New York City

Back in October, I took a trip to NYC to visit two of my close friends from Zanzibar, Desiree and Erik.  I arrived on Thursday, October 17, and stayed through Sunday, October 20.  It was a great trip, a trip that went by way to fast! 

I arrived bright and early on Thursday morning at La Guardia.  I had plans to meet up with a good friend from the ICTR who was in NYC for a few weeks, working at the UN.  He still lives in Arusha, but because of his position with the ICTR, he gets to travel quite a bit.  And it just so happened that our paths crossed during my visit.  I hadn't seen him since I left Arusha, and wasn't sure how long it would be till we met again, so I was happy to see and catch up with him.  I met him at his friend's apartment where he had been staying for a few days.  We loaded up his luggage and my bag, and went to a place called Sara Beth's for brunch.  We had some pretty tasty omelets, muffins, and juice.  His Aunt then picked us up to take us over to New Jersey.  We went to his childhood home, and hung out for a little while.  Then, we drove around his hometown in a sweet convertible (I'd never ridden in one before, so that was kind of exciting) for a while as he showed me his high school and other important places from his childhood.  We then made our way to Newark so I could drop my bag off to Erik and take the train into the city to do some exploring and meet Desiree.  

I cannot tell you how happy I was to see my pal Erik.  He and I have remained close since our time in Zanzibar, and I'm constantly thankful for his friendship.  We caught up for a few minutes before he put me on the train, promising to meet up with me later that evening after work.  I took the train from Newark into the city, jumped off and wandering around (half knowing where I was/half being lost) until I stumbled into Times Square.  I knew I wanted to see some of the "touristy" places while my friends were at work.  I walked around for a few hours, visiting Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and Radio City.  

Radio City Music Hall

I got a call from Desiree, telling me to head toward Chinatown to meet up with her for some drinks.  We decided to do drinks in "Little Italy" then go a few blocks over into "Chinatown" to enjoy some delicious, authentic Chinese.  Again, I was so happy to see Desiree again.  We had traveled to Africa together twice, once as students and the second time as student assistants.  We had not seen each other since leaving Africa.  It was amazing to catch up with her, hear about what's been going on, including her amazing new job.  We did drinks, then met Erik for Chinese.

So much Chinese.  Such amazing Chinese. Nom Nom. 

We then headed toward Desiree's apartment which is located in a prime location, right across the street from Serendipity and a few blocks from Central Park.  We decided to indulge just a little bit more, so we got some pie and frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity.

Frozen Hot Chocolate.  Mind Blown. 

On Friday, I went exploring on my own.  I walked for what seemed like miles and miles through Central Park.  I went to the American Museum for Natural History to look at some dinosaur bones.  I also checked out the special exhibit on whales which was pretty incredible. I also enjoyed some "Shake Shack" food, which was recommended by Desiree and Erik.  I got a burger and fries, but no shake since we had indulged in too much chocolate and sugar the night before. Then, I wandering back through Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look around.  I went through the exhibits that contained paintings by artists I actually recognized, so I saw some Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh. I also went through the armor and weapons exhibits.  I really like Game of Thrones, so it was very Game of Thrones-ish, very cool.

The whole time I walked through this exhibit, I kept thinking about how I wanted to watch Jurassic Park again.  Totally cool to see these. 

Armor Exhibit

So pretty. 

Central Park in the Sunshine

Atop the Met

After exploring on my own, I met Desiree for some appetizers and cocktails at a bar in the East Village.  She decided that I needed to go to a proper "cocktail" bar, so we indulged with some $12-$14 cocktails, which shocked me to say the least.  Drinks are expensive in NYC, just in case you didn't know.  But it was well worth the money.  It provided a great atmosphere, and an an opportunity to catch up with Desiree again.  We had some oysters (another first for me!) and a cheese plate.  She also talked me into getting a smoked moonshine cocktail.  They put a huge glass globe over it to hold the smoke on the moonshine, but it tastes so delicious.  Erik arrived shortly after, as did our dear friend Colleen who was also on our Zanzibar trip.  We left the bar and went to see Mike, Desiree's boyfriend, and his improv group perform at a local club.  I had never been to an improv show, but it was really fun.  I can't imagine how nerve-wracking it must be to make everything up on the spot, but that's a huge reason as to why it is so funny.  Anyway, Mike was great, and it was fun to talk to everyone after the show for a bit.  Definitely a cool hobby and talent.  After the show, we ended up going to another bar, getting some tacos, then dancing on the "urban/hip hop" level of a club.  All in all a completely fun, random night, but aren't those always the best nights?

Smoked Moonshine Cocktail

Shenanigans in the back of a Taxi.  Love these two. 

Mike and his team improvising a song.  Hilarious.

On Saturday, we slept in late.  Erik picked me up and we headed to Brooklyn.  We decided to go to an event called Smorgasbord which is a big food festival type event. Local restaurants set up tents, and you can eat until you feel sick.  We had mac and cheese, lobster rolls, ice cream, fried chicken, and donuts.  We ate too much, but it was all amazing.  I was also able to meet up with my cousin Allie, who lives in Brooklyn.  She came and walked around with us, and also ate too much.  We enjoyed some pretty spectacular ice cream cookie sandwiches.  After eating, we went to the Brooklyn Flea Market and walked around for a bit.  We got there right at the end, so we only stayed for about 45 minutes, but it was pretty amazing.  If I had (1) unlimited money and (2) a way to transport things back home, I probably would have been in big trouble.  After Brooklyn, we went back into the city.  Desiree and I decided to get our nails done since we had time before Erik's birthday party celebration was to begin.  In NYC, you can get a manicure for $10, so I was totally in.  Erik had a birthday celebration at a bar, so that was the agenda for the evening.  I got to see some more friends from Zanzibar so that was fun.  And again, we ended the night dancing on the "urban" level of the nightclub.

In Brooklyn.  Great view of the Manhattan.

My lovely cousin, Allie.  We were loving our sweet treats.

Sunday was pretty low key.  Again, we slept in.  Erik stayed with Desiree and Mike as well, so there were four of us packed into a tiny little studio.  We decided to go with them to the Jets/Patriots game. We made a quick stop to get the "best NYC bagels" ever, which were really amazing, then headed to the game.   At the game, we got really lucky, and were able to move down next to Des and Mike in the lower part of the stadium.  It was a beautiful day outside, and the Jets upset the Patriots, so it was a great way to end my time in NYC.  After the game, we stopped for some quick pizza and then I was dropped off at the airport.

First NFL game ever.  

New York pizza, it lives up to the hype.  

All in all, it was a great weekend.  I was so sad to see it end so quickly, as Des and Erik (and now Mike) are all such wonderful people to hang out with.  I am hoping they get to come visit me in Kentucky in the spring.  And I'm also hoping to make it back to NYC sooner rather than later since there is still so much to see.

Ladies Weekend. Gatlinburg, TN

Just for the record, I seriously have some of the best friends in the world.  Because of graduate school and post-college life, my group of friends and I had been split up and tossed all over the place, too busy to connect as frequently as we would have liked.  Since we have all pretty much graduated, have adult jobs and live relatively close to each other, we decided we wanted to start an annual tradition of going on a trip together over Labor Day weekend.  Therefore, for our first trip, we started somewhere semi-close and went to Gatlinburg for the long weekend. It was such an amazing time with the ladies who know me best.  We went hiking, drank wine, celebrated new jobs with cupcakes, swam, and just caught up on life.  

We arrived on Friday night semi-late, as we left Central Kentucky at around 4:30 pm.  We stopped at Cracker Barrel on our way down, and had a big family dinner to kick the weekend off right.  We arrived in Gatlinburg that evening, and celebrated Jesse and Rebecca's new jobs with champagne and cupcakes.  We stayed up pretty late laughing and enjoying each other's company.  

On Saturday, we (or maybe I) decided to do a 5 mile hike to Abram's Falls which is located within the Cades Cove loop.  We took a picnic lunch, and downed some sandwiches, chips, fruit, and fresh salsa before starting the hike.  We hiked for a about an hour and a half before reaching an absolutely gorgeous waterfall.  We explored the waterfall, waded through the freezing cold water, and just relaxed a bit before hiking back to the car.  Once we arrived back to town, we were starving and decided to eat at Mellow Mushroom.  We pigged out on salads, pretzels, calzones, and pizzas.  After dinner, we went back to the condo and enjoyed the two indoor hot tubs for a while, letting our muscles recover from a long day of being in the woods.  

Here are some pictures from our hike. 

Crossing a pretty creek on the trail

Love my Dana. 

Abram's Falls.

Playing in the freezing cold water. 

I forged the river to the other side. 

Enjoying the pretty Smoky Mountains.

Getting closer so we could take a good picture. 

Enjoying some snacks before we headed back to the car.

On Saturday, it was supposed to rain, so we decided to head to the Outlets.  We shopped for a few hours and each of us found some great deals.  Banana Republic was having a 50% off sale, so unfortunately most of my money went to buy a stupid suit for work.  But at least I saved a ton of money.  After the outlets, we went to the Smokey Mountain Brewery for drinks and dinner.  We tried a lot of the beers, and enjoyed some fantastic burgers.  After dinner, we walked around Gatlinburg.  We explored Moonshine Holler, where SMokey Mountain Moonshine is located.  There was a good bluegrass band that we watched for a while.  We also decided we wanted to make some airbrush shirts because, I mean, who can go to Gatlinburg and not come back with a tacky airbrushed t-shirt to commemorate the experience?  Am I right?  So we also did that which was quite the adventure in itself.

Here are are some pictures from Saturday.

Dinner at Smokey Mountain Brewery.

Tasting some yummy beer. 

Moonshine Holler.

Rocking chairs and a bluegrass band.  What a fun night.

They were really fun to watch.

Love this girl.

Rebecca, Blair, Dana, and Wellis.

We weren't the only ones enjoying the band. 

Our fantastic airbrush shirts that we spent entirely too much money on, but that are completely awesome.

And that was our weekend.  It was incredibly fun.  I'm excited to start planning for next year!

LOVE. HONOR. TRUTH

So at the end of March, I accepted the position as Chapter Adviser for the UK Phi Mu Chapter.  During college, I only held minor positions in my chapter, but  I was always involved and loved Phi Mu.  The new chapter at UK has only been there for two years, so they are in need of some alumnae women who can invest in their chapter and provide support.  Although not specifically applying for the position of Chapter Adviser, I decided to go for it.  I really wasn't involved in too much at that time, having just finished law school and the bar exam, so I was excited.  I didn't do too much at the end of last semester, just met the girls and did a little here and there.  

August was a different story.  As Chapter Adviser, there were a lot of things I had to prepare and figure out in a few short weeks.  Recruitment at the University of Kentucky is a whole different ballgame from tiny Georgetown College.  Here are some examples:

Women going through:

Georgetown: 100-ish girls going through recruitment. 

UK: 1300-ish girls going through recruitment.

Parties:

Georgetown: 4 open house parties. 

UK: open house parties starting at 8:00 am, ending at 7:45 pm.  No lunch break.  

Recruitment Styles:

Georgetown: Spring Recruitment...we know the women we want. 

UK: Fall Recruitment...classes haven't even started. 

Needless to say, it was very overwhelming.  I didn't know what I was doing half the time.  And I was utterly exhausted every day.  I would be there from early in the morning till late at night during the weekends, and arrive right after work, staying until the wee morning hours during the week.  As exhausting as it was though, I loved it.  I love the ladies in my chapter, I love their passion to build a strong chapter, and I love their excitement as they meet new girls who would make excellent Phi Mus.  I have meet some great alumnae from Georgetown and other chapters around the state and US who have become great friends.  It felt as though I was back in college for just a few days, as I relived the long hours of recruiting.  Becoming a Phi Mu was one of the best decisions I made in college, and I am now realizing it was one of the best decisions I've made in my life, as cheesy as that sounds.  

Here are some snapshots from the week :)   

One of my new pals.  Miss Meredith Johnson is our new house director.  She is a former London gal and Delta Eta (Georgetown College) alumna.  She is doing a great job, and has quickly become a fantastic friend! I'm excited for what our year together will bring at the University of Kentucky! 

Bid Day Excitement.  We wanted to get in on the Phi Mu photos, so we did, greedily grabbing the giant letters out of the hands of our new Phis (just kidding, we didn't do that, but we were a little too excited to take some pictures).  

We had our Bid Day Party at a horse farm.  The ladies got to eat some delicious BBQ,  pet some horses, eat cupcakes, and mingle with their new sisters.  It was a beautiful evening, and a great way to celebrate a successful recruitment. 

I love Kentucky.  It was gorgeous at this farm.  I was obsessed.

I'll end with the Phi Mu Creed.  It's beautiful and the words by which the Faithful Sisters live.  Enjoy.

The Creed of Phi Mu Fraternity

To lend to those less fortunate a helping hand.
To think of God as a protector and guide of us all.To keep forever sacred the memory of those we have loved and lost.To be to others what we would they would be to us.To keep our lives gentle, merciful and just,Thus being true to the womanhood of love.

To walk in the way of honor, guarding the purity of our thoughts and deeds.Being steadfast in every duty small or large.Believing that our given word is binding.Striving to esteem the inner man above culture, wealth or pedigree.Being honorable, courteous, tender,Thus being true to the womanhood of honor.

To serve in the light of truth avoiding egotism, narrowness and scorn.To give freely of our sympathies.To reverence God as our Maker, striving to serve Him in all things.To minister to the needy and unfortunate.To practice day by day love, honor, truth.Thus keeping true to the meaning, spirit and reality of Phi Mu.

Backstreet's Back....ALRIGHT.

A few months ago, I got an email saying the Backstreet Boys were coming to Cincinnati.  I asked and asked and asked people if they would go with me to the concert. One by one, everyone told me no.  I was super disappointed.   I love the Backstreet Boys.  I loved them when I was ten, and although I don't listen to them with the obsessively frequency I used to, I still love them dearly today.  I get very nostalgic when I hear their music, it reminds me of old friends and funny thing I did when I was younger.

The Sunday before the concert, I had gone home to spend some time with my family.  We decided to go to the lake on Sunday, so I rode over with Kenny, the girls, and Kenny's girlfriend Amber.  Amber isn't too much older than me, and somehow we got onto the topic of BSB.  I told her they were coming to Cincinnati, and how I'd really wanted to go but couldn't find anyone to attend the concert with me.  First things first, Amber is a huge concert fan.  Some people spend money on clothes or jewelry or going out, Amber drops money on concerts.  She practically screamed when I told her about the concert, and excitedly stated she would definitely go with me, on the one requirement that we get "good" seats.

I was pumped to say the least.  I knew, in terms of overall concert experience, going to see another BSB concert would just be fun.  I got on stubhub and searched around for some tickets.  We ended up buying 5th row tickets, spending entirely too much money on a band that really isn' current anymore.  But did we care?  Not in the slightest.  That's why you work right? To do things you enjoy, i.e. see the Backstreet Boys from the 5th row.

Amber and I met in Cincinnati, as I had to come from a two-day immigration law conference I had attended in Louisville.  We ate some delicious Chipotle, then headed to Riverbend, not wanting to be late for the openers which was Pauly D (yes, THE Pauly D from the Jersey Shore) and Jesse McCartney, also a teeny-bopper heart-throb.  To say that we acted like complete 10 year olds would be a fair statement.  My ten year old/twenty-five year old selves were absolutely dying.  We jumped up and down, sang every lyric by heart, and screamed when (I swear this happened) two, COUNT 'EM...TWO, Backstreet Boys singled us out in the crowd and waved.  We were so silly, but it was one of the most fun concerts I've ever attended.  I had a great time.  And I have to say, BSB might be my top-favorite band yet again :)

So all that to say....BACKSTREET'S BACK.....ALRIGHTTTTTTTTTT

Enjoy some eye candy from the concert...

Giddy little school girls....muahaha

Kevin Richardson.  Nick Carter.  Oh. My. Goodness.

Singing some new tunes, which were quite nice if I do say so myself.

One of the Kentucky boys....oh yes. 

Oh Howie D. You're my least favorite.  But I still love you because you are a Backstreet Boy. 

My first love, Brian Littrell.  I still love him, I'm not ashamed.

Singing the classics. 

Fun With Emily :)

A few weeks ago, one of my best friends came to visit me in Lexington.  Emily was my big sister in my sorority, and she and I were always close throughout college.  We became even closer in law school.  She lives in Cincinnati, so while up in NKY, she was always the person I'd hang out with to escape the pressure and stress of law school.  I love living in Lexington, but I was sad to leave the Cincinnati area because I knew I'd see less of Emily.  So lately we decided we have to do a better job at staying in touch.  She called a few weeks ago and told me she had a free weekend.  It just so happened that I also had a free weekend, so we decided that Emily would come to Lexington for the weekend. 

I love Lexington and Central Kentucky, so I was excited to plan some fun activities for Emily and I.  It was a chance to show her things I like to do but also explore some new things I had been putting off.  Emily is a great adventure partner.  She's up for anything and is always a good person to have along for the ride!  I was so happy that she came to visit, Sunday came too soon. 

She arrived on Friday around 6 pm, so we loaded up a blanket in the car and headed to Elk Creek Winery.  I had bought us some Groupon tickets to have a picnic dinner and watch a Beatles tribute band.  It was the perfect evening, kind of cool actually.  We bought a bottle of wine, ate some delicious sandwiches, caught up on life, and danced into the night to some groovy Beatles songs.  

At Elk Creek Winery.  Reunited and loving it!

On Saturday, we had a full day.  I had already signed up to run my first 5K in Louisville, so when Emily decided to come down, she decided she would run it with me.  Before leaving for Louisville, we walked around downtown Lexington at the Farmer's Market.  We enjoyed some veggie and ham crepes and then indulged in some "Crank and Boom" ice cream.  If you haven't tried this stuff, it's amazing, but you will seriously become addicted.  We then left for Frankfort, which was our mid-way stop before Louisville.  My little Blair lives in Frankfort, and it's always a good time when our Phi Mu "family" gets to hang out, plus Blair had not seen Emily in forever, so she was anxious to catch up.  Blair just bought a new house, so we stopped by, got the tour, and sat around with her catching up.  We decided to eat at Panera before heading to Louisville so we could have some food in our stomach, but nothing to heavy.  After leaving Panera, Emily and I headed to our 5K.  We were excited, but nervous as neither of us had ever ran 3.1 miles straight through.  We decided we were going to run as far and as much as we could, but overall it was just for the fun experience.  

The GloGo5K was awesome.  We got all kinds of crazy glow gear to wear.  Our heat started at 9:20 pm.  It was an amazing run.  The sun was setting over the Ohio River, it was cool outside, the adrenaline was pumping.  All of the elements combined for an incredible race.  Plus, it was fun to see everyone glowing in the dark.  I am proud of report that we ran the entire race!  And it was easy.  I had been running for a few weeks, one to two miles here and there.  But it felt great to run straight into the after party, knowing we had completed it in good time and without stopping to walk!  Talk about some awesome endorphins.  Below are some pictures from the race! 

It was hard to be cool in the glasses, so we opted for some goofy, nerdy pictures as we waited.

Woohoo.  3.1 in the books.  We rock!

The GloGo After Party with drinks, foods, and dancing!

The only was to indulge after a race is by a celebratory donut right?  I had a peanut butter glazed donut with Oreo topping (pictured left) and Emily had a marshmallow glazed donut also with Oreo topping.  It was so good, I literally caught Emily licking the wrapping after eating the donut.  Such a great reward! 

On Sunday, we woke up and went to church at Southland for their late service.  The service was amazing and refreshing.  After church, we decided to cook a homemade lunch and enjoy it on my patio since the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  We fixed grilled salmon, sautéed brussels sprouts, and fresh corn on the cob.  We washed it down with some yummy Blood Orange Italian Soda....yum yum.  After that we decided to go for a walk.  We walked to all the cute little parks downtown, Gratz Park, Triangle Park, Thoroughbred Park, past the Kentucky theatre, and all the gorgeous old historical homes. We even stumbled upon Henry Clay's old law office which I had never seen before.  It's awesome to be a tourist in your own city sometimes.  I then took Emily to my new favorite Lexington spot, a cute coffee shop called "Cup of Common Wealth."  If you haven't tried this place, you are missing out.  They have the best iced vanilla latte, sometimes I go there to sit outside on a table, sip the cool drink, and read a book....talk about relaxing.   After leaving the coffee shop, Emily and I perused Half Price Books for some bargain books, which both of use agreed we didn't need any books, but there is just something about the search for the next best book you've ever read.  So we went anyways, and had a great time just browsing.  I found a Shaun Neiquist book I had been wanted to read.  Shauna Neiquist is the author of "Bread and Wine."  She is also going to be with Donald Miller at the Storyline Conference I am attending in Nashville in October.  If you haven't read her, you should.  Emily found a cute $5 book which was fictional story that involved a bake shop.  Emily loves to bake, so the cover caught her attention.

So excited to dig into my delicious meal! 

Emily was about to try brussels sprouts for the first time.  She loved them :)

Famous little spot in downtown Lexington.

Iced vanilla latte for me.  Iced chai tea for Emily.  A perfect drink for a perfect afternoon.

Emily and I were sad to say goodbye.  But we've already got two more weekends planned, well three actually.  In August, I am going to Cincinnati for the weekend to explore and run in the Color Run.  She will come back to Lexington in September, and I think we are going to do a bourbon distillery tour then the Old Kentucky Dinner Train.  THEN, we decided to run our first half marathon together.  So we are currently training to run the half November 10 in Louisville.  It will be great to accomplish such an awesome thing together.  I'm happy to have a wonderful friend who participates in all my crazy ideas and adventures with me!