Welcome to New York!!

Well, here I am in my apartment in Glendale (slash Queens slash New York City...it's all kind of confusing, but we'll stick with Glendale since that's what it says on my address) It's currently 12:57 AM. However, between the time changes (daylight savings and time zone) and the excitement of the day, I am about two hours behind and still wide awake. So I thought I would blog about my day while everything is still fresh on my mind.

I woke up about 6:30 this morning at my parents' house in Highlands, TX. I wanted to get showered and dressed before my sister came with my niece and nephew so I would get to spend a little time with her before she went off to work (my parents are watching the kids this week since Kyle is in Guatemala). After saying goodbye to my sister, I got to spend the majority of the morning with my sweet niece and nephew. (With a run to the bank, grocery store, and some last minute errands mixed in). Here are some pictures I took with Isabella and Cooper at the house. Seriously, how cute are they??

We went to my grandparents' house to tell them bye and drop Cooper off since we figured between all of my crap and a 4 year old, it probably wouldn't be best to take him to the airport. Leaving him at the house and thinking about how much he would change before I saw him again was probably one of the hardest parts of the day. Of course, he just tried to bite my face and laughed his head off. :-)

Bella, my mom, my dad, and I then set off to Hobby Airport. I opted for the curbside check-in since one of my bags I knew was over the weight limit and I didn't really feel like lugging it through the airport. The skycap guy laughed when he told me that it actually weighed 78 pounds. What can I say? I have a lot of stuff.

Once inside, my mom and I got interviewed on camera about the new remodel of the airport that was being unveiled that day. Not sure if it was for the news or what. I will say that I didn't even really notice it had been remodeled. But I didn't tell them that. Haha. Then we had a little bit of time before I had to go through security, so we hung out and repeatedly had to explain to Bella why it was not appropriate to play Duck, Duck, Goose in the middle of an airport. I also attempted to get a picture of me with my parents, but when you have a 4 year old for a photographer, you take what you can get I guess.

It was a sad goodbye for sure but I hugged and kissed everyone and made my way to security. Once I got through, I made sure to eat some Pappasito's one last time for good measure, and thus began my day of flying. Here is the rundown of my itinerary...fly to Panama City, FL, stay on the plane and continue to Baltimore, switch planes in Baltimore and, finally, head to LaGuardia airport in New York. Not the ideal flight plan, but it was the cheapest. Oh well.

On the first leg of my flight (to Panama City), I sat beside the sweetest old couple. I pretty much talked to the wife the entire flight. She told me that she (a retired nurse) and her husband (a retired doctor) had met in NYC back when he was doing his residency and she was finishing up nursing school, and that they had actually gotten married in Manhattan in 1958, though they only lived there a few months afterward. Now they live in Florida. She had all kinds of stories to tell and I really enjoyed talking with her.

The rest of the flight to Baltimore sucked because I had a screaming baby RIGHT BEHIND ME. I always feel so bad for those parents and I try not to get too annoyed because I know they can't really help it, but it was really frustrating to listen to that for almost 2 hours. So much for my nap.

Anyway, this is getting lengthy, so I'll speed through the rest. Flight got delayed in Baltimore (of course) but I eventually got on the plane to New York. Quick side note - there were these three SUPER LOUD girls who were probably sitting 10-12 rows in front of me, yet I could hear EVERY word they were saying. In fact, at one point, one of them stood up and addressed the whole plane to ask us...wait for it...if anyone knew what Louboutins (as in Christian Louboutin shoes) were. Only on Southwest...

But I did make it to New York, and I called this car service Sara has used in the past to come pick me up from the airport. The driver's name was Luis, and he was Dominican I think. He was super nice and even gave me some helpful hints about living in the city (like don't go to the Bronx after dark...haha).

Sara met me downstairs and it was SO good to see her!! We of course exchanged some pleasantries and then got to the business of watching the Bachelor finale/After the Final Rose. Just like old times for those of you who followed our running blog...too bad there's no Dairy Queens around here. Haha. Our other roommate, Leticia, is back in Texas for spring break, but she will be back soon and then our little apartment will be complete. She and Sara did leave this for me on the table along with some Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs (my favorite!!). I think I'm going to like it here. :-)

On a serious note, I really can't believe all this is happening. The Lord has really made a way for all of this and I feel so incredibly blessed (albeit overwhelmed) about what He is going to do in and through me during this season of my life. I covet your prayers so much and I am so excited to share this journey with all of you.

I decided tomorrow is going to be a fun day. I am going to head into the city and indulge in some of my favorite treats (Magnolia Bakery, here I come!) and do a little exploring. But after that, it's time to get serious about the job hunt. I will most certainly keep you all posted. Good night for now!

PS I didn't forget about the Philadelphia thing. I will dedicate an entire post to it, probably tomorrow.