Friend-Filled Weekend

Sorry for the long break between posts! Finding a moment to write proved to be impossible amongst the chaos of this weekend. Claire and Lindsey arrived around 9pm on Friday, so we stayed up chatting and eating (of course) until who knows when that night. Then Saturday was full of adventure. We gallivanted around the West Village, stumbling upon cute boutiques and eventually ending up in the fashion district of Soho. Claire invested in a pearl-encrusted beret in hopes that she could bring a little NYC style to DC, while Lindsey and I bought matching purses...from a shoe store. This was my first impractical purchase in the City (minus Starbucks...you know my argument there), but I don't feel that bad about it considering I will wear it anytime I go out. Excellent choice.

Claire, me, and Lindsey at Dos Caminos

We ate lunch at Dos Caminos, where heaven on earth is served in the form of guacamole. I love all strange green vegetables: avocados (technically a fruit, but it tastes like a veggie so I'm putting it in this category), artichokes, brussel sprouts, spinach, etc. Thus, guac is one of my favorite foods in the world. And that's saying a lot considering how much I love all food. This place had some of the best I've ever had...right up there with my friend Paul's homemade concoction. After stuffing ourselves to the brim with an alarming amount ($24 worth...yeah, pretty impressive), we managed to eat about 1/3 of our actual meals. I personally walked home slightly bent over from over-indulgence. Now that I'm finally recovering from being sick, the gym and I are going to become the best of friends.

Waiting for the train...impatiently, it seems

Saturday night. What to say about Saturday night. Meg joined Claire, Lindsey, Brittany, and myself for some wine at our apartment while we got ready. Thank goodness Claire and Linds are the most sociable girls ever and became BFFs with Elle and Kevin (my roommates) so they didn't want to rip our heads off for being loud and obnoxious. We finally left them to enjoy an evening of peace and quiet around 10pm, making our way to the East Village. We spent the whole train ride playing with an adorable three-year-old boy named Ronald who was up wayyyy past his bedtime. After gaining his trust (I'd have a hard time being comfortable with five very enthusiastic girls grilling me with questions, too), we played an astounding 15 minute game of "do you have...?" We'd ask him if he had a certain food (pancakes seemed to be the favorite) and he'd nod excitedly, hold out his hands, and we'd pretend to take the food from him and eat it. Of course we came up with a game about food. Of course. Am I ever thinking about anything else? I need therapy.

Lindsey and me at Penny Farthing

We met up with Thompson and his friends at a place called Penny Farthing. I'm not completely sure why, but none of his friends are American. I seriously think that every person I spoke to that night had an accent of some sort...which I loved, obviously. I may have spoken to one or two Americans, but Lindsey truly didn't speak to a soul from this country. As a matter of fact, her night even included translators. Welcome to the melting pot. Side note: I made a comment about New York being the melting pot and Claire's first reaction was "Mmm..I could totally go for The Melting Pot right now." Maybe the reason I appreciate food so much is because my friends love it too...? I'm just glad we've managed to stay normal-sized. Anyway, after a few free drinks from a British guy named Andy and Claire's reunion with not one, but TWO people (only she could run into two people she knows while in a city of 9 million), we headed to a second location. Half the time I'm in NYC, I don't know where I am or where I'm going, and this time was no different. I still have no idea where that second place was.

Claire and Lindsey heading home Sunday morning...very, very tired.

Fast-forward to the following morning: I took the train home from Chelsea (don't ask) to find Claire and Linds in my bed cuddling in some disturbing corpse-looking fashion, Brittany face down on her air mattress, and evidence of late night snacking in the sink. All signs of a magical night. I slept on the couch until the girls started to stir and we went over the details of the night before. Uproars of laughter accompanied each returning memory of awkward conversations and comical shenanigans. Of course I got host of the year award for getting separated from everyone in the second place and leaving when finding them seemed like an unlikely prospect. Dumbest decision in the world. It was particularly ironic since earlier in the evening, Claire had given a tearful speech about appreciating my friendship (reciprocated, of course) while Lindsey and Brittany chimed in with the kindest words in the world. Few times have I been so touched. They spilled their hearts about how much I mean to them and my ability to be a good friend, and in return, I proved them completely wrong by giving up when we got separated. So much for keeping my reputation. I'm just glad we're so close and something like that wasn't going to change their opinion of me...and that Brittany has become a real city slicker and could guide everyone home. ;)

Me, Brittany, and Maggie in front of Manhattan in Hoboken, NJ

Claire and Lindsey caught their bus back to D.C. at 4:30pm Sunday, so Maggie, Brittany, and I spent the evening together. I wanted to spend more time with Mags since she was leaving the next day and had been staying with her brother since our sleepover last Thursday. The three of us trekked over to Hoboken, NJ in order to get tasty treats at Carlo's Bakery, home of the famous Cake Boss (T.V. show on TLC). I couldn't have asked for a more perfect afternoon. We got chocolate cannolis, cupcakes, eclaires, cookies, and strawberry cream pastries. Pageant girls in the off season....gotta love it. Sitting on a grassy field next to the Hudson River, enjoying my healthy snack (hah), and relaxing with friends, I was reminded of how lucky I am. Sure, I'm stressed almost every waking second, but I know I can persevere through this first difficult year in New York if I take the time to remember things to be grateful for. Tess grabbed me by the shoulders tonight before she left for Europe indefinitely (ugh...so depressed she's gone) and said, "Shanny. You can do this. You're strong enough to make it here. It won't stay this hard, I promise." Looking back on that moment with Brit and Mags eating our swimsuit bodies away by the river, Tess's words ring loud and true.

Excellent presentation

I'm clinging tightly to that optimism this evening, knowing that I have to get a second job and that it will be a good deal of time before I'm back to a normal level of stress. Staying positive is easier said than done. Luckily, Kevin put a smile on my face tonight when he made dinner for all the roommates. Originally, we wanted to have a roommate dinner out, but I had to pull the plug on that idea considering my finances. None-the-less, spending designated time together at home was really nice. We were able to get to know each other better as well as appreciate Kev's cooking skills: delicious dish of rice, beef, mangos, and cucumbers.

The moments I spent with Claire and Lindsey eating guac, Mags and Brit by the river, and the roommates on the couch are beautifully summed up by this quote:

"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."  ~Robert Brault