first week

wow. that's really the only word i have to describe this whirlwind trip. i was just thinking the other day that literally 6 weeks ago, i had no real plans to move to ny yet here i am. how fast things can change!!

s.c. and i left on the 30th and drove about 20 hours that night to get to georgia to stay w/ bm's parents for the night. this part of the trip was funny cause s and i didn't really think about time so we made some pit stops that weren't exactly needed. well, there was one that was really needed and that was going to dallas to ask my bro-in-law to help fit everything i wanted in the van and he worked his magic. thanks d.n.! then we found out our directions were wrong and had to drive another 2.5 hours more than we originally thought. ugh! but we made it safe and sound. the Gs were so nice to house us and my 2 dogs and even made us breakfast in the morning before we left for another 12 hours to philly.

after 20 hours of driving, 12 feels like nothing so we made it to philly about 10:30pm, just in time to have some food and celebrate the new year. we were determined to make good use of our time, so we left philly at 8am to get to brooklyn by 10 and unloaded the van by 11. luckily my bro was there to help out cause s.c. & i still had so much to do. after all that, we went to ikea and target to pick up some furniture and other things. ikea was not hard to get to but the gps on my phone wasn't working well so when we left, we got a little lost. it's a little scary to be lost in ny but we made it to target to spend more money then finally back home. sc was determined. we got the bed set up, however, the very last step was hindered by the fact that the slats were labeled incorrectly and too large for the bed. after a very long day of driving, unloading, shopping and packing all in a new city, this is what broke me. i wanted to give up and just sleep for a very long time. but alas, s.c. picked me up and we kept working. the next day, we had to make trips to target and ikea again to return and buy more stuff but got the van returned right before they closed. after that, i announced that it would be the last moment i would drive forever. of course that's not true but it was still fun to say.

i wanted us to have some fun that day so we got back, dropped off the stuff and headed out. first stop, the brookyn star. i read about this place even before i knew i was going to move but i knew if i ever visited, i had to go to there. so we did and it was so worth it. freshly baked, when you order it cornbread with jalepeno and sausage, freshly baked biscuits with pork sausage gravy, fried chicken and waffles and 4 giant mimosas. this was our first good meal in ny and did it hit the spot. the service was great and the atmosphere was exactly what we needed-cozy, warm, and yummy. we then headed to the city to hit the young designers market but alas, they were closed, so we just walked around and ducked into a few stores to get warm. stopped in at cafe select for some coffee (with bailey's), hot chocolate (so good) and yogurt panna cotta with blackberry coulis and amaretti cookies. 


the next day, we ordered billy's pizza which was pretty good. funny that ny is known for delivery at any time, any where but apparently that doesn't happen in bk and even less so in my area. after my internet was set up, we headed out to momofuku for some ramen and then to trader joe's for some groceries. bm has always raved about trader joe's and so i was really excited to have one nearby and i wasn't disappointed. the store was super crowded for a sunday night but i still got some good, healthy stuff for cheap!

monday was my first day at work. they were so organized (had an agenda for my day, had my phone and email already set up and each person i was suppose to meet with met me at my desk at the appointed time). has that ever happened to you? it was yet another first for me. s.c. met up w/ me after work and we shopped a bit around my work area, got some handy ear muffs and bought a very useful purse, and saw the fanciest home depot. dinner was at max brenner's which is all about chocolate.

everyone at work seems super nice. they have some teams that i hope to join (bowling, soft ball, four square) and maybe make my own at some point in the year. it's a little difficult with the dogs but i'm making it work. i'm going to interview a dog walker soon so i'll use her on an as needed basis when i can't come home right after work. after work on tuesday, s.c. again met up with me and we went to see an evening at the carlyle using play by play which t.h. and a.a. told me about. since s.c. visited n in nyc a few years ago, she raved about the olive oil gelato at otto so that's where we decided our last dinner should be. it was wonderful and affordable so we'll definitely be back again and the olive oil gelato did not disappoint.

wednesday was a hard day. after a week with my best friend, s.c. was leaving back to austin. since i had to work, i had to say goodbye to her in the morning. words cannot ever express how i lucky i feel to have her as a friend. actually, she's is my sista from another mister...and mama. she has been there for me in every way and i cannot thank her enough. this move would have just been impossible without her help. when i got home that night, she left me a handmade book with pictures and notes from friends from home and i could not stop crying. i didn't even make it through the book that night cause my emotions just couldn't take it. but i keep it by my bed and look at it everyday. thanks everyone for your contribution! i love it!

the tx vs alabama game was on thursday. i mentioned to a coworker that i was looking for a place to watch it and he invited me to watch it with a group of other coworkers at hill country bbq which is one of the official bars that host the texas exes in ny. the ribs were good and they serve lone star so i couldn't complain. if you get a moment, you should call their answering machine. it's hilarious what new yorkers think texans sound like. this was really fun and they were all very welcoming. i hope to hang out with them again.

t.h. and a.a. invited me to happy hour on friday. i met them at the magician (awesome place and cheap drinks during happy hour. $4 jamesons!) and then we headed to the back room which is owned by tim robbins. the back room is like the new speakeasy bars that are popping up with expensive, fancy, specialty drinks and it's easy to get to but you gotta know what you are looking for otherwise you might not go down that unmarked staircase, down an alley and up another unmarked stairway to get to it. totally worth it though since it had a fireplace, cozy atmosphere and really good company. plus, their cocktails are served in teas cups! th and aa were nice enough to introduce me to some of their friends and i also invited a coworker from the night before so it gave us a chance to talk and get to know each other more. a very fun night!

saturday, i did laundry for the first time in ny. luckily it's literally right under me so i didn't have to lug it far. since it wasn't too busy, i was in and out of there within an hour. i then took my dog for a long walk at prospect park which is only 3 long blocks from where i live (i took the little one on a short walk since really, all he needs to do is his business and he's more than happy to go back home). we are going to have a lot of fun exploring this park since it's so close. they have concerts in the park and coffee bark (every 1st saturday of the month, dog owners get together and they serve coffee and breakfast stuff) and other cool happenings so i'm sure i'll be visiting often. i ran some other errands all within 3 blocks of me. it's funny how quickly i've gotten used to the walking. i don't even think about not having a car. it's now just a fact of my life so i don't see it as an inconvenience at all. the subway is actually a great place to read and in my case, catch some zzzzs.

so that's the update on my first week here. i can say with much certainty that this will probably be my longest post ever. i plan on updating it more frequently so y'all have a better idea on what's going on in bk and nyc. i miss home greatly but i am adjusting to my new life and am pretty sure i'm going to love ny...not as much as austin though. my plan was to post a picture everyday but i doubt thats going to happen now that i'm here and sometimes taking my hands out of my gloves just hurts too much. i'll post what i can on here.

although i'm using this as a tool for everyone to check up on me, i still hope to hear from you all by phone, text, email, or visits. the subway does not have transmitters so if you ever text or call and i don't respond, i might not have gotten it so it's best to email or actually leave me a voicemail. yes, ladies and gents, i'm encouraging you to actually use the phone. :)

xoxo,

p.