Friday, March 12, 2010

Going back to just one blog. Probably.

I think I'm pretty much moving back over to my main blog, My Green-Eyed Perspective, fulltime. It's too hard to keep multiple blogs, at least for right now. I may post to this one a few more times, but we'll see. Knowing me I will, because I'm wishy washy a lot. But for most of my updates, check out my main blog. Thanks!

Love from NY,
Sara

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Friends in the City: Day 2

This post is from my main blog, www.saragreeneyes.blogpost.com. Since this post about my time in New York, I figured I should make sure it made it on to this blog as well. For the first blog post from my weekend with the roomies, check out the other blog! Love, Sara
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Catherine, Kristin, and I had a full day in the city! We met up for breakfast/coffee at where else, Starbucks!, and then we headed over to Rockefeller Center to ice skate. On the way, we stopped at Papyrus, the cutest stationary store in the world, and Cat bought a small sketch pad. She's an interior design major on vacation, what can I say? :) We also stopped by Radio City Music Hall for a couple of quick pictures! When we got to Rockefeller Center and checked out the prices, we realized it would cost us $9 less to ice skate tomorrow around lunchtime. Done:) So, we moved on.


{Radio City Music Hall}

After leaving Rockefeller Center, we decided to walk over to Grand Central Station. On our way, we stopped by the American Girl store. Wow, this brought back so many childhood memories! We looked for the old dolls and books that we loved so much because they "looked like us." Of course, I was Kirsten, Kris was Felicity, and Cat was Molly. There were so many little girls, their moms, and their dads walking around this 3-story little girl heaven. The poor dads were carrying multiple bags and looked like they had the word "sucker" written on their foreheads, ha! After a tour of all three floors, we got back on track and headed over the Grand Central. 


{Cat and I with pictures of the AG dolls that "looked like us" as kids!}

We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Grand Central. The salads we ate were SO yummy! Mine was mixed romaine lettuce, onions, kidney beans, cheddar cheese, cajun chicken, and low-fat creamy italian dressing. We also walked around, took pictures, and checked out the many cool stores at Grand Central.

 

{My delicious salad from lunch}

After lunch, we visited Bloomingdales on the Upper East Side for a little bit, just to say we had. Then we stopped by Dylan's Candy Bar. DANGEROUS STORE, let me tell you! They have every kind of candy under the sun. On the bottom level of the store, yes it has 3 levels, there is a huge fudge counter that held my attention for a while. We saw a bath tub full of gum balls, an entire wall of M&M paraphernalia, and Kristin bought James some candy with his name on it. What a sweet (no pun intended, hehe) girlfriend. But shhh! Don't tell James:)



{Oh my! Watch out Luke, we found gummy panties at Dylan's Candy Bar! Looks like I know what Cat and Kristin will be buying us for a wedding present!}

After Dylan's, we went to Serendipity. We ordered two frozen hot chocolates, one original and one with peanut butter (my personal favorite). If you don't know, this is what Serendipity is known for. You can't go to New York and not get one! Here is a great picture of my precious roomies and their first frozen hot chocolate:)


{Frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity!}


{Thanks for the paparazzi pics outside of Serendipity, Catherine!} 

After our long day out and about in the city, the girls and I went and put our names in a broadway lottery the see the show Rock of Ages and we were drawn! So, we each got to see the show for $26.50, which is AMAZING. The show itself was good, but it was even better for the price we paid! The lead role of this show is Constantine Maroulis from American Idol. His voice, and the many other lead voices were seriously so good! This musical showcases a ton of 80s music, so of course, we loved it all and sang along throughout the entire show. Any night full of rock and roll 80s music and a lot of laughter is a good night!


Tomorrow we're headed to Rockefeller Center to ice skate, possibly to the Central Park Zoo, and to the Top of the Rock for an evening view of the beautiful lit up city at night. I'm excited because this is supposed to be super romantic (yes, going with the roomies) and I want to see if it's somewhere fun I can take Luke when he comes to visit for my birthday weekend. More tomorrow!




Monday, March 1, 2010

Tommy

Every day, once in the morning and once in the early afternoon, Tommy stops by the office. His short visits light up the room and bring so much joy to the interns' day. Tommy is the mail delievery guy in my building. Seriously, he's so cool.

There is something different about Tommy, but I can't quite put my finger on it. He talks a little fast and says a lot of short sentences back to back. It sounds something like this:

"Hey there, hey there.How ya doing?Hi Sara.Hi Stevie.How are you girls today?Yeah, Yeah.Did you all have a good weekend?Is it Friday yet?Ha, ha!"

He speaks at a normal tone, but I wonder if he used to have a little bit of a stuttering problem. Either way, he has the most sweet-tempered spirit about him. You just can't help but smile when he's talking to you!

I don't know much about Tommy, but if I had to guess, I think he knows the Lord. There is a joy in his face when he talks to the other interns and I that most people I've met in New York do not have. In fact, when I compare Tommy's attitude on a regular basis to mine, the amount of joy he has definitely surpasses me. Before I leave New York, I plan on asking Tommy why he's so happy all the time. Not in a condemning way, but in a curious way. I want to know what God is doing in his life. Tommy is definitely one of God's daily reminders for me of the joy we all could and should possess. Why not treat each other with that outgoing kindess? If Tommy brightens up my day with his good attitude, why don't I try to possess this same kind of joy and share it with others I come in contact with?

Today's challenge: Choose joy. Remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength. And everytime you come in contact with someone today, share the joy of the Lord with that person through kind words, a sweet temperment, and a big smile.

Just like Tommy:)

Thursday, February 25, 2010

photo shoots, parties, and more snow!

I can't believe I just wrapped up week 7 in New York! Only nine more weeks to go; it really is flying by. The last couple of weeks at work have been really crazy. Last Thursday, I was able to help out with a photo shoot on the set of the CBS Early Show. The best part about assisting with something like a photo shoot is that I do not have much experience on this side of publicity, so it grows me as a journalist and PR person. I got to assist the photographer and his crew, be an extra pair of hands for the publicist of The Early Show, and learned what it takes to have a successful photo shoot. Here is a picture of me in the studio after everything was said and done:


Last night, I got to attend and help work a book party for CBS' medical correspondent, Dr. Jennifer Ashton. Dr. Ashton just published her new book, The Body Scoop for Girls: A Straight-Talk Guide to a Healthy, Beautiful You, and this party recognized and celebrated her achievements. The party was held at the Bar Americain, which is Bobby Flay's restaurant. The cheese bar was PHENOMENAL and I ate some pretty amazing cookies. It's fun to be able to say that I've eaten at Bobby Flay's restaurant! Stevie, Faith, and I (the other two interns I work with) were all able to attend. Here is a picture of us before the party began:

Faith and I

Stevie and I
(Sorry the pictures aren't the best quality, iPhone + dim lighting = not the best pics!)

Today it started snowing again and it looks like it may snow until Saturday morning. When Baylor got a good amount of snow the other day, I laughed because I thought about how much everyone in Texas was loving the snow and I'm begging for it to stop. I want spring to be here already!! I want to play in Central Park, rent bikes and go for a ride through the city, and do all of the other fun things on my bucket list for New York once the sun comes out again. Oh, well, at least my mom sent me rain boots and I will not drown in the brown, mushy snow slush that accumulates on the streets after a good snow in the city. I'll just keep dreaming of the spring until it arrives:) And for now, I'll leave you with this picture. Sorry, it's another iPhone pic. This is what I saw when I walked out of my office building this evening. Yup, more snow. Gotta love the winter in New York City!

Oh, the snow...:)

Sunday, February 21, 2010

So much to look forward to!

Ok, so lately I've been a little bummed. I think it's because I'm starting to really miss family, friends, and Luke. BUT, I've been looking at the calendar and things are looking up! This weekend, I had to write a paper. Next weekend, I have to write a paper (boo!). But look at how amazing the next three weeks after THAT are:

March 6-12: Cat, Kristin, and Christine come to visit for SPRING BREAK!!
March 17-21 (tentatively): Mom, Becca, Emily, and hopefully Claire come visit!!
March 26-28: Luke comes to visit and I have the best birthday weekend EVER!!

In April, Millie, my childhood best friend and one of my bridesmaids, is coming to visit and hopefully Justin, Michelle, and Gabi, my flower girl, will be able to visit as well. I'm so blessed:)

February has been a little tougher in that it feels as if it's dragged and the weather has been super cold. But the sun is out today on this pretty little Sunday afternoon, people are coming to visit me soon, and I'm headed to church in about 40 minutes. God is still, and always will be, so good.

Friday, February 19, 2010

The lost iPhone pictures

I was going through my iPhone pictures today when I realized that I've taken quite a few pictures since I've been in New York and I've never uploaded or TwitPic-ed any of them. Sooo, here are the lost iPhone pictures. I'll do my best to try and explain them all.


{This is me with one of the consultants from Say Yes to the Dress when I was trying on dresses at Kleinfeld Bridal.}


{This is Bartlett. He is Louise's dog and came to work one day. He's a chicken and never fully came out of her office, ha!}


{Amazing cupcakes from a place on Montague St.}


{This is what it looks like in my dorm when I get the flu in NY. No fun.}


{Leftover snow from what felt like a blizzard, but the sunshine brought me hope.}


{The stage before Ashley and I saw In The Heights.}


{My first ever black & white cookie!}


{In the studio of CBS' The Early Show.}

Saturday, February 13, 2010

In The Heights



Tonight I saw my first broadway show since I've been in New York this semester! No worries, I've seen a few others on broadway in New York prior to now: Phantom of the Opera, Annie Get Your Gun, and Les Miserables. But this evening, Ashley and I saw In The Heights. It was PHENOMENAL! The dancing, the music...I would definitely recommend this musical to anyone that loves to do either. The best part about this show is that it revamps the whole "musical" genre of theatre. The actors danced hip hop, salsa, and ballet. I laughed, I teared up, and I watched in awe. In my opinion, this is exactly how a great musical should treat you. I love the theatre!!

Another cool part about tonight was that Ashley and I learned how to do the whole "broadway ticket lottery" thing. At 5:30 p.m. we showed up at the theatre and put our names into a lottery. At 6 p.m., a woman announced that the theatre would be drawing names for 22 tickets that could be bought for $26.50 each on the FRONT ROW. Umm, normally these tickets cost over $100 each. Unfortunately, neither one of our names were drawn, but we still got in! Here's how: right before the lottery drawing, the same woman that was announcing explained that more tickets would be on sale for standing room only or partial viewing. For those of you that have never heard of partial viewing, it's when you still get an orchestra seat, but a little higher up to where you may not be able to see the entire stage. We took a leap of faith and bought tickets in partial viewing. These tickets were $41.50 each, but still not nearly as bad as over $100. Our seats were still AWESOME and the show was, again, fantastic!

I will post some pictures soon, but we took them on Ashley's camera. Corbin Bleu, from all the High School Musical movies, played the lead and we have a picture with him. AHHH!!! :D Seriously, we felt like 16-year-old girls lusting after him, ha! We stood outside in the cold to get our playbills signed by all the actors and we got most of them. After going to a museum (for class) this morning, shopping this afternoon, dinner at the Hard Rock Café, and a great evening of theatre, I've decided this is another one for the books! Great day:)

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Follow up from yesterday's post :/

So, remember yesterday when I said, "I want to go back to work so badly, but what if I still feel awful tomorrow??" Well, I woke up this morning feeling just a little bit better and totally guilty for not having worked the last couple of days. I made myself get out of bed, get dressed, and subway-ed myself to work. After walking the last 10 minutes of my commute in the cold and leftover brown snow mush, I felt like crap. I took the elevator to the 6th floor, my floor, walked into my boss's office, and sat down on her couch.

Sonya, my boss, said the me, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?? When you didn't call this morning, I thought to myself, 'Good, that girl finally understood what I said and is just resting,' and now here you are?! GO HOME. Go back to bed! I don't want to see you again until, at the earliest, Tuesday." Another lady in my office, Kelli, said, "If she doesn't leave, I'm going to have to have a talk with that girl." My goodness. The guilt that I had woken up with this morning had melted away and I was so overwhelmed by the fact that these people truly cared about my health. I don't know if it was because they cared so much or because of how crappy I really felt, but my eyes welled up with tears as I got onto the elevator to make my trek back home.

I stopped by Walgreens on my way back to pick up some Tussin (cough and cold) and a few other things I needed. I've slept and been in bed all day. I ordered in some french onion soup and sweet potato fries for lunch from a real homey restaurant down the street called Park Place. They are so sweet and always deliver so quickly! I think I've decided that I have the flu, even though I guess I haven't technically been diagnosed. But I can't remember the last time I was so sick that it took me away from school, work, or whatever for 3+ days. Hopefully this crud (sp?) is almost over! I'm tired of feeling so crappy:( And I just want to work out!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Sick in the City (not quite the next blockbuster title)

Today was day three of my city sickness. If I have learned one thing over the past few days, it is that it's no fun to be sick in New York. I've missed two days of work and I'm dreading tomorrow morning. I want to go back to work so badly, but what if I still feel awful tomorrow?? This morning, my mom called my aunt, who also happens to be my doctor, and asked her to call in a prescription Z-Pak for me. After trekking through the blizzard that blew in last night and continued to fall all day, I picked up my prescription and headed back to the dorm. Snow pelted me in the face the whole way back and once I opened the door to my dorm room I started crying, I hurt so bad. My head, throat, nose, ears, everything. My whole body ached. Still now, after day three of not feeling well, I'm still laying in bed blowing my nose, taking Dayquil and Nyquil, religiously drinking hot tea, and eating anything hot or cold that will numb my throat. Sick in the city = no fun:(

A couple of cool things did come of my being home all day. First off, I got to take some cool pictures from my bedroom window of the snow that fell all day. I've posted a few of my favorites below. I may not have been able to play in the snow the way I wish I could have, but at least I have a precious little window I can take cool pictures from:) Also, I got to watch the movie Sex in the City for the first time today. I've always been told that it's a good movie, but oh my goodness, I LOVED it! First off, Carrie Bradshaw's clothes in that movie made me want to go shopping SO badly! Also, seeing as I am a bride-to-be, the whole relationship/wedding theme really tugged at my heart strings, giving me that much more of a connection to the movie. Lastly, who doesn't love a good movie based in New York?? Needless to say, I loved it.

Ok, back to bed for the sickling. Hopefully I'll be feeling better tomorrow and can make it to work. Here are the pictures of Brooklyn Heights and the pretty snow that fell today.









Monday, February 8, 2010

The beginning of week 5! [for lack of a better title]

Wow, I can't believe I've been living in New York for 5 weeks! Seriously, every time I think about it in this way, it blows my mind. So much has happened in the last five weeks and it feels like I've only been here for a day or two. Here's a little update on life for all of my family and friends:

I absolutely LOVE my internship. There have definitely been days where I'm more tired or stressed, but for the most part, I'm so glad this is where God placed me. I'm getting to know all of the directors and publicists for the many CBS News shows and the other two interns and I get along really well. I actually look forward to going into work, which I never would have expected. Being a big girl and working in the professional world has been good for me. I actually wake up early, get dressed cute, and do my hair every day. I know, giant steps for Sara Martisek:) By the end of this semester, I know that this internship will have grown me in more ways than one. I hope to come out on the other end an even stronger woman and more valuable employee.

I absolutely LOVE where I live! Brooklyn Heights in adorable and everytime the subway stops at Clark Street, I feel like I've come home. It's so nice to be able to walk out of my building and find a grocery store, great New York pizza, and cute places to shop. My roommate and I are still getting along great and I'm making really good friends with the other girls in my program. Classes are good, but I was definitely in denial about the fact that I'm actually taking classes here in New York up until this past Saturday at 5 p.m. when two assignments were due. Well, I turned them in at 4:15 p.m. Helloooo Sara, time to get busy on that school work, ha!

I am beginning to miss people a bit. Of course I miss Luke, but we talk and skype all the time. We're hanging in there:) The only hard thing is that he isn't coming to visit me until the weekend of my birthday IN MARCH. Boo, stupid crazy schedules. My momma and I have been talking a lot recently because of wedding planning, but I miss my mom, dad, and sisters so much. I think this is heightened because I wish I was with them more during this whole wedding planning process. However, I know a few of them are planning to come visit in March, so I'm looking forward to this! I miss South Texas A LOT. New York is wonderful, but it has definitely given me an even firmer appreciation for the Lone Star State and the south in general. I can't wait to be back in Texas where there are pastures, cows, and Taqueria # whatevers. Whoa...I really just typed that;)

Well, like I've said, New York is great. I'm reminding myself every day to soak it all up and take it all in because it won't last long. Obviously, time is already flying by. If anyone wants to visit, PLEASE DO! I'd love some company! Just call and we'll get it all worked out. Please know, my sweet family and friends, that you are on my mind daily and that I'm praying for each and every one of you.

All my love from New York,
Sara

Saturday, January 30, 2010

More pictures!!

Last weekend, a few of the girls and I went on an adventure around the city. We stopped by Rockefeller Center, The Plaza Hotel, FAO Schwarz, and Serendipity. It was so fun to take a bunch of pictures and be touristy! Here are some of the pictures from our adventure and I'm sorry to be a little late posting them:)















Tuesday, January 26, 2010

I guess the Lord must be in New York City

A couple of days ago, by cousin Bryan asked me via Twitter if I had "found Jesus" in New York yet. This question got me thinking. Yes, in fact, I have found Jesus in New York; in more ways than one.

Two Sundays ago, a few of the girls in my program went with me to a church called The Journey Church . We went to the Sunday evening service in The Village at 6:30 p.m. This was a contemporary service and it felt a lot like a Christian summer camp worship service. This made me feel very comfortable, obviously, because I work at such a camp. However, it was also like I was taking a fresh breath of air as I sat in on that service. The songs that were played and sung were contemporary Christian songs that I new by heart. This allowed me to just close my eyes, truly worship our great God, and relax after a long week. It was such a blessing to see God in New York the same way I see Him in a place like Zephyr. I was once again overwhelmed by His reminder that He never changes, but always stays the same. It brings tears to my eyes even now.

I have also found Jesus in some of the new friends I have made since being in New York. The other night, Jenna, Lindsey, and I had dinner at a little Polish restaurant on Montague (my favorite street in Brooklyn!). Before we ate, Lindsay prayed for our meal. I was so touchedby her sincere prayer, thanking the Lord for the new adventures He was giving us and the way He is challenging us so that we can grow in and seek after Him more. She also thanked Him for new friends and good food:) God has truly blessed me with amazing new friends and running buddies for my time in New York.

Jesus has been found at CBS News. Yes, it is true:) Last Thursday, a man called the office looking for a woman that did not work in my building. He was frantically looking for his sister because an emergency had occured and he was at the hospital. This is the only information he gave me, but in respect to these people, I'll leave it that. I tried desperately to find his sister for him. I called her office and left a message, called down to the front desk, and even called the main info line. I was not able to contact his sister. The worst part was the the other people in the office made it sound like this wasn't our problem because he had called the wrong department. My heart broke for this man and the fact that no one else seemed to care about this major issue. I went to my boss's office for a different reason, but told her quickly about the mysterious phone call. She immediately called her personal contacts and got in touch with this woman, only to find out that the woman HAD received my voicemail and had contacted her brother. She was so appreciateive that I had tried so hard to contact her and thanked my boss. My eyes filled with tears and my boss asked me what was wrong. I explanied that this man's desperation and fear had really broken my heart and I was so angry/overwhelmed by the fact that no one else around me seemed to care. She told me that I had done the right thing by telling her and that she was proud of me. The words that really caught my attention, however, were, "Sara, now all we can do is pray for this man, his sister, and their family." I knew my boss was a Christian, but it was incredible to see a woman in this industry have so much heart and speak of something as strong as prayer. That was a cool moment.

My last and most recent sighting of Jesus was this past weekend on the subway. A woman got onto the same line that my friends and I did. Right as the door was closing, she started to announce to the whole car that she works for a non-profit organization in New York that raises money to feed the hungry and homeless. She passed out ham and cheese sandwiches and chips to anyone hungry or homeless on the car. Then, she asked for donations. I wanted to give her something so badly, but I didn't have any change on me. I asked her how long she had been doing this kind of work and she said 7 years. Now that is commitment. Stuart, the executive director at Camp Zephyr, has always told me, "Love on people and set a good example because you might be the only Jesus a person will ever see." This woman was living her life according to Stuart's challenge. She was fully serving as the hands, feet, and heart of Christ. Her actions broke my heart and challenged me to be more like Him.

In the move, "You've Got Mail," the song I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City plays as Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) has a change of heart and begins to see Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) in a new light. The song itself isn't really relevant to my "sightings" of Jesus, but I do believe He is here, just like He is everywhere. Jesus is in my heart and, as elementary as that just sounded, I'm so glad that He is. He really is with me wherever I go.

Thank you Lord for both the big and small ways you remind me that you always be with me always.
__________________________________________________

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5b

"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Malachi 3:6

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Cigarettes and things I don't particularly care for about New York.

Ok, so I've been holding back on such a post as this, but I cannot take it anymore. Since I have no one to vent to in person, I must blog to get this off my chest. This is a list of the things, so far, that I do not like about New York.

1) I will most likely die of second hand smoke because no matter what street I am walking down, someone is going to blow their cigarette smoke in my face. This is the most disgusting thing I've ever encountered. The next person that blows their cigarette smoke in my face may get kicked in the shin. I'm not kidding.

2) I never realized before how dirty subways really are. I guess this is because I've only ever visited New York and now I live here. I take the subway at least twice, if not 4 or 5 times a day. This weekend, I watched a man trim his facial hair and scrub the dead skin off of his hands for about 6 subway stops. I'm about to get sick just thinking about it.

3) The prices in New York are outrageous. Many people warned me of this one before I moved here, but I guess its just now starting to affect me. I can't grab lunch anywhere for less than $10 and I always try to get the smallest thing on the menu. I'm currently living off of pb&j. All donations are now being accepted for the "Feeding Sara in New York" Fund.

These are the only major issues I can think of right now, but I know I have more. I'll add them later as they come back to me or develope. No worries though; I'm still enjoying myself tremendously!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

My new love, Brooklyn Heights.

This morning when I woke up, I realized that it was raining. So, I looked up the weather in Brooklyn and my fear was confirmed. Rain. All day. Boo. I decided that I would try to be productive. I sent a couple of emails, read what I needed to read for class on Tuesday, and cleaned up my room. Around 1 p.m. and after a few phone calls out of pure boredom (love you momma and Luke), I decided that I would explore a little bit of Brooklyn, no matter the yucky weather. I grabbed my coat, a scarf, and my umbrella and ventured out into the constant drizzle. Thank goodness it wasn't super cold or I would have walked right back in and crawled back into bed.

This time, instead of walking towards the left, which is the way I go for groceries or the subway at High Street, I turned to the right. I walked about 3 or 4 blocks down until I ran into Montague St. The walk was cute, in and of itself. I passed a few churches that looked very historic and traditional. I imagined pipe organs being played and old hymns being sung as I walked by. Once I hit Montague though, it was love at first sight.

Either way I looked, left or right, the buildings and shops on this street looked like they stepped right out of "You've Got Mail." Everything was so quaint! I took a left first and passed by what I think may become one of my favorite places in New York. It is a nail shop called "Dashing Diva." The entire place is painted pink and white. For $15, you can get a spa manicure and for $35, a spa pedicure. The best part is that if you go in between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday or Friday, you get a free cosmo! WHAT UP. Yes, I think some of the girls and I already have a date to the Dashing Diva planned for Thursday:)

As I kept walking, I noticed an Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, a cute little pet shop, what looked like great Japanese restaurant, and a couple of other (pricey) clothing stores. I walked as far as I could until I ran into a residential area and then turned back. Once I ended up back at Henry St., which is the cross street I walked down to get to Montague, I strolled down the other half of this precious neighborhood.

The first store I noticed was a really nice resale shop. I HAD to go in, it was just too intriguing. The store was one of many resale shops in NY run by a non-profit called Housing Works. This non-profit sells clothing, furniture, books, etc. and 100% of the proceeds goes to families and homeless people in NY that are affected by HIV and AIDS. Today they were having a sale on books and jeans. I definitely bough a pair of Citizens jeans for $5. I was so proud of myself because these exact same jeans were selling across the street for around $200. Woohoo!!

On this side of Montague there was a Starbucks, a couple of other restaurants that looked amazing, a beautiful flower shop, and a store named Overtures that caught my eye. As I walked into Overtures, I realized right away why this store had drawn me in. This little shop sells stationary, candles, picture frames, jewelry, etc. The best part is that they create wedding invitations and save-the dates! Even though I probably can't afford to get such things made in New York, I just had to talk to the store's owner and get his card. Never hurts, right? I will be visiting this store again soon:)

As I was wrapping up my adventure on Montague, I debated on whether or no to stop by Starbucks or venture into a new, unknown coffee shop. Well, I did it. I chose to try a new place called Connecticut Muffin and I'm so glad I did! This coffee shop was playing some Jack J (always a good sign!), had free wi-fi (note to self for studying purposes!), and makes an amazing raspberry chai latte (what I purchased, obviously). I also bought a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing. My 6th (bridal) sense told me that I must stay away from these little cupcakes and only look to them on special occasions, ha!

So, even though today started out a little boring and rainy, I'm SO GLAD that I got up the nerve to face the rain and explore the borough I live in. I can definitely see myself hanging out on Montague more and taking full advantage of my surroundings. I can't wait for people to come visit so that I can share my discoveries with those I love. But for now, I am very content to keep sweet Brooklyn Heights all to myself:)

Here is a picture of my raspberry chai latte and red velvet cupcake. Sorry its just sitting on my desk; not very artsy. And its an iPhone picture. Lame, I know. But it was raining, so I couldn't take my Nikon out. This is the best I could do for now.

Friday, January 15, 2010

First night out in the Big Apple!!

Here are a few pictures from my first night out in New York! Ashley, Helena, and I ate at Chat-N-Chew in Union Square. Lindsey and Jenna joined us for dessert too! Then we all hopped over to Times Square to take pictures and just enjoy the city. It was a good time, especially since this was Ashley's first time in Times Square. After tonight, I know there are many more awesome adventures in my future with these fun girls!







Thursday, January 14, 2010

My first week!!!

Helloooooo from Neeeeewww Yoooooorrrrrrrkkk!!

Wow. This week has been CRAZY. I've wanted to blog so much since I've been here, but the city does not allow much free time in my schedule. So, now that its Thursday night and I don't work on Fridays, I will gladly update you all on my New York adventure thus far.

I arrived in New York on Sunday the 10th, but not exactly how I had planned. Claire and I woke at 4:30am on Sunday morning, 30 minutes later than we should have. This put us behind and we missed our flight in Austin by about 3 minutes. Literally, we stood at the gate while banging on the door, only for a lady to show up, walk us down the tunnel, and the captain of the plane said, "Sorry, we're leaving." I was only two feet from the plane that was supposed to take me to NY. I was really upset.

So, instead of Claire flying to New York with me as planned, I had to buy a last minute American Airlines ticket and hopped on this new plane all alone, headed for New York. I had to change planes in Dallas, but I still got to New York in time for my 3:30pm meeting with all the Baylor students in the program. However, what did not make it to New York in time was my luggage. My two large suitcases missed the early flight also, but were put on a 1pm JetBlue flight that landed at JFK at 6pm. I, however, flew in to La Guardia at 2pm. I was not able to be reunited with my luggage until almost 11pm that night. The next morning, I woke up with the worst knots in my neck from stress, sleeping in an uncomfortable plane, and dragging around my large carry on. I'm so glad that day is behind me!

I started my internship at CBS News on Monday. I really like my internship a lot. There are three other interns in the Press Office with me. Samreen is a senior at Baylor and is in my program. It was nice to ride the subway on the first day of work with someone I knew and to also work with another Baylor student. Samreen and I have different hours now, but we still spend most of the day together. Stephanie, better known as "Stevie," is another intern with me. Stevie is a junior at Gordon College in Massachusetts. She's engaged like me, so we have lots to talk about! She's really sweet and I think we're going to have a great semester getting to know each other. Faith is the 4th intern. She is a sophomore at The Kings College here in New York. She doesn't work as many hours as the rest of us, so I don't get to spend as much time with her. But Faith is very driven and even though she's originally from Kansas, she is a city girl at heart. I love her spirit!

At work, I am the "point" in our office. Or at least that's what my boss keeps telling me:) I'm definitely trying to do my best, but there is a lot of adaption that comes with this kind of job. The office, at any point in time, can be under TONS of stress. The offices of the president and vice president of communication, Katie Couric's publicist, and the publicists for The Early Show, 48 Hours, and 60 Minutes surround the main desk area where the interns work. Because of this, we see and hear a lot and have first hand interaction with the organized massed chaos that is "the news." As interns, we are pulling news clips and op-eds, answering important phone calls, pulling video clips, editing listings, etc...among many other tasks. I know that I will be learning so much about this industry over the next few months and it will be eye-opening for sure. I have an official CBS News nametag that I swipe to get into the building and I have my own CBS News email address. I'd share it with you, but I'd have to kill you;) But seriously, it ends with @cbsnews.com. Yup, I feel cool. (Way cooler than I actually am, I'm sure. Ha!)

I think the school part of this semester is going to be pretty cool. I'm taking two classes, Electronic Culture and Contemporary Cinema. We've already gone as a class to see Avatar in 3D. If you know me well, you'll know this wasn't actually my kind of movie, but hey, it was cool for what it was. At least Baylor paid the $16.50 for me to see it and this didn't come out of my own pocket! Hopefully the school load won't overwhelm me, but after the semester I had this past fall, I can get through ANYTHING.

Oh gosh, I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you this part. My roommate's name is Rebecca Lee. She is AWESOME! She's from Texas, but her family is originally from California. She's real chill and I know we're going to get along great! Its nice to come home to a roommate with a great attitude and outlook on life, especially after being under pressure all day. Shout out to my wonderful new roomie!

Ok, well I must get some sleep. Ashley Baronet (a Tri Delta friend from college that is also here in NY with my program) and I are going to go explore the city a little bit tomorrow morning since we're a couple of the very few students that don't work on Fridays. I can't wait to sleep until 9:30am tomorrow!! No worries, I'll be posting some pictures soon. I just can't seem to catch a couple of minutes to wrap my mind around the fact that I'm living in New York, mastering the subway, following my dreams, and living up my last semester in college! Wow, this truly is an incredible feeling.

All my love from the city,
Sara