NYC: New Year Brings New Hopes

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! It's 2011! :D

For the first time ever, I actually celebrated New Year's Eve.

Every year, my family keeps it low key...and by low key I mean seriously low key. We're usually just playing on the computer or the Wii for most of the day, and then when it's the last 30 minutes or so, we'll watch the NYE TV coverage (aka the video of the ball dropping 3 hours before).  Then we'll eat some kind of snack and bust out the sparkling cider.  Totally low key...

There are several reasons to celebrate 2010 and to welcome a new year.

1) Graduation from the University of Portland - Those last couple months as a Portland Pilot will definitely be cherished, even with all those sleepless nights and papers I wrote.  There are so many awesome memories that I made with my friends that shadow those lows, like when they kidnapped me to VooDoo Donuts, when we ventured downtown, when we went to the many successful CPB events, when we made those hilariously fun dance videos and soo much more! :D

2) Summer Travels - Although it was a summer without studying abroad, it was fun to travel to Colorado, different places in California, and back up to Oregon.  And what made it better was being able to spend time with my family and friends.  It was such a chill summer.  However, it really sucked applying for all those jobs and not getting any response back until...

3) NEW YORK CITY! - I know I've probably said this a million times, but honestly, I definitely was not planning to be in New York City 6 months after graduation from college.  It has been a whirlwind of success so far, and I'm excited to see what the new year brings...

Here's to 2011!!

To welcome in the new year, Ben and I went to Times Square and waited for a good 8 hours for the ball to drop. We ended up on 49th Street and 7th Avenue.  The view isn't bad from there, but we definitely wish we were closer to get the sweet hats and streamers.  Definitely good to know for the next time I go on this escapade to Times Square on New Year's Eve!

The experience was one to remember.  I don't know how many times I thought about how surreal this is.  Everything about being here in NYC has been surreal.  It's like living a dream, which reminds me...

Our theme for 2010 was the year of chasing dreams! I'm positive Ben and I have accomplished the theme, especially by ending up in NYC to actually chase those dreams and TCOB. Because of this, 2011 has so much promise for us...

As we begin enterprising - boldly going where we have not gone before.  (Go ahead and laugh at my inner geekiness....). But it is true. This is the first time in my life where school doesn't dictate my year.  In fact, I don't even know what the year looks like beyond the first couple months with my internships.  It is exciting, and I know this year has a lot in store.  It's just a matter of continue having that drive and motivation to accomplish everything and reach that end goal of having a career in PR/Marketing.  2011 will be the year to make it happen!

The path is already being paved with my continuing internship with City Parks Foundation and a paid internship with Baltz & Company, a boutique PR agency that specializes in food and hospitality.  I'm so excited to get started with them.  I'm also stoked to continue my internship with CPF, especially as we prep for their biggest event of the year - SummerStage.  With these two internships, I will be able to gather the knowledge and skills needed to excel in PR whether that is in the non-profit or agency setting.

But yes, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Make 2011 an awesome year! I wish the best for you! :)

NYC: What's next...?

The return to New York City draws ever nearer as the hours, minutes, seconds tick closer to my departure from home.  While I am excited about returning to the Big Apple, it also dawns on me some of the biggest decisions of my life. Well, I'm not sure if they are that huge, but right now, it seems that way. 

Most of these decisions surround my career path in public relations.  I have so many opportunities unfolding in front of me, particularly in the realm of internships, but I'm worried about taking the wrong step or going in the wrong direction.  I'm not sure if this is even possible in this industry, especially in NYC, but that's the thing - the whole uncertainty of the situation as well as making the decision without advisory, worries me.

I'm so accustomed to talking to someone through my decisions.  It reassures me that I'm making the right decision. Yes, I know I have talked to several close friends about this situation and many of them have been very supportive (thank you!).  However, these decisions still rest on my shoulders.  It's not a team effort; it's mine.

I guess this comes with living in the "real" world.  It's time to make your own decisions and hope for the best.

I know wherever I go, it'll hopefully be a rewarding experience and hopefully have both short term as well as long term benefits for my career path.

The song "Firework" by Katy Perry has been pretty inspirational!  It just makes me feel good. It makes me think that with whatever choice I make, I will be amazing because I believed and trusted in myself in making this decision.

 

Wish me luck. Decision day is coming soon...

P.S. Speaking of internships, I know I mentioned before I'm an intern for the City Parks Foundation, which hosts community building events through the parks in all five boroughs. This internship is pretty amazing because it is a good fit for me as an event planner. Things somewhat overlap from my CPB experience, but I really enjoying learning new things every day.  It also gives a different perspective of event planning since it's mostly about publicizing the events and such.  In addition, it's really neat having an internship in Central Park. It's kinda chilly on those brisk fall mornings, especially now as the temperature drops, but it's lovely seeing the scenery...

Lovely fall colors in Central Park (Nov. 2010)

The Arsenal - it kinda looks like I work in a castle. SWEET! :D

HOME {sweet} HOME!

That's right. After a solid three months in New York City, I decided to come home for a sweet little visit between the holidays.  It's a bummer not being here for the actual holidays, but I'm glad to see my family during the holiday season.  I definitely did not want a repeat of last year's stunt where I spent every break in Portland; okay, that was only a four month hiatus away from my family.  It's just weird not traveling for more than three to four months for me.  I like to travel and be on the move, in case you couldn't tell. haha

Anyway, home is such a different pace compared to New York. I felt like I was always on the run there; everything is super fast-paced.  Back home, I'm chill and just relaxed.  Enjoying home-cooked meals, wi-fi internet, and cable television all in the comforts of home.  Seriously, I barely leave the house unless I really need to.

I'm excited to be baking again. We made some sugar cookies today. Pretty basic stuff with the Pilsbury holiday sugar cookies.  They look like little coins when you put them on the cookie sheet. So tasty though! :)

I'm ready to bake some chocolate chip cookies too. YUM! :D

Also, it's a good 30 degrees warmer here, so there's no need for heavy winter coats and tons of layers plus gloves, scarves and hats.

However, this little break ends in a couple days. I wish I made this trip longer, but I don't want to get too comfortable.  I have to return to NYC to continue following my dreams and making them come true. :)