The Bandwagon

Many of my friends have been participating in, "find the positive in everyday" sort of challenges. #100daysofhappy is the one I have stumbled across most often. Well, I have also accepted this challenge although have been doing so privately, except for today. Being a preschool teacher, I am almost constantly smiling throughout the day. My coworkers and I get along and make sure to make each other laugh as often as possible. So, it's pretty easy to find positive in each day... but today was an extra happy day.

Why you ask? Well, when I was in MN I bought a shirt. I am not typically a graphic tee kind of gal, but this shirt was spectacular and I NEEDED it, so I bought it. To get the most out of the shirt I decided to wait until Wednesday (today) to wear it. It was agony waiting, but totally worth it.  I know some of you might be thinking, "this doesn't seem appropriate for a work environment." Well, you're right.. but the parents and boss loved it. In conclusion: Win.

 Happy Hump Day!

Home is...?

Home is where the heart is.

Home is where the house is.

Home is where the Army takes us.

Home is where you dance in your underwear.

Home is where the Wifi connects automatically.

Home is where...

This past week I have been home in Minnesota visiting my parents. I've been thinking a lot about what home means... and for me it's a tricky concept. There are all sorts of sayings and descriptions of what and where home is, but it's really not that simple is it? 

"Where is home?"

"There are a few..."

"Yeah, Yeah, but... where is home?"

"They're all home"

"????"

I was born and raised in Maplewood, MN. For 18 years of my life, there was no question that Minnesota was home. Then I moved to Charleston, SC for college. Soon after Charleston felt like "home". My job, belongings, friends, everything except my family was there. I'd even argue that my "heart" was in Charleston. I quickly adopted the deep south way of life. Minnesota was still home, but Charleston was too. 

After graduating, for no reason in particular I moved to Charlotte, NC. Soon, Charlotte felt much more like home than Charleston ever had. I was an established adult with a full time job, lots of friends, a car that I purchased and paid for myself, and my very own health insurance (exciting right....?). Two years after moving, I met Peter. Most of his family is in Charlotte which added to the feeling of home-ness. 

4 years after moving to Charlotte I decided to move to New York. Not only to be closer to 

West Point but because... it's freaking NEW YORK! Now New York feels more like home than any of the previously mentioned cities. So here comes the real conundrum... 

Where the heck is home?! 

In the past week I have said both of these things, "I'm going home to Minnesota." Then, " I'm going home to New York." In the past month I've also said, " I'm trying to get home to Charlotte soon." I"m fairly positive that in the next 6 months I'll be adding Alabama to my list of "places that feel like home". So my answer, although not profound is a slight variation 

"Home" is all the places your heart may be. 

It's okay to call more than one place home... right?

50 Miles to Montauk And...

I didn't even see the Lighthouse

With the impending move and the (not-as-fun) Moving To-Do list building up, I decided to take a minute to reminisce about one of my favorite (and most difficult) trips from this fall.

Last summer/fall, much like now, I had a very extensive to do list. There were two items that I was incredibly excited for but also dreading... just a little bit. The first was a bike ride around Manhattan. It was a very long bike ride, and during the heat wave of all times.. but I was so glad I did it. The next item was biking from West Hampton to Montauk. It was going to be at least a 50 mile bike ride and I had read very mixed reviews about the bike "path" leading out there. Regardless, I really wanted to do it. It took quite a while to build up the courage but (as per usual) I impulsively woke up on Sunday, October 13th and decided to go! (See my route here)

The weather was absolutely perfect, and along the way I was greeted by an abundance of fall colors.

The ride was absolutely pristine... until I hit mile 35 and my legs gave out. I hadn't been riding as much in the weeks prior to this trip. I also must not have eaten correctly because I hit mile 35 and literally couldn't lift my legs to pedal. I pulled over to the side of the road and just sat there. I chugged water, ate a few cliff bars and waited... hoping that my muscles would recuperate. I had planned to bike all the way to the lighthouse and then back to the train station, which would have added 10 miles to the trip. Obviously... I didn't make it. The ride to the train station was absolutely agonizing despite the beautiful scenery. I also missed the train by about 10 minutes and had to sit and wait for 1 1/2 hours for the next train. Looking back, it's pretty humorous despite my discomfort in that moment.

If you've been keeping up with my NYC To-Do List. You'll see that "See the Montauk Lighthouse" is one of the items. I would absolutely love to do this ride again, but also decided it would be really nice to have a friend (maybe even a special guy) come with me out to Montauk. I have discovered that it is pretty difficult to convince my friends to go on a 50 mile bike ride, so I would be more than happy finding a friend who would take the train out there with me to explore.

I'm very, very ready for this snow to melt, and the salt to be rinsed away so I can get back out on my bike!

Until next time Montauk....

So close yet so far...

So Much To See and Do!

So as you may have read I will be moving to Alabama this summer. Why you ask? Because my boyfriend of 4 years is in the Army, and that's where he's headed.

When Peter found out he branched Aviation in November, I was ecstatic but still not sure if I would go with him or remain here in NY. Life is great here. I love my friends and am absolutely in love with my job, and just wasn't sure if I was ready to leave. After months of discussion, and many pros and cons lists, I decided I was ready to make the move. So when Peter found out his report date a few weeks ago I felt a bit more like this...

So the move is happening. We don't have an exact date yet, but it's happening and I am very excited about it. Before meeting Peter I had made 2 large moves on my own. The first from MN to Charleston, SC and the second from Charleston, SC to Charlotte, NC. After meeting Peter and graduating with my M.Ed I thought, " NYC?! Heck Yes!" So I packed up once again and drove a large truck from NC all the way to the Big Apple by my lonesome. I like the process of moving, but this time around am a bit concerned about the culture shock of leaving NYC and moving to rural AL ... more on that later.

 In the meantime my desire to explore New York City has gone into overdrive. I have so much left to see and not much time to do it. For me, step one for just about anything is to make a list. So I've revamped my NYC To-Do List from this summer. It's a hefty list but I am confident I can make it happen.

I will keep everyone updated on the moving situation as well as my upcoming adventures in the city. It's going to be a very exciting and busy few months.

NYC To-Do List

Astoria Beer Garden

Ride my bike down the Bronx River Path

Visit the Guggenheim

Explore the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on my bike

See the Montauk Lighthouse

Bike around (not literally) on Staten Island

Complete a 5-borough Bike ride

Explore Pelham Bay Park

Relax at Far Rockaway Beach

Explore Astoria
Explore Central Park above 86th St. 

Take the Staten Island Ferry

Run the steps in Morningside Park

Visit Washington DC

Bike to the North Fork of Long Island

Do more exploring in Fort Tryon Park

Visit Green Acre Park

Visit the Cloister Museum

Go to a race at the Belmont

Visit the Titanic Memorial

Visit the African Burial Grounds

Visit Brooklyn Brewery

Go to the Brooklyn Flea Market

Go to a taping of The Daily Show or the Colbert Report

Go to a Speakeasy Bar

Bike around Red Hook Piers

See more Broadway or Off-Broadway shows

Do more Walking Tours with Nan (Brain Droppings)

Visit Watkins Glen

Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Try the Trapeze

Bike from Westhampton to Montauk

Drink at McSorleys 

Explore Roosevelt Island

Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram

Explore Governor's Island

Explore Greenwood Cemetery

Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop

Visit Grant's Tomb

Mountain Biking

See Kaaterskill Falls

Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend

Bike from my house to the Rockaways

Summit Mt. Taurus

Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck

Explore all the Central Park sites

The Lobster Award?

WARNING! TANGENT AHEAD:

In my preschool classroom we are constantly pretending to mishear the children (anything for a  giggle right?).

"Yes, we can read Goldilocks ate Three Pears. "
" NOOOOOO, MS. CAT!!! It is Goldilocks and the THREE BEARS!"
" Oh, I'm sorry. This is the story of Goldilocks and her dry hair."
" NOOOOOOO!!!"

And it goes on and on, so when a fellow blogger nominated me to participate in the Liebster Awards... I immediately thought of lobster, and at least 6 other words that (sort of) rhyme with Liebster.

THE ACTUAL POST:

After some grueling (not really) Googling, I figured out that the Liebster Award is a great way to connect with new bloggers. It also fits so perfectly into my new *gulp* inclusion of personal life details. So here it goes, 11 random facts about myself, responses to fellow blogger Mrs. Witt's 11questions for me, and my own questions for new "nominees".

11 Random Facts

1. My parents, and people who met me before 4th grade still call me Cathy.
2. I am extremely proud to be a Minnesotan.
3. I have one sister who lives in Ireland.
4. The only food that I do not like is olives... but I still still eat them if I have to. 
5. I have been reading the A Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones) series for a year now. The books are so freaking long!
6. I have a newly cultivated interest in WW2 history specifically,  the Pacific/Western theatre. 
7. I am one of those people who is mediocre at a lot of things, but not particularly skilled at any of them. 
8. In 4th grade I was the official "tail measure-er" for our pet rat. I have loved rats (who are lab bred and don't run wild in my apartment or the subways) ever since. 
9. I love making Excel spreadsheets. I even use Excel for my lesson planning. 
10. I am a morning person but my boyfriend is a night owl. This is often a problem.
11. I have horrible grammar. In high school after taking the ACT, I decided to take a grammar class. I then retook the ACT and my score went up 2 points, just from the rise in scores from grammar and writing. 

A Bit of Witt's Questions for Me

1. What is your fondest childhood memory? In Minnesota, even when the weather was in the single digits, our parents made us play outside. My favorite game was, "Arctic Explorer" where we would go into the woods with all of our "supplies" in a sled. There were often bears, abominable snowmen, wolves, and the threat of starvation to keep us going. Luckily we usually packed sandwiches. Once we tried to get a dog to pull the sled for us... it didn't work. 
2. Who is your style icon, or which celebrity's style do you most often wish to match? I don't really have one. I feel like my style might be a bit nicer if I found someone to match though. I'll work on this...
3. Why did you start blogging? Mostly to document my adventures in NYC but also to provide a place where people could go to see different, off the beaten path, things to do in the city. 
4. What is the one thing you would do if you knew you couldn't fail? Win the lottery.
5. What is your favorite movie? It changes very, very frequently. Right now my favorites are the Hunger Game movies. 
6. Where was your first kiss? In a friend's house in 7th grade. We played Spin the Cordless Phone because the recycling had been picked up that morning and there were no bottles. 
7. What motivates you? Friends, Family, and the threat of being slapped. 
8. If you could pick the next president of the United States, who would you choose? Michelle Obama
9. Which current artists do you think will still be respected and noteworthy decades from now? Jennifer Lawrence, Banksy, & John Legend 
10. If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you bring and why? I have always struggled with this question because the planner in me has a list of emergency supplies I would bring, one of them being an inflatable raft.  I would definitely hope there was another person with me. I often crave conversation and interaction after being alone for only a few hours. 
11. If you were stranded on a dessert island, what would it be made of?  If I were stranded on a dessert island it would either be made of Cinnabon's or Auntie Anne's pretzels. Hmm... I haven't been to the mall in a while...

Questions for my Nominees

1. What is your fondest childhood memory?
2. What was the first movie you saw in a theater?
3. Who was your favorite teacher and why?
4. What is your favorite food?
5. What is your least favorite food?
6. Tell us about your favorite vacation spot. 
7. If someone were going to visit your hometown, what is one thing they have to see?
8. What was the last book you read?
9. Do you prefer mountains or beach? Why?
10. If you could move to any city in the US where would you go?
11. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Nominees

Kaitlyn at Kaitlyn Lusk

Lindsay at Newly Missus

Emily at Lost on the Turnpike

Nic at Sippy Cup Sojourner

Amanda at Luke and Manda

Kate at Plastic To Pearls

Nanette at Brain Droppings

Ingrid at Steve and Inggy

Shayna at The Hughes'

Stacey at One Beautiful Thing

The Blog is O'Changin...

As you may have noticed, I have been AWOL from this blog since August. It was because...well... I didn't feel like I did anything exciting. When I first started this blog my hope was that it would not include my personal life but would be more a documentation of my NY adventures. Also, somewhere that people looking for cheap and/or free things to do in the city could go for reviews, of sort. Well, that was fun and dandy until... 

BUM...BUM...BUM 

I decided to move to Alabama. 

What?! Huh?! Why?! WHEN?! Ugh, ALABAMA?! How will you blog about adventures in NYC from Alabama Yes, I have heard these from my NYC friends many times now (except maybe the last one), but the answer is one that includes explaining my personal life... *gulp*

So I've chosen to make a change. This blog will continue to include my NYC adventures but will also include stories about or related to:

1. My life as a Preschool & Special Ed Teacher
2. Being an Army Girlfriend (and the impending move to Alabama)
3. Triumphs and Trials of being a Minnesotan (obviously a riveting topic...)
4. Anything else I decide to include from my semi chaotic life.

This blog just reached a new level of chaos, but I look forward to documenting my trials, tribulations, and continuing adventures. 

The good news is that I did complete a few items from my To-Do list in the past few months. I will put up pictures and details in later posts but for now, I leave you with this...

I work at a science based preschool in Brooklyn. We have lots of pets, including rats. Then, we bought the rat a leash... it was hilarious.  

Cheers to a new and improved excitement for blogging!