Brick by Brick

Tips To Becoming A Landlord: How to get started with loans, interest rates, taxes and budgeting.

by Marisa D.

I want to thank my mom for sharing her story. She has come so far and built so much for her family growing from both her failures and triumphs. At 57 her and my dad have acquired 6 rental properties and sold a single family residence with the hope of retiring at 60. I am proud to offer up her wisdom and share it...

August 5, 2018

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Business, World of Pearls
Girls Night In Retreat

by Marisa D.

The girls from St. Mathew’s high school youth group put on their annual Girls Night In Retreat. The director, a high school junior, wrote a talk about their theme, His strength is hers. I would like to thank Danielle for allowing me to share her story. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and...

May 5, 2018

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Life Tips, Religion, World of Pearls
Unfair Advantage

by Marisa D.

Unfair Advantage – Robert T. Kiyosaki The power of financial education My mother is a stay at home mom but has undertaken the challenge, what Kiyosaki calls to be, “financially free.” This all started with the expensive process of both her daughters going to college and wasting more money on dorms and renting apartments. She decided she no longer wanted to waste her money...

August 15, 2017

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Book Reviews, Finances

Duomo di Milano

Sketching and traveling to Milan during my study abroad experience in College.

Who is your favorite Architect?

Whether you’re a design professional, or an artist of any form, it seems people want to know where we get our inspiration from and it makes sense. In the...

Life Tips, Lifestyle

Are you living your life to the fullest? Yes you are! But please read on to be sure.

I had made it to the party, step one. Now to find my exit buddy, step two. Trying to look at ease and confident, I search. Finally, I spot a friend...

Architecture, Undergrad Tips

What should be taught freshman year: The Architectural Design Process

My freshman and sophomore year there were no real clients just very loose guidelines built to unleash your inner creativity. Since I was new to design my ideas were...

Life Drawing, Sketching

Who is your favorite Architect?

by Marisa D.

Whether you’re a design professional, or an artist of any form, it seems people want to know where we get our inspiration from and it makes sense. In the design world we look for inspiration from the greats. I remember one professor saying, “what you’re envisioning for your project, it’s probably already been designed before so don’t be afraid of researching and gathering ideas from other people. It’s not stealing or cheating it’s the way we learn, from the best, from history.”

What should be taught freshman year: The Architectural Design Process

by Marisa D.

My freshman and sophomore year there were no real clients just very loose guidelines built to unleash your inner creativity. Since I was new to design my ideas were erratic. It wasn’t until my junior year did I really understand the meaning of “program” and how it fit into the design process. Having this process organized made me feel like I was designing with a purpose and that I had an achievable end goal. Had I had this bit of knowledge earlier maybe it would’ve made projects seem more realistic and professional. Crazy forms are fun, but in the end we love believing our designs are buildable, for real people in real situations, in an environment we made safe.

That age old college question: Should I study what I love or what will make me money?

by Marisa D.

Question: People always ask the question - should you go to school for your passion or for a degree that will get you a good job. Now that you’ve finished school and have had jobs throughout the entire process, what is your answer to this? Answer: "The idea of passion has vexed me since the moment it really became important, right before college when you are finally asked to determine a major, likely for a profession which you have no right to claim passion to. Passion, as many loved to tell me, came from this vigilant search in which you are this puzzle, with a singular answer to light the way into the dream land called, “happiness.” If you find your passion, you won’t work a day in your life. What if I never found my passion? What if I didn’t have a passion?

First Day of Work

by Marisa D.

Oh the beginnings of a new internship... We’ve all heard the stories about interns getting the bottom of the barrel tasks. Nothing wrong with it, we all have to start somewhere, and the stories can be entertaining to read. Since graduating I found myself working small contract jobs, joining a small startup Architecture firm, working as a Construction Leader at Habitat for Humanity, even starting up my own Airbnb, but I had never held an official Architectural Intern title. Turns out the stories are true! I started my new job at SAWS (San Antonio Water System) as an Architectural and Construction Management Intern. On my first day I sorted through FFE sheets (furniture, fixtures and equipment) counting how many trashcans, desks, chairs, whiteboards, ext., would go in each room, making an Excel sheet to stay organized. My boss joked with me that she had me working on trashcans my first day. Not the most exciting first day but at least now I had the classic intern experience!

Are you living your life to the fullest? Yes you are! But please read on to be sure.

by Marisa D.

I had made it to the party, step one. Now to find my exit buddy, step two. Trying to look at ease and confident, I search. Finally, I spot a friend of mine. It’s just the two of us talking for a bit but then somehow we are joined by an older couple (late 30's). The man, at least a foot taller than me, decked out in black and sporting jewelry across his wrists and fingers, is full of buzzed energy. The woman beside him, a calmer opposite. We are taken through his entire life it seems. He, an open character with very expressive movements, starts to encroach on my invisible defensive bubble.