I have anxiety and depression. And standing before you, you might not guess it. You see, mental illness is often invisible to the outside world. On a good day, it’s a distant memory of my past. On a bad day, it’s attacking my mind and body on the inside while I smile and nod on the outside, acting like everything is perfectly normal, happy and chill. Mental illness affects 43.8 million people in the U.S. (about 1 in 5 of…
A Snowy Weekend in the Berkshires
11 March 2018In need of a weekend escape from NYC, my gracious and lovely friend Kate invited me up to stay with her in the Berkshires for the weekend. It was the day after the most recent noreaster so we were greeted with a beautifully snowy train ride, which made me so happy because the winter in NYC this year has been super rainy with barely any snow! We spent the weekend playing with her dogs, eating yummy food, walking around Great…
International Women’s Day 2018: Women Who Inspire Me
7 March 2018International Women’s Day is a yearly worldwide celebration of the achievements of women around the world. While it recognizes the progress that women have made each year, it also serves as a reminder of just how far we have until we reach full equality. With the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements appearing almost daily in the news and stories of women persevering through discrimination and sexual harassment, I thought I’d take a little time to share some of the women who…
Tried and Tested Tips for Conquering Flight Anxiety
4 February 20181 in 3 adult Americans is either anxious about flying or afraid to fly. (source) I am one of those Americans. It’s OK if you are too. If you are anxious about flying or have severe flight anxiety, you’ve come to the right place. For over 6 years, I’ve tried almost every trick in the book, fought with flight anxiety and finally feel comfortable enough flying where I don’t have panic attacks every flight. Read on for my tried and…
Inside St. Paul’s Cathedral with Reformation Lates
17 January 2018It’s rare that you see photos of the interior of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. With the exception of a couple days a year, photography is not permitted inside London’s historic cathedral. My time in London was lucky enough to coincide with one of these late night, photography-allowed viewings of St. Paul’s Cathedral: Reformation Lates. 500 years ago, Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to a church door in Germany, triggering the reformation. To mark the 500th anniversary of this…
Gallery Hopping in Chelsea
11 January 2018One of my favorite activities of late has been gallery hopping in Chelsea. It’s the perfect way to spend an afternoon in NYC if you love art and wandering—especially if you don’t want to pay museum admissions or fight museum crowds. My mom was in town for the weekend, and after a delicious breakfast of tea, scones and bacon, we set off for Chelsea, ready to gallery hop our afternoon away. Where is Chelsea? If you’re an NYC neophyte, or…
Christmas in Tampa
8 January 2018This year, as with almost every year, I spent Christmas in Tampa, Florida. Christmas 2016 was a balmy, summery 86°. Thank goodness Christmas this year was a more moderate one. Still necessitating short sleeves, but not leaving me sweating! I don’t see myself ever living in Tampa as an adult, but I do like visiting over the holidays. It’s nice to have a little respite from the cold, see a couple friends and catch up with family (not to mention…
Embrace Who You Are
2 January 2018I’m weird. I’ve never had a ton of friends. I don’t like to go out. I don’t love the taste of alcohol or the way it makes me feel and would much rather spend my time drinking tea and reading/watching Netflix or hanging out with a close friend than partying the night away. (I also might be a senior citizen trapped in a twentysomething’s body, but that’s a conversation for another day…) I’m weird. I stutter when I get nervous. I…
2017 in Review
30 December 2017I can’t believe that 2017 is almost over. I feel like I say this every year, but 2017 really flew by. I officially moved to NYC, moved apartments, started a new job, traveled to three places and so much more. This post is a monster, given that each section could probably fit in its own post. But whatever. I’m a rule-breaker and I procrastinated on other blog posts in December! What I’m grateful for in 2017 My health 2017 has…
Snowfall in NYC: A Photo Journal
10 December 2017You all know I love snow, so I’ve been anxiously awaiting for this day to come. In true Lorelai Gilmore fashion, I couldn’t pass up the first snowfall of the winter without spending time outside wandering around and enjoying the snow. I also wanted to test out my camera in the snow for the first time. Luckily, my Lumix is weather sealed so I didn’t have to worry about the constantly falling snow messing up my shots! I did, however,…