Highlights of 2017

Lots of life has happened this year! I spent a bulk of the beginning of 2017 back in Kentucky helping my parents as my dad recovered from sepsis. During my time there, it was also discovered that he would need surgery to correct a triple retina tear in his right eye. Despite the hurdles, we had fun spending time together, ate at nearly every restaurant in Owensboro, and managed to see all the Best Picture nominees.

When I returned to New York on Valentine's Day, Chris and I began putting our relocation plans into high gear. I was making networking calls, applying to jobs, and taking phone interviews in a number of cities across the mid-west. Eventually, we narrowed our prospects to Nashville, TN, Louisville, KY, or Columbus, OH. All three cities had advantages and disadvantages. I had a couple of interviews in Nashville, but things just weren't seeming to pan out there. In late April/early May, I spent three weeks at my brother's house in Lexington with meetings in both Nashville and Columbus sandwiched between being auntie extraordinaire, my niece's 5th birthday party, and my other brother's medical school graduation.

There still hadn't been quite as much movement on the job front for me as we had hoped, but we knew moving away from the expense of New York City when our lease expired in August was the right move for us. In mid-July, Chris and I made a trip to Columbus for a week where we both had some really encouraging networking meetings. After spending some time in Columbus, we felt like it was the right place to pursue. We squeezed in some birthday fun with our nephew in Lexington before heading back to New York to pack up our apartment.

After 10 years of living in crazy busy NYC, it was much more difficult that I expected to say goodbye. Once we officially made our decision to move to Columbus in mid-July, I began the overwhelming task of packing up our apartment. It was a small space to begin with so adding boxes everywhere made it especially daunting. In the end, we got it done.

In mid-August, we loaded up our packed to the brim U-Haul and made the journey to Columbus. We decided to rent a townhouse (more than triple the amount of space we had in NY for roughly a third of the cost!!) in Dublin, which is roughly 20 minutes from downtown Columbus. Upon arrival, we promptly bought a car (our 1st major purchase as a married couple) and began our life here.

We drove back to New York for one final week. I was able to complete my Level 3 Improv Intenstive with Magnet Theater, and we hosted a final shindig in our nearly empty LIC apartment. It was a bittersweet week, but we left with no regrets (and one final completely full SUV load of stuff).

We spent a couple weeks getting adjusted to our new life in Columbus - checking out all the local grocery stores, securing our CAPA season tickets, and organizing our new place. We managed an extended weekend trip to Lexington to visit the Ale8 Factory, watch Brinley and Landon play soccer, and tour Old Kentucky Chocolates. On the heels of that trip, God provided an employment opportunity for me at a local YMCA as a youth development director.

I started that position the last week of September and hit the ground running. It has certainly kept me busy while allowing Chris to search for a great opportunity. We also found a wonderful church home thanks to a sorority sister of mine that lives here now as well. We spent most of the last part of the year exploring our new city, visiting (and hosting) family and friends, and simply taking a breath.

Andrea :)

A Tribute to 4310 Crescent St

While we were excited to move on to our next chapter, it was bittersweet to leave the first place Chris and I called home together. We moved into Apartment 2612 in late August just prior to our October nuptials. We had intended for Chris to just move into my former place on West 46th Street after the wedding and try to find a place together when that lease ended the following Spring. Coming home to an eviction notice (due to the owners selling the building) on August 1st had not factored into our plans.

I was a mess to say the least. I had lived in my midtown Manhattan apartment for nearly six years and though I knew I would eventually be moving, I hadn't intended to do that two months before our wedding - which was to take place back in Kentucky. I was completely overwhelmed with everything that would need to be done and packed. Talk about terrible timing - ugh!

Chris took over the apartment search so I could just focus on sorting out my things and packing up. He wanted to live in Queens. I was more hesitant, but I was convinced after we discovered a great place in Long Island City.

We got a great deal to move into the brand new building and really enjoyed the high rise rooftop experience for our three years at 4310 Crescent Street. We lived among boxes for the first six weeks while we focused on the wedding and all the final preparations for it. That Christmas, Chris' parents gave us a couch and chair that became the centerpieces for the entire place.

We sure managed to fill the place up in a hurry, but it was a manageable space for the two of us (most of the time - ha!). Though we didn't take advantage of them often enough, it was amazing to have a gorgeous rooftop area with a view of Manhattan's East Side and a gym on the ground floor.

Everything you needed was in walking distance. We were close to many great running routes. It was truly the perfect space for us as we began our married life. We have so many wonderful memories of this place we turned into a home together. From fun gathering with friends to hosting out of town company to simply going through the highs and lows of our life together, it was an place we'll never forget. Cheers to all the good times at 4310 Crescent Street!

Andrea :)

Harlem 5K

After dozens of New York Road Runner races over the past seven years, I felt excited about making the Harlem 5K my last. I spent most of my time packing boxes and shuffling them around the apartment so we could still live in their midst all summer so running hadn't been my top priority. However, something just felt right about capping off my time in New York with a 5K.

I'd never done the Harlem 5K before mostly because the hills in Central Park were more than enough for me. I wasn't too interested in the challenge of the Harlem hills I had heard about in this race. In the end, I was too worn down for them to be a challenge at all.

I gave it a good faith effort, but I ended up having to walk/jog most of this one. My 13:31 per mile time is proof. At the end of the day, I still enjoyed the experience and the closure it brought as we prepared to move away from the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple.

Andrea :)