Christmas in NYC

My very first Christmas in NYC. This city is so festive, colorful, and quite lovely around the holidays. And of course we had to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center! This Norway spruce is massive and gorgeous! I loved it.

There are so many festive parts of the city, Christmas carols booming through the streets, and lights, lights, lights. I'm sucker for big, showy Christmas lights. I guess New York is my city for that.

But, nothing beats Christmas in sweet Minnesota. Surrounded by my fam, our 20 year old homemade decorations, and mom's fudge. Ah, nothing better.

Go Rangers!

For Brennan's birthday we made the trek to Madison Square Garden for our very first live Rangers game! It was so exciting! Our friends Al and Reid surprised Brennan by coming to the game too! I love friends, I love hockey (more like "like" hockey), and I like celebrating birthdays. NYC isn't so bad, although the Rangers kind of are.

Finals

Oh Lord help me.

Fort Tilden

We have had some amazing weather in New York. It's almost December and it's 60 degrees outside. Weird, right?

Brennan and I decided to take advantage of it and biked out to the ocean, to the Fort Tilden beach. Another great advantage of living in NY, the coast! Our little bike adventure took us about an hour and a half, but then alas, ocean, waves, sand, no skyline in sight. It was beautiful. I need days like this, moments like this. It reminds me that I am small, but God is big. And even in the rush and craziness of New York, the ocean is only a bike ride away.

First New York Thanksigving

I survived my first New York Thanksgiving. It felt weird, and I must admit I was homesick. As I talked with my family they all asked me if I was at the parade. Which, of course, I was not. The people, the craziness, normally not my thing. But, once I got off the phone I missed them so much and thought, what the heck, I should go! So, being all independent and adventurous I hopped on the train into Manhattan. As I stepped out into the crowds and crowds and crowds of people I realized the parade was...OVER! Not a balloon or blimp in sight! It was by far the most depressing New York moment I've had. And then to top it off, I had to walk about 10 blocks before I could find an entrance back on the train for Brooklyn. This is what they call a New York FAIL. Not a great start to my NYC Thanksgiving. I felt so lonesome and defeated and missed my family terribly. But, sometimes a good cry on a boy's shoulder does a girl good.

So after I sobbed as Brennan tried to not laugh at me, we headed over to my dear friends Al and Reid's house for a delicious meal and a great time. I was reminded that I do have friends in New York. I am not alone. I am loved. And I survived my first holiday in New York City. Not bad. Maybe next year I'll actually see the parade, but until then I have a lot to be thankful for.

1. God. Blessings upon blessings upon blessings.
2. My family. They are amazing and love me so well.
2. My boy. He is amazing and loves me so well.
3. The fact that I have two number two's of thankfulness.
4. My friends, close and far.
5. Feeling loved every day.


Happy Thanksgiving!

A little bit of self care...

...goes a long way!

Social work is a trying profession, I know that, and I still love it. New York is a crazy city, I know that, and I'm trying to love it. I'll admit I've had a hard time adjusting. So, I have to treat myself well sometimes, and tonight I did just that. I forked over a few bucks for a yoga class by my house. I love yoga, my body loves yoga, my mind loves yoga, it's a wonderful thing. And this class was made for me. The instructor was from Minnesota! And the other three gals in the class were social workers, all graduates from NYU! Is that not perfect?

So as I practiced my yoga moves alongside my fellow social workers and a fellow Minnesotan, I finally felt at home, a little. But, even a little goes a long way.

Occupy Wall Street

Occupy Wall Street is taking over, and I live here. Although I don't know all the ins and outs about the 99%, the 1%, the taxes, the rich, blah blah blah, I must say it's kind of exciting. Especially being a grad student in the midst of it all. Granted, I do not think sitting in a park, smoking pot all day, and complaining about life's woes is the best approach for being heard, which is an unfortunate side of publicity the protest is receiving. But, there's just something exciting about seeing vulnerable people find a voice. This is my time to be young, free, and liberal, right? I mean, I am a social worker after all.

Protest in Washington Square Park

Brag Bag

I am finally done with midterms. Whew! I was quite nervous as this is the first time in five years that I've had to write a paper. I had no idea what I was doing and felt very intimidated by all the amazing Professors at NYU. But, last week my Human Behavior Professor pulled me aside after reading my midterm, and as she teared up (not lying), she told me how talented I was and that I was going to be an amazing therapist. I was SHOCKED! I was so nervous about that paper and so nervous about grad school and so nervous about everything that those words just validated and affirmed everything I have been dreaming, fearing, wishing, hoping. I'm not sure what made my Professor so emotional (I can't imagine my paper being that good). But, those little fears I had are now gone. I knew I was created to do this work, and now I feel like I can actually do it well. So here's to a little bragging, I got an A. Everyone needs to brag about something now and then! So dig in your brag bag and pull one out.

NYC Marathon

This past Sunday was the New York City Marathon. We decided to partake in the festivities by grabbing a muffin and coffee and cheering from the sidelines. :)

I love marathons! I ran my first (and probably last) in Minneapolis in 2007. It took over my life, but was such an incredible day. I think marathons bring out something amazing in people. To run 26.2 miles is such an accomplishment and holds so much personal meaning for many people. But, what I love most about marathons is how it unites people. People of all shapes and sizes, young and old, from all over the world are running in one race! There were over 47,000 people running the NYC marathon this year, and I think twice that amount were cheering them on along the entire 26.2 miles. People are happy, encouraging each other, and cheering for complete strangers. It was quite emotional and beautiful to see. I kept wondering what our world would be like if we treated people like that every day? I can't even imagine!

As I gave people high fives from the sideline and cheered on strangers who had their name printed on their shirt I was able to live in a united world, if even for a little bit.

Woo! Go runners!

Halloweeeeeeen

Halloween in NYC is not for kids. If you are my parents stop reading now. For those of you that know I'm a big girl, keep reading.

I found out last week that Halloween is a major gang initiation day in many parts of Brooklyn and East New York, including the area I work in at the high school in Cypress Hills. This could mean many things, but basically it's chaos. On the friendly side kids are egging houses, but gang initiation could mean many more awful, scary, and dangerous things as well. Many kids skip school that day, or walk in groups to avoid getting caught up in something dangerous. Most born and raised New Yorkers that I've talked to are used to it. They know which areas of the city to avoid and just stay in on Halloween.

The pressure kids face these days is tremendous. Especially those that do not have a solid, loving family or community to turn to, they may see gangs as just that. Which for me, goes to show that everyone needs to feel accepted, needs to feel loved, needs to feel wanted. If only we can get to them before Halloween.

As cheesy as this may seem, it really is trick or treat. I've always been a sweets girl myself. Happy Halloween!

p.s. Now, this is the stuff Halloween should be made of. Am I right, or am I right.

Cypress Hills

My internship for my first year as an MSW student is with the Mayor's Taskforce on Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy. Sounds powerful, doesn't it? It's actually a HUGE job. The goal is to put Success Mentors (that's me!) in the schools to mentor truant students, hopefully to raise their attendance and help them graduate on time. I'll be working with 15 students, running groups, having individual counseling sessions, and trying to motivate them to come to school EVERY DAY, as well as involve the parents however possible.


This is the school I'm at. It's huge. There are 5 high schools in this one building. Crazy, huh?! Every floor of the school is a different high school. Separate administration, separate mascot, separate teachers, etc. High school in NYC is so weird.

At Cypress Hills Collegiate Prep high school (floor 4), there are 433 students in grades 9-12 and the majority of the population is hispanic. It's way out in Queens, a very low social economic, Latino neighborhood. Their graduation rate is in the bottom 8% of all NYC schools. Last year, Cypress Hills got an F in their progress report overview. This year, they have moved their grade up to a D. Meaning, this is a terrible school. I have my work cut out for me.

But, as a social worker you learn that there is always something going on to motivate the behavior. For truant kids, this is definitely the case, I just have to find out what that something is. For Viviana, she had a baby last year. For Aaron, his commute on the train takes him an hour (school buses in NYC don't exist, it's public transportation for everyone). For Arlene, she works full time after school and is exhausted in the morning. These aren't bad kids. They are kids living with the stress and responsibility of adults. They need someone to care less about their truant behavior and more about them. So, I care. We'll see if it makes a difference, I'm hoping it will.

First Snow Fall

It's October 29th and we are experiencing the first snow fall in New York. I must say, New Yorkers do not handle the snow well. People get crazy. Me, I feel right at home. In fact, I'm going to make some stew!

Only in New York

Many times throughout my week I see random things happening and find myself saying, "Only in New York." Meaning, I see some weird stuff. It's all part of the mystery, beauty, and charm of this crazy city.


Live ballerina statue. Pretty, yes?


One of my favs. This piano guy in Washington Square Park is amazing. In between classes I'll pop out to the park for a listen to the pianist on the green bucket.


Superhero store with a youth tutoring center hidden behind the store front. You can try on superhero capes and buy muscle in a can. Silly and social work all wrapped in one. Genius.


But, nothing I've seen has come close to this. Oh, home, how I miss you.

Nerd Alert

Washington Square North, 1. The Silver School of Social Work, my school. I love it. I think I was made to be a social worker. If you aren't sure what that means, go here.

Here's the gist:
The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well­being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.

I think that is what Jesus meant when he said to serve the least of these, to love people as I love you. That is my mission, and always be.



p.s. Midterm #1=done! Man, this back to school stuff is work.

14 Butler Place

This is mi casa. Compared to my sweet little place on Grand Ave in Minneapolis it's about 1000 less square feet, three times the price, and shared with two others. But, boy is it ever exciting to walk home to my very own apartment in New York City. Just minutes away from the best food, best art, best people watching, and possibly a celebrity sighting (although I have yet to encounter the famous). But, hey, I live in Brooklyn, and I have a closet. Yes, this is my home.

Ferry ride...to my new home

Arrival

Brennan drove through downtown Manhattan like a pro. I, on the other hand, was shakin' in my boots.


After we dropped off the Uhaul, we had to take the Staten Island Ferry back to the city. It was both a wonderful and frightful moment for Brennan and I, and one I will never forget. Check out the video!


My nieces can't get enough of Miss Liberty! She is pretty great.


I wore my mother's flannel shirt on the journey, and for a good week once I arrived in NY.


One thing to help ease the homesickness. Za.


Definitely could not have made this move without this one. Much love and gratefulness forever and ever.

Cross country trek, social work, new york, minnesota, uhaul, grad school, adventure, homesick...Welcome to Country in the City!

I live in New York City. Let's say that again, I live in New York City. Eeek!

Last fall I decided to go back to grad school for social work. I absolutely loved my job at TreeHouse (check out my old blog to read some amazing stories from my journey there), but I realized that I needed more education to help these broken, hurting youth.

So, here I am 10 months later, after much stressemotionscrazybiglifediscussionsandprayer, I signed the deal, enrolled at New York University's Silver School of Social Work, and had the Uhaul loaded with my beau in the drivers seat ready for a great adventure. I mean, where else to study social work than in the heart of the craziest, busiest, liveliest, smelliest, dirtiest, classiest city in the world.

Goodbye Minnesota, Mom&Dad, sisters and brothers, friends and family. I'm off. I'm scared. But, I'm going to be the best darn social worker New York has ever seen (being overly confident helps mask the fear).

Thank you for coming along with me. I hope you enjoy the adventure!



One of my favorite places, my parents' backyard (I never thought I could miss corn, but I do!). Brennan and I are gearing up for the journey!

p.s. Thank you to Ceallaigh for the blog idea that will allow me to process this great adventure and stay in touch with my fam and friends. And thank you to Brennan, the amazing artist and creator of my logo and picture!