Random Life Update: Parisian Style

I'm currently sitting in my office procrastinating to start working on numbers to prepare my taxes. Instead, I'm reading blogs and thinking about Parisian style & fashion. The street style (from what I see on blogs) looks so effortless yet very accessorized at the same time.

I think I need to get myself a black and white horizontal striped shirt, and a red handbag or something! I think once I secure those two items I will be a happy camper this coming Spring! I've never thought about owning a red handbag until recently, and the thought it is very exciting!

I haven't been blogging very much because a lot of my time has been consumed by real estate. If I'm not out physically driving to properties, I'm constantly thinking about my current property listings and transactions. I am very grateful to have a great new and flexible career, but it can be very mentally draining and stressful. I feel like I grew up a lot professionally in 2014. It really changed my life and I'm constantly thinking if real estate is going to the career path I choose to follow for the rest of my life. Can't we all win the lottery and go travel? Now that would be ideal. ;)

I still am running DSK Jewelry, and I just have enough time to fill my jewelry orders. I haven't had much time to create new pieces and photograph them to post. I have a lot of ideas always running in my mind, but I haven't had the chance to make them come to life. I feel like my skills in free style photography is dwindling away. Everything I used to do for my small business seems so foreign and hard now. I sit there and I wonder how I did in the past! It really is hard to care for a business.

In other news, our wedding is happening in about 6 months and everything still needs to be planned. Yikes! We do have our venue secured and it will be at the Hilton in Vancouver, WA (15 minutes from Portland, OR). They just started offering what they call an "Ethnic Wedding Package," which allows outside catering. Our Vietnamese families would like a Chinese course style banquet dinner. It's been such a challenge to find a Chinese Restaurant that will cater to the Hilton (especially since they don't allow the restaurant to use their kitchen at all...only a staging room to plate the food).

Things that still need to be figured out...pretty much everything but to name a few:

Wedding Dress Alteration (I did get a contact of a seamstress!)

Custom Made Vietnamese Wedding Ao Dai

Viet/English Wedding Invitations *priority*

Catering

Chivari Chair Rentals 

Florist

Wedding Photographer *priority*

Videographer  

If anyone has any recommendations for any of the above in the Portland area, please help me. :)

I think right now my priority is to lock down our future photographer. I think I'll be more at ease once we start putting down deposits. This February we had spent 3 weekends in Vancouver & Portland trying to see if we can get the catering locked down. It's been a little bit exhausting taking the 3 hour road trip there and back with 2 dogs.

In yesterday's news, we hire movers to move a whole lot of our friend's furniture over to our house since they're getting all new furniture. I'm so serious lol. Ever since I've moved to Seattle, we haven't had actual bedroom sets so it was a treat to inherit those from our friends! Our house feels a lot more like home when all this "grown up" furniture doesn't feel so IKEA and temporary. We still have a lot of arranging to do this weekend. I'm super looking forward it.

Oo! I've also been super obsessed with light fixtures, Lamps Plus is my new Nordstrom Rack. I love browsing even if I don't buy anything. We recently purchased a really nice chandelier on clearance and put it up in our hallway upstairs. ^^ But more on that later!

What's a blog post without a photo right?

Here is a snap of our entry way/dining area with Timmy modeling next to some new furniture.

I'm still deciding where to move those two lamps. I might take them upstairs. I just put them there after I cleaned them.

We also got a giant new dining table too from our friends which was such a treat!

Our house is such a work in progress, we have plans to repaint the downstairs, frame the windows, and change the carpet into hardwood floors. Those plans are put on hold until after the wedding for now. I would love to share bits and pieces of my house on blog. I feel like you know you're getting old when you get super interested in home goods. lol

I'll leave it at that, I hope you are having a wonderful day and I'll catch up with you all very soon!

Lots of love,

Steph