Home for the holidays

It's been almost 3 months since my last post, I'm sorry about that. Life has been nutty, but in a good way.

I'm still in Los Angeles, and actually loving it. I have a new job serving at a super fun restaurant. Absolutely love my co-workers which makes for fun shifts. I'm currently enrolled in a class that hopefully will help push me in the right direction for what I hope to do next in life. And hopefully it will help turn around a little more income...one can only hope.

I'm heading home for Christmas in less than two weeks and will be home for just over a week. Cannot wait to see everyone again. I was just home about a month ago for a surprise visit, it was amazing. Definitely needed, and definitely surprised the family. I cannot wait to help Owen and Cole (beautiful nephews!) open their presents, especially because it's Cole's first Christmas!

Friends far away from me seem to be doing well. Mere is heading to Kenya to volunteer for two months starting in February and I am more than excited for her. There are no words to describe how proud I am of her making this huge leap and going for what she has wanted to do for so long. Friend is still in NYC getting back on her feet, and as the same for Mere, I am so incredibly proud of her. She's doing it for herself, making it work, and figuring life out on her own. Abby is kickin' it in Madison but is looking ahead to Grad School in London for next fall, so fun!

I will try to update when I'm home on all the happenings. Much love to all,

xoxoxo

Linds

Ooops, disregard that last post...kind of.

So, there has been a slight change in plans since the last post. I'm actually going to stick around Los Angeles for a bit instead of go directly back to the Midwest. Don't get me wrong...I'm totally pumped to move back and get my life started there. But, first, there are some things that need to be taken care of and tried here.

I'm kind of at one of the crossroads in life where you decide to go left or right. Left is following life and dreams and the unknown and right is following a set path of the known, full of comfort and familiar. I choose left.

I want to live right now, just for me, for no one else. That doesn't mean that the living I want to do doesn't involve being back in the Midwest, it most certainly does. But that chapter is yet to be written and I believe that there is one more large chapter in my life that needs to happen first. And it needs to happen here in Los Angeles.

My Job will be ending around the last week in October and I will be moving in with a friend of mine for some time until I find a good serving job that will make me comfortable in my living situation and maybe allow me to save some money (crazy thought!). From there I will see where the wind will take me. My friend has already asked me to be in a short film that he is filming in a couple of months so that will be really great to be a part of. I am also going to get back into volunteering, and get back on the road to marathon training. It's been a while since I've thought about that and I think it's about time.

So, never fear loved ones, I will be home soon enough but I need to take care of some business here first. I love you all so much, and thank you for your continuous support as I pursue my dreams in this entirely nutty world we live in.

xoxo

Coming home.

It's time to come home.

I've spent the last few months trying to figure out where I want to be at this point in my life, who I want to be surrounding myself with, and where I want to go.  This last month, especially, I have devoted to putting the pieces together that have somehow fallen apart in the last year of my life.  They seem to be relatively put back together, but not quite.  The last piece won't be set in place until I find myself in the company of my friends and family at home, where I will stay.

None of this is to mean that I have not had an amazing experience here in Los Angeles this last year.  Everything that I have been able to do and see associated with my wonderful job and the city of Los Angeles itself has been absolutely remarkable.  I would never trade this last year for anything.

I told my bosses last Friday that I would be leaving them in two months time.  They couldn't have reacted more wonderfully.  They had been worried about me getting lonely in the job, and I had been lonely, and knew that with my personality that it probably wouldn't be the right fit for a long term job.  They were right.  I love them so much, and their children, and I am really excited to stay friends with them forever.  But, my life here has not evolved into what I would've pictured myself in at this point in time.  I am not the person I want to be, and as much as I've tried to be that person here, it just hasn't happened.  I can't find the girl I once was here in this city.  She doesn't belong here.

My decisions have taken me to living in Chicago come November/December.  Of course, with the job market the way it is, I'm hoping to even get a serving job let alone a 'real' job.  Regardless, I am so ready to be in that city.  I have loved Chicago for a long time and am so excited to move there.

Bah! Bob just got here for a walk, I will elaborate further soon! Much love,

xo

Linds

Vineyard life, once again.

Beautiful Martha's Vineyard.  There really is no other place like it.  Every where you look it seems as though you are looking at pictures in a calendar.  It's that beautiful.

I've been here since a week ago last Thursday and will be leaving on Saturday to go spend some time with my family in Madison.  Cannot wait for that.  It was really great having my mom out here with me this last week, she made it not as lonely.  It can feel a little isolating at times here, only because the simple conveniences we are used to aren't right down the street.  They're a half an hour trek across the island, and usually they are hard to find.  

The island almost has a feeling of stepping back in time.  No fast food restaurants, no chains.  People drive slow and let pedestrians have the right of way.  Everything moves at the 'vineyard' pace.  Which can be an incredible escape from Los Angeles, where it is the exact opposite.  But, I guess I'm looking for something kind of in the middle.  Big city meets old world charm.  Does it exist?  If so, please let me know where!

Three of my girlfriends and I have started a book club via iChat.  We just started reading Julie and Julia (most of you know it as the movie coming out soon with Meryl Streep) and had our first web chat last night, or should I say our first meeting.  It was wonderful!  It has been really great to be able to see their faces on an almost daily basis.  Makes home and friends not feel so far away.  Thank you technology for making that possible.

For now I will just say that I am trying to enjoy the peace and quiet as much as I can.  Soak it in.  I know next week at home will be hustle and bustle and then LA will be 500 times that.  I hope everyone is doing lovely, and I hope to talk/see all of you very soon!

xo

Linds

24.

Another year totally flew by.  Where is time going?!

This last year has been kind of amazing, oh yes, it's had it's ups and downs, but all in all a great year.  My job has been keeping me busy and it's still as cool as ever.  I'm currently in Martha's Vineyard watching the doggies while my bosses are back in LA for some work.  After being here for two weeks I will set out for Madison where I get to meet my new nephew, Cole Patrick Preimesberger.  Cannot wait!

It's a little strange to think that I've been living in Los Angeles for over a year.  Who would've thought, eh?  The little girl who once had big dreams of Los Angeles or New York City finally made it out to one of them, successfully, not the starving artist she always thought she would be.  Oh how times have changed.  Life is funny like that, you really never know how things will turn out.

Sorry to be brief, but I gotta go enjoy my birthday down in Vineyard Haven, a cute little town on the coast where you can find the neatest bookstore, the creamiest ice cream and the best sunsets on the island.  

xoxoxo

Linds

I'm glad there are places to call home for EVERYONE.

We will get there.

Times are changing...slowly.

Holy crow.

Well hellloooooo.  Been a while.  Sorry about it!

I hope all is well where you are.  As for me, it has been busy-crazy town for the last month.  I had two friends visit me at the end of February/early March.  Shortly following work became totally nuts and March seemed to fly by ending with my ma coming to visit (so great!), I really don't know where it went.  

Two weekends ago we (a group of us) went to Palm Springs and stayed at the coolest hotel ever.  It was like walking into a 70's Urban Outfitters version of a hotel.  It was totally outside, great hammocks and fireplaces with comfy couches surrounding them.  We literally just spent two days laying at the pool, and taking early morning vintage bike rides into town.  It was amazing.

This last weekend a group of about 70 people played a massive Capture the Flag game at the Pan Pacific park in Hollywood.  So fun. But. I definitely messed my ankle up, bad news.  Sprinting on uneven ground doesn't end well for my weak right ankle.  Hopefully nothing is too wrong with it, may head to the docs to check it out, just to be safe.

Again, hope all is well, keep me posted!  Miss you all xoxo

Friends.

My life has been filled with friends lately, and I'm loving it. Not just my friends here in LA, who are absolutely fantastic and I love being able to see them at least 4 out of the 7 days of the week, but my friends who are far away from me too. New friends, old friends, all friends. I just love 'em all.

I have two friends coming to visit me this next week. One gets in on Friday and stays til Wednesday, the other gets in on that same Wednesday and stays until Monday. How fun?! I'm hoping for nice weather, it's been quite rainy and in the high 50's lately...and that's just not very LA-like. Oh! And my mom is coming out at the end of March, this is going to be a good month.

Friends who are far away seem to be going farther and farther. Friend just traveled to Guatemala with her boyfriend, Meredith is going to London very soon and Abby and Dawn are just totally rocking their lives in general in Madison. I love that we are doing what we love doing, and that's traveling, and being ourselves.

Also, on a different note, my bosses are taking off for NYC from March until mid-June for two new projects they are embarking on. This equals a way different job schedule for me..I think. I'm not sure what it will be like not seeing them for pretty solid lengths of time. And of course the three hour time difference won't help either. We shall see. Hopefully I'll get to experience my first NYC trip as well :)

I hope you all are well, sorry this was brief, but I gotta get back to work. Miss you xoxo

A beautiful sunset to end a fantastic day.

Weekends are for fun in the sun.

Not a whole lot new to post about here, just work work workin away...still lovin every minute.

Except....I have had some really great weekends lately.

The weekend in Little Rock was amazing, so great to see everyone there. The next weekend I joined the Sunday-Funday group, which is basically my big group of guy friends who meet at one of their apartments on Sunday for an afternoon of movies and margaritas. Really great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. And this next weekend, with the weather looking to be extra beautiful, we have a Saturday afternoon of beach volleyball planned at Will Rogers Beach as well as a surprise bday party that evening for a friend. Then Sunday we are having a Sunday-Funday/Superbowl party for the day.

Could not be more excited for a weekend :)

Missing all of your gorgeous faces... xo

A heat wave, a little travel

Wow has it been hot here. (Not rubbing that in, of course, to my lovely family and friends in the north.) But holy man, pushing 90 the last few days. My body wasn't ready for that. But, I can't lie, I enjoyed it fully.

Besides spending some seriously vital time on the beach Sunday my week has been pretty busy. I'm heading to Little Rock today for work, and a little bit for pleasure, and will be coming back just two days from now on Saturday. It'll be a nice, quick trip back, to get my dose of Little Rock for a few months. Hopefully I won't freeze to death there too, I hear it's 11 degrees today! No way jose!

I hope you're all well, keep in touch. Xxxxxooooo

PS: don't ask about the picture, just a little fun

Happy New Year!

Wowza, what a whirlwind last month!  Christmas preparation at work was totally nuts as well as taking over both of the jobs at work instead of just the one...definitely added to the stress.  But all in all the weeks leading up to Christmas went surprisingly smooth, what a relief!

I took off for home on the 20th only to have quite the interesting travel day on my way there.  Let's just say it got off to a rocky start but somehow luck was on my side and I made it on two standby flights and made it in late that night.  No idea how, but I did it.  I spent the next week literally lying around my mom's or my sister's house.  It. Was. Wonderful.  All I wanted to do that week was see my family and just hang out with my nephew, who, by the way, is the CUTEST thing EVER.  AAAnnnnnddddd my sister is pregnant again!  He/she is due almost a week before my birthday this July, how great!!!??

The next week I spent gallivanting around the Midwest.  I went up to Minneapolis and was able to see my aunt and cousin which was awesome.  I missed seeing them at Thanksgiving so it was great to catch up over lunch.   Then I spent the next two days and nights spending some super great quality time with friends from college.  Friend, Mere, Abby, Sarah, Brando, Garv, Pete, Bob, and new friends Laura and Meghan...couldn't have been better!  Honestly, it was rockin.  Then we ladies 'sped' off to Madison for a night, and by sped I mean spent 8 hours in what would have been a 4 hour car ride to Madison from Mpls.  We woke up at Abby's to the best omelette I've ever eaten and took off in the sweetest AstroVan (provided by Swan's dad) I've ever been in to Chicago for New Years Eve.  Yes, I said AstroVan.  Amazing. It's the only word to describe it.  

New Years was rockin, our hotel was literally around the corner from the club we went to for the night.  We started off at the Red Head bar for a martini where we were the youngest ones there by probably 20 years, it was hilarious.  Then we headed off to the club for the rest of the night.  It was really fun, we danced our high heeled shoes off!  The countdown to 2009 was great, they did this huge montage to 2008 on a bunch of big screens around the place.  Everything from the hottest music videos and celebs to politics was highlighted.  They then put Obama's face up on the screen and the entire place erupted, it was unreal!

Well, I guess that recaps my break as well as I could.  I'm back in LA now getting into the swing of working again.  It was a long day haha, not used to full 8 hour days quite yet.  I'm heading to Little Rock next week for two days for work so it'll be great to see everyone there.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years.  I miss all of you dearly! xoxo