I heart NYC

Daily I come to love this city more and more. In 30 Rock fashion, someone will now spit on me the next time I'm walking down the side walk. We have been here a little over one and a half years now. I can't believe it. The holidays are always a special time in NYC. The Ewings came up for Thanksgiving and my mom came up last week for to do all the Christmas stuff. Enjoy the pictures.
The Ewings at City Hall (Our Thanksgiving dinner restaurant)



Us and Kermit the Frog at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade


Our Christmas card (Outside the Rockefeller Center)

What a summer

I passed out, passed my NCLEX, weddings and babies galore, went to Shiloh, and became employed!

Marcus and I are always wondering what draws people to Shiloh. It's stressful, there's always some crisis going on, but we CAN'T get away. Last summer, Marcus went for the summer much to my chagrin. This summer I was the to be the camp nurse for teen session. Some how I ended up being there half my summer. It was wonderful, sorry Marcus. My time there also made me realize how important it is to be there year round for the kids.

I went home for my best friend Megan's wedding. My sister is getting married today. There are 7 people I know that are pregnant.



God has blessed me with the perfect job. I will be working at Mt. Sinai Medical Center on the Bone Marrow Transplant floor. The patients on the floor are adults and children. Mt. Sinai is directly across Central Park from our apartment. I get to walk through Central Park to get to work!! I heart New York. Don't worry I will not be walking through there at night (that has been everyone's first question). I start September 15th. Classes start again September 2nd. The next three years of my life will be pretty busy!

Consider it done

It's official. I am a Columbia grad. I am a RN (after I pass the NCLEX June 16th). I'm so excited. I've been looking back at the journey that brought me to this point. Almost two years ago I had an awful experience with a physical therapy internship. It caused me great distress that what I thought my life was going to be was...boring. Then my mother-in-law suggested nursing school. Then something clicked and I started looking at those options. I applied to Columbia, Vanderbilt, and Xavier (a school in Cincinnati). I was accepted to Columbia which I still believe was a fluke. Then we moved to NY. Next week I'll have been here a year. I love this city more everyday. Wish me luck on the job hunt!

Acceptance

Many exciting wonderful things have happened in NYC since my last post. Right now is spring break. I'm not going anywhere. The goal for the week is to become organized in life and our apartment. This will be difficult. Wish me luck! Also I want to paint. The decision of color is proving more difficult than the decision to move to the city.

Over the last six months, slowly a feeling of acceptance has come over me. Acceptance that we are to be in NYC. Acceptance that nursing is the right career. Acceptance we will be here for a while. Acceptance that babies are a long time off (I'll explain later). And acceptance that God may have more plans for us than we had planned (which is always the case, right?). I believe painting is a representation of my acceptance. Since we just signed another year lease, I figured we might as well do something semi-permanent to make it our own. Let me explain how the "acceptances" have developed.

The acceptance that we are to be in NYC. Recently Shiloh has started a series of life skills for our kids. Last Saturday was the second one, it went really well. Afterwards, some of the kids and us went to the park. We were on the swings, playing frisbee, and people watching. Being a part of the kids lives weekly is why we are here.

Acceptance that nursing is the right career. I finished my last clinical rotation last week. It was labor and delivery. I absolutely loved being with mothers as they prepared for their baby. That time is someone's life is the most important and I got to experience it with them. I could reassure them that their baby was fine, or comfort them when the baby was not fine. It was a great learning experience.

Part of knowing that nursing is the right career has brought about the acceptance that we will be here a while. I have decided to do the masters portion part time while working. This way I will I have worked as a RN for 3 years before I am a nurse practitioner.

The last rotation made me realize how much I want babies. The nursery was not good for me! But along with the fact that I will not graduate until February 2011. Then I'll want to work for a couple years (to pay off those loans). Babies are a long way off. Lucky Marcus.

Acceptance that God may have more for us than we planned. The church we have been attending has opened our eyes to all there is to do in New York. Please pray that we will keep our eyes and ears open to what He wants us to see.

JUNO!!

Last night, Marcus and I braved the cold wind to see Juno. Partly to celebrate five years being together and partly due to a lost bet. If you haven't heard of Juno, it's about a teenage girl who ends up pregnant and decides to put it up for adoption as opposed to an abortion. Now it was hilarious, but even more touching. How many movies about teenagers involve real situations that they may face and portray it so honestly?

Those of you who may not know, my sister had a baby 17. I could see her in Juno, especially the scene where she is walking down the hall that divides for her as everyone stares. Her nickname as the cautionary whale. My sister was not the only teenage girl having sex. Something like 80% of teenagers have sex before they leave high school, but the unlucky few that have a physical representation of their "dirty deed" are ostracized. As Juno said, "What is the male word for slut?" Jason Bateman "They haven't come up with one yet."

As I step down from my soap box, go see Juno. It was sooo funny with many quotes to add to my repertoire like: "You're the cheese to my macaroni" and "That ain't no etch-a-sketch. This is one doodle that can't be un-did, homeskillet" -Dwight referring to a home pregnancy test.


As a side note, my sister kept her child. Ethan. Who is now 3 and a half and the light of all of our lives. Having a child at 17 changed her entire life including her personality, work ethic, and her worldview. She works full time and goes to school full time to support her and Ethan. She is my hero. Whenever I'm stressed, I think how I could have a child and a full time job and then I shutup. Sometimes.

First Snow

Today when I awoke, I looked out my window and saw snow! My first snow in NY (except for the one spring break it snowed!). It's the end of the night and the snow is gone, but I made some good memories today to share.

First this morning on the way to church a kid threw a snowball at me. I was on the bus and the window was open partly. Him and his buddy were throwing snow balls at passing taxis. We made eye contact and I glared, warning him with my eyes that he should not do what he was thinking about doing. He pulled his arm back anyways and let loose. It hit the window by my head. Luckily, for him, it didn't get on me. I shook my fist at him and he ran off. Lucky boy.

Then tonight the six of us Shiloh people went to the Park Ave Tree Lighting. We joined about 500 New Yorkers sing Christmas Carols in front of the Brick Church. It was amazing! Afterwards, we went back to Kiersten and Alison's drank cider, ate apple pie, and watched a White Christmas. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Please excuse the delay...

Life has been crazy to say the least. I have four weeks left of my second semester at Columbia. Marcus has been working for Harlem Children's Zone for a month or so now. Both families have come to visit (and we had so much fun!). I went home for Thanksgiving (without Marcus because he had to work). Life in New York is starting to resemble something like a pattern, which for those who don't know me, I crave. A part of my life has never followed a pattern, my family. The past couple weeks have reminded me of this fact.
My family consists of my mom, brother (22), and sister (20). Without going into too much detail, my siblings and I had a difficult family environment because of our father. All three of us have handled it differently. I dove straight into counseling, God, and friends which all helped me overcome. My sister rebelled as a teenager, but now is an amazing mother to a three year old boy, works full time, and goes to school full time. My brother has been in a constant state of anger and guilt for the past six years. Neither one of them have a faith in God to which I attribute my peace, hope, and happiness.
When I think of them, it's easy to blame myself for not being there for them and their healing process. When I'm around them, I can see the chains of the past holding them back from realizing their full potential and joy. I'm also at a loss of how to help. Please be praying for my family and I as we, along with God's help, try to heal the wounds of the past.