Part II

welcome to the tour of Laura's new apartment in Richardson, Texas. i've lived here for almost 2 months now - i can't believe it! time is blowing by me. work has been really great (aside from a little mishap on friday that i will explain to you now):

owen wilson is apparently friends with the top people at fossil and he comes and hangs out at corporate a couple times a year. well, friday was one of those times. i saw him in the art library reading while i was walking with some people to the corporate store (which is only open wed mornings and fri afternoons). that was pretty cool, i nonchalantly took a picture with my iphone and made it look like i was texting. so swank. anyway, when i get back from the store, there was a cluster of people in my and christy's cubie area. they told me that they were looking all over for me because owen had come in to the sundeck to see the men's sunwear line. he took a 2009 sample. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE TO SHOW HIM THE LINE - IT IS MY LINE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. owen wilson will most likely be photographed wearing MY sunglasses and i wasn't even the one to give them to him. everyone felt very sorry for me. i wanted to scream. being THE design/development coordinator for men's sunglasses should be a real perk for when important (famous) people come to visit Fossil, because who doesn't like to get new sunglasses? but i missed my first opportunity. that bites.

onto the tour!

here is boston wondering why i'm taking pictures of our apartment. the second picture is her realizing that she was indeed the one being photographed, so she had to pose. i live with a model.

ok - below is my living area: bistro table, bookshelf and the view of the living room from my kitchen sink. 

here are more kitchen photos: my stove and drink maker, a view from the living room (and also of boston's eating area) and the fridge. that room to the right of the fridge is my laundry room. i don't have a washer/dryer yet so i use it for storage and boston uses it as a bathroom. if you're wondering what those photos are above boston's bowl, they're black-and-white shots of boston running outside. also "beware of dog".

i hope you've enjoyed part 2 (actually this is part 1 for you since you're reading it from top to bottom). i really like living here and love visitors...

sorry about the wacky formatting. organizing posts with numerous photo is challenging so bear with me.

Part I

so here it is. i have come to the point where i feel all moved in to my new place - so now i can show it to the world (or the select few who care). the photos are a bit out of order and this is only part 1 of 2, but here goes:

here is my shower and potty. i use these two babies every day. 

behold, the other half of my bathroom. i like the lights above my mirror. it makes me feel like a celebrity getting ready in an old-fashioned dressing room.

here is the part of the tour where you get really jealous of how humungous my closet is (she snickers).

my bed and notorious wardrobe from ikea. the mannequin is serving as a scarf rack, but maybe someday she will be used in a more creative way.

my bedroom. 

i found a really mod bookshelf at ikea that i use as my headboard. very functional - i love it. new curtains from urbanoutfitters.com (who is fast becoming a close friend).

and here is my front door and living room. there was really no method to my decorating, it's very ecclecticized (obviously made-up term), but it feels like me.

this is the view of the place when you walk in the front door. my bedroom is on the other side of the red wall.

this is also what you see when you walk in the front door. living area to the right, kitchen to the left and down the hall on the right is the bedroom, across from which is my bathroom. the door straight ahead leads nowhere. the fossil bag hanging on the doorknob to the door that leads nowhere is filled with sunglasses - big surprise.

Since you are probably reading this from the top down, this is the end of the tour. i truly hope that you will get to see it in person (if you haven't already). i have incidentally become a very good hostess and enjoy having guests (so does boston).

thanks for taking my tour.

love/miss/namaste.

4th and stuff

i promised ivy that i would post, although there is not so much to report. 

brady came in town this weekend! we had so much fun. it was really nice to have him here. we went and saw fireworks in the park, had dates, and just hung out together. he makes me really happy :)

i also really like fireworks - they are so cool. just sitting there watching them made me feel happy. it makes me excited to think that someday i'll be taking my kids to see fireworks, it's just something you do every year, like christmas. 

something else that has been making me happy is netflix. dani has given me one of the coolest gifts ever and opened me up to the fantastic world of movie heaven. i've been watching a lot of classics - very lovely. if you have any suggestions let me know ;)

the apartment is pretty much done! i love it so much. i keep it very clean, which may surprise some people, but it's true. visitors are welcome anytime. 

ok i promise my next post will be way more interesting. i'm a little preoccupied with my current netflix: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" - an 80's Sarah Jessica Parker flick - HA!

love. miss. namaste.

my my my...

this is officially the longest i've gone without posting and for that, i am very sorry. i have been very busy, you know, and i'm sure you're all sitting on pins and needles as you read this. so here goes:

1. the new job: i absolutely LOVE it still and i'm learning more and more each day. i very much enjoy the people on my team, they are very helpful, encouraging, and fun to be around. i'm actually going to my first Fossil happy hour tomorrow night, which should be fun. as for the discounts...it's too good. there's an actual store at the headquarters just for corporate employees - too good.

2. the apartment: i absolutely LOVE it also. i never thought i'd actually love living alone this much! aside from the late-night call to whitney sobbing about how i was worried about being lonely...i've been so insanely happy. i have all this time to myself to do what i need to do and to be the best mommy i can be to little boston. it only takes me 10 minutes to get to work and i come home for lunch every day. and don't worry, once the apt is all set up the way i want it...you will see some photos. 

3. boston: she's always been very independent and a little wild and crazy. i was worried about how often i was going to be leaving her alone while i'm at work and i was especially concerned about how that would affect her behavior (she has a chewing problem). so i started reading this book by the dog whisperer (you know that show with cesar millan?) called "Be the Pack Leader". since i've started reading it and taking his advice, boston has been a much better behaved dog and our relationship has improved so much :) cute, huh? we go on 1-2 walks per day (to check the mail or walk around the little lakes in our complex). it's actually been great for me, too! being outside walking around a little every day - while you're in the office most of the day, really makes you in a better mood. oh yea, and her 1st birthday is this weekend! party time! (and birthday time for willow, too!)

4. what have i been doing the past week and a half without internet or TV alone in my apartment, you ask? movies. that's right, i've been watching tons and tons of movies. mostly romantic comedies. actually, all romantic comedies. watching funny people fall in love is very great for you mood too :) AND - the great and wonderful danilicious has introduced me to the fabulous world of NETFLIX. it is so amazing, i am addicted. 

5. brady is wonderful. he's coming to visit me july 4 weekend - i have that friday off, wee! 

6. so i'm pretty much set at this point. i finally have my wireless internet set up, i have my DVR, and most everything in my place is set up! bethany, lauren and i are making a little venture to IKEA on saturday (after an evening of SATC marathoning). 

so there you have it, my life in a nutshell. God is so good to me. i promise my next post will be more detailed and visually stimulating...but i simply must get back to my chai tea and audrey hepburn film. 

love/miss/namaste.

ps. come visit me - you never know when this good mood might go sour....

movin' on OUT

i found an apartment and i move in on june 2. that's a week from today. YIKES!

i absolutely love this place. it's less than 5 miles from Fossil, 

it's gated, and has 2 beautiful pools, lovely landscaping (very pet-friendly), a workout facility, basketball courts, 2 duck ponds/lakes that have walking/jogging trails around them, and it's in a GREAT part of Richardson. 

i got a GREAT price on a 1-1 that's 720 square feet. perfect amount of space for boston and me. since i work til 5 every day and will be in austin for april's wedding (YAY!) the first weekend i have the place, i'm just going to hire movers to move all my furniture and big boxes over on the 5th or so, and just drop stuff by on my way home from work until i have time to set everything up. 

bethany and lauren said they'd come over the first weekend i'm home and help me get settled, and dani is coming the weekend after that to stay with me and help decorate! she's got the best creative eye i know and is going to help me make my apt FABULOUS. i'm so pumped!

as excited as i am about all this, i'm also kind of scared. 

the only things i've really been looking forward to are 1. getting a great job. and 2. getting my own apartment. 

what next?

these are the things i've been working for the past 4 years. my life has been ever-changing with classes, semesters, jobs, moving every year - and now i've found the things i've been craving but at the same time...it's terrifying. what will i do when i get everything settled in my new place and realize that things are not going to change anytime soon? freaky. all i know is working hard for the next big thing. what happens when you get what you've been working for?

sure, i'll work hard at my job to be the best i can be and to get promotions...hopefully there will be a marriage somewhere in the next 5 years or so...some babies after that...

but that freaks me out too! HELLO? i am a frickin adult. i still feel like a kid. maybe that's why i'm scared of all this. i'm still afraid of the stupid dark. i'm going to sleep with my light on every night and then have an outrageous electric bill and then go broke. 

these are the things that go through my head. 

thus, why i feel like someone who is pretending to be grown up. 

sorry for the rant. the more i wrote about my apartment the freakier i started to feel. ok bye.

love/miss/namaste.

fast & totally happy (not furious).

this past week has been a whirlwind. ever since i found out i got the job at fossil, it's been go-go-go. austin to arlington to florida to arlington to austin and back again. it's been pretty crazy, but super fun.

brady and i on our sunset BOOZE CRUISE. we went with my parents. i had a pina colada that was yum and there was a guy playing cover songs on the guitar while the boat took us to the best view of the sunset. 

 

my mom made us do a kissing picture. notice how awkward we look. however, this is the best picture with the sun setting in the background. lovely.

me with the fam on graduation day!

can i just tell you that all the fashion majors felt so out of place at the college of natural sciences commencement...

"you'll all be the health care professionals, the scientists, the nobel prize winners...blah blah blah nerdy talk blah."

brady had the brilliant idea of going to the oasis on lake travis after graduation. we had a great time! beautiful view, no wait, and a lovely lunch with friends and family.

the moment you've all been waiting for...

MY FIRST DAY AT FOSSIL. 

it freaking rocked.

i love my job.

Laura Dudney

Product Coordinator 

Fossil and Relic Men's Eyewear

Boomshakalacka.

 here are a couple of pics of my cubie! i love it! 

it will be more decorated soon...i have a bit of work to do.

i met my team and we all went to lunch, everyone is so sweet. they all made me feel so welcome. i'm literally excited about going there every day. 

once i get in a rhythm i'll be able to describe what it is that i do better...

until then, don't you just love my cubie?!

i sure do.

ok i gotta go to bed, i'm a workin' girl now.

love/miss.

new news

my parents and i flew in to Tampa, FL on thursday and stayed with my mema before heading out to our final vacation destination on friday. i am now on the lovely island of Captiva, near Fort Meyers, Florida. my parents rented a 2-bedroom condo and we are walking distance to golf, tennis, a lovely pool, and the ocean. brady gets in tonight to join the fun, which will be very nice. my parents decided to give me my graduation gift before we left (they said i might want to use it...). 

and it's a canon rebel digital professional camera...and it's amazing. i have 3 different lenses (2 of them are from my mom's old pro camera) and i've been LOVING it. it also comes with 10 free lessons on how to use it! watch out, ya'll. i might just become a pro photog. here are some pics i took recently:

here is a shed that's in my mema's backyard. when i was a kid, i used to play in the yard and my papaw would working in that shed and using his power tools - i thought he was such a badass. and he totally was.

we all know and love her.

here's a picture my mom took of me playing tennis this morning. i 

am not so good, but i got better after awhile. (i had to practice before brady got there)

i took this from the balcony of our condo. we have a view of the golf course and my dad played today while my mom and i hung out. he called us when he got to our balcony and we watched him play this hole.

and here is my mother reading a magazine (unaware that i was about to capture her) and probably not happy about this picture. i just thought it was funny.

so get ready for a more fun-filled photo friendly laura blog. 

i miss you all severely. love/namaste.