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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...

one fish, two fish..... red fish, blue fish

I have the privilege of seeing the Statue of Liberty every morning when I ride the subway to work. I don't know what it's like for many New Yorkers who had family that came to America through Ellis Island and feel a deep connection to what Lady Liberty represents - freedom, hope, a brighter future, the American Dream. But even though I'm usually listening to music or reading and, in general, shutting out the rest of the world, I typically stop for a moment to peer out the window as we cross the bridge, just to catch a momentary glimpse of this famous statue. I see her next to the skyline of one of the world's greatest cities every morning and evening but I don't think she ever loses her magic.


So, in the spirit of being American- I voted today!! It was one of the most rewarding and exciting things I've done since I've been here. I successfully registered to vote in the state of NY with only a couple of weeks to spare. So today I voted at P.S. 321 two blocks away from my apartment where they have the flea market every weekend (it's so versatile!). Samantha and I literally woke up at the crack of dawn and headed to the polls, hoping to beat the crowds. But, alas, there was already a line to the end of the street and down the block when we arrived at 6:02am. It actually didn't take as long as I expected and the end result was worth it of course. I haven't felt this American in a long time.