and the good times keep on comin'

if you haven't noticed, i've been blog-MIA the last month (you probably haven't noticed), but i'm slowly starting to get back into the swing of things and honestly, i miss blogging - it's like the journal i had in 6th grade, except it's public. and i don't draw hearts on it. and i'm taller. oh, wait...

some highlights from the last month:

THE INTERNSHIP: wrapped up my awesome summer internship. my boss treated me to a pedicure/manicure on my last day of work and we evaluated each other's strengths and weaknesses. the warm and fuzzies of nonprofit work - i love it! seriously though, i got to do some really great work for her and learned a lot about writing strategic business plans, board governance, the down and dirty operations of a start-up (and i mean everything) and met 16 other wonderful interns who offered me amazing perspectives on teaching, urban planning, law, religion, policy and life in general. i've also gotten over missing my 10-yr high school reunion for the internship (esp after i found out only 60 out of 500+ people went).

THE SUMMER OF FRIENDS: with my bay area friends, fellow interns and bschool classmates who spent there summer in the bay area too, there was lots of games, good convo, poker, dinners and drinks to be had. got to know a couple of really awesome new-founded favorite bschool classmates this summer - if only people could always be this cool...

THE RETURN TO ETOWN: not only did coming back to school (and Evanston) mean settling in all over again, it meant moving into a new apt with the bf. we started by getting lost on the way back from the airport (darn rental car directions) and ending up in Indiana (no, really). we didn't realize this until we stopped to ask for directions and the guy responded, "you mean Evanston, ILLINOIS?" On our first night back, we decided to cook dinner but neglected to realize after we bought all the ingredients that we didn't have a knife. my bf (very impressively) proceeded to cut tomatoes and onions with a credit card. that's right. i have my very own macgyver in da house.

AHOY MATE-Y!: Spent an awesome 7 days sailing through the British Virgin Islands with 19 other bschool classmates. snorkeled everyday. learned a little about sailing. had amazing lobster. barely wore shoes and pretty much lived in our swimsuits. yep, life has been good.

YA KNOW, IT'S FOR THE KIDS: during our community service day the first week back, we were tasked with cleaning up a community center and playground area in Cabrini Greens near the projects, one of the most impoverished areas in Chicago. we spent the next 3+ hours picking up 10 buckets full of broken glass all over the park and playground as the kids were playing in front of us (and we found empty, and full, dime bags too). it was really depressing to think that this was where the kids played, but in the end, i guess it was good to feel like we made a difference, even if it was just a small one.

That's about it for now - going to LA this weekend, can't wait to see the family and some of my friends again. hope everyone is doing well, happy friday!