Week 146: Bougie life and a Fall Craft Night

Week 146: October 12th-18th, 2025

This week I was in one of the most expensive homes I have stepped foot in while I was on site for the first time at my second job. I was shadowing the CEO and her team at The Haute Suite, a professional organizing and concierge moving company. As some of you know, I started a second job back in August as an independent contractor. My main task as a training and quality coordinator is to create the company's handbook for onboarding, training, and overall operations. I worked this side gig remotely up until this week, when I finally got to go to a real client's home in person.

The clientele for a luxury professional organizing company varies, but anyone who can afford to pay someone else to organize their home is in a different tax bracket than I am. I love to organize, and aspire to be in a tax bracket like that, but would never have someone else do it for me. However, I'm working for that "someone else" and it was great to be able to see them in action this week.

The client, a single older woman, moved from New York to La Jolla to pay about $30k/month in rent for a 4,200 sq. ft. home (according to my boss, and this site). The home itself was absolutely stunning and had an amazing view of the beach.

Interestingly, I found this 2015 Report to the Hearing Officer of the City of San Diego that appears to be a request for a full demolition and rebuild of the property. It did seem pretty new, with a built in fridge and freezer and a built in espresso machine, so that would make sense.

Apart from being in awe of the house, I spent most of my time on site observing Alana (the CEO of The Haute Suite) and her crew, asking questions and taking notes for my own work. I didn't take many photos, as I was trying to be professional, but I've included some below for you of the kitchen and the initial process of packing/unpacking the kitchen. It was great to see the beginning of a service for concierge moving and professional organizing, and I am excited for the future I have working with them.

The bougie-ness of the week didn't end at this multi-million dollar home, because I also attended Revive Med Spa's "Boo-Tox and Glow" event. Tickets were $25, but Botox was only $10 per unit at the event. I get about 26 units of preventative Botox in my forehead and frown lines twice a year, so I was thankful for the discount. My friend Mel also recently started working at Revive's Mission Valley location, so it was fun to see her as well.

There were little charcuterie cups and pumpkin spice espresso martinis, as well as goody bags and free floral arrangements. After my treatment, I grabbed a goody bag and a bouquet and headed home.

Beyond a bougie med spa event and an incredible look into the lives of the ultra wealthy, this week I also hosted a humble fall craft night for my girl friends. I have so many hobbies and have accumulated so many crafting supplies over the years. I have supplies for beading, air dry clay, drawing, coloring books, painting, and more, and I wanted to put some of it to use. I made a shared Collection on Instagram where I added some fall craft inspiration and sent out a Partiful invite.

Despite having oodles of craft supplies already on hand, I did spend over $100 at Michael's getting additional items like craft pumpkins and fall decor in preparation for my friends coming over. I gave them the option of painting canvases, fake pumpkins of various sizes, or little coffin-shaped boxes. Additionally, I had my bead supplies out and coloring books and my beloved Ohuhu markers available for use.

I over-did it a little with the food prep, but I got some yummy stuff from Trader Joes like flatbread, cream cheese wontons, and squash pastry bites. I also had chicken nuggets, Halloween-themed trail mixes, popcorn, Dot's Pretzels, and ONLY orange and black peanut M&Ms.

I had some cider (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) to offer, and my friends brought wine and Witches' Brew. It was a great night of crafting, chatting, and hanging out, and I felt lucky to be able to host something cozy and fun. A couple people painted pumpkins and the coffin boxes, and I made some wine glass charms with beads and ensured everyone's plates and cups were full. I love to host, so it was fun to prep and shop and decorate and see it come to fruition. I even bought a foldable table and chairs to make sure I had enough space for everyone to craft :)

In other news apart from cozy fall vibes and bougie activities, I felt a lot of inner turmoil regarding the recent "No Kings" protest this week. After weighing many pros and cons, I decided not to participate, not because I don't support the movement, but because I felt unsafe being without my phone and am a racially ambiguous person. I have shown up to countless protests, and feel strongly that they are important aspects of social activism, but it can't just end there. While protesting can be effective when done properly, I urge you all to continue your activism past showing up and holding signs. Engage in protest beyond these "No Kings" events by contributing to mutual aid funds, boycotting unethical companies and making your voice be heard through your dollars spent, and participate in local elections. It doesn't end with a one day protest, and it won't end until true disruption is felt by the ruling class. You vote with your ballot, your wallet, and with every decision you make in your daily lives.

On that note, see you next week.