Happy 3 year anniversary to me and NYC!

Ho. Ly. Shit.
I have lived in New York City for exactly three years (plus a few days now). Is anyone else as shocked and surprised as I am?! Not to say that I thought I'd have left by now (maybe some of you thought I would have. Ha! Joke's on you!) I just can't believe that it's already been three years.

Time has absolutely flown by. If I'm being perfectly honest, it feels more like 5 years.
Let's recap a bit and relive some of my "for better or for worse" New York City moments...

Number of neighborhoods I lived in: 5
Number of roommates I've lived with (total): 11*/12 if you count Beefcake ;)*not including the entire Brownings staff for the summer of '11 & '12
Number of jobs I've had: 4
Number of best friends I've made who have moved back home: 4 (sad face)
Number of times I've been mugged: 0 (yay! go me! not all my friends can say the same...)
Number of celebrities I've seen: 20+ (I think I'm forgetting about a few)

I know it's kind of silly, but each year, I like to do something to celebrate the anniversary. My first year, I went out with some of my teammates to 123 Burgers Shots Beers, it was all very last minute, thrown together, but a fun evening none the less. Last year, for my second anniversary, I was "living" in Southampton working for the gym. I don't even remember if I did anything, but I don't think I did. Something about not actually being in the city... it didn't feel right.
But this year, I wanted to make sure that the occasion was celebrated. And it seemed only fitting to spend it with the person who has been in on this crazy journey with me since day 1, my great friend from high school and old roommate, Alaina. About 9 months to a year before my feet landed on the streets of NYC, I called Alaina and said something like "I know in high school, you talked a lot about wanting to move to NYC... Do you think you'd still wanna do that? Yes? Great. Let's go!"

It also seemed to make the most sense to spend this day with one of the greatest friends I have had the honor of making since I moved here, and her supremely amazing husband, Tanya and Danny. Tanya and I met through "ladies who brunch" meetup and have been best friends ever since.

I asked them all to meet me in Central Park's Sheep's Meadow and that I'd be there with pizza from my favorite pizza joint and champagne. We spent the afternoon indulging in said goodies along with the fresh meats and cheeses, cheesecake and berries that my "party guests" brought with them. Before it was time to part ways, I ended up hopping on Danny's bike for my first official bike ride in NYC! (yes, I own my own bike, but I've never ridden it IN the city)
After letting all of the food settle and a quick catnap I decided to get off my lazy butt and get in a sunset run, even though I had come to terms with taking a rest day.

And I'm so happy I did. It ended up being a beautiful run and I got to explore new areas of Riverside Park that I'd never been to before!

All in all I'd say that my 3rd NYC anniversary was a success.
Thank you to everyone that I've met here who have helped write a piece of each page of this crazy story. I've been told that NYC has a notorious "three year itch" so I'm eager to see what the next year brings along and what will happen for me in the next three years.

Pssssst! Did you notice that my blog got a little face lift? It's still currently under construction, but will become more and more solidified in the coming year. I now have TABS! You can browse through even more parts of my life by clicking on each of them. Definitely take a look at the "health coach" tab in the near future as that tab will surely see some significant growth :D

If you build it, he will come

In light of recent events, I have decided to take a bit of a risk and put online, in public, for all the world to see, what I'm looking for in a man.  Call it my "field of dreams" list, if you will. In no particular order these are the things I hope to find in the man of my dreams someday-

• Not a night owl *doesn't need to be an early riser like me, but I don't want to be with someone who regularly sleeps until noon
• Wants kids someday (preferably at least 3) *I'm not in a rush, but I need to know it's not off the table
• Artistic/creative *even if he just likes to build/fix things around the house... that's hot. 
• Sensitive *I'm not looking for a cry baby, but I need someone that can express their feelings
• Athletic/physically fit *I don't have a rock body, and don't expect my mate to either, but I do enjoy working out and would love to find someone that would enjoy staying in shape together
• Funny 
• Doesn't hate cats *I mean, Beefcake isn't going anywhere anytime soon... 
• Not a heavy drinker/party-er
• Non-smoker (weed or tobacco) 
• Drug free 
• Romantic
• Good communicator 
• Affectionate *I'm 100% for PDA and have learned from past relationships how incredibly important this is to me
• Enjoys traveling
• Has goals and ambitions *they don't need to be the same as mine, as long as he has them!
• Likes my cooking
• Has good manners
• Has his own circle of friends *I don't want to be the only person he ever hangs out with, and vice versa
• 5'9" or taller *sorry I'm not sorry for having this on my list
• Likes to cuddle *along with the PDA, I've realized this is something I don't think I could live without!

Now listen, I'm sure if I had written this list 10 or even 5 years ago, I'd probably be on the floor laughing about what was on my list. So this is just a list of current wants. I expect that in the future my wants and needs will change as I change, and there's nothing wrong with that. If we didn't grow and change, what a sad world this would be! Now come on Mr. Right! I'm ready to meet you! ;)

Gabriel's high school graduation

So my little brother Gabriel just recently graduated high school....
I love each of my siblings equally, and for very unique reasons, but the relationship that Gabriel and I have built is something special to me. I can't quite put my finger on what it is that makes it different, but I guess I wouldn't be able to pin point it with Noah or Anna either.
I still remember, as if it were yesterday, the moment I found out I'd be getting a little brother. I was on the phone with my dad, sitting in the hallway (Weird, I know. No idea why either) of our apartment on Cherry St. in Flagstaff when he told me he had big news. My step-mom was pregnant and I'd soon have a little sibling that would be almost exactly 10 years younger than me. Due to the nature of school schedules and living in different states, I didn't get to see Gabriel for the first time until he was almost 6 months old. But that's another moment I'll never forget.

I flew in late that night, and my dad assured me that Gabriel would be sleeping by the time we would be home, and I wouldn't get to see him until the morning. Lucky for me (not so lucky for Andrea) he didn't feel like going to sleep on time that night and was awake when I got in. It was love at first sight.
I remember taking my new role as big sister, very seriously. I had always been the youngest up to this point, so this was a big deal. I remember time and time again, trying to prove myself to Andrea that I could not be more of a perfect big sister.

Sadly, there are a few memories burned into my brain proving exactly the opposite of that... Like the time I left scissors on the bedroom floor for him to play with after wrapping some gifts (don't worry, nothing detrimental happened) or the time I was cooking and set him on the counter while I turned around to grab a spoon and heard a THUMP as my little brother's head hit the floor when he fell off. Or most recently, when I yelled at him (via email) for not telling me first that he had chosen his college and I found out via Facebook. For all of this, the countless other mistakes I've made, and the infinity more that I'm bound to make in the future (hey, I'm only human)- I'm sorry Gabriel. I love you more than words can say. Thankfully, Gabe is one of the sweetest, warmhearted, forgiving guys I've ever known!

Since I was living in Arizona for the better part of his young baby life, when I moved to Oregon, I tried my hardest to make sure that he and Noah knew I was their sister, and how much I loved them.
Side note: No joke, when he and Noah were very young, they asked Anna when I wouldn't be spending the night anymore, and when I'd be going home.... They didn't quite understand that I was their sister too and not just a friend of Anna's around to spend the night for a while hahaha
I loved spoiling them at Christmas, on birthdays, any chance I got. One of my favorite memories was when I took Gabriel to his first concert. I loved that we both shared a love for pop-country music, but specifically the Rascal Flatts. I was so excited when they were on tour in Portland right around his birthday- it could not have been a more perfect gift for me to give and share with him.

One of the ways that Gabriel and I have always been able to bond over was our passion and enjoyment in many things athletic. He started swimming at a very young age and really took to competitive swimming as he got older. I loved that anything athletic that I found interesting, he would always give it a shot with me, so I was never alone. It was a great day when we both ran our very first 10K race together on Thanksgiving Day.

I love his little webbed toes! No wonder this kid is such a great swimmer!

There's not too many things that I miss that greatly about Oregon, but I'm definitely glad I decided to go back there after leaving at the age of 9. I'm so thankful that my brothers were a big driving force behind my return. One thing I miss about living in the same city as them is the little every day moments that I got to share with them. Things as silly as going to the pumpkin patch with the entire family.

Then on to bigger more monumental moments, like when he graduated 8th grade. To me, it wasn't so much a big deal that he was graduating 8th grade, as it was "Holy crap- my little brother is about to start high school!".

While North Carolina and NYC are not exactly next door neighbors, it's been so nice having them on the east with me and it makes getting "home" so much easier than it probably would have been if they were to have stayed in Oregon. I felt really honored when Gabriel asked me if I would fly down to be the one to take his senior pictures. Ummm... duh. Yes. without hesitation. I'll jump at a trip home any chance I can get! But this was most definitely a moment I wasn't going to pass up. I couldn't imagine seeing someone else take his senior pictures. He's such an awesome brother too, he hooked me up with not just one, but TWO of his high school buddies to do their senior pictures as well!

The weekend of his graduation was a quick one, but a great one. It started the day before the actual graduation ceremony with a Convocation awards ceremony where many of the kids in his class are given a slew of different academic awards. When I had asked both my dad and Gabe prior to the ceremony if he would be winning anything they both chuckled and said "Doubtful." Well, little did Gabriel know, he WOULD be winning an award, and a rather honorable one at that! Gabriel was the recipient of the Maureen B. Gerhardt Award during Convocation. This award is made in memory of Maureen Gerhardt, GDS parent and trustee, and given to a member of the Upper School who best exemplifies the values of honor, personal integrity, responsible citizenship, and service to the community. His teachers nominated him because of his willingness to help his fellow classmates on projects, as well as his dedication to our arts program as a vital member of the stage crew. The moment my dad, step mom and I all realized that this superior kid that the Dean was explaining, was Gabriel was an emotional one to say the least.
Thankfully, the graduation ceremony the following day was much less emotional and really a lot of fun.

This post is already about at it's max for cheesiness, so I'll try to reel it in.
Gabriel, I just want you to know how proud of you I am. It was so much fun walking around Elon's campus with you, you really seemed to know your way around and I loved seeing how fired up you are about going there next year.

I have a lot of confidence in you and know you'll do great. I cannot wait to see what twists and turns life takes you through, but know that I'm always here for you if ever one gets to be a little tough.
I love you so, so, so much! And don't forget to keep in touch ;)

May Recap

Whooohooo! Probably my best month yet, in terms of actually doing what I mapped out for myself!   

• See how long I can make it without purchasing a loaf of bread/eating bread in general (hopefully the entire month!) – I still haven’t purchased a loaf of bread, but I did go to Subway, ate a bagel, pizza, etc. but I’m gonna keep going as long as I can without buying a loaf of bread!
• Continue to track my food on MyFitnessPal Monday through Friday – CHECK! I skipped a couple of week days when I was traveling, but I logged every day I was at work!
• Plan workouts for the coming week by Monday – I am so glad I started doing this. I’m the kind of person where once I've set a goal for myself, I have to do it or I’ll feel really guilty. Doing this was a great way to keep me accountable and I’ve already got the first 2 weeks of June planned out!
• Plan meals for the coming week by Monday – Woof. This probably the thing I failed at the most. With leaving town so much, it was hard to know how much groceries to keep in the house so I pretty much had to just make do with whatever I had. I think I still did a decent job of eating clean/healthy for the most part though, so that’s what’s important.
• Run at least 1-2 times per week – I definitely accomplished at least 2 runs/week, sometimes 3! Feels good to be running so much, but I’m not looking forward to it warming up :/ Thank goodness I run at 5am most days! 
   I had a bit of a high school reunion when I was in San Francisco when I can the Bay to Breakers with my friend Megan!
   The race finished on the Pacific Ocean.... such a gorgeous view! 
• Lift weights at least twice per week – This may have been closer to once/week, but definitely twice/week sometimes. And I was doing Insanity a couple of times per week, so I feel like that counts.
• Daily doubles at least twice per week – Especially towards the end of the month, this one gets a CHECK! I’m a homebody and hate going out, and I love working out, so this was not near as difficult as I thought it might be, even in the slightest.
• Eat out in NYC no more than once – What’s weird is that as stated above, I’m a homebody and hate going out. I didn't think this one would be hard to check off at all, but I ended up eating out like 4 times! Very unlike me. I have to remind myself though sometimes that spending quality time with friends is more important than saving a few dollars. Besides- I was well taken care of when I was in CA and Arizona, so I didn't end up over spending like I thought I might. 
   Cassie and I went to Blockheads to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!
   Tacolicious in San Francisco! 

Sorry I’m a little late! I’ll post goals for June some time later this week :D

May Goals

Deciding on what goals to post for May was harder than any other month for some reason. Mostly because April came and went faster than I knew it and I wasn't prepared. But also because I'm wondering if I should post fewer goals in attempts to up my chances of actually crossing them all off.
Am I posting too many goals for myself each month? Am I being unrealistic about what I'm setting myself up for? Who knows. But two days into May... here goes nothing!

• See how long I can make it without purchasing a loaf of bread/eating bread in general (hopefully the entire month!)
• Continue to track my food on MyFitnessPal Monday through Friday
• Plan workouts for the coming week by Monday
• Plan meals for the coming week by Monday
• Run at least 1-2 times per week
• Lift weights at least twice per week
• Daily doubles at least twice per week
• Eat out in NYC no more than once

So there you have it!

I'm going to San Francisco and Arizona the last two weekends of the month, so I really want to 1) try to pinch my pennies so I can enjoy spending money on vacation and not be stressed and 2) Um hi, it's warm there... photographs will be taken... I'd like to feel good about the way I look in said photos.