A Place to Call Home

It's only been a week, but I've easily assimilated to the New York City lifestyle. I grocery shop multiple times a week, take the subway and buses, plus live in a studio apartment. 

On orientation day for my NYU Medical Center internship, I met my occupational therapy supervisor who I'll be observing for the next few weeks. She and all the other therapists who deal with hands and upper extremities were so welcoming and continue to teach me new things daily about different patients and their unique cases. Also, I was granted a lab coat to wear around all day; keep in mind though, it is an odd brown/beige color (picture soon to come).

On Tuesday, I practiced making a splint (the thing you wear after a cast) on my supervisor. It was probably one of the coolest things to get to do, and on my second day no less! Afterwards, I enjoyed a taco dinner with my best friend from high school who's also living in the city.

With the first five days of work over, it was off to the beach for me! 

Can you imagine spending a getaway weekend any other way?

With some time to kill this afternoon, I explored Dylan's Candy Bar and Roosevelt Island with a friend from Creighton. Despite the heat emanating from the concrete jungle, the views were worth it.

So with one week in the books, time to continue the learning experience both in the OT office and on the streets of the city!

Gina

Update from the City

Ciao friends!

NYC has been treating me well these last few days! I arrived Sunday, unpacked, and stocked up on groceries. I've already become fast friends with other interns and have (partially) mastered my bus route to work. Since I'll be writing all about my first week once it's over, enjoy these pictures while you wait for my next thrilling post!

Monthly Musings

Wow, this past week has flown by! It's been a bittersweet mid-July for many reasons. First, I finished up my last few days watching two awesome kiddos. I also got around to (finally) unpacking everything from Rome. Tomorrow, I leave Dallas to spend the rest of the summer interning in NYC. I'm so excited, but I've had to pack for the city as well as for Omaha since I'll be heading back to Creighton right after my internship. To top it off, I was seriously the luckiest girl today because I was able to grab gelato with my friend Emma from my semester abroad! It was so nice catching up and reminiscing about all things Rome.

But anyways, on to what's been on my mind recently...

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! I've already done my shopping, so hop to it! There are some spectacular deals that you really won't want to miss. 

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This week I received not only one, but two handwritten letters in the mail. Getting a letter always puts a smile on my face and writing one leaves me feeling very satisfied with myself. Reach out to a friend you haven't seen or talked to in a while and shoot a letter their way!

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I'm a book junkie; reading is probably my all-time favorite hobby. It's so easy to delve into a whole other world created by someone else. I just finished reading Four: A Divergent Collection and would recommend it to anyone who's read the Divergent series. You get a deeper look into a fan-favorite character, plus sneak a peek at what was happening "behind the scenes" so to say during Divergent.

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My two major pieces of luggage are London Fog beauties. While the price tag on these babies is quite high, Macy's is having a sale on practically every London Fog luggage piece!

I hope your summer days continue to be filled with happiness (and gelato) and unseasonably cool weather!

Gina

Scrapbooking 101

After arriving home from my semester in the Eternal City, I had two gallon-sized ziploc bags filled with ticket stubs, postcards, and other memorabilia. I've always been one to save tickets and such for that scrapbook I've been meaning to make. But, with the amount of scrapbook-worthy items I brought home, making one was on the top of my to-do list. I organized all my little memories by city and date, ready for creating this said scrapbook. 

But, where do you start?!

This was the kicker for me. I had never made a scrapbook before (despite my ticket collection), so I honestly did not know how to begin. Did I need a fancy photo album? What about scrapbook paper? How many pictures would I need?

Somehow, I managed to leave Joanns crafting store with some manilla paper and Staples with some clear sleeves and a basic black binder.

Oh, and I thought it was necessary to buy out half of the stickers Joanns sells... These are merely the remnants. 

 After a few hours and a zillion feet of double-sided tape later, my masterpiece was complete. I really couldn't be happier with the end result. Even though it's not some super crafty scrapbook, who needs something elaborate when the pictures and ticket stubs are what makes it special and recall some of the greatest memories?

My scrapbook has even found a nice home on my dresser. I love waking up and seeing it every morning!

So, without further ado, my tips to making a great first scrapbook:

1. Organize all the things you want to include in the book, from tickets to pictures.

2. Buy clear sleeves and a pack of fun paper.

3. Pick up some stickers while you're at it to fill spaces too small for memorabilia but too big to leave empty.

4. Stock up on plenty of double-sided tape or glue!

5. Design your scrapbook pages, leaving space for any pictures you may want to print and add in later. 

6. Buy a binder that fits all your pages (I saved this for last so I would buy the perfect size).

   

  

After six easy steps, you're done! See, scrapbooking really doesn't have to be as hard as the pros make it out to be.

Gina

Cheers to 21 Years

It was quite the busy weekend at my house. With the return of my four other family members from vacation and my birthday on Monday, we've really been burning the candle at both ends. Despite the bickering that is inevitable, I have loved spending time with my family the last few days. Plus, I met up with a great friend from Creighton who recently got engaged!

This year, I decided to make less of a birthday list than usual so I could be surprised instead. I'm definitely loving my new Kate Spade Sophie bag, Elie Saab perfume, and Capri Blue Volcano candle (to name a few). Even though it was my 21st birthday, it wasn't really eventful for me since I was living in Europe (where the legal drinking age is 16) for most of this year, sipping on wine and limoncello to my heart's content. But, that didn't stop me from enjoying my sangria and margarita Monday night.

Since the birthday celebrations have died down, this is my new best friend until Saturday...

Hope you had a terrific weekend too!

Gina

New on the Block

After picking my family up from the airport on Friday, I was pleasantly surprised with a small gift straight from Lilly Pulitzer on the Upper East Side.

Say hello to my new Medium Agenda in Let's Cha Cha!

Okay, so I might be in love. I've had Lilly agendas in the past, but haven't been thrilled with the size. They were either too big or too small. This medium one seriously fulfills the goldilocks void. It's a perfect size and isn't a square, making me love it even more! Also, I'm a big fan of blue (what Kappa girl isn't?), so this little buddy covers all the bases.

Can it be August already so I can start using it?

Gina

Red, White, and Blue

Happy 4th of July! 

Light the sparklers, start the grill. My favorite holiday is here!

Whether it's the association with swimming and grilling or the fact that the holiday is a mere three days before my birthday, July 4th is always a date I look forward to. And after living abroad for the majority of this year, I've determined (after many mental arguments) that America is unique in its own way. Going with the theme of "the Fourth," here are four reasons why "I'm proud to be an American":

1. The varying definitions of "winter" and "summer"
My friends up in Chicago may be loving the summer weather, but a Texas summer usually consists of over a hundred degree heat multiple days in a row. Flip the seasons and you'll have every Chicagoan wanting to take a trip down to the Gulf for winter. Even without Hawaii and Alaska causing an even greater imbalance, seasons are extremely varied in our country that spans an entire continent. Plus, there's not too many countries where you can ski and surf in the same day.

2. Good customer service

I have a feeling this one may be shocking to some, but we seriously have great customer service in this country. For the most part (emphasis on this phrase), companies will help you in any way possible. When I had a little trouble with Amazon last month, the problem was solved after a phone conversation with a representative. Despite the gigantic nature of our corporations, American businesses do it right in the customer service field.

3. Endless options as far as good ethnic food

All ethnic foods are pretty much represented in every city in the United States. Now, I'm not talking about those awful chains like Olive Garden (gag me, especially after having lived in Italy). I'm talking about real authentic ethnic food. Granted, these restaurants can be found all over the world, but the abundance and quality of them in the US really can't be matched. Also, a burger abroad just isn't the typical juicy American burger.

4. Intense national pride

Yeah, no explanation necessary.

Obviously, the list could go on. But despite the flaws our society has (nobody's perfect), let's celebrate the stars and stripes made possible 238 years ago.

Gina