The journey to become homeowners in NYC

Today was our first day of house hunting. 

We wound up getting a list of open houses in the area we are interested in from an agent at the first open house. We saw about seven listings in total today. It was a good Sunday.

I loved exploring a new neighborhood in my own city. We were able to do this between viewings and spent some time in a charming bookstore and local cafe. 

Theres something very exclusive about having access to someone else's apartment and having the option to have that same apartment if you want to. We saw some beautiful prewar, one-bedrooms, they were all so spacious, 750sq ft or more with high ceilings, original hardwood floors with great detail, river and mountain views (AND IN THE CITY!) but most had tiny kitchens. FYI: 750 sq ft in Manhattan is luxurious! Some buildings had gorgeous community rooftop decks, others had grand lobbies, all in all, there was a lot out there. We are going to take our time and enjoy every second of this process.

While waiting for the train to head back to our current amazing neighborhood, Spanish Guy said to me, "so this is what newly married couples do on the weekends". I just nodded and we held hands. It was a nice experience for us and a nice natural step in a good direction after almost two years of non-traditional marriage life!

Brunch in our future hood, and a park walk:

 That cow stored my skim milk:

The journey to become home owners begins. I'm SO excited!

balancing negative with positive action

So I have two HUGE things going on in my life right now. One: Spanish guy and I have started the house hunting process. We have two open houses tomorrow in Manhattan. We are taking our time on this and will be doing our research, its only the beginning to what will end with our own property in the city! what a HUGE accomplishment! EXCITING!

And two: I'm applying (again) for a PhD program. This time, I'm putting more work into it. I applied two years ago and got denied, I felt like I wasn't in a good place at that time of my life. I am ready to dedicate myself to researching, writing and making connections.

Big changes are about to happen, and I'm very excited about them. With every life trauma, I try to balance it out with a positive action, so I've had two major set-backs, and disappointments. I must go forward and continue to grow positively, otherwise the negativity will eat away at me until I'm done (does this make sense?).

Summer 2012

Dancing with my brother under the stars.

Summer 2012 is over, never to return, the only thing that we are left with is memories. The experiences will linger in my mind, blog, and journal forever. This summer has been one of personal growth, terminal illnesses, travels, and walks. Summer 2011 was defined by friends, parties and fun, so this past summer was very unique. 

I started off my summer at a Professional and Personal Development workshop in Andover, Massachusetts. There I learned how to write creatively and express myself in a different kind of way. I learned that in order to be there for others fully, we needed to know who we are and where we come from. I learned that everyone, no matter how "okay" they look, is living with lots of pain, and I learned that art is so important to our lives, whether its painting, writing, drawing, video, etc.

During a week-long stay-cation, I rowed around the east river, and for the first time in my life took a sketching and painting class, where I created works of art.

Also during that stay-cation I submitted articles for publication in Writers and Poets magazine.

I traveled to Tampa, Florida twice, once with my husband and the second time with my mother. We stayed with my cousin, where we spent hours in the bay, playing in the sand and watching sunsets. We visited a farm, and had lovely dinners together.

Speaking of my mom, she and I, this summer, have been fighting through a terminal illness. This is the first time I'm announcing it on blogger, and I haven't told many people, but its been very emotional for us all. She is at a later stage than I am, but I hope to give her strength and visualize our lives full of love and health. Any support is much appreciated, as it has been so difficult to think of my life without her, and think of myself as having a shortened life. Both myself and my mother have gotten surgeries this summer in an attempt to rid our bodies of this illness. Pray for us, its been so hard.

Aside from all these huge moments, I've also had smaller intimate experiences:

• Spanish guy and I went to the pool
• We went to Pennsylvania, the Poconos and hiked through the mountains
• We walked along the river and through Central Park almost every night
• We went running and in an attempt to cool off, played in the children's sprinklers before heading back home
• I had visiters from California, Chicago and Arizona come to visit and we spent afternoons and evenings chatting, drinking and eating. It was just lovely.
• I cut out hard alcohol and fried foods from my diet in an attempt to get healthier, and as a result I've lost lots of weight
• I got the best haircut ever from a celebrity stylist
• I spent time with many people instead of lots of time with a few people

All in all, although its been difficult, there is not one thing that I haven't appreciated in my life. I am grateful for every opportunity and every moment. Let us live and grow as people and continue to support each other emotionally and physically.

For now, I'm looking forward to next summer to continue dancing with my brother under the stars.

Goodbye Summer 2012, Hello fall, I welcome you with open arms. 

rewarding work

Things are going great at work. Each day I go in I feel like I'm accomplishing so much and I feel like the work I do is so important. Working with young people to improve a social issue in our lives is a natural high. Counting my blessings. 

Empathy: an important life skill

I think what is seriously lacking in our current society is empathy. When someone expresses themselves to someone, most people quickly brush it off, negate it, ignore it, or let them handle it on their own...

Empathy leads to compassion, leads to love, leads to problem solving, leads to critical thinking, leads to community building, leads to fulfilling organic relationships. How can we as a people, or a family, ever be happy or content if we don't even know how to emotionally connect with each other?

Its sad.

Can you empathize with that?

a speed run in the rain

It's a rainy day in NYC today.

Its warm rain, the kind thats not a big bother, but instead a relief from the humidity. As I stepped outside of my house, running shoes laced up, and sweat band tight around my forehead, the drops began to fall. I continued on; I ran through the empty park, the air was so fresh, and my breath was deep and heavy.

I was running fast, race pace actually.

I sped by everyone in front of me. My form was mint.

As I approached the end of the 2 mile run, I felt great. I didn't need to do more, the refreshing weather and speed was all I needed to increase my velocity for my next race.

Its rare that I feel good during a speed run. I'm happy about that. Maybe it was the weather, but I'd like to think that it was my perseverance.

Five weeks, the Staten Island Half Marathon. Here I go.

Labor Day weekend 2012.

Labor Day Weekend, 2012

This Labor Day weekend I sipped on champaign with a splash of raspberry juice. 
I spent hours at the pool under the sun. 
I had dinner with friends. 
I tried Japanese beer, Japanese tea and Japanese pizza for the first time with Spanish Guy (in one of the most charming restuarants in my neighborhood). 
PLUS-- I rearranged and organized my whole house, focusing on my bedroom! I spent a ton of money at the Container Store, buying closet organizers, under the bed storage bins, and more hangers. It was worth the money spent, because now I walk into my bedroom and closet and feel calm and relaxed! 

Today we went for brunch in an organic vegan place and went for a run in Central Park. The breeze was perfect for running and lots of happy people were around!

It all sounds great, but between these great times, I felt like something was missing, something wrong... I'm trying to figure out what it is. Until I do, I'm going to live my life full of new experiences and risk taking, also living minimally (my next blog post).

Japanese Beer and Tea

Japanesse Pizza

charming antique shop in Manhattan, on our way to the Container Store.

The updated, but not finished (yet) bedroom.

New CUT!

I got a new haircut. Its not really great for my sporty lifestyle, with the bangs and all flying in my face, but I love it because I feel wild and free! Au Natural!