New York I Love You

It has been three weeks since my vacation to Utah and it didn't take me long to adjust back into my New York life. I love it here. I love New York and although the NY lifestyle is not for everybody it is defintely for me. It is crazy busy here all the time.  The humidty can be suffacating but honestly there is no place in the world I would rather be. I love the city life. People ask me all the time if I miss Utah and the mountains..... but honestly I don't. I think I am realizing that I am a total city girl.  I appreciate mother nature's obvious appearence Utah. The mountains and lakes are beautiful but I am finding it is something I can live without. 

Life has been slightly hectic since I have been back and I am ready for it to wind down a bit. However, it doesn't look like that is going to happen anytime soon. I have been moving and starting my new job at the same time. My new apartment is amazing. It is right next to central park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. My new job is at a PR fashion agency called Exposure. I have never worked at a PR agency and I have never worked in fashion. I tend to be shy and apprehensive at first with new situations and with meeting new people.  The job isn't coming super easy to me as much as I wish it was and that shakes my condfidence a little. The people I work for are straight forward and intimidating. My job tests my confidence and ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines. My job isn't impossible but I need to build my confidence so I can really do my best and prove myself. 

Life can be challenging but anything that is worth having comes with hard work. I really do value hard work and challenges because they make you grow into the kind of person that is worth being. I want to surprise myself with my life experiences. I want to make happen what I never thought possible. If anyone would have told me a year ago that I would be in NY working for a fashion PR firm I would not have believed them. And maybe working and living in New York is miniscule to a lot of people but for me, it was something I only ever imagined would happen to me. Now here I am, in New York, experiencing my imagination for real. I am living a completely different scenario than my life in Utah. It's great!  And I want to continue on with a life full of surprises. 

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Aside from work and moving into my new apartment, I defintely leave time to play and have fun. Last weekend my friend Catrina and I went sunglass shopping. I am realizing I have a fetish for glasses but I can only afford the $10 ones from China Town. However, that doesn't mean I don't like to browse the expensive stuff.

Catrina and I ventured down to the lower east side of Manhattan and came across a glasses shop called Fabulous Fannys. They have an extensive collection of vintage and modern frames ranging from antique spectacles dating back from the 1700s. I fell in love but my budjet did not. 

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Le Pain Quotidien 

Whitney Museum of Modern Art

Froyo selfie in 16 Handles!!!!!!!!!!!!

Favorite Songs of the Week

No Place Like Home

I have to say that I loved loved loooooved being in Utah last week. It was THE BEST seeing my family and friends. It has been months since I have seen most of them. I really enjoy getting together with friends and catching up. I was worried coming home, that I was spreading myself to thin. I promised a lot of people I would meet up with them. However, I ended up seeing everybody I had made plans with. I even took the time to drive up to my favorite place on earth, Logan. I don't know why I love that little town so much. It must be because I associate such great memories with it. 

Time went by way too fast last week. I have been so pumped on my New York experience this summer that I haven't really missed Utah all that much. However, when my mom dropped me off at the airport to catch my flight back to New York, I was a little sad to go. It's not that I wish I was living in Utah because I love living in New York, but it is nice being around what is comfortable. Utah is my comfort zone and even though I don't want to be stuck in my comfort zone forever, it is nice to be comfortable every once in a while. 

 Living away from home has really strengthened my relationship with my family members. We really value the time we spend together now that we only see each other on rare occasions. Boating is the thing I miss most about living away from Utah in the summer. I was glad I got to water ski and surf at least one day while I was home.

Thursday night I drove up to Logan. I sure do miss Logan summers. The summer I lived in Logan was one of the best summers ever. Logan is so opposite from New York. New York is crazy, complicated and there is so much going on all the time. But Logan is the simple life and I sure do love living the simple life. I miss it because it is homey and friendly. Logan reminds me of a very specific and wonderful chapter of my life. It will always be a place that I will adore and remember. 

Julie is a sweetheart. She picked me up from the airport. We went to dinner at one of my favorite places to eat in Salt Lake, Red Rock. Whenever the two of us get together we can't stop talking. We have such similar personalities and views on life. I think that is why we get a long so well. 

It's funny because we both kind of joke how we are jealous of each other. She wishes she could move to New York and I am jealous of her because she has found the person she is going to spend the rest of her life with. I guess we all kind of get that way sometimes. Everyone else's life seems to be a bit more appealing than our own. However, no matter where my friends are in life or where I am in my life, I think it is important to value personal experiences. It's not that I am striving for a better life than the ones my friends or family have but I strive to have the best life possible for myself. As long as I am pursuing my dreams and being true to myself I will be happy despite the circumstances of others. "Comparison is the thief of joy," and the more we compare ourselves with those around us the less satisfied we will be with ourselves. 

People are different for a reason and we have to celebrate the individuals that we are. 

The New Mrs. Carmack

It was so fun being in Utah last week for my best friend's wedding. Julie means so much to me and I am extremely happy for her and her new husband BJ. Julie and I have been best friends since my Sophomore year of college and we met BJ one year later. I have seen their relationship from the beginning and it has been an exciting relationship to witness. You learn a lot from your own relationship experiences as well as the relationship experiences of others. 

It is crazy to me to think Julie, BJ and I all started out as friends. BJ was in our ward and lived a couple houses up the street from us. Their relationship began on our road trip to Arizona two and a half years ago. Immediately after we go back from Arizona the two of them started dating and they were inseparable. I knew there was something different about BJ compared to the other guys Julie had dated. They have had their ups and downs but they keep at it. What I admire most about lasting relationships is the perseverance it takes to stay together. Choosing the right person doesn't necessarily mean choosing the one that meets your criteria of what a perfect husband/wife should be. To me, it means finding an imperfect person that you want to be committed to and in return wants to be committed to you! 

I must say, any girl would be lucky to find a guy that loves and cares for her the way BJ loves and cares for Julie. They think they world of each other and I think it is the most adorable thing. Congrats you two!