back in action, baby

its been too long!

embarrassingly, the one thing that got me back in the blogging game was food. cupcakes, in fact. in my mind it was the perfect first-post-back because cupcakes remind me so much of the big apple. and with halloween right around the corner i couldn't help but show you guys these cuties!

all of these are from the Cupcake Cafe in new york! yummy yum!

bye bye cornerstone

my last full day in new york, i woke up and went to Cornerstone to say bye to the people i worked with all summer.

here are my summer 2010 saving graces! nur, kyra and grant. fellow interns and incredible friends who i miss so much. i miss nur's sweet spirit and cute little jokes. when i got sick one my last weeks she went on her lunch break and bought me some cough drops :) i miss kyra TONS. she'll just have to get an entire post dedicated to her. and grant, phew. i miss our sarcastic banter.

how incredible to go to a city completely alone for a summer and be blessed with such amazing friends.

ellis island

its really strange sitting in my new house and writing about an experience that happened in a different state, but ellis island was one of my favorite things i did all summer so i have to tell you!

my favorite exhibit at ellis island was called "silent voices". it featured pictures of ellis island before it was restored -- how it was found after being closed in 1954. ive always loved museums but always wonder what it was "really like". this exhibit showed me just that!

what an amazing place!

back from the dead

after about two weeks, i'm finally back from the dead and all (or mostly) settled into my new house! sorority work week is under way and come monday freshman will be walking through the chi-o house doors and we'll be singing, clapping, and chatting our hearts out!

its been a whirlwind since my return back from the big city. not only did i just right into moving in, settling in the new house and sorority stuff...but i realized about two days after being back how much it was going to take for me to really "come back" from my incredible summer.

there is nothing -- and i mean nothing -- in college station that reminds me of new york. and while i still think about it almost every minute of every day, its a little sad not walking as much any more, taking the subway, or seeing so many people in one day. the quietness is nice but theres not much people watching here in college station. i miss my fellow interns, bosses and room mates so much. talking 24-7 with them doesnt seem like enough. i have never been so thankful for a summer in my whole life.

back in texas

i know i have a lot to update you on: ellis island, beach trip, last night in the big city, etc. but, please admire the large pile of junk that is staring at me in the face right now.

i am currently sitting in my new house back in college station. im living in a old duplex that has been redone and am sharing the third floor with my besty and the entire house with 7 (yes, seven) of my best friends. what a senior year, eh?

so please know that im moving slowly, but i will surely be updating you all on my last days spent in the empire state. a summer ill never forget!

whole foods

why we dont have one in college station still baffles me. not really, i just want one super bad. i know we have them in texas but having two within walking distance from work and two from my apartment is definitely going to impact my lunch.

their salad bar gets me every time. i mean where else can you chomp into a bite of grapes, tomatoes, salmon, pasta, capers, balsamic vinegar, chicken and onion and have it be the tastiest medley your mouth has ever known?

ill miss eating it with kyra on lunch breaks and with tyler overlooking union square.

statue of liberty

this morning i woke up early and ventured down to Battery Park, bought a ticket for the statue of liberty/ellis island and hopped on a ferry! that made it sounds extremely fast and painless, which it was, but when matt and i went down earlier this summer after 11 am the wait was 3 hours long. i felt bad that he wouldnt get to go but stashed that travel secret in the back of my mind and intended on taking full advantage of it before i headed back to texas.

can i just say that i was giddy, GIDDY, with excitement. just like when i see broadways, museums and anything to do with the U.S. of A can make me super emotional. i may or may not have teared up when i saw this sign.

kyra, if youre reading this...i know youre laughing.

so i get on the ferry, secure a spot on the top deck for some prime picture taking, and pass the time trying to figure out what the asian family next to me is talking about. i just dont understand any part of their language whatsoever.

little did i know the boat would be rocking left and right. for a minute i thought i was going to lose it. but then i remembered the wholesome $.75 bagel i had on my way to the subway and my stomach settled accordingly. all i could think about was passing out by myself on the ferry, everybody crowding around me and yelling "who is with this girl? is she ALONE?"...yes, sir and madam, yes i am.

well, there she is! i would post all the pictures i took but its basically just Lady Liberty and all of her flattering angles. let me just say that thing is HUGE. i never really understood how big it was until i was right under it. i would have loved to walk up into the crown, but those tickets were sold out. so much for planning ahead, hill.

here's a pretty sweet shot of manhattan as we turned the corner towards ellis island. i opted not to get off the ferry at the statue since my camera was full enough of the green lady and all her angles. plus, i didnt feel like walking in the steamy morning heat. so i parked it on the first level with a family of sweedes and waited until everybody unloaded. a park ranger came up to me and said "uh, youre going to ellis island?" "yes, sir." i said. either he was upset that i wasnt showing my patriotic duty by standing on lady liberty's foot stool, or he thought i was a complete loser for traveling alone. whatever!

off to ellis island we were! here's our ferry.

appropriately named, aint she?