I just feel so down. These last two weeks have been stressful for me. Leaving my job has been the primary reason why I haven't been myself. I feel like there is so much on my plate with switching jobs, school, and just life. I did get a phone call from For Eyes though, and a tiny bit of my excitement for this job came back to me.
Stress has made my school work limp. Limp and uninspired. I had a critique today, and I saw my work. I'm just not happy with it. I could do better.
I am starting to feel happier, but to feel even better I'll post below my favorite piece from Graphic Design this semester.
It's Joe's mom's birthday so my night will be dedicated to that. I made cupcakes yesterday so it is my duty to deliver them with Joe and find her a nice gift.
When I was searching for lofty type spaces in Chicago, I stumbled upon A New Leaf. The pictures I saw caught my attention, and I knew I had to see what it looked like in person. I'll talk about the pros and cons after the pictures. Again, you can get a better a feel about the place from the pictures. If you want to view their website, you can click here to get more information.
40 of these chairs and 8 tables are available for use.
These are the stairs that lead to the dance floor.
Stairs again. I thought they looked cool.
This is where Joe and I would put the dance the floor. It was large enough for sure!
If you look at the previous picture you can see that there are two steps that go into a random hallway.
There are a couple of windows, and I thought it made a good photo op.
Hallway
This is the first floor in the front of the space. I thought it was another perfect photo op!
Dance floor again!
This is the first floor.
There are stairs that lead to a second floor. (Not the dance floor, that is separate).
Stairs.
This is a video I took of the space. I think I showed the place best with this video.
Ok so this place was nice. We knew from the moment we walked in, it was too small for a sit down dinner for 130 people. After that we kind of strolled around the place and took pictures.
Pros:
It was nice and those tables/chairs were pretty.
Good photo op with the store front.
The place is located in Lincoln Park. Since we want a Chicago city wedding, the location is perfect!
Multiple floors can be beneficial.
You get all floors as well as the courtyard garden. Good for smokers I guess? It wasn't breathtaking or anything, but perhaps it looks better in the summer?
Cons:
The place was too small! After seeing Kitchen Chicago I realized it is possible to have a sit down dinner so A New Leaf turned me off. Even for a cocktail reception, the people would be scattered on any of the three floors!
The dance floor I talked about was completely cut off from the rest of the place! What if some people don't want to dance? I won't get to see them or pull them onto the dance floor! This was a big turn off.
The place only has 40 chairs!!! Those chairs are so beautiful, but even for a cocktail reception I think I would like more then 40 chairs.
You have to pick from their list of caterers. It is an extended list which I appreciated, but I don't like their list very much.
No parking lot. This wouldn't be that big of a deal but Joe and I had a hard time finding parking for one car! Image a whole wedding party trying to find parking in the Winter! Yikes! That was a turn off. We are trying to save money so Valet is not something we want to consider and want to avoid if possible. The only parking garages are a few blocks away.
The price is neither a pro or con. It is a con when comparing it to Kitchen Chicago, but it isn't horrible. It is $3500 for a Sunday and $4000 for a Saturday night which is better for your budget then other lofts I've seen online. It really adds up for the bride on a budget when adding food from their list though. That is why we decided that we will not be having our wedding at A New Leaf.
I've been so busy with school and getting a new job, wedding planning has come to a halt. There is just so much going on. I've been so overwhelmed. When I gave my job my two weeks notice, the stress started. So below are things I am looking forward to. Whenever I feel down the best thing to do is have hope for the future.
The first thing I am looking forward to is my birthday! April 20th is just a couple of weeks away. I am looking forward to celebrating another year with family and my close friends. The following Saturday night will be a girl's night. A few of us will spend the night at a hotel and go out. Where? I am not so sure yet, but who cares? It's a mini vacation and I am looking forward to that.
Summer! Summer means no school. It means walks in the summer breeze and finding new places in Chicago. I can't wait to shop along Michigan and State with my Paycheck from my new job! Summer means more wedding planning and shopping for my wedding dress! This takes me to my Summer Goals. I want to accomplish something this summer. I want it to be productive and still have a lot fun. So here is my list of things I want to accomplish.
Start a healthier lifestyle of working out and eating better. Being engaged means wanting to look fabulous on my wedding day so the sooner I start, the better.
Be creative! I want to do a lot of art projects just because!
I hope to take lots of pictures and have fun with photography.
I want to learn how to make jewelry!
Shop for a wedding dress! This is going to be super exciting, and very nerve wrecking. I can't wait though.
Along with 3 comes the inevitable goal of wanting to get a lot of wedding planning done!
Visit art galleries.... a lot of them!
Open up my very own Etsy shop online. I want to sell invitations for all events. This is my biggest goal, but it is something I really want to accomplish.
God
To pull out my journal and write it down (sermons and notes from the Bible Book Club). I forget things, and the best way to remember or reflect on things later is to write it down.
Monkey in a Box - Cake decorating. I don't know exactly what my goal is for this, but I want to keep doing it actively over the summer.
I should be getting back to work now. Instead of doing Graphic Design work I've been typing this blog. HAHA! Back to work.
