The Meltdown

As the temperatures rise, apparently so do the emotions...well, maybe just mine. I had a minor melt down the other night. I got home from a tough day at work yesterday, the make-up was melting down my face, I was hot, tired and hungry. My Hero equates this to the perfect storm. Some would say it is the equivalent to a 4 year old meltdown. After scarfing down some Swedish Fish (WHAT? There's good stuff in Swedish Fish. Like Fish Oil, duh!), and refreshing myself with a splash of cold water, I was a little better. A few tears later made me realize that I miss our family, the South, sweet tea and CHICK-FIL-A.

My mom and dad visited a few weeks ago, but the time since has flown by and I keep thinking that Christmas vacation won't get here soon enough so we can see each other again. I did capture a few really great shots of them when they were here. They are soooo New York, don'tcha think?

(Shopping at Tiffany)

(Strolling in Manhattan)

The Tourists

We are still trying to recover from last weekend. I am from the south and I can honestly say it was H-O-T here. Phew! Running the A/C consumes so much energy and is uber expensive so we try not to run it a lot. Somedays, it's just better to be outside which is exactly what we did this past weekend.

We enjoyed a few tourists activities in our wonderful city. Saturday, we ventured downtown to the Wall St. area.

My Hero's favorite part was seeing the bull...riiiiiiggght...

I took the time to visit Tiffany & Co. in the area. This particular store is much more contemporary than I had imagined.

We visited a new church Sunday and then walked to Rockefeller Center. I was sporting an original Hems & Hers creation so we used the beautiful day as a prime opportunity for a mini photo shoot. I just love a good animal print.

After a long day of walking and baking in the sun, we made it home in time for an afternoon nap. Rockstar is adjusting well and he has figured out that he can sit directly in front of the fan to cool off quickly. I love this dog!

GOOOOOOOOAL!

I had a fabulous dinner with My Hero last night. It was my suggestion to go to Outback Steakhouse...I was craving red meat. First of all, this rarely happens. My body must be iron deficient. Secondly, we had a gift card so I was totally up for it. By the way, I don't "cook." Hamburger Helper, Chocolate Turtle Cake and desserts are my specialty. My Hero does most of the cooking. I got over being ashamed of this a while ago. A very wise woman once told me that you can either cook in the kitchen or cook in the bedroom. I made my choice and I'm sticking to it! (Sorry if I offended anyone by that last comment...I've been married 7 years to the most fabulous man in the world who treats me like a Princess everyday. The fire's still H-O-T!) I digress.

So, we were sitting at dinner and chatting about our day when My Hero began telling me about the awesome soccer game he watched on TV during the day. We're not huge soccer fans, but we are in the midst of the World Cup so you have to watch and route for your country. In the end, the U.S. ended up winning 1-0 against Algeria. Awesome. But wait! There's more! Since we moved to NYC (a.k.a The Most Expensive City in the WORLD), we have cut back on a few guilty pleasures namely cable. I must admit that we only had basic cable while in Charlotte which would consist of probably 15 channels, but the cable gods smiled down upon us and we ended up with a full package of cable...for free. Oh, E!, how I miss thee! My Hero dearly misses ESPN. We nearly had to put him in detox since we don't have it now. I swear he broke out in sweats one night from withdrawals. Really! No Kidding! Unfortunately, the cable gods do not fly this far north...or is it that the Yankee cable gods aren't as charming and sweet as their southern counterparts?

After remembering that we don't have cable, I asked My Hero what channel he watched the game on. Wait for it...wait for it...ANSWER: The Spanish Channel. HAHAHAHA! (Oh, Jesus, please send ESPN to my main man!) The poor thing is so desperate for sports that he watched an entire soccer game with Spanish commentating. HAHAHAHA! The good news is that he said he actually picked up some Spanish terms while glued to the TV. THAT 'A'BOY!!!

And the moral of the story is:

Desperation can lead to valuable learning...even during the summer when a teacher's brain shuts off.

(At a Yankees game...isn't he CUTE!)

I believe...

I believe in a lot of things, but this always rings true:

I believe you should never make someone a priority

when they see you as an option.

It took me a long time to come around to understanding this and fully expressing it, but, after much heartache and wasted efferts, I have finally given up on trying to make everyone happy. I realize that it is more important to focus on cultivating true friendships rather than wasting my time on people who only value their own time and are constantly looking for the next best thing to present itself at that given moment.

Rocky's Christmas List

A little precious puppy told My Hero and I this past weekend that we needed to start saving our money for his Christmas gift. Hmmmm? Really? Leave it to me to raise a dog with expensive taste. He found a bed in the pet store which pays homage to my employer. I was clearly gaga over it too until I saw the price tag. Fortunately, the bed was occupied by a cat at the time, so we couldn't really test it out. I think Rockstar would have passed out right away if he'd laid down. He has been quite pooped since moving to the city, but he's adjusting very well.

New City = Staycation

Due to the economic downturn, the term "staycation" was coined a couple years ago, meaning that you have a vacation in and around your own home and/or city. My Hero and I have usually enjoyed a few, luxurious days at the beach each summer since we have been married. We staid in a cheap hotel, ate cheap food, chowed down on all-you-can-eat crab legs one night and obtained the perfect, golden tan all within a few days time.

This year, the beach is out of the question for us since we managed to spend nothing shy of a small fortune moving to the city. Oh, did I mention that My Hero doesn't have a job yet? Long story short, I got a job working for a legendary jewelry maker so we made the family decision to pack our few belongings and Rockstar and move. Nevertheless, we are enjoying our new city immensely. There are numerous things to do that are free and cheap especially during the summer. We enjoyed a long weekend of pizza at Ray's, street festivals, being interviewed by Glamour magazine, Washington Square, the pet shop (Rocky's request) and Central Park. My summer tan is well underway and we are happy as clams rediscovering the simple pleasures of life.

XOXO,

Broke and Happy

(Ray's Pizza)

(Glamour Interview)

(Washington Square)

(Pet Shop)

(Central Park)

She's Got Legs

There are so many things to do and see in this city especially if you keep your eyes open. I am usually guilty of texting and walking or talking on the phone while walking so I am sure I miss out on a lot. I have, somehow, continued to spot very rare "sketches." The artistry in this city is amazing and I have seen some amazing tattoos; however, I was quite shocked one day when I noticed actual drawings on the backs of a woman's legs. I originally thought she had on extremely sheer stocking with a single seam down the back, but I quickly realized that she had DRAWN this line on her skin! Now, don't judge me, but I must admit that I was very anxious to capture this moment and share it with the world...afterall, she was doing the same thing. Thankfully, I happened to have my phone in my hand. I quickly switched it to camera mode and snapped away

Since this day, I have noticed a couple other "sketches." My Hero has even spotted a sketch and eagerly nudged me to look and take a picture! I hope there are more to come.

Once upon a time...

It has been a long FOUR months without my husband and dog. This journey all began when I decided that life was too short not to go after something really big and not be afraid of failing miserably. Thank goodness for me, I am married to My Hero who encouraged me to figure out what I wanted out of life.

After we prayed long and hard for a vision and spent many hours chatting with equal parts excitement and nervousness, we decided to stay on this continent, then on the east coast, then narrowed it down to New York. The job search began. Long story short, I landed a fabulous job marketing precious baubles to a global market. EEEK! I had 3 weeks to move to the Big Apple...without My Hero. UGH! I would move and get our new life started while he stayed behind to wrap up his job.

The day we moved 5 suitcases of my clothes, etc (did I mention I love clothes?), I said goodbye to my precious dog and the South...

and I soon landed in the North in one of the most horrific snow storms of the century.

I unloaded all my belongings at The Webster...

...spent a few precious hours with my husband before he had to return to North Carolina, shed enough tears to fill an entire ocean and settled into my new life in the city.

It's been quite an adventure so far. Four months have passed since it began. There are a lot of wonderful details that happened in that four months, but there is more to come to get you caught up.

Good night and welcome to Y'all and Yanks.