Mid July Recap

If you started reading this and thought to yourself Wow I can't wait to read more and you've been checking every day for a new post I am sure you've been very disappointed. Well, it's not because I haven't been writing. Actually, I got the opportunity to write some blogs for the Quicken Loans website, which has be awesome. Want to know what's even better? I get to write about things that I love like life, food and my wedding. If you want to check out what i've been writing there you can go here.

But, that is not the only exciting thing i've been up to...

Last week, Morgan and I went to a One Reverse Mortgage commercial shoot. After she skillfully navigated me to the proper location we got to a charming little house with lots of video equipment in the yard. And wait, is that Henry Winkler sleeping on the porch? Yes. We waited for a while, and then we watched them shoot the final part of the commercials. It was pretty sweet. We talked with the director for a while, and he told us about his upcoming film Jinn.  Morgan tried to land the role of an extra.

On Thursday morning I went to a lecture from New York Times Best Seller Josh Linkner.  He talked about being creative, especially when it relates to business. It was a very unique experience. The table centerpieces were a large display of crayons that we could use to draw on the paper tablecloth. Josh gave a ton of great tips and I left the lecture feeling challenged in my creativity.


Growing up has not just been happening at my internship. My wedding is in less than eight weeks! I've had bridal showers the past two weekends, which have been perfect. This friday will mark one year since the wonderful Elliott Laughlin proposed to me. It has been a crazy busy year since then, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. We get the keys to our new apartment today! Elliott will move in within the next week or two and then I will move in after the wedding. We are planning to paint a little bit... so we will see how that goes tonight!

Elliott also told me I need to stop drinking Red Bull. He said that the current Costco case of we currently have is the last. It should last me about a week or two more :)  We'll see how it goes after that. Until then, cheers.

Meet Sammy (in the middle) She is an intern at Quizzle (one of Quicken's family of companies).
She would trade her first born child for a pair of nice shoes :)

Monday: Madness & Motivation

Did I need to catch up on sleep this weekend? Yes. Did I catch up on sleep this weekend? No. So, conveniently my body decided to catch up on sleep this morning. When my alarm went off at 5:30 am, my brain decided to incorporate it into my dream so that I would not be disturbed. How thoughtful! An hour later my dad came to ask if I was intentionally still asleep. I wasn't. One thing you should know about me is I strongly detest mornings. I am not a morning person. Unlike my wonderful fiance Elliott who is a glittering beam of sunshine at dawn. I also don't like rushing. I like to take my time.

So this morning, not only was I super sleepy (per usual) but I was rushing around trying to get ready in time.

Worst part: I didn't have time to drink a cup of coffee and there was no Red Bull in the fridge. There is nothing worse than that but warm Red Bull. Although I've downed my share of the energy drink at a tepid temperatures, today was not going to be that kind of day. I let it chill in the office fridge all morning. I am currently enjoying it.

Me and Morgan. Cheers. 

Because of the mad morning rush, I did not have time to pack a lunch. So, Morgan and I went to CK and got a Mediterranean fix. Yummm.

For most, Monday might be a little groggy and unclear, but Morgan and I are fueled with motivation. You see, there is this competition thing for Quicken Loans interns where we get points for doing specific things around Detroit (like eating out, going to a tigers game, etc). Well, we didn't participate last week and we lost out on getting $45 gift cards to the Somerset CityLoft. Needless to say we were wallowing in regret for a good 50 minutes. We are also making great progress on our binder, which I will share with you in the near future, so that's something to look forward too!

Because we have been on top of our game today, our observations have been especially keen. We have noticed that a particular person on our floor gets snacks quite often. In order to protect the identity of the hungry, i'll refer to this person as Snacker (clever, I know). Snacker walks by our desk frequently throughout the day and always comes back with a new cup of snack in hand. Today, we have counted 8 times so far.

Attendance at the office is dwindling today, and it will probably just decline from here because of the holiday. Soon, it will only be Morgan and myself plus one other person on our team here. Time to blast Call Me, Maybe? Probably.

Living the dream

I majored in journalism because I couldn't major in shopping--they didn't offer that program at Grand Valley. But today I tasted for a second what life would be like to shop for a living.

This morning, all of the Quicken Loans interns went to the grand opening of the Somerset Collection event at the CityLoft for Downtown Detroit Days. Basically, the most amazing mall in Michigan came to our backyard here at Quicken Loans. I could stop right there and be satisfied. But it gets better... an intern event was made out of it. Hundreds of us interns released balloons to celebrate the kickoff of this event, and then we shopped. It only made sense that if I was getting paid to shop, I had better get something (not that I needed much convincing). It took about five minutes before I found the cutest little black dress from the buckle.

Now, because I am still basking in my post-retail bliss, I am leaving out of a few details...like the heat. Blistering heat, scorching sun, scarce shade, stagnant wind. It was HOT. We waited outside for about a half hour before we released the balloons and then waited a little longer before we got to shop. A group of other interns and myself bounced from different pockets of shade trying to find some relief. We eventually ended up huddling outside the doors where the air conditioning from the building was seeping out. It was also prime location for us when they let us in.

This would be a good time for me to introduce Morgan, the other intern that works on my team. She snapped this photo of the balloon release:

You can follow her on Instagram: mosilver

Morgan and I had 15 minutes to shop before we had get in a meeting (did I mention this meeting had mediterranean food?) Challenge accepted. We both walked back to our desks shopping bag in hand. Morgan's sweater purchase is already paying off. You see, it may be super hot outside, but it's a freezer in our building. People walk around like its mid-January (and then die when they go outside). 

Despite a few temperature issues, it's a good day to be an intern here. 

Ps--If I did major in shopping, I would minor in cooking. 

Wake up and smell the Red Bull

At this rate, the Red Bull will kill me before I make it to 60. They should sponsor me for how much I drink.

I was never the type in college to stay up to all hours of the night doing miscelaneous activities. I liked to be snuggled up in my bed with my eye mask on and ear plugs in by 11. Ten hours later I would wake up to go to class. That was the life. It's only been a week and I look back fondly on the good ole days when my weekend started on Thursday nights. Friday class? Not for me.

Now, 5 seems to be my new favorite number: 5 day work week, 5 hours of sleep, 5 am wake up call, 5 Red Bulls a day (just kidding about the Red Bull).

My summer used to consist of lounging on a lifeguard stand soaking up the sun. My biggest problem? The ridiculous tan lines from that lifeguard suit. You'll be happy to know that is no longer an issue. You have to get a tan in order to get a tan line. The tan are getting tanner, and the white are looking whiter. I am among the latter.

Summer is no longer synonymous with break. But, if I am not going to spend my summer at the pool, it better be for something good.

I am interning at Quicken Loans in the marketing department, and although I may not be poolside, I'm in the heart of Downtown Detroit working for an amazing company. I may not be getting tan, but I would rather have this experience later in life than wrinkles.

My college bubble has popped and I'm slowly making my way into the real world.