It's Been Awhile....

Sorry it's been a few days, friends.... it's been busy! Let's do a quick re-cap on life in the midwest:

Last week was midterms week. I have yet to find out my stats grade, but feeling pretty good overall about how the two exams went. I am trying to keep things in perspective, however, should stats NOT have gone so great because, well, there is no need to fret about things that've already happened that we can't reverse, right? Ahhhh, if only we could really, truly live by that mantra.
Last week was also the week of friends! By that I mean, Monday night I was invited to new friend Heather's house for dinner when she heard Chris would be working late (thoughtful and fun) and I had an awesome time. The food was yummy and the company was even better. Check one- Mariah made a friend in Indiana, 100% on her own :)
Tuesday night was girls' night- Mer and two of her friends from dance and I got together for dinner, drinks and Disney. With bellies full of lasagna and wine (ooo and bread, salad, and pumpkin cake), we watched Aladdin, sang along, and just enjoyed ourselves. You might think that sounds like a very childish activity, but let me tell you something... there is nothing more soothing and smile-inducing than a night where you feel like you're 8 again. And Aladdin still looks good in those pants. I don't care if he's a cartoon.
Wednesday night I got up the motivation to go outside and run (I think I ran twice last week but that may be a bit generous) which is good since next weekend (October 30th) is the 10k for Haiti in St. Louis. And Holly is literally going to leave me in the dust at the rate I'm going. But the run went well and felt good and after Chris and I ate Indian food and planned for our trip (more to come on this)....
Thursday I finished the final final (seriously), considered treating myself to a beer, remembered I had to nanny at 2:30, decided against it and then moved on. Packed for the NYC trip, raced off to nanny, got my eyebrows waxed so I would have two instead of one, and met Mer for pizza and wine. MMMM.....
Then, on Friday morning at 5 am, after 4 hours of sleep, Chris and I raced to the airport (literally raced, because we were behind schedule and planned poorly) to the airport to leave for NYC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not kidding when I say we were sprinting through the airport to the gate a la Home Alone. But we made it (WHEW) and at 3 pm, we were checking into a Hilton Garden Inn in Tribeca.
Let me put out a disclaimer before I forge on: Friends who live in NYC, I am sorry to the 10th power that we did not call while in town but you must understand that this was the whirlwind 2.5 day tour and mini vacation for us.... After 2.5 months of transitioning into this new little world and life, we needed a break from reality and so cashed in on part of Chris's Christmas present for a fun weekend rendez-vous. Next time we are in the area, we will absolutely be calling/getting together :)
NYC was absolutely amazing. I am a city girl at heart, I would say. I like walking quickly and am fairly impatient in many ways, so I always feel like I fit right in. Plus there is this awesome energy that just hits you the second you're there. I don't know what it is... it just makes me want to tap dance on Broadway or something. Chris and I were talking about going to school at NYU at one point and he mentioned that there was no big football or sports team and not really a campus and while I agree with the no campus part being a little less than ideal for undergrad (solely in my opinion), the no big sports and football would've been fine with me! It's perfect. No trying to fake enthusiasm.... people just work hard at school, go to coffee shops and open mics...........art gallery openings? Film festivals? I don't know, this is probably all very stereotypical, but it is so a world I would love to be a part of.
I digress. So Friday when we got to the city, we walked around Chinatown and Little Italy and ended up eating at an incredible restaurant where most of the patrons were speaking Italian. We decided that was a good sign. After that, we stopped for cannolis and coffee (which we ended up leaving in the fridge in the hotel, oops) and then did a little shopping. Come to find out, however, NYC was/is having a big bedbug problem and buying clothes was probably not the best idea? Oh well.
After that we took the subway to Times Square, which was just breathtaking as usual. I know people think it's a big awful tourist trap, but I could care less. It's constantly bustling, there are bright lights and signs everywhere, there's music playing, people hassling you to love jesus or go see a comedy show, and plus, it just smells good (like roasted nuts and pretzels). We took some cool pictures, checked out the Hershey and M&M stores, then headed uptown for dinner and dessert at Serendipity 3 (YES- the one from the movie!!!!!!!!!!!) It was so fun... and we had the frozen hot chocolate dessert which was obviously to die for.
Saturday we stopped at a deli (question mark) for breakfast and then made our way to Wall Street and the Financial District. We walked passed Ground Zero, saw the NYSE and the bull, and took more pictures. We tried to take artistic photos of each other but I will just say that those things make me laugh. In no way was I built to model. Most of the time I pose myself in this awesome way which results in a double chin, lazy eye and hair in my face.
After our exploration there, we went to Grand Central Terminal and then I showed Chris where I interned the summer after junior year in college. It was cool to be back there! We walked all up and down fifth avenue, in and out of stores, and stopped at Rockefeller Center to watch the skaters. Next time WE will skate as well but it was taking too long and the zamboni was rather slow.
We poked our heads into Radio City Music Hall, saw the NBC studio, and even went to St. Patrick's during mass where Chris took pics and I lit a candle (tradition). Then, having walked a billion miles, we decided it was time to break for dinner.
We waited for almost an hour at John's Pizzeria but it was really good! Then after that we went to the Empire State Building and waited for about an hour in that line to go to the observatory. It was sooooo cool- the whole city was lit up and my god, it is HUGE. Definitely worth the wait.
Now, blame it on the walking or lack of water, but when we got to our final destination (O'Neill's irish pub) it took about 1.5 beers before I felt my legs do that tingly thing they do when I drink. We were all smiles and laughs (and very rosy-cheeked, I might add) while we crammed ourselves into whatever space we could find at the bar and listened to live irish music. The perfect ending to a perfect day.
Sunday we played it a little more low key. Got a bit of a late start and then ended up in Greenwich Village. We had lunch at Spice (thank you, Christie and Zach for introducing me to that!!!!!!!) and then just putzed around and looked at NYU, Union Square, etc.
When it was time to leave, we had a CRAZY taxi driver take us back to the airport. There was some accident halfway there so traffic was bumper to bumper for a very long time. He kept swearing under his breath and at one point drove across the grass to the other side of the highway to change his course. We were just clutching hands in the backseat, trying not to look at each other. When we got to JFK, the line at security was also a mile long and (just like our departure), and had to sprint to the gate as they were calling our names. Nothing like keeping that heart rate up.
It was just the perfect weekend and exactly what we needed. It also reminded me that being in a new place together is exciting and to keep reminding myself that even though Indy is a little challenging for me at times because I feel like I'm trying to find my way in a pre-Mariah world of college, sports and co-workers, that there is still plenty of time and space for new memories, places and experiences. It was good to gain that perspective and just have stress-free fun together.
Now it is Wednesday and I am doing my best to stay on schedule with school work this week. I feel like I've done a decent job so far so hopefully I can keep the momentum up. And Holly, you will be proud... I ran again yesterday. Only 7 miles next Saturday right??? OYYYY.
Finally, guitar lesson 1 this Saturday (WOO), and the purchase of my bridesmaid's dress for my darling cousin's wedding. Very exciting!!! Love weddings!

Ok, that is all for now...um, wait... I feel like I'm supposed to leave you with some positive thought for the day or week or something. Ok, how about this- "Life begins outside of your comfort zone." Saw that on a card... Loved it.
To a happy, healthy week and weekend!
XOXO