Homeward Bound

Hello out there world! I wrote this post sitting in Newark airport at the tail end of my trip and am just getting around to posting it now. I am so grateful for the amount of time I was able to spend with friends and family on the east coast. As my 10 day trip came to a close, and a left the land of fat bagels, salty pizza, and loud streets behind- I oddly enough felt refreshed and rejuvenated. I discovered a very odd concept on the trip that I felt the need to share with all of you. I moved to the west coast to have a life with my man by the beach, and to transform my life into a more relaxed, slower paced, paradise-like, daily oasis. Sometimes when we move to new places, we don’t realize the affects it may have on us. When I moved, and came back home- I started to realize how unsure of myself I actually felt in my new home out west. Having taken the past 9 months to find a new apartment, a new job, new friends, a new means of transportation to work, and even a new wardrobe, I realized that the part of me that I knew was confused. When everything is new, nothing seems to be familiar or feel the same. This was a great way to venture outside of your comfort zone, but sometimes you just need to, well…go home. This trip home not only gave me back the sense of confidence of who I really am and want to be (regardless of whether or not that is the norm on the east or west coast) and feel re-energized in my mission in life: which ultimately, is to serve others. This big city visit also re-ignited the fire inside of me to bust my butt for what I am truly passionate about. And this trip reminded me of my top priority: spending time with friends and family that I love. I know in my last post when I had first arrived to NYC, I mentioned my curiosity for whether or not I would be perceived as different and if I would feel like I had changed. Oddly enough, I realized that   I am more flexible, I go with the flow more often,   am way more health conscious then over before, am more calm, and no matter what...  I still love NYC bagels…and that will never, ever change :)

I want to thank all of my friends and family for making this trip so special, for allowing me to have almost no schedule, and for experiencing all of the beauty and joy that NYC and New England have to offer with me. I miss you dearly and am signing up for my Jet Blue frequent flyer card now :)

xoxo AA

Oh how sweet it is

Hey out there world! I am SO SUPER excited to let you know that I am blogging live...from NYC! Good old Girl in the Big City is back....for 10 days. :) I am here on vacation with my man in uniform to visit family and friends in one of the most vibrant places on the planet. It has been 9 whole months since I last experienced the bright nights and long nights...I for sure left my beach shrug behind in preparation to enjoy every moment of this trip. Though I do love my man, he is fully aware of the fact that NYC and myself have been in a very serious relationship, for a very long time. So when I arrived in lovely Newark this morning at 5AM, freezing my buns off and groggy from the red eye flight, I was unsure of how my reunion with the Big Apple would feel. As soon as we drove over the bridge and I could see the lights and scrapers reaching for the skies, I found that I was almost brought to tears. I love this place so much and was reminded of all of the things I learned here in my early twenties, all of the amazing memories I had, and all of the truly real life experiences I was able to encounter. I found myself wondering, 9 months later, since I had left- had I changed? What had I learned in my 9 months away that was different from my experiences in this big city? What had I tried to make as my contribution to this huge world when I was so far from what I believe to be its epicenter? Though inspiration came rushing back into my veins (which is most likely why I am writing day 1 into my vacation)- I realized how how happy I was to be in the place that I am in. I realized I was glad to be a visitor and not a resident this time around. I was relieved to know that I could in fact enjoy the city and not let its sometimes ever present grind fall upon me. I could take the calm, yoga, and meditation practices I learned on the west coast and apply them here. To make my experience more enjoyable. I realized another thing- which may have nothing to do with my move but rather my own transition. I am finally finding myself at a place in life where I am truly dedicated to living out my life's passions- whether or not that fits into a size 0 Nicole Miller dress. I realized, I had learned so much about what it was to be a passionate person during my time living in NYC, that I was now capable to go out into the the big world and apply it to what I believe in my heart, I was put on this earth to do. So my message through all of this? Leave, live, learn, and come back. To see the city and people that raised you allows you to have a better appreciation of your upbringing as a 20 something, and a better understanding of who you are becoming. :)
xoxo AA

Stay Committed

Hey there world! I told you that you would hear from me again soon- I guess the iPhone calendar reminders definitely help to get my tush in gear- but hey, it's happening :)
Anyways, this week- the idea of commitment has been heavy on the mind and is also in part what inspired this post. Have you ever felt like you wanted something so badly that you were terrified to just do it? The past 9 months have certainly been a time of awesome change for me- change of jobs, changes of coasts, change of lifestyle. So I allowed myself to abide by the excuse of, "well, I've changed a lot this year, maybe there will be room for some more next year" and remain comfortable in my small bubble. I knew there was something tugging at my heart but I just kept trying to quiet the feeling. Until recently I realized how badly I wanted it. How badly I wanted to spread my love of food, health, nutrition, and life with the world. I realized doing this didn't have to feel like work and that it didn't have to be scary- hell I didn't know what it needed to be...but I do knew that I just had to freaking do it! And I'm not talking about building a gluten free bakery over night (though that would be utterly fantastic). I am talking about taking the small steps to create the vision you have for your life. Once you remain committed to yourself, you finally become committed to your dreams. This week I launched my 1st ever Girl in the Healthy City newsletter and video! Big deal the outside world? Not really. Big deal to me? Heck yes! The thought of even compiling the emails for my newsletter was crippling for months until I finally asked for 1...and 56 email addresses later, my newsletter was dropped! Did I seem carefree and completely scripted in my 1st video? Awesome- I had you completely fooled! I literally had to give myself a 2 minute pep talk to just hit the record button and had nothing written down prior. And holy crap I did it- small steps for man, HUGE steps for Girl in the Healthy City. Now that I've taken these steps, I'm out there...I am committed to them, and to feel committed to something you are so deeply passionate about (besides of course a wonderful romantic relationship- which I am so blessed to have) is one of the best feelings in the world. To wake up before your alarm with eyes popped open to see how many hits your video has gotten overnight- is unlike anything I've ever experienced. During the past month, I have chosen to abide by a motto that I will now forever hold close to my heart. This motto not only continues to carry me closer to my dreams, but got my 1st newsletter out and my 1st video up.



So my message to you? If you have a passion TUGGING away at you- stop ignoring it, and start giving it some attention. Instead of being intimidated by building your passion into a mountain over night, consciously and continually be COMMITTED to it- once you take that first step, you'll have no choice. Your heart, like in love, will be whisked away and taken forever :)
xoxo AA