Amanda Rose Zampelli | the blog

the 4-day visit to south florida that was #partyatGrams2015

It is no secret that I think I hit the jackpot mega lotto with my two grandmothers. They are both strong and warm and kind and giving and excellent cooks and the epitome of what a great woman and grandmother should be. My Nana (dad's mom) passed away in 2002, but I am very grateful that my mother's mom, my Grams, is alive and winning at life!

Last week, from Tuesday through Saturday, my sister and I escaped from New York's prolonged winter weather, hopped on a plane, and retreated to Grams' Florida Condo (#21 on my 30 IN 30 list). If you follow me on instagram, then you probably saw some of what I called #partyatGrams2015. It was more of a hang out than a party, but if you know my Grams, then you'd know any hang out with her is so fun that it feels like a party. 

The trip was perfection. My cousins Claudia and Ryan joined my sister and I, and the four days felt like a hot tub haze of sunshine and laughter and toasty skin and really delicious meals and strong coffee and card games and some of my favorite people on the planet and warmth and love. The stuff 'the good life' is made of.

I'm happy to be back home and back in my routine, but oh, how I enjoyed myself! I recently caught the scene in Scent of a Woman when Al Pacino almost kills himself, but then doesn't, and sort of makes peace with it by singing the lyrics "...did ya ever have the feeling that you wanted to go...and still had the feeling that you wanted to stay?..." It perfectly described how I felt about getting on our return flight to NY. 

Even still, I soaked up every moment. I tap danced in the ocean. I catapulted myself in the pool. I did salsa in my Grams' living room. I treated my family to a hearty Cracker Barrel breakfast. I taught my Grams and Great Aunt Tina how to play Cards Against Humanity (#22 on my 30 IN 30 list). I laughed until my head hurt. I straightened my hair, put on heels, and felt beautiful. I stared at the sun in the day. I gazed at the stars in the night. I had a quacking conversation with ducks. I was where I belonged. I reveled in every single second.

TX to CA | the adventure continues

This year has been the year of plane travel -- solo exploration of various parts of this beautiful country in which I reside. A few months ago I got the opportunity to visit Salt Lake City, Utah.  A few days ago I moved to Texas and have been doing my best to soak it all up. Today, the adventure continues and I'm by myself this week visiting California. 

More on this trip to come, but for real-time updates on it all, including excessive amounts of palm tree images, follow me on instagram or twitter @amandarosezamp. ♥ See ya there!

we're in this together.

One dufflebag full of Carmen. One dufflebag full of Alejandro. ...and me, in the middle, trying to keep it together. Nine hours, two airports, and a new apartment later, all three of us managed to have a pretty good panic attack. I suppose I expected it from me, but seeing it from the two of them really threw me. Carmen wet herself. Alejandro hid shaking behind the washer/dryer. ...and their mama just about lost her mind. (Lucky Tomas.)

After we all slept a much needed sleep, we woke up feeling better.  The cats ate and litter-boxed; I made coffee and organized a bit.  Talking to mom and dad helped too, but I tell ya...I pray we get better adjusted.

Oh, my kitty boops, my travel buddies, my little life loves: we're in this together.  Let's stay strong, and try to remember we're going to be alright, no matter what. ♥ ♥ ♥ Happy Weekend, all!

PACK IT UP, PACK IT IN, LET ME BEGIN!

above image made from here and here 

I started packing, and I am in hell. Haa haa! Okay, no, that's not true, but it's kind of true. ;) All my friends keep asking me if I need their help, and the truth is: unless they are professional packers and movers, I don't.  I've been weeding through my belongs just fine -- it's the logistics of how to pack I need help with. Did I use enough bubble wrap? Am I making the boxes too heavy? I ran out of boxes, what do I do? How do you ship an iMac? ...all that good stuff. 

I shall be taking a short break from this space while I'm wrapped up in all this moving stuff. You can still see in-the-moment updates by following me on instagram or twitter @amandarosezamp.
Okay. Thank you. Love you. ♥ Bye bye!

NY to TX | 1 more week to go

One. More. Week. I'm getting on a plane with two cats en route to Texas in one week from today.

At this point, my emotions about it have kind of deadpanned.  Although I'm excited to an extent, it's hard for me to express any excitement.  Plain and simple: I truly don't know if this is the 'right' decision, and I'm going to miss my home. I don't know if that's logic talking or anxiety -- and maybe it's a little bit of both -- but I know that I'm getting on that plane anyway. Concerned, worried, and afraid -- with a sprinkle of excitement and the need to be strong for the kids (aka: my cats) -- I am going to board that plane in a week. 

It's legit going to take all the courage I can muster. It's literally one of those situations where "I can't do this, but I'm doing it anyway." I don't know if it's the 'right' decision, but it's a decision. That has to count for something. I'm learning to see decisions as experiments, and that no matter what the outcome of my decisions (good or bad), I am smart, resourceful, and have skills I can use to get me through. I've been learning to trust this truth. 

On missing my home, I've been learning to trust this truth: my home will always be here. I mean, could a fire blaze through my street destroying my home and everything inside it while I'm in Texas? Yes. But is that likely to happen. No? So why would I worry about missing my home or family and never getting them back again? Because I have anxiety, that why. Haa haa! I'm learning, I'm learning. On missing my home, I've also learned this truth: I'll always miss it. I now understand that shouldn't stop me from leaving it...

It's going to be a tough week for me.  I'm going to try to soak up everything before embarking on my new Texas adventure, and be very 'in the moment'  with family and friends...and packing. Dang! I have to do that.

NY to TX | 3 weeks and counting

There's something new happening in my world three weeks from today: I'm making the move from Queens, NY to Dallas, TX...and to say I'm freaked out about it is the understatement of the century.

Since Tomas visited New York back in May, and then returned back to Texas, we've been talking about me going down and living with him...what it would mean, how we could do it, and seeing if we could work. Somewhere in June, that's what I decided I wanted to do - see if we could work - in a new setting, without much influence of anything else but us two.

It kind of answers the question in the post I wrote on the 4th of July thinking about independence: How independent will I be by Summer's end? Turns out: pretty independent. 2000 miles away from everything I know and am used to, living with Tomas, diving head-first into adulthood and "the real world" (Ain't It Fun), and seeing if we can make it work.

More will be said on this in the days leading up to the move.  This will be a new series of posts on this space, equipped with the same header image you see above.

What I understand for me with where I'm at right now -- at 29-almost-30  -- is this: Independence needs to happen now, or risk it never happening at all.  Tomas and I have been in this limbo state of 'are we or are we not' for about two years, and we have to be together now and see if we could and should still be together, or risk it never happening at all.

As anxious as I am about it, the major deciding factor to make the move was this: I figured I could sit in my bedroom (in my mother's house!!!) for another year, follow the same exact routine I already know is not furthering me, and mull over whether or not I shoulda/coulda/woulda went to Texas, or I could just friggin GO. Go and discover if it is the right thing for me or not.

So I decided to just friggin go.

I'm going.

In three weeks.

...and I feel like that kid on the bus that peed my pants on the way to school.

Oh, and P.S. - the cats are coming with me.

I M a memory keeper. R U?

...and here's the big reveal, readers...the new venture I embarked on several days ago...

I was hired as a designer for the company We R Memory Keepers.

Last week, I visited the corporate offices and met the fabulous team behind all the innovative We R products that I've been using for years, and getting a feel for the work vibe and what the job will actually entail.  I'll be designing product to be sold in stores (AH!) and coming up with new ideas for products to aid in memory keeping.

It was an absolute pleasure at that office, but a big challenge as well.  I'm learning rather quickly that designing for fun is very different than designing for a living (post on that coming soon). I certainly have my work cut out for me -- in the best way possible. I'm up for it, and I look forward to where my creativity and this collaboration takes me.  I'll be blogging about the process, and if you follow along, will get first hand peeks at what's it's like to design for a craft company specializing in all things memory-keeping. Excited. 

Also, if you were playing along last week with my "Where in the World is Amanda Rose Zampelli?" posts I, II, and III, you would have seen some photos from my trip.  Where was I? Where is We R's corporate office located? Why, none other than...

Those mountains!  Uh! Those mountains!  I swear, everytime I caught site of them, I literally breathed the word "wowwww" out of my mouth.  Like, I couldn't hold it in.  I believe Miss Carrie Sunday and Miss Sharon Burkert were on to where I was. Nice sleuthing, ladies! ;)

So yes...the mountains in Salt Lake City, Utah are absolutely breathtaking...as is this opportunity I've been presented with (don't think I don't know it). I plan to work hard, do my best, and fill you in on it as much as I can.  ♥ Stay tuned!

Where in the world is Amanda Rose Zampelli? Part III

Where In The World Is Amanda Rose Zampelli?

Hello, readers!  I'm back again with the final enstallment of this new series entitled "Where in the world is Amanda Rose Zampelli?" It's meant to play off the super cool and ahead of its time T.V. series 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' and if you haven't already, please click the play button above to listen to the best TV theme song of ever.

The gist of this series has been as follows: I've hopped on a plane to some place in the world, but I haven't told you where I am.  I've posted picture clues and have left the rest up to your best guesses! Spy the first set of 'hint photos' here, and the second set here.

Here are the third and final set of picture clues:

I will reveal all about it Monday. Come back to check and see if your guess was correct! ♥

Where in the world is Amanda Rose Zampelli? Part II

Where In The World Is Amanda Rose Zampelli?

Hello, readers!  I'm back again with the second enstallment of this new series entitled "Where in the world is Amanda Rose Zampelli?" It's meant to play off the super cool and ahead of its time T.V. series 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' and if you haven't already, please click the play button above to listen to the best TV theme song of ever.

The gist of this series is as follows: I've hopped on a plane to some place in the world, but I'm not going to tell you where I am.  I'll post picture clues and leave the rest up to your best guesses! Spy the first set of 'hint photos' here.

Here are the second set of picture clues:

Where in the world is Amanda Rose Zampelli? Part I

Where In The World Is Amanda Rose Zampelli?

Good Tuesday, visitors to this blog!

This week I'll be posting for this new series entitled "Where in the world is Amanda Rose Zampelli?" It's meant to play off the super cool and ahead of its time T.V. series 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' and if you haven't already, please click the play button above to listen to the best TV theme song of ever.

The gist of this series is as follows: I've hopped on a plane to some place in the world, but I'm not going to tell you where I am.  I'll post picture clues and leave the rest up to your best guesses! Haa haa! Fun!

Here are the first set of picture clues:

Guesses in the comments. ♥