Santa sighting, Christmas shopping, and paper writing

It's Christmastime in New York City!

The most wonderful time of the yearrrrr.

The moment it hit December 1st (well, actually, the moment Thanksgiving ended), the trees and lights went up.

You can't walk down the street without running into a "Christmas tree farm" (aka: a whole bunch of trees propped up on the sidewalk).

Our lobby at EHS is festive.

And I even found Santa wandering around Times Square like a little, lost puppy.

It was impossible for me to not get into the Christmas spirit, what with all of the decorations and the fact that the temperature has mostly been below 35 degrees every single day...

Therefore, this past week, I've been doing a lot of Christmas shopping!

They moved the location of the Brooklyn Flea from the water in Williamsburg to this awesome, old bank:

I wandered around this building for probably 2 hours straight. And bought one thing. (For myself. Oops).

Don't worry! I did end up finding things for others, after wandering around all over various areas of New York City.

And I heard some of the most amazing subway musicians this past weekend. I don't know what was going on, but they were all incredible.

Like these guys:

And while in the subway, I also ran across this disturbing scene:

That right there is an entire outfit. I mean, that is a pair of shoes, a pair of slacks, and a black dress shirt. And I believe a wallet somewhere in there, too. An entire outfit. I don't even want to know.

On Saturday, I went to this awesome thing called the Brooklyn Bazaar with a whole slew of Belmont Easters.

I walked around and looked at neat, artsy things created by Brooklynites.

And I sucked down the most delicious raspberry lemonade from Lizzmonade.

(Caught her in the act of makin' my drank).

And we all were serenaded by some fantastic up-and-coming Brooklyn rappers, who taught us that they were "wit it" (with it), and that "drugs are like that". (No idea. Don't ask me).

The rest of the week has been filled with interning, working on Christmas music for a show I have coming up, going to a chili dinner thing put on for all of us here with Belmont East, and a whole lot of this:

SO fun.

I also got a little sickly on Sunday night (thanks to my lovely roommate, Allison, who contracted a little bitty cold). Luckily, I destroyed the cold within twenty four hours thanks to an insane amount of Vitamin C. 

I'm sorry that this was such a whackadoodle post. I didn't even attempt to organize it into anything, so I'll probably look back at this later and realize how confusing it is. Oh well. YOLO.

I'm off to my internship! Then, I believe I will be heading to Mona's tonight to listen to some sweet jazz tunes. 

In exactly one week from tomorrow, I will be packing up and leaving my little room here in Brooklyn forever. I can't even believe it. I really do feel like we all just arrived yesterday. But all is well! I am going to soak up this last week as much as I possibly can. Ah. I just love New York.

<3

Nat

A 24-hour escape from the city for a beautiful wedding!

That right there is what New York City looked like on Saturday at 8:00am from my airplane window. 

Magnificent, isn't it? I always wonder how the island of Manhattan (yes, it is an island for those of you who might not have known that) can hold that much weight. Look how many buildings there are! Imagine how many people are walking around on the streets! Or milling about in their offices! I mean, honestly... how has it not sunk into the sea yet? (I know this is a slightly ridiculous question, but it really does amaze me when I think about it too much). 

Let's back up.

So, Saturday morning, at the glorious time of 5:30am, I awoke from my slumber, showered, and gathered my things for my little 24 hour trip to eastern North Carolina for Brooke Weathington's wedding. Brooke's father, Scott, was one of my dad's best friends in the entire world, and my family has been close with their family since before I was even thought of. When she asked me to sing at her wedding, I was more than honored. Although I'd made a bold statement at the beginning of the semester that I would not leave New York for ANYTHING, this was an exception :).

But, before I even got to the airport, there was a bit of a debacle. My cab left me. Yep. You heard me correctly. He LEFT ME. At about 6:00am, I called a number on this card that the lady at the front desk of the St. George gave me to get a cab. Five minutes later, there was a car pulling up... but it didn't look like a cab. In fact, it looked like the kind of "fake cab" that everyone had warned me to stay away from. I showed him my card to see if he belonged with the company, and I don't know what he thought I said to him, but he nodded his head, smiled, and drove off. 

Yep. He left me.

Thank GOODNESS there was another cab driver right behind him that watched the whole thing happen. He pulled up immediately and ravenously asked if I needed a ride. When I realized I had no other choice, and he assured me on a flat rate to the airport (that was very reasonable), I hopped in with my little backpack and my guitar in tow. Pete, the Puerto Rican cab driver (who absolutely loves country music and the fact that I was from Nashville), was my lifesaver that morning. 

Speaking of my guitar, I had to gate check it. The space was too tiny, and there was nowhere for it to go but in the belly of the plane.

I told the man to treat her like a newborn child before I handed it over. He didn't laugh, so I made sure to keep a close eye on her while they were loading up all of the bags. She made it through without too much trauma.

When I arrived at the Raleigh airport, my wonderful mother was there to pick me up, and the two of us made our way to the middle-of-nowhere, North Carolina. The scenery was a complete 180 degrees difference from what I had just left behind in New York City. Open cotton fields, horses, TREES, the smell of freshly cut grass. It had been two months since my senses had experienced any of this. I almost forgot there was a world outside of Manhattan and Brooklyn. It was so beautiful. And I definitely needed it.

My grandparents live in the Wade/Fayetteville area of eastern North Carolina. And when we arrived, my grandma was just putting the finishing touches on lunch.... Which consisted of some delicious form of red meat, lima beans, carrots, rolls, potatoes, and even a warm banana pudding for dessert. 

Here she is admiring her work:

I have been living off of black beans and rice, yogurt, hummus, and broccoli for the last two months. This was heaven in food form for me. And even though I knew we would be going to a wedding later (where I would consume even more delicious food), this didn't stop me from completely stuffing myself. My grandma can beat your grandma any day with her cooking skills. 

After lazing around for awhile, we all got ready and took off for the wedding. I had to be there first in order to sound check and all of that, so I took a separate car... and drove for the first time in two months. (Which was weird, but sort of like riding a bike... I didn't forget. Thank goodness).

The wedding ceremony was absolutely beautiful, Brooke was absolutely beautiful, and I was crying like a little baby throughout their beautiful vows. And then I had to sing "How Great Thou Art". (When you've been crying, it is a lot harder to sing than you might think). But, I think it went over well.. I just wanted to make it special for Brooke and her new husband, Gabe. 

Here is a photo of the lovely couple. (I did NOT take this... I completely stole it from someone off of Facebook, so I apologize for that... but my camera didn't take the most lovely of photos at this wedding, so I decided this would be better).

Then, it was time to partyyyyy... on to the reception!

The reception space was beautiful. Brooke did a lovely job of keeping everything simple and perfect. Look at those little chandeliers up there! So perfect. 

And I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to sing the father/daughter/mother/son dance as well. After that little performance, I wandered off to find some wine, cheese, and chocolate-covered strawberries for the cocktail hour. 

And the rest of the night basically consisted of me stuffing my face with food, drinking a little bit of wine, dancing to songs like the Electric Slide and catching up with family and friends that I haven't seen in a very long time. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful this whole evening was... there was so much love EVERYWHERE. (And so much food everywhere... I don't even want to tell you how many sweets I ate... but let's just say there was HOMEMADE ICE CREAM, freshly baked cookies, the most delicious wedding cake ever, and s'mores as party favors... I had heaping portions of all of this).

Check out my mom and me with my cute grandparents:

Brooke and Gabe, I have no idea if you will read this blog post, but I just want you to know that I had such a wonderful time at your wedding. It couldn't have been more perfect, and I wish the two of you the happiest life together! You are two very special people.

On Sunday, I had to pack up my little backpack and guitar, and get ready to head back to the Big Apple. I was so sad to leave the open cotton fields and freshly cut grass smells behind (and the STARS.. my goodness... I could actually SEE the STARS in eastern North Carolina).

Before leaving, though, my mom, grandparents, and I made a quick stop by the graveyard to say "hello" to my dad.

I really felt his presence at the wedding (which is possibly one of the reasons I was crying like I was), and it was such a comforting feeling. I know he would have loved being there. Still miss him every day. 

Monday morning, I woke up at 7:00am for no reason at all (possibly because my sleep schedule was all wackadoodle)... and I went across the street to Tazza for some delicious oatmeal and coffee to fuel my brain and warm my bones. 

It was quite cold that morning... about 40 degrees when I stepped outside. This was the perfect start to my day (and my busy week).

Yesterday, I had internship and class, and today I have my internship as well! I have a lot to do between now and tomorrow morning... because I am going to have another visitor! Let me rephrase that: I am going to have FOUR visitors starting tomorrow. My best friends, Sarah, Darcy, Michelle, and Mackenzie are all coming to New York City to stay with me. It's everyone's fall break... and honestly, what better place to spend fall break?

I can't WAIT to see all of them and show them my new city. I will post sometime next week about all of our adventures :). Until then, I hope you all have a great week. Enjoy this fall-like weather!

<3

Nat

Flea markets, proposals, and upside-down umbrellas

WHEW. Long time, no blog.

It has been a whirlwind of a last few days, and until now, I haven't had a second to sit down and breathe... let alone, post in my little blog.

I'm not complaining! It has been busy, but that's mainly my fault. For some reason, I felt like I needed to cram as many things into the last weekend as possible... I think a part of me forgot that I would be here for another few months. I'm just afraid of missing out on things, I guess. There are events CONSTANTLY going on in New York City, though. If I tried to do everything, all of the time,  I wouldn't be able to function properly. So, today I took a little break, and decided now would be a good time to update you :). Hereeeee we go:

SATURDAY

 On this lovely day in NYC, I woke up and went to the Williamsburg Flea Market with my friend, Josh to meet our friends, Allison and Chris. Well, we thought it was the Williamsburg Flea Market (clothes, vintage things, yaddayadda), but it was the Smorgasburg Flea Market (aka: FOOD)... and we had all eaten already. So we just walked around and took in wafts of the delicious-smelling foods. And took photos of ourselves.

Me, holding tightly to my daily fuel (coffee). This was the lovely view from the Flea Market.

Then, we all decided to mosey on over to Central Park (because it was such a beautiful day, and the park seemed like the best place to be).

And there was a carnival going on.

 

And we took more photos of ourselves.

And then I creeped on cute couples in the park (like Allison and Chris).

And to top it all off, we all saw someone propose on a boat in the middle of the park. Everyone on the bridge and on the bank erupted into applause for them. It was so perfect and cute, I almost cried.

I can't even remember what I did for the rest of Saturday.. is that a bad thing? I don't have anymore photos, and honestly, I've been running around so much, if there isn't a photo to document my adventure, I won't remember it. Sorry. We'll call it "The Lost Evening".

SUNDAY

I woke up bright and early, and ran across the Brooklyn Bridge! Ah. This was so wonderful. Such a perfect, perfect start to my day.

Well, okay, you caught me... it was more of a "run, take a photo, run, take another photo, run, take a photo for someone else" kind of morning workout. It was still a workout, though. And a perfect one at that.

Then, I met up with my longtime, high school buddy, Jack! He was in NYC visiting his sister, and I was able to chat with him for a bit about life, etc.

And then it was off to Greenwich Village to walk around, grab some lunch at a little French cafe, and head over to Washington Square Park to listen to the most wonderful music.

Yes. This man is playing two horns at the same time. He was more than fantastic. Don't ask me how he did it.

Anddd, I spied on cute, little men playing chess.

I've decided I love Washington Square Park. So much. I will definitely be back again and again!

It was my friend, Josh's, birthday yesterday, and it was his roommate's birthday on Sunday, so we all went out to celebrate on Sunday night. I don't have photos of this, but it was certainly fun. And Allison and I stumbled upon the most beautiful sunset. Just look at this!

And I saw this guy with an upside-down umbrella around his waist on the subway.

MONDAY

It was my first day at Bank Robber Music! I have no photos of any of this, but I will try to take a picture of my office building tomorrow. It's located rightttt next to Wall Street in the Financial District, and the building is really awesome. The semester will be quite fun.

TODAY

I woke up and walked a few blocks to get breakfast with Allison at the Iris Cafe. It is such a quaint, little place to sit down and grab a morning meal... and the coffee is fantastic. I got the most delicious cheddar and spinach biscuit, and Allison got toast with avocado and mustard on it. So. tasty.

Afterward, we both hit up with gym (which is awesome, by the way... there is a hot tub. We've already decided we'll be frequenting this when the weather gets a little cooler.). And the rest of my day has consisted of running errands and lazing around. I needed a little R & R.

My first day of class is tomorrow (which doesn't really mean a lot... I have one physical class, and the rest are online). But, regardless, I'm going to try to get organized with my life so I'm prepared for whatever assignments I have.

LIFE IS WONDERFUL. So wonderful.

<3
Nat

And the adventures have begun!

I'M HERE. 

In New York City. 

And this view of the Manhattan skyline is just a mere three blocks from the front steps of my building:

Not even real, right? I keep pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming... but unless I have a much higher pain tolerance when I'm asleep than I thought, this whole thing is really happening.

You can't see it in the photo up there, but the Brooklyn Bridge is literally just another two blocks to the right. I'm planning to run across it sometime soon... maybe tomorrow even!

Although, I must say, I have done more walking in these last couple of days than I believe I have in the last couple of months. And when I say walking, I mean more of a light jog. The people in NYC do not simply walk. They always seem to be rushing to get somewhere.. although, I'm pretty sure if I asked some of them where they were going, they wouldn't have anywhere they desperately needed to be. It's just programmed into them to race around. All I have to say is thank goodness I naturally walk semi-quickly, or else I would have been trampled by now.

I'm not complaining whatsoever. I haven't even gone to sign myself up for the free gym membership that we get yet, because I've felt no need to. My feet hate me, but I'm getting a nice, little workout without forcing myself to jog on a treadmill for an hour.

Okay, okay, okay. Let me get back on track! For the whole semester, I'm living in the beautiful neighborhood, Brooklyn Heights... there are so many cute restaurants and shops nearby, and by living in Brooklyn, we avoid a bit of the insane hustle and bustle of Manhattan. It is so incredibly wonderful here.

In particular, I'm living in a student housing facility called St. George. The history of this place is incredible. Built in the late 1800s, it used to be the famous St. George Hotel, which was, at the time, the largest hotel in New York City. It once drew celebrities, athletes, and every presidential hopeful flocking to its many ballrooms, and a part of The Godfather was actually filmed here as well.

The Clark Street Subway is literally ten steps from our front door as well... so that makes it super convenient for when we want to go into Manhattan!

And heerree is my wonderful, little room:

It doesn't look like anything special, but it is so cozy, and it has all of the basic necessities. And it also might not look like I own much of anything, but I literally had to pack my entire life into two suitcases... I have clothes, bedding, and cosmetics. No posters or any of that other fluff. (I guess I'll just have to get some of that while I'm here?).

There are several awesome common areas in the St. George as well, but I really only cared about one thing. The kitchen. And HERE it is:

Ahhh. Look how many stoves and ovens there are! So. many. I could do some cooking damage here. I'll probably have more photos of St. George at other times, but that's all I've got for now.

Since Thursday afternoon, after stumbling out of the taxi with all of my belongings in tow, I have been having the greatest time ever. That afternoon, after settling into my room (which only took 30 minutes), I went exploring around the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood with my fabulous roommate, Allison, and her fabulous boyfriend, Chris. That's when we discovered the awesome view of Manhattan.

Then, we had a meeting with everyone from Belmont East back at the St. George. They just had a little introduction for us, and we were able to meet some Belmont alums who are now working and living in NYC. It was great to hear their stories and ask them questions about the city!

Later in the evening, I ventured out to the East Village with several people. We just explored, barhopped, and people watched for the entire night, and it was a perfect start to my time here. I was lucky enough to even see my very first subway rat... as in, a real rat... rodent... in the subway. Two of them, actually. Perfect. And there have been street musicians and subway musicians galore. And I don't if it's because I've been semi sleep-deprived or what, but surprisingly enough, I haven't heard a bad one yet!

Yesterday, I walked a mile to the Trader Joe's nearby to stock up on some groceries. The walk there was just perfect... the weather has been gorgeous, and it was great to explore the neighborhood some more. However, the walk back was a little bit unpleasant. I only had one bag, but it probably weighed about thirty pounds, which wasn't the greatest thing to try to handle while walking for a mile. I've learned my lesson: walk there, but take the subway back.

I also explored Manhattan yesterday. I took the subway (which I believe I've mostly figured out now) to 5th Avenue, and wandered through all of the shops for about 3 hours or so. Surprisingly, I didn't buy a single thing. It was just fun to be out and about.

And last night, after eating nothing but pizza and bagels thus far, I was craving a nice salad. My friend Josh and I found this great, little organic restaurant a couple blocks from the St. George, called Siggy's Good Food.

Doesn't that look delish? It was.

After that, we had a plan to meet some of the other Belmont students to go see a free, outdoor screening of The Goonies... on the USS Intrepid of course. We made it all the way to Times Square and walked what felt like a million blocks. And it rained. A lot. But that's okay, because we're in New York! Who cares if you have no umbrella and look like a drowned rat? At least, that's my opinion.

But when we got there, the line was superrrr long, so we decided to forgo the whole thing. Instead, we walked a million blocks back to Times Square and decided to feast on some food from the famous restaurant, Shake Shack. I had already eaten my deliciously healthy dinner, but decided to indulge in a shake... I mean, when in Rome...

And it was the most delicious thing I've had in a very long time. Seriously. There were bits of donuts in it, if that tells you anything.

Then, I called it a night. I mean, I've been here two days now, and I feel like I've already been here for a week. Going to bed at 11:30pm on a Friday night in NYC might sound lame, but I wanted to make sure I was able to function, because today I am going to explore the many, many flea markets in NYC.

Sorry for such a long post... I'm pretty sure I could have made this even longer, but I need to go meet some people in Williamsburg at the flea market there. I will update later, though :).

I am already having the time of my life, and I can't believe that this is where I get to spend my days over the next few months. There are many adventures in store for me. Have a superb Saturday!

<3
Nat

Bet your bottom dollar that...

Tomorrowtomorrowtomorrowtomorrowtomorrow!!

...Can you tell I'm excited?
Well, I am.

I keep saying it's already hit me that I'll be living in New York City for an entire semester, but I really don't think it has yet. I'm still in the "this is only a dream" state. I don't think the whole thing will really sink in until I get off the plane tomorrow, attempt to hail a cab to Brooklyn (where I'll be living), and get dropped off on the sidewalk (with two suitcases, a backpack, and my guitar). I will be alone. I will be lugging my life around in containers. And it will be wonderful.

That's when it will hit me.
I'm living in New. York. City.

But, as excited as I am about the little adventure that's ahead, leaving is bittersweet. The opportunity to live, intern, and study in New York City isn't something that comes around too often. Because of this, I've selfishly said that I won't be leaving for the entire four months I'm there. At all. For any reason. (Except to sing in someone's wedding in October and to visit my grandparents in upstate NY, of course!).

Luckily, there are many that have agreed to come visit me. But, plane tickets are pricey, and life moves at an ever-constant pace, so there are also many that I won't see at all.

Last week, I bid "au revoir" to my wonderful Nashville family. I went to one last super-indie Nashville music show (which was fantastic, by the way). I spent time with some great friends. I went on a fabulous date to the Holland House (which, if you're in Nashville, you should go to... get drinks, the mussels, and the cheese platter) and mini golfing with my fantastic boyfriend. And I watched a ridiculous amount of the Olympics. I have no photos of any of this :(. I promise it all happened, though!

This week, I was back home in Charlotte. I was able to see my talented brother play a show with his band, Birds with Teeth.

... Andddd someone from Carolina Nightlife decided to take a photo of us afterwards...

...Hilarious.

I was also able to meet up with some of my best friends from high school. It's been over a year since we've all been able to get together (Michelle's been in Europe for the last year, and the rest of us have been busier than bees).  Needless to say, it was so so so wonderful to down some sushi, sip on some wine, and catch up on each other's lives. I was also able to grab coffee with my fantastic friend, Ivette (but I don't have a photo of this either)!

And, OF COURSE, I was able to snuggle my little Yogermuffin (aka Yogi).

Thanks for la fotografia, Mish.

Last night, I created a LONG list of "NYC Things to Do When I Get Bored or Run Out of Things to Do". (Which, honestly, when will that ever happen?). But I made the list anyway. And PLEASE- if there is somewhere in NYC that I absolutely have to venture to (whether it be a restaurant, a bookstore, a museum, a park, etc), send it my way! I will continue to add to this list throughout the semester, and I'm always up for new adventures.

My creative Halloween costume from Junior year of high school... a lot of time when into this. Can't you tell?

Welp. All's well that ends well. It's been a superb summer, and I am beyond blessed to have so many loving and supportive people in my life. Thank you all for being just as excited about my adventure as I am.

And if you'd like to keep up with my Big Apple experiences, please feel free to keep checking this blog! (Just a word of warning, though... there will probably be a lot about food. And music. So, if you hate those, you might want to get out now).

<3
Nat

(ps- next time I type words on this blog, I'll be sitting somewhere in New York City. Eeeeeeek!)