Time is winding down....

Hello my lovely blog followers!

I'm sorry its been so long since I've written! After we spent 4 days in Maine we drove down to Vermont so spend more time with Charles' family. We spent the week there just hanging out, going to parks, hiking, riding horses, and eating very lovely meals! After our week there we returned home.

Last Sunday was my birthday, so Kristen was nice enough to give me money to go out for a nice dinner with Leah! We went to Otto, a restaurant owned by the famous chef, Mario Batali. It was hard to understand the menu since everything was written in French, but once we had the food we were overly impressed! In honor of Iowa, Leah and I ordered a sweetcorn gelato for dessert. It was fabulous!

The rest of this week I've been busy taking care of the kids from 8am-3pm. We've done really fun activities! We went to a dino festival that had arts, crafts, inflatable rides, and face painting. Yesterday we went to a Children's museum that had really fun toys and other activities for the kids. NYC has endless activities for kids!

Last night I went to an outdoor movie on the Riverwalk with my friends Laura and Michelle. It was so fun! We were front row and enjoyed a picnic of cheese and wine. This weekend I plan on hanging out with Leah one last time before I leave on the 20th!

It will be a bittersweet once I have to leave. I finally felt like a New Yorker, and I'm just starting to really appreciate what it has to offer. This city truly has everything, so I understand why people flock here. I've never been so amazed at all the different people on this small island. NYC is so cultural, and it really gave me a better worldview. If it weren't for great family and friends, I think coming back to Sioux Center would be really hard. I might be in shock, and it'll be hard to get used to driving an hour to eat at a decent restaurant and shop at just an "ok" store. I need to keep reminding myself though that those things are not what life is about. Life isn't about having the best restaurants, clothes, stores, or access to what YOU WANT. Its about accepting and appreciating what you have. In small town Sioux Center I have wonderful family, friends, community, church, and college to look forward to. That is all I need!