It's about time!!

It was 5 years ago................

Since I graduated from College. Eek! That was a scary thing to type! But now I am in New York and absolutely loving it - but it hasn't been the easiest journey so I decided it's time to enter this crazy world of blogging - why not? This should be interesting (bare with me!)...


When I left Cincinnati I had the car, great apartment with pool, dishwasher, washer/dryer, porch - had everything that I thought you were supposed to have or really took for granted... then I moved to NY and what a shock! You mean jobs aren't just handed out to you with your diploma? You mean your parents don't always support you? You have to pay doctor bills, those visits aren't free? I have to push a cart to the laundry mat??? Oh and I need to walk to transportation!! What?? Needless to say, I was scared!!

Life after college in NYC..........

After college most of my friends stayed in Cincinnati, went home to Indy or made the move to Chicago - while I love those cities I knew it wasn't for me... I needed something more - I needed more of an adventure... I wanted to pursue other dreams and other career paths different from the everyday teachers and nurses... but I don't think I realized exactly what I was in for...

I remember when I 1st moved to this crazy city with just a suitcase in hand, staying at Kat & Chris', while being extremely stylish in the black (as Michelle likes to call them) "baggy butt pants." (sorry for saying the "b" word mom!)... Yep, I remember like it was yesterday, getting off of the train on 5th avenue making the 10 block walk to my 1st job in the big apple as a Personal Shopper.... Now you’re probably thinking to yourself, "How much fun a Personal Shopper on 5th Avenue??? So she must have worked somewhere FABulous like Saks, Bergdorfs…" nope! It was American Girl Place!

I was incredibly confident as I walked down 5th Avenue, loving life and couldn't wait to get started! I couldn't wait to get my "office," my "phone," and my "computer..." NOPE again! That's not how it works out at all - we were sharing, what? Oh, and then the kids with the bigger than life diamond earrings and real Gucci bags demanding that their "Personal Shopper" carry their dolls. REALLY? Is this what a private school in Indiana and 4 years at Xavier got me? You have got to be kidding me!

Or I guess the question is, am I just kidding myself because I feel like I should be 'entitled' to something different - what happened to what our parents always used to say - that you have to work from the bottom up, why do we now think we can skip the bottom part?

Luckily it was at AGP where I met 2 of my very close friends, Michelle & Michelle aka "Sertz." The moment we knew we were destined to be life-long friends was when our manager taped "Sex and the City" at home on her VHS and brought it to work asking if anyone missed last nights episode and none of us had cable so we would fight over who borrowed it 1st. I was so thankful to FINALLY meet friends in this intimidating city! I knew our friendships were fate from one simple fact, our love for SATC. From our SATC ring tones to themed b-day parties, the cosmo girl nights, you name it we did it- it was an obsession. One night someone even yelled out their car window when we were walking in Times Square, “Hey SATC Girls!” We loved ourselves! I love NY!

I think Miranda & Carrie said it best:
Miranda: Why do I think living in Manhattan is so fantastic?
Carrie: Because it is.

It was as my mom says, "while I was working my way up in the world" that I learned the biggest lessons. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. My new friends taught me how to get rid of my midwest ways (for the time being of course) and start acting like a true New Yorker. (Whether that meant pretending I was busy organizing my files while in fact reading US Weekly or not, ha!) We dealt with so many issues at AGP from a crazy Staten Island woman threatening Michelle's life over a stupid doll in which I had to call security (red shopping bags please!), "Annie" double booking a huge group of kids and moms and Michelle & I dealing with the problem the best that we could which included running to Friday's across the street begging and pleading our case for them to help us (damn Annie!) taking over tons of doll high chairs to create the AGP experience there, learning how to deal with all different walks of life, filling in when we were needed and not asking why we had to, just helping. You meet the little girls that have all of the money in the world and buy-out the store and the little girl who had been saving her allowance for 2 years to get that 1st doll and pays you all in quarters or the little girls who's last wish is to come and experience the store and you are the lucky person to spend the special day with her... the stories speak for themselves. All of these experiences definitely created life long lessons that I will always carry with me forever.

During my last months at AGP I was working 2 jobs, 7 days a week, about 70 hours+. My 2nd job was as an intern at Marsh in their Events dept and finally by June of 2005 began full time as an event planner. All of the hard work and tough times finally paid off and now I am traveling all over the world planning events. So I guess it is true... those smaller jobs that help you get to where you want to be.

So I think the moral of the story is - stick it out through the tough times and stay positive, surround yourself with amazing friends (like my IM buddies Kristan & Susie!!) and as long as you are trying the hardest you possibly can every second of the day to accomplish your dreams, you will! Have the courage and determination to succeed and to be the person you are meant to be.

"It’s a funny thing about life: if you refuse to accept anything but the very best, you will often get it."

So that's a little bit about the past 5 years of my life - now we'll see what's up next!

Carrie: "When I first moved to NY and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I just felt it fed me more."