I haven't posted in awhile!

The last time I posted was last year! WOAH! It is 2009 now! I guess I will do a highlight of what has been going on lately.

Work Situation
I left my job at GGI at the end of November. I thought I wanted to pursue being a freelance designer. I took on 4 or 5 projects and I quickly learned that I don’t like the business side of the freelance world. I also didn’t like being alone for the majority of the time. I also missed collaborating with other experts in the industry and brainstorming new and innovative ideas. Once I figured this out, I was lucky enough to find a new job at HealthTalker.

HealthTalker is an online marketing company that creates a safe place and information for people to talk about different diseases/sicknesses. We create extensive online campaigns/communities. I am a web designer there and the work HealthTalker does helps people that are scared, confused and want more information about their diseases/sickness.

I have been there for a month and I really enjoy the design work I am doing and also the people I work with.

Vacations/Travel
Jacob, his family and I went to St. John’s for Christmas this year (2008).
St. John’s is very beautiful and less crowded than St. Thomas. It is very expensive because everything is imported. The island is super hilly with very steep up and downs. We bottomed out the rental car many times. Unlike our past Burkhart family vacations, we did not go skiing or surfing. We just relaxed on the beach, snorkeled, motor boating and sailing. It was a less active vacation, but was so relaxing and beautiful.

We had a beautiful house for the week which was on a cliff side overlooking Fish Bay and all the sailboats. We had a nice kitchen that we utilized and had the luxury of having fresh caught fish. Jacob cooked for us and we helped. It was nice to cook and eat fresh food.

Highlight of the trip:
SANDBALL! we made up a game which is like corn hole, but we used sand balls and dug a hole in the ground instead of having a wooden contraption with a hole in it. It was very entertaining and we played for what seemed like hours on the beach.

We are already thinking of what Christmas trip we should go on this year!

Rundown of past Burkhart Christmas vacations I have gone on:
skiing:
2 years: Austria
1 year: Whistler

surfing:
2 years: Costa Rica

In February, Jacob, his parents and I went to Breckenridge, CO for some amazing skiing!
We went for a long weekend and stayed in a condo 1 minute walk away from the chairlift. The first thing I noticed about CO was that the altitude has a huge affect on me. I could barely breathe. It was a really weird sensation. I felt really light headed and had a headache the first day. I thought I was out of shape because I was so exhausted. We all realized that we were so tired because of the change in altitude. It really does affect your body.

The first day we were there it was snowing and we skiied some awesome powder. The second day it was so clear out. We were able to get up to the highest point on the mountain and skiied some bowls with some nice left over powder from the day before.

It was a nice long weekend and nice get a way with Jacob’s parents. I had a ton of fun and would LOVE to make it a tradition to go out west for some sweet skiing with his parents!

Design Events
Jacob, Joe Tang, his friends and I went to the ICA to see Shepard Fairy’s work. Ever since high school, I can remember seeing his Andre the Giant Obey stickers everywhere in Hampton! So, when I saw his body of work it just reminded me of that over and over again. His work is nice but I am most inspired by his Obama posters. I love them and think they were a great way to spread the Obama sensation. I think these posters are absolutely his most effective work. I think his screen prints are really nicely done and very precise but I am not sure if I am a big fan of his other work subjects.

Well, I don’t have much more to say for now. I am really enjoying married life and my new job.