A night in

3 Comments

It’s a Saturday night, I’m in New York City, and I’ve been in my pajamas since 7 p.m.

I know, I know. There’s a world of opportunity out there! A million fun things to do in the city that never sleeps! But here’s a secret – I do sleep. At least I try to. Last night, I did not. I got home from a Halloween party in Queens (see, I’m fun sometimes) at midnight, because the MTA hasn’t figured out an efficient way to transport people between outer boroughs without making them transfer in Manhattan. Another rant for another day. Anyway, I got home around midnight and woke up at 6 a.m. today to head to the office.

I was a mouse, duh, but I was also Karen Smith.

I was a mouse, duh, but I was also Karen Smith.

There are a million arguments for staying out or at least staying up: Movies! Parties! Bars! Heck, my college’s homecoming is tonight – surely if I’m going to watch a game this season, it should be this one, right? But it doesn’t even start until 11 p.m. and my old-lady side is winning out. I’ll sleep in an ASU sweatshirt and call it cheering them on.

Frankly, today – a cold, windy and rainy one here in NYC (though I hear from friends in Chicago that it’s snowing, so you know, counting my blessings) – nothing sounded better than coming straight home from the office. I didn’t even go to the grocery store like I planned (I have no food). I’m spending tonight with Amy Poehler’s book, catching up on Scandal and falling sound asleep before midnight, and I’m feeling good about it.

Besides, we in the US (excluding Arizona, sorry friends!) get an extra hour this weekend with which we can do whatever we choose. So I’ll use that to do my shopping tomorrow. Or I’ll sleep some more. Hard to say.

Hope you’re having a good weekend, friends!

Missing things

5 Comments

Today is my not-so-little brother’s twenty-second birthday.

Happy birthday, Steve!

Happy birthday, Steve!

It’s the first time in quite a while that I haven’t been able to celebrate with him in person. He lives in Phoenix, in the same complex where I occupied an apartment until March of this year. For his 19th, 20th and 21st birthdays I was able to treat him to dinner and attend his parties. It was one of the greatest joys of having my brother around, and something I tried not to take for granted.

Today, I’m plugging away in my Manhattan office. Tonight, I’ll be at worship, not dinner. I don’t even know if Steve’s having a party. I popped a gift in the mail last week, a stark contrast to showing up at his door on Oct. 29 in years past. (Which reminds me, Steve- check your mail.)

Although this is the first time in ages I’ve missed Steve’s birthday, not being a part of milestones and holidays is something I’ve gotten used to. As someone who thrives on adventure and consciously chose to work in a field that operates 24/7/365 – it comes with the territory. I knew this from the time I was young, that this lifestyle wasn’t compatible with huge amounts of commitment and family time. It’s one of the biggest sacrifices I make and I struggle with it every time a day like this rolls around.

I haven’t seen my mom on her birthday since 2008, because being in February it always conflicted with classes. I’ve been “home” to Dallas for Christmas exactly once in the last five years. I’ve never returned for Thanksgiving or Easter, although this will be the first year I’ve not had any family (siblings, grandparents, cousins) around for those holidays.

People always ask me how I do it, how I make these choices. How do I justify living so far away from everyone and still spending my money on vacations to Europe and Canada instead of to Dallas and Phoenix? How do I justify talking to my dad for an hour on Father’s Day this year, but my mom for only five minutes on Mother’s Day because I was on vacation in Spain and the bill was astronomical? How do I justify missing my sister’s high school graduation in June, especially knowing I’ll be at my brother’s college graduation in December?

The truth is, I don’t justify these things. Every time I make a decision like this I struggle with it. Life would certainly be easier if I lived in the South or the Southwest, if I didn’t take such delight in exploring the world and could afford to visit family more than once a year. I surround myself with friends on holidays, call family members on their birthdays. My parents are awesome and supportive and happy to open Christmas gifts whenever the family is together – whether it’s in Dallas, in Phoenix, or on Skype, whether it’s on December 25 or December 14 or January 2.

I can’t explain these choices except to say that this life is worth it. Missing things is worth it to live in New York City, to do what I love, to live the life of my dreams. Maybe someday I’ll realistically be able to fit all the pieces together – to be around for milestones and also have my dream life. Maybe priorities will shift and I’ll move back. But for now, for today, I’m wishing Steve a happy birthday from afar and promising to see him in December.

Happy birthday, Steve. Thanks for supporting me always, for responding to “I’m moving clear across the country” with “That’s so cool! Can I have your couch?” and for always explaining sports things that I just do not understand. I hope this is your best year yet.

My week in Instagrams: 10/26/14

1 Comment

Looking at my Instagram profile over the past week, one might think I am the sort of person who enjoys the “great” outdoors. I assure you I am not that sort of person. I do, however, appreciate how beautiful nature is this time of year, particularly here in the Northeast – orange is my favorite color and for now it is all around!

IMG_2842

Early in the week I spent some quality time with my friend Breanna, whose birthday was yesterday! Bre lives in Park Slope, a neighborhood I had yet to visit, and I might have been late to lunch because I kept stopping to take pictures of the trees.

IMG_2848

Wednesday was one of those days where I had a small amount of time to kill before work, so I decided to  take the train a little further and backtrack through the park. Naturally I got caught in the rain, but somehow this city is still beautiful even when it’s wet.

IMG_2851

On Friday I realized I hadn’t been to the High Line in a while, so I headed there to check out the foliage. Gorgeous, of course.

IMG_2854This week has wrapped up with a visit from my friend Jenny, who I recently visited in Toronto! Yesterday Jenny, Taylor and I headed to the East Village for bottomless brunch at Poco. It was one of those brunches where you completely lose track of what time it is because you’re just having too  much fun. It’s been such a treat to have a bit of a vacation without leaving the city!

What have you been up to? Follow me on Instagram here.

A weekend in Dallas

1 Comment

I’m always surprised how, after six years of living in Dallas and another six of frequent (and, I’ll admit, infrequent) visits, I still come up with new things to do every time I’m in town. Last month’s trip in particular was one big adventure! Here’s a peek at what I got up to:

IMG_2662

My parents bought a new house in March and this was my first chance to see it! I tried to get a picture here, but as you can see, Mom thwarted those plans. She doesn’t get to complain about my publishing this, either, since it was a photobomb. Nice try, Mom!

Food truck tacosAs most of you know by now, I love tacos, but I can’t find authentic ones in the Northeast! I ate two entire meals consisting solely of tacos while in Texas (mind you, this trip was only two and a half days long). The above were from a weekend food truck downtown.

IMG_2671

IMG_2675IMG_2677

Klyde Warren Park in Downtown Dallas opened in the last couple years, and this was my first chance to visit! It stretches over a busy highway, literally, and hosts tons of cool activities every day! The views of the city were spectacular.

Dallas Art Museum

Sprinkles cupcakes

After lunch, we cooled off in the Dallas Museum of Art and then picked up Sprinkles cupcakes on the way home!

IMG_2688

Here’s some photographic evidence that my dad was around, too! He and I went out for breakfast-for-dinner and then wandered around a local mall – more for the company and conversation than the shopping, though he does love his tools!

All in all, it was a fantastic visit. I didn’t love Dallas when I lived there, but now I love exploring it and finding its hidden gems!

Thanks again for having me, Mom and Dad!

My week in Instagrams: 10/19/14

6 Comments

Hello friends! I hope you’ve all had a lovely week. I’m finally feeling 100% after a week battling the common cold. I hear I missed some stunning NYC weather while I was sleeping away for days on end, but I’m excited to be back in action! Here’s what my life looked like lately, through filters of course!

Astor Place

Sunday was my first day in our company’s fancy new office! To be honest, I’d been dreading the move a bit because of the new commute – two transfers as opposed to zero before. But as soon as I found my new desk and saw the view out the window – all of my complaints vanished. The space is amazing too, and it’s already done wonders for my attitude.

Central Park

By Wednesday I was feeling mostly healthy, so I headed to Central Park before community group to check up on the foliage. The leaves seem to be so slow to turn this year! But I did find some stunning colors near the pond and get this shot just before the skies opened up and I got rained on. Sigh.

Timehop

Does anyone else use the Timehop app? It goes through your social media profiles and lets you know what you were up to on this date in years past. It’s so fun to go through every day – and when I saw this tweet I sent last fall, I couldn’t help but smile. Who knew that within six months I would sell that car and move to New York City! Dreams really do come true.

Kickball

Finally: The week wrapped up last night with a churchwide kickball game! Emmie and I dressed up as m&ms and played for Team Manhattan. All of my middle-school PE dreams came true when I scored a run – no one could have seen that coming! I’m pleased to report that we won the game. Hooray!

Follow me on Instagram here.