The City!

And I drove in and out of NYC by myself this weekend.

I did not die, but I did come close to crashing.

I got lost.

I ran probably 3 red lights (one which was simply because I didn't know it's illegal to turn right on red in the city).

I was horrified and couldn't possibly think of doing it again.

But I'm going back this weekend.


So, I made it the majority of the way without too much craziness. Only had to retrace my steps a couple times trying to get to route 17. But once I was on the bridge, all hell broke loose. My directions didn't really match the signs and I had already re-routed when they began to match up again. So I did some blind guesswork and ended up in harlem, yes…but where in Harlem, I didn't know. I don't remember too much after that other than the almost crashing when trying to turn left… (mom, if you get a notice from NYC, that's probably why).

I managed to somehow make it to St. Nicholas, but it turned into a 1 way at some point, and I had to turn and then get completely lost again.

The good thing is that when I DID make it to the apartment, I found a place to park right in front of the building. So I guess you gain some you lose some, that kinda thing.

The night I arrived was full of relief for me. I was just hungry and shaken and glad to have finally gotten where I was trying to go. So I sat on the couch and stayed there until about 3 am, doing online things like blogging, for instance, because, I guess, I felt a little deprived.

But I hadn't stayed up that late since before I had gotten to the farm. And my body decided that, it didn't matter how late I stayed up–I was still going to wake up at my regular time, 7 in the morning. Which is actually, earlier than I normally wake up on the farm…of course. :-p

But I can't complain. I got a lot done before we went to brunch. Laundry and showering and all that. I did a lot of laundry at their place since they have a dryer. It is small, but it is there.

Brunch was incredible! We ate at elephant and castle, and all but James got apple eggs benedict on french toast. My god was it delicious! Better than what I could've possibly hoped for! (You see, I requested a tasty breakfast since here breakfast is the "eh" meal. I wanted something big and exciting on my day off!)
Then we went shopping at Trader Joe's and went home.

Oh yeah, and here's the image of me entering my sister's NYC apartment:
tennis shoes, which are now only worn on special occasions when I go off the farm
jeans with dirt stains and fresh dirt all over the bottom, knees, and butt
a once white belt that holds the jeans up above my waistline (yes, above my hips!)
a sweat-stained tank top under a plaid button up shirt
a bandanna thing over my tattered and greasy hair
my eyes are wide, and I look very shaken
and in my hand I am clutching a pumpkin

Can't you tell I'm turning into a farm-girl?
haha

But anyway, I brought the pumpkin, specifically a sugar baby, to show them how to make pumpkin syrup-which goes great on ice cream. So in the afternoon that is what we did. Cadance and I made a lot of pumpkin syrup and later James made chicken pot pie for the guests that were coming over for dinner! Dan, Poonam, and their friend Jason were all coming for dinner!

Unfortunately, I was so freaked out about driving in the city, I wanted to make sure I left before dark. And the food wasn't going to be done until after the sun was setting. So I opted to leave early.

Luckily, Kate and James were persistent and James even showed me a map (which I've come to find, are often more helpful than a GPS)! So I stayed for dinner and met Jason and got to chat with everyone. It was really neat getting to see Dan and Poonam again, and Jason was awesome as well!
They oohed and awwed at the syrup, and also at the rainbow carrots in the chicken pot pie that I had harvested!

And then, I left on my journey. And ya know what? I didn't get lost once! I even made it back in under 2 hours!! I had never been so happy to see the Keller Rd. sign, and I really did feel like I was going HOME. Which is as good of a feeling as I can get when I'm not living at home. :)

I did have a weird emotional whadda whadda on the way back, but I think it was a good one. Something that was good for me. It felt like my emotional side and my logical side finally meshed and really, I think I'm still dealing with a lot of stuff under the surface that I don't even realize! But working here has helped bring some of those things to light since the only things I really hear all day are my own thoughts.

All in all, I think it was a very good trip. Not the most relaxing day off by any means–but rewarding, certainly. I now feel much more confident about heading back to the city this weekend!