Ana's Birthday!!

Well, it's 2 am and I can't sleep so...time for a post!

Ana's birthday is this Friday the 10th so we're having a little New York City celebration. Ana's friend from NC, Toni, will be here Thursday night and we're gonna start off her trip by heading up to Rockefeller Center to look at the Christmas tree. None of us have been up to see it since it's lighting last week so I'm excited to be a little touristy. :)

Friday we will be doing whatever Miss Ana's heart desires during the day. Then, that night, we will be heading to dinner with friends and then starting the night at our favorite neighborhood bar, The Horsebox. After meeting up with friends and having a few drinks the night will continue in an epic fashion I'm sure. I'm not the most creative person but I do have a few birthday surprises lined up to hopefully make Ana's 27th very special for her. I think we can pull it off...


On a side note...if you can't see my slideshow of photos, click on the View All Images button and it should take you to a link that will bring it up. I'm not very computer savvy so I'm not sure why it isn't working on here...

Until next time...

City Life--Update

Again...totally slacking on posting but I've had a request from the lovely Taylor White to update my blog so here it is!

Still absolutely loving life in the city. As always, a few more dollars in the bank account would be nice to enjoy everything this magical place has to offer but there is plenty to do and enjoy for free too! A great friend of mine from South Dakota, Dustin Bonnett, was in town for Thanksgiving so I was able to enjoy the holiday with him checking out Ground Zero, Battery Park, and Time Square. We pretty much have been saving all the touristy stuff to do when friends and family visit which works out perfectly!

On the job front: As I posted earlier I got a job at TGIFridays in Time Square. For those of you I've talked to recently, it was not so lucrative. It was also the most unpleasant work experience I've ever had. They aren't too keen on treating people with respect and they were certainly not taught the golden rule. Needless to say, even after starting work there the job hunt was still on. Well, the good Lord was looking out for me and I landed a job at a local joint called Reservoir Bar that's about a 15 minute walk from my apartment. I've been there for about a week and a half and it's been great. All my co-workers are amazing and the owner comes in regularly to check on things but pretty much just trusts us to do our jobs. I'm really excited about the position because I have a set schedule so it allows me to have some structure and plan things. I've also got some ideas that I am going to throw into action come the first of the year but I'll get into those at a later date...

For now, I'm going to leave you with a slide show of my adventures. Enjoy!

Blessed

So today was supposed to be a bum day and I ended up being way more productive than I intended. After getting my life on track for the day and feeling good about what I'd accomplished I got to thinking and I realized something kind of amazing. For the first time in a really long time I finally feel like I'm living my life and not just preparing for it. For as long as I can remember, my life has been all about getting ready for the next step. I guess I feel that way especially because it was such a long process to move to New York that everything just seemed to be on hold until I got here. I've always kind of had that live in the moment, this is your life so enjoy it kind of mindset but I really didn't understand how the move was affecting me until I stopped today and it just hit me. I instantly had a smile on my face and felt so blessed to know that this is my life and all I have to do is live it and enjoy the gift. I also want to thank my family and friends for making my life what it is...pretty amazing.

"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin-real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one. Happiness is a journey, not a destination." --Souza

The Job Hunt...

Looking for a job has been a very different experience in NYC but I finally found one. After going on 8-10 "open calls", a couple interviews and second interviews I got a job at.......



While I'm a little hesitant to work in a corporate restaurant (all the restaurants I've worked at have been privately owned, famliy restaurants) I think there are a few positives to consider. One, I should make pretty good money thanks to the millions of tourists trolling around midtown every year. Two, the staff will be large which will give me a great opportunity to meet a lot of different people. And three, I think it will give me the motivation I need to look for a full time job ASAP!! ;)

I start orientation this Monday, October 25th and I'm more than ready to get back to work after being unemployed for a month. While I've been enjoying my time and the city with so much free time my bank account has felt it and it's time to get going! I'm sure I will have an update soon and how corporate life is treating me...

Brooklyn Bridge :)

I got a text this morning from my cousin Debbie letting me know that her and her kids Jen and Alex were coming down to the city to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and asking if I wanted to go. This has been something I've wanted to do so even though I was a little sleepy when I first read the text, I drug my lazy butt outta bed and got ready for some touristy action!

Let me tell you...it was definitely worth it! The views from the bridge were absolutely amazing and we couldn't have had a more beautiful day to do it! With the temperature right around 70, the sun shining, and just a slight breeze, the weather was perfect for a great day outdoors!

We walked the full length of the bridge and back starting on the Manhattan side. We all thought it would be longer but it really isn't that far over the bridge so it made for a nice relaxing day. Jen took tons of pictures and I'll be posting them on facebook so you can check them out there. I'll give you a small preview now...

The first two weeks...

Since I've been slacking I'm going to attempt to catch you up as best I can and from here out I'll do a better job of posting as things happen.

In our first two weeks here we've already been having so much fun! After mom and Mitchell left we only had about 12 hours until our first guests arrived. Two of Josh's friends from Wilmington came to stay with us Tuesday and Wednesday while they were here for an event and we had a great time going out with them and sharing our first night out celebrating the move and great friends! Our first weekend here one of my best friends in the world, Chris Casteline, came into the city with his friend Dave who I've known for a while and hung out with many times and Chris' girlfriend, Amanda, who I was meeting for the first time...they got the chance to see our new apartment and we found a restaurant in the neighborhood with amazing food that I'm sure we'll be frequenting...The Blind Pig! After they left Saturday night, my great friend, Cheryl, who I worked with at Nikki's, and her boyfriend Jon came into the city and stayed with us. We went out that night and met our mutual friend Emmy who happened to be in the city for the weekend from the Pittsburgh area. We ended the weekend with cooking and football at the apartment with the roomies!

Our first night out...



My weekdays have pretty much been filled with job hunting and exploring. This past week Ana and I made a trip to the New York Public Library's main branch in midtown which is absolutely amazing and then spent the afternoon reading in Bryant Park. We were also able to get into a taping of Comedy Central Presents with my friends Chris and Mike on Thursday night and had an amazing time laughing at the ridiculous comedians. This week I'm hoping to maybe take the Staten Island Ferry before it gets too cold to enjoy and also head upstate to my cousin Debbie's house to hang out with her and her kids and enjoy the beautiful fall weather and scenery!

This weekend we were lucky enough to have another great friend in town. Ana's best friend from growing up, Baker, was in town to celebrate his 27th birthday city style! We had a great time hanging out with Baker, and making new friends with his cousin and his friends who live in the city as well. I've got more friends coming into town this week and weekend so it looks like things won't be slowing down for now...I guess that's city life!!

WE'RE HERE!!!!!

Ok...so we've actually been here for almost two weeks but as you can see by me not posting in the last two months...I've been a huge slacker. I've blamed it on being overwhelmed but let's be honest, it was mostly just plain laziness. So...I've decided to be better about it--we'll see how that goes.

Two weeks ago today, I picked up the uhaul and started loading up. We rolled outta Wilmington Saturady morning, October 2, and made the drive to Raleigh to pick up Ana and load her stuff. With the help of my stepdad, Mitchell, and Ana's dad, Wayne, we managed to fit everything in...it was tight but we made it.



After our furniture, U-Haul tetris game was over, we hit the road. We made it into Maryland, almost to Delaware when we decided to stop for the night. The next morning we made the journey the rest of the way. The trip was a piece of cake until we got to right outside the city where we ran into a few snags, but two hours later we were in front of our apartment and ready to unload!

After getting everything in, it was hard to decide where to even start with unpacking amidst complete chaos! But...we just got to it, and box by box made progress. By Monday, we had everything pretty much put together and the only things left to find a place for are still sitting out two weeks later. I imagine it will be a month or two before everything is completely unpacked and in it's place but for now we're settling in. I was surprised how fast our apartment felt like home but I'm definitely comfortable here already and am excited about what's to come!

SO much to tell...

Where to start? I suppose there wouldn't be so much to tell if I had posted some news in the last 2 weeks but I've been pretty overwhelmed. There has just been so much going on and so much that was up in the air since we got back from our apartment hunting trip that I didn't even know what to share, especially when nothing was official yet. I guess I'll start with the biggest news and then get into how we got there.

The BIG news is...we've officially changed our moving date to October 3, 2010! While we really wanted to move up September 1 for a number of reasons, the apartment we fell in love with wasn't available until this time so we had to make a compromise. Luckily, Josh was able to stay in his current apt the extra month and it was no problem for Ana and me to postpone our move one more month. AND we just got word today that our application was approved so we will be signing the lease in the next few days and emptying our bank accounts to secure the place!

After the crazy weekend we had apartment hunting, we are so thankful to have found such a nice, clean apartment that we love and can make our new home. We had a lot of ups and downs on our short trip up including: finding a great apt the first day only to find out there was already an application on it, to looking at a $3000 a month dump where I'm sure a large population of the LES cockroaches live, to spending 8 hours in the ER after Ana got food poisoning, and ending with finding the absolute perfect place only to find it wasn't available until Oct. Luckily, our last down found it's way up when Josh's landlord agreed to let him stay until October. The only problem now is that after being up there, I'm so excited to move I can't believe I have to wait another 6 weeks!

All in all, I'm so much less anxious and overwhelmed about the move after our trip. As some of you know, I was having a lot of anxiety in the last month but I'm now more sure than ever that this is what I want! Now it's time to trust God's plan and listen to the wise words of the Beatles--"There's...Nowhere you can be that isn't where your meant to be" ;)

FOUR DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok...not til we move. That's actually ONE MONTH from today! But in just four days, we will be up in New York looking for a place to live. I'm so excited to finally have our place so I can begin to wrap my head around what I can and cannot bring with me. I will definitely be downsizing!

Over the last few weeks Josh has been looking around with our realtor narrowing down the choices so that we have a good base of apartments to look at when we get there Friday morning. We will be spending Friday and Saturday looking at neighborhoods and apartments and will hopefully be able to get something locked down since Ana has to head back to NC on Sunday. If that doesn't happen, Josh and I will still be up there on Monday to keep looking or to get done whatever else we need to get done. I'll be coming back Tuesday to keep working away for a couple more weeks but hopefully with pictures of the new place and a little piece of mind.

Apartment Hunting!

Our apartment hunting trip is confirmed!!! Ana and I will be heading up to NYC August 6th to meet up with Josh and start our apartment hunt! While I will be there until Tuesday the 10th, Ana can only stay until Sunday so we have a short amount of time to get a lot done!

Because of our limited time, Josh is going to start doing some of the leg work for us with the realtor he used last year when he moved to the city. We've narrowed down the neighborhoods we want to be in to the Lower East Side--which was rated #1 by NY Mag this April for young, single, cash-strapped New Yorkers--SoHo, and any of the Villages. The plan is for him to have it narrowed down to 3 or 4 apartments that he likes that are in our price range so we have a base to look at that Friday afternoon when we get there. Depending on what he has for us to look at then and how we feel about them, we will either make our choice or keep on hunting!

It should be a fun and interesting trip for sure with hopefully only a small amount of stress!

Meet My Future Roomies!

I'm very lucky to have two great friends to move in with in NYC. Not only will it be great to share this amazing experience with them but it's going to help immensely to share the bills with them too!! First meet Ana Townsend:



Ana and I met while working at the Ale House 5 years ago. That same fall I joined Pi Sigma Epsilon, the marketing and sales fraternity at UNCW, where Ana was already a member. Ana moved back to the Raleigh area, where she is from, in Oct. of 2008 to work for Greystone Bank where she is an accountant. She is currently working on getting her Masters in Accountancy online while still working full time. She's definitely got a lot on her plate but she still finds time to make it down to see me in Wilmington quite often and I try to get up there as much as possible as well! I can't wait to be back in the same town as her having fun, fun, fun!

My other roommate will be Joshua Livesay:



Josh and I also met while working at the Ale House 5 years ago. We made a lot of mutual friends there so even after we stopped working together, we stayed good friends by running in the same circles. Josh graduated from UNCW with a degree in History. After graduating he got the itch that so many of us do to get outta town and try something new. So, last September Josh made the big move to New York City. He's been living up there since then in a one bedroom apartment in downtown Manhattan while working at Planet Hollywood as a server. Josh has an incredible zest for life and has definitely been making the most of living in New York City by exploring every chance he gets. I can't wait to start exploring with him and it will definitely be nice to have him there to help us adjust to a new city!

NYC Video

Check out this awesome video that my good friend Cameron found for me!! Makes me want to move tomorrow!!!

NYC from Kegan Kim on Vimeo.

Why NYC??

Why NOT New York?! It's amazing! :) Seriously though...there are definitely pros and cons to the big city but in the end, the pros won out.

Living at the beach the biggest con I hear from people is "What are you going to do in the winter??" My response is usually, "I think I'll be fine." Which is usually followed by a pause and then a shrug with the response, "I guess you are from South Dakota." And while my blood has thinned considerably being in the South for six years, at least for now, I'm excited for snow again! We'll see how I feel after a few months of it... I'll definitely have to help Ana out...living in the south her whole life definitely hasn't helped to prepare her!

Even with that and a few other cons (cost of living, teeny tiny apartments, etc) they just couldn't outweigh the obvious and exciting pros! An endless amount of things to do/see and people to meet, the amazing energy that lingers in the air, so many new things to explore...I could go on and on! One of the other great things about New York City that other places didn't have was that I already have some amazing friends living up there so I won't be alone when I experience a little beach homesickness! One of my best friends from home, Kimberly Nelson, will be living in Queens this year as she finishes up PA school...another of my best friends that I met while in Wilmington, Chris Casteline, lives in north Jersey, only about an hour outside of the city...another dear friend, Josh Livesay, will be sharing an apartment with Ana and me. I'm so excited to be living closer to these great friends!! In addition to these close friends, there are also high school buddies who have made there way to the city during their journeys and families of friends who live close by. It's definitely always good to know you have people who care nearby just in case.

From the beginning...

Where to start?? Well I guess I'll go back 5 1/2 years ago to the first time I visited NYC with two dear friends of mine from SD, Ashley and Beth. The three of us were "traveling buddies" and this was our first big adventure after my move to Wilmington. From that first visit I was in love! I've been blessed to travel a few places in my 26 years but there is something about Manhattan that is like no where else I've ever been. When I'm there I feel inspired and motivated just by stepping outside...much different than the beach lifestyle I've grown used to ;) I feel my future roommate described how our coming move came about perfectly so I'm going to tell it to you from the words of Ana Townsend:

"While I was living in Wilmington, my bff, Kelly, and I talked about how bored we were with our lives, how we disliked our jobs, how we were tired of doing the same old thing every weekend. We started daydreaming (and a lot of work emailing) about where we wanted to move. It went from Hawaii to Dallas to Chicago to Virginia Beach to Charleston. There were pros and cons to every location: weather/climate, travel distance from family, cost of living, jobs, etc. One of us would bring up New York, and we would both say, “I WISH!!” And then the thought would leave our minds as quickly as it came.

Later, I (Ana)moved back to Raleigh and the daydreaming was put on hold. Then one day last May we started talking seriously about it, whether both of us would actually do it. It was apparent that it was a dream for both of us, so we just said “Let’s do it!” I wrote up a little contract with financial deadlines, spending rules we had to follow, steps to take professionally (resume, school), etc. We planned a trip last October (told everyone it was just for fun) to scout it out to see if we actually wanted to do this. Well, it worked, because we both fell in love with the city. The minute we got back, planning mode was in full force.

All of this excitement, coupled with my blazing ambition to live life to the absolute fullest and use my mind in ways I never thought I could, means that this is definitely happening."

Couldn't have said it better myself--thanks Ana!! Like she said...this is definitely happening. I couldn't be more excited...and terrified!