I bet you thought you'd seen the last of this ol' blog. I've historically been pretty bad about keeping up with things like this (this is not my first blog to fall into the abyss), but I actually miss this little guy. And it seems from what I hear that at least some of you guys do too. That paired with some things God's been stirring in my heart lately have inspired me to start blogging again. So I guess I should start with a (brief!) recap of the last 2ish years.
I'm still in New York, but I have moved on to yet another borough (my third since I came here a little over 3 years ago). Since I moved here in 2011, God has used a lot of different situations to stir my heart for Staten Island. And sometime last spring, he really began to show me that it was more than just a love for the people or an affinity for good pizza and Italian ices - He wanted me to live there. I could spend hours talking about that, how a pasty white girl from southeast Texas fell in love with a place and a community that could not be more different, but I'll spare you that for now. Bottom line is that He called me there and in August 2013, I made the move.
I live in a HOUSE. A beautiful house that was built in 1902 and has a kitchen that is about the size of my whole Brooklyn apartment, haha. I love my home and my neighborhood.
I live in a HOUSE. A beautiful house that was built in 1902 and has a kitchen that is about the size of my whole Brooklyn apartment, haha. I love my home and my neighborhood.
Some other big things that have happened in the past 2 years...
I got to be a part of a new church plant. Apostles Brooklyn met for the first time officially on September 22, 2013 and it has been one of the greatest and most humbling experiences of my life to be a part of the leadership of this church body. I was appointed a deacon there just last month, and I really could not be more excited about what the Lord is doing through this church.
Another big change that came along with the move is that I'm no longer living with THIS GIRL:
That's right, folks, after 4ish years of living together on and off, Sara and I parted ways when I moved out to the ol' island. She is still in Brooklyn, but don't worry, she stays over roughly 1.2 nights/week, so I'm still seeing about the same amount of her as I did when we lived together.
But the upside is that I'm now living with THIS GIRL:
Meet Chrisie, my kick-butt, Staten Island born and bred roommate. (Did I mention she's a straight up Italian who is constantly making awesome food in the aforementioned awesome kitchen?) Don't get too used to her though, because she will be leaving me to live with a boy in the fall (don't worry, he's putting a ring on it).
Now to answer the question that I know is burning in all of your brains...
BUT JANELL, WHAT CELEBRITIES HAVE YOU SEEN IN THE PAST TWO YEARS???
I'm glad you asked. There have been many, naturally. I saw Anne Hathaway jogging in Chelsea about a year ago. Just last week I saw Hank Azaria in the lobby of my office building. And my favorite sighting possibly ever was seeing William Daniels (*AKA Mr Feeny!!!) right by one of my offices. Had my arms not been loaded down with groceries, I would have chased him down and made him take a picture with me.
I also saw Charles Barkley near Union Square a few months ago. The photographer was no good, but trust me, that's me standing next to him.
And below, see one of my numerous Jake Gyllenhaal sightings. He's not nearly as angry as he looks, trust me. Hahaha. There was a period of time where I would see this guy ALL THE TIME. I saw him 3 times in one week! I'm not complaining though.
But anyway, the reinstitution of this blog is not to talk about my celebrity sightings. Well, not just for that, anyway, haha. Something else inspired me to start blogging again.
It started a few months ago. I really wanted to engage my community more, and I was finding it hard, since Staten Islanders are not the easiest people to get to know. They are (understandably) a little skeptical of me. But I've never really been one to let that stop me, so I set a goal for myself. Every week I had to talk to a Staten Islander I didn't know. On the ferry, in my neighborhood, in the grocery store, wherever. Sometimes people didn't really want to talk to me, sometimes I couldn't get them to stop talking, haha. But I am really enjoying getting to know people and hearing their stories. I've met some pretty interesting characters these past few months, that's for sure. It's pushed me out of my comfort zone too (even an extrovert like myself doesn't necessarily like striking up conversations with random strangers), and I've found that, overall, people like to be talked to, to be noticed.
The one thing I was kind of sad about is that I didn't have anywhere other than my own personal journal to record my interactions with the people I was meeting. I didn't have anywhere but my own mind to remember their faces. I also thought it might be cool to focus my goal a little bit, to give it a clearer purpose. So I started thinking about why I wanted to get to know my community in the first place...surely not just for my own pleasure or entertainment. No, I want to know people better so I can love them better. So I can find needs and meet them. So I and my community can live life with these people and show them the love of Christ.
So this is how this new "project" was born. Think Humans of New York, but a little different. I decided to come up with some specific questions that I want to ask people and that I would post their responses along with pictures (with their permission, of course) so that you could get to know them as I do.
I'm still working on the questions, but it will be a mix of general stuff ("Who are you?," "How long have you been on Staten Island?"), topical issues ("Do you take the ferry to work?", "What do you think about the tolls on the bridges?," "Were you affected by Hurricane Sandy?"), and deeper questions (family, struggles, "What is your biggest need?"). I also want to address the drug epidemic on the island (both illegal and prescription) and let people talk about how it's affected them and their loved ones. (Check out this heartbreaking article on SI's rising heroin problem and its ties to the already prevalent prescription drug problem. Staten Island has 3 times more ODs than any other borough.) My hope is that these questions will open up opportunities for me to get to know people better and find ways to engage them and meet their needs. If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments.
Hang in there while I get this all organized. I promise I'll start with the posts soon! But bug me if I don't, haha (I obviously need the accountability which is why I'm posting this in the first place).
I'll leave you guys with a few of my favorite shots I've taken since moving to SI.
I also saw Charles Barkley near Union Square a few months ago. The photographer was no good, but trust me, that's me standing next to him.
And below, see one of my numerous Jake Gyllenhaal sightings. He's not nearly as angry as he looks, trust me. Hahaha. There was a period of time where I would see this guy ALL THE TIME. I saw him 3 times in one week! I'm not complaining though.
But anyway, the reinstitution of this blog is not to talk about my celebrity sightings. Well, not just for that, anyway, haha. Something else inspired me to start blogging again.
It started a few months ago. I really wanted to engage my community more, and I was finding it hard, since Staten Islanders are not the easiest people to get to know. They are (understandably) a little skeptical of me. But I've never really been one to let that stop me, so I set a goal for myself. Every week I had to talk to a Staten Islander I didn't know. On the ferry, in my neighborhood, in the grocery store, wherever. Sometimes people didn't really want to talk to me, sometimes I couldn't get them to stop talking, haha. But I am really enjoying getting to know people and hearing their stories. I've met some pretty interesting characters these past few months, that's for sure. It's pushed me out of my comfort zone too (even an extrovert like myself doesn't necessarily like striking up conversations with random strangers), and I've found that, overall, people like to be talked to, to be noticed.
The one thing I was kind of sad about is that I didn't have anywhere other than my own personal journal to record my interactions with the people I was meeting. I didn't have anywhere but my own mind to remember their faces. I also thought it might be cool to focus my goal a little bit, to give it a clearer purpose. So I started thinking about why I wanted to get to know my community in the first place...surely not just for my own pleasure or entertainment. No, I want to know people better so I can love them better. So I can find needs and meet them. So I and my community can live life with these people and show them the love of Christ.
So this is how this new "project" was born. Think Humans of New York, but a little different. I decided to come up with some specific questions that I want to ask people and that I would post their responses along with pictures (with their permission, of course) so that you could get to know them as I do.
I'm still working on the questions, but it will be a mix of general stuff ("Who are you?," "How long have you been on Staten Island?"), topical issues ("Do you take the ferry to work?", "What do you think about the tolls on the bridges?," "Were you affected by Hurricane Sandy?"), and deeper questions (family, struggles, "What is your biggest need?"). I also want to address the drug epidemic on the island (both illegal and prescription) and let people talk about how it's affected them and their loved ones. (Check out this heartbreaking article on SI's rising heroin problem and its ties to the already prevalent prescription drug problem. Staten Island has 3 times more ODs than any other borough.) My hope is that these questions will open up opportunities for me to get to know people better and find ways to engage them and meet their needs. If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments.
Hang in there while I get this all organized. I promise I'll start with the posts soon! But bug me if I don't, haha (I obviously need the accountability which is why I'm posting this in the first place).
I'll leave you guys with a few of my favorite shots I've taken since moving to SI.
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| My neighborhood last fall |
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| From the ferry on 9/11/13 |
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| Our Christmas tree!! |
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| Pretty snow on the trees in front of our house |
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| View from my window - that's the Verrazano Bridge (goes from SI to Brooklyn) |
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| Going for a walk around my neighborhood last month |
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| Beautiful sunrise from the ferry |
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| View of Manhattan from the top of the hill near my house |
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| Cherry blossoms |
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| Sunset at Silver Lake Park |
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