Happy Anniversary to Nikki and me

So, can you believe it? It's been a FULL YEAR of New York City. Yeah, it's been a crazy crazy year but probably one of the greatest years of my life. A few highlights:

August, 2004: Received close to $175 in Starbucks cards before I left. Sadly, I think they were used by mid-September...

August 3, 2004: A whole lot of tears and a flight to New York with most of my earthly belongings. A day I will never forget. Met Nikki and was introduced to probably the smallest apartment I will ever live in. LOVE IT.

August 25, 2004: Found a pull-out couch, huge coffee table with storage and matching end table for $425 and FREE DELIVERY on Craigslist.

Labor Day weekend, 2004: St. Louis friends, Carolyn and Vito come to visit. We went to my first Yankees game ever! FUN TIMES.

October 15, 2004: Mom and Dad come to visit for the first time and graciously (and probably for their own state of mind while they stay here) purchase Chloe the cat for the purpose of keeping the mouse problem under control.

Thanksgiving, 2004: Stayed in town, went to the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade down the street from my apartment. Enjoyed a great meal with a friend from school and her family in from Texas. It was definitely a blessing to be able to spend the day with such a warm and welcoming family.

Early December, 2004: Bought a Christmas tree off the street (probably the largest tree I've ever had in the smallest apartment I've ever had) and decorated the apartment for Christmas. I love Christmas.

Christmas, 2004: Enjoyed some time at home with friends and famliy. Too short, but good nonetheless.

New Year's, 2005: Suz came to visit. We went up to the roof with champagne and silly 2005 glasses to watch the festivities at Times Square. Could not figure out a clean way to get the Christmas tree out of the apartment, seeing that it had fallen to a width much wider than the front door. The geniuses that we are, we decided to just throw it out the back window to the overgrown weed patch that is the 'courtyard' behind our building. Above mentioned Christmas tree can still be seen to this day in the mess out back.

January, 2005: Went to Central Park with Sara to play in the snow during the BLIZZARD of 2005 (these people freak out about nothing). It was quite fun.

February 14, 2005: Spent a WONDERFUL Valentine's Day with Nikki and Sara at Cowgirl, a restaurant serving Southern food in Greenwich Village (they had FRIED OKRA when we were there!!!). We go back there frequently.

April, 2005: Went to St. Louis and Kiawa Island, South Carolina with the family for Spring Break. It was a lovely time for relaxation and rejuvenation.

July, 2005: Worked at a school in the Bronx for one of my internships. It was great to experience the diversity and cultures at this school. A great experience overall (except for the hitting, kicking, repremanding...all that...)

It has been a fantastic year full of learning and discovering. I have learned to trust in the unknown and to know that I have family and friends who are there for me beyond my wildest expectations. Thanks to all! Love you guys! Come visit!

YIPPEEEEE!!!!!

SO, the summer internship is OVER. I said goodbye to some I like and others who i maybe liked a bit less (they teach me in school to try to put a positive spin on things....i tried). It was an interesting experience to say the least. From hugs, stickers, motivation, and silliness, to being hit by a 4-year old, and having to admonish the same child for stealing his mother's concealer and wiping it on his face during the session, life was interesting. Makes you appreciate what you have and how you were raised. Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad.
So 134 hours and only 5 weeks later, I am grateful for the experience and clock hours to add to my resume! :)

ON TO AUGUST!!! August means writing a paper for a class that I'm really not sure why I had to take, going to Florida for the infamous family reunion from the 12-15, SLEEPING, RELAXING, and seeing some sights before school gets into full swing again. And who can forget the trip to the STL for Labor Day weekend! Let me tell you, I've had a SERIOUS craving for a Lion's Choice roast beef with extra seasoning and french fries so I think it's time to get back home soon. And I can't wait to see my Suz and have her pay some much needed attention to my hair. It needs help...

So thanks everyone for your prayers and support while I'm here. Next week marks a FULL YEAR of my stay in New York. I absolutely cannot believe how time has flown!

I love and miss you all!

On NASA...

A conversation between Nikki and me while watching the news regarding the NASA shuttle issues:

Christina: "I can't believe that that happened again."
Nikki: "Seriously, I mean it's NASA. I feel kinda bad for them."
Christina: "Why?"
Nikki: "It seems like an easy problem to solve to me. If there is something falling off, why can't they find a way to just STICK IT BACK ON??"
Christina: "Good point. Aren't they supposed to be really smart or something?"
Nikki: "Ever heard of rocket science?"

Hmmmm....something to think about....

Almost there

Well, tomorrow is the last day of my externship! Time has absolutely FLOWN! I cannot believe that August is only a few days away. I hope it goes fast too, because, let me tell ya, it's HOT. And I'm ready for sweater/jacket weather. I've had enough of this summer thing.

So tell me this: What should I do after I graduate?? Today, I realized that I'm going to be done really soon. Under a year, to be exact. I've been in school for so long (all of my life except for the early years...) and I think not doing that is going to take some getting used to. So yeah, if anyone has any good ideas on what I should do, do share.

A Day of Rest

So yesterday here in New York was BEAUTIFUL. Apparently, the rest of the world was sweltering and we finally got some rest from it. So what do Nikki and I decide to do? High time that we trekked it out to Far Rockaway to go to the beach!!! It was a great afternoon. We packed a lunch, got on the train, rode for about an hour, and got off at the beach! We brought our chairs, books, iPods and sunglasses and had ourselves a great day. Sorry, all of you who heard the Coney Island story from last summer, no such sightings this summer! Keep in mind, that in this same weekend that I decided to go out to the beach, I had to work Friday night and most of Saturday. Also keep in mind that this coming week is the last week of summer o speech in the Bronx. That means that PROGRESS REPORTS are due the frist day of the week (today, for those of you who had less sleep than me last night). So I thought, What a great idea! Take my work to the beach so I actually enjoy doing it! Brilliant, you say? Well, yes, in theory, the greatest idea EVER. But in execution, not so much. I got my work out after being at the beach for about an hour and a half, put it in my lap, wrote the first kid's name on the page and completely got distracted by the masses of people and the beaury of the creation around me. I looked down about 10 minutes later and realized that I had been sitting there with that much done for the past 15 minutes. Who was I kidding? Like i could actually get work done in that setting?? So I put it away and just resigned myself to the fact that I would have to do it later.
So "later" rolls around at about 9:00 after church and i suddenly realize that that would be a good time to start writing my 12 progress reports that were due the next day. I sit down thinking this will be no big deal. Oh dear, was I in for a shock. 3:30 AM rolls around and I FINALLY finish the last one. Ugh, so needless to say, I will be getting to bed early tonight. All that said, however, I do not regret, for one second, going to the beach instead of doing work.

So, what's your opinion?

So, here's the question. What's the big deal with online dating? Living in this city, I have caught on to this "trend" around town. People here seem to attribute the growing trend to busy lifestyles and boredome with the "bar and club scene". Hmmm....but what about those of us who were never into the "bar and club scene" for meeting people of the opposite sex? Why do they do it?

Hmmmm...so to those of you who don't know, I've toyed around with online dating a few times and I've come to a few conclusions. Why do some people think it's so "wrong" or "weird" to meet people through the online dating scene? The most popular response seems to be that people think you are desperate if you try the online thing. I've also heard the "you could meet any amount of weirdos on there" response. I don't feel like I did it because I am desperate and yes, I've met one or two WEIRDOS. However, they are all funny stories and at this point I will chalk most of it up to experience. Thinking back on it now, I've gotten a few cups of coffee, a beer or two, pizza, a decent lunch and fabulous flowers, and knowledge of the necessity to ride a bike around the city and carry the helmet under your arm (even on a date in a bar). So with that list, how could you go wrong really??

When it comes down to it, I'll have to admit that it's kinda fun. You get to screen every single person you decide to even say "hey" to (with a smiley, of course). How is that all that different from meeting someone in public anyway? If you were to meet someone at, let's say, a bar, typically, the reason they talk to you or you talk to them is you think that they are attractive or something they say or do is intriguing. The same goes for online. You or the other decide to talk to the other person because they are either physically attractive or something they say or write is intriguing. So what's the big difference besides not having to worry about thinking up some good reason for ending a face-to-face conversation?

So, tell me (all you St. Louis folk, especially) what the opinion is and if this online thing would work in St. Louis (life is different there ya know). Is it really the wave of the future?? ;)

If I were a cloud, I would have rained by now

Well, I guess summer is here in full swing! It is DISGUSTING outside. And I'm talking the kind of disgusting where you walk outside and feel like you have to push the humidity out of the way to walk down the street. Because walking is a necessity, one MUST layer to absorb sweat, go EXTREMELY light on the makeup and choose to fix the hair only when taking cabs to the desired destination. I'm almost glad that my day job doesn't have air conditioning so that I have an excuse to not wear makeup or fix my hair really. It's just disgusting. Hopefully, it will just rain and get a bit nicer....that would be great really. Can anyone arrange such an event?

On other notes, if anyone would like to be my personal benefactor, I'm taking applications currently. I feel that it's time that I had my own personal assistant/funds supplier. I've been thinking recently that I need to go see more Broadway shows but the problem is that I don't have the money most of the time or the friend to go with. :( Specifically, I'm interested in seeing Wicked very soon. I'm determined to see it within the next couple of months. If I have to do it by myself, I just may...and that is what I've come to! Benefactor and theater going friend, where are you?

Oh, how I love thee, Air Conditioner...

So, I just finished week #3 at the externship. It's so crazy to think about, but I only have two more weeks there! Time really flies. It's all going to be over before I know it. So far, I've learned a few things from working there. I've learned that speech pathologists (and people in the education field in general) are disgustingly underpaid for the work they do and the influence they can have on the development, both physically and socially, of a child. I got a general ball park figure of how much the girls who work there make, and let me tell you, it's SAD. I've never really been political, but the state of the school systems and the little attention that problems get is really really frustrating to someone who wants to help kids. Something has got to be done.

Secondly, I've learned that, no matter how much you plan (or don't really plan in my case) your plan can be thrown to the wind the second the kids walk in and you better be ready to adapt to what their needs are. For example, you've gotta be ready to take on two extra 7 year old boys 5 minutes before the session starts and be able to ad lib therapy for them while still focusing on the child that your normally work with. It's a challenge to say the least. But it's exciting. One of the kids today ran out to his mom afterwards with his hands waving in the air saying, "I'm a GENIUS!!!!" It was so cute.

Thirdly, I've learned that I LOVE AIR CONDITIONING!!!! This school is not air conditioned making working in July in the city heat TONS of fun. The best part of the day is when i walk to the train afterwards, get on and get to sit in the a/c for 45 minutes. Coming home is even better but that happens much later. The air conditioner at my apartment makes sleeping comfortable, watching tv comfortable, and get this, I even fix my hair sometimes!!!! WHOA!

On other notes, I booked my flight to come home! I'll be keepin it real in the S T L September 2-5. And I think I'm bringing some New Yorkers with me! I know at least Sara is coming. I told her we would go line dancing....there may be a visit to Wild Country (does anyone know if that place is still open?) So yeah, I'd like to hang with some of the old pals if anyone has a minute. CALL ME! Well, my bed is calling out to me because we have not spent enough time together this week. Weekends are GLORIOUS!

Love to all

Grrrrr

Computer question....does anyone know how to copy a code to this site for a traffic counter/site stats program thing? I have the code, I just need someone to tell me where the heck I find the place i "copy" it to for my pages. I've spent the last far too long trying to figure it out and all I've come to is that this is going to kill my vision, and that's not great as it is anyway. Maybe I should think about getting to bed instead? Who knows? Anyway, please let me know if you know how to do this. Or if you know someone who does, send them here to leave me a comment and tell me! Email works too i suppose! thanks!

Another one bites the dust!

Yep, another week at the externship finished. It feels good. I was definitely tired by the end of the week but they say that you get used to that feeling. Anyway, it was good. Next week is art/painting week. I'm trying to incorporate some themes into the weeks so the kids have something to look forward to and I don't have to plan as much! Works for me! I have three full weeks left there then some time off then off to Florida for Granny's 80th birthday/wacko family reunion...woo hoo can't wait! It should be interesting to say the least.

Nikki's mom and friend are in town this week so we went to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens today. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and the gardens were really pretty. We saw this crazy crane/duck thing in one of the lakes. It was HUGE and black and swimming in the water. We noticed this thing attacking a fish that was probably a good 9 inches long. So we're watching this thing and all of a sudden the duck felt like it had sufficiently attacked the fish, it flipped the WHOLE thing into it's mouth. Ok so this doesn't sound all that odd until you think about the fact that a typical duck's throat is only about a 2 inch wide circle and this fish was about 5 inches wide. The bird then proceeded to slide the ENTIRE fish down it's throat whole. Nikki almost vomitted...it was pretty nasty. You could see the fish bulging out the bird's neck as it was swimming along. Interesting but pretty gross all at the same time....

So anyway, that's what I did today! Gettin ready to go to church then to COWGIRL (YUMMY) for dinner! Be back later!

I think I'll just be a gardener...

So on request from my dad (who has FAR too much time on his hands right now -- love ya dad) and heather, i took this personality test. And ya know what? I think it hits pretty close to home actually. Click here to see my results. Anyone agree?

YEAH!! HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!! I hope that everyone had a fabulous 4th of july weekend. Mine was actually really really good and relaxing and fun! I have lots of pics. If anyone would like to see them just let me know and i'll try to either put a link on here or send you a link to see them. The picture on the left is from our fireworks that we saw. They were the Macy's fireworks and we went to the Brooklyn Promenade so that we could have the city in the background...we're really not cheesy i promise! But anyway, it was a great time and I'll write more later! Gotta get back to the real world tomorrow. :(

Well, the concert was good! Sorry, no celebrity sightings though! :( but some good music, so it was a good night. ben taylor is good and his sister, Sally, came up for a few songs too so that was fun. I went with Sara, her boyfriend, Kevin, Haylee, her dad, her sister, and three of her friends from back home. we were quite the crowd at this place!


funny story though (well, maybe not so much funny). coming home, it was about 1:00 or so and the streets were still pretty crowded so i thought i would take the train home. no big deal right? well turns out the train that runs right by my house was not running last night so i had to take another train and transfer once. no problem, right? RIGHT! so i get to grand central where i left kevin and sara and was supposed to take the 7 train to times square. what's the big deal? you say? well apparently at 1:30 in the morning, the trains run a little differently. i get on the 7 train and we're going along. i'm thinking, man, this train is going pretty fast and i thought it made a stop at 5th ave? hmmm....all of a sudden i realized that i was going in the wrong direction! the next stop from grand central on this train is QUEENS...CRAP. so i get off in Queens, go to the other side, wait 20 stinkin minutes at 2:00 AM and finally get on a train going to times square. i was SO tired! apparently the trains run on the same track at that hour and ya just have to KNOW....GREAT. i think that that is going to be the end of my commuting in the middle of the night. in hindsight, the $8 didn't seem like all that much to spend on transportation home.

Per request, fashion tip of the day:
Whatever you do, DO NOT, and i repeat, DO NOT, under any circumstances, come into an ann taylor loft in new york city (soho, mind you) and ask the lovely sales associate if we carry baggy women's hawaiian shirts. the overworked, annoyed and underpaid associate will look at you as if you are from another planet, politely say no, as she has been trained to do, and, the second you walk out the door, commence to make fun of you to all of the other associates and even a few clients who may have heard you. BUT if for some unknown reason you cannot resist the wonderful appeal of this odd women's fashion statement, and you must do the above, at least pretend like you don't already own 40 by wearing one into the store to inquire. any questions??

AH HA!!!

So i've been playing around with this thing (crazy thought, i had time this afternoon!) and figured out how to add pictures to the blog part. i still don't know how to add a photo to the profile part (ah-hem, computer nerd friends...) but i suppose that will come in time.

So apparently, if you've noticed from the comments, there is a demand for RECIPES, and FASHION TIPS...hmmm i feel a bit like a slightly boring and overly-hyped women's magazine....but i'll see what i can do for my anonymous friend in virginia!

well it should be a good night, i'm gonna take a nap here in a few minutes and then i'm going to see ben taylor, james taylor's son. the rumor on the street is that james is also in town so we're hoping to have a serious celebrity sighting tonight at this show. i'll bring the camera just in case! ben taylor has some good stuff, if anyone would like to check it out! sounds almost EXACTLY like his dad!

the photo to the left was an "accident" that nikki and i took. for all of you who don't know my wonderful roomate, that is nikki. she's tall, taller than me, if you can't tell. she's great!

have a good night friends!

So, I really have no idea what I'm doing with this thing, honestly. someone is going to have to teach me how to post pictures and all that good stuff. then maybe i will be cool! i also need the time to figure out how to do that but alas....i don't have that....
anyway, welcome to all.

I just finished my second day at my summer externship thingy. man, it's amazing just how little sleep a person can get by on isn't it? the past couple days have been crazy busy but parts have been really great which is refreshing. basically, i start out my day leaving west 46th street at about 7:15 (and for those of you that know me, that is PAINFULLY EARLY) with a LARGE to-go cup of coffee (i never thought i would be one of those morning coffee people, but here i am), walk to the subway and ride up to the north end of the bronx which takes about an hour depending of if i get on the local or the express. i thought the trip would suck completely but it has actually been kinda nice. it's like forced time for reflection. i can't be doing a whole lot like cleaning or doing homework or speech pathology on a train at 7:30 in the morning. soooo, shock of all shocks, i've taken up reading! WHOA, you say? i know, i know....crazy idea. i got through almost half of Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller just on my first day of commuting. I'll definitely be giving some thoughts about what i think of the book here soon.

so then i get to the school and have 6 sessions of working with kids ranging in age from 4 to 9. as much as i have completely fought the school scene all of my educational career, thinking that i would never ever work there, i actually kinda like it here....hmmm. don't you hate when the plan that you think you've got for yourself is altered??? god has a way of doing that doesn't he? i'm not saying that i've changed my mind about the population i want to work with or anything like that....just that i'm thinking. i'm really learning so much about diversity and the resilience of the human spirit. some of these kids have so much going against them but they are such beautiful people. anyway, i leave there at 2:30 and go to starbucks downtown to get my planning for the next day done before i work at ann taylor loft usually from 6-11. my job at ATL totally sucks but i'm trying to not think about it and keep a decent attitude about it. pray that i don't go postal on everyone there one day... after than i come back to west 46th street, pet my dear little kitty, say sorry for leaving her all the time, sleep and the day starts all over again...it's quite the life. weekends are MUCH anticipated! Praise the LORD that I no longer work sundays. He knew what he was talking about saying that peole need a day of rest!!

Well, my eyes need a rest. Check back soon, i'm going to try to keep this up to date and put some pictures up if i can get someone to show me how to do that (you know who you are!!)

know that you are all loved and missed dearly!
christina (a.k.a. cjc, chris, chrissy-t, chrissy, rist, dena and whatever other name you great people have called me over the years!)