More car things

Just when I thought I was getting better at being an adult...

A phone call with my Dad. Re: car things.

LJ: Dad! I just put air in my tires.  

Daddy: Okaaaay... 

LJ: Yes. Those weird lights came on again on my dashboard. You know, the scary exclamation one? 

Daddy: Yeah...I remember 

LJ: The ones that came on last time when it got cold? I thought they would go away when it got warmer. But they didn't. So I went to put air in my tires. And I used that lil gauge thing you gave me.  

Daddy: And did you make all the tires the same? 

LJ: Yes! At like 32 or something.  

Daddy: And did the lights go off? 

LJ: No! They didn't. But I shouldn't worry, right? I mean, it's not a big deal?

Dad reassures me that it's not a big deal and hopefully the air will help. Then magically right before I hang up the phone, the lights go off.

Success!

And then I promptly set off my own panic alarm as I get out of the car.

Sigh. Just for a second, I thought I was getting good at car things. But only for a second.

{on owning things}

Perhaps you might have heard of a lil hail storm that hit dallas in mid-June? No? If not, let me tell you a not-so-short story about how that lil hail storm broke my car. And me.

Here were the facts -

• 6:30pm and still at work
• No covered parking (by choice...)
• Summer storm, another one. Not just rain this time. Hail. Lots and lots of hail. Crap.
• Conflicted: Run through giant spiky ice balls falling from the sky to try and find covered parking? Or just stay put and hope for the best?
• I stayed put.

30 minutes later, I was walking through the parking lot, surveying damaged trees, cars, wind shields. Yikes. And upon approaching my lil silver Honda, this is what I saw...

Not JUST a broken sunroof, it was shattered and only a few moments before most of it came falling down. So that. Plus, I am a genius and had left the sunroof shade open inside. Which meant shattered glass and wet leather. Neat.

It really was the perfect storm of sorts - 

• Should have left work at 6ish, I wasn't doing anything terribly important for 6:30pm. Would have beat the storm home. Where no cars were damaged.
• I had opted out of garage parking because a) I am always late, the garage adds time, the lot is quick. And b) I am terrible at parking in small spaces. 
• Sunroof shade open. Glass, water, wet leather. Awesome.
• It was 7pm, no one to call at the insurance or the Honda service department.
• I am new to owning things. And completely overwhelmed by the whole situation.

Can you blame me though? I had no idea what to do when your car is broken by falling ice! No idea who to call, what the next steps are, or how to fix it.

Please allow me to preface this story...I am normally a completely rational, completely calm, solution-oriented gal. My natural first thoughts were...

This is fine. I can handle this. I'll just get enough of this glass out of my seat to drive home. It's all going to be fine. 

My first call was to Mom, who clearly was in no position to help her on-the-verge-of-breakdown daughter. This wasn't a big deal. The glass was safety glass, it wouldn't cut me. Just drive home and call the insurance company. Easy enough. Except the glass did cut. And who the hell knows what to say to the insurance company? Who is closed at 7:30pm? I think that's when I maybe-not-so- politely hung up on her.

Next call was to roommate Lindsey. Who I knew was in yoga class and wasn't surprised when she didn't answer. Next call to Jessyca, who I was supposed to be meeting for dinner. Don't expect me.

Fail. Upon realizing that I needed help (not only to get home, but also to figure out what to do next), that's when I lost it. And cried. Lots for the next few hours.

Next call was to Kristen, who lives just about 5 minutes away...

Kristen: Hey! I was just wondering about you and if you survived the hail storm. It was really bad by your office! 

LJ (clearly a mess): Umm, are you busy right now? 

Kristen: No... 

LJ: Do you think you can come get me at work? 

Kristen: I...yes...I can...are you ok?  

LJ: No... 

Kristen: On my way! 

LJ (upon realizing that might have been a bit dramatic): Wait! Can you bring a towel? And maybe some tape? 

Kristen: Towel? Tape? (clearly confused, but of course still peppy) Sure, yes! Be right there!

Side note: A sign of a true friend right there. No questions asked. Just on her way.

Kristen and her roommate Becky talked me out of a mild panic attack. Helped clean up the water and enough glass out of the drivers seat to get me home. Slowly and carefully. The rest of the night was spent trying to figure out who I needed to talk to, what I needed to do, how I was going to get to work for my 8am client presentation the next morning, and trying to hold it all together.

At 11pm I finally got off the phone with the insurance company. I can't remember any of the decisions I made in that conversation and I certainly didn't know if those were the right decisions. All I remember is that this wasn't going to be an easy fix. And it was going to take a week to even get someone to look at my car, much less fix the sunroof so that I could drive it. Was that right? Surely no, surely there was something they weren't telling me? A quicker solution?

Sigh. Overwhelming sigh.

Reminder, I am not typically an over-emotional kinda girl. I'm more of the "this is fine, it will all be fine!" mentality. However. This is my car. That I own. (or sorta own?) It has been mine for less than a year. I try to take really good care of it. I'm new to this after all! And now after semi-uncontrollable events, it was broken. And there were all these steps that I needed to take to fix it, but NO ONE COULD TELL ME WHAT THOSE STEPS WERE.

Aren't these big kid life things supposed to be easier to deal with when you live near your parents? Apparently not the case.

My ohsocaring mother had a few gems of wisdom to share...most that I will not repeat here because it seemed as if the more she talked, the worse I felt about things. But among those gems, this was one she ended on...

Well, just think! This will all make a really good blog post! 

Too soon, Mom.
Much. Too. Soon.

Rachel picked me up very early to take me to work the next morning. Thankfully.

"Good morning, Princess." she says.
"Good morning, chauffeur." I answer, in considerably better spirits than the night before.

My insurance agent, Larry, kindly called me back in response to the distress message I left on his voicemail the night before. Apparently Dad spoke to him and asked that he call his hyper-sensitive daughter and talk her down from the edge. Dad to the rescue.

"Lauren, this is all going to be fine. Let me give you a number to call. These guys will come to you and fix your sunroof. And we'll cover the cost automatically. Then do this and this and this...."

Thanks, Larry. That's really all I needed to hear. What to do, who to call and to know that my insurance will pay for it. Geeez. Where were you last night when I was having a massive breakdown?!

After driving to Plano for a rental car. (or making Mom drive me to Plano...) Apparently rental cars were on high demand in Dallas. Number 85 on the waiting list wasn't going to cut it. I ended up getting my sunroof replaced the next week - with a careful drive down I-75 and a few hours with other victims of the storm. And a pop-up claims office took 2 hours to tell me that there was another $3000 in exterior damage. Also neat.


Hey. Remember when I wanted to move to Texas? And have a big kid life? And own things? I take it all back. All of it. This NEVER would have happened in New York!

Finally, this week my lil Honda is in the shop getting all the dents removed. It took a month before any of the body shops had time to get to me. So one more week with a rental car and then I will hopefully have my pretty car back to me as good as new.

And all evidence of my broken car and broken ability to function as a real adult will be completely erased. I won't lie, I'm looking forward to it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And in these tough times, special thanks to...

Kristen for coming to the rescue. Offering solutions, calming me down and driving me around.
Rachel for letting me cry and driving me to work. 
Ditto the above for roommate Lindsey.
Les for answering my midnight angry-cry phone call.
Dad for realizing there was something he could do to help. And calling to check on me.
Mom for...calling me out on overreacting? For being supportive? No? Ok. Fine. Then for listening to me cry and for driving me around. And contributing to this entirely-too-long bloggy post. :)

Some notes:
Mom and I have since resolved our differences in opinion on how to appropriately respond to uncontrollable life stressiness.
I have also changed my opinion on parking at work...and now race the clock to get there on time with the added pressure of parking in the garage.

Maybe I'll be a real adult one day after all.

Just Being Real

Can we be real for a minute here? Only a minute. And only because I think it's necessary to be really real sometimes.

So just for a minute, I need to be real about New York City. And Texas. And me.

I have not lived in New York for a full year now. Translation: I have now lived in Texas again for a full year. One year. An eternity - like I never left at all. But at the same time, only a second - like I keep waiting to wake up and head back to life in NYC.

It feels like a lifetime and a different girl ago. Is that a thing?

Leaving New York was tough. Like heart-hurting, breaking-up, am-I-making-the-biggest-mistake-of-my-life tough. I love that city. With my whole heart. I loved my five years living there. Every minute (even the hard ones). I am the girl I am today because of that city. As much as Texas made me, New York City shaped me.

I am completely confident that it was my time to leave New York when I did and head back home to the south. I wasn't prepared for how hard it would be. Or the amount of time it would take me to fully adjust. In some ways, I still haven't.

But then there's Dallas. And oh Dallas has quite grown on me. I love my apartment with BFF, Lindsey. I love my very own bathroom. And my crazy big closet that fits all seasons of clothes and all my shoes at once. It is magical. I love lounging by our pool on any given lazy weekend. I love all of the new friends I have made here. And by some blessing of the Lord, I have made more than a few.

I love that I see my family as often as I like...which quite honestly is sometimes once a week. And usually so daddy can make me weekend breakfast. I love that I can meet my sister for lunch or take a day off work to go antiquey treasure hunting with mom. I love that I can hang out with my brother and his cutie family any time I feel like swinging by their place. I love that my niece looks forward to our girly play dates and that I'm not watching my nephew grow up through pictures. I especially love that I have been here through every step of my sister's pregnancy. It's different when it's your sister. It just is.

I am happy in Texas. I very much love it here. And I loved Texas before I loved New York. Maybe I loved it even more when I was still in New York - just out of principle.

So all this to say....sometimes I have moments when I miss New York and my old life so terribly that it hurts. But those moments are fewer and fewer the longer I am gone. I worry that I will forget. And that New York City will forget me.

But then I read things like this subway poster on the un-ordinary-ness of New York. Words that so fully embody the spirit of the City that I'm overwhelmed with nostalgia. I can almost feel the woosh of the train on the subway platform, hear the taxi horns on the streets, see the city lights out my window.

Can't argue, New York City is no ordinary city. And I'm reminded that for five years, it was mine.

Even though I've adjusted to being a full time Texan again, I was a New Yorker for a season. And sometimes I miss it.

So that's just me. Being real.

{twenty-eight}

my twenty-eighth birthday

{in photos}

delightful lunching at bistro n with Rachel!

pretty flowers from Linds!

hilarious emails / texts from angie,
an silly e-card from susan,
a full day of giggly group texts with bethany and jamie - that regretfully cannot be captured in photos.

pretty new clutch arrived from K in Austin!

sparkley card from Michelle - that arrived 2 months ago because she's a missionary in nicaragua and wanted to be sure i had the perfect bday card before she left.
"it's perfect! sparkles and glitter and cowboy boots LJ!"

a handmade card from my sweet niece.
"see, you're wearing a heart crown la la!"

at the top of my dallas restaurant list.

a new toy :)

"an up-hug la la!"

alright twenty eight, let's do this.

thank you very much for all the happy birthday wishes!
and texts and voicemails and songs and hey tells and gchats.
together they all made for the happiest of happy birthdays.
so very blessed.
love.

i (still) collect quarters

just thought you guys should know that even though i finished this book of quarters, they keep making new ones. so i keep finding them. and keeping them. perhaps i need a new book...

here's today's find --

and a following conversation with this one --

HAHAHA

oh bethany. montana born, seattle bred, texas schooled and new york city charmed. yet...always PNW4Life.

:)

happy friday friends!

i'm just wondering...

...why i think it should take 30 minutes to get everywhere in dallas. not the case. i am always late.

...when i'll stop thinking daddy should make me breakfast every saturday morning.

...if driving into unshielded sunlight can make you sick. is that a thing? i think i suffer from this.

...when i'll stop missing new york.

...why i sometimes need to prioritize the rest of my day at 6pm. so not cool.

...when i'll get better at making big kid decisions without input from my parents.

...when those lunges will stop making me sore in boot camp every week.

...why i think the speed limit on every road in our town is 45mph. it's definitely much lower. meep.

...why i always seem to want chick-fil-a the most on sundays, when they are closed.

...when i'll start packing up my life again because i'm moving this weekend. procrastination queen.

So here's a funny story...

Last Friday before Christmas, I had a morning pedicure date with Mom.

It was a perfectly normal Friday morning - except I didn't have to work. I had lunch plans with former NYC roomie, Julia. Then an afternoon date with another favorite New Yorker, Bethany.

So there I was. Festive gold polish selected for my toes. Chit chatting with Mom. Flipping through People magazine. Simultaneously tweeting, checking emails, texting. You know, all normal, daily multi-tasking things.

And then something happened. Something you never think will happen. Because you are not really that accident prone...

...I mean, maybe you fall sometimes while just walking normally. And maybe you get stuck in your puffy coat with a broken zipper every once in awhile. And maaaaybe you lost / had your iPhone stolen from a bar about a year ago...

But those things aside, not reeeaaally that accident prone. Right?!

And that's when it all happened. In slow motion.

People magazine slipped out of my hand. Floating down into the pedicure water.
Instinctively, I reached down to save the $4 magazine.
Simultaneously, beloved and slightly more pricey, iPhone 4 slips from my lap, falling down down down, directly to the bottom of the pedicure tub.
I might have screamed a curse word.
My pedicurist definitely squealed.
My sweet mother was shocked to silence.
The owner rushed over in lightening speed to grab the phone before anyone else could think about reacting. He grabbed a towel, removed the cover, and offered up a fan to help dry it out.
ohmygosh. no.

The rest of the pedicure is a blur -- Wait, I'll have to buy a new phone. I can't NOT have one. Great. It's Christmas, how ever will I find a new iPhone in a store, they're probably all gone! Oh I am definitely not up for an upgrade yet. My iPhone 4 is only 1 year old! I'll have to pay full price! Ahhhhh! How will I surviiiive?! -- Not dramatic at all.

I somewhat remember thanking the nice staff, paying and shuffling out with pretty gold toes. After googling "what to do when you drop your iPhone 4 in water", watching videos of people dismantling their phones, deciding if I took my phone apart there was no way I'd ever ever get it back together again, I ended up jotting down Julia and B's phone numbers just in case. Turning my drowned phone off. And stuffing it into a bag of rice for as long as I could stand it. Sigh.

After 24 hours of being disconnected, I decided it was time to turn my phone back on and assess the damage.

It's on!
Ok. That's a good sign.
Now. Emails? Check. Tweet tweets? Check. Google maps? Yep. Safari? Good. Words with Friends?? Oh whew, maybe I'll be ok?
Mom calls. It rings! I answer.
OhmygoshIcan'thearanythingthroughthespeaker. No really. The speakers don't work? Seriously?

So. I have a phone. It survived. I can text. I can email. I can do everything I need to do. Except...and I mean, this is a small but...I can't really so much talk on my phone. Awesome.

Hope no one was really hoping to hear my voice any time soon. I'm outta business.

Awesome. x2.
Rarrrr.


**UPDATE!**
In recent developments, the speaker is magically working again. For the time being at least. I am currently able to have a conversation on my phone (brilliant!).

I am not however, able to play music, or HeyTell messages (sorry friends!) or use headphones. Perhaps in a few days, those speakers will come back to life too! No? Wishful thinking? That I could submerge my iPhone in pedicure water and come out with zero casualties?

Fine. But I'm not happy about it.

an update

oh heeeey. apologies for my unintentional bloggy hiatus this past month!

apparently this often happens this time of year...see last december. however, once you throw in a sister's epic wedding week + holidays + other new texas life things, appears things get even busier!

lindsey so kindly requested that i get back to bloggy business and write something soon - plus she needs things to read. she even offered her own suggestions for an editorial calendar. staring with a lil thing like my sister's wedding. ohhh? that little thing?

so while we're waiting on that update, here's a post i half-wrote a few weeks ago and then got distracted. by something terribly important i'm sure. like christmas music on spotify. or kendra scott earring sales.

here's to the end of this month-long dry spell. stay tuned for more soon. promise.


scene: 
gloria's on greenville
catch-up happy hour with some of my fave new yorkers
andrea & brian
who were in dallas for thanksgiving

after a good hour of non-stop chatter...

brian:  "i think that your accent is coming back..."

lj: "is it?!?!?" 

brian: "it is."

andrea: "well it must, being around all these texans all the time!"

lj: "it's true...it's no longer cute when i say "y'all" at work"

i suspected this would happen.

two month updates

alright. it's now been 2 months since my move to texas. think it's time for a quick life update.
family time.

2 months in, i've decided i'm perfectly content living at my parents house for the time being. (at least until les gets married!) and i'm getting quite used to being around the fam more. they were after all, the largest draw in getting me back to the lone star state. so i'm totally ok with this. especially all the time i get with this little one...she's my fave.

waking up early.
while i don't know if i'll ever really get used to this, i am much much better at it. and at getting to bed earlier. why are both of these things so hard for me??

my sister, the bride.
i didn't know that i could be more involved in this wedding planning business than i was from nyc, but turns out i could. i've been quite the busy party planner myself for her bachelorette bash that's coming up in a few weeks. it's been really fun though, i wouldn't trade it. here's a lil preview of what i've been up to...let the 11 week countdown begin!


driving.
a gchat conversation with friend matt...

Matt: yea i read your tweet about fidgeting with XM stations the whole drive home and thought 'thats exactly what someone who is just getting back to being acclimated with driving needs to be doing'

what? i'm getting better at multi-tasking while i drive! i even did a lil road trip to austin last weekend. all by myself. but more on that later.

knees.
definitely scars. from this lil event. don't think these are going away any time soon. i'm so cool. i wish there were a better story...

gym.
almost every day. advantages to a slower lifestyle i suppose. my sister claims it was impossible for me to be healthy with that crazy fast life i had in nyc. yeah yeah yeah. starting next week...5:30am boot camp. apparently i'm super workout ambitious in the south too.

in summary.

gchat love from former roomie lindsay ann...

Lindsay Ann: you were in love with texas first. and it will take some time for you to get to know each other again.

it's true. i do love texas. very much. and after my northern hiatus, me and texas are getting to know each other again...maybe on more grown up level.

 i think i like where our relationship is headed.

 :)

city girl

first, erin (the new mrs. denniston!) is back from her and chris' super exotic honeymoon (read: trip of a lifetime)! yaaaay!

second, she sent me these words of wisdom after reading about my conversation with her friend andy at her wedding.

quite fitting, no?

funny...i feel like i've always said this about texas. "you can take the girl out of texas, but you can't take the texas out of the girl!"

but it appears that i will also quite passionately defend new york city as one of the greatest places in the world. probably for forever.

which i suppose means i shall now always be a city girl.

ok. so maybe a city girl...with a lil texas sass!

thanks e! :)

Re-learning how to live in the south

22 years as a Texan. 5 years as a New York-Texan.

Apparently 5 years away was enough to make this all seem a lil bit new.

Just a few things I've noticed in the 4.5 weeks since my return to Texas....

• It's no longer charming to other people when I say "y'all". Imagine that? Guess it's no longer a talking point when everyone else says it too.
  
  
• But! I forgot how much I love listening to southerns talk. Especially the boys. I find their southern twang quite appealing.
  
  
• 8:30am is awfully early to be at work every day. And where is my iced coffee cart guy when I need him?!
  
  
• Also, my always sunny disposition? Yeah, it's not so much a differentiator here. Everyone else here is cheery and happy and smiley. And they all speak to you in the elevators.
  
  
• Other elevator etiquette? Ladies are always first entering the elevator, no exceptions. And ladies are always first leaving elevators, no exceptions. This is new.
  
  
• I miss walking. Never thought I'd say that. In my new Texas life, I spend most of my day sitting. From car, to desk, back to car. Ugh.
  
  
• With the lack of walking on a daily basis, I seem to be out of practice. Oops.
  
  
• Speaking of cars. I'm not a very good driver. Or parker. I swear I used to be.
  
  
• And I might have gotten in a fight with a gas pump last week. What am I doing here?!?
  
  
• On the other hand, I smile every time I walk up to my car. It's so pretty. And I own that!
  
  
• Singing along with the radio. This takes practice. And focus. Was I always so off-key? And I'm so used to my tunes blasting through headphones, I didn't realize how loud I like to listen to music.
  
  
• Wearing heels! Oh I've missed them. But I'm not very used to wearing them for long periods of time. Good thing it's summertime and I can ease into this with wedges.
  
  
• I would comment on the heat, just cause. But that would be too expected. And the extreme temperatures are off-set with constant AC. So that's a different argument for a different day.
  
  
• The pace. It's slower. Not so "go, go, go" all the time. It's kind of tricky because I like the "go, go, go" and I hate to miss out and always like to be busy. But this new strangely normal-paced life? Yeah, I think I could get used to it.

Too much stuff

Upon arriving to Tejas with boxes and boxes full of my stuff, it became immediately apparent that there was serious work to be done here. Moving all these things into a room already full of more things...a bit problematic.

These are just a few particularly humorous things I've found during the massive clean-out I'm doing to my room at my parents house...

I don't even know what to say about these things. Can I blame my mom for keeping them? No? Ok. Then I can only ask that you please don't judge too hard.

Longhorn Notebooks
I used one of these to take notes in almost every semester in college. (what? necessary.) When mom packed up my stuff in Austin after I left for NY, guess she brought these with her.


And now here they are, 5 years post-undergrad, juuuust taking up space. Her excuse? "What if you need them?" Aww, that's cute mom.



Princess Shoes + Tiara(s)
Both worn at Senior Prom. There were also no less than 3 (that's right, THREE) different tiaras located around my bedroom. Who am I?!? Ok, now I'm judging me.





Tiara #1 - I think it was from a birthday party...


Tiara #2 - Worn by a teddy bear?

Tiara #3 - Halloween, of course. (there's also a wand...) Now modeled by Bunny.


HOWEVER...

Turns out, being super-princessy is quite convenient when your equally princessy 3-year-old niece comes over to spend the night. Don't you think? :)

Today's Tale: So Graceful

So about walking. Apparently after a few weeks in Texas, I'm a bit out of practice.

Walking back from a morning iced coffee run to Whole Foods with Lindsey yesterday morning, the following took place - as if in slow motion...

Mid-conversation with Linds.
One last step to go on a seemingly normal, but really quite tricky, set of concrete stairs.
Complete misstep down the last step.
Immediately hit my knees. Hands following.
No coffee was lost in this tragedy. No sunglasses broken. No wallet dropped.
I'm a pro-faller.

Lindsey: OH! LAUREN!!!
LJ: (from the ground) ummm....shit.
Lindsey: ARE YOU OK?! WHAT HAPPENED?!?
LJ: Ohmygosh. I'm fine. Just...maybe...a little bit bloody.
Lindsey: Oh it's fine! You can't even tell!

Lies, Linds. Lies. But I love you for trying to make it better.

Upon further investigation, it appeared that my knees were in pretty bad shape. Yes, knees. As in, both of them.

This incident was followed by a few hours of meetings and one particularly uncomfortable agency-wide gathering where I stood for 30 minutes, leaning against the closest wall, with stinging knees thinking..."I'm bleeding at this stairwell meeting with everyone in the damn agency standing here..."

Finally, my gashed up knees stopped bleeding. Then I texted mom...

"Today's casualties."


She was not amused. My phone rang immediately for an explanation. Oops.

Later, while sitting next to a co-worker.

He pointed at my knees "Ummm....?"
My response, "Oh yeahhhh, it's terribly embarrassing. I fell walking back from Whole Foods."
Him, "Today?!?"
"Yes, this morning. It hurts."

And then a gchat convo with Les...

LJ: I was going to hit the gym...but miiiight have fallen on the stairs today and messed up my knees pretty bad. So wanna see Horrible Bosses instead?
Les: WHAT? Ohmigosh Lauren...
LJ: Yeaaaaah. I'm so graceful.
Les: You fell down the stairs today and I got a speeding ticket. good day all in all I'd say
LJ: Oh good. We're quite the pair.

I am so cool.
27 years old with gashed up knees...because I fell down the stairs.
They'll be torn up this way for at least another month.
Awesome.

Blank Walls

I want to write about New York.

I want to write about leaving New York. About everything I'm thinking, everything I'm feeling, everything I'm looking forward to and everything I'm leaving behind. But the words won't come.

So instead, I'm sitting here staring at the blank walls of what used to be the most fabulous New York bedroom ever. With high ceilings and huge windows and beautiful hard wood floors. But now the walls are bare, the shelves, closets and drawers are all empty. And all my things that once decorated this pretty room are now packed into boxes on a truck to Texas.

I'm restless. I can't sleep. I can't write. I can't do anything. But stare at my bare walls. And wonder what's next. For them. For me.

I want to write about New York.
And I will. Once I can get past the blank walls.

27 on June 27th

Today is my Golden Birthday.

I don't really know what this means exactly. But according to Wikipedia (my trusted source for all useful unnecessary information) --

A person's Golden or Grand Birthday, also referred to as their "Lucky Birthday", "Champagne Birthday" or "Star Birthday", occurs when they turn the age of their birth day.

So if this is a milestone noteworthy enough for Wikipedia to mention, I do believe it is something worth celebrating.

And celebrate I shall. Probably with champagne. Because while I like the sound of Gold on my Golden Birthday, I also really like the sound of champagne. Perhaps I can combine the two and celebrate my Golden Champagne Birthday. Yes. That I like.

Cheers to 27 on the 27th!

Reflections on Five Years

Dear New York,

It's been 5 years since I arrived here from Texas. Fresh off the highs of college graduation and ambition. Almost 22 years old, so excited for a new urban life, bright-eyed, determined and just slightly terrified. It didn't take me long to get used to your hot summer days, public transportation, crowds, horribly inconsistent weekend subway schedules and surprisingly comforting street noises.

I've spent 5 crisp New York falls watching Texas football games at bars cheering alongside too many other burnt-orange-clad Longhorns to count. I've managed to get through 5 of the coldest winters of my life without significant depression, with several snowy adventures and ice skating under the stars. Spent 5 holiday seasons mesmerized by the magic that floats through the streets at Christmastime. Then watched these 5 seemingly unending winters finally fade to springtime, bringing warm sunshine, brightly colored flowers and a renewed spirit to the city.

I've explored every borough. Fell in love with the charm of the West Village. Spent the night in Rock Center in hopes of scoring tickets to SNL. Watched summer movies in Central Park. Seen more Broadway shows than I can count. I even served Jury Duty. I've visited Philly, the Hudson River Valley, Atlantic City, the Jersey Shore, Long Island beaches, the Hamptons, Cape Cod and Washington DC.

I'm so very in love with you, with my life here. With all my amazing friends that truly make this place my home.

After 5 years of our relationship, it is very difficult for me to break this news to you New York. And it's with a very heavy heart that I tell you I am leaving. I know, you probably didn't see it coming. I was surprised too. But you knew the time would come when the South would call me back. And it's time.

So I guess, all this to say...After 5 years of New York City life, I'm going back to Texas.

I still love you New York. But my heart has always been in Texas. You can bet I'll be back to visit often. After all, you're not going anywhere.

xoxo,
lauren

some springy things

finally?! maybe?!

i think...i think maybe it's really staying warm this time!

see the pretty flowers in madison square park?! yay spring!

we had this cute lil furrball staying with us at 9a last weekend. his name is jabu. he is a very fluffy (and very barky) house guest.

this is us on an afternoon walk around the neighborhood. he gets so many compliments.

we stumbled upon this lovely community garden on 89th street. a tulip festival!

aaaand in true springy fashion...
...last weekend i switched out my closet.

(yes, that's a thing here in new york. we have one season closets.)

trading my winter skirts, jackets and scarves for my springtime flowery dresses, bright colored cardi's and shorts.

happy!


switching my closet is a long and annoying process.

oh but the best part of the closet-switch is definitely the shoes.
goodbye boots! hellooooo sandals!

roommate lindsay ann says we can never judge her for having too many shoes after seeing all mine. what? i just really like sandals!

also...

i never thought i'd say this but...i think i have too many dresses.
is that even possible?!? i'm all out of room! eeek!

at least it's officially flowery dress weather!

happy spring! :)