Me and Seliece at the Houston rodeo!
All the girls with the delicious tres leches cake
Me and Kelly at dinner
Leighton Meister!
What an amazing Spring Break! Starting with my mom, sister, and her friend Kelly coming to NYC to getting to surprise Seliece in Houston for her 21st, it truly was a week of excitement and activity.
Ironically, I feel like living here has slowed me down a lot. I have gotten used to afternoons spent by myself in coffee shops or at the apartment. So, this past week was a change of pace for me as my days were full and long- but in a good way of course! :)
I’ll start with an overview of my Spring Break.
On Sunday night of after everyone had gotten settled we all attended the 6 p.m. Redeemer service. I was so excited for my mom and sister to hear a message from Tim Keller! He truly challenges me each and every week and strikes such a balance in speaking the truth with sincerity, but without any sugarcoating of the Gospel. This, I believe is what makes him so appealing and attractive to believers, agnostics, skeptics, etc. After church Michelle, Kelly, and I went to dinner at an Italian restaurant relatively close called Caffe Buon Gusto. I had never been before but had read good reviews and thought it would be a good Sunday night dinner. It was quaint and cozy and the food and service was wonderful! Mom had dinner with Missy, one of her best friends from college, and then met us all back at the apartment afterwards. The next morning Mrs. Rollins came into the city to spend the day with my mom and hang out in NYC with all of us. We have been family friends with the Rollins since I can remember so it was fun getting to have her with us for the day! We all took our time getting ready in the morning and then headed down to SoHo to a place called Café Gitane for lunch. It was such a perfect girls lunch spot and the food was delicious. After eating we walked all the way down to the financial district and took the ferry to Staten Island. We had planned on going to Ellis Island and making a whole afternoon of it, but since it was already almost 4 by the time we got down there we decided to just take the free ferry instead, where we could still get the “ferry experience” and a decent view of the Statue of Liberty. After this we took the subway from Whitehall St. all the way to 60th and 5th Avenue and hung out at the apartment for a while before dinner. Alexander had recommended a place in the West Village called Mary’s Fish Camp so we all got ready and headed downtown, the 5 of us piling into one taxi. Mary’s Fish Camp was very small and also had that hip, laid back feeling common to this part of town. Afterwards we walked to the nearest NRW subway stop and returned to our humble abode...:) Tuesday morning (aka St. Patty’s Day), my mom and I took a 10 a.m. NYC to DC bus to see Uncle Mac and spend some time with his family, who now live in a beautiful home in Arlington, VA, a very cute and historical part of Virginia just outside D.C. We had a lovely time catching up and hanging out with their two boys/my precious cousins Willie and Eli. We were only there for a day and took the bus back the next morning to return to Michelle and Kelly, who had stayed in NYC. Wednesday night Rachel took us all out to the Knick Club for dinner. It was quite the experience! We ate in a beautiful dining room, all wore dresses, and ate delicious fish and steak entrees. This was my last night with Michelle and Kelly, since I was leaving the next morning for Houston, so after dinner I promised them I would take them “out”. I say “out” because it turned into us taking the subway to Prince St., walking into a sketchy SoHo establishment, walking to the West Village and being indecisive about where to go, Michelle complaining about being tired, and us catching a cab back after 30 minutes of wandering. I wanted to take them to Esperanto, a trendy and 24-hr coffee shop near NYU that is always loud and exciting, but they did not seem too fond of that idea. Oh well, I tried!
Thursday morning I left for Houston to surprise Seliece for her 21st Birthday! I was so excited to see her and get to be with her to celebrate this momentous event. There were also the added perks of getting to see Taylor Swift perform at the rodeo, see my Nana and Papa/Aunt Margaret and the cousins, see Allie and Nicole who also drove in, and just have a much-needed Texas weekend! Mr. Dodds picked me up at the airport and once we got to the house I waited for him to go inside and then rang the doorbell shortly after. They told Seliece to get the door and that it was a UPS delivery! The look on her face/her reaction was priceless. :) I also got to surprise my Nana Friday morning, which was so fun, and also got to spend some time with her and the rest of my relatives Saturday. I feel so overwhelmed and blessed by my family/relatives. I am so thankful for each one of them! The rest of the weekend was a blast and so relaxing. Seliece and I hung out Saturday night and went to a Greek coffee shop called Agora to read and journal. I loved being able to do this with Seliece- definitely one of our favorite things to do when we’re together! The next morning we went to the early service at Lakewood (I even got to sit behind Joel and Victoria!) and then grabbed a quick lunch together before having to drop me off at the airport. I was sad to be leaving, but I will see her in a month when her, Anne, and Allie come up here for my 21st!
I got back late Sunday night to an empty apartment as the Hovnanian’s had already left for California and were going to be gone the whole week. As much as I have missed them and wished Serena was there to hang out with, this past week has been very relaxing and I have been able to get lots of schoolwork done. Jessie came over for dinner on Wednesday and then Tiffany spent the night with me Thursday night, so I didn’t feel too lonely! Yesterday after class I stopped at Grand Central Station on the way home and enjoyed the crowded and exciting feeling of people running everywhere catching trains. Afterwards I stopped at Food Emporium to get some grocery items and chicken to make for dinner with Kyla. My goal was to attempt to make a meal that I had learned from the Hovnanian’s. I decided to make homemade pesto with whole wheat four cheese ravioli and chicken. Kyla lightly fried the chicken and I made the pesto and cooked the ravioli. Everything turned out to be quite tasty (if I do say so myself!) and for once I felt accomplished in the area of cooking! I realized the best way to build my confidence in this area is not to merely watch, but to try making different things myself and figure out what works and what doesn’t. Kyla spent the night and we went to bed by midnight as we were both exhausted. This morning I met Kristin at Max Brenner for brunch. I ordered an omelet, which not only came with a sugarcoated biscuit but also a side of chocolate. Just what I need in the morning- chocolate. How perfect. I came back to the apartment and Kyla and I walked down to 71 Irving Place (which is where I am right now). When we walked in I freaked out because I swore Rufus Wainwright was sitting at one of the tables. I told Kyla (who didn't know who that was) and kept studying him to make sure it was him, but we were obviously not being discrete, as he got up to leave and winked at us on the way out. We both started laughing hysterically as we realized it probably wasn’t even him but some old creepy guy. I asked the barista if he knew if it was him and he answered me, with attitude of course, “I wouldn’t be surprised.” Uh, ok, thanks? Anyway, regardless of whether it was Rufus or not, I got winked at by a man who looked like Rufus Wainwright on a day where I don’t feel too cute, so I’ll take it. Ok, I’m getting off track. I’m supposed to be wrapping up this way too drawn out entry. We are about to head back to the apartment to make some sandwiches with the delicious fresh bread I bought at the farmer’s market in Union Square this morning….yum! Unfortunately I have lots of school stuff this week and will probably have a hectic week, but Kathleen is coming to stay with me next weekend and I am so excited to see her and have a fun weekend exploring the city together! If you are a curious person, which I have been told I am, this city can be very distracting as there are endless options of what to do, where to eat, what park to relax at, etc. It’s tough. Real tough. :)
I only have 6 more weeks in this wonderful city- I must make the most of it!
xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment