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October 25, 2013

Five on Friday {NYC Edition!}

Helloooo from NYC! I am linking up today with April and friends for Five on Friday: NYC Edition!
 
 
{one}Hey, ya'll! {Let me say that I am saying 'ya'll' now more than ever. Clinging to my southern roots? Maybe.} Anyways, hi. I am currently sitting on my couch, sipping a skinny caramel latte, surrounded by boxes. But, we now have  internet and cable and that is something! This week has been a rollercoaster! I promise to post pictures of our apartment once we dig out of the box fort we are currently living in. I don't want to sugar coat it. I've been a wee bit overwhelmed. I may or may not have cried most days since we've arrived, which really was to be expected, I suppose! Whether it is hearing my mom or best friend's voice on the phone, or not knowing which box has our silverware in it so that I can eat breakfast, I have been a mess. Basically, we are fish out of water at the moment. Our apartment is our new "home" but it doesn't feel that way in its current state. The dogs, well, they are adjusting. I feel so bad most of the time because I can't explain to them what has happened and where their yard has gone. I realize they are fine and are getting lots of walks, but I still feel guilty. We are still figuring out where things are and how to get from point A to point B. In a nutshell, we're still getting acclimated but we have had a lot of fun moments over the past week, too. We love our new neighborhood on the upper west side, and are already making a list of all of the adventures and places we want to see and do. We'll get there. I need to keep a positive attitude and we need to give ourselves some grace and time to get to know our new life here. And, if you have any advice for helping make the transition to a new city/state/way of life easier, please send them my way!
 
{two} Weather. I am learning quickly that you must layer. When you walk outside, you are likely to be freezing. Then, you'll start walking and soon after you're sweating. I would rather be warm than cold, but I feel like a crazy person walking down the street taking my coat off when I'm in the sun and putting it back on when I walk through the shade. I have what would suffice through a Charlotte winter coat, but I'm not sure how long it will cut it here. I ordered this one before we came and it arrived yesterday. The hood is ridiculously large and I feel like an eskimo, but I may just need it in a few weeks.
 
{three}Groceries. We are lucky to live near a Trader Joe's, which is my favorite place to shop. This Trader Joe's is a few stories high and the first time I walked by, there was a line wrapped around the block trying to get in. Note to self: do not shop on Sundays. The next time I went, it was still pretty busy, but I went in and all of a sudden had no idea what to do. Where are the carts? How do I get my cart from one floor to another? {Simply place it on a cart escalator that will follow you downstairs, of course.} I had a moment where the organic skim milk I usually buy only came in the gallon size. Realizing I was walking home with the groceries, I opted to buy a smaller half gallon of 1%, because it was smaller. I also had to learn the hard way that when you want brussel sprouts, or any other produce, you'd better leave your cart, walk over to the produce section, bring your items back to your cart, then get in line. Otherwise, you'll be that girl who is awkwardly trying to weave a shopping cart through a double line of people with groceries waiting to check out, by the produce section. Also, know what you want, and get it quickly. These New Yorkers don't have time to spare and you will likely get run over if you don't get out of the way. Overall, Trader Joe's is my favorite and I feel a little slice of Charlotte when I am there!
 
{four} Sample sales. Oh, yes. So, there is apparently an entire culture of sample sales here in NYC, and it is a whole different world. A sample sale features a limited selection of deeply discounted items. I found a site that clues you in on upcoming sales and events, and I ventured out yesterday to my first one. I really just wanted to adventure out and experience one for myself, so I figured David Yurman would be a great place to start. I hopped on the subway and checked it out. I arrived about 20 minutes before the sale opened, and there was already a line of about 75-100 people. Once again, everyone seemed to know exactly what they were doing, except me. I have to say, it was fun, but you have to be in the mood and also have to have some time to spare! I will keep my eyes peeled for more sample sales of designers I like, and if I find something I love for a discount, even better!

 
{five}A week in pictures. I haven't taken as many pictures as I should have this week, but I will do better this weekend and next week. Here are some of our wanderings this week!
 

 


 


 Hope ya'll have a happy Friday and an even better weekend!


October 4, 2013

Five on Friday


Happy Friday, Friends!

This is my first link-up to 5 on Friday and I'm pretty excited about it! I love following my blog friends and seeing what fun things they come up with on Fridays, and I'm happy to give it a try today.
This one technically happened last week, but I wanted to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary which happened on September 26th. These 4 years haven't at all been what I had planned, and then, are they ever? One thing remains absolutely certain: I am so very blessed to call this man my husband. In some ways it seems like so long ago and in others like it was just yesterday. He is my happily ever after, everyday!
 

My mind has been focused on the move to NYC and then what happens after we get there. Currently I'm picking out paint colors to use in our apartment. I am also learning from our experience here and know that if we don't do something right away, we may just not get to it. So, I'm hoping to have it painted before we get there. I feel like it's going to make it feel more like home, which is a big plus. Here's what I've come up with so far:
 

 
(This room on pinterest shows Palladian Blue)
 
Stonington Gray
 
Picking paint colors is not easy, especially doing it from NC for an apartment I've seen twice in NYC! Let's just hope they work well together!

 
Speaking of color inspiration, I spotted this at Restoration Hardware yesterday and I LOVE it. We have a linen upholstered headboard so I am thinking it would be pretty to invert the colors on the bed with using that pretty silver sage color as the duvet and the dune shams as accents. Or, do you think we could leave the bed the way it is? Would it blend in too much with the headboard? This is kind of fun.
 
 
Scandal! We didn't watch it last night so it is ready to go for tonight. We watched both seasons over the summer and now we are obsessed. That plus a low key dinner at home is just the ticket for this Friday night.
 
 
This quote is such a good reminder to me every time I read it, and it is just what I needed to see today. Maybe you needed to see it, too.
 
 
Have a wonderful Friday and weekend!
 
 

October 2, 2013

This.Is.Getting.Real.


Sometimes in the morning, when we are getting ready to head out for the day, Sadie will retreat under our bed. Maybe it's too dark outside, she's too sleepy, or just isn't thrilled about us all parting ways for the day. Whatever it is, TJ has been saying he has to "drag her out like a beaver." This is kind of funny to watch, because he literally has to pull her little self out from under the bed, resisting with all her might.

Since this whole thing started, not so long ago, I have probably been in a little bit of denial. TJ has been comparing me to Sadie, saying he was going to have to "drag me out of here like a beaver." (In the sweetest way possible, of course). Why? I'm not sure. Probably because we love Charlotte. We have friends and family here in NC. We love our house, our yard, our space. I had the privilege of teaching 6 year olds how to read and really loved my team. Our neighborhood is really sweet, so are our neighbors. It could also be that change is scary, or that there are so many unknowns up ahead. Or, it could be that although I've had the opportunity to visit so many places, I've never actually lived outside of North Carolina. So, while a big part of me is excited about this adventure we are about to begin together, another part of me is screaming, "THIS IS CRAZY!" :)

Things are moving in fast forward right now. I am a "retired" teacher, which is so weird to say and hasn't really sunk in yet. We have sifted through most of our belongings, and have given away or sold about three quarters of them! The house goes on the market in the next few days. The moving truck comes Monday. There's no turning back now!

In the midst of all the crazy, I am trying to soak up the south, and all of the conveniences that I've come to love here. I'm trying to spend as much time as possible enjoying our friends and family being close by. At the same time, I don't want to focus on what we'll be missing, rather what new experiences we will gain and people we will meet.

 I saw this yesterday, and it just fits my life in a million ways right now.

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!
 
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