the fun begins at the atlanta airport…

camera in hand the entire trip just so that my lovely readers can feel like they are in the warm weather Caribbean with me!

Musketeer#1 wasn’t so sure about my endless camera shots. she’d assured me she felt as if the paparazzi was after her.

after we’d checked all of our bags, – $92 dollars later – (yes for only FOUR bags=ridiculous) we basically stripped down to nothing to make it through security AND finally we made it to our gate…and tummies were growling.

now I don’t know about you all, but airport food just doesn’t do much for me. there’s usually a lot to choose from. For me, choices are overwhelming. smoothies. friend chicken. pizza. snack food. coffee. hot dogs. sandwiches. chinese. AND I MEAN PEOPLE EAT IT ALL NOT MATTER WHAT TIME OF THE DAY. I just cannot eat pizza at 9 am, but whatever suits your cravings.

we settled on a strawberry-banana smoothie.

and for the celebrity I enjoyed photographing – chex mix BOLD FLAVOR!

finally boarded the plane. two movies later, and after my choice of pretzels,peanuts or biscoff cookies with a soda; I saw it.

ST. THOMAS – U.S. Virgin ISLANDS!!! We’ve arrived.

after a 25 minutes ride on the WRONG side of the road + a handful of what I thought of as near death experiences.

WE MADE IT TO THE RESORT! greeted by luscious, green beauty and…

tropical beverages. What more could you ask for, it’s an oasis of heaven on earth!

we enjoyed LOTS of sundresses, sunshine and sun-kissed cheeks!

Not to mention way to much pool-side + beach-side lounging. it took me a while to not feel guilty about

…s    l    o   w    i    n    g   down a little

mr. iguana even graced us with his presence pool-side.

andrea + i quickly fell “in love” with the peaceful, island life!

we ate pool-side lunches on bright + breezy + tropical-inspired outdoor fabrics.

surrounded by amazing tropical landscaping

and MORE and MORE and MORE tropical beverages!

there she is again, giving me the EYE!

:: the pool ::

:: the fam ::

:: the favorite part of my dinner – my mini coconut vanilla milkshake ::

And as for activities go. Andrea and I did a lot of kayaking. Which I still have super sore triceps from. We got in a battle with the winds, and a coral reef being in our path home. Needless to say we killed ourselves trying to make it back to shore. And next we decided to torture ourselves some more. We did give our arms a rest, and gave our legs the next working. So what did we do? Got in a paddle boat. We peddled all the way out to a little white buoy that resembled our volleyball friend from Hollywood “Wilson” – whom we all know from “Cast Away”.

I thought about taking Lil Lady out too, but we decided to rent a motorized boat instead. Afterall, this is suppose to be a relaxing vacation, RIGHT?

So that is just what we did. We rented a boat (which came with Captain Dan), and we went island hopping and snorkeling.

We saw lots of boats.

and wildlife.

and beautiful park land. this part of St. John was bought by the Rockefeller’s in the ’50s for $50/acre. What a steal! The family later sold it to the government, but with the promise it would forever be preserved as a natural park. And today two-thirds of the island boasts private beaches, pristine foliage and turquoise waters.

As the Caribbean drops off into the Atlantic – the waters become a deeper blue. It’s stunning!

What did as our boat rounded the corner?

the island home of Kenny Chesney. Our boat captain uses the same marina as our Country singing friend, Kenny. They bring him his boat from the St. Thomas marina on a regular basis when Kenny is vacationing. He shot one of his album covers on the beach below his home. The white sands of Trunk Bay are located the one side of the peninsula property his home is on, and on the other side – Cinnamon Bay. He sings about the area on St. John in his album, The Old Blue Chair.

and three doors down…

Presidio Del Mar. This might be one of the most beautiful architectural works I have EVER seen in my life. While studying architecture, we were constantly reminded how important it is for the “architecture” to move beyond the exterior wall. It cannot stop at the stone/brick/etc, but MUST celebrate and respect the context. This house is a perfect example. It completely blends in with it’s surroundings and enhances views to and from. It is situated perfectly on the peninsula point of 1.63 lush acres, and completely takes my heart away. It took ten years to build. The stone was all brought in from Italy. There is a fabulous hand-laid cobblestone driveway, six suites, outdoor showers with FABULOUS fixtures, and everything in between. (some of the decor is a little over the top or  I might say not “island” appropriate, but the home itself speaks design wonders)

Oh and I forgot to mention, it can be yours for about $38,000 per week – which includes maids and cooks!

Toward the end of our boat outing the skies turned a little gloomy. If you look hard, you’ll see a faint rainbow in the background. There is still beauty in the sky after a storm. I was taken away by the stillness I felt when the afternoon shower subsided. It was so peaceful, and I felt completely surrounded by God’s beauty!

too bad…the paradise vacation part one was over. off the the “concrete jungle” as Alicia Keys would say.

We packed up again and tackled another long day traveling through airports.

STT (St.Thomas) – ATL (Atlanta, GA) – LGA (New York City, NY) to take a second look about my soon to be new home. One month, five days, and counting…

then this door will be the entry to my new home!

we are getting measurements, locating outlets and making lots of mental notes. next time we arrive as movers! We further discuss rug sizes. I have come to the conclusion that the NYC design standard is a light wood pine color parquet floor. Every single, and I mean every single apartment I looked at in my search had the exact same floors. UGH!!!

Stan even joined us from work to take a look. After our design note taking session we ventured up to the roof deck for a few before we headed out.

and and just for kicks…the mailman. What can I say my grandma likes details, and I do as she asks and give her details! He’s got a snazzy style for his mail carrier uniform, wouldn’t ya say? I’m diggin’ those tube socks!

An after a long morning, and HOT weather we opted for something lets say, “rather nutritious”.

Please excuse the vulgar language used below, but as the sign reads in a version for “tender ears” be ready to enjoy if you are going to enter the front doors.

And afterwards, a few blocks west, me and my two partners in crime ran into Kelly Ripa. I am kinda a BIG fan of her. Maybe just because I love watching the show in the morning when I am working out at the gym. She was fabulous to talk to. She kindly referenced me to her architect she’s used in NYC. [A fabulous designer I should note] She was waiting for her kids to get off the bus near their SOHO family apartment. Her and Mom’s conversation was precious because it was a true mom to mom chat. She told mom she must be so thrilled post my college graduation, and couldn’t imagine how that felt as a mom because she was completely “mom proud” of her son’s 6th grade graduation.

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:: change of direction ::

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i feel compelled to share a picture just merely for the fact that I thought it was fun and whimsical for a chocolate plate. oh and the story behind my fabulous chocolate plate. 8am up for a long run outside, finished off my a coffee outing, and on the way home a light rain. Needless to say, you can imagine I wasn’t looking so very hot. I get back up to the hotel room, and head straight to the shower. Strip down, open the door, grab a towel, reach for the lever to turn on the water, and NOTHING!!!!! What???? It is 10:45 and I have a meeting with the executive director of the AIA New York City at noon in a completely different neighborhood. SO I unfold the towel and swing it around myself, run into the bedroom, pick up the phone, and Front Desk button…pushed. Ring, ring, ring…

Front Desk :: “Hello and how are you doing this morning.”

me :: “Um, yes, is there a problem with the water in the hotel?”

FD :: “Oh yes, in fact the City has just contacted us and let us know that they have turned off the water in this area of Lower Manhattan in order to do some work”

me :: “Really?”

FD :: “Yes, and we do not know how long it will be. Would you like for us to bring you up a couple bottled waters?”

me saying to myself :: “Yea-right I’ll shower with two 16.9 fl. oz. bottles of water” (the thought crossed my mind, but I wasn’t rude after all it wasn’t their fault)

me :: “No I appreciate the offer, but I needed to shower because I have to leave for a meeting in an hour, and I have been our running. Thank you though.

FD :: “We are inquiring about how long it will be off right now, and will ring your room when we know”

me :: “okay, thanks”

CLICK.

What the h!@#$%^&* am I going to do?? I cannot go like this. Praise the Lord I had a key to Stan’s apartment. I text him at work to let him know I am “breaking in” for water! Sure enough the minute I left the water probably came back on, but with my luck if I’d stayed I would of been one nasty girl at a meeting.

Now you think okay…problem solved, right? Well he lives in a total different area. So I load my purse with make-up, flat iron, hair brushes and other showering products. Guys bathrooms aren’t quite stocked like a girls! Catch a cab. Race to get ready. Re-load all of my junk in my bag…and race 1.7 miles to the AIA office. Whew I made it. Our meeting was fabulous. An even included an impromptu jaunt to Midtown for an NBC interview about the a controversial blog post on the New York Times Building.

So about the chocolate plate. I guess the hotel felt really bad. Most people aren’t showering at  almost 11 too, so I was probably the only one who called down. This was in my room, with the kindest note apologizing for the inconvenience (reminder :: they had no control of the issues) when I returned the hotel that night! How thoughtful.

Today was a long travel day to. I have bags to unpack, laundry to tackle and life to return to. And I can definitely say 9 days living out of a bag is just not my style. There is nothing like home sweet home!

Tiny Apartment = 24 Rooms

wood_1

wood_2

insulation

steel

concrete

grass

glass

You might sense my excitement, but with that comes bittersweet feelings. First off I would not of made it without the encouragement and friendship (and BIG-time positive attitudes) of this gal, Jennifer:

and this guy: Eric. He is headed to Montana to do non-profit architectural work with 100 Fold Studio. “Architect John Hudson, who runs a thriving architecture practice in Homewood, AL, announces the formation of a non-profit architecture firm called 100 Fold Studio. The mission of 100 Fold Studio is to offer affordable & innovative architectural services to global ministries as well as form alliances with organizations in need of highly qualified architects. The vision of 100 Fold Studio, a biblical reference to the Parable of the Seed—Mark 4:1-20, is to multiply the studio into a global network of licensed architects & intern architects that are readily available to serve in missions. Focusing on long-term internships, 100 Fold Studio provides a unique opportunity for a young architect to work towards licensure while serving third-world communities. Interns from Auburn University’s Urban Studio program are joining 100 Fold Studio this summer. In June, Hudson and 100 Fold Studio will be relocating their offices to the campus of Youth with a Mission (YWAM), an interdenominational mission organization, in Lakeside, Montana. The move will allow 100 Fold Studio to immediately form strategic partnerships with YWAM’s operations in over 150 countries.”

If you are interested in donating: click here

Now let me get back on track. Our class is SOOOOOOOOO close. We are like one BIG happy family. We have been in each others personal space for almost 5 years. We probably know too much about each other, and wouldn’t have it any other way. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for each and every one of these amazing friends of mine

I celebrated with that family and my real family as well (minus Stacy my sister-in-law)

and my boyfriend who flew in from NYC

and later we celebrated with a photo shoot. Of course i had to take the traditional picture in front of the sign at Samford hall, but architecture students like to get a little more creative.

So our picture taking extravaganza continued on throughout the day.

we posed.

and danced.

we smiled.

and laughed.

we chilled.

and we literally jumped for joy.

because the last few years have taken a toll on our mental and physical health.

it was a good day!!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to participate in an architecture design charrette. It was quite FUN, but the schedule was jammed pack. Meaning laundry, groceries, cleaning, sleep and LIFE in general all took the back seat. We got to work with an architect from New York, David Lewis of LTL Architects. He was very intelligent, personable and a super innovative designer. The best part about it is that he has an exhibit design that is about to open at the MoMA in Manhattan, and we got to see the presentation of the whole design process + exhibit. Until then it had not been seen by the public eye, too bad I had to “forget” that I saw it. So…I cannot tell you about it, but in two weeks [if you live in nyc] you can go to the MoMA and see the work for yourself. Here is a sneak peak of the upcoming exhibition, this link will tell you more about it.

And lastly…I discovered the NEW Spring 2010 Toms Wedge in Real Simple Magazine this month. I am COMPLETELY obsessed!!! I think I will be ordering these adorable wedges as an addition to my spring wardrobe!!

quatrefoil table lamp :: visual comfort

quatrefoil pillow slip :: magpie lovely [+]

quatrefoil floor lamp :: visual comfort

quatrefoil blac :: robert allen [+]

pave quatrefoil ring :: david yurman [+]

quatrefoil alexandra side chair :: suzanne kasler’s collection for hickory chair

quatrefoil border area rug :: frontgate [+]

quatrefoil book table :: hickory chair [+]

quatrefoil window from a nashville home :: designed by mcAlpine tankersley [via veranda magazine]

an antique chandelier :: fresh white painted built-ins complemented with brass light fixtures :: expressed structural columns :: colorful books :: and wide plank wood floors

:: architectural work of Meyers-Davis Architects in NYC who both have Auburn ties might I add!! [+] ::

So, this brings me to my point and choice of words for the title of this post. You never really know what’s to come your way in the “day in the life of a designer”. No day is predictable. Sure enough when you think things are going to be smooth, speed bumps or those stupid round-a’bout things that obnoxiously get in my way slow things down. I guess that’s the point, right. No day in the office is necessarily pretty. Revit makes you mad, CAD makes you scream and the printers can make you pull your hair out. Ugh…technology!! So getting out in the “real world stuff” can be fun. I mean what other profession allows you to learn so much about so many fields, hobbies, projects, human needs and the list goes on? Really to me the most fasinating thing about architecture and design is what you can draw from the projects you work on, and the people that surround you. Your knowledge base is constantly expanding on an exponential level. Honestly A LOT of times my brain feels like it is bursting at the seams. I just cannot physically or practically accomplish ALL the things that I creatively process through my relatively itty-bitty brain. I need a few more hands, and my feet need to move a little quicker. But since we all know that isn’t going to happen, it’s a wrap. I’m calling it a day, with 4 minutes to go. 11:56P.M. and counting…I am off to bed!

I guess with that said, I can say I am proud to call this school my home literally feeling like I’ve lived there working sleepless nights on projects for the past 5 years I guess hard work pays off in the end. The Auburn community is strong…kind of like a BIG OLE’ extended family in all sorts of ways! There is nothing like a good “War Eagle” moment!

Photographs: Copyright Paúl Rivera/ArchPhoto