Bridges Through Life

Mid Year 2022 Goal Check in

July 9, 2022 by Alicia Leave a Comment

I’ve been seeing the theme of mid year goal check ins around now that we are in the second half of 2022. It’s really Ashley who inspired me to write a bit today.

May and June seemed to fly by for me with leaving a job and starting a new one. I have had quiet a bit of driving back and forth and I’m feeling ready to stay put for a bit and enjoy Philadelphia summertime. I love my apartment! When I first saw it, the space felt so tiny and I like my space so I didn’t know how I would live in such a small space, but adding the furniture made a huge difference and I’m loving it.

I never did a goal post for 2022, mainly because my #1 goal was “get a new job,” which for obvious reasons, I didn’t want to share with the internet, but many people close to me knew. I am happy to say I achieved that in the first half of 2022. I am learning so much in my new role and still happy with the decision.

I also went on my first yoga retreat in April 2022 (read recaps: here, here and here).

This was another big goal of mine for years and after finishing my MBA, was the perfect present to myself. Getting the job offer while I was at the airport was crazy and if you missed the story, you can read it HERE.

Now that we are entering the second half of 2022, I will share 2 goals on my mind.

Grow my savings account: my big goal is to aggressively save money to buy a house in the Philadelphia suburbs next spring/summer. May and June were expensive months with moving and furnishing the apartment, so I’ll be happy to have some low-key weekends and months to work on my savings goal. I don’t have any upcoming travel plans and I’m content with that to save money the rest of the year.

2. Health: Movement daily! Part of my moving meant that I could get access to a swimming pool. I have been swimming 2-3 times a week and want to aim for 3 times a week at least while the outdoor pool is open since I paid extra for that. I joined Pure Barre for a once a week membership and loving that. I have been doing drop in yoga or yoga at home and would like to add at least one weight session a week. My main focus is swimming for the summer. Once it’s indoor pool season I may do 2x swim and 2x weights each week. I just have to find my groove with weights exercises again but definitely want to continue incorporating with my movement. I personally like variety in my workouts and I think having swimming, barre, yoga and weights is great, just learning to balance all my exercising love.

Those are my two main focuses for the remainder of this year, as well as learn as much as I can at my new job. My role is very different from my last but excited to be given this opportunity to grow in my career.

Do you set goals each year?

-it’s completely fine if you don’t. I don’t always set goals, but usually have a couple in mind.

Do you do a mid year goal check in?

Studio Apartment Tour Philadelphia Suburbs

June 26, 2022 by Alicia 1 Comment

I wanted to give a little tour of my new studio apartment in the Philadelphia suburbs. At first when I toured the place, I was like wow this is tiny. Since I didn’t have many options to choose from (basically this was it!) for availability right away, I was like well I can make this work. I liked the location of this apartment being next to the train station to easily go to the city without driving. Additionally, the apartment was nice and updated. There were other apartments that had more space for the same price but very outdated so this apartment just seemed like the best option. I was also on a time crunch for a place and didn’t have 3 months to wait for other options.

I feel like once I got furniture, some of which added more storage for me, it felt more cozy. We also feel that we could easily use these furniture pieces in our next home so it’s not a waste buying everything new. Most of the furniture was purchased from IKEA.

The apartment is 430 square feet. There is surprisingly a lot of closet/storage space in the apartment. I don’t show the laundry area which has a huge open space for storage. I still want a shelf of some sort for the area. The front closet and “bedroom” closet are also good sizes. I also have a balcony which is much larger than I would have imagined. I still want to purchase a patio set but I did get an outdoor rug from Amazon to give it some color outside. I will say this is definitely a cheap outdoor rug and not sure how long it will hold up but I really only need it for a year so it was good enough for me.

Living room/bedroom

We already had the bed and mattress. Bedframe was from overstock 4 years ago.

I got the privacy divider from Amazon because the blinds do not block all the light. Without having blackout curtains, this is a great option. I have slept much better since adding this to the room. This divider is 4 panels but I have 2 together to block more light towards the wall. I think it’s a nice size and it adds a little decorative element to the room.

Futon is IKEA. Coffee table is Target. You can see in the above photo how I store my yoga props and foam roller under the futon and it’s perfect so I can easily access them if I want to stretch or do yoga.

We got the microwave stand (really a cabinet) and TV stand from IKEA as well. I love the cabinet for a microwave stand since that is now my pantry and adds great storage. I also loved the drawers on the TV stand for additional storage. The TV is from Micro Center and I realized it is the first TV brand new I have bought in my adult life! When we got our house we actually purchased the TV from the previous owners because it was massive and they didn’t want to move it.

I always need a desk area so this table from IKEA fit nicely next to the bed. Also the little nightstand is from IKEA. We got it initially for next to the futon but I’ve been using it next to the bed for my glasses, kindle and phone.

Lastly I just got the desk chair from Walmart. Walmart pick up was horrible so I won’t be doing that again, but it was a cheap chair and perfect for what I need. Similar to what I mentioned with the outdoor rug, this chair I will probably just use for the year I’m here because it’s cheap. I just didn’t feel the need to get a fancy desk chair. I actually like sitting on the floor at the coffee table but the desk is nice for work from home days. I do plan to get one monitor as well for the desk because I really like 2 screens when working.

If you are interested in costs, it was about a $700 IKEA trip. With the TV and some of the Walmart and Target items, I would say it was a bit over $1,000 to furnish to the studio apartment (take note we already had the bed and mattress which probably would have been another $1,000). I also spent quite a bit getting kitchen items, probably another $100-$200 for those. It was also a lot restocking spices and pantry staples. I like to bake so I needed flour, sugar and everything.

Overall, not bad for everything. Obviously IKEA stuff is great and affordable. One day I would like to invest more in furniture but that will be sometime in the future with a new house. We are hoping to find a house next summer so that we only have to rent for a year. The housing and rental market are really insane at the moment but hopefully it will start to settle down for next year. Meanwhile I’ll be cozy in this little studio apartment.

First Weekend Back in the Philadelphia Suburbs

June 11, 2022 by Alicia 2 Comments

As I write this, I’ve now been at my new job for 3 weeks. I feel like the time is flying by as after the first week, I got an apartment and have spent the last 2 weeks settling in.

First, I have to mention, the rental market seems as crazy as the housing market. I looked at 2 apartments and I ended up choosing the first one. One, because it was actually available right away and two because it was updated and I didn’t feel like I was going to find a better priced option. I have to say although the apartment is a small studio, it is perfect for this transition period. We hope to next year buy a house somewhere in the Philly suburbs. There were many apartments that were not available until July/August or September. Basically if a person gave notice today, you had to jump on that and wait 2-3 months for an apartment. Pretty crazy!

I moved in May 31st and had a few days sleeping on an air mattress and going to stores everyday after work as I made my list of things I needed. Brian came down the first weekend with our spare bed and mattress. I could feel after a few days on the air mattress, my back was not loving it. I was definitely happy to have a real bed in the apartment. We grabbed lunch in the King of Prussia town plaza at Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar. It was very good. I even got a mojito because when at a rum bar…

I honestly don’t usually drink, but my drink of choice would be a mojito. I only drank half because it was quite strong and I could feel it so Brian finished it off for me.

We had to leave room for dessert because my first couple days in the area, I discovered Duck Donuts. I have heard so many things about this donut place on Instagram and it is worth the hype.

After we were stuffed, it was time to shop for furniture. I had reached out to a couple people on Facebook marketplace but most of the furniture was not available or the person wasn’t free that day. Given that we had a short period to get use of Brian’s truck, we went to IKEA to see what we could find. Brian decided we needed a futon and I’m glad he did because it works well in the space and it provides an extra sleeping area if I have a friend stay over. I think we were at IKEA for 2-3 hours and we left with 3 carts!

The last time we lived in the Philadelphia area in 2014, Brian paid for the mattress and desk from IKEA, so this time I could return the favor and paid for the furniture. I think I’ll make a separate post with the photos, but we got a TV stand, microwave stand (really just a cabinet), futon, side table and a table for a desk. Additionally, we picked up a new set of sheets, a couple pillows and miscellaneous items. The only item we didn’t get was a desk chair, the one we liked was out of stock and they told us more were coming in. Unfortunately it has been a week and I still don’t see any in stock from checking the website. I may have to find another chair.

By the time we unloaded the truck with everything, it was like 7pm! I really don’t know where the day went. We had a huge lunch that tied us over so we decided on sushi for dinner and went to Sushi Nami close by. It was the perfect amount of food (I didn’t take a picture!) and when we got back it was time for bed.

The next day, we went out for breakfast to Nudy’s East Side cafe. It was such a cute place and the temperature that morning was beautiful. We sat outside and enjoyed breakfast. I thought I had ordered the short stack of pancakes but she put it in as a full. I didn’t even realize until I ate most of it and was paying the bill. Apparently I was a little hungry.

After breakfast, we needed to go to Home Depot to get a few basic tools to build furniture. We picked up a screw driver and hammer and a nice tool bag so I can start building a tool set for the apartment.

Brian put together the TV stand and then we quickly built the microwave stand before it was time for Brian to head out. I spent the afternoon running around for a few more items. I actually went to 3 different Target stores in this day! I ordered a coffee table from one that had it in stock. Then I later ordered a microwave from another that was closer. Brian and I had gone to one earlier to look for tools but Home Depot ended up being the better option. It was quite the running around weekend to get everything in order but I’m glad we did it in one weekend. Luckily it doesn’t take much to furnish a studio apartment and it’s much cozier now.

I was happy to cook dinner in the apartment and do some meal prep for the week ahead.

I enjoyed all the places we ate at, but I normally do not go out for 3 meals in a row. It was best to go out though since we didn’t have furniture in the apartment initially or a place to sit and eat. I had been sitting on the floor and using my yoga blocks for my plate to sit on for the week.

The apartment is coming together though and I’m getting into a new gym routine and learning a lot at work.

Currently May 2022

May 18, 2022 by Alicia Leave a Comment

I was just looking back at my posts and I haven’t done a currently post since October. I thought it would be fun to share a few things that I’m up to in this transition week before my new job.

Interestingly, I was re reading the October post and shared a quote:

“Trust the timing of your life. Keep focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, be kind, and follow your heart. Doors will open effortlessly, but first you have to be ready to walk through”

-Brittany Burgunder

When I talked about what I was currently dreaming of back in October, it was a new job that I could not share at that time. This quote couldn’t be more true for how things came about. Before my interviews in April, I accepted where I was. Then I got a couple interviews and I simply went into them being myself and when they went well, the job just felt so right and I was ready to walk through the new open door.

If there is something you are currently working on in your life and at work, whatever it may be, and it is taking way longer than you expect, keep working towards it, but also think about what you have and are grateful for in this moment. Be Present. Be Patient. Always easier said than done, but trust the timing.

And with that let’s get into what I’m up to lately….

Currently Reading… I just finished In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer. This book honestly didn’t ever hook me and took me a few weeks to finish. I just started The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. I’m about 50 pages in and just starting to really get into the story. I sometimes find I need to read a good chunk to get into a book. I actually set a goal this year with reading 30 books. It’s very ambitious for me since that’s more than 2 a month. Honestly I’ll be pretty happy if I read about 20 books, but really been turning to reading more since I finished school and as something to do other than TV watching which I’m a bit bored of.

Currently Watching… but speaking of TV watching…with this week off from work, I’ve been binging season 4 of The Circle. This is the one reality show that just hooks me, maybe because it’s like a game show + reality or the way they end the episodes with the craziest cliffhangers that you just have to keep watching. I thought all the episodes were out but then I got through episode 8 last night and 9-12 were released today, but the last episode number 13 is next week so I won’t be able to finish until next week sometime. Beside The Circle, I’m watching the final season of This is Us and will be so sad when it’s over.

Current purchase… Before my trip I was so good at not buying stuff and then I came home and had this list of things to purchase…I bought a couple casual clothing items from Old Navy. Finally jumped on the jogger trend and also got a cute athletic white crop top. I struggle with clothing size so much. I had ordered a small in the top, my usual size, but it was way too tight. I was able to return it to the store and they had the top in stock so I tried on a medium and it was so much better. So, I recommend sizing up if you are interested in this top. While I was at the store, I also saw some jean shorts that were not super short and didn’t have holes in them (sorry I just can’t get on board with those styles). For $15, I was like why not. Again I was glad I was at the store to try these on, because I tried a 6 and they were huge, so I went to a size 4 and they are still a bit big but I didn’t really want to go back to the dressing room with the size 2, so I just went with a 4. For reference, I am usually a size 6-8 in bottoms, but Old Navy definitely runs big, probably to make you feel better.

Current food… can we go with dessert? Yesterday I made Pinch of Yum’s latest cookie recipe, Strawberry white chocolate cookies. I will note I’m not a huge white chocolate person, but I have enjoyed when other people bring in white chocolate chip cookies. The recipe also called for freeze dried strawberries and I think it’s a texture thing for me, but I’m not a dried fruit or freeze-dried fruit person. However, in cookies sounded interesting to me and what else was I going to do in this free time. I usually stick to a classic chocolate chip cookie so it was nice to try a new recipe with different flavors and they turned out delicious. Definitely will be making again. I also put some of the leftover freeze-dried strawberries in my oatmeal this morning and they cooked in nicely.

Currently drinking…. Liquid IV and Rehydrates almost daily. I’m on an electrolyte drink kick! The first time I tried Liquid IV, I thought it was a bit too sweet. Well my sister bought me some for my birthday in April and I brought some on my Portugal trip and it was perfect on days where I couldn’t seem to drink enough water. I also love Advocare Rehydrate. I’m on an Advocare kick again. I like to have some Spark on hand for days I feel really low on energy. I don’t drink caffeine a lot, so just a little bit gives me a good kick of energy. I love the Rehydrate flavors and stocked up when they had the limited Pomegranate Tangerine since that’s my favorite.

Currently wearing… The last couple weeks have warmed up. I even wore a dress to my last day of work and it has to be like 80 degrees for me to wear a dress! I’ve been loving shorts weather again. These last couple mornings have been back to the 50s but it’s great for opening windows and cooling off the house. Pretty sure the AC unit will be going in next weekend because Saturday is calling for a high of 90 degrees and it’s not even June yet!!

Currently Excited for… going back to the Philadelphia area and starting a new job. I know there will be challenges, but it’s also exciting for growth in my career. Also excited for summer in Philly!

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