bye bye summertime

So, the summer has come to a close. It's the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. The flowers will begin to fade and the leaves will drift down to the ground. The spring and summer that represents growth and new life will pass into the fall and winter of hibernation. It's the natural human tendency to become sedantary when the chill of the winter slows down the blood in our veins and the snow makes each of our steps heavy. Does that mean that we stop growing? And do we put our lives on hold? New York has a way of speeding us up and causing us to constantly move, even when we want to be still. But is it in the right direction? Do we move just because we are shoved by the crowd? And where are they pushing us? How fast can we go before we have to slow down? Hopefully the push of New York is not greater than the pull of the winter and we can actually slow down and reflect. We can be still and listen when the world seems quiet. When snow covers the ground, there is a hush over the city. And it is a needed hush. I want to be quiet and listen to the still, small voice in my soul that is constantly calling me. It is what pushes me in the right direction. Let me listen to this Voice rather than the push of the city and the people and the rush of life. If I hibernate, let it be a time to reflect on my life and listen to the Voice that doesn't want me to stay still. I have to be moving if I want to be directed.

the old man and the sea

I met God on the beach today. I walked and prayed and listened. I watched the waves crash over and over, marveling at the fact that God lives in the waves; He is the Sea. He is the sunshine and sand and blue skies. He controls the ocean with less than a whisper. So why do we think He doesn't control our lives? He knows the perfect plan, the next step, exactly where I should be. I prayed big prayers today. I asked Him to show me my next step, to place me exactly where He wants me to be at exactly the right time. I want the Lord to bless me. And I believe He will. The ocean makes you realize how small you are in this massive universe. The power of the Sea is overwhelming. Yet God still cares about me. He allows me to wake up every morning. He breathes life into my lungs and keeps me alive. He will reveal my steps. He will lead me in the way I should go. I just need to listen to the waves and the wind and the leaves and the still, small Voice I hear in my heart.

2-4

So today I turned 24 years old, which, according to my good friend Brianna, makes me officially in my mid-twenties. Great. I'm not sure if I was excited or apprehensive about this whole event, but I celebrated anyway. Although my family wasn't around, I had a good ol' time celebrating on Friday night with some friends at Duke's restaurant, a southern BBQ place around the corner from my office (of course I went to a Southern place...a girl's gotta stay true to her roots). Today, my plans of a picnic in the park were thwarted by a sudden turn in weather (70 degrees and sunny turned to windy, rainy, and cold in a matter of minutes). BUT my wonderful roommate made me a triple-layer red velvet cake with whipped cream cheese frosting Italian-style (it was leaning a bit...), so all was well in the world after all. Thanks to everyone for the birthday love, whether in person, over the phone, or on the internet - I loved it ALL. My birthday was, indeed, very happy.

a year in review

Today is my one year anniversary of living in the Wonder City. I don't necessarily like the saying "Time flies when you're having fun" but I guess people say it for a reason - because it's sometimes true. When I think back about when things happened in my life or the last time I saw someone, I have a marker: before or after I moved to NYC. Unfortunately, most things have happened over a year ago - like the last time I saw a lot of my old friends. But I've experienced a lot of new things that I would have never gotten to experience in East TN. So far, I've been blessed beyond what I could have imagined. And I know this is where I'm supposed to be at this point in my life.

Here are a few highlights since my last post:

In November, my mom and her friend Tammy came to visit! It was absolutely wonderful to have them here and lots of fun was had by all. Dad was upset though because it was deemed a "girls' trip" and he was excluded from the festivities...better luck next time. I'm not used to so much activity/sightseeing/running around when I'm doing my day-to-day routine so I was absolutely exhausted by the time they left! My general routine consists of me waking up, working out, going to work, coming home, cooking dinner, watching a bit of TV, then going to bed. During their visit, this was not the case at all. I worked during the day while they ran around doing touristy things but I joined them in the evenings after work. We saw The Lion King on Broadway, which was a fantastic show. It was interesting to see how they converted an animated film with animals as the main characters into a live stage show with people as the characters. Other highlights included: seeing the New Year's Eve ball they drop in Times Square inside Macy's, eating world-famous Junior's cheesecake (it's famous for a reason), going to Brooklyn Tabernacle (their favorite part!), and Mom and Tammy looking like homeless people.

I went home for Thanksgiving for an entire week! I think it was the longest time I'd spent at home at one time since I moved to NYC. So I actually had the chance to fly home, settle in, and enjoy my visit before turning around and flying back to the city. We traveled to Nashville to visit with Sara and her in-laws on Friday and visited Opryland Hotel while we were there. And, of course, we had a huge Vermillion family dinner. It was delicious even though it wasn't on the real Thanksgiving Day.

At the beginning of December, I experienced the first snow of my first winter here. It's been cold...so cold. But, thanks to my puffy down coat, a few extra layers, and radiators that work almost TOO well, I've stayed pretty warm. Special shout-outs to my family and friends who have come to visit during these super cold winter months: Natalie, Zac, Dustin, Bernard, Sara, Simone, and multiple members of Samantha's family.

I was fortunate enough to go home for two weeks at Christmas (thanks to Euro giving us 8 days off work for the holidays!!). I enjoyed some relaxing time at home with the family and got to see some old friends as well. I went to Nashville for New Year's Eve to see my dear friend Hannah. We rang in the new year at P.F. Chang's (weird) and had a grand old time at a dueling piano bar in downtown Nashville. Before I headed back to NYC, my coworker/friend Tiffany came to TN because her dad randomly wanted to drive all the way down from Boston to have a mountain vacation. I met her in Gatlinburg for Calhoun's BBQ, ski lift ride to the top of the mountain, and general East TN fun. She bought two pairs of cowboy boots and wore them to work the first day back after the holidays. I don't think she's worn them since.

I tried to get away from the cold for a little while by taking a trip to Houston in January to see my dear friend Ashley. I took my bathing suit with me, just on principle. Unfortunately, they were painting the pool in Ashley and Ben's apartment complex so I didn't get to use it. The visit was slightly interrupted when Ashley was admitted to the hospital for a day or two (she's ok!) but I still had a delightful time riding bikes around Rice University's beautiful campus, eating outside in the sunshine at a sidewalk cafe, and not wearing a coat, scarf, and gloves at all times.

I had to eventually return to the snow and wind of the North. But it didn't stop me from from hanging out with new friends to celebrate birthdays and have special "outings" this winter.

So far it's been a fun time: lots of laughing, some crying, and in general, lots of new and exciting experiences. We'll see what happens next...