109/365

109/365, originally uploaded by britrosewhite.

Well, I'm home. And I realize it would be way more appropriate for me to do a NYC wrap up post tonight, but I'd rather make it good and not sloppy. It would be super sloppy if I tried to do it right now.

I took this picture from the cab on the way to the airport this morning. I always forget the nice view of the city that comes along with the ride. Probably because I'm normally stressed that we'll hit an hour worth of traffic within two miles of the airport exit.

But I appreciated the goodbye today. I sat comfortably in the back seat, drank my coffee, and didn't think about it enough to get emotional. Just enough to be thankful. It was a good trip.

THANK YOU, AUNT JUDY!

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I'm back and it's morning and the garden is blooming and my clean, healthy, groomed-up dog is by my side. And I had coffee. So let's get on with it!

Saterday - pause, yep! I just spelled it Saterday. And I couldn't even recall the right spelling for a second there. Guess I'm still in need of a little recovery.

SATURDAY afternoon, Tim, Claire, and Grover picked me up from the airport. Then we went for lunch at a French cafe in Carroll Gardens.

Grover and Momma, Claire.

I even snuck a picture or two with him!

I was a little greasy after the plane. I think Grover was cool with it, though.

I spent Sunday in Brooklyn. I could spend every day in Brooklyn. I love Brooklyn. And I love Sundays in Brooklyn.

Sundays were when we most often had family dinners on Alison and Nate's porch.

This is the only picture I got of the three of us. I'm hunched over because I'm afraid of being tall. Why is this the only picture we took? And it's the only one I have of Kate! That's my biggest regret of the trip. Kate's lack of face time does not correlate with the love I have for her, just so everyone knows.

Sunday night it rained, so I slept awesomely. I LOVED sleeping with the city sounds. I still have trouble sleeping in the silence here. Every little thing sounds like a crazy person trying to break in to the house.

By Monday morning it was misting a little but I went out to run the loop in Prospect Park. It felt amazing! By my calves are still sore from that uphill battle that is pretty much all of mile 2.

Alison and I went into the city after that and walked through the market at Union Square.

One of my favorite places on earth.

And we got soy iced coffees at City Bakery, which featured some familiar decorations:

Yep, those are marshmallows. You may recall my sugarless marshmallow fiasco.

Here's another place I really love. Columbus Circle. It was still a bit rainy on Monday, but it was a good rainy. And it broke the humidity. Monday was busy: run, city with Alison, lunch and manicures with Kate, meet Samantha and adorable children that I love and miss, walk through Central Park, take this picture:

Swoon over this picture, keep walking through the park, stop by the Apple store, buy an expensive iPhone case from my new friend, Carlos, walk to Alice's Tea Cup for dinner, tea, and scones with these amazing people:

Girls I love, love, love from City Church. I was so humbled and blessed that they ventured up to the East Side to hang out with me. Or to eat a pumpkin scone. It could have easily been the pumpkin scone.

Regardless, they still all took pictures with me!

Sarah, who sent the hilarious e-mail convincing people to come out. Also, Sarah, who is going to Africa with me for two weeks this summer! Then abandoning me there for a few months.

Claire, who is basically my sister.

Linette, who is one of the sweetest people I know and who works at Scholastic (coincidentally, I went to the Scholastic bookstore in Soho for the first time and wanted to die I was so happy).

Kareen, who is a jewelry designer and who constantly cracks me up.

Mel, who had already had a few contractions but STILL CAME WOOOW and who had her second daughter, Lucy, YESTERDAY. What a woman.

Krista, who moved to New York and lived with her sister which made me jealous and want to live with MY sisters but I quickly got over that because Krista was so sweet and cool that I figured I could forego living with my sisters for awhile and just hang out with Krista instead.

And Emily, Krista's said sister, who I am so happy for because of her new job with BENEFITS! And who was one of my first friends and City Church. Made me feel welcome and at home right away.

After that, I headed down to meet Caleb and Samantha and Kate and my roommate replacement, Nate, at a show. A show that I missed. Night one that I walked up to a venue and the band was already standing outside. But it's okay, we drove up to Harlem, got some ice cream, and went to sleep.

By the way, I don't know how this play-by-play is going to be received. Do you even care?

I guess no turning back now.

Tuesday!

Coffee in Greenwich Village with Samantha and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

I want that right now.

Then Samantha went to babysit and I went shopping in Soho.

Then we met up at Snack for lunch. Greek food. Really good. I ordered this salad:

It was awesome. But I was incredibly distracted by the girl Samantha was sitting for. I took pictures of her...for the sake of art. Okay?

I'm sorry. I'm a little excessive.

After lunch, umm....hmm. Oh, I remember. I walked uptown and stopped in a few places, including Jacques Torres. You might remember my great cookie experiment which featured Jacques' dark chocolate chip cookie.

I felt the need to further my research and taste one of his own.

It was good. Looked very much like my replicas, but was a bit fluffier. All around, A plus.

Eventually, after walking by Ellen Pompeo in the West Village (I wasn't going to tell you, but why not?), I met up with Kate and Alison for a late lunch/green tea/cookie and Magnolia Cupcake sharing afternoon. And I waiting in line with Alison for her NYU grad apparel. Way to go Alison!

How many NYU grads can't figure out how to wear their robes?

Probably more than one.

After NYU it was back to Brooklyn for a brief rest, more iced coffee, and a walk over the the Gillens for Thai food and Booklyn pizza and LOST.

Then I booked it back in to the city to watch Caleb impersonate Lady Gaga. Night two that I arrived at the venue and the band was already standing outside!

Caleb as Gaga.

The show was at Caffe Vivladi, which is where Caleb's first ever New York show was. I was there and took this picture:

That was three and a half years ago.

And a few nights ago. Caleb's doing pretty awesomely.

On to Wednesday!

Wednesday morning I went back into the city with Alison and I felt like I was going to work. Morning rush, Herald Square...it was strange. But I didn't go to work (yet), just met up with Ryan again and walked around for a few hours.

Then I DID go to work. I was nervous! But for no reason. It sure was strange to get in that elevator. It felt like no time at all had passed. I absolutely loved seeing everyone.

Here are Lauren and Brooke. Brooke is a crazy person because she decided to hire me as an intern based on a phone call she had with me while I sat on my front porch in Nashville, praying that I wouldn't say something dumb or lose phone service. But a year later I was working for her dad across the hall! All because Brooke is a crazy person. In a really, really great way.

And Lauren, who became one of my best-ever work friends after we bonded over co-ed sports, television shows, and books. And a certain Mariah Carey Christmas song.

Here's a peek at Brooke's CD collection in her office. So, so many CD's in that place.

I spent about two hours there before I finally looked down at my phone and saw a text from Alison: "Want to take a picture for the New York Times?!"

So I met her down at Union Square and I took a picture for the New York Times!

Check it out in the website: Let's Create a Magic Garden

Am I exhausting you? Are you even reading this or are you just looking at the pictures?

I was exhausted. Still am. So I got some ice cream from the truck.

Before Alison and I stopped by the Cake Supply Store for my cookie-cutter-viewing pleasure.

And Alison pointed out the statue on top of the Flatiron Building that caused the NYPD to alert the city that it was in fact a statue and not a jumper:

Shortly after this, Alison and I found ourselves sitting in a place that we never ever imagined in a million years we'd be sitting:

Yeah, we went there.

It was on the way to the restaurant we were going to meet a bunch of people at for Cinco de Mayo and we needed to pass some time and my feet hurt so bad. We were desperate.

But really, it's not so bad when you're sitting amidst the chaos and not trying to walk through the chaos. And it made us put on our perspective glasses and remember how magical Times Square was before we moved to New York. So really, it was a good moment.

Oh, but don't tell certain people in my family I went there. If certain people ask, I avoided it at all costs because of the bomb scare.

After this, the comedy of errors occurred, and Alison and I found ourselves meeting her husband, Nate, back in Brooklyn. We were hungry and thirsty and tired, so when this moment finally happened...

...we were rather happy and grateful.

And there you have it.

The next morning I woke up and grabbed a bagel and coffee from my favorite old place down the street, called a car, and waved goodbye.

I am so happy that I went. To see all those faces again and to feel happy and stress free was amazing. It was almost like a book end. Like a happy closure instead of a weepy one. I still want to go back and visit as much as I can, but I know now that some doors are closed for good and it doesn't hurt so much anymore. I have a lot of hope and a lot of expectancy for the future.

But I still, without a doubt, am absolutely in love with New York, and that's never ever ever gonna change.