a little late :o)

Sorry about just now posting these, but I'm back in Texas and have my final pictures from New York! It's great to be back and I miss a few things about the city...but I'm here to stay :o)

This is on Thursday - right after I made my presentation I found out about our national ad so we went out for our lunch break to buy copies!

Walking to our Graduation Dinner after work on Thursday I passed this Summer sign - it's a reminder of the best summer I've had :o)

At our Graduation Dinner

With the national ad!

The ad with all the intern's autographs

Receiving my thank you gift from Claudia Poccia, mark.'s president

Claudia (President), Janet (intern coordinator), Dawn (also the intern coordinator)

Me and Lily, the Executive Marketing VP

Me and Claudia

Friday morning before work me and Hanna went to the Today Show to see Jason Mraz perform! We got there too early and only got to see one song because of having to go to work

Al Roker is on the blue thing

Jason Mraz is the one on the left with the hat on and in plaid

One last time in front of 1251 Avenue of the Americas :o(

My intern ID to get onto the mark. floor

My Avon ID to get into the actual building

Another picture in front of Columbia's library

Our last dinner me, Hanna, and Ashely went to Carmines...it's similar to Bucca de Bepo for those who know that restaurant

It was delicious and huge!! We share this one pasta dish and only ate half!

Walking home we passed by Monk's/Tom's restaurant from Seinfeld

Then we took another last time trip to our crepe and tea place :o)

My tiramisu

And finally my Columbia ID - I had to give it back so that's why I took a picture

I hope you've enjoyed keeping up with my summer interning with mark. in New York!! I plan to keep this blog for personal use from now on, so keep checking back to read how my final college semester is going!!

Thank you to everyone for all of the support you gave me this summer! I really missed home but I had an experience of a lifetime and wouldn't change anything!

Come back soon :o)

xoxoxo

Well tomorrow is the day. It's the day Claudia will see my work on the haircare project. It's the day she will see how I've spent my time over the past 10 weeks. And it's the day to prove to myself that I've really done a "real world" project, and not just something that's for a grade.

From the first time I started feeling nervous a few days ago, I was truly confused because I asked myself, why am I nervous if there's no grade that follows? Tonight after reviewing my presentation over and over.. I've realized that I'm just a people-pleaser, and even though I get no grade, I still want to be able to not sound nervous (which I know I need practice on based off last semester's communication class I took) and communicate my work in a clear way. Even if Claudia and Lily don't like my ideas, I think it will still be a good feeling for me as long as they understand what I'm trying to say and can follow along with the order I have my presentation set up. I know most people probably feel this way, but it's been such a cool/nervous/eye-opening reality that just over the past 10 weeks I've really grown within mark. as well as myself. I don't just want to please the president of mark., but I want to know that I can complete a real life project and prove to myself that I really will be ready to graduate come December.

Life as I know it is here and has started - I just have been living in this fun, little, graded world, but even going back to school next semester I don't think that will be the case. After this experience, I know that with the right coaching and mentoring in whatever I end up doing after graduation, I can succeed and enjoy it along the way. This summer has certainly had it's ups and downs, but I believe that every one of those pieces has now come together to create this wonderful masterpiece of "that one summer in New York City"

I am so blessed and thankful to have gotten to come here, and come tomorrow morning at 11:30am I will have finished my internship and will be relaxing over a nice lunch (out of the office finally!) and will get to enjoy the remaining presentations. Even theough I am extremely nervous already, I am constantly praying for confidence and peace and a miracle of great presentation skills :o)

Thank you for letting me relieve some stress - Now it's time for bed so I can get up bright and early, get my usual coffee and bagel (wow I might really be a local...) and kick butt with my presentation :o)

Goodnight!! See everyone REALLY SOON!

Love, Taylor

mark. interns making our mark

Sorry I've been slow again with updating - Everyday I feel like I add more things to my list of what I want to do before I leave, so this weekend was fullll of shopping :o) But I want to share pictures with you from last Thursday, when all the interns had our philanthropy day!

We went to the Dress for Success warehouse in Brooklyn (but they have the events nationwide) and sorted out donated clothes! Dress for Success is a donation event where women can donate work appropriate clothes, especially suits, because women who can't afford those necessities for jobs, can come in and "borrow" a suit for a job interview. If she gets the job then she gets to keep the suits plus a week's worth of work clothes! Here's the website for more info: http://www.dressforsuccess.org/. I know that I'll definitely help the organization again - either by donating or going to a warehouse like we did last week.

Here's the journey from 9am on the subway, to finshing around 4 - which we got to home home afterwards...so I took advantage of the nice weather and layed out for a while (but you can't tell)

I didn't know Dunkin Donuts's drinks were sooo large - I was thirsty and needed coffee...I didn't even finish half :o)

Walking inside the warehouse

The clothes were sorted by season then size, then when that trash bag was full they got thrown to this pile...I wish I would have taken a before picture because it was not this high at all!

We all found some interesting finds throughout the day...

Me and Janet - our wonderful intern coordinator!!

Me and Kristiauna on the finished pile before leaving

Me and Hanna

Thursday was a great day - I love working for places like that! The whole time I was there, I kept thinking about the mission trips I used to take in high school - Takin' The City. Those trips were strictly mission work, and working at a warehouse like this would have fit right in.

This weekend Scott's aunt and cousin, Barbara and Paige, came to the city! They came last summer for a shopping trip and it worked out for them that they could do it again. We had such a fun time and I'm so happy they let me tag along :o) Friday night they came in, but I went to an Avon and mark. intern social so I didn't get to see them. But Saturday I met up with them on Canal Street. We literally spent HOURS there just going into all the backrooms and walking up and down the street! It was so fun and even though I'd been a few times this summer, I really wish I would have still spent more time there (maybe it's best for my bank acount that I didn't...) But we all found great finds and a lot of Christmas presents :o) and when I get paid on Friday I plan to spend my last day on Canal St again. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera with me this day, but pictures really wouldn't do the day justice.

After Canal, we dropped our goodies off at their hotel, and jthen walked the Brooklyn Bridge. We were going to try to eat at Grimaldi's, but the line was literally all the way down the block (Scott, even though we had already eaten that night, we really should have just gone in anyways since there was barely a line) We found another pizza place just around the corner anyways, and it was just as good! We shared a pizza with bacon, avacados, and tomatoes - Paige has a picture of this and I'll share it asap! After walking back we went to bed since we wanted to start early on Sunday. So I went back home and the next day, again, met them on Canal St. since we had a few requests from people to try to get for gifts. After Canal, we went to a store that they discovered last year, Necessary Clothing - I will definitely go back whenever I get the chance to come up here again...I spent a little too much money at the store but it was all too cute to pass up :o)

After shopping and dropping our stuff off at their hotel again, we went down to Chelsea to eat dinner and wait for an off-Broadway show to start. We went to The Imaginary Invalid at The Cell. Here are the pictures from it:

This is The Cell - it was a townhouse that they've turned into their "studio"

Before the show we walked next door to Patsy's Pizza - we love pizza :o)

Once inside, it was crazy how small it was. This is the "stage"

Yep, there was literally 2 rows of seats!!

This guy was a HILARIOUS character! My pictures were taken while my camera was in my lap with no flash on - so you can't really tell how we was acting, but I promise he was what made me laugh the most!

Again, the really funny character (they all were funny at some point though!) thought he was kissing the girl in the background to the right...

And here he is again clapping like he was 5 while everything was serious

These are all the pictures I got from the weekend :o( but I had such a great time with them - and did some great shopping!!

Today and yesterday have been a little hectic since presentations started today. I feel that I still have a lot to work on, so tonight I'm making some visuals to go ahead and get those out of the way. But hopefully tomorrow I'll get everything done, and will just have to wake up and present, no waiting around all day!

So after Thursday I plan on doing my last minute trips to places and will soon have more pictures. For now though, please think about me trying to get my presentation ready because I'm starting to get nervous. I know it's not like it's for a grade but I just want everything to be presented cleary, and with what I'm trying to present, I having some problems....but it will all be over soon :o)

Have a good night and I'll talk to you soon! Oh, and I failed to mention that I'll be home in 4 daysss!!!

Love, Taylor