Summer Lovin'

So much to update you on! I apologize for the length of this post but seeing as I’ve not gotten any better with updating weekly it will have to do.  I’ll start with the biggest news!

-Job Hunt-

I’m incredibly sad to say that this Wednesday is my last day at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. I can hardly believe that it’s gone by so fast! But I guess time flies when you’re having fun, right? I’ve learned so much from working here and it truly has been the best experience. Unfortunately, with that being said we all know what comes next for me- JOB HUNTING. Yup, I am back on the job hunt and I can’t seem to figure out way it gets harder and harder each time!! I could definitely use some help so if any of you have ANY leads please let me know. I’ve currently been applying in Nashville, Birmingham, Washington DC, NYC and Atlanta but I am open to almost anywhere! Please please please help me out! I’ll bake you a pretty cake! 

-Weddings & such-

So far so good on the wedding front! 1 down and 5 to go! Two weeks ago Cori and I drove up to Guntersville to celebrate the wedding of Anna and John! Despite getting a little lost on the way to the actual location it was a fabulous night! The wedding took place at this super cute lodge that had spectacular views of the lake. I loved that I got to spend some time with two old Theta friends and it was great to have Cori with me too. Overall we had a fabulous time! Thanks so much Anna! And congratulations!!

The infamous Bachelorette Party for Katie was this past weekend!! Wahooo! Siobhan and I got to the hotel early to set up and man were we impressed! We stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott Midtown Historic and it could not have been any better. The room was unbelievably spacious and we even had a fridge with a kitchen. I was blown away! By 5pm the entire bridal party had arrived and it was so fun having everyone together. After some quick touchups we headed over to dinner at Eleven at the Loews. The food was delicious and the staff couldn’t have been nicer. Then back at the hotel we had the lingerie shower before breaking it down on the dance floor at CosmoLava. It was so nice to enjoy the night and get everyone super pumped up for the wedding! I can’t wait to see everyone again next weekend!

-JOSH GROBAN CONCERT-

Oh my goodness!!! I'm sure most of you have seen on my FB/Twitter that I went to the Josh Groban concert on June 8th! It was outstanding! I have wanted to see JG in concert for years and after meeting him in 2009 I knew that I HAD to make it happen somehow. Unfortunately when ticket sales began I came to the sad realization that I just could not afford a ticket. I sulked around for a while and it wasn't until 3 days before the concert that I learned via Twitter that I could get student tickets!! Next thing I knew, Colleen and I were sitting front row balcony with fab views of the stage. It was one of the best nights of my life! Love you Joshie!

-Cake Decorating-

Last night was Colleen, Cori and I's second cake class! We are LOVING it! We learned how to pipe on designs last night and we went to town making our cakes look awesome. Next week we are learning cupcakes and the week after is the final class where we each have to design our own cake! Can't wait! We may have found our true love here people! The Pinto Bakery could be opening very soon! haha

Until next time! :-)

Two months later...

I am very ashamed at myself that I haven't updated this since the end of February!! I truly apologize--however I swear the first month I was home wasn't too entertaining. I watched SVU...applied for jobs...made dinner...and slept...Okay now that you're all caught up on the month of March we can move right along to April! 

As most of you know I began a temporary position at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta with the Foundation/Sports Network. Therefore I have been commuting to and from Atlanta (1 hr EACH way) for nearly a month now. And guess what? I LOVE IT! I don't exactly love the driving part but I am absolutely loving my job. I have already participated in two events and I just really feel in my element. I live for the craziness of event day and I definitely got my share of it while working the UGA vs. GT baseball game at Turner Field. I was running back and forth between people all day and it was fantastic!! The event was extremely successful and I'm so grateful to work with such amazing people. 

Moving home hasn't nearly been as horrible as it was last fall- Let's all be honest here by saying no one wanted me to move up to NYC more than my parents who had to deal with my horribly depressing moods. Trust me, I want to move into my own apartment as soon as possible but I'm being realistic here and I know it's going to take time for me to save enough money. 

Let's see....what else have I been doing since moving home? Ohhh ya...WEDDINGS!! 6 weddings to be exact. I have officially taken over the fridge at home with save the dates, shower invites and wedding invites! I've been having a blast planning Katie's bachelorette party and I cannot wait until June! It's going to be so much fun. Thankfully, Siobhan and I are sharing the duties because during school for her and work for me it would be nearly impossible to get all the little details done. 

I, of course, woke up at 4am to watch the Royal Wedding and I'm pretty sure I'm still on cloud 9 from the sheer amount of amazing Royalness. 

So weddings and work are really the only two things on my mind right now and I can't complain. 

I know the question on everyone's mind is "Am I happy being back home?" I know I've been asked this multiple times since my move back and I can honestly tell you that I am very happy being back down South. I've been able to visit Auburn, see all my college friends and see my high school friends without catching plane and I love being around my family.

That being said...don't for one second think I'm not missing NYC. I miss the subway and train every morning that I'm fighting bumper to bumper ATL traffic.  I miss my Markelettes dearly and I would really like a Magnolia cupcake right now. But ultimately, I'm very happy and I think the move back was definitely the right decision now that I've been back for 2 months. 


I promise I will update more frequently but I apologize for it not being as entertaining as it was while I lived in NY, haha. 

10 New York Things

Subways Taken:
1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. F
5. M
6. R
7. L
8. 4
9. 5
10. 6












9 Trips to Pinkberry

Marklettes:
1. Vicki
2. Caralyn
3. Claire
4. Courtney
5. Rachel
6. Karen
7. Elizabeth
8. Jordan















Movies Watched:
1. Never Say Never
2. The Kings Speech
3. Temple Grandin 
4. Eat, Pray, Love
5. No Strings Attached
6. Unknown
7. The Chronicles of Narnia

Celeb Encounters:
1. Uma Thurman
2. Susan Sarandon
3. Sarah Jessica Parker
4. Kelsey Grammer
5. Christopher Meloni
6. Mariska Hargitay

Adventures Taken:
1. Woodburry Commons
2. Coney Island
3. Morristown 
4. Staten Island
5. Columbia University Theta house

 

















Jobs Worked:
1. Barnes & Noble
2. ENK Show
3. 7 West Show
4. Babysitting

Broadway Shows:
1. Wicked
2. Phantom of the Opera
3. Billy Elliot

 

















Favorite Places to Walk:
1. Brooklyn Bridge
2. Central Park

Memory:
1. Everyone I met here and all the things I did here will be something I will NEVER forget. Thank you all for being a part of this journey.


I decided this was much better than a sappy post about how this is my last night and how I'm so sad about leaving my friends yet still happy about going home. Next post will be from the good ol' ATL. 

Chocolate for everyone!

Friday was a gross rainy day here in the city so what better way to spend it than at (yes another) Broadway show?? I went to the theatre to get student tickets for Billy Elliot and I didn't even have to wait until noon. They sold me the $31.50 ticket on the spot which was awesome! So then I had 2 hours to burn before the show so I went across the street for lunch. Yes, I went to a restaurant solo and didn't even care. 

At 2pm the show began and I was super excited to watch from my amazing seats. These student tickets are fabulous! Four rows up in the front mezz! It took me a little while to get into the show but once they began focusing on Billy and his dancing I was hooked! I didn't want it to end! There were SO many talented kids I couldn't believe it. The boy who played Billy was spectacular! Bravo Billy Elliot! 

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous so the girls and I wanted to make the most of it. Vicki, Caralyn and I headed down to Canal Street so I could get a new purse. I ended up finding one I loved but now I just need to find a longer strap...other than that it's perfect!

Then we made our way up to Union Square to get our dessert on at Maxx Brenners Chocolate by the Bald Man. I ordered the Chocolate Smores Sundae, Vicki got the Smores Concoction and Caralyn/Emma split the huge fondue plate. Basically our entire table was full of some form of chocolate. 

Later that night I went and saw Unknown with Caralyn and Emma. We stayed out and talked till midnight while drinking cokes and lemonade at Cosi. We had a great night!


Today I've been packing and I'm basically done. I took a break to go see Never Say Never with Caralyn...she's obsessed with the Biebs...and I thoroughly enjoyed it!! Gotta love JB! haha. Well I have to go finish packing and get ready for the Oscars! So excited to spend it with my Marklettes!  

From Broadway to Law and Order

Even when I have a plan it seems as though things happen that I would have never anticipated. Take yesterday for example.

I decided that I wanted to go see Billy Elliot because they have great student ticket rates but because Vicki was working I planned on seeing it alone. I woke up, got on Facebook and Jordan was online! Knowing that she's a dancer I asked if she wanted to come. Of course she said yes and we headed up to the Imperial Theatre to hopefully get tickets. Well apparently even though the website says they have shows on Wednesday there were no shows- the rude box office lady informed us. After getting super excited about the show we were so disappointed. Jordan had been talking about how she wanted to see Phantom so I was like "Hey the Phantom theatre is just one block over...let's go see if they have student tickets or something." We ended up getting an amazing deal for standing room so we bought tickets for the 2pm show!  And let me tell you...standing room is a fab idea for those on a budget!

We had some time to kill so we headed over and played in the Disney store for a good hour. I think we had way too much fun acting like we were 5 year olds. We then headed over to the beautiful Majestic Theatre for my 3rd viewing of Phantom in NYC. I could see it 100 more times and still get chill bumps when the show starts. 

After the show we both didn't really have anything to do so I suggested we go over to the East side where I had read that Law & Order: SVU was filming. In case you don't know...I'm obsessed with this show and I've created SVU junkies out of my family and friends. (They love me for it of course). I knew there was a slim chance that they were still filming since it was later in the day but I figured why the heck not. 

As Jordan and I were walking up 2nd Avenue I spotted the film crew! I literally pointed and shouted "FILMING EQUIPMENT" and bolted towards it. Despite Jordan almost stealing the cheese that the crew had out to eat, we were not bothersome at all. They were filming inside so for all we knew they could be in there for hours but luck was on our side! Jordan taps me and I look over as Christopher Meloni (Elliot Stabler) is walking out of the building. We stood still on the sidewalk as he literally walked 6 inches from us. We smiled and I was in heaven. He is as sexy in person as he is on TV. Then I turned to look at the door and spotted Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson)! I gasped (slightly startling Jordan) and got so excited when I saw her walking towards us. We decided to walk down the street to the trailers before speaking to her but as soon as she was by her trailer I politely asked her if I could please get a picture. She was so nice and said sure! I won't lie. I was completely awe struck. 

My picture is a little blurry but who cares!  I was giddy the rest of the night!

As amazing as it was I wish Vicki could have come since it was something we'd wanted to do together but unfortunately she had to work. :-(

I can't believe I only have 4 days left in the city. It's really starting to hit.

You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart...

It was nearly five years ago that I had the amazing experience of seeing Wicked on its first national tour in Atlanta! I remember everything about that day but what I remember most was the feeling I had after leaving the show. 

Since that day I vowed that no matter what it took I was going to see it in all its New York City glory on Broadway IN Gershwin Theatre! Despite many trips to NYC after that show I just couldn't get tickets. Whether that be because of time constraints, shows being sold out or the sheer fact that I was poor as dirt. 

I decided that I was going to try for the Wicked lottery and pray I was one of the lucky 13 names called for $27 front row seats! After three attempts and nearly freezing my rear end off I got a text message from Vicki's mom. She knew how much we wanted to see the show and made my wish come true by getting us fabulous seats to Friday nights show!! I couldn't believe it! Vicki and I each fronted $60 and Andrea gave us the present of paying the difference for our great seats. I'm still so so incredibly grateful!!

Vicki and I got all dolled up for our Broadway outing. We treated ourselves to candy and I even bought a Wicked shirt. I'm pretty sure my mouth was hanging open the entire time we walked through the theatre until we sat down in our seats. 

The show started and it was pure bliss. Even better than I remembered! Yes, I mouthed the words to each and every song...I just couldn't help myself. I got teary eyed on multiple occasions and I jumped up to give a standing ovation at the end. I don't really know what it is about this show that pulls at my heartstrings so much. Maybe it's the friendship storyline or the romance...or the unbelievable vocals. I don't know but I can say it will forever be one of my absolute favorites. 

Seeing the show in Atlanta was great but seeing it in the original Wicked Theatre was truly an unbelievable experience. I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to see this before I leave. I will never forget it! Thank you SO much Andrea for making my dream come true!

Never Regret Following Your Dreams- 100th blog post

Of all the people I have ever known, those who have pursued their dreams and failed have lived a much more fulfilling life than those who have put their dreams on a shelf for fear of failure.  ~Author Unknown


This quote really resonates with me and during the last two months I've been pursuing my dream of living and working in New York City. I've had major ups and even harder downs but overall I'm having the time of my life. However, sometimes you can't always foresee how things will work out-no matter how hard you try or how passionate you are or how much you pray for things to happen.

Sometimes things just don't go according to plan. Plain and simple.  It's not been easy for me to make this decision- many tears have been shed - but I truly feel this is the right thing. Well here goes nothing...I'm moving back to Atlanta/Acworth on March 1st.  

I've wrestled with this decision for weeks now and ultimately the job search isn't going as well as I had hoped. I wasn't expecting an instant job offer upon moving here but I was hoping for more opportunities and they just don't seem to be open right now. 

...Physically writing this post is making this decision real to me now and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't extremely emotional right now...

A part of me is absolutely devastated that this didn't work out because I truly believed with all my heart that this move was the right thing for me. But the other side is telling me to be realistic and think of everything I'm missing by being here. I miss my friends.  I miss my family.  I miss Auburn.  

With that said, a big reason that I'm getting excited about this move back is because of those aforementioned things. I'm excited that I get to be with my friends again. I'm excited that I get to attend the Bridal Showers of my best friends and be a proper Maid of Honor who is there for the bride whenever she needs me. I'm excited about being with my family.

I know it was a risk moving here and I don't regret it AT ALL. But of course it hurts and I often have nightmares of being labeled a failure or a quitter but you know what? I can forever and always say I gave 100% in the pursuit of this dream. I'm not going to ever have those 'what if' questions I would have had if I hadn't moved here.

I've also grown to appreciate Atlanta so much more from being in New York. Trust me, there are many things that NYC will always be better at...(cough cough public transportation) but I truly believe that I will be happier with the move back now that I've been somewhere else. 

Everything happens for a reason. I will preach that till the day I die. I don't really see why NY didn't work out yet but I'm sure in a few years I will look back and say, "Moving to NYC was the best decision I ever made because without it I never would be here."

So there it is...my big announcement...I'm moving back. 

If I could just say to all my friends who are about to graduate (or those who already have)- Take a risk. Go somewhere new. Try something you would have never done because you never know what will happen. It may bring you back full circle and make you realize that what you actually wanted to get away from is exactly what you wanted in the first place.

Thank you to all my friends and family who have supported me on my New York journey. I will always feel at home in this city but I'm looking forward to another chapter in the job search saga in Atlanta with all my loved ones.