Summer is here...

Summer is finally starting. 

I finished my 280 hour internship at AcV2 architecture last Wednesday, but I stuck around until the end of the week because AIA Design in the Hills event was taking place and I figured it would be a good experience, I was right. I met a lot of different types of designers and architects at the event that were very interested in my education and willing to help in future projects. This is something different I have found compared to east river, west river design professionals are way more approachable and more than willing to help you continue or better your education which is so nice to have the network. Not only meeting these professionals was a great experience, but so were the presentations of Pecha Kucha, Allen Freeland's USGBC presentation on sustainability, touring downtown Rapid City, and Dick Termes' 6 point perspective workshop (lord help me I never have to do that again, it makes you weird). It was a great experience and for sure made new friends. 

As for the internship in general, I loved all the cake, Murphey's, Dakota Soda, and candy consumed. BUT I loved spending it with Patrizzle and Oh. Em. Gee. the most! I experienced more than I would have ever thought at an internship and it really opened my eyes to what to expect in the real world of interior design and architects, not to mention not all architects are the devil like we all thought here at SDSU. I may be a little biased, but I think out of us all I got the best experience with the ladies and they treated me like a princess and not just someone to do weenie work because I rarely did weenie work. I got to work on 3 residential projects dealing with remodels and add on's, I dipped my toes in on a few commercial projects, a LEED/restoration project, a hotel patio, and a few little other things. Work on means I built 3-D SketchUp models, assisted in picking materials, did space planning, corresponded with rep's, ordered materials, organized promotional material, made promotion material, and went to client meetings and construction  administration meetings. These are all things I would never have understand if I wasn't exposed to them by Patri and Emily, they really took me under their wings and included me in everything. I get a little teary eyed knowing that I am not on a vacation or going back there, I really think that they need to move to Brookings ;). They have so many projects and so much work I am really happy to see a business of two women going far and having so much talent. I believe that Emily and Patri handle it so well and are so good at what they do, it really shows in their projects and all of the projects that are coming at them. 

Now that I have finished I have a 100 page binder to finish and organize with the work I produced at AcV2, my homework assignments, and my reflection journal. Also sending out my thank you's to the girls next week! Here is a photo that will be included in the binder to be displayed on a bulletin board at SDSU showing where we all did our internships. Okay, just kidding, I'll pick a different one but this cracks me up and it just shows how fun my internship was! I will miss Patri saying poopy, eating reese's pieces, and getting calls that something happened to her girls like getting bit or pushed haha and I will no doubt miss how exclusive Emily is, her casserole salads, and Tootie. Also John (Patri's husband) coming in and helping out while chowing down on all the food. I will make sure I have giggle time at 2:30 everyday. Thank you both for helping me with my education and making me laugh and not to mention sharing both your families with me. Expect something in be mail next week sometime, you can fight over who has to go get it from the front desk. Back to being the intern Emmie.   

After 8 fillings, a few days with my family, and my boyfriend coming to visit I am back in Brookings kind of searching for a job, preparing for school mentally (even though it is like a month away), going to some weddings, going to the farm, and waiting for cable and internet to be hooked up on Sunday (thank God!!) Who knows what is next?!  Here are some photos of where I worked and the materials library I made for them!

The End Is In Sight!

Well! The practicum is going quicker than ever and as bad as I wish I could take them with me to Brookings I cannot. I have about 2.5-3 weeks left of my internship at AcV2 architecture. It has been quite the experience and boy has it been really good. I can't imagine anyone having as much fun and actually knowing their boss like I do? What boss invites you over to dinner with her family, or brings you cake on your birthday, or text you to tell you that Magic Mike is my birthday gift?! Haha. I have learned so much it is hard to pin point it but this whole experience will forever be with me. I have went to meetings that deal with different professionals that make a clients design their dreamland, I have went to networking and saw some SDSU alumni, and spend many days researching, modeling, and learning about the business side of the profession. I have impacted them to right? Duh! I ordered a zillion materials and built the shelves to hold all of them. I know my sketch up skills won't be forgotten when I get back to school also. I have been doing some of the same things as my last update and working on a few different projects. I will do my week 6 homework this coming week and than next will be my Final Review. I will be finishing up on the 20th of July after I attend AIA Meetings: Design in the Hills! I am really excited to attend this and networking with design professionals here in South Dakota. Patri and Emily have given me everything plus more of what I and even Tina expected from an internship. 
I will be finishing up, getting some cavities filled, spending some time with Paul here at home and then heading back to Brookings on the 24th for weddings that are all throughout August...I guess it's wedding season? I cannot wait to get back to Brookings to a house I am paying rent for and to have all my stuff back, not to mention be close to the farm and Paul. I never figured in a million years how attached I would become to Brookings and how much it feels like home. It is hard being here and having no contact to anyone my age outside of work. Hopefully I can find a job in Brookings since this semester I don't have as many classes. 
I will hopefully remember to do one final post on my internship once it is over! 

Practicum(ing)!

So apparently I am terrible at this thing. I have been uber busy so I have been coming home from work, relaxing and going to bed. 

Work...yup, doing it. I started at AcV2 architecture last weekish for my practicum. I have to complete 280 hours to fulfill my practicum and so far I am maybe 1/4 finished? or so my boyfriend tells me. The last fees weeks we have been working on what feels like a zillion projects and are always busy but that is totally great! We have mostly residential, but a little commercial, which is kind of opposite of what they are use to. I have been doing so 3D modeling, picking some materials, going to client meetings, construction administration meetings, interior space planning, and exterior sketches. It is the full package that I know a lot of interns do not get and I am so thankful for Emily and Patri for letting me be part of it and seeing/explaining it.  I couldn't be happier with my choice of who to spend my summer practicum with. They are so close with each other that they may as well be family. Tonight I went to Patri's to have family with her, her husband, and her two very entertaining daughters, as well as Emily. It was so nice to have that when some I know barely speak to people they work with or know everyone they work with. As for the work in general compared to school/studio...so different. We are doing so many projects that if I had this in school dropping out would be a very good chance. They seem to be stressed but honestly they are so on top of things and so organized with what they do when and communicate it well with each other. I feel like time goes so quickly compared to school which is definitely nice. I don't mind working late just to get things done for them and to complete my practicum. I can't imagine how Patri can handle having a successful business, two little ladies, a husband, and a life, serious inspiration. 
Work atmosphere is relatively the same, maybe a little less stuffy and cranky. We joke, listen to music, and talk most of the time. It makes the time go faster...not to mention the 10am and 3pm snack time haha.
I've met sooo many people from material reps (Wiiill, say in britsh accent), contractors, subcontractors, architects, interior designers, construction companies, electricians, and of course the clients. 
I have also learned bad business and good business...(Ed, he is our Omaha trips Bob so it makes me laugh inside)  


If you want to see some of the things that they do...(maybe recommend them to someone ;) ;) ) their website is acv2architecture.com or you can like them on Facebook (hint hint) at AcV2 architecture. 
Some big deals here in Rapid City are the patio at Murpheys/ Rapid City Garage, Dakota Soda, The Vertex Sky Bar at Alex Johnson (coming soon!), Part's Central (across from the VFW) (which will also be LEED certified) (coming soon!) and so many more and MANNY more to come! 


Hope this all made sense, just wanted to fill my lovely people in on how this is going so I don't have to tell the same story 957 times over. Moral of the story: I am the best and get s*** done. end of story. period.


Classy lady below..Patri Acevedo-Riker-Owner/Architect aka best supervisor evverrrr! 

Beautiful lady below...Emily Frost - Interior and Collateral Designer...aka best partner evverrr!

* All photo's from AcV2 architecture. Represent.  

Last Day in Brookings for 8 weeks!

The time has come to go back to the better half of the state (at least better looking) to start my summer internship with AcV2. I will be hopefully leaving tomorrow as long as the weather allows me and start on Tuesday. I am so excited and still a little sad to leave Brookings and Paul/the farm (though TV, internet, and someone to talk to everyday will be nice). I will be jumping in on a project that is already going on, like literally meeting with them that day to convince them that our idea is bomb...I am rather good at that even if I have no idea what I am talking about, lets be honest. I received the contract last night and am super excited to see it and not the bogus one I wrote this past semester. I hope that these 8 weeks go quick and I learn a lot. I will continue to update this with new experiences and how much I love my life as an interior designer. So as I wash the last of my clothes, pack up my professional attire, and hang up the flannels (just shed a tear) here are a few pictures of the new crib. 

New Crib

I have finally moved all my things out of The Blues (thank goodness!) no more moldy windows, one floor, no central air or heating! We are now living the high life in the new crib! Right now though there is no internet or cable so it gets rather dull and will be until I move to Rapid City for the internship. I will post photos of the new crib as soon as I am finished putting my things up. Paul is at the farm for the summer and a few days up here working so I see him a little bit but not enough to keep me off the bored list. He was up yesterday to work and after work I cooked the first meal in the new apartment. It was also our official one year together and so I figured I would cook and we could go to a movie. It was really nice to spend time with him and not be running or busy. For sure a deep breathe for just moving and coming back from New York City. Our last year has been well spent I believe. Obviously we all have our ups and downs but he has stuck through them with me. I am happy to say he thinks I am a good apple and a very sweet one at that. :) I plan to work on my 15-20ish page paper today since I am sitting at his house with internet and then finish cleaning up my new home and tomorrow head to the farm and spend the day there. My parents should be here by the time I get finished at the farm so it will make the day go quicker for sure! I will see them tomorrow night and then Saturday morning and then they will head up to Minneapolis to see my brother, I wish I could go but I need to finish my paper that is due on Monday. They will then come back down and spend a day with me and head back and by that time it will be time to pack my clothes up and head to Rapid City for my 280 hours of internship at AcV2!!! Whoot, I am very excited to go but will sure have a piece of me missing.

Done and over!

Back from NYC and couldn't be happier! Let's recap what happened while my internet at the crappy hotel was down. Friday we went to Material Connextion and looked at materials that our professors want us to write a paper about to maybe persuade SDSU/the library to purchase as a resource for us. Yes, it was pretty sweet and would be great to use to order materials but lets be honest....SDSU could give two craps less about the interior design program but we will try. After that we made our way to Frank Lloyd Wright's museum/building the Guggenheim. It was pretty sweet to check out one of his sweet buildings but the exhibit was was lame. Crushed cars to me I cannot connect with to make art or at least taking money from people to look at when I could go behind the farm and see all the smushed scrap metal and it look relatively the same at the low price of nothing...Any who Saturday we packed up that morning (finally slept in) and got picked up at 12:30, handed in our sketch books to be graded on the plane, and left JFK at 3:40 we were all more than a little excited to get home. Half of the group was hungover or just plain ready to get home (aka:me) We had an hourish lay over in Minneapolis and enough time to grab some food, go potty, and relax a little before our 31 minute flight to Sioux Falls. Arriving in Sioux Falls I was greeted by the smiling face of my boyfriend who I could not have been more ecstatic to see! We then went to dinner and I was starving as I don't eat on trips and that day was rather long. The next day I woke up at about 6:45am put my clothes on and grabbed some mothers day flowers for Pauls mom and hauled my way out to the farm with the windows down, country music up, and my boots on! Not to mention I pretty much balled the whole way because I was sooooo happy to be back and not around rude people, busy streets, no grass, no sun, and on a schedule. Not to mention see the whole Prunty family! I cleaned myself up and went out and talked with the pigs. The whole day we worked ground and talked the whole time about everything you could think of. I could have not asked for a better first day back. You really do not realize what you need to appreciate until it is gone. I cannot say enough that I really feel like this is where I belong and that I will not be a big city girl for life like everyone expected. It is so funny how life happens and things can change you for the better and the experiences you get are lifelong impacting. I will spend the next two week here in Brookings moving to the new apartment, spending an official 1 whole year with my love Paul E. Pants, seeing my parents and doing what is left of my travel study homework then back to Rapid City for my internship. Here are the last photos from the trip. See ya never NYC. 

Day 4

Alright, so my blisters have had enough! Thank goodness there were no rushing tours today with our tour guide because it would have not ended well. Today we got to start a little later and with just our professor we went to a doughnut place then walked to the Brooklyn Bridge while taking some photos of the Frank  Gehry Beekman Tower, it was rather interesting but thinking of the architects, designers, and builders you felt bad for making such a thing. After that I receommened to go to St. Paul Chapel where a lot of emergency workers and people came during 9/11 to sleep, pray, eat, and just relax during that time. When my mother went it was way different and still had pews now it has turned more into a museum but still very cool. The pew that was left was so scuffed up and distressed from all the workers coming to sleep on them and smacking boots and gear on the edges. The place gave you goosebumps and was kind of an emotional place with all the displayed pieces. After we left we made our way down to Ground Zero. We stopped at the little pre tour/ gift shop space and I bought some things and looked at everything and then made our way to the memorial pools and where the new towers are going up. One tower is almost complete and is so cool. I remember the photos my mom brought home when she went in 2002ish and it was complete changed and you would have never known. It is so crazy to think that kids that are that age I was when it happened have no recollection of it even happening. The pools that are there now are pretty interesting, apparently the hole that is there that the water drops into you cannot see the bottom anywhere you stand so it is just a black hole and the water disappearing into it. It represents so much. After that we made our way to SoHo to start our assignment of comparing retail spaces. It didn't go so well as we got rejected by Hugo Boss and everyone kind of thought we were weird haha. I would rather not do homework. One day left of NYC and I couldn't be more excited. People here are either really fast paced or really slow, not to mention sassy and rude. I miss my midwest people. We will be going to Materials Connecxtion and the Guggenheim. I feel like there is so much to do here but not enough time. Maybe I will come back sometime and see it all and not with school.
Here are some photos from today.
Pig in the City probably will not happen as people already look like we are crazy and don't want to attract anymore attention and like I said way to fast paced around here.