New York and General Life Updates

Hello All!

Today you have found me in rare form, but high spirits. I would tell you why, and perhaps I shall later, but right now I feel it mayhaps wouldn't be nice to say. So, to update you on my life should we go from most recent developments backwards, or where I left off forward? I chose the latter since no one voted. haha Ok, last time I wrote to you all, it was my first day at Rafaella. Well, so far the internship is going well except that the other intern Taylor had to quit because the internship is unpaid and her parents were on her back about not making money. Sad :( but the recession does crazy things. I shall miss her but I will take my father's advice and attempt to find other people my age to hang out with. Maybe at the ward I am attending. Oh yeah, my ward. So I decided it was of the utmost importance not to go inactive this summer haha, so I used the handy dandy ward looker upper gadget on lds.org and found the local ward. It's only 8 minutes away from my aunts house, which is closer than my home ward is to my house so chyeah! :) Anyway so the people seem nice, the ward isn't all that big but check it, there are 5 other black people in the ward! I don't think you heard me, 5!! And non of them are related. For my non-LDS readers, that is like unheard of. In my home ward there at one time were 5 black people...but I was related to 2 of them aka my parents so it wasn't all that cool. I was super excited! Plus, one of the black ladies is this old Jamaican woman who reminds me of my grandmother. I love her already. She is so dope. Plus there is this dude who looks like he could be a pro football player but has the face of Kobe Bryant. Yeah I know, but sorry ladies he's engaged. But I like his fiancee. She is from Draper, UT and went to BYU so we got to talking and hopefully we will be friends. She won't move out here until mid-July though. Let's see, what's next, oh I got a job. Just working Th and Fri but check this out. It's for a hip hop clothing line called Dawsen. And what I am doing is internet marketing via social networking. So basically he's going to pay me for being proficient in Facebook, Myspace, Blogger, and YouTube. And you parents out there chastise your kids for being on the computer to much. Well in this instance, it pays off haha get it $$$$ ka-ching ka-ching. Ha sorry I'm getting silly. Moving on, so yesterday was my first day at this job and so far so good. Now to the not so nice, but ends well news. Harden and I broke up. I know *tear* but really it was time. We are DEFINITELY on different paths in life, which is become more and more evident now. But it's alright, because I LOVE the path that I am on, and that's what matters. I'll still pray for him. Regardless, no worries, we've talked, no awkwardness, so don't feel like you have to choose sides if you are mutual friends with us. We were together for a whole year and still love each other, we're just no longer in love with each other. It's hard, but we both knew it was coming. Distance and constant hardships have a way of doing that to a relationship. I do hope he finds what he is looking for though.....Again that's all I'm going to say about that at this juncture unless a new development occurs. Well let's see what else. About me, I am doing pretty well, but it gets kind of lonely at times. I mean NYC has SO much to go do, but mostly only if you have money or are over 21 and unfortunately, I am lacking in both of those categories. But hopefully, not for long, cuz now I have a job and......I TURN 21 NEXT MONTH!!!!! Oh yeah, whose excited? Ummmm I'M EXCITED! HAHA I'm wierd  I know, but I told you at the beginning, you have found me in rare form today so don't blame me, you knew what you were getting into when you started reading this post in the first place. :) I would also like to thank everyone for their amazing expressions of faith on my facebook. If you have an account I would encourage you all to read the note I wrote, but more importantly, the responses to it, because I feel the words that were said were divinely inspired and applicable to everyone's life, regardless of what you are going through, even if you aren't going through any hardship right now, it's a wonderful reminder of what we should strive for. Thank you to Zach, Annie, Aunt Andrea and Dad, you all are amazing people and I love you dearly. I encourage you all to live life to the fullest and not to censor yourself or hold back because when the time for action has come the time for decision has past. I learned that the hard way, but it is a lesson I hold close to my heart. You all are amazing and I would love to hear from you all. As a P.S. I have learned that the reason people in the city stare at me is because I dress like I'm from California. haha, no seriously, they don't rock the knit caps nearly as much, or the Israeli-looking scarves, they aren't all about the bright colors, and not that preferential to ballet flats, but it's okay cuz they know I look good, and so do I. Plus, EVERYONE out here has a Blackberry, they don't really like iPhones as much. I was told that iPhones and sidekicks are a more west coast thing, than anything else. I guess Utah has changed me. :) But anyway, ciao lovelies. mwah, mwah!

My First Day Interning in New York City

So today was my first day as an intern at Rafaella Design Group. Yay! So basically I got up at 7:30am and caught the 9:30am bus from where I'm staying in New Jersey to Manhattan. My aunt took me since it was my 1st day. :) It was like the 1st day of kindergarten all over again. haha. But seriously, once we got to Manhattan we walked like a block from the station to Fashion Ave, yeah you know the one like they always show on Project Runway, yup right in the heart of the fashion district. It's right across from Parson's New School of Design. So cool. Oh or a better description is that it's only a few blocks from Time Square. So here is where it gets fun. We enter the building and go to the 2nd floor where Rafaella is located and I swear it was like the entrance to Mode from Ugly Betty mixed with Devil Wears Prada (sorry for all the TV and movie references but I figured that would be the easiest way to describe it). I was all giddy inside but I'm like, "Ashley, hold your composure", haha yeah right. So then I go and meet Richard who is the Executive VP of Design for the whole company. I'm his intern, way cool. Then he showed me to my office...yes...office. So crazy! I guess it was just the only extra space they could find but hey a girl can't complain. :) After I spruced it up, they put me to work organizing clothes and folding samples, total LC moment. Time for ASHLEY'S LESSON OF THE DAY: knit fabrics are smoother than woven fabrics and touching it is about the only way to know that, georgette can be silky or matte and you can see that, but they are considered to be in the same category so it doesn't matter, and thin wovens are not to be classified as sweaters, who knew? ANYWAY, when folding samples I got to handle some amazing designer clothing, I'm talking Diane VonFruestenburg, Philip Lim, Free People. I know that means virtually nothing to most of you, but it meant something to me so there. haha. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I met the other intern also. Her name is Taylor, she's from Long Island and seems pretty cool, idk time will tell. So the day ended pretty uneventfully but after all it's just the first day. So pray for me and wish me luck, cuz here we go.

Much Love,

Ashley