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25 May 2011

uptown girl

New York is truly getting better and better the longer I am here. This past Friday marked the half way point and I am kind of freaking out. I still have so much more that I want to do with my time in the city... I feel like this whole experience is just flying by! Let's just say I'm going to be pretty busy the next few weeks! Work has continued to pick up and I am loving being so busy. The work days truly fly by. The only bummer is that it is so hard being apart from Ryan. But luckily I get to see him Friday morning! I seriously can't wait. We are going to have the best time in the city!
Here is a little of what I've been up to...

*lunching in Bryant Park with friends


*eating at delicious restaurants all over town

Here we are at Nonna on the Upper West Side.
I don't think there is anything better than sitting outside on a warm New York night, and enjoying a little pasta with friends.





Cafe Frida - another favorite find.
After this dinner we walked from 96th to 122nd on Broadway. Our friends love to walk through the city and experience real life here. As my friend Heidi pointed out, you miss a lot when you ride the subway.





*yoga in the park! 

This is most definitely one of the best things I've done in New York.
.namaste.


love my yoga buddy Heidi


*going to some of the many amazing museums

So far I have been to the Natural History and the Guggenheim


view from the top


*catching a few shows on Broadway!

Wonderland



Some of our best family friends Kathryn and Cody came out to visit! Together we went to see Addams Family and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!

Memphis was for sure one of my favorites!



*strolling through the city and exploring as we go

Central Park...




Lincoln Center



*hanging out with the Skousens! It was so amazing to see Ryan's parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles. I was lucky enough to be invited to dinners, hang out, explore the city and even see a Broadway show. I just love this family!

Times Square


I am simply falling more and more in love with this place. (is that even possible?) I am so excited to show my boy around and witness him fall it love with it too!

15 May 2011

work & play

My time in New York just keeps getting better and better. I finally feel settled here and everything is going smoothly. I know my way around town and I can get wherever I need to go with ease. I actually understand the subway system and how to get just about anywhere. Thank goodness I have an iPhone with a GPS. I have become the go-to navigator most of the time.. What would we do without modern technology? Work is going really great. I am feeling very comfortable with the account I am working on. I just love it here and time is truly flying by. Time flies when you're having fun, as they say. I don't think Ryan feels the same way unfortunately... but he is hanging in there! We are missing each other like crazy and counting down the days until he comes out to visit (16 more!).

On Friday a big group of us went to the New York Mets game. I absolutely love professional baseball games. I definitely got this love from my mama... she is the biggest baseball fan I know. I have learned how fun it is to visit different ball parks and experience what each has to offer. We had a blast! Tickets were only $12 for a seat wayyyyyy up in the nosebleeds. We rode the crowded subway out to Queens with tons of excited and dedicated fans. When we got there I thought it was so nice to see the sky so clearly in all directions. We all felt a sense of freedom after being crowded between buildings for so long. We snacked on our favorite ball park food and cheered on the Mets!





Saturday night a group of us met up for dinner and a little culture! We hit up a really cool outdoor exhibit all having to do with light and projection. It was really interesting and totally free. There are so many amazing and free things to do in this city. Luckily we are all pretty poor so we love to take advantage of anything that won't cost a thing.




Celebrity sightings have been a very fun part of my New York experience as well. Thursday night we were walking through SoHo and realized Ryan Gosling (from The Notebook) was walking with us for a few blocks. He was taking an evening stroll with his friends and acting like it was no big deal. Oh, all the while playing a ukulele. We tried to act like cool New Yorkers who didn't really care, but then we started snapping pictures and became obvious celeb-stalkers.


I just can't get enough of all the street performances New York City has to offer. I swear there is always someone performing something... Always good for cheap entertainment. On the train ride home some thirteen year old boys entertained us with pretty sweet dance performance, and you can always count on quite a few musicians during the morning commute.

Sundays are probably my favorite days here. After church our group of friends love to meet in Central Park to rest and people watch. It is so fun to have great conversations, laugh and relax a little before the work week starts again. I don't know what I would do without the park!




I am still loving the food, crazy energy, subway, nasty smells, humidity, tired feet, fashion, crappy mattress, expensive prices, glitz & glamor of this city... I wouldn't trade being here for the world!

02 May 2011

the BIG apple

Well, the day has finally come. I am officially a.....


!!!!

I absolutely love it here. My first week has been incredible! I left around midnight last Monday so I got into the city early Tuesday morning. I hopped in a cab and headed to my new home for the next seven weeks. I am living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan! It is still a little surreal to me! It is so fun because I lived here as a little girl when my Dad was in law school. I am living near Columbia University which has always held a very special place in my heart. Just being here is a dream come true!


[this is the view from my dorm room of Riverside Park and the Hudson River... gorgeous!]

I started my advertising internship at Y&R New York on Wednesday. The office is located downtown on Madison Avenue! It is such a fun area to work in. There is an amazing energy and a hustle and bustle where I work. I just love waking up and going to my internship every day! 
I am enjoying every second of it.

I just want to see and do as much as I can in the short time I am living here!
I have been hanging out with a really fun group who want to explore and see the city! We are having an absolute blast. 

So far our activities have included:

Browsing at Bloomingdale's, H&M + Zara
Dinner at the delicious Patsy's
a late night movie... Water for Elephants
Buying snacks and essentials at Trader Joe's and Duane Reade [my favorite]
trying out the neighborhood pizza and pasta joints
Lunch in Bryant park
Shopping in SoHo
NUTS FOR NUTS
Exploring new neighborhoods like Hell's Kitchen, 
the Upper East Side and Chelsea
Hale and Hearty [my favorite lunch stop]
avoiding scary homeless/drunk people on every corner [haha]
Friday night dinner with the crew at Chelsea Market


Walking through Times Square at night



[Empire State Building]

lots and lots [and lots] of riding the subway
AND learning how to navigate the system by heart


walking to church in Harlem



[me and Heidi]


[friends!]

and
Spending a fabulous Sunday afternoon in Central Park






I just love this city! I can't believe it has already been a week since I arrived... this internship is going to fly by! I will say the hardest part is that I miss Ryan like cray-zy! Although I'm having a blast, there is a constant ache in my stomach because I just miss that boy. He is coming out at the end of the month and I am already planning all the adventures we will have together. He is being such a trooper at home working and getting ready to start the next semester of school! [Also being very bored without me...]

Here's to more fun in the greatest city on earth!

01 May 2011

graduation!

Graduation was such a fun and amazing experience.
It was incredible to think about starting four years ago and 
actually finishing college!
It seems mind-blowing that I actually did that... 


I never have to take another class again! woo hooooo!
We'll see if I ever get the itch to go back to school...
I should never say "never" I guess!

It was so great to have my family out for my big day.
My parents have been so extremely supportive in every way possible.
They encouraged me to go to BYU, supported me financially, and kept me going when I truly thought I would never finish. I'm so glad they had such sound advice to give whenever I needed it.
More importantly, I'm glad I listened!







Ryan was so proud of me for graduating! He has also helped me so much on my path to finishing school. Before we got married we contemplated moving and transferring schools. I told him how important it was for me to graduate from BYU and we have never looked back. Without his willingness to support that decision I could never have made it. He has supported us completely and allowed me to focus on school when I really needed to. 



It was also fun to have friends there to share it with! 

Me and Lindsay Ham


I had a full circle moment with my bestie Nicole. We started our journey at BYU on the very first day together, and we walked together at our graduation four years later. What a a journey!


I have also made so many great friends in my advertising program! Chad and I started in our beginning advertising classes together, and now we are both living in New York!


This whole weekend made me feel so happy and nostalgic for the great four years I have had, with so many amazing people!

After graduation, we had a great dinner at Macaroni Grill...



It was such a great weekend with the family! Miss you guys already!