Wednesday, November 12, 2014

New York, New York, it's a wonderful town

The Bronx is up
And the Battery's down
Yes I am one of those sappy girls who is still obsessed with her wedding and looking at pictures 3 years later. And yet we still don't actually have a wedding album. I should probably get on that. But we got married in Battery Park City so this picture totally works.
 
So if you follow me on instagram or twitter, by now you've probably seen that I am heading back home to New York on Friday! I have not been back home since late June-early July and was feeling incredibly homesick. My brother-in-law had a Southwest credit that was expiring so he gifted it to me. To say I am excited is an understatement. I cannot wait. Even if my flights are ridiculously early in the morning and even if it is insanely cold in New York. At least I'll be home and will get to see my family and friends.

I am an only child so my mother has been going slightly crazy herself. She has taken the entire day off on Wednesday and has arranged a full day of mother-daughter bonding for us including hot stone massages and facials, shopping, dinner at an Italian restaurant I've been wanting to go to, and seeing Les Mis on Broadway. If no one hears from me after Wednesday night, just assume that my mother has me locked up somewhere and is not letting me leave. But I'm sure I will be a very well-fed hostage.

Other things I am looking forward to next week:
*Seeing my best friend for her 30th birthday (the timing of the trip could seriously not have been any better!)
*chestnut macarons at Laduree (My absolute favorite flavor and they are only available from late fall to winter. I already called to confirm that both locations in the city have them.)

*Shake Shack burgers (this is really kind of an obvious one here)
*brunch with a sorority sister I have not seen in forever at our usual spot
*enjoying the thrill that is public transportation (seriously I miss the freedom that comes with having an unlimited ride Metrocard in my wallet)
*shopping
*catching up with friends (I have plans for most every night that I am in New York!)

See you soon!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Always Starting Over*

I know, I know. My last post said that I was back to blogging, but as usual, life got in the way. Terry spent a month in New York City interviewing for a position. After multiple interviews, he was given the position. Only to find out that two days later that the person who made him the offer was not able to make the offer that she did, and the position got rescinded. To say we were crushed is an understatement. We both love New York and were really looking forward to making a life for ourselves there. Quite frankly, I never imagined myself living anywhere other than New York, so it was a bitter pill to swallow. While Terry was gone, I was experiencing some horrific back pain that is still going on. I did several weeks of physical therapy and had multiple injections done without much success, and am very reliant on pain medication for me to be functional. This is the other reason I have not blogged in months. I was feeling very down and negative for a long time and did not want all that negativity out there publicly.

Thankfully things have been looking up for us. Terry was offered a job at Fort Bragg here in North Carolina about a month ago and he has been really happy there. We are in the process of looking for an apartment and are hoping to move out within the next month or so. Apartment searching in North Carolina is extremely different from apartment searching in New York City. In New York, you have to decide what your maximum budget is and then either triple that, go down in size, take a roommate, or live about an hour from where you'd like. In North Carolina (at least in the areas we've been looking), it seems like you have to decide what is most important to you- a tennis court or a basketball court. Don't even bother worrying about a pool. All the apartment complexes have them. Along with fitness centers. Some of the places we've been looking at are nicer than hotels we've stayed in. One has complimentary yoga classes two times a week. Another one has a sand volleyball court. And they all have valet trash included. Which is something I had never heard of until I started searching for a place here, but it is basically I never knew I always wanted. (Another way in which North Carolina and New York are different in terms of real estate- in New York if you tell a leasing agent you would really rather not pay more than $2,000/month for a one bedroom, (s)he asks if you don't mind living out by the airport. In North Carolina if you say the same thing, the person thinks you're being sarcastic.

So there in a nutshell is our life. Hopefully I will be able to pick up this blog again. It has been with me through so much and I don't want to kill it off just yet.

*The title of this post is a song from the Broadway musical If/Then starring Idina Menzel. Terry and I saw it with my mother on July 4th and her performance of the song quite literally gave me goosebumps. If you are going to be in NY (or live there) and are looking to see a show, I highly recommend this one. Here is a shortened version of the song here at the Tony Awards: