Buenos Aires

I was supposed to blog about my great Argentina adventure months ago. I mean, I went in January of this year. What a great start to the #alwaysbeadventuring resolution/mantra/motto of 2013. The plan was to head down to Argentina with friends a few days before the rest of my class arrived to do some general exploring and get the lay of the land before embarking on the business school aspects of the trip.  That was one of my best decisions of life - I fell in love with Buenos Aires even in the midst of economic turmoil, the drama of elections and political instability, and January (when the streets are empty). Because it's been much too long to go day-by-day playback of this particular adventure I'm just going to write about my top three experiences. Maybe I'll just type my travel notes as I hand wrote them months ago.

San Telmo Park

BIKE TOUR: After having been in the city for 48 hours, walking around, getting the lay of the land, and realizing that I could communicate in a minimal manner knowing no Spanish, I convinced a classmate of mine to join me in a 7 hour bike ride through the entire city. We looked up an amazing organization started by a few American Expats (www.bikingbuenosaires.com) and signed up for the Ultimate City Tour. It was definitely one of the best decisions ever. Not only did we get to see the entire city in a day, we also learned some interesting pieces of trivia and secured recommendations on additional "must-sees" and "must-miss" from our tour guide, Brett.

In front of Graffiti in La Boca 

Boca Juniors Stadium

La Boca - Caminito

skyline from Puerto Madero Ecological Reserve

Recoleta Park

Street Performers

Santo Domingo Convent

San Telmo Market

SAN TELMO: I ended up walking around this neighborhood twice. The first time was with the girls with the intention to browse the Saturday market just to see the local wares and maybe pick up a few gifts for friends/family back home. Liz & I walked into every church we passed to see the stained glass. It just so happened that every time there was a service taking place. Thankfully, not awkward or disrespectful to hang out for a little while, say a prayer, and walk out. This is such a fun and eclectic place to hang out. We had been warned which blocks were set up for tourist trapping and which included legitimate locally made products that Argentine's would purchase. I bought a ceramic mug and straw made specifically for Yerba Mate and an incredible wallet that fits in my "tiny purse" just perfectly. Looking back, I should have bought 20 of those things. After a full morning of walking & shopping we were all ready for lunch and a beverage. Even though I spoke no Spanish, I was the only one that had done any research about places to see/eat so I was left in charge. Luckily, at this point I had learned to ask for a table of four, had a rough idea of what menu items were, and could ask for a bathroom. What else is there to know? (must. learn. Spanish.) We were a little concerned at first, because no one was in the place eating yet. But we remembered that as Americans, we eat too early and go to bed too soon. The empanadas and ravioli dishes were some of the best food I have ever had. Seriously. We couldn't stop talking about them. 

The second time I found myself in San Telmo, Nate & I had decided to break off from the group and go exploring on our own. This meant taking the subway down to Plaza Dorrego for a beer, some people watching, and some futbol playing. We walked the street named Defensa looking for a place called El Zanjon de Granados in an effort to get some architectural and culture lessons. The space is part museum, part event rental space, completely beautiful. Nate and I were disappointed to see that they weren't offering tours at that hour. When the man asked what brought us to the site in the first place, I mentioned reading about it on lonely planet and being interested in the restoration project (specifically the process of keeping the structural integrity while digging out tunnels, drainage systems, and removing bricks). For good measure, I threw in the fact that I am a civil engineer and BAM, Nate and I are in, getting a private tour. We're about halfway through the tour when we ask how long the guide had been working on the restoration. "Since its inception" he says. I am certain he is pulling my leg but he says he is the one who discovered the site and was excited to share his passion. Moral of this story: Don't settle for no, and always ask questions. On cloud nine (and a few WTF exclamations later) Nate and I head back over to San Martin Plaza to kick the ball around with some locals. It was an excellent day. 

Adventures in La Boca

MALBA - Art Museum

Santiago Bridge

The moral of this story is DO NOT WAIT when trying to blog about adventures. I haven't told you about the ride with head gaucho, or the many, many Chili bombs at a random bar with an unmarked red door. We rode horses in a torrential rain shower. I haven't mentioned the Tango show at Carlos Gardel theater, or that we got a peek into the Boca stadium through a construction hole. There are stories of walking miles in one direction only to discover that the Pink House was the other way. I saw a changing of the guards at the tomb of Juan San Martin, liberator of Argentina. I tried alfajores every day, drank wine, and coffee. I learned minimal amounts of Spanish. I'm not sure if that drunk young person was really trying to practice her English or if she was trying to hit on Nate (or me). The beef was delicious, plentiful, and cheap. The Argentine people are wonderful. I can't wait to go back and do more exploring; this time I might try the west side of the country. 

Ride with Head Gaucho

San Telmo Graffiti

Casa Rosada. The Pink House. 

Shipping Port in La Boca. Too small for commercial purposes

My Life: Tapiture

I don't know how you put up with me, readers.  How I neglect you so.  Yet, know that you are never far from my mind.  I had to scroll down to see the last time I posted.  I am realizing as I type that this is pretty much the exact way I started my last post.  ANYWAY.  What have I been up to?  Working.  A lot.  Now, that may sound awful, but I assure you it is not.  Well, I mean, sure. Free time is great.  But so is building (sorta. I don't know how to code or design or do anything that can actually be termed "building") the newest, hottest, most bestest site in all the internets.  Another great thing is truly enjoying the people you work with (working on the beach isn't that bad either.)

If you still don't know what Tapiture is, I guess you don't care that much about me.  Kidding.  It really is cool, and obviously I'm biased, but I feel like it is about to blow up.  So, get ready to say you knew me when.  I'll give you a quick elevator speech as to what it is so you can tell all your friends about it.

Tapiture is a social sharing site with a constant waterfall of content "tapped" into users' (tappers) collections.  In addition to having amazing pictures, gifs, and videos- there is an e-commerce store built directly into the site.  The store is curated by our amazing to bring you the best stuff, without having to leave the site and miss that viral video everyone is talking about.

Hopefully that gives you some idea of what we are.  If you are still unclear, you can just visit the site: www.tapiture.com - you can even buy yourself some gear in the store.

That's what happened today.  We launched the store.  The last few weeks were a bit of a whirlwind since a month ago we didn't have a store design, any merchants, or products working with us.  In that short amount of time, which is unheard of, I assure you, we were able to come together and meet the deadline and get people in and start making a little bit of money.  As I write this, we have sold over $20,000 worth of merchandise, and that number will continue to grow as our users oversees (yeah, we're worldwide) start getting in the store and buying all sorts of goodness.

Next on tap (I actually say this a lot without intention of a pun, but then I always think of it right after, so I guess pun intended), is the release of our app.  This process has been one of the most frustrating issues to date for everyone involved.  Even though we are past our deadline, the excitement of what it will do for our business trumps the aggravation that it hasn't hit the market yet.

As for me within the company, I feel like I am getting more responsibilities and have a voice in most of the decisions that get made.  Obviously the boss man (awesome dude by the way) makes the final call on everything, but it seldom is an "executive decision."  There is no real hierarchy except for John is the CEO, and our boss, but I feel like I have an opportunity to grow and move up.  I find it interesting that after taking a long break from having any sort of leadership position, I am remembering how much I enjoy things being on my shoulders, and the pressure of making decisions that effect other people.  I hope that I will continue to be able to have a large roll in the way things get done as we get bigger and reach a much larger audience.

I hope this has at least given you some idea of what has been going on in my life.  OH.  I moved. Again. I moved from an awesome apartment in Hollywood, with a commute of 1.5 hrs each way to an awesome apartment in Santa Monica a whopping mile from my office and a commute of 7 minutes on my beach cruiser.  I am 5 blocks from the beach and 3 blocks from Main Street (lots of restaurants, bars, shops, etc).

I think that about sums up everything.  I put our Tapiture widget on the site here to test it, but I think I'll leave it up so you all can have some idea of how the site works without going to it, should you decide it's not for you.  Here are some pictures of the Tapiture Team and stuff.  Please enjoy.

Homemade

I have no pictures of the children....I'll probably amend that and attach a few since I know that is what everyone looks for when it's me blogging...I just wanted to tell our 17 readers that I made my own laundry detergent today.  What am I coming to?  Cloth diapers, homemade detergent...I even bought some essential oils to see how I could make my own cleaning solutions.  I think it's probably kind of trendy in a weird way because these things are popping up all over blogs and pintrest....i mean, tapiture. Anyway, if you care, I let you know how it turns out.

Also happening - meetings at preschool for the new advisory board for 2013 - 2014.  Crazy.  I'm big time now, preschool advisory board, homeowner, mom to 2 toddlers, making my own laundry detergent.  Watch out world.

Also, some people I am following on twitter and so whose blogs I read while I yell ask P nicely to stay in his room for rest time.

Rachel Held Evans

Sarah Bessey

Momastery

Homeownership 101

Remember way back in December when I told we bought a house and I would post soon about it?! Fear not!  You haven't missed the house tour, because here it finally is.  Maybe, I'm not sure what pictures I have.  For now, the sweet baby is asleep and the crazy boy is reading to his animals in the pack and play.  I find myself trying to type slowly and softly so I can hear his sweet voice reading aloud.  For all of the times we fight about staying in his room during rest time, today I find myself wanting to rush in and read with him.  Alone time though, is hard to come by, and good for us both.

At any rate, we are now homeowners of a cute little house on a small tree lined street in college park - only 4 blocks from overbrook.  Sweet paradise.  Paradise with lots of lizards, and a nice black racer we call Sam the Snake.  Hold for a moment while I try to find pictures....

This fun event happened as we were unpacking some kids things and discovered Peter's johnny jump up.  What a great toy for Lucy! Until P started pushing like a swing and it quickly became an accident waiting to happen that actually happened.  But this is in the door frame of L's room which looks right into the kitchen - so she hangs there from time to time when I need to be cooking or cleaning - which is a lot.  A lot of cleaning.  We painted the entire house before we moved in (Benjamin Moore for those wondering...a nice Smoke Embers most places and some Nantucket Fog in some bedrooms.  The fog looks exactly like the shade of blue /gray that is all over my moms house.  Unintentional.  I am my mother - I'm so proud.).  And we put in some new carpet - because honestly, no matter who lived here before - you want to be laying on nice new clean carpet.  Its stained already.  I love babies.  Anyway, the next one is L in her new room.  So far it is my favorite, but I think that is because she has never had a room of her own and I finally got to hang all of her Lovely Lucy art and signs, and Bible verses from our special friends, the Aunts, and she loves it.  She goes in to read often and throws herself against those pillows you see in the background.  She also LOVES looking out her window and acts so surprised every time she sees the flag blowing in the wind.

And these are the babes playing in P's new room.  They really are loving the freedom of being able to run around everywhere and find their way to their rooms.  I love it too, I can see or hear them wherever there are from just standing in the kitchen, or living room.  And lets face it, I can hear them wherever they are because they are loud.  And then you see P man having story time in his room with his animals.  

Aunt T was gone for such a long time!!!  This is our backyard....I'll post the after pics in a few weeks - BML and others have put in a lot of work to get this yard kid friendly and fun, stumps ground and sod is coming on Monday!  I can really hardly stand the wait as I love the idea of just playing in the back all afternoon long.  And really, I don't mind them being complete pig pens in a mud pit everyday - but its tough to get the stains our of their clothes and we're operating on a budget here.  But i did find a bunch of terra cotta pots in the back - where the snakes were living.  So I have been "tapping" on www.tapiture.com (the new and totally awesome website from CMD) all sorts of ideas for container gardening.  Next time you check back in I might have made my own rain barrel, compost pile and be growing  strawberries.  Be aware, I am also tapping make your own granola bars, neosporin, laundry detergent, and cleaning supplies.  So far I haven't made it too far since you have to spend money to save money apparently.  Anyway.

And now the boys are cleaning off the porch with their "pow pow" machines and thought it was hilarious that L was stuck in the middle so she got caught in the wind tunnel.  She thought it was awesome.  P loves doing "chores" around the house so he is in charge of vacuuming and sweeping the concrete porch.

More backyard befores....we're really excited about that tree you can barely see but is enormous.  In the coming months we'll have someone come and check it out, trim some limbs and try desperately to care for it a little better then its previous owners....some people have told us it might be dead, others are sure it is alive and well, we're determined to clean it up!  Someday....

We have lots of helpers around here who fight over the best screwdriver.  Here is everyone reconstructing our ikea shelves for the 6th time.  BML and I continue to be impressed at how well our Ikea furniture has held up in every single one of our moves.  I love that place, I'm embarrassed about it.

And lastly, I finally cleaned out our guest room for you!!!  Separate entrance, full bathroom, converted from the garage so if you visit in the summer it will be nice and cool!!!

One day soon we'll have start having some friends over for playdates, happy hours & cookouts.  Not at the moment though or they will end up coming home looking like this.

We love her.

Anxiety

Lately I have been fairly consumed with anxiety about what my life will look like when I finish the MBA courses in April. I've been fortunate enough to do some pretty amazing traveling and my 2013 resolution to "Always Be Adventuring" is off to a roaring start. But I'm still worried every day that my life won't have the impact I desire - that I'll somehow be forgotten. Too much time has been spent comparing myself to others, in their whole lives, accomplishments, daily activities and too little time has been spent given myself room to experiment with new career paths or even recognizing my own accomplishments. My brain was spinning around in my head trying to determine the next best plan. Then a mentor of mine suggested that I actually write things down. Imagine that. So pasted below is that document. It's dynamic, and I'll consult it when the time comes to decide one career path over the other. For now, I'm going to continue adventuring and continue to dare greatly. (and I'll post International Travel Blogs about Argentina and France very soon)

Taylor Dalton - 

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. Jeremiah 29:11-12

Core Beliefs/Values:

 I am confident in my own ability to manage my life (and learning to be more confident in God’s plan – always hopeful they are the same).

I value honesty, loyalty, and care about the needs of others.

I am bold, assertive, and thrive in dynamic environments.

I take pride and ownership in all that I do; it’s important to do things properly, accurately.

I value collaboration and enjoy helping people build their talents.

I am a fighter; for me, for my family, for people I think have been oppressed.

I value intellectual curiosity and discovery.

I am strong-willed and independent.

I desire to leave a lasting impression – in people, communities, organizations, etc.

I believe in living a life (whole life: work, play, home) so that people will know that I love Jesus, but will do so in a way that reflects a personal relationship, not one determined by others.  

Gifts:

Persuasion

Decision-making

Trustworthiness

Critical thinking / Problem Solving

Keeping things moving – taking action

Communication

Eye for detail

Independence

Leadership

Passion – communicating the potential

Adaptive

Passion:

Love talking/acting on larger scale issues. Desperate to feel part of something bigger.

Challenging the norm – innovating or creating new processes

Writing, creating, telling stories

Active, dynamic work –tangible results with immediate impact. Implementing ideas

Working with people to bring out their best.

Righting wrongs; overcoming obstacles

Discovering new things – intellectual curiosity

Problem solving

Challenging myself through new projects, or physical activity

Job Criteria 

+	-
Non-routine work	Routine – same process
Autonomy	Micro management
Tangible results	Report writing without action
Generalist	Too specialized/pigeon-holed
Self-directed but collaborative	Lack of follow through
Enacting change	Red tape bureaucracy
Sense of belonging	Every person for his/herself
Central Florida	Outside USA
High energy & fun	Inactive all desk work
Growth potential
Focused direction
Some travel
Small/medium size
National/global implications of work, still committed to local community.

hey there. its me.

Readers.  Dear readers.  How I have neglected you so.  Please.  Please accept my apologies for keeping you in the dark for so long. Please.

I had to go back and see where I had left you, and as it turns out, even though it was a long time ago, it was probably the perfect place.  My new adventure.  It's already been a crazy run.  Tapiture (my job/adventure) is in the process of blowing up, and I have a front row seat for it.  We recently raised a seed round of just under one million dollars and have been written up in countless (I mean, you can count them, but I don't feel like going back through and actually doing that) publications.  Since I was hired in November as an intern+, I have slid firmly into my role as the Community Manager.  A role that covers all the customer service/support emails, social media, and editing/content curation.  I'll soon be leading an associate editor and team of interns in the curation of the site as we continue to grow.  We have hired a mobile app developer, an intern, a buyer, and as of today the associate editor and another back-end developer.  Our band of merry men is growing exponentially (and gender-ly).  Tomorrow, I interview two more interns to round out our team, for now.  I have no doubt we will be as large as 15 by the end of the year.  That will be triple the size we were when I was hired.  Next quarter, we are launching an e-commerce platform on the site.  This is particularly cool because no site is really doing what we are doing with the social sharing of content coupled with the ability to buy clothes/accessories/gear/gadgets straight from the site.  We already have a small group of merchants ready to list on the site when we launch, and our buyer will be hitting the ground drumming up more companies for us to work with.  We will also be releasing an app soon that is sure to send a spike of users our way.  As we continue to grow, and there is more and more to do, and in turn,  I am seeing my responsibilities grow.  I work pretty much all the time, but when you are part of something so exciting, it doesn't (always) seem like work.  Although, I will say, sometimes it gets old not turning off your computer until midnight (assuming I finish this post in the next half hour, which I'm going to do regardless of if I'm finished, so deal with it).  Any time I need to have a break from the computer screen I can always just look to my left and watch the ocean for a minute.  I can't remember if I told you last time that our office is ON the beach.  There is some other stuff upcoming that is exciting but I can't really talk about yet, so stay tuned.  Also, you can create a google alert for "Tapiture" and read about us when we are in the news.  It happens relatively often.

In other, non-related news, I went up to San Francisco to visit some friends slash help them with a project.  They are launching an app called "Traffic" and wanted some help creating an online marketing video.  I was happy to help.  The app is sort of like a Yelp, but instead of getting reviews from a stranger, you follow your friends(and/or people they know) for reviews.  Places are given a red, yellow, or green light and there is a fixed number of characters to describe why/why not to go there and what/what not to get etc.  It is a very cool idea, and I believe it will do well.  Shooting the videos was a lot of fun, and I think they turned out well.  Here are two of them:

Trevor (Part One)

Trevor (Part Two)

There will be a part 3, but I'm not sure when that will be.