well hello again, new york.

i've been back in new york city for five days now, and boy...do i need a nap. it's just been non-stop since saturday afternoon when we arrived. all the walking (hustling), honking taxis, high heels, and little restaurants on just about every street corner that catch my eye... i'm surely back. i know it's going to take some getting used to, after being away for so long. but every now and then, i get a wave of those incredible feelings i felt before, and the undeniable love i have for this place. i'm ready for all that to sink in again, and i know it will. 

even though it's been less than a week, i feel like i've done so much already. like a million things, basically. between classes, job interviews, hunting down snow cones in greenwich village, and exchanging much needed hugs with those i've dearly missed, it's been a busy start to my life back in the city.

 but...i wouldn't have it any other way ;) 

after all...this is new york.

packing my life away.

i can't believe it's almost here. it's been eight months since i was last in new york, and here i am... less than a week away from it all. when i stop and think about everything i've done in these past eight months, everything i've seen, everywhere i've been, everything i've learned...well, i have to pinch myself a little. this time, i'm coming back to new york having visited six new countries, and having left little pieces of my heart sprinkled around these darling cities, forever. 

so, nyc...

are you ready to have your golden girls back?

sorry to keep you waiting for so long.
:)

an attempt at camping. (part 2)

shortly after arriving at the campsite and sharing our tragic tale, i got the sense that something was missing. i mean...we basically survived the un-survivable. so many things went wrong. how could everything be back in it's place? that was when i realized i couldn't find my purse. my cute little bag all the way from italy. since the car was jam-packed with all of our camping "necessities," i was assured that my bag was in the car....somewhere. 

the next day was rafting day. saying i didn't know what to expect is an understatement. the moment i was handed a helmet, life jacket, and paddle, i asked myself what i was getting into here. all this talk of people falling out? rafts flipping? drifting three miles down river until someone can pull you back in? uhhh....

turns out, it was unbelievable fun. within minutes, we were hitting rapids and DRENCHED. our guide was extra funny, and we even got to pull over for a lunch that was cooked survivor style! i also never fell out. phew. (but came very, very close.)

when we arrived back at the campsite, it was too flooded to even stay the night. so, twenty of us split warm, dry, shower-equipped cabins. (what a terrible, terrible thing!) ;) by the next morning, almost everyone had left to go home because of the unfortunate weather, a day before the trip was supposed to end. and guess what? the sun was finally starting to come out!

since i still hadn't found my bag, i insisted we check the spot where the car went off the road. i remembered it being roughly twenty minutes from the campsite, and there being a "for sale" sign close by. i kept my eyes peeled as i scanned the road, looking for any sign of familiarity. and then...we came upon the spot. the tire marks were there to prove it. 

 and then there... buried under dirt and two days of rain, was my little bag. 

better luck next year? 

;)

an attempt at camping. (part 1)

if i were to describe my weekend in one word, it would be soaked. just...soaked. 

all. day. long. 

plans for this weekend had been set for over a month, with a trip to the forks, maine for some lovely camping, rafting, and relaxation. we'll just say we never made it to that second 'r'. it all started with some bad luck on the drive up, when twin's boyfriend locked his keys in the car at a rest stop. lucky for us, the AAA man must have been lounging around in the parking lot, because it took exactly six minutes for him to arrive. 

and then...everything went down hill. (literally.)

we were on the last stretch of our drive, a 40 mile road that's known for it's winding turns, mid-road moose collisions, and absolutely-no-visibility-when-it's-raining. the visibility got so bad that we had to let a car pass us, and that was when our car went off the road. and kept going. the next thing we knew, we were practically vertical. with fear that the car would tip, twin and i took the only two raincoats and jumped ship. we did our best to help direct ben, but the tires just kept spinning while torrential rain soaked us, lightning striking less than a mile away. 

finally, a truck pulled over, and a man hopped out who happened to be a marine. i happen to think he was an angel. he sent his wife to the nearest convenience store to ask for a chain so ben's car could be towed out. a half hour later, she returned with no chain because all the stores in town were closed. we waited and waited in the rain, while countless cars pulled over asking if they could help. it wasn't until an 18-wheeler pulled over...that had a chain! the marine's wife held up traffic with a handy flashlight as the truck driver instructed ben and the marine. after an hour and a half...the car was back on the road. 

and so, the adventure continued...

20 days....

until i begin my senior year of college.

until i see those lights, again.

until i behold that bone-chilling skyline.

until i walk the highline.

until my creativity resurfaces.

until my heart's at home.

...

until i'm back in new york.

friends, fireworks, and a whole lot of fun.

this past weekend, twin and i were visited by two dear friends, and we still can't stop smiling... :)

hilary, our new york friend and florentine roommate, made the long drive to the north shore to take part in some of our favorite summer pastimes. H (we like to call her) arrived on thursday night for a concert at castle hill, but after a failed boat engine and a few other mishaps, we didn't exactly make it to the castle. i'd have to say, though...being stranded in the middle of a river surrounded by gorgeous marshes and an unbelievable sunset isn't exactly my idea of a bad time. (i secretly loved every second.) 

friday evening, after a day of shopping and yummy treats with H in boston, kenny arrived. he made the six hour trek all the way from nyc for the second time this summer! ...oh sweet kenny. aren't we just so lucky? i was able to (creep up and) greet him at the station, and it was one of those moments full of love, smiles, hugs and happiness that i'll never forget. 

one of my best friends from school, heather, who i met the same night i attempted to meet zac efron (long story), happens to be our neighbor at home. clearly, we were meant to be. heather is the reason we even know kenny, ever since that fall night when she asked him to come fix our printer. to have us all together again was like a scene out of a movie. we ended the night with some blankets, wine, and seven shooting stars spotted from plum island.

the weekend was complete with a lovely boat/beach day, a walk up to the castle (so happy you got to see it, H!) and the annual yankee homecoming fireworks from newburyport's boardwalk.

i've realized this weekend just how lucky i am to have people like these ones in my life. i always thought that the friends you make in elementary and high school are the ones you'll have forever, but i have obviously been proven wrong. i'm so excited to get back to nyc and spend more time with these great ones. (and heather, have an incredible year in florence, hopefully living in my old apartment!)