Week Ten/Eleven

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 21^st, 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 60^th and 5^th 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 21^st 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

Week Eight/Nine

Me, Katie, and Laura at Sugar Sweet Sunshine

St. John's Cathedral in the Upper West Side

Colleen and I at the apartment!

It's finally Spring Break! Woo hoo! 

And I've decided that every 2 weeks is probably a better goal than every week.....

Highlights from these past 2 (much warmer) weeks:

*Walking from the Empire State Building at 34th st. to 110th st. to meet Kyla at the Hungarian Pastry Shop...ok, I took a quick break to eat lunch, but impressive right? Kyla met me there after babysitting and we had a wonderful time. It was close to Columbia and also across the street from the glorious St.John's Cathedral. I really love how each section of NY has such a different vibe/feel and enjoyed walking through the different areas of the Upper West Side. 

*An interesting experience at Union Square. So, after class on Friday I decided I was going to get my hair cut. I had read reviews about this place near NYU called Astor Hair and decided to try it out. I accidently got on the "N" express train and instead of being able to get off at 8th st. I had to get off at Union Square. The farmer's market was already up and going and I was excited to stumble upon all the fresh fruits and delicious breads. I was hungry and bought an organic bran muffin at one of the booths. As I was walking away a guy called out "Hey, muffin girl!". I immediately turned around to see a tall dark-haired man with a clipboard. After he obviously had my attention he added "You look like you take care of yourself..." "Hmm? I guess?", I responded. He went on to explain that a Paul Mitchell salon on Madison Ave. was having a special which included a hair cut and style, manicure, facial, and massage all for $60. He said they were doing this in order to get people to refer them and also return as normal clients. After asking him several detailed questions as I was still a bit skeptical I decided I might as well try it out, considering I was about to pay at least $40 just to get my hair cut. I signed up and booked my appointments for the following Tuesday and Thursday. Even though I still had to pay a $15 service fee when I got there, it was still a great deal for everything I got. After my appointments I left feeling very pampered!

*Going to Jackson Hole in Murray Hill for a hamburger with Jen and Kristin- it was fun to get to relax on a Friday in a fun, layed back atmosphere. 

*Running/walking with Kyla in Central Park on Saturday- the weather was amazing! Afterwards we came back to the apartment and made a delicious lunch. 

*Exploring Chinatown and Little Italy on Saturday night with Laura and Katie. In attempts to find a restaurant to eat at we ventured a little too far in the wrong direction and ended up being out of Manhattan for about 5 minutes...don't ask me how this happened! We finally found a restaurant called Bread in Nolita and had an awesome time. Since we were so close, I had to take them to Sugar Sweet Sunshine. They both admitted the cupcakes triumphed Magnolia's. Take that, Magnolia! :)

*Grabbing a panini at Payard and taking it to Central Park on Sunday morning. I love Sunday's here....maybe even more than Saturday's. I met Jen at Gotham Coffee House later to study and then we went to the 6 p.m. Redeemer service. Tim Keller gave the most amazing sermon and I left so challenged and even more in awe of the Gospel and its transforming power. I recommend downloading it off the Redeemer website- its called "Justified by Faith" in his series on the Bible as a whole story of redemption and restoration. It will be well worth your time, I promise.

*Making dinner with MK at the apartment on Thursday night. We made my favorite salad that Rachel makes all the time- lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, gruyere, and their signature salad dressing. I have loved getting to know MK while being here- she is such a real and engaging person and I am really glad God brought us together in this big city! 

*Getting to have lunch with Colleen and her two friends on Saturday. She is here for an advertising trip but decided to come early to explore the city. We went to Via Quadronno, a cute restaurant in the UES. I loved getting to see her and also loved my panini and cappucino! :)

*Seeing "Reasons to be Pretty" with MK and her roommate on Saturday night. It is a new Broadway show and MK had gotten tickets since she is a press intern and this is one of the shows she is covering. I really enjoyed it and think it will do well! MK and I went down to the West Village and met up with her friend Lauren afterwards at this place called The Dove Parlour. I had a good time talking to her friend and met some other people as well! 

My mom, sister, and sister's friend Kelly all got here today and I am so excited they're here! We all went to the 6 p.m. Redeemer and then me, Kelly, and Michelle went to dinner while my mom met up with a close friend who lives here. It was so encouraging talking to Michelle and Kelly at dinner and hearing how they are growing in their faith and seeing the Lord work in their lives as well as at OU. I can't wait to spend these next few days with them and get to take them to some of my favorite NYC spots. My mom and I will be heading to D.C. to visit my Uncle Mac on Tuesday for a night so I am also looking forward to seeing him and his family! 

Hasta pronto! :)

Week Six/Seven

Me and Serena at the Milly fashion show

Me and MK at Clinton St. Baking Co.

for our delicious brunch!

Ah! I'm so behind! Ok, well to avoid feeling overwhelmed with how much updating I have to do I will revert to the bullet-point system....

Here's an overview of some highlights from the past two weeks:

*Going to the Tory Burch and Milly fashion shows with Rachel and Serena! This was such an amazing experience for me and I was so fascinated with the grandeur of everything- who would have known there was such a thing as a recession going on? 

*Having breakfast with Jessie at Cafe Habana, a fun and delicious Cuban cafe in the East Village! She is so encouraging and full of life!

*Grabbing coffee with Kyla and taking it to Central Park. We had such a delightful time and great conversation.  We also had some interesting people/tourists stop and talk to us...one of them being an Australian who, after making small-talk with us for about 20 mins. proceeded to ask us if we knew of any good clubs.....you're asking the wrong girls! :)

*After my big test in Foundations on Friday, me and Kyla had a relaxing night. We went to Amy's Bread in the West Village for dinner and then saved room for some delicious frozen yogurt at Yogurtland!  Afterwards, we went back to Herald Towers and I hung out in Laura and Katie's room for a while. We played scrabble for a while and then watched Serendipity- such a great chick flick, especially for being in New York! 

*Last Saturday I slept in, met some girls at a coffee shop in the Lower East Side to study for our Old Testament test, got some coffee at Joe's (amazing!), and then met Kyla and two of her roommates at Alice's Tea Cup to get a scone and take it to the nearest Starbucks to do some more studying....or at least attempt to. I'm not really a "scone girl", however the scones at Alice's are soo good. The pumpkin and pb&banana are my favorites! 

*Going to the 10:30 Redeemer service and meeting Jessie and Jen there. I introduced the two of them and then we all had brunch at Le Pain afterwards. Me and Jen found a coffee shop on the Upper East Side called Gotham Coffee House and studied there the rest of the afternoon.

*Getting to go to the Regis & Kelly show with Katie! She had one extra ticket and thought I would appreciate it, with only being here a semester, so she asked me to go with her to the Friday show. Anderson Cooper was actually filling in for Regis, but it was just fun to get to see the studio and be there for the live taping!

*Taking Serena and her two friends to see the Jonas Brothers 3D movie on opening night....

*Meeting up with Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis for coffee on Saturday. I had no idea they were in the city for the weekend and so when they called Saturday morning to see if they could take me to lunch or coffee it was so spontaneous! They are both so encouraging and it is always wonderful to see familiar faces that know me and my family! 

*Going to dinner with another boy Rachel set me up with named Peter. We went and got sushi and then met up with one of his friends who goes to school here. I had a very nice time!

*Having brunch with MK Vigness on Sunday. We went all the way down to Clinton St. and had to wait 2 hours for this restaurant, but it was absolutely worth it- the food was amazing! While we waited we took some fun pictures and I took her to Sugar Sweet Sunshine for coffee and a cupcake! :) 

*Dinner with the Terrell family after the 6 p.m. Redeemer service. They are such a great family and Missy made a wonderful dinner.  Since they live on Roosevelt Island, I got to take a tram which took me over the 59th street bridge and I got a great view of the city! 

Today was a snow day! Serena's school was cancelled so we hung out and then I decided to go on a walk through Central Park. It was beautiful and great to see all the kids out sledding and having fun in the snow! 

My mom and sister will be here in 12 days for Spring Break and I can't wait to take them to some fun places and just get to experience New York with both of them! I can't believe I have almost been here for 2 months- crazy! I'm still loving every day, though, and so thankful for all that God has blessed me with here! He is good. :)

Week Five

New York Stock Exchange

...probably not the happiest place right now!

A restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn

that made me miss my Nana! 

The Jonas Brothers!

The days are all starting to blend together, so I will try my best to remember the details of this past week....

Since Rachel left last Tuesday, me and Serena have been doing a lot of hanging out at the apartment but we also have had some pretty eventful things happen! 

On Tuesday I went to a class at the New York Health and Raquet Club (we get a membership through King's for cheap!) called Fluidity. It was kind of like a mixture of ballet, pilates, and yoga and ended up being a pretty intense workout. Since it's been so cold outside I haven't been running in Central Park and I figure until then I am going to need some exercise since I find myself not doing as much walking with taking the subway everywhere. On Tuesday I also went to a coffee shop called Cafe Grumpy in Chelsea and got my first manicure and pedicure since I've been here (it was much needed, too!). 

Wednesday night Kristin came over and we took Kiko on a long walk. Every Wednesday when I get back from class at around six I usually take Kiko on a walk before dinner. Since Wednesday is my longest day of class I am always ready to be outside and get some fresh air! 

Thursday was a rather interesting day as it started with me going to the wrong place for our field trip. We were supposed to meet at the Tenement Museum, but instead I went to Fraunces Tavern, which is where we went today. Although the field trips are optional and we are not required to attend them, I was bummed for going to the wrong place! The tour was only an hour and it was already 10:15, so by the time I would have gotten to the Tenement Museum the tour would have been at least halfway over. I decided since I didn't have to pick up Serena until 3:30 I would spend the next couple of hours exploring somewhere new! I decided to take the train to the Park Slope area of Brooklyn. I went to a vintage/trade shop called Beacon's Closet, walked down their 5th Avenue, got some delicious coffee at Gorilla Coffee and then ate at a cute cafe called 'sNice. I headed back and made it just in time to pick up Serena from school. 

The Jonas Brothers (Serena LOVES them!) were in the city from Wednesday through today and were staying at the Trump International Hotel just across the park. Serena and her friend wanted to go wait outside the hotel for them and requested that I join them, which really meant being their chauffeur. :) It's been crazy driving around the city this past week with taking Serena to school and everything...definitely a little more intense than what I'm used to! The girls waited for about an hour and decided it wasn't worth it especially if they had no idea when they were getting back to the hotel. However, Friday morning the Jonas Brothers were going to be on the CBS early show, which was right at 59th and 5th Ave....4  blocks from the apartment! Serena, her friend Moira, and I all went to wait in line at 9 a.m. hoping to get to see them. The Jonas Brothers didn't get there until noon, but the wait was well worth it when the three studly boys arrived and we were able to see them in the flesh as well as watch the interview! I have to admit, since being here Serena has made me into quite the JB fan...they are just so lovable! AND they love Jesus! Anyway, this was definitely a fun experience! Friday night me and Serena relaxed, made dinner, and watched Titanic because she had never seen it before! 

Saturday (aka Valentines Day) was really great for several reasons:

1. I met a bunch of girls at King's for the 10 a.m. showing (half-price baby!) of "He's Just Not That Into You"....wasn't a huge fan, but still fun to go with a big group!

2. Took Serena to Brooklyn for lunch and shopping! It was her first time riding the subway EVER! Crazy! We went to an adorable place for lunch called Ella Cafe and she bought some really cute clothes at a store nearby. 

3. Dropped Serena at a birthday dinner and picked up a friend from school named Tiffany at her apartment. We hung out for a while then picked Serena up from her dinner and all came back to the apartment. Serena made us Spaghetti Carbonara, which was delicious! 

4. At around midnight the three of us went and picked up Anne and Mason after Mason had just proposed to Anne! Anne is one of my best friends at school and has been dating Mason for 5 years now. They are both amazing and have been such an amazing example of what a God-honoring relationship looks like.  Mason completely surprised Anne with taking her to New York and planned an elaborate, romantic evening for the two of them, ending in his proposal to her in Times Square! Anne came back with me to spend the night and Mason went to a friend's apartment, so I got to spend some time being excited with her! I am SO happy for them! What a wonderful Valentines Day!

A really neat thing happened on Sunday at the 6 o'clock service at Redeemer. I sat next to a girl who was also by herself and introduced myself since the service hadn't started. She told me her name was Jessie and she was a Junior at NYU. We continued talking and turns out she's from Houston and just transferred to NYU last semester after spending two years at Randolph-Macon. We totally connected and continued to find similarities and mutual friends as we talked. We ended up going to Serendipity for dinner afterwards since we both had not eaten dinner! I was so encouraged by our time together and knew it was not a coincidence that I sat next to her at church. We already planned to meet for breakfast Thursday morning and I'm so excited to get to know her more! God is SO good in the way He provides! 

Rachel got home from Spain today and we had a good time catching up at dinner. Tomorrow night I am going to the Milly fashion show with her and Serena and I am so excited! :)

Week Four

Central Park

Sipping my latte at Max Brenners!

My cozy and wonderful room

After being here for a month I am starting to understand the love/hate relationship many feel about New York City. 

Here's the deal. You have these moments when you just can't take enough of it in- where a picture could not capture the true beauty of something as simple as a tall building or something as complex as a crowded subway with people of every size, color, and lifestyle imaginable. This is the "love" side of the equation. It's the feeling I get when I'm sitting in a cute, quaint coffee shop or bakery and am just content watching people from the window and sipping my latte (although I'm trying to stick with coffee as $5 lattes are quite the indulgence here). Let me tell you this- New York is the best city for people watching! On the other hand, though, you also have these moments where you just want everything to stop, if just for a second. The constant activity and hustle and bustle gets to be frustrating, even though you know this IS New York. Capitalism began here and continues here...and the crazy thing is being able to see it played out in everyday life! All that to say, I am beginning to understand this love/hate relationship people speak of, even though I mostly view the things to "hate" as adjustments and qualities that make New York the city it is. 

Speaking of love, these are some of the things I loved about this past week:

* Seeing Shrek on Broadway with Chris and then going to Max Brenner and getting some delicious dessert afterwards...

* Visiting the Cloisters Museum in Harlem. It was such a great educational experience and also fun to see a different part of NY!

* Having brunch with the Suffield's on Saturday at their hotel. They were so encouraging and generous to me! 

* Heading to New Jersey for the King's basketball tournament between all the houses...Barton got 3rd place and it was fun getting to participate in a school-wide event. 

* Going on a run/walk in Central Park on Sunday afternoon with Serena...everyone was out because of the warmer weather, which made it very enjoyable!

* Visiting Apostles Church with Shelby Skidmore and seeing some friends from King's!

Sorry this was a bit short, but just wanted to share some highlights of my week! Rachel left for Spain today and will  be gone until next Tuesday so me and Serena will be together all week. I get to take her to school every morning and we will have dinner together each night, so I am looking forward to spending lots of time with her this week! She continues to impress and amaze me with how mature and delightful she is for her age. 

Hope you enjoy the few pictures I took from this past week! :)

Week Three

A beautiful start to February

Me and Serena's frozen yogurt date!

After recovering from my cold, I was ready to get back to the normal pace of life! 

On Tuesday night, me and a girl from the House of Barton (King's has a housing system which divides everyone into different houses) went to Brooklyn to teach this community of men and women from Senegal, Africa how to read and write in English. Every house chooses something different for their "Urban Impact" and so this semester our house chose to partner with an organization in reaching and serving this particular community in New York. I got to work with a woman named Lati who was so anxious to learn and had already made a lot of progress since starting the program a few months ago. I'm really excited to be a part of something like this while I'm here and will definitely look forward to Tuesday nights! 

On Wednesday night, I went out to dinner with a guy who goes to MIT but is interning at a hedge fund in the city. We met for dinner before he caught the boat back to his home in Rumsom, NJ. It was a nice time and talking to him really made me want to visit Boston! It sounds like a neat place. Later that night I met up with Mary Katherine Vigness (Tridelt who just graduated from Texas and is now working in NY) and we went to get coffee at Le Bilboquet just down the street. The music was loud and there were tons of people packed into a small room, but it was fun and really nice to see a familiar face! 

On Thursday night, me and Chris Bright (Bill Bright's grandson!) went to dinner and a show. I really wanted to see In the Heights, so we put our names in the lottery, but didn't get picked, so we headed over to the theatre where Billy Elliot was showing and did the "student rush", where we got $40 tickets that would normally cost $125. Chris is a broadway expert, so it was great to have him there to show me how to take advantage of finding cheap broadway tickets for students! I absolutely loved Billy Elliot and will highly recommend it to anyone I talk to. It had lots of ballet and tap dancing and the boy who played the main character was absolutely amazing! 

On Friday night, me and Serena had a date and went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and then I took her to get frozen yogurt at Bloomingdale's, since she had never had it before. Although it was delicious, we were both pretty full from dinner and neither of us could eat all of ours. I have made it one of my goals while being here to find the best cupcake, banana pudding, coffee, and frozen yogurt. So far, I have found that the best cupcake is at Sugar Sweet Sunshine, the best banana pudding is at Magnolia Bakery, the best frozen yogurt is at Bloomingdale's 40 carrots cafe, and the best coffee I've had was my latte at Le Pain Quotidien. All of these could easily change as I continue my quest, but for now these would be my current favorites. 

Yesterday was a lot of fun. First, I went to the Colony Club with Rachel to work out. Then, she took me to get my first facial and to get my hair done. She asked me if I wouldn't mind doing this favor for her, as she needed to get video footage for her art show. Are you kidding me? Getting pampered is NOT a favor. :) The facial felt amazing and getting my hair washed and styled was also a treat. We met up with the rest of the family for lunch at a delicious Italian restaurant and then the rest of the afternoon we did some errands and hung out at the apartment. Last night I met a girl named Tiffany at a coffee shop in Greenwich Village called Esperanto Cafe and we talked and did some reading for our Old Testament class. By the time we got there it was almost 10, and so I ended up not getting back to the apartment until close to 1. I didn't even realize how late it was since the place was packed with people and we were having such a good time! 

This morning I went to a Unitarian church with a girl from King's. We have to attend a church service different from what we are used to for our Foundations class and then write a paper on our experience as well as their basic theology. It was an interesting experience, but I'm glad we have an assignment that gets us out of our comfort zones and allows us to interact with other expressions. Afterwards we went to the Le Pain Quotidien on 77th street for brunch. It was exciting to experience the communal tables with someone this time! Kristin and I had a great time talking and she is definitely someone I see myself getting to know better. After brunch we stopped at this thrift store close by and I found this vintage button down, long sleeve dress for $14! It was a must. Walking back to the apartment was wonderful as the weather is absolutely gorgeous today. It is 50 degrees and sunny! I wish it would stay this way the rest of the week, but I'm afraid it will be back to normal tomorrow....

I'm meeting Mary Katherine at the 6 p.m. Redeemer service tonight and then I think we may go somewhere to watch the super bowl afterwards! I can't believe I've already been here for over 3 weeks! Looking forward to another cold, but exciting week! 

Week Two

Times Square after I saw Spring Awakening

Me and Amy at EJ's for brunch

My delicious Huevos Rancheros!

So this past week was a little more of a reality check, as I got sick on Wednesday and am just now feeling better, but that's life, right? 

Rachel left for Italy on Tuesday and so her mother has been here with me and Serena all week. She lives in Houston and teaches cooking classes at Central Market, so I have been learning so much from her in the kitchen and of course getting to enjoy her wonderful and delicious meals. Tuesday was one of my favorite days because the 4 girls, including Rachel, went to a fantastic restaurant called Allegretti for lunch and then afterwards we went to a fun cake and baking supply shop. They had everything you could imagine in the world of baking and cake-decorating! Since Serena's birthday is in March and mine is in April, we decided we were going to wait to make our elaborate cakes, but we definitely got some good ideas. :)

Wednesday during Logic class I started getting that sick feeling- when you know something is coming down the pike, you just don't know what. I made it to the end of class and was contemplating which way I'd get home (subway vs. bus- there are pros and cons to both which I will explain later..) when I remembered I had told some girls I'd go to coffee afterwards with them. I needed to be social and tried to ignore my sick feeling, hoping it was stemming from thinking too hard in Logic and not something else such as the freezing weather. We went to the Starbucks on 33rd and about 20 minutes into our time I excused myself and told the girls I was really not feeling well and also needed to get back to the apartment for dinner with the family. When I got back, Serena's grandmother was cooking Moroccan food and so I ate dinner with them and then went to sleep. I didn't wake up until noon the next day, feeling extremely weak and groggy. I did not have class on Thursday, which was great considering I spent most of the day in bed. On Friday I made it to class, even though I still had a temperature of 101, but then returned to bed right when I got back from class...sleeping for another 12 hours. Serena and her grandmother were sweet and brought me chicken noodle soup, medicine, orange juice, etc., but the bad sinus headaches persisted along with the runny nose and congestion in my throat. This continued through most of Saturday as well, only relieving a bit later in the afternoon. I desperately needed an outing and all that sounded good to me was some tart frozen yogurt (naturally), so I walked to the Bloomingdales at 59th and Lex and got their delicious tart "frogurt". Then I walked to Border's and tried to read for my Old Testament class, hoping to be somewhat productive, but the headache returned and so I walked back to the apartment. Cinderella Story was on t.v., which is such a cute movie, so me and Serena watched it together. I took a nice, hot shower with steam (the coolest function I've ever seen in a shower) and then went to bed early, hoping to wake up without a fever/headache. 

This morning I woke up without a temperature and feeling much better, so I met a girl named Amy at Trinity Grace Church on the Upper West Side for their 10:30 service. I was not only so glad to have an outing, but I was so ready to be around people and meet Amy, since one of the women on staff with Crusade at UT had given me her contact information and told me she was wonderful and that we would be "fast friends". I took a cab, since the subways on Sunday are not very reliable and I didn't want to risk being late. Amy was greeting everyone at the front door and immediately recognized me and gave me a big hug. She then introduced me to a woman on staff with Crusade in NY named Vikki, who had actually met and hung out with my parents at the Boston Winter Conference this year! What a small world! The service was great. The sermon was on Grace and how Christ's death on the cross was such an uncanny display of Grace that it could be described as "scandalous". I loved that. I absolutely love worshipping God in new settings because it makes me realize how consistent He is and how present and at work He is everywhere in the world. 

After church me and Amy went to brunch at this really good 50's diner called EJ's Luncheonette. I had read reviews saying they had scrumptious all-day breakfast dishes and since I could eat breakfast food 24/7, it sounded like a perfect place for a brunch date. We both ordered the Huevos Rancheros and they were delicious (see picture). Our time together was so refreshing and I look forward to getting to know her more as the semester goes by. 

Despite getting sick and some other adjustments I'm still getting used to, I continue to reflect on how glad I am to be here and how much I love this city!