Latest Read part II

In September I wrote about "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins and I have now read the complete series. I wanted to share my thoughts about the series and my thoughts about it being made into a movie series.

Click here to read my mini-review of "The Hunger Games".

"Catching Fire" picks up a couple of months after Katniss and Peeta return to District 12. Due to the way they won the Hunger Games, rebellion has begun to spark in some of the districts. Katniss is warned to fix things by President Snow. Due to bad luck (or perhaps further warning?), Katniss and Peeta are brought back into the game for the next year. They build allies with a couple of other people until there are only five left. At this point something crazy happens. I'll let you discover it on your own. You will be left with a huge cliff-hanger, so have "Mockingjay" close by.

Without giving away what happens in "Catching Fire," I will briefly sum up the last book. Much of Panem has rebelled against the capitol and Katniss has earned herself the title and responsiblity of Mockingjay, aka the spokesperson of the Rebels. Katniss struggles with following orders and trusting people, leaving her with just few friends. After training and experiencing the other districts, Katniss leads a team into the Capitol for combat.

This is where things start to get strange for me. I could tell you what happens but there are two issues:

1. I don't want to reveal too much.

2. I'm not entirely sure what is true.

Now, that may sound weird but that is just how it really is. I finished "Mockingjay" with a lot of unanswered questions. Collins leads you to believe a couple of things but they are never determined. The climax of the book completely nose-dives and the book is summed up and ends. Don't get me wrong, I loved the book. I was however incredibly disappointed in the ending. You really are left not knowing what happened even though you are told it works out. Strange way to end a series if you ask me. I have concluded that Collins was unsure herself how things would work out, so she just tells you that it does.

Because I know that this is turning into a movie series, it is my hope that things will be explained a little more clearly. However, I typically enjoy the books more than the movie, so I'm not sure my hopes will be met. I am incredibly interested to see who they cast as Katniss. As I have said time and time again, I typically hate when movies are made from books that I love. To prepare myself, I have looked into the rumored potentials and I am happy with most of them. (Let me add here that every list also included Selena Gomez, Kristen Stewart, Miley Cyrus, and Dakota Fanning. I am NOT happy with any of these. DO NOT put a well known actress into this roll. Especially one who is in her mid-twenties. Katniss starts out as 12 in "The Hunger Games". I don't want a 45 year-old by the time "Mockingjay" is made.)

So those are my thoughts. Have you read any of these? What books are you loving right now?

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Pumpkin Weekend

This past weekend was pumpkin weekend! Kyle and I went to Jacob's Family Orchard to select our pumpkins, sample an apple cider donut, and pick up apple cider. It was a lot of fun and a gorgeous day to be outside!

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Dreams of Happiness

I am a 24 year old, unwed, young professional. My life has become one based on what I want to project to the world. Dreams and goals have been pushed aside and I have started to wonder what this means for my future.

Freshmen year of college I changed my major from elementary education to interior design. The idea of sitting in a classroom all day with 25 kids suddenly seemed like a Midwestern occupation. The idea of being a big city interior designer who glammed up spaces was much more appealing to me. I am extremely happy with this decision.

However, sometime between this decision and graduation I was drawn off the path. The big city idea was overrun when I was offered a job at a design firm in my hometown. This seemed perfect since my whole family was here and I was suddenly eager to make this little piece of Earth better designed. The decision to stay in my hometown was provoked even more by my boyfriend, whose family and job are also here.

These decisions have led me to where I am now: living in my hometown, working at a job that I love but where there is no room for growth within the company, with my afraid-of-commitment-boyfriend, and wondering if I will ever see those dreams that I had six years ago. I am happy now with life but I still think about those dreams.

I do still want to make it to a big city and have a job where I work with high-profile clients and cater to their every design need. Often times I wonder if I will make it there. Will it forever remain a dream? Will it make me happier than I am now? These are questions that will never be answered unless I make a decision. And when I decide will it feel pressured or like I am settling? I want to make the most of this life and I want every decision to be educated but I also want to be spontaneous.

Life, I have learned, can be funny and I know that everything will work out as it should; until then I will keep daydreaming, thinking, praying, and enjoying what I have.

x’s and o’s

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Working On the Apartment

Let's just start by saying we all make mistakes. Was it a mistake for Emily and me to move into an apartment together? NO! Was it a mistake for us to move into THIS apartment? Possibly.

The question of common sense and how others use common sense has arisen often when it comes to the landlord and maintenance staff. I am determined to keep them on task and fix our issues so that the rest of our lease can go smoothly. For example, we moved in at the first of June and now, at the middle of August, my toilet has been fixed, or so they say, four times. I finally convinced them to take the toilet out and do a better investigation. They eventually followed through; low and behold they found an eye shadow compact. Of course they tried to blame that on me but that is another story. I now have a new toilet that works perfectly. Now if I could just get them to fix the other three problems, we would be set. I will let you know when that happens.

I have been working diligently on making the apartment look greater than it is in reality. Whimsical design is what I love for my own space and I have been using samples of materials to make fun art for the apartment. It takes time but maybe by the time the lease is over, I will finally have it the way I want it. Oh well.

Teaser of materials art.

until next time :)
x's and o's

Follow me on Twitter: thecourt_ney

Carter is Here!!!

Carter Jay Richards

born August 5, 2010 at 7:24 pm

I'm an aunt!

until next time... x's and o's!

Follow me on Twitter: thecourtney

Wake up in the mornin...

Do you ever have days when you wake up and realize that you may not be living your life the way you should? I had that wake up call this morning when the first thing I did was complain about the humidity and heat. Starting off the day complaining is probably not the right thing to do. Shouldn't I be thankful that I made it through the night okay? That no one I know was hurt during the thunderstorm last night. Kyle made it home from work just fine. My sister, who is having a baby on Thursday (!!!!), is perfectly healthy as is Baby Carter. My apartment was still standing and my toilet still working (MIRACLE). My car drove me to work quickly and safely. I have a job to go to! And this morning I am enjoying a delightful, free blueberry muffin with my Italian blend coffee.

I am going to start thinking more about things for which I am thankful. Every time I complain about something, I will counteract that with three things that are great about my life.

I saw this quote on Twitter today and it reaffirmed my same thoughts. "Today has the potential to be great. What will you make of it?" If I could just think about that every morning, and strive to make each day great in it's own way, it would be a live changing experience.

x's and o's
Courtney

Follow me on Twitter: thecourt_ney

I Will Be Brief

Lately I have really enjoyed writing and finding things for my design blog. It helps to remind me why I love my job. (Sometimes, on difficult days, I need reminded.)

The Internet that we had been using at the apartment has not been working. The connection bar is full but the page will not load and says its unconnected. WEIRD and INCONVENIENT because I have wanted to post on here and designology. I have also had to watch my YouTube subscriptions on my phone which isn't great.

After much confusion and hassle, Kyle and I finally bought tickets to see the Braves play the Reds at Great American Ballpark. I had the dates confused, then Kyle had to work, then we decided not to go, then I realized they play on Sunday as well. So we got tickets for Sunday. Little did we know a bunch of other people, including Emily, are going to that game because it is Faith Day at the park. Mercy Me will be playing after the game. So that is kind of exciting!

Okay, back to work!

x's and o's!
Courtney

Follow me on Twitter: thecourt_ney

Design Blog

I have just created a new blog! Click the link below to see articles about design, things that inspire me, new products and technology that inhance the design process.

www.mydesignology.blogspot.com

Rules to being a put-together, confident, girly-girl woman

It has taken time (24 years to be exact) to figure out exactly the qualities I want, and now, the qualities I hopefully possess. This list is composed of things that I think every woman should do in order to have these qualities. And even if you don’t want these exact qualities, they are pretty decent tips. (no particular order; they are equally important)

1. Don’t be impulsive with your hair. Drastic changes to my hair freak me out. In order to keep my confidence up it needs to stay basically the same. Small changes like changing my part, adding fringe, or trimming keep it fresh.
   
2. Power walk in stilettos. I work along side of construction workers and architects that are mostly older men. Since I’m young, in order for them to take me seriously, I dress professionally every day- with heels. Tensing your calves help keep balance in the highest heels and on rocky job site surfaces like cracked concrete and gravel.
   
3. Never leave home without sunglasses. Some mornings I’m too tired for makeup so I don an oversized pair. Then around 9 o’clock I’ll do up my eyes.
   
4. Drink your way to good skin. I swear by water and peppermint tea.
   
5. Be prepared. Always carry safety pins, rubber bands, a band-aid, clear polish, fong yeow cheng (medicated herbal oil for motion sickness, upset stomach, and headaches), a phone charger and a measuring tape. Ok, so maybe not everyone needs a measuring tape but I always seem to need one.
   
6. Switch scents midday. Something clean and fresh for morning to wake me up and something floral for afternoon.
   
7. Carry a small makeup pouch in your handbag. My essentials are bronzer, an all over stick, and lip-gloss.
   
8. Pose like a pro. Relax all muscles, turn at an angle, and smile like it’s the best day of your life.
   
9. Conceal, conceal, conceal.
   
10. Travel with healthy snacks. I almost always have wheat crackers, a piece of fruit, or at least a pack of gum.

As a sorority girl, I learned to live by the ideals of our creed: Love, Honor, and Truth. I learned the importance of being an active member of the sorority and in turn the community. I learned that happiness comes from giving and to always be sympathetic, gentle, and courteous.

From these morals stemmed a simple phrase I live by: If you dream it, just believe it and you will achieve it. (funny enough, Phi Mu later came out with three similar key words that they market to collegians: imagine, dream, achieve.)

Above all, have faith. I’m a strong believer in God and having faith and a relationship with Him is the only way for me to get through each day. As long as everyone believes and has faith in something, I think they will live a full life.

Until later, x’s and o’s!

Courtney

twitter: thecourt_ney

This post was inspired by InStyle's 10 Ways to Live like a Supermodel.

NeoCon 2010

Ahh... That time of year. The time of year every designer loves. The time of year new products are launched. The time designers rush to Chicago in their ballet flats (or heels if you're a new designer and uninformed) and bangle bracelets to see these new products. To many of you common folk, this sounds incredibly boring and like a waste of time. But for those of us who love great design, people, and after-parties, this is our life. It's what we live for.

Well... Except for those of us at my little company. Where was I Monday morning when designers flooded through the doors of the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago? I was pooring myself another cup of coffee and settling down at my computer to go through Monday morning emails. Yes, that's right; another year of missing the greatest spectacle in design. Unfortunately no one at our office has ever found it useful to shuffle through thousands of people and 20 floors of products in three days. It's really a pity because we could avoid a month of follow up with our reps if we had just gone.

Instead, I decided to post some photo's of the event, which I have been following online, as well as some photo's from the years that I have gone (bottom four).

Herman Miller. Haworth showroom. Haworth occasional table. Haworth showroom again. Photo's by Carolyn Pike.

Izzy showroom. "Olivia" chair, Izzy showroom. VWIDON dress and Leland chair, "Valeri", Izzy showroom. Photo's by Carolyn Pike.

Eating in our Herman Miller shirts on our way home from NeoCon 2007, a glass showroom, Herman Miller showroom (???) 2005, Nemschoff showroom 2007.

x's and o's
Courtney
twitter: thecourt_ney, youtube: cwork621

New Place(s), Old Face(s)

This is just going to be a quick ramble blog.

Emily and I are all settled into our new place! We have all of our things moved in (except our kitchen table because it's in her g'parents barn attic) and put away for the most part. Cable is getting hooked up this week. We got a new couch yesterday... here's a teaser :)

While it is nice to be in a new place, it's also nice to have a familiar face around. We have had some issues with maintenance and just other moving hassles and it's nice that Emily is there to experience and have to deal with it too. :) Emily and I have been friends since 6th grade and we have a lot in common; we have similar likes, expectations, and needs from an apartment. During college, I didn't get to see a lot of her just because we both had pretty demanding schedules for our field and were involved in lots of extra curriculars. I'm glad that we are both working in Muncie now and have a chance to live together. She was going to go back to school for her masters in the fall but she has put that off for another year because she wants to move south and go to a different school. Here are some photos of Emily and I over the years. (The earliest in our friendship I could find was a choir concert senior year. Hopefully I will come across some older ones that I can scan soon.)

As soon as we can get fully settled, we are having a sleepover with the girls!

On a slightly different note, Kyle, Emily and I tried out a place downtown called Savages Ale House. They have pretty good food for late night adventurer's. It's not new to town but none of us had been there. We all liked it. Also on a different note, I have gone back to my summer face which means less foundation, more sun, less eye color, and more Soft Lips. :) It's a nice face to have back.

x's and o's!

cwork621...a.k.a. thecourt_ney

Memorial Day Weekend

Click here to watch a funny Memorial Day Weekend Video

Dump Cake Adventures

Click here for a funny video on making dump cake... at a campground.