Avenue of the Stars

I made it to Hollywood on Saturday and finally saw Avenue of the Stars.

It was completely different than what I expected.

People were everywhere.

Tons and tons of people.

Hovering over the stars on the sidewalk.

After the overwhelming madness of Hollywood we hit up Johnny Rockets for some shakes.

Following our visit to Hollywood we drove around downtown LA.

Then we headed to South Pasadena for dinner.

We ate at a cute little 'ma & pa' restaurant.  The 'Pa' spoiled us and basically cut our bill in half.

Great day spent with great people.

We went out last night

Actually we went out Friday night with our fellow intern, Rob.

Rob is done with his internship at TOMS on Tuesday. 

He is leaving early because he is studying abroad in Brazil for the fall semester.
A going away celebration was necessary.

He showed us around and we had an unbelievably great time with him and his friends.

Venice

 

 

Me: "Katie, do you want to go to Venice today after work and take pictures?"

Katie: "Yeah, sure I'd love to!"

Give

“Giving is what Fuels Us / Giving is our Future / It’s the core of our Business / And its time we celebrate it” … says Blake Mycoskie , the innovative and dynamic social entrepreneur, and Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS.

Today I worked on storyboards for the overall Fall 2011 advertising campaign.

So much work goes into selling shoes (and sunglasses).

Another task was to shop online to see what our competitors offer.

I had lunch with Melanie, a summer 2010 intern, who now works full time at HQ.

She is adorable, so sweet, and passionate about TOMS.

She picked up her whole life to move out to CA from MI and loves her decision.

This evening I sat on the beach and called my mama. I miss her so much.

TOMS

Behind these doors you will find the barn, a meeting room modeled after the barn in Argentina where TOMS journey began.

On the walls you see photos from shoe drops.  Pictures that grab your heart and show pure happiness.
This our lobby at TOMS.

I am realizing how much I love this company and how happy I am at work.
I have two incredible managers, a wonderful mentor, and co-workers who are willing to take time out of their busy schedule to talk with me.
My intern class - they are phenomenal.
Tonight we all had a wonderful dinner together.  Molly graciously cooked a delicious meal for us.

I learn something new everyday.
I am challenged everyday.
I work to put shoes on the feet of children in need and give sight to those in need.
My life is so incredibly awesome.

Margaritas

Margaritas on a Monday night.
Still getting used to working from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Glad we still have more college days ahead of us.

My weekend was spent...

... in Redlands, California with these two beautiful girls.

Elyse (right side) and her family were gracious and invited us to stay at their house with them over the weekend.

We woke up to the sun shining with an incredible view of the mountains.

We had a delicious breakfast at a cafe followed by a visit to the Spanish market.

We relaxed by her pool and indulged in authentic Mexican salsa and guacamole.

Her dad made homemade lemonade slushies that were to die for.

We enjoyed being away from LA traffic.

 

We heard stories about Elyse's childhood. One was so funny we were crying.

It was such a wonderful weekend.  Her parents spoiled us rotten. We had so much delicious food and some great conversation.

 I was trying to get a picture with their beloved dog, Jack.  Although they might not all be looking, I think it is pretty adorable.

Thank you sooooo much for hosting us.  It was an incredible weekend that will not be forgotten.

Friday, Friday

Friday morning started out with an intern project: How to Clean Your TOMS.

A potential blog post for the TOMS website.

Later that morning, we had an all staff meeting reviewing the Fall 2011 line.

Blake (our CEO)  talked about how he was inspired by the movie Waiting for Superman and so this collection reflects education/back to school.

By the way, we have some pretty ridiculously talented designers here at TOMS.

During happy hour the interns were in charge of distributing the sunglasses that each employee received as a gift. Everyone was so excited to receive them and even more excited to know that TOMS matched the one for one promise behind the glasses.

The Zappos Delivering Happiness bus also made a pit stop at headquarters and gave us all a copy of their CEO's #1 NY Times Bestseller book.

Guess I will have to find some time to read it...

Give

Tonight we had an intern movie night.
We watched Waiting for Superman -
A documentary about the poor education system in America.
The movie follows five families’ hopes of being accepted to charter schools.
It is an incredible movie that makes you appreciate your education.

I am so grateful that I attended a wonderful parochial elementary school with teachers who worked hard to produce successful students. I am also thankful that I attended a wonderful public middle and high school with teachers who had the same expectations.

The movie is one that brought me to tears.
It makes me want to make a difference in this world.
Perhaps "Teach for America" will be my next venture...

The movie does put a spotlight on Washington, D.C. because it is the poorest public education system in America.
I couldn't help but to think of my wonderful experiences at For Love of Children last summer where I tutored an inner city boy.
One of the first things I was told when I volunteered at FLOC was that many teachers pass students to the next grade (even if they should not be moving up) to get rid of them.
My heart ached when I heard this and still does.

It has been an emotional day all around...
One of my job responsibilities is to approve the photos for "How We Wear Them" at TOMS.
I see lots of different photos with captions throughout my day.
Today was a day unlike any other.
I stumbled upon this caption (I can't include the photo)

“We were in Ethiopia bringing our little girl home through adoption and she had been given a pair of TOMS as a gift. Thank you for all you do for the children of the world. We LOVE the shoes and we LOVE you!!!!”

And that is why we do what we do at TOMS.

Check Out Our Bikes

We (usually) bike to work.

2.5 miles one way.

Because we are in Santa Monica for a little less than 3 months, Liz and I decided to buy cheap(er) bikes.

We found two bikes that were assembled and ready to go for $100 at Target.

While 'The Magna Great Divide' might be a little small (its a girls bike!) it still gets me from point A to point B.

Intern Project

Every once in a while we get an e-mail saying: "Intern Project"

Personally, I love them.

You (usually) get to move around, interact with people in other departments, bond with interns and of course, have fun.

On Tuesday we helped cut burlap for window displays. 

Lots and lots of burlap.

(The manager of this project likes to have fun too)

On Tuesday, I was fortunate to sit down with the vice president of my department and chat.

Her name is Tricia and she is absolutely wonderful.

Tricia has worked for Guess, Disney, Hot Topic and other well known brands.

She encouraged me to jump on as many opportunities in life that I can (even if they are opportunities I might not be strongly interested in)

She explained that within these opportunities you learn how departments work together, how to run a business, and how to treat employees.

Tricia also stressed the importance of 'enjoying the journey.'

This is a phrase I am always needing to be reminded of.

I am so blessed that the VP sat down with me for over an hour and genuinely wanted to get to know me personally.

Sometimes my mind can't even grasp the fact that I am interning at such an amazing company.

A look into our abode

As soon as I received the internship offer at TOMS, I immediately was nervous about finding housing.

Luckily, three other interns were in the same boat.

We started chatting on Facebook after we received a list of other interns names.

We had to find housing in less than three weeks.

Housing that was close to work.

Housing that was reasonably priced.

Housing that had furniture.

And the biggest of them all: a lease for only three months.

Luckily, Katie took the reins on the situation.

After many e-mails and phone calls, she found the perfect place.

2 bedroom - 1.5 bath - furnished - close enough to bike to work - 3 month lease - and a bonus, close to the beach.

 This is right when you open the door.  You walk into our living room/dining room/kitchen. The kitchen is on the far left.

Top left is Katie and Blaire's bedroom.

Top right is the bathroom.

Bottom left is the kitchen.

Bottom right is Liz and I's room.

So there you have it!

It might be a small kitchen, but it still cooks our food.

It might have drawers that don't have handles, but we can use our fingers.

It might have a bathtub that clogs, but we can buy another bottle of Drano.

It is our home sweet home and we love it.

Too bad we don't always love each other...just kidding! Got ya!

Sunday Sightings

1. Yummy strawberry-orange lemonade from the farmer's market.

2a. Farmer's market valet bicycle parking.

2b. Adorable restaurant that Blaire and I had brunch at.

3. Beautiful flower tree - I spotted it on my walk back to the apartment.

The farmer's market today was extremely crowded due to The 405 being closed. 

Have you heard about it? Carmageddon?

Weekend Goals:

Relax at the beach.

Celebrate our halfway mark through the internship with these pretty girls.

Get groceries.

Oh...and relax at the beach.

Tough life, huh?

I am happy because...

...my mid-point performance review with my manager went excellent!

...today we (the interns) got an e-mail stating "pick out your free pair of TOMS sunglasses"

...the Fall 2011 TOMS shoes will be released online tomorrow - we have been working oh so hard to get everything ready.

...we have a photo booth at work. yes, a photo booth. I love those things.

...I ran along the beach tonight and thought about how much I am learning this summer

(both work related and about myself)

...I have been blessed with so many great things in my life - I can hardly comprehend it.

Give

Name the ten wealthiest men in the world.

Name eight people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.

Difficult?

Name ten people who have taught you something worthwhile.

Name five friends who have helped you in a difficult time.

Easier?

Lesson: The people who make a difference are not the ones with the credentials, but the ones with the concern.

Good people have good things in their hearts.
Matthew 12:35

I read this last night and thought it hit home so I wanted to share.
Taken from And the Angels Were Silent

Trip of a lifetime

There is no way I could possibly explain how wonderful our family trip was to Alaska.  I could spend hours upon hours explaining what we did, what we saw, etc.  I decided to post the pictures with brief descriptions and let them speak for themselves.

It was a wonderful trip filled with memories. 

We laughed so hard we cried.

We bickered.

We sang.

We had fun.

We are a family. A family are we.

Thank you mom and dad for such an unforgettable trip. Memories I will cherish forever.

Alaska - Day 5

photo #1: Nature hike in the morning with my dad.

photo #2: Plane ride to Mount McKinley

photo #3: Teresa and I in the back of the plane

photo #5: Breathtaking scenery of the mountain

photo #6: Our cabins in Alaska

photo #7: Beautiful Mount McKinley

Alaska - Day 4

photo #1: Family before we enter Denali National Park

photo #2:  6 hour bus ride through the park - we see grizzly bears, moose, and other kinds of wildlife

photo #3: Halfway through the trip, our bus breaks down - no worries - Jim Wasko to the rescue. He can fix anything. Saved the trip for us and all of the other passengers.

photo #4: Jessica and I in front of the mountains

photo #5: God created a beautiful world.