Messay: Internship

Hey, friends!

I just finished my first internship. I worked in the Marketing Department at HealthTexas Provider Network.

If you don't know what that is, neither did I. And to be honest, I'm not sure I still do. If I had to offer a definition, I'd say it's a group of medical practices that all function under the Health Texas name. So the Marketing Department of HealthTexas runs the marketing for every doctor practice in the network, about 150 health providers, from orthopedics to primary care. 

Even though my major is creative writing + public administration, not anything marketing or business, I worked with the marketing team. I lived with my aunt in Dallas for the month, did Pure Barre five days a week, and went to DryBar for the first (and likely only) time.

As I kept working, they let me do things that were more and more important. The first week, I stuffed envelopes, labeled folders, and made copies. The second week, I edited an award application. By the fourth week, I was interviewing different employees and crafting write-ups for the value report.  

I got to sit in on meetings, which taught me about how to accomplish projects over a period of weeks. I also got to see what it really looks  like to work in a business environment. Full disclosure: I was the only one in fun dresses. (Let's change that, ladies, shall we?) I also packed my lunch in mason jars, which people thought was adorable, and I ate overnight oats almost every day. 

10/10 would recommend an internship, even if you get stuck in the elevator for 45 minutes one day because you did jumping jacks! I learned a ton and got lots of good experience. Hooray!

Baking: Cake Towers

Hey friends!

Recently, I've started baking cakes. I see them on Instagram and just can't wait to replicate then at home. I have pics of the three I've made, and, for the last one, I made one of those speed-up recipe videos, which was very work-intensive and also super, super fun. 

This one was, if I remember correctly, a cake mix from a box and can of frosting. An easy start allowed me to spend more time on decorating it!

Below is a pre-frosting pic. So cute & funny-looking! I used a six-inch pan for all of these, but they're so tall that I think it makes sense to call them cake towers.

This next cake was a recipe from a Columbian blogger named Julian Angel who makes amazing cakes. I found him on Instagram, and I want to make every cake he has on his blog. I've tried two of his recipes (see the next cake too!) and they're unique and delicious. I refrigerated the frosting, which messed it up and made it not spread smoothly, but otherwise, the cake was perfecttt. It's a vanilla buttermilk cake with swiss meringue buttercream frosting (recipe here! FYI, his recipes are in grams, so I use a scale to measure ingredients when I make them.). Absolutely decadent.

This final cake is also from Julian Angel—it's his chocolate cake. Besides that it made a way tinier cake than I expected, it was perfect.

Watch me make this whole cake in just two minutes! Here's a video I made that shows the whole process:

https://vimeo.com/174210795

Travel: Beautiful Things in China

I was in China for about a week earlier this summer. Here's a few of my favorite things I saw. 

Shanghai 

Market in Xiamen

Xiamen University Dorm Rooms

Hong Kong from the Peak, a lookout that's reached by riding a trolley

Kitchen Shop in Hong Kong. 

I could've spent forever there. 

Picnic and Hong Kong Laser Show

We had tea in our hotel, and this is my leftovers.

Hong Kong Flower Market, another place I could stay forever.

There ya have it, folks! What a magical country!

Crafts: Handwriting

Letters: To my Kamp Kounselors

I think it's important to reflect on how we've become who we are, and I also think it's important to thank those who've made us that way. 

I'm head to my 12th summer at Kanakuk, my first as a counselor. I wrote a letter to some of my most influential counselors to thank them for loving me well. Here it is!