Takeoff!

Today is the day! A long-awaited day that has been looming on the horizon since I booked my one-way ticket to Sydney about three months ago. I've had my visa since February and the idea of traveling to Australia since January 2010 so this day really has felt like a longtime coming. The seed was planted when I was on a three week trip to Russia with Lafayette and a classmate on my trip told me about a summer he spent living in Northern Sweden raising huskies. "How did you swing that trip?" I asked him, to which he replied "Workaway." He told me about the company which helps people who want to travel on a budget connect with farms all around the world who will put you up in their home in exchange for work. "Now THAT sounds like something I'd much rather do than rush on into the real world of jobs and responsibilities"I thought to myself. For whatever reason Australia was the place I dreamed of and started researching on the workaway site.

My wanderlust never came to fruition thanks to a lack of guts and a desire to stay close to my friends and family after I graduated. I was excited to get to New York and find a job but I couldn't help but feel really jealous of friends that actually had the guts to spread their little birdie wings and fly off into REAL "real world" (looking at you Court, Petey, and Celeste.) And so I joined the working world and was extremely happy to be employed after a long job search most of us in the 2010 graduating class had to deal with.

To say I was lucky to end up at Collective with absolutely no connections to the company or experience in the industry is an understatement. Not only was I able to go to work and NOT wear a pantsuit like I always envisioned people in the real world wearing everyday, I worked with people who became my friends. It was an incredible learning experience and a little too much fun most of the time. Despite knowing how lucky I was to be employed in a thriving industry with the opportunity to advance my career, there was something holding me back from diving in head first.The wanderlust kept nagging at me in the back of my mind and it finally reached the point where I had to act on it.

And so after 2 years and five months at my job I knew it was time to quit and start the next chapter. To everyone else I'm sure this news came out of left field since I never really talked about the little Australia seed that was growing in my brain. But trust me, it's been there for a while. Growing from a a little baby Joey into a full grown kangaroo. Eventually I ditched the workaway idea once I learned about the different visas and found the work-holiday visa which lets you work for real money instead of housing in exchange for hard physical labor. Real money can get you housing too so that's pretty cool.

I need to wrap this up since my delayed flight is hopefully boarding soon! New York City you and your inhabitants have been very good to me for nearly 3 years. I can't count the ways I've changed and grown up while living inside you and I'm so glad I didn't spread my little birdie wings until now. It's very hard to say goodbye but I can't wait to see what's to come.

Thank you to everyone who made an effort to see me and say goodbye in this past month! I LOVE YOU ALL XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Below please enjoy some snapshots from one of my last days in NYC!

Summer starter

Went to Nonquitt for Memorial Day weekend and it was a much needed escape from the city. Fresh flowers picked from a tree in our backyard and a barefoot contessa pesto pea salad made by Eviebells. 

Sand Art

some beautiful sand art in union square. to see this work completed and more amazing creations by the artist visit his website here

DC Escapades

Anthony's Apartment

today i made the trek to crown heights, brooklyn to check out my friend anthony's new apartment. this is the view from his roof. not too shabby. 

People in a Museum

yeah it's cool and all that you can take your camera into most museums these days, but who wants to look at pictures of pictures?? how much more interesting is that matisse with a dude in front of it? and that lovely couple kissing lovingly in front of the lovely seurat? lovely! (the museum in question here is MOMA btw)

Empire State Fog

Movie Magic

if you know anything about me and my sisters you know we love our bread, we love our butter, but most of all we love each other. and celebrities. except mostly, celebrities. in the past 2 weeks we have collectively seen mia wasikowska, ed o'neil, busy phillips, dave chappell, and michael emerson (we sat in the same audience watching john lutz and scott adsit do improv, happiness levels were off the charts). then tonight i left my apartment, walking with a purpose to the subway on my way to the union square barnes and noble to see michael showalter do a book reading, happiness levels already pretty high, when i notice a movie set. oh and who do i discover is waiting in a car about to ride a moped to his pretty little heart's desire? zac. efron. zac freaking efron. i giggled, i photographed, i smiled on the subway and then i listened to michael showalter talk about his book and laughed and laughed until he was done and i waited in line for him to sign my book. it is called mr. funny pants. it is hilarious and you should buy it.

oh and how about those first two pictures? creepy huh?

Break dancers

awesome break dancers outside the subway at brooklyn bridge. 

Brooklyn Bridge

i was hesitant to photograph the brooklyn bridge today because i just did the queensborough bridge, but the weather was too beautiful not to head down and enjoy a leisurely stroll. it also led to seeing a badass dance troupe and thus caused my first ever double feature because i have so many pictures to share!