My New Life...

Fall is here and New York City is busy!  I am still amazed at how many people I pass each day that I am here.  It is definitely becoming more normal to live in the city and each day I feel like I know my way around a little more and feel a little more confident. 

As you can see from the picture, I had the opportunity to go to a Yankees Game.  One of my friends came into town who is a big baseball fan and has always wanted to go to a Yankees game before the stadium was shut down.  I honestly did not realize what a big deal Yankee Stadium was until I went there.  We were at one of the last games which was so fun!  He helped me understand the significance of the stadium in sports world.  I think as a New Yorker you just have to be a Yankees fan, so I guess I will now try to be one, whatever that means:-) 

I know some people think I just play up here in the city.  I mean I have had some great experiences and have gotten to do some cool things, but I do work (haha)!  In fact, I work a lot!  I have two main jobs up here.  I work at Redeemer in the Children's Ministry.  I am over the nursery for one of the sites, but I also help with all kinds of things for the ministry.  I also work part-time at Geneva School of Manhattan as an assistant.  Between both jobs I am working a ton of hours.   In many ways it has been challenging.  Life is tiring here in general and then working a lot makes me even more tired.  I am learning how to balance my time and really prioritize .  I knew in order for me to move up to NYC when I did, I would have to work multiple jobs.  I know it will not always be like this and am praying that at some point in the future I would be able to focus in on one job.  The cool thing is I am getting different experiences up here and I feel like I am learning more about myself, my giftings, and my desires. I look at this time as a "season" and am asking the Lord to teach me more of Him through my life right now.  

So yesterday was my birthday.  It was a good day and day I was able to really reflect on where God has brought me.  I went to central Park last night and sat by the lake as the sun set.  I thought about how much I prayed for the city and that I would one day live here.  I prayed that I would be here by the time I was 27.  I can remember praying that so many times, but also struggling so much with doubt.  In some ways I just questioned if I would ever have the opportunity.  It is still so crazy to me that I celebrated my 26th birthday here!  I moved here a year and 3 months before the age that I prayed!  What a sweet gift from the Lord!

I also thought a lot last night about how much has changed since I moved here and will continue to change.  I think I was so excited about moving here that I did not think about how different life would be.  People always say that change is hard, and I would agree with that.  With the joys come the struggles.  I think when you are in your 20's it is hard to think long-term.  I mean I know I still think in like one year increments.  I am not sure if that is good or bad, but it is just really hard for me to think long term.  Well last night I thought to my self, "what if I never go back?  what if this move that I have just made is permanent?  What if i am officially becoming a New Yorker and this is my home now?"  Now I have no idea how long I will be up here.  I may never live in the South again or I may one day go back.  I don't know, it just really hit me last night that I really signed up for a big "change" in my life when I moved up here.  It is like this is my home now.  When my parents come up here this weekend or my friends (that just a few months ago I lived within a short drive of almost all of them) come up here, I am showing them my new life.  New York City is my home now.  Tomorrow morning when I step out of my front door onto the busy street, hop on a crowded subway during rush hour, go to work by the Empire State Building, etc  that is my normal life now.  I have new friends here, a new community, a new life style.  I don't know if I am making any sense right now.  I guess I just had some time to think yesterday and it just hit hard what a big change has just taken place in my life  and honestly it won't ever be the same.  I know that is how it is with everyone.  Change is constant and is part of life!  I guess it is just weird to me when I stop and think about it all.  

So I thought I would share two fun New York City moments:

1) A couple weeks ago I was running in the park and I look over and America Ferrera (star of Ugly Betty and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) was walking right beside me.  As I keep going I see the set to Ugly Betty that she is walking too, so I take a little break and watch a little of Ugly Betty being filmed in the park.  It is still crazy to me that is normal life here:-)

2) Some of my co-workers and I went to a taping at the Food Network of the show "Guy off the Hook".  It aired yesterday and we were on tv. The funny thing was they did a short snipit of just me.  it was lke 5 seconds zoomed in of my face.  One of my friends happened to be watching the show and saw me.  She called me and was like  "I know I just saw you on TV"  We were there for two tapings and the other one airs in October.   I will try to post the date before it comes on!  

My New York City Casa...

     

                

                   

                                 

  I really love my apartment.  We are still in the decorating process:-) We only have one picture on the wall. I did not realize how bare out walls are until I took these pictures.  The bedroom pic is of Meggie's room.  I did not post one of mine since I do not have any furniture or decorations.  I am working on it though, so I will post soon:-)   I tried to take some different angles of the apartment, so you could get an idea of what it looks like.  One fun aspect of the apartment is that you can climb outside of the kitchen window onto a little terrace.  We want to eventually have a party out there.  I will post pics of our fun terrace later.  I am really thankful for this little place we call home!

p.s.  I am not very good at posting pictures, so I do not know how to post them where they are not all over the place.  If anyone has any helpful tips for posting pictures, I would greatly appreciate it!

Blessings Around Me...

I know I said I would post pictures of my new apartment, but I still have not taken any!  I keep forgetting.  We are finally feeling more settled, although I still have no furniture in my room.  I continue to really love our little apartment.  I am so thankful that this is the apartment that God provided for us!  

As for everything else in my life, the last couple weeks have been filled with so many ups and downs.  I have had a lot of moments where I have struggled here.  For many reasons, it has been challenging.  In many ways, I think It is just comes down to the fact that I am still transitioning to a huge place and a new life.  I miss my friends and family and the comforts that I had.  Sometimes I continue to get overwhelmed with learning my new jobs, all the new people, and a whole new environment.  With that being said, I still would not trade this experience for the world.  Today was a beautiful day in New York City and some of my co-workers and I decided to walk home from work.  We walked through Central Park and I as looked around I just thought, "I really live here."  This is my home now.  I get to walk through Central Park to get home from work and I love that! 

I have really been convicted of how much of a complaining heart I have had lately.  I have been easily frustrated with  small things and have been discontent with so many things.  It is easy for me to get frustrated with the transportation, the fact that I don't have a dresser to put my clothes in, the expense of living in the city, the people who get in my way when I am trying to get somewhere, the little things that go wrong in my day, and so on.  I struggle sometimes so much with discontentment.  It is funny how even when I am living my dream of being in a city and things really are going well, I STILL find things to be discontent about.  Well yesterday I was stuck in my apt due to the down pours caused by tropical storm "Hannah" and decided to read.  I was actually reading a book called, "Singlenss Refined"  that one of the girls I work with in the Childrens Ministry at Redeemer wrote.  It is a great book, I would definitely recommend it.  Anyways, at the end of one of the chapters she makes the statement "we become so absorbed with our personal frustrations that we forget or ignore the blessings right before our eyes."  It is a simple statement, but one that spoke so hugely to me yesterday.  It really hit me how much I do that.  I get so absorbed in my frustrations, that I miss out on all the blessings that are right before my eyes.  There really are so many blessings right in front of me.  I hate that I get so consumed with things that are challenging to me or aspects of my life that I would want to change, that I lose sight of all the amazing things.  I am so thankful that God has placed me where he has.  I am so thankful to be in this season of my life and to be living in the place that I am.  Today I was specifically reminded of how neat it is to live in New York when I walked through the park, or tonight I went to church and got to hear Tim Keller give a powerful sermon on our need for the Word of God. I hate that my heart is so sinful that I so easily lose sight of God's goodness and blessings in my life and all around me. I love I Tim 6:6 "There is great gain in godliness with contentment." That is such a powerful verse and I want to claim that for my life. We are called to live a life of contentment. That is so challenging in the world that we live in today, but it really isn't an option as a follower of Christ. I know I will have to pray continually for a heart of contentment, but it is my desire to fight to have one!

In other fun New York City news, I went to the NFL kick off celebration on Thursday and go to see Usher perform. You might have seen it on NBC Friday night. They had a big free concert at Columbus Circle. Even though I am not an NFL fan, it was fun to be out there for the kick off party!