Happy holidays everyone! You may have noticed it's been a quiet month on the blog and it's all been for good reason. Big life decisions reasons! Yeah, I know!
So after a lot of behind-the-scenes decisions, I'm ready to share some of the dets! You ready?
Okay, after 6 years of being at my current position in my day job, I've decided to take the leap and try something a little different. Insert excited/sad/ambitious/nervous and surreal feelings here. I've had such an amazing tenure in my position and have been so lucky to have had a boss who has not only shown me the ropes of the industry but who has been integral to pushing me to try things a little out of my comfort zone -- she is the one who encouraged me to take a chance on NYC after all! When I was hired on as an intern in the dead of the recession in Portland, I had no idea where this journey would take me and I could never have predicted it would bring me where I am today! And I am SO thankful that my boss took a chance on little bright-eyed college senior Anna. The opportunities, the colleagues turned friends and family, the amazing clients -- I'll forever be grateful for it all.
So what's next?! Dun, dun, dun! I'm going to be taking a walk on the wild side.. I'm starting my own freelance biz called Bold & Pop! 🎉
As most of you know, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and while NYC is great a lot of the time, those 2,500+ miles are always tough to swallow and after 5 years those drives to the airport to head back and say goodbye never get easier. Just the thought of it makes me tear up.. It's kind of been a constant battle for me. The struggle between missing home and the things that matter with family but then also not wanting to give up the life I've built for myself and those in it in the city has been a constant tug-of-war that never seems to have a winner.
Which brings me to freelancing. A few years ago around this time at Christmas I made a promise to my mom that by the end of 2016 I would either move home or be bi-coastal. I had no idea how or if I'd be able to keep that promise but from that moment forward it's always been stuck in the back of my mind. Fast forward to this year when the timing just felt right for making a change and taking a chance. And that chance for me is freelancing in the social media, branding and web design world!
The really awesome thing about the my field of work is I can do it anywhere my laptop is! Whichhh, will allow me to have a little bit of both of my worlds! Can I get a WOH HOH! Want to know my second woh hoh? I'm kicking off this dream with almost a month on the west coast. Yes, a whole 26 days! Cue those surreal/excited/nervous feelings again!
I still have a ways to go before I can say I've met my goal but I'm dreaming big, taking a chance and putting one step in front of the other to make this dream a reality. You never know what can happen if you never try right?! I can't wait to see where this next journey will take me and I can't thank everyone who has been so supportive of me over the past few months while I've been working through my ideas on this decision. Bring it on 2016, I'm ready for what is next! And if you have any projects you could use my skills on you know how to find me 😉 hint, hint!
This burger might change the way you look at burgers. Yes, seriously. Chris and I discovered the Bondurants' Pimento Burger and let's just say our burger game has changed a little. Bondurants is an awesome neighborhood spot that features small batch bourbons, local distilleries, a draft list the rotates and some banging food.
Meet our new favorite burger on the Upper East Side in all of its pimento cheese, lettuce, pickled green tomato, hot sauce (this is key) and pretzel bun goodness.
The key things that set this burger apart with some southern flair are 3 things -- the hot sauce, pimento cheese and pickled green tomato. Combined together they give a nice kick to your mouth that compliments the burger perfectly. Add in the pretzel bun and you've got a seriously delicious burger. Just try it. You need to.
That's not all though. They make these tots.. that are unlike any tots you have had before. They are handcrafted and all sorts of delicious. They're bigger than what you are used to and once you take one bite dipped in their spicy ranch or ketchup you'll be hooked. We've been here a couple of times by now and vowed to try some of the other options on their shares menu, but we just can't get away from them! So tasty.
If you're a burger lover like I am it's worth the trip uptown (or down the street for me) to check them out. Eat up!
Guys, I got a new mattress! Not just any mattress either... A mattress from Brooklyn Bedding and spoiler alert, I LOVE it. So much so, I really just can't stop talking about it -- there have definitely been several Snapchats and texts sent out (you may have gotten one).
I've been thinking about getting a new mattress for quite some time, but let's be honest getting a new mattress in the city is kind of a drag. Plus, I didn't just want any mattress. I've never actually picked out my own mattress so I wanted to do that adult thing and make sure I did my research and found one that would be game changer -- I'm terrible at sleeping through the night. And hey, we spend a lot of our lives sleeping, it should be comfy! I did a lot of research but hadn't taken the plunge yet, so you can imagine how excited I was when Brooklyn Bedding reached out to me to see if I'd like to check out their mattresses. Cheyeahhh!
Not only did Brooklyn Bedding have amazing reviews of their mattresses (they're rated #1 on Amazon) but I also found out that the beds are delivered in a box! Yes, a box how cool is that? Totallyyyy perfect for someone living in the city like me. Normally ordering a mattress involves picking one out, scheduling delivery service (which always seems to take longer than you'd like), and planning your day around the delivery. Not with Brooklyn Bedding though. You pick out your mattress and it ships free usually within 3-4 days! Cool right? So here's a look at how the process works because I know you're curious!
The box arrived in my apartment building lobby and it took a little bit to get it up the stairs (dang you 5th floor walk-up) but was totally doable with 2 people. The mattress is made up of 3 different types of foams Talalay Latexm Dunlop Latex, and poly foam so there aren't any springs which allows it to be rolled up and into a box. Once you open the box the mattress looks like this!
Once you pull the mattress out of the box it's super simple, all you have to do is put it on your box spring (or flat surface foundation) and unroll it out of its plastic wrapping.
Once it is laid flat you just cut the edges of the plastic casing and POOF the mattress starts to expand like a marshmallow. It was kind of the coolest thing ever.. not going to lie.
I have to say, I was a little surprised that the bed poofed out and into position so fast. I was thinking it might have a little bit of a curve or what not until it got settled but it was pretty instantaneous.
Cue the part where I just laid on my new mattress for a good 30-45 mins in a lazy coma once I realized how comfy it was repeating "I love you new bed..." It was in that moment that I realized just what a good job they did picking out their hashtag #BestMattressEver. Because after that moment I had decided just that.
Eventually I did decide I needed to do the responsible grown up thing and put my sheets and comforter onto the bed.
So we've covered that the bed is super comfy anddd how cool the delivery process is, but there's also some other neat features worth mentioning!
Personalized Comfort Levels: Brooklyn Bedding isn't about that one-size-fits-all thing, which is why they have 3 different options -- Soft, medium, and firm (I went with the medium option)
Factory Direct and 100% Made in the U.S.: The business has been around sine 1995 so they aren't newbies to the market plus everything is made in the U.S.
120 Night Trial: Not sure about getting a new mattress? Well, they offer a 120 night trial (which is longer than competitors in the market) so you can make sure your new mattress is just what you're looking for. Looking for something different? That's cool too, they'll pick it up free of charge so you don't really have anything to loose.
Financing Options: Mattresses are an investment and while you might want a new one your pesky budget might be getting in the way. Living in NYC I totally get it! Luckily they offer a financing option too so you can spread out some of the payments if you need to.
And there you have it! If you couldn't tell already I'm definitely a huge fan of Brooklyn Bedding. They made the hassle of getting a new bed in the city totally smooth and holy comfiness. Boy, what a difference having an amazing mattress can make. My advice? Check them out, you won't regret it!
**Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Brooklyn Bedding provided me with a complimentary mattress in exchange for a blog post. This post and all opinions stated are based on my own ideas and honest experience with the product and has not been influenced based upon the sponsorship.