and research, etc.). I like it so far and it is in one of my fields of choice (them being entertainment, fashion and travel). There are some great perks as well: seeing/working screenings of films, getting promo items and getting to work on movies that I am already excited about. On Tuesday I was able to see "Alice Through the Looking Glass," which was super cool. Having this internship will allow me to sort of figure out what I want to do with my life. 
• Working at Georgetown Cupcakes. I know! For about 20 hours per week I am surrounded by cupcakes of every color, and packaging them for the hundreds of people that come through doors of their original Georgetown location. 
• AwesomeCon. Another summer, another comic con. I cannot wait for this one too. Matthew Lewis, Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Karl Urban, John Barrowman, and many more. It is literally my dream come true. Rest assured I will be posting recaps and photos on here!
• Going back to Florida. As I said, the family is moving back to Florida and I am going to go down to help unpack. We will also be going to Disney World . . . YES!
• Hanging out with my friends in DC. Lots of BBQs in my friends' backyard, watching movies, going to museums and a whole lot more. The possibilities are endless. 

Now onto my goals. These are a bit harder to come up with because close to half the year is gone and I don't have a "clean slate" like the beginning of a year.

1. Read one to two books per month, depending on which books. Right now I am reading the last novel in "A Song of Ice and Fire" (AKA "Game of Thrones"), which will probably take me the entire month. But I will finish it!
2. On my days off, doing something interesting instead of staying in my apartment each day. Even if its going to the local coffee shop and reading outside, I just want to get out of my apartment. 
3. Watch a couple of new movies. My dad and I are compiling lists for one another on movies we think the other should see. I've already watched "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," and I have more on my list that I need to watch. Any suggestions? Leave a comment!
4. *As always* exercise. I have time and I should just get myself in gear and run, do some yoga, go to the gym, etc.
5. Try new recipes. I don't want to get into a rut, making the same things each night for dinner. I need to get out of my cooking comfort zone and learn some new cooking skills! 
6. Put my all into my internship and into my job. They are both things that I like doing and I should always be putting in my best effort. Some days I can already feel myself slacking a bit, I can't let that happen. 

That's it for now! I might come up with more as time goes on. I'm not sure what the next post will be about . . . Maybe some photos from the EU Open House Embassy Tour that I did a couple of weeks ago. But we'll see! Have a great day!!

Thanks for reading, 

Kara

Did I ever complete my 2015 resolutions?

As most people do I made resolutions at the beginning of 2015, but I never really checked in on whether or not I completed them. So now, a year and a half later, I am going back and checking myself. 

In case you don't remember my 2015 resolutions (I certainly don't) here they are:

1. Learn the D.C. bus system (Or at least how to get to Dupont Circle, Georgetown, and Columbia Heights)
2. Cook more in the dorm
3. Be more adventurous
4. Read 30 books
5. Explore D.C.
6. Eat better and exercise more

And now to pick apart those goals I made so long ago:

1. Yes, I have learned the bus system! That is how I get around D.C. these days for the most part. With the subway system being renovated and fires breaking out in the train, I've decided that the easiest (and cheapest) way is to take the buses. Without them, it would be hell to get around D.C.
2. Kind of. I did cook in the dorms, but it is really hard when you have to lug the food, dishes, utensils, cooking supplies from your room into the kitchen then back again. Now that I am living in my own apartment, I cook all the time. I usually cook enough for two meals at once, so I don't have to buy ingredients every day. Right now I am just making super simple meals (i.e. pasta with sauce and italian sausage, chicken with Indian curry simmer sauce and rice, etc.). I hope, however, to become more confident in my cooking skills and make more complicated recipes. 
3. Wow 2015 Kara! That is a lofty goal. I did try new foods while in India and I did go to India, so I feel that made me more adventurous. I would be willing to try more foods now that I think I would have a couple of years ago.
4. As I said in my previous post, I did not make this goal. But I am on track to finish 30 books this year, so here's hoping that I do it!
5. Yes. I did explore D.C. a lot this past year. With using the bus system, I am able to get more places easier. I explored different neighborhoods, found lots of restaurants, and I feel more comfortable in the city. 
6. I think I did well on this at some points in the year (like the summer) and then I fell behind when things got busy. Although, oddly enough, I exercised the most at school when it was finals season. I guess it was a stress reliever for me. I hope this summer I get back on the bandwagon of healthy eating and exercising!

Alright guys! I think I did well considering I forgot about these resolutions a few weeks after I wrote them down. Next post will be on my summer plans and goals.

Thanks for reading,

Kara

What have I been doing for the past year?

So, as always, I need to apologize for not posting for almost a year. Although I don't really know who I am apologizing to. Maybe myself? I wish that I blogged year round, but it becomes hard with school, APO, internship and personal life (I know . . . I know . . . More excuses). This is a useful of getting my thoughts together and doing something about my goals, dreams and aspirations.

But what have I been doing over the past year you ask? Well . . .

• I completed my sophomore year of college! I am officially half way through my college career, which is really weird to say. It was a tough year with a lot of ups and downs, but overall not a bad year. I took classes that I loved (Civil Rights in the US) and classes that kicked my ass (Astronomy). I fully expect my junior year to be amazing and filled with adventure! 
• I had my first internship as an online communications at a non-profit called Planet Forward. I was able to see how a real organization works from the inside, the insane amount of work and passion it takes to run a non-profit and how much you can get from an internship. Now I am interning at Allied Integrated Marketing, a movie marketing firm in DC (a far cry from the environmental non-profit) and I am already seeing the differences (the good and the bad). 
• This past Spring I was APO's Secretary. This was slightly crazy because when I pledged last year, I never thought that I would on e-board. Nevertheless running for President after my time as Secretary had ended! While I didn't get elected President, I am still taking on leadership roles in the fraternity (alumni and blog chairs).
• My family is moving back to Florida. I know! I never imagined that we would be going back to FL, especially this soon after moving to MA. While I love MA and Boston will always be one of my favorite cities, nothing beats Florida. After many years of asking myself "where am I from," I think I'll answer with Florida. 
• I did not meet my 2015 Goodreads goal of reading 30 books, I only got to 27. I think 30 books was tough because I was reading a lot of material for school and I did not prioritize reading. This year I am still going for 30, and I am already at 15 (4 books ahead of schedule!). Although 8 out of the 15 were read for school. The goal for the summer is to read more for me. Right now I am reading Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, the famous novel being adapted into the film of the same name starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin. So far it's a fast, but good read, and I know I will be sobbing by the end of it.

I think that's going to be it for right now. I think my next post will be about my 2015 resolutions that I never talked about after making them January 2015. Let's see if I completed them! After that, my plans for the summer! I am going to make some goals. 

I am going to leave you with some photos from the past year. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading,

Kara

Me at Disney - August 2015

Animal Kingdom - August 2015

Clearwater Beach - August 2015 

St Petersburg - August 2015

The Capitol - September 2015 

Mount Vernon - October 2015 

The Met - December 2015 

Open City at the National Cathedral - May 2016

The National Cathedral - May 2016

Toronto Day Four: Niagara Falls

The only way to end our trip to Canada was to go to Niagara Falls. We went to the Canadian side of the falls and boy was it crowded. I can only imagine what it is like on peak days! It was also super touristy and tacky on one street in the town. There was a wax museum, a Ripley's Believe or Not museum, haunted houses and more. Definitely not what I thought the town of Niagara would look like!

The falls themselves were beautiful and magnificent.

The mist hit us as we were walking to the shopping area. It would feel great on a super hot and humid day!

One time I would like to see the falls from the US side to see if it is as touristy as the Canadian side! After doing some souvenir shopping and getting a snack, we got in the car to drive home. We finally got home at around 9 p.m. (it was a long drive)! We had a great time in Toronto and in Niagara Falls. Now we are in Florida and having fun in Walt Disney World!!

See you next time!

Kara

Toronto Day Three: The ROM and Shopping in Yorkville

Toronto is a great city for art and culture, and one of the best places to see that is at the Royal Ontario Museum (or the ROM). I used to go to camps at the ROM, but I don't remember anything from it except for vague recollections.

Before going into the museum we needed some breakfast! We went to Over Easy across from the museum because it was one of our favorites when we lived there. I did remember the interior of the restaurant!

Even though the pancakes were enticing, I decided to go for something more unique: the Montreal style bagel with bacon, cheese and egg.

Emma ate the Western omelette, Dad got the Full English and Mom had the Huevos Rancheros.

After that fantastic breakfast we crossed the street to the ROM to take some photos before heading inside. The exterior is a great background for any photo!

We went to the Pompeii exhibit, which was fascinating. We spent an hour there looking at all the artifacts. It got a bit heavy at the end because they have the body casts of some of the people that died due to the volcano.

The next thing on our to-do list was some shopping! Mom, Emma and I got a pair of shoes each and some stuff at Anthropologie. I love Anthropologie, even though some of their stuff is over-priced and can be a bit ridiculous.

Shopping can be exhausting, so we needed to grab some lunch. Luckily we found a great Italian place called Trattoria Nervosa.

We started with some bread and olive oil. The olive oil is their speciality and it was very good.

For my entrée I chose the most delicious pizza ever! A cheese pizza topped with prosciutto and arugula. I absolutely loved it!!

Dad also got a pizza, but he got one with olives, artichoke, prosciutto and mushrooms. Mom and Emma split the Rigatoni al Pomodoro. I tried a bit of the pasta and it was one of the best pastas that I've ever had.

That night we got together with friends at Salt Wine Bar for delicious tapas and great conversation. I love Toronto and I want to go back for at least a week so I can explore the city more. There were so many restaurants that I want to try and museums that I want to go to. I also want to visit others parts of Canada because I have only gone to Toronto, Quebec City, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls. The next day (Monday) we started the drive back to Massachusetts and made a stop at Niagara Falls.

See you then,
Kara