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Ann Arbor has always been a favorite city of mine. I love how artsy and eclectic Ann Arbor is. There are tons of amazing restaurants, but surprisingly the one I’ve eaten at the most is a chain (Mongolian BBQ). There’s also amazing thrifting to be had in Ann Arbor. Plus, Zingerman, oh Zingermans.
So, on that note I’m going to share some pictures I took in Ann Arbor (6 years ago!!). I’m no photographer, but these are sorta pretty. 
Getting to read her thoughts and daily to-do’s on her blog helps make the 5,000+ miles that separate us feel like much less.That’s all folks!!
P.S. I’m looking for some good DIY blogs to read. Suggestions? I like sewing, and making jewelry, and… lots more.
www.peopleofwalmart.com - The horrifying truth about Americans.
www.dailycheckout.com - Stuff you cannot live without.
www.watch-movies-online.tv/ - Watch a movie, any movie! The hackjobs shot from the left side of the theatre are my favorite.
I like going out to breakfast with my best friend, at this greasy breakfast-only place, cutely named “The Coffee Cup.”
A run-down, dated restaurant where old men congregate over the Hillsdale Daily News and college kids seek a cure for their hangover.
Where my best friend and I can catch up on life, and reminisce about the not-so-distant past that was high school. The Broad Street Market next door, fishing at the rearing ponds, the secret bridge, boys, thrifting…
So Steph: me, you, the Coffee Cup, mid-February?
I lived “on my own” for a whole year. Got quite used to it. Eating when I want, sleeping when I want, shopping when I want…
I ventured back to Michigan for visits and they really were just that, visits. I was a visitor to my “home.” Which felt weird. I don’t have family there anymore, but friends and a church family that keep me going back.
I went through a really wretched breakup, and felt so blessed by the support of my family, friends, and even co-workers.
I added tons of necklaces to my jewelry collection and figured out pretty ways to display and organize my collection.
I went to 2 school events. 3 if you count the play I went to. That’s a record for me. I never attend school events.
I was a groomswoman!
I went to Chicago and watched a semi-unknown band play in a tiny bar, which meant I got to meet them and talk to them, so fun!
I had several fabulous, relaxing Sunday evenings with my favorite girls, sitting out on my porch, eating yummy food and sharing in wonderful conversation.
I’m pretty sure that I (and the others working on the H.E.R.O. project) saved my house from burning down, we showed up to use the upstairs (where my grandma lives) as sort of a set to take pictures for some promotional materials and took a saucepan off the lit burner, there was a washcloth in the saucepan smoking and on the verge of igniting. Not sure why it was there, but we saved the day.
I chopped off my hair. Finally.
I scoured most of the Goodwill’s in southern Michigan and northern Indiana searching for clothes that were more professional but still stylish, taking many cues from the ladies at academichic.
I went to my first professional sporting event. Go Colts!!!
I researched and wrote my senior thesis. I then presented it three times, one of those times was at the RCA pre-conference.
I had a really pathetic garden. I can’t even call it mine. I paid a friend to plant it because I was busy, and then I barely went out to it ever, and barely ate anything from it.
I started learning how to use Adobe AfterEffects.
I pretended to be a graphic designer and made a logo for the H.E.R.O. project as well as designing displays.
I started learning how to record and edit audio.
I reaffirmed the fact that I love organizing/scheduling/multi-tasking. I was in heaven working on the United Way video as I juggled B-roll shoots, interviews, voice-overs, scripting, etc…
I discovered that when it’s on a topic I know and enjoy, I thoroughly enjoy presenting.
I finished college!!!
Tags: 2009, Chicago, church, college, Colts, Dent May, Fashion, football, Goodwill, graduation, haircut, Indiana, jewelry, Michigan, senior thesis
This is a challenge. This means I have to post at least once a week on this thing, and with pictures!
A challenge from my brother. Who proposed the challenge in a tweet, “JonMagic @cristinahoyt Hey, I’ve got a challenge for ya… I’ll commit to project 365 if you do That means 52 blog posts w/pics this year.”
A challenge I am ready to step up to. C’mon, I love taking pictures! I’m totally going to blog all the time and love it! Right…
Here goes…
We spent Christmas week in Santa Rosa; relaxing, taking walks, swimming in the river. On Sunday we packed up and headed back to civilization.
Dad and I went to the fish store and since we’re in the middle of the country, fresh fish isn’t readily accessible. We did buy some frozen salmon though, and grilled it up and served it with rice. It was a take-off on the basil-soy salmon we serve at Cerulean, and it turned out good!
My parents live a block from the lake. It’s sort of half-dried up, normally there’d be water where I’m sitting to take this picture. I like going down to the lake; I can get some sun, read a book, listen to music, think about how I’m sitting by the lake in shorts a tank-top while my friends in Indiana are scraping ice off their cars… I like the lake.
On New Years Eve we drove up the hillside and found a random unfinished house to set up our lawn chairs in and admire the fireworks. Mom got really freaked out every time dad took a picture of me and I sat *gasp* 5 feet from the edge where there was a HUGE drop-off. We got some cool pictures though.
On the 1st we drove around the lake. Gorgeous views and some points-of-interest along the way. We went to the Dique San Roque (a dam) where dad told me the story (the story which I will condense here) of how in the 1880′s Carlos Cassafouth (a contemporary of Gustave Eiffel) and Bialet Masse were to build a dam. But, the British wanted the dam to be built using Portland cement, so they started a rumor that Cassafouth/Masse’s dam would break. So Cassafouth/Masse were put in jail. The British then built their dam, using Portland cement. When they tried to destroy Cassafouth/Masse’s dam by blowing it up their own dam actually started cracking, so there is still part of Cassafouth/Masse’s dam there. The end.
We also went to the very center of Argentina.
Yesterday we went to the mall, and didn’t take any pictures except this. I thought that “Luna Nueva” sounded so much more romantic than “New Moon.”
That’s it for week 1!
Tags: Argentina, Cassafouth, dam, lake, Luna Nueva, Masse, New Moon, pictures, project 365, salmon, Santa Rosa
2009. My last year of college. I did some of my best and most challenging work for classes this year. I watched a best friend get married. I developed wonderful new friendships. I spent days off hanging out with my brother/sister-in-law/doggie nephews. I scoured every Goodwill in northern Indiana and southern Michigan.
Enough. Time to get to it.
I don’t actually have a single picture from January, so I stole one from December of ’08. Much of January was spent hanging out with Toni, a dear friend from work/school who stayed with me over our month-long break.
That is not my hat in the picture, but I wish it was.
I pretended to be a football fan and somehow actually started to like football.
I slept in a lot.
I don’t remember much from February, nor do I have much recorded from February. If I had my day-planner from 2009 with me this would be so much easier. The only thing I had pictures from was something called “Friday Night Live!” that I tagged along with a friend to. Basically it’s an overnighter for elementary school kids and Provident Studios did a concert at each school. I just hung out and helped set up microphones and whatnot, and then rocked out with the kiddos to Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift, so fun!
Oh March. I cooked in March! At least 2 of the 9 meals I cooked the entire year! The one shown here was sort of a take-off on Chipotle, and it was quite good!
I also got a Blackberry, which changed my life forever.
April began the madness of the United Way campaign video. I got the lovely Arley Binsack to take photographs for the video (seen above) and I worked hard on scripting, scheduling, filming and all that fun stuff.
I also went to the Jr/Sr banquet during which I tweeted “- at my Jr/Sr banquet, this whole thing is one big inside joke that I’m not in on.” I just never had the motivation to get involved at school.
I wrote my gigantic 36 page senior thesis, and pulled the first all-nighter of my college career to do it!
It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of my dearest childhood friend Michael’s wedding. The wedding party spent a couple of hours cruising the city in a sweet limo and taking awesome pictures (by Jenny Buehrer). The entire day was beautiful and relaxed, like the couple; Michael and Karina.
I said farewell to my friend Aaron who embarked on a great hike across America.
At the end of the month I went to Chicago to see the fabulous Dent May (and his magnificent ukulele!).
I found out that my senior thesis was accepted to the RCA pre-conference and that I would be presenting it on November 11th in Chicago!
Toni and I got a personal trainer at Anytime. We paid money to be tortured, and we kind of liked it.
I grilled out a couple times with friends, soaked up summer!
Becca, Toni and I finished the month by going to Culver, IN to check out Chef George Pesek’s restaurants, the Marmont Grill and the Corn Dance Cafe.
July was a little less relaxed than June. I worked on a project with school called HERO (Household Energy Reduction Opportunities), my main contributions were designing a large survey for the project and designing the displays that went into churches and the one shown above that is at ACE Hardware in Warsaw, IN.
I had strep throat, and then an allergic reaction to penicillin, which was possibly worse than strep throat.
Friends from work got married So pretty much the entire staff of Cerulean attended.
I ended the month with a road trip to PA to visit my dear friend Amber and her wonderful family. I hadn’t seen her since before she got married and now she’s married with 2 precious kiddos!! My camera died in an unfortunate boating incident earlier in the month so the only pictures I have are MacBook pics and TwitPics. One of the main features of my trip was the use of WVO in my 1982 Mercedes-Benz 240D. I filled four 5-gallon jugs with WVO and did a 60/40 WVO/diesel mix all the way to PA and back, saved a boatload of money and looked like a total dork pouring WVO into my car at rest-stops.
August was full of work and friends and getting ready for school to start. One night Becca, Toni and I went to an all-night softball game in the rain and these adorable umbrella pictures happened.
I filmed and photographed the 2009 Day of Caring and made a short video for United Way. Yet another wonderful experience working with the wonderful ladies at United Way!
My last semester of school began. I turned 23!
I’ve been reading fashion blogs for about a year and would love to attempt one of my own, but laziness and my lack of a good camera have prevented me from doing so. I did however take a few snaps of a few outfits and here they are!
Pretty sure the biggest thing that happened in October was my haircut! I had long hair for a long time, and had pondered cutting it for a few years and finally did it. I absolutely love it, but I’m only a few months in and already considering growing it out.
Started out November with a bang! Went to my first professional sporting event – the Colts/49ers game.
I also presented my senior thesis at the RCA pre-conference in Chicago. A daunting but wonderful experience!
What a whirlwind. I finished college (I’ll walk in May). I took my exams early on the 14th, and flew to Argentina on the 16th.
Now I’m spending the first 6 weeks of 2010 in Argentina with my parents!
Tags: 2009, Argentina, Chicago, Colts, cooking, Dent May, fashion blog, football, Goodwill, graduation, grilling, haircut, HERO, Indiana, PA, RCA, retrospective, Travel, United Way, Wedding, WVO