Best Boba in Seattle! Cafe Chi Boba Tea (Issaquah, Washington)

This past Sunday, we were checking out open houses with my fiancé's little sister in the Newcastle/Bellevue area of Washington. Afterwards, we decided we would check out the Issaquah Farmer's Market afterwards to find out it closed at 2pm. His sister looked up boba places in Issaquah and we found ourselves at Cafe Chi. 1. Who knew there was a boba place in Issaquah! 2. It is the best boba I've tried yet in all of Seattle, well all of Washington really!

I highly recommend their Original (Black) Milk Tea or just Black Tea with boba or lychee jelly. Their boba is slightly sweetened. I've heard that some boba shops prepare their boba with honey or brown sugar to add that hint of irresistible sweetness to the chewy boba goodness.

Nail polish is OPI, "The Berry Thought of You" from 2015 OPI Brights Collection

I can tell that they brew their own black tea, and the sugar syrup looks house made. They also use FRESH milk which completely sold me. I tried ShareTea near the University of Washington, but I didn't like the milk tea because of the milk powder. Similar to fresh Thai tea, I like it when they use real milk or half and half. I don't want to waste my drink calories of powdered creamers! Nope. 

But back to Cafe Chi, the tea was so good, I ended up back on Tuesday! It was a gorgeous day for a sunny drive. Note, I don't live very close to Issaquah...it's about a 25 minute drive from me and about 30 minutes from the city of Seattle in general. They were out of lychee jelly yesterday so I got it with the rainbow jelly (fruity flavor).

You can even have lunch or dinner at Cafe Chi; they have Taiwanese foods which I have yet to try. They posted food photos on the wall, which brought back good memories from college. I loved that the shop is next door to Spa Chi and there's an outdoor seating area with koi pond! I only Snapchatted the koi pond and now wish I took some photos! I'm just discovering Snapchat (DSKSteph) and it's pretty fun once you get the hang of it. ^_~

I hope you continue to have a wonderful day! -Steph

Golden Garden Beach, Seattle

Yesterday, we went to the beach for the first time this year. I had never been to Golden Garden Beach in Seattle before and it was the absolute perfect place to spend the 86 degree day.

It's absolutely beautiful there and completely different from Alki Beach in West Seattle.

I had a blast exploring the edge of the water looking for shells and crab! It was really nice to enjoy the breeze from the Puget Sound and get a little sun. I loved spending the day at the beach.

Afterwards, we went to Ray's Boathouse for an unplanned fine meal in our casual beach wear.

The appetizers were the best part of our meal. I still can't believe we paid $19 for 6 oysters on the half shell. >.<

We sat on the patio and the views made the dinner worth the experience.

Thanks Seattle for the sunshine!

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

I'm turning 27!! Ai ya...late twenties!

Hello. :)

I'm turning 27 on April 4th!! That's this Friday ahhhh!

Yes, those are EOS lip balms in my Martha Stewart for Macy's mini cake stand w/ cover!

I've collected all the flavors and I proudly have them displayed in the corner of my living room. ;)

 My friend Anita is visiting for my birthday later this week and we are going to work on spray painting these frames I've gathered all white! I spent months browsing Ross, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, and Marshalls for clearance picture frames. :) I think it will look super cool on a plain wall! #whiteframeproject 

We have lots of fun things planned for her visit!

We're going to hike Rattlesnake and hopefully Snoqualmie Falls!

Take spin classes together! Maybe another trampoline class! lol

We're planning on a trip to Vancouver BC, Canada too! She's never been there. It will be so much fun!! I'm ready for a mini getaway. :)

  Went to check out one of my friends finished project and it was incredible! They really did an amazing job building the modern townhouses. I'm super impressed. :) I love the backsplash they picked out. They even had the homes staged. I'm always on the look out for a good interior decorator and anyone who does interior staging for some upcoming real estate projects. :) I'm going to be helping with a half million dollar Seattle modern home project this Summer! Totally EXCITED!! ^_^

I couldn't resist an opportunity to take a photo of the bags of the day. ^_^ Red Chanel Jumbo, Caviar Leather w/ Silver Hardware & Classic Black Chanel Jumbo, Caviar Leather w/ Silver Hardware.

How cute is this bathroom? I love the cabinets and the sinks! 

This Seattle modern townhouse is 3 stories, technically 4 if you count this awesome roof top deck!

 I'm completely obsessed with OPI Sheer Tint polishes!! This is "Don't Violet Me Down" with "Desperately Seeking Sequins" on the ring finger (under the sheer tint polish). The tint polish is so building and I absolutely love the jelly effect!

I helped my friend Van of VanityPham (bridal beauty & luxury lash extensions expert in Bellevue, Washington!) set up her table at WedLocks in the Columbia Tower Club 75th floor! It's the tallest building in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest! ^_^ Look at that incredible view! 

Go see Van for lashes in Bellevue!! She does the new VOLUME lash extensions (life changing lashes!) http://vanitypham.com 

This is Wally right now. Haha, he's so odd sometimes in the cutest way possible. 

The best birthday present to myself: I closed my 4th property of the year yesterday! I sold a cute 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo in Bothell, WA. ^_^ It was a 6 months process because it was a short sale, but we did it!

Busy Days, Pretty Little Lairs, Valentine's Day

Hey everyone!

I hope you are all having a wonderful February. I can't believe Valentine's Day is in a few days. Where did the time go? I've been so busy at the office and with DSK Jewelry orders. I completely forgot about Valentine's Day coming up. I honestly just realized most of my orders these past two weeks have been coming from customers with more manly names. :) There are so many sweet guy friends, boyfriends, fiancés, and husbands out there. It's been a great being part of their Valentine's Day preparations!

My real estate work days have gotten so incredibly busy! I have nearly 20 property listings and it's just endless amounts of paperwork, and phone calls. I really need to study the art of negotiation. I really want to read the book, "Getting to Yes." I'm constantly wearing the negotiation hat from 9-6pm or whenever the phone rings! lol There's just so many details in contracts and there's no room for mistakes. I've learned the long hard way. If there's anything I've learned in real estate, it's to communicate via e-mail so there's a log of conversation. If I'm talking on the phone with a client or the other party. I make sure to summarize the phone conversation in e-mail to them. There's definitely no he said, she says business if everything is logged. That's my #1 tip to anyone just getting into real estate or almost any professional field where you communicate often with other people. I definitely love showing houses and meeting with clients over the paperwork side. I really love driving around and exploring new areas of Washington I've never explored before. I really want to get a hybrid vehicle in the near future. #fosho

I wake up every morning and sit in my jewelry room. I wish I could spend more time there! I haven't spent as nearly as much time as I want to working on jewelry. I really do love beading. I definitely appreciate my arts & crafts more now days. :) I'm looking forward to my next day off from the office to focus on creating new pieces and jewelry blogging!


In other news, I spent the past weekend at home watching Pretty Little Liars! I fit in grocery shopping on Saturday morning as well. We got hit with some snow Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday. Seattle is way too hilly to be driving anywhere. I'm on episode 16 of PLL and I am really getting into the show. It reminds me of being a teenage girl and just watching my favorite TV drama. lol I can't wait to find out who A is!! It's driving me nuts. Thank goodness for Netflix, I love being able to watch shows one episode to the next without any commercials!! Score!!

In nail news, OPI debuted their fun Brazil Collection. I'm currently wearing one of their fabulous new shades called, "Don't Bossa Nova Me Around." It's a really quality neutral polish. It looks very posh and clean. The formula is great too; I used two fine coats for this look. My nails are now long enough to be shaped into what's called, the "stiletto" nail shape. I was doing the almond nails for a few weeks, and I really wanted to try out the stiletto however it's way too hard to function with them now. I've tried to shape the claw nails in the past (back when the Nicki Minaj OPI Collection came out). That was a total fail because I had no idea how to shape them correctly. Shaping your own nails is really hard when it comes to anything but square with round edges. lol Anyhow, I think I finally perfected the stiletto's over the weekend while watching my endless episodes of Pretty Little Liars. I think Emily is so pretty, but my favorite character is definitely Spencer. ;)

I kept stabbing myself with my finger nails today. Then I caught my thumb nail in the bathroom stall lock while trying to open the lock..lol Yeah..these nails suck. It's also really hard to type, my finger don't know which side to lean to when they hit the keyboard keys! I'm going to round them out by tomorrow. Back to almond nails I go. I preferred that much better now that I've experienced the claws. They look super cool and I feel so nail trendy, but they're really not practical. Hehe.

Thank you for stopping by to hear me ramble. I'll talk with you soon! 

P.S. I posted my LV Black Epi Leather Speedy 30 for sale at my blog sale. *SOLD* But please check out the other goodies I have for sale. :) Iwww.dskblogsale.blogspot.com

Check it out! Thanks for the support!! -Steph 

Dear Diary: November Life Update!

It's midnight and definitely past my bedtime! How things have changed. I used to be such a night owl and now I am normally asleep by 10:30-11pm. :) My awesome friend Anita is coming back to visit us again this Thursday!! Yay, she lands at 9pm and will be bringing us treats from LA!! The treats include the very best croissant donuts or "cronuts" from California Donuts (my fav fashion designer/artist/online friend Steppie's family owns it!:)) and famous cheese rolls from Porto's! I'm looking forward to trying the cheese rolls because I've only heard talk about their deliciousness. lol I can't wait to go back to LA! I hope to make a trip out there again soon and meet some of my favorite beauty blogging girlfriends!!

I caught up on tonight's episode of Shahs of Sunset. The drama between Lily and MJ was intense! I'm currently watching an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashian's I haven't seen yet. My evening isn't completely unless I get to relax and watch some TV!

Every since I started working as a real estate agent, I'm out and about all day driving from here to there. If I'm not out meeting clients, viewing houses, or at the real estate office then I'm at the law firm. I'm still trying to balance time for my jewelry making. I really enjoy keeping busy, it reminds me of being back in school. I love feeling a sense of accomplishment once I complete a task! It's a great feeling and I feel so happy I decided to take on the challenge of real estate.

I spent the day working and then spent time with my friend Marisa. We spent some quality time out and about, which usually always includes a trip to Costco, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's! I don't need to go on any fabulous vacation to have fun, I have plenty of happiness from walking around Trader Joe's. I love the simple joys in life. :)

Timmy with my friend's son.

I bought the dogs, dog food and treats from Trader's Joes for the first time. I hope they will like it! My dogs are definitely my world right now. My friend T had a baby boy 2 months ago and her life is all about her baby! My dog Timmy also is obsessed with her baby. He won't leave the baby's side. He would cry if her and I left the baby in his cradle to sit on the couch nearby. It's so interesting to see his behavior around a human child. Wally, on the other hand could careless about the baby. lol He doesn't even notice him anymore.

#selfie!

I was reading Makeup Artist Catalina Su's blog earlier today and now I want MAC's blush in Lured To Love! I love a good peach blush and I need that one in my life because I love her taste in beauty products. I'm slowly starting to get back into makeup, but I wear a pretty simple face day to day. I don't wear eyeshadow anymore for some odd reason, I guess it's just an extra step that I took out of my weekday daily routine. Instead, I wear Lancome Artliner black eyeliner. I'm a winged eyeliner (or cat eyeliner) kind of girl, have always been and will probably always be that kind of girl. It's just my preference, if I'm wearing eyeliner it has to be winged! lol

I really want to start updating my beauty blog more with my makeup looks like old times! I need to rekindle that flame. lol

I fill in my eyebrows with Anastasia's Eyebrow Pencil because it's the best!! I recently picked up a new Brow Wiz pen also by Anastasia. I don't love it as much as I remembered, but I use that one more on weekend because I have more time to "play" with makeup. I'm finishing up a Lancome Definicils mascara which has been my mom's favorite mascara and I still love it. I prefer Benefit They're Real mascara but I'm trying to use up what I have open. I line my lips with my new MAC Soar lipliner and use a L'Oreal lip balm/gloss on top as lipstick. My blush of choice has been MAC Pinch O Peach and my FAVORITE bronzer is Hoola by Benefit. It is amazing and is so flattering when you contour with it.

When I want to feel extra good about myself, I blow dry, curl, hairspray and then brush out my curls. I love it when my hair feels full, and polished. :) Hair, nails & makeup are definitely a girl's best friend! 

In other news, I'm so ready for my own Apple iPad Mini!! I can't wait for the new version with Retina display to debut in December. I saw the iPad Air and it was nothing special, I was really disappointed. I think I will continue to wait! We currently have the first generation iPad..lol. The screen quality is SO bad now that I look back at it! The Retina display is life & color enhancing! I think the iPad mini is such a great size to throw into a bag for on the go. I look forward to December even more now. :)

It's already 12:53AM, I'm getting sleepy now so I will catch up with you all later. Good night!

How I Became a Real Estate Broker

I had thought about getting into real estate a few years ago since as many of you know I have a huge passion for looking at homes. I've always loved driving around and discovering new areas. It just makes me happy to unwind, listen to music and just drive. Exploring my surrounding communities really helped me get through my loneliness during my first year living in Washington. I couldn't adjust to the Seattle overcasts, and clouds of winter. I was very unhappy with everything but my jewelry, and blogs. Driving around and looking at beautiful homes was my motivation to work harder and grow my business. At that time, my business was growing incredibly fast, it took up all my time. I was doing very well for myself and lucky for a 2009 college graduate. I created my own career path as an entrepreneur and had more disposable income than I knew what to do!

DSK Jewelry Everything Bracelet, "Kaylynn." This is one of my favorite bracelets I've made in 2013. I love the colors combination. Please contact me if you have "Everything Bracelet" ideas for me! :) I'll be more than happy to name the bracelet after you. :D

I can tell you I did not manage money wisely in my early twenties. Designer bags, designer shoes, yikes! I clearly fell into that trap of thinking material things could buy me happiness. It didn't! lol Surprise, surprise. My dreams were beyond large, and my expectations were extremely high for myself and for those around me. I knew I was changing and I thought it was for the better, but really I needed a reality check and focus on the relationships with those around me. I don't regret any of the frivolous spending decisions I've made in the past because I learned and grew from them.

I have a different appreciation for money today than I did 4 years ago. I also treasure the relationships I do have with family and friends. At the time, I thought I was set for life and assumed my business can only go up from here. Well, I was wrong because another "DSK," French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn made headline news with his you know what kind of scandal. Don't quote me, but I believe he was potentially on his ways toward becoming the next President of France prior to scandal. Talk about big time. o_o

After that scandal broke out, when you would google "DSK" he was all over the searches. Whereas, prior my jewelry or face (lol) would show up. A popular French magazine contacted me to comment and I declined. I didn't want to get involved with anything political, but the reason they contacted me was to ask if it affected my business since I was also a "DSK," with a strong web presence. At the time the scandal broke out, it didn't affect the business, my sales were still consistent. But overtime, I saw how it hurt the brand I spent years to build. My online presence got overshadowed by his political scandal. To find me you need to search in more detail, "DSK Jewelry" for me to appear on the web searches. I have thought about rebranding, but my brand is my baby and it's me. I just happen to share initials with someone who is much more popular. lol Like the saying goes, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." I am now putting an egg in the real estate basket, and keeping an egg in my small online jewelry business basket. :D

It just goes to show you that anything can happen in business and in life. Yesterday, (Friday the 13th) a car came crashing into one of my friend's stores! Luckily, the business wasn't open yet at the time and thank goodness no one was hurt. I heard that the driver had spilled her coffee and panicked and crashed into the store. It was a crazy accident, and it just goes to show that anything can happen in business!

Now this is all my take on real estate, and everything is from my paradigm. I may see things differently because I'm new at this game, but I think I figured out how to do the job.

About a year ago, my now fiance encouraged me to get pursue real estate again. I thought about, and dismissed the idea because hey, I'm an artist, a crafty jewelry artist with incredible motor skills, owner, and operator of the steadiest jewelry making hands ever! lol (I probably would have made a mighty fine dentist or dental hygienist if I didn't have blood phobias. jkjk). Anyhow, I prefer creative over structured, form filling, paper pushing jobs. I already have enough exposure of that structure from the law firm. It wasn't until this past year where one of my girl friends got me excited about real estate. I saw it from her point of view.  She's into investing, developing, and flipping homes (or Cinderella transformations ;)) She opened my eyes to the world of real estate I've never seen before. She's such a savvy business woman, she has multiple businesses in all different fields. It's like damn, you're good!! I don't think she has a lazy gene in her. 

She has taught me about creating short term and long term goals, and again, not focusing all my energy (and hope) on one project or business. Teachers have always taught,"Don't put all your eggs in one basket" in every accounting and finance class in high school and college. Why is it now that I realize it applies to more things than just stocks and dividends? lol It's all about balance, even with relationships. If you give someone your all, you forget or sacrifice time yourself, and lose relationships with others. Balance is what I now strive to perfect.

In WA, all real estate agents are now referred to as real estate broker (in case anyone gets confused because I switch back and forth.)

Real estate agents are a dime a dozen (meaning they're everywhere!!) so to find a niche is vital in your success. There's really are no special skills required to fill out forms or browse the MLS. The hard part is getting clients in the door and to get clients to sign with you. I've learned the importance of referrals and building relationships. If you were born a salesperson, you may make an excellent real estate broker. You might have an added advantage if you have awesome personality, whit, and charisma (it's sales after all) to do the job well. No one has magical powers, even though most real estate brokers will tell you that they do lol. Just remember everyone has their own bottom line. The "not so savvy" agents will try to get a quick commission any way possible, the smarter ones, build relationships with clients to get future business and wait for the referrals to come rolling in. Relationships are important so cherish the ones you have built whether it's personal or in business.

Real estate agents wear watches so here's a picture of a watch! lol This watch is my favorite, it's a white ceramic Marc by Marc Jacobs watch I found at Nordstrom. I don't often wear watches, but if I do, I wear this one!

Real estate appears to me to be all about marketing, networking, and building relationships with you guessed it, people. You must be likeable, and you must be able to talk with excitement, enthusiasm, and emotions. Earlier this week, I went with my mentor to a listing appointment and I was just so amazed at how well he was able to communicate with our client. There's nothing glamorous about real estate, and every business opportunity is different. Each client is a personality and I feel to be a good broker, you must understand personality types to figure them out and communicate with them to reach goals.

I don't really know what pictures to share with this post to make it more interesting, so here's a photo of a Michael Kors watch I need to take to Norstrom to see if they can fix it for me. I don't often wear watches..so I've always kept this in a box. It's a movement watch so it stopped ticking because I never really wore the watch.

Now, let me tell you the story of how I became a licensed WA real estate broker. :)

I talked to two real estate brokers and asked them for advice on what school to complete my real estate education requirements. I learned back in the day, you had to go to actual in person classes, but now-a-days, you can get all of your education hours done online if you prefer. I highly recommend the online option if you have self discipline to take the time out of your day to log on and do the class, otherwise in person class might be more rewarding for you.  I enrolled into a real estate school (there are a ton to pick from, go to your state real estate licensing website to find a credited school). I clocked my required 90 hours of education. It's very much like power point slides of information and videos, then you take quizzes and exams through the real estate school online. The purpose of the courses is so you learn the laws, and the rules of real estate. Many people will say you don't even apply the information you learn to the actual work you will be doing as a broker.  But I think it's very important to take the class seriously and learn the vocabulary. I knew what an "easement" was after talking with a client about the easement to get to his house on my first day "on the job."

I believe 70% is the requirement for passing the real estate school, trust me, it's not hard at all as long as you read and understand the material. So once you pass your real estate school exams, and have your required hours you can submit that to qualify to take the official real estate licensing exam. The education course costs between $350-500. I highly recommend buying a study guide to take practice exams. I suggest Rockwell's study guide for real estate. The actual exam questions are variations of practice exams in the study guide *huge tip there for all you future real estate brokers* ;). The exam cost around $138, and it allows you 3.5 hours to complete both the state portion and the national portion, roughly 140 questions total. You sign up online and go to your choice of testing center to take the exam. Once you pass, you are given a finger print card and instructions. I went and got finger printed right after I passed my exam, same day! Finger printing cost me around $15, but I know you can get it done at any police station (usually appointment only) for around $5-10. I went with a private service because it was convenient and walk in friendly.

After you get your finger print card, you need to find a brokerage or real estate firm to take you in and sign as a broker under their wing. Each brokerage have different terms, commission splits, and/or desk fees. Do your research and find a firm that is a good fit for you. You need to earn your keep by making sales and bringing in money for your brokerage to cover their costs. You as a real estate broker must bring in your own buyers and get your own listings. The brokerage does not really give them to you. What they can do for you is market their name under which you are affiliated. I got pretty lucky because we have worked with the owner of a brokerage for 2 years at the law office. I signed with their brokerage, but actually they signed for me and they submitted my information to MLS and the state to get my license. The cost for the license was around $180 if I remember correctly. 

Each real estate broker is tied to a brokerage and work under a designated or managing broker. For example, money of a sale from a house never goes directly to the real estate broker. It goes to the brokerage, and then the brokerage pays the real estate broker after taking out their share. Account for costs of getting started with your new brokerage, each one is different. They'll need to set you up, print your business cards, etc. Normally, the deal is a commission split with your brokerage until you meet your quota for the year. Some brokerages require you bring in a certain amount of money for the office through your commission when you sell or help a buyer buy a home.

My mentor is the managing broker with nearly 50 real estate brokers reporting to our office. Real estate brokers really are working on the field. The only time they need to be at the brokerage is to drop off listing agreements, etc, within 48 hours of signing up a client. There are a lot of rules for agents to follow and you will learn in while studying for the exam. It's not everyday you meet someone who is willing to teach you their trade. I am very grateful to my mentor for sharing his wisdom and experience with me. He's been in the industry for over 15 years. We are all thinking of a long term work relationship. I think it is why the brokerage has invested their time in me. I have a lot of referrals and I have already started to bring in clients. I got my very first house listing already, and I have another one on the way. :D 

I took my first MLS (Multiple Listing Service) class in person yesterday. It was 3.5 hours and I paid $15 and get clocked hour credit for the class. It was an introduction class to using the online tools through MLS. I made a new friend in class too! We had a lot of fun chatting before class about our lives before real estate, and telling each other how we got into real estate. We traded business cards too. :) I have signed up for two more classes for next week. I'm already looking forward to meeting new future classmates. From what I remember, after the first year of having your real estate license you're required a certain number of clocked education hours to be able to renew the license. I think continuing education is awesome and should be options in all fields of work!

I'm looking forward to getting my MLS key (to be able to show homes!). The key is going to cost me around $180. Overall, it costs around $1000-1500 to become a real estate broker in Washington State. It's not too bad of a start up cost for a business! Now I just need to think of a name for my new blog or website for real estate related goodness. Any suggestions from you guys would be great! I'm planning on posting the homes and condos I will be listing for sale. I really want to grow a strong social media presence for myself as a Seattle area real estate broker (specializing in short sales). :) That is the goal! I'm really happy I'm able to pursue two of my favorite past times as careers. I absolutely love with with sparkly gems (I knew I wanted to work with jewelry ever since I was a little girl watching Aladdin walk through the Cave of Wonders!) lol Everyone who knows me pretty well, knows that I love looking and homes and researching them! I really get a kick out of following the real estate market to see how prices fluctuate. 

My mentor sold a house with the help of the fiance's law firm as the short sale negotiator for a $1,055,000 in Mercer Island, WA in 2011. Today, the fair market value of that house is between 1.4-2.2 million dollars. Isn't that insane? Talk about an excellent, instant equity buy for the buyers. I hope to get a million dollar listing one day. :D I want to be able to help connect my clients with these amazing short sale deals because they exist! Right now, the start of my real estate career isn't as dreamy as driving around well manicured neighborhoods. Ideally, I would love to help everyone find their dream homes! I know it will take time for me to build up my reputation and get out there to meet and find my dream clients. I'm willing to work hard for it through creative marketing (social media too!) and community involvement. Remember, if you live in Washington State, I would be beyond thrilled to help you buy or sell your home!! ;) 

I think I'm very well acquainted with the greater Seattle area these days! I'm going to update you all on my predictions for the real estate market from time to time on this blog. I think the Snoqualmie Ridge area (Exit 25 off of I-90 East) is a great community and perfect place to raise a family. My friends opened their 7th or 8th Cherry de Pon Frozen Yogurt at Snoqualmie Ridge because of me. :) I took them out there and they fell in love with the area and now the community. Their yogurt shop is very successful too! Snoqualmie is around 30-40 minutes from Downtown Bellevue, and Downtown Seattle depending on traffic. It's just one of the cutest communities ever with home prices that are more reasonable. There's so much nature (mountain views) and wildlife surrounding the Snoqualmie Ridge. It's similar to the dreamy Issaquah Highlands (Exit 18), which is slightly closer to the city. 

You always will find young married couples with baby strollers and dogs out in these East Side communities. They're both such ideal places to start a family! Anyhow! I'm getting carried away. I just get so excited when I think about dreamy neighborhoods. I'm really looking forward to finding the house, neighborhood, and community to raise my own future little family. :D These type of things I day dream about more so than a wedding or honeymoon! If you're looking to buy a home in either Issaquah Highlands or Snoqualmie Ridge, please contact me because right now I can only dream about being your real estate broker. I would love to go look at houses with you! Take me with you!! Pretty pleaseeeeee!! :D lol, I would go browse myself, but I think it's just more fun to have others to share the homes with on a beautiful sunny day. ;D

My dog Wally when he was a puppy! I figure I would add some cute pictures since this post is kind of long. lol xD

More calmly, another passion of mine has always been animals. Every since I was 4 years old, I have been obsessed with dogs. I love dogs, cats, and pretty much any furry critter in existence. :) I would love to take part in an animal shelter, and/or have a farm where I can enjoy my old age with a plethora of puppies! lol (Think the ending of 101 Dalmatians (the one with the real actors version). :D

I'll always be passionate about nail polish too! This is "First Date at the Golden Gate" by OPI

 

I will always love nail polish and I hope to continue to share with you my picks from new nail polish collections here on the blog. :) "First Date at the Golden Gate" is one of my favorites from the OPI San Fransisco Collection. I really can't wait to visit SF to look at all the habor seals!

New Career, Engagement, and Things!

Hello again!

I am officially a Washington Real Estate Broker, woohoo!
I have my first listing appointment this Wednesday. ^_^ I also have to go take a few MLS classes starting on Friday. You all know how much I love real estate in life browsing. lol
I'm excited for a change and I'm eager to learn this new trade. I'm lucky to have a few amazing people help me with my new career. I can share more of my path to real estate experience if anyone wants to read about it! The whole classes, real estate exam, joining a real estate brokerage. Just let me know in the comments and I will be more than happy to write about it. ;)

The online world, my blogs and my jewelry business will always be my #1 passion. I felt like I needed to get out and be more involved in the local community and not just the online community. :D
I think real estate will be a great way for me to learn more about Seattle. :) These next few months will definitely be a test for me to learn how to balance life. I think I need to cancel Direct TV. jk.

Anyhoo, I've been thinking about my schedule and I really want to change it!

Ideally, I would love to be one of those people who wake up at 5am everyday, go to the gym and take the dogs on their walk. I know it takes a month or so to form a habit, but waking up in the early morning hours is so hard for me. I feel like my day is half over by the time I take the dogs on a walk and then start on any work I have to do for the day. I believe I have it in me to be an early bird! I do love the smell of the early morning air.

I'm typing out my goal here on the blog. Wake up at 5am and start living! I feel like I waste so much time asleep. I don't mind going to sleep a little bit earlier. I'm no longer the night owl I used to be a few years ago. I normally head to bead at around 10:30pm-11:30pm after watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa on my DVR. I never used to enjoy watching cooking shows until recently.

I feel like I have changed a lot this year. I can't believe I'm in my mid twenties already! I'm 26, and the fiance is 30 turning 31 at the end of this year. We haven't taken much time for ourselves to travel apart from visiting family and friends in different states in the US. I hope that changes in the next year or two. We did get engaged at the end of May. :)

We had somewhat traditional engagement ceremony with both of our families. Note, I'm not a very traditional person...I just do what my mom encourages me to do when it comes to formal, traditional cultural things. lol Let's be real..I'm as American as it gets for a Vietnamese girl raised in the Midwest of America. 

The proposal was in front of our whole family on May 26th, 2013. In our (my family's) Vietnamese Hue culture, the engagement (din hon) is considered more of a "big deal" than the wedding. They say the wedding is just the celebration of our commitment. My Grandpa (he's 84!) spoke and gave us some of his wisdom via Vietnamese poem. It was really sentimental and sweet. Minh's dad made everyone laugh with his cheerfulness and little jokes. 

 The tea ceremony at my parent's house.

It's weird because now we both have new mom and dad that we're supposed to call mom and dad, but it's still a little weird. It just doesn't feel natural, and it makes me feel so old to have in-laws! I am incredibly fortunate to be part of a good, complete family. My parents love his parents, and everyone gets along and has good conversations and laughs. After our engagement in Michigan, all my relatives who had a chance to meet his family kept telling me how lucky I am to join such a good family. ^_^

 I did my hair and makeup really fast because I spent the morning waiting for and picking up our cakes at a hotel in downtown Grand Rapids. lol. I think I got home at 11AM, and all our guests were arriving to my parent's house at Noon. I had to rush to get ready. I curled my hair, and applied some makeup and false lashes (Ardell Wispies, of course!). 

 For my nails, I painted them the night before with OPI Princess Rules!

The engagement was followed by a fun brunch at my parent's house and an engagement dinner later that night at a Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant. I didn't want anything fancy and I pretty much let my mom plan the whole thing with the help of my amazing aunts. We had about 7 tables at the restaurant and it was filled with mostly my family and friends since it was in Michigan. The wedding will be in Portland, Oregon most likely to be fair for his side of the family. I have never ever liked to be the center of attention in my family. I really just want to blend in and not be talked about. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I guess I'm really shy when it comes to having all eyes on me. I think that's why it's taken me a while to write this post even!

We picked out a cushion cut diamond with two half moons on the sides. Everyone we knew and people at the jewelry stores kept telling us to get a round diamond because no one regrets a round diamond. We went with cushion cut. :D Hehehe

My future in laws gifted me with a pair of round diamond earrings in a pave diamond flower setting. The petals of the flowers are actually hearts layered on top of one another. I absolutely love them! It was one of the best surprises/present I've ever received. It extra special because the future in laws/family picked it out for me.

I feel like my life hasn't exactly played out as I planned it in my mind, but I don't dislike the reality. I always thought I would be more of a serious person when it came to things like engagement and marriage. But I'm actually quite chill about it! It's wild that I'm just learning this about myself too. I've really learned to relax and not take life too seriously. I view commitment on a more real level than anything that's for show. The celebration is fun and it's great to preserve tradition, but I don't think I will push a formal or traditional engagement on my future kids if they don't want it themselves.

 The engagement party at the restaurant. So AZN, I know! lol

I don't even want to think about wedding planning...can someone just do it all for me and I just show up? lol. As much as I want to start a family and be married, I have a lot of anxiety about the wedding. I'm really voting for a destination wedding with only our closet family and friends, but the families don't feel that is fair for everyone who they want to invite to the wedding. Vietnamese weddings are more for the parents than they are for the couple getting married. At the end of the day, I'm not going to let either family "pressure" us to pick a date. :P It's not a timed race or anything!

I can't be the only girl who doesn't get excited to plan a wedding. It just seems like so much work and there's so much pressure involved to have everything be "perfect." I must admit, I did love designing and ordering the flowers for the engagement. That was such a fun experience for me because I love flowers more and more as I get older. 

A huge thank you to Horrock's florist in Kentwood, Michigan for making the prettiest flower arrangements! I ordered 8 vases total for the restaurant tables. Moving them to the restaurant wasn't an easy task! I love my cousins Nathan and Ryan for helping me move the flowers. :) I miss you guys so much!

In other news, I also now have a new appreciation for Mackerel fish. I absolutely love Vietnamese "Ca Nuc Kho" or Braised Mackerel. I used to hate eating fish growing up because I grew up in the Midwest and always preferred American food over Vietnamese food. I think spending time with my new Vietnamese girl friend here in Washington State has really helped me connect more with my Vietnamese roots. She's teaching me how to cook foods that I never thought I could make myself. She's also a few years older than me, married, and just had a baby!! I see her as a big sister figure who reminds me a lot of my mom. They have actually met last year and really clicked.

So far in my life, a lot of friends from grade school, high school and college have come and gone. It's so weird how you can spend so much time with them and then just drift apart completely. I feel old friends make you who you are today, and it's bitter sweet to reminisce of the memories you shared with them. I do miss my bff, and college roommate Bonnie (aka BGB) the most. I wish I could turn back time and mend our friendship before time grew us apart. I cherish the friendship we had and I often wonder if we'll cross paths again in the future. I'll stay hopeful! :) Every once in a while I wonder if I can bring myself to going to our high school reunion. Who organizes those things anyways? lol

All in all, I'm very happy with the way life is for us in Washington State. I do still miss all my friends and family in Michigan, but Washington finally feels like home. I'll be celebrating my 4 year anniversary living in Seattle at the end of September already!

I will talk with you all later. :) Thanks for reading my long post!

Hello!

Hello! How is your weekend going? Mine is off to a pretty awesome start. The sun came out about an hour ago. We've had two days of calm cloudy skies here in the Pacific Northwest. It will be my 4 year anniversary with this very green state of Washington next month!! lol I can't believe I moved here nearly 4 years ago. I'm finally starting to feel like it's my city. :D

My friend, Marisa came over the other day and she took me to this hidden gem of a beauty salon in Renton where they offered eyebrow threading for $5! (Upper lip was only $2 too!) The girl who threaded my eyebrows was super fast with the thread and I love the final results. She definitely was a pro because it didn't hurt at all. If you get someone who doesn't have "the skill" it feels like little razors cutting into your skin. lol #truth. I used to get my eyebrows done at any mall and it usually was hit or miss depending on who you get that day. It cost $15 for eyebrows and $7 for the upper lip without their membership card (which is now $80 for 6 months..yeah no thanks!).  My eyebrows don't grow that fast each month! I'm so thrilled to have found a new place to get my eyebrows groomed!

I also discovered the "Costco" or "Winco" of Asian grocery stores. It's in the same building as the eyebrow threading salon. It's called DK Market, and it's this giant building filled with all sorts of ethnic foods. The best part is definitely all the fresh produce. You can buy 5 fresh, huge cucumbers for $1!! That's the price of one cucumber at most grocery stores. They also have the best price for Granny Smith green apples! It's 79 cents per pound!! I started out buying them at the local grocery store for $1.99 per pound...then I got smarter and found them for 99 cents per pound at Viet Wah (Vietnamese/Chinese grocery store). Now I have a new place to stock up on green apples. :) I have been using my Breville Juicer (5 Speed, everyday for the past month. And I almost always use cucumbers and green apples in my juice recipes. Kale, green apple, and ginger is one of my favorite simple juices. I also like cucumber, lime, ginger, and green apple (or carrots).

That's pretty much what I've been up to...getting my eyebrows threaded for $5, and bargain shopping for cucumbers and green apples. My life is very exciting right now. lol jk or am I?

I also have been obsessed with listening to the Pitch Perfect station on Pandora when in the car! I love that movie!!

I end my evenings watching an episode of two of Barefoot Contessa. I have over 68 episodes recorded on the DVR. I love Ina Garten! She's defines East Coast, American "royalty" in my book! :)

We have some hydrangeas in our yard and I figured why not spruce up the house. I just put 3-4 stems of flower in a small mason jar. How Pinterest-y of me, right? Almost, I didn't wrap it with twine and tie a bow knot on it yet. lol  Fresh flowers really DO make a big difference on the appearance and feel of your house. I wish someone who works downtown would bring home some pretty Pike Place Market flowers every week for me. ;)

I am now a master at making mochi desserts! I've actually only made them 3 times and they've turned out delicious every time because the recipe is super easy! Here's the Youtube video recipe I followed.

I'm on day 3 of bleaching my teeth again. For a period of time (cough, cough winter), I completely stopped caring about hair, makeup, etc. lol I drank a lot of black coffee, espresso, and black tea so my teeth were slowly getting less white day by day. I'm glad to be back to my happy self and I'm taking it a day at a time to get back my pearly whites! I used to be so obsessed with whitening my teeth. I guess I secretly like the gum sensitivity? It feels kind of cool when air touches your teeth...in a really painful way. lol

Did anyone buy anything from the Nordstrom Anniversary sale this year? I thought I was going to pass, but I discovered how awesome of deals they had on Zella (Nordstrom's version of Lululemon active wear), and Spanx! I splurged on three pairs of Zella's gym pants. They feel SO good! I like them much better than Lulu.

I've been so obsessed with wearing dresses. It's so not me, but for some reason as I get older, I start to feel the need to be more feminine. I picked up the Spanx Slim Cognito body shaper because it had a lot of good reviews and it was on sale (around $50 from $80!)! I've been buying a lot of $20-$25 summer dresses from Target. It is the best place to find affordable cotton dresses, however they don't wash very well. They all start looking old after a couple wash cycles. : / Then I start wearing them as my "at home" clothes.

I finally got my first two pairs of black Havaianas flip flops! I can see why they are a "favorite" item. They're super comfortable and non-slippery. I remember in middle school, I was obsessed with the Old Navy flip flops. I had them in almost every color (bad idea because they looked so dirty when your foot print starts staining the base.) You would also  have to be careful where you walk because you can easily slip if the floor is wet. You won't have that problem with the Havaianas!

The Sam Edelman Gigi Sandals I have in Rose Gold have been THE Summer sandal for me. They're so comfortable! They're worth the money, get them if you're on the fence! This reminds me that I should visit Target to see if the Sam & Libby shoe line is on sale or clearance. They're the same Sam!

This has become a very random blog post, but I love it because it's been a while since I've had a "dear diary" post. :)

A few more things,

I have been so into Thai Pad See Ew noodles with beef and tofu! lol I never used to like Pad See Ew and always ordered Pad Thai, but now I've switched over! I also love Indian Tandoori Chicken..I can never get enough of Indian food. I love it!

True Blood and Drop Dead Diva are definitely my favorite Summer shows.

Timmy and Wally are doing great! They're 3 years old and they're finally dogs in my mind. I used to always refer to them as the puppies, but they're grown and responsible now! There's no more chewing on mommy's things. Phew! I'm so happy that phase is over!

Cupcakes and Cashmere is a blog I cannot get enough of! She's so good at always updating too. :) I look forward to checking her blog.

I gave my mom my iPhone 4S and introduced her to the world of Candy Crush back in May and she is OBSESSED. She text me to send her lives, and tickets to unlock episodes. She doesn't even call me to ask. She demands them via text message! lol What have I created?! Somehow, she learned to send a group text to my sister and me. It says,

Mom: "Unlock candy crush for mom please. Send me ticket!"

Me: "Ok" (I open Candy Crush, a game I don't even play anymore to accept all to the messages.)

Mom: "Thank you. Still need one more."

*minutes later*

Mom: "I want tickets not lives."

It's like WHOA lady, calm down. lol I only open Candy Crush to send her lives so I guess it takes a while before it updates me on who to send lives, and tickets to...okay!?

Anyhow, I gotta go now! We're off to go look at a house and piece of land with our friends. They're super into houses, land for investment. I feel like I've grown so much this year. I'm 26 and I finally feel like I know who I am. :) It's a wonderful feeling! I'll talk to you all later! 

January Life Update

 Hey everyone! I've been in Michigan visiting my family for the past few weeks.

It's very chilly here! It's currently 3 degrees outside and snowing. My sister was supposed to fly back to Boston today (MLK Monday), but her flight got canceled and she won't be able to fly out until Wednesday. We're experience what has been nicknamed on the news as an "Arctic Blast." At least we get to spend another two days with her. :) Julia and I have been spending time catching up with our cousins and Michigan relatives. We went to see Silver Linings Playbook last week and it was a really good romance-comedy-drama. Julia and I love Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence! They're both amazing actors.

It's incredibly wonderful to be home and taken care of by my family. I really wished I live closer to my parents and family. My Mom and Aunt are such amazing cooks! I feel so spoiled when I'm home. 

My Mom and Aunt are constantly competing to out do one another with their Vietnamese cuisine. I'm always stuck in the middle! The good news is I've been learning how to cook some more Vietnamese dishes. :)

My sweet friend Jedy sent me a really sweet care package and I wanted to share some of her favorite things with you.

 She sent me so many sheet masks which is perfect for cold weather. I do what I can to keep my skin hydrated in freezing Michigan!

 How cute is the Hello panda stamp? I love little details. :) Thanks Jedy!