Hey!   I'm here to spoil you with a grand adventure.   I've decided to join the bandwagon and sign up for Zipcar!   //ONE//  Zipcar is wicked easy to sign up with, and their website is simple to navigate.    //TWO// If you are a student or still have access to you student email, take advantage of it! Just by signing up as a student, the $25 application fee is waived, and they knock $45 off of your annual fee. Cha-ching! Leaving you with only a $15 annual fee to pay. I'll take that!  

 //THREE//
Once you have applied, they will run a background check, check your driving records and license, credit check, etc., etc...   //FOUR// If you are accepted, they email you asking you to activate your zipcard, which you won't actually receive until a couple days later in the mail (unless you opted to pick it up in person).  

  //FIVE// Once you activate your card, you are good to go and are able to begin reserving cars.  I highly suggest downloading the Zipcar app!   

  //SIX// When you reserve a car, Zipcar will give you step-by-step instructions as to where to find the car, how to inspect it for preexisting damages, and how to unlock the car. It's really simple.    Finding my car was really easy. On the website they told me exactly where to find it, not to mention they had these cute signs all throughout the garage showing you.  

It's important to check your car for any damage so that they don't hold you responsible for an accident someone else created. When I walked around my car, all I found were a few scratches (which were likely caused by that big yellow pained pole), and the window seal seemed slightly out of place. I tried calling them and submitting pictures, however I couldn't get through. However, if there is an issue I do have the pictures with the time stamp on them to vouch for me. It's just always good to make sure you're covered. Take pictures of everything that seems out of place. Big or small.

I had my reservation scheduled for 11:30am, and that is exactly the time that the zipcar will unlock. Not a second before. I had an issue trying to open the vehicle, as I was waiting for some kind of green light telling me that the doors had been unlocked when I scanned my card. It doesn't turn green, you just have to listen very carefully for a little "ping" sound.

Also, the keys stay in the car, or in my cars case, it had a start button. I've never had a car with an automatic start button before, so that was a fun learning experience.

//SEVEN//

 The trip that I took was a fairly short one (to Cambridge and back), but in Boston traffic (especially for someone who NEVER drives in the city and does not know the streets very well) it took me quite a while. They are working on construction on Longfellow bridge so the route that I was hoping to take was a no go, and I had to reroute SEVERAL times. This eventually set me back further in time, so I was forced to extend my reservation. Extending my reservation was very easy. I just had to call Zipcar, and let them know (I think they charged me extra for it though, opposed to just the $4 it would have been to rent the car for an extra half hour - I'll have to check into it) and they told me I was good to go until 1:30. I really just wanted to make sure I had enough time to get back to my apartment, drop my stuff off and then return the car to the garage. In this traffic, you never know.

And of course they have 6 simple rules that they ask you to follow---  

1] Report damage - Inspect your car and report any damage by calling 1-866-494-7227 before you drive. 

2] Keep it clean - Remove your belongings before you say bye.

3] Fill 'er up - Always leave at least 1/4 tank of gas

4] No smoking - The cars don't like it. 

5] Return on time - Late fees start at $50 

6] Pets in carriers - Keep your critter in a pet carrier at all times.    

    What you need to know when checking out:   When you rent a car and check out, they do throw on a "MA Convention Center Financing Surcharge" of $10 (This could vary per location), and of course the expected MA Sales Tax of 6.25%.   Here's a rundown of my expenses for my short trip. I originally was going to book it for 2 hrs, however they charge you by your reservation time. So if you book it for 2 hrs, but only use it and return it within one hour, you're still charged for the 2 hrs. However, you can extend your time if you contact them, and the vehicle is not already reserved for another customer. I booked my trip for 1.5 hrs, and checked online to see when the next reservation was, so I knew how much time I really had, if I needed to add an extension.   Costs: Hours: 11:30am - 1:00 pm ($8.00/hr) = $12.00 Extended Reservation 1/2 hour = $?? (I'll let you know when I get billed) MA Convention Center Financing Surcharge = $10.00 MA Sales Tax (6.25%) = $0.75 Total = $22.75

Why did I go to Cambridge and what was the point of this trip?

Honestly, I really just wanted to try Zipcar out and was eager to find a reason to go somewhere. I found this Ikea LEVANGER mirror on Craigslist for $40 (steal!), and found it to be a great excuse to transport my purchase!

I definitely over estimated my ability to do things myself. I thought that I could carry this thing down my street and then bring it up three flight of stairs and try to snake it around our very small staircase and hallways. Ha! This mirror was like 50 lbs! Thankfully, some kind Aussie guy that was visiting with his friend saw me on the struggle bus and volunteered to help. I was so glad he offered, I NEVER would have been able to bring it up to my apartment by myself. 

I mean look at the size of this thing!

 I was originally going to buy the MONGSTAD mirror. So glad I didn't, it never would have fit!

Please, PLEASE ignore the filthy rug

 And here it is all set up in my bedroom! Loving it!

3 Years Later...

Ever look back and wonder what you've been up to since high school? It's only been three years for me, but I still can't believe how fast time as flown by!   Here's a fun timeline:   TODAY... (July 2014) Live in Boston, work as a bartender and continue to work towards my BS in biology.  

 
1 YEAR AGO... (July 2013) Recently moved from Ohio to Maine, worked at Applebee's, and had recently graduated with an Associate in Science.  

  2 YEARS AGO... (July 2012)  Lived in Ohio, worked as a lifeguard and was finishing up my freshman year of college.  

3 YEARS AGO... (July 2011) Lived in Ohio, worked as a lifeguard and at Subway, and had just graduated from high school.  

 What have you been up to since high school?

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Friday Confessions

Mixing things up a bit today and linking up with Leslie to confess a few things!  

I confess...  

ONE// I'm inhaling a pack of graham crackers and frosting as I write this. My excuse? I have to clean out the pantry - moving in a month!

TWO// The wing back chair that I talked about painting last week? YUP, still working on it. In fact, here is a beautiful shot of how it looks right now. Slow and steady wins the race, I guess.

 

...and then I ran out of paint...

THREE// I'm on complete lazy mode this summer. I've planned 4 different week long vacations, and have only been working 2-4 days a week. Life. Is. Good.

FOUR// I'm addicted to Ikea. As soon as I get my Zip Card, I will be zipcar-ing it to Ikea to purchase all kinds of goodies from there! Like this and this.

FIVE// I butchered my cats hair cut. Yes, yes I know NOW that you should never attempt to shave a cat yourself. Get it done professionally! I was so fed up with all her long cat hair everywhere that I begged L to borrow his razor, and I took matters into my own hands. Long story short, I made a huge cat hairy mess in the apartment, and only managed to shave a little off of her. Oh, and I accidentally must have swiped her whiskers because she's missing them on one side. I'm so embarrassed. The even sadder part... I have to take her to the vet to get her shots updated again before I can take her to the groomers. SO.. we're both working up enough confidence to embark on that adventure. <-- this was definitely the most embarrassing confession!

It doesn't look that bad though! Does it?

 It sure felt good to get that stuff off my chest! Head on over to Leslie's page to join the link-up and confess to your own bad cat haircut stories.

 

All Aboard!

Recently I've been going to Salem for work, and had to jump outside of my transportation bubble (which consists of walking and taking the subway) to get there. I had to find my way to Salem either by train or boat, and being that the boat left Long Wharf less frequently, the commuter rail it was!    After getting a little taste of how easy and cheap it was to get outside of the city, I began exploring my options. Yesterday, while walking home from the gym, I started to crave a hike. But where does one hike in Boston?   I googled a few places, the closest being Middlesex Fells Reservation in Medford, MA - a short commute outside of the city. There were a few different ways to get there, one option involved taking the orange line to Oak Grove, catching a bus, and then walking the rest of the way. The other meant taking the commuter rail towards Lowell, getting off at the Winchester Center stop and walking 20 minutes to the trail head/parking area. L and I opted for the latter, and bought round trip tickets for only $11 a pop. Score!   

  Winchester is adorable! It has the small town, close knit feel with the cutest downtown shops and bistros. Every yard was trimmed to the T and looked perfect, and we were both in heaven smelling the freshly cut grass. Because we began our hike a little late in the day, we took the shorter trail around Long pond, which gave us enough time to go back to the downtown area and grab a bite to eat afterwards.   

  It was so nice to see the wildlife, and to be somewhere that was absolutely quiet. We were definitely enjoying ourselves. There were several other hikers and dogs which kept it fun, and they had a bench that overlooked the pond which was relaxing.   

(Okay, so this may have been the extent of the wildlife that we saw... but we heard frogs!)

 

L taking his own route.

 

Check out these wild, sugary berries we found!

When finished with our hike, we headed back towards the town, and feasted at a local pizza joint. Delicious. 

Boarded the inbound train around 9pm, and got back into the city 20 minutes later. Talk about convenience!

A New Look

After much thought concerning the layout of the blog, I decided to mix things up a bit, and download a new template. 
I went with a layout from Designer Blogs and couldn't be happier. I was looking for something simple, where I could add my own punch of color where I would like. Right now, I'm keeping most of the font black, however I can easily adjust that!
I went with the Lennon Template, however it was quite the toss up between this one, this one, and this one! Designer Blogs is great to work with. The link was emailed to me right away with step-by-step instructions as to how to install it into blogger.
Look at the difference between then and now!   [THEN]

[NOW]

  Doesn't it feel so much cleaner!? I think the chevron was really getting to me.

Etsy Lust List

I am slowly, but surely developing a white ceramic animal obsession and I don't know why.

I love the simple look against a painted wall or piece of furniture.

They're warm, they're welcoming, and they're animals!

Check out these beautiful Jonathan Adler pieces!

 I need this whale pitcher right now.

... or a penguin!

Such a pretty hippo!

Unfortunately, his art is a little out of my price rage, so I will be looking elsewhere...

With that said, I have been perusing Etsy, in hopes of falling in love with some ceramic pieces, and some other fun decor that I've been lusting over lately.

These adorable elephant book ends by playingdirtypottery are too cute! In the description it says that she pours clay into a vintage mold, and then fires it up in a kiln. Sign me up! I love them just plain white, but I'm kind of envisioning possibly painting them a bright yellow, or teal and setting them up on a white bookshelf. Oh, and did I mention they're only $16!?

Faux animal heads are definitely out and about these days, which is why I am hard core crushing on this polyresin moose head by WhiteFauxTaxidermy ($44.99). This guy measures 13.5" H 12.5" W 4.75" D, however you can easily order one that is larger at $89.99. Don't want him white? They have several painted versions on their site as well. In the future, I am definitely seeing this guy above my bed, planted between the framed ski mountain slopes that I put together!

Our new living room (come August) is very bright, which is why I want to do a navy blue/white/grey theme. I'm envisioning white furniture, a neutral rug, with a grey chair, white couch cover, and fun decorative spurts of navy! I have already picked up a few navy/white chevron pillows, and some navy/white vases, and was ecstatic when I can across this sweet herringbone fabric ($9.50/yard) by PinkDoorFabrics. I would like to cut 12" x 12" squares, and put them as a matte in these Ikea Ribba frames, with a 4" x 4" instagram picture or quote in the center of each one. 

 This isn't exactly "interior decor", but I'm crazy about these monogrammed initial necklaces by SwirlStudioDesigns.

Call me a crazy cat lady, but this painting (and several others) by WaterInMyPaint is too fun! I may just have to give in and frame this baby up on my wall.

What's on your Etsy lust list?

p.s. What color goes well with navy besides white and grey? I need more color in my living room!

p.s.s. If anyone finds a decorative, decent sized ceramic moose please let me know (: