You Can't Beat Home Sweet Home

Day 136 (12/28/2016)
I had been longing to go home for the holidays. I was picking outfits, counting months, weeks, days, and making December plans in September, I was beyond ready. I left for the airport straight from work Thursday night and everything went smoothly. My flight was perfectly on time and a friend I made in NY was one row behind me!
When I got off the airplane it was a little surreal that I wasn't in New York anymore. I walked through the terminal searching through unfamiliar faces trying to find the one I knew. I found dad and we decided to grab a bite to eat at 1:00 in the morning! Now, in case you didn't know, I went a month and a half without any dessert food -- cookies, candy, chocolate, ice cream, pie, cake, anything. Sharrie's it was! S'mores pie, fries, and a grilled cheese sandwich was a great way to start off my Christmas vacation. Being the admitted talker that I am and the un-admitted talker that my dad is, we stayed up yacking until 4:00 in the morning which left only 4 hours until it was time to wake up. On the way to mom's house we stopped at Ron Tonkin in Wilsonville to check out some Ferrari's. I'm more of an old Rolls Royce and Cadillac type of gal, but they were pretty sweet.
I got to mom and pops and was beyond excited to see all of our
Christmas decorations alive and well. I walked in the door to hug pops and I finally felt my anxiety slip away. I was done counting down, I was done traveling, packing, waiting, and I was finally home. We went to visit mom at work and they fortunately let her leave early. We picked up my car from the body shop with it's beautiful new door and I hit the road.
I went to Maps in Monmouth to visit my dearly missed Maps Family. It was so great to see all of them and our dear friend Kelly. Honestly, the only way I could every get caught up with all of them is if I were there every day with them. I miss them dearly and hope their new NY mugs leave a little piece of me with them as their "Monmouth, OR" sticker leaves them with me.
Breonna and Emma are family. They're my sisters. I talk to them every single day and I couldn't hug them tight enough or talk with them long enough or laugh with them hard enough. Those two are the best friends I could have ever hoped to ask for and I am more than thankful for everything they have done for me. From decorating cookies, to eating too many sweets, to staying out late, and watching Christmas movies I couldn't have asked for anything more.
My dear uncle Tracy drove all the way over from Medford to visit the family -- I couldn't talk to everyone for very long but it was great to see him and I can't wait to live close to him. My sister was over all weekend and it was nice to be woken up early on Christmas instead of waking people up early. My dear Jonathan stopped by as well as Ariana and Dalia. I think everyone realizes how much it sucks being away from each other so everyone is making as many plans as possible for summer.
All in all, it was great to be back home. It gave me an extra boost of confidence and energy. I miss the clean air and family and trees and friends and rain with all of my heart, but I still have adventures left in New York to finish. Of course I'm excited to come home in June and yes, New York is still not the place for me however, these facts can not be my focus. I have ice cream to eat, a gym to hit, friends to laugh with, and a roommate to plan with still.
Thank you to everyone who saw me for Christmas and who has continued to follow and support my story. Happy Holidays!
Also: animal therapy is real and I missed my kitty's so much.

'Tis the Season for Ice Skating!

Day 122 (12/14/2016)
Everyone has asked me to go ice skating in New York so that they could see pictures. To be honest, the thought of ice skating was a bit scary being that I fall often without the added hardship of a thin blade on ice. Emily was out with a friend and they decided to invite four other people out including me. Emily was a doll and paid for my ticket so when I got off the subway I could just go to booth 7 and grab my bracelet.
We went to Bryant Park and they have the ice rink set up in hour and a half schedules so when I get there we had some waiting to do. As it turns out, everyone who we were with (six people) were all from Oregon. Emily and I from Salem, a couple from Eugene, and a couple from Portland. It still cracks me up that 3000 miles away in a city with over seven million people I always end up in a group of Oregonians.
Ice skates are supposed to be tight, but for me they were huge because they were out of my size and even the one above it. I stepped on the ice and immediately yanked on Emily's shoulders... I was a mess. After a few "step glide step glide" lessons I thought I had the hang of it... until I fell... three times. The skates were too big, the ice was too scraped, and I was too off balance. Fortunately I have an amazing roommate with ice skating experience and she held my hand the whole way. The crisp air and bright lights made for an amazing view. There were twinkling trees, steaming hot chocolates, and cold breaths. Skating on ice is a one of a kind feeling and was a great kick off to my Christmas spirit.
This weekend I was very productive and finished all of my Christmas shopping. We ventured out to Korean town -- I didn't even know that was a thing -- to see some cheap souvenir shops and yummy
coffee.
To reward ourselves for spending money for all of our Christmas presents we spent even more money on clothes! Blesses Buy, the second hand store near us, never disappoints. Although my wonderful parents sent me base layers and scarves and gloves I've still been cold. At Blessed Buy I got a giant sweater, a giant cardigan, a very "Manhattan" jacket, and another scarf. I was so happy to have more warm clothes and I'm excited to have even more after Christmas (wink wink). Although this weekend was great, the best part was that it snowed! Everyone in Oregon was posting pictures of snow and I was so jealous. Although we only got a dusting here and it didn't stick, it solidified the feeling of Christmas and gave me hope for January when we're supposed to get the most amount of snow.
It's crazy that It'll be Christmas so soon and I'll be in Oregon next Thursday. I'm really really really happy and excited to see everyone. I still don't really see people throughout the day especially since there haven't been parties at NYU I haven't really talked to many people and it kind of gets into my head. I feel boring but I know it's just because I don't really have anything to work on right now; no school, no books, no projects. I'm excited to visit Oregon and see everyone who I can completely be myself with.
Seeing more of the city has made me appreciate it more and I understand why people love it here, heck, I love it here, I just couldn't live my life here. It does get to me when people who moved here from Oregon talk so much shit about Oregon though. Just because it isn't for you doesn't mean it isn't right for others. That's been a huge lesson for me: everyone lives their life differently and that's okay.

Day 115 (12/7/2016)
It's December... already? I still can not wrap my head around how fast these almost four months have gone by. I'm very happy with the person I'm becoming -- less stressed, more active, self aware, and authentic. I'm always looking for more healthy activities to add to my life and over the last few weeks
I've realized how much TV I watch. Way too much! So I decided to write and read after work instead of watching TV... the downfall to this was I only have one book in NY in a series that I really want to read. So now that I've finished one book I have to wait two more weeks to get the rest of the series from Salem.
Also, I've been writing more (not on my blog though). A year or so back I had a 'falling out' of sorts with a family member that left a deeper impact on me than I was originally aware. I wrote a truthful and potentially (rightfully) painful letter to her and it feels good to let go of some nonsense.
Last week, on November 30th, was the Rockefeller Tree Lighting! It started at 7:00pm and one fact I did not know was that a ten block radius surrounding the tree is all shut down and barricaded off starting at 3:00pm. Needless to say there were thousands of people and thousands of steps taken trying to see the tree. I ended up getting there too late to get up close to the tree but I did see a glimpse of it. Either way, it was worth it to me. There were light and trees and ribbons and bows and cold air -- it felt like Christmas. The night was foggy and then soggy; I got caught in a huge rainstorm and ended up sprinting
from 52nd and 5th to 49th and 7th. I didn't get a picture of the tree but I got an amazing picture of a building in the fog.
This weekend was another low key one. Emily had work to do and I had finals. All day on Saturday, meaning 9:00am Saturday morning to 1:00am Sunday morning, I was working on finals... then again all day Sunday... then again part of the day Monday. Despite countless distractions I finished my finals! That means I have officially finished my first term of college which is the craziest thing I have ever said (mind you, I have said some crazy stuff). These almost four months have flown by faster than I could have ever imagined.
When I first got here I was unhappy and sure that time would go by at a snail's pace. I'm so happy to say that I genuinely enjoy living here and will continue to explore the city. I'm happy to be doing well in school, although not as good as hoped for, so that I can transfer to Bend next year.
I haven't been going to the gym because honestly, I haven't wanted to. I'm cold literally all day and when I get home after work I just want to blast the heat and wear 3 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of socks, 2 shirts, and a sweatshirt to finally be warm. I'm not feeling too guilty because I know I have been eating well. About a week and a half ago I decided to have no sweets -- cake, cookies, chocolate, candy, ice cream, froyo, doughnuts -- and no pizza until I go home for Christmas. I'm doing surprisingly well considering that I'm used to having ice cream 1-3 times a weekend.
I'm so so so excited to finally see my friends and family again. The time will be short but it'll be packed with baking and laughing and too many teenagers for my parents to handle.
This coming weekend should be filled with more activities to take pictures of and share with all of you, I'll be sure to post!