Love is a Verb.

Sometimes it happens on purpose. Sometimes it happens because one of you changes. Sometimes it's physical distance that causes it to happen. But whatever the reason, it's inevitable that friends or people that you care about will filter in and out of your life. And it will make you sad to think about it. But if you're lucky, it will make you grateful for the relationships that you do have. And you'll work to make sure that those relationships stay strong. You'll work to show them that their friendship means more than the average acquaintance. I have been lucky to meet some of those great friends through an organization in undergrad, and I always look forward to the times when we can be together again. This past week was one of those times. 

I got to witness the set-up of the UNC Dance Marathon where fourteen executive board members and thousands of dancers came together to raise over $550,000 for the North Carolina Children's Hospital. As I travelled back to Boone late Thursday night, all I could think about was how these folks demonstrate love. When I hear the stories of the families that they've impacted, it puts everything into perspective. For that, I am grateful.

Spring break was the most relaxed I've been in a while and coming up that mountain with this past week ahead of me was a bit daunting. And snow? Oh, we aren't done with snow...

ANYWAYS, while I was at the beach, I sat overlooking the ocean for hours reading and then playing with my nephew who turned four over the break. He is the funniest and most affectionate kid I've met. (Although I am a bit biased). His ninja turtle birthday party kicked butt... literally. Can you find Collin? 

The foam pit was obviously a big success. 

Happy Birthday, Collin Boo! 

My roommate also had a big birthday this week. A quarter of a century. I've been speaking to her in my "grandma" accent and using lots of "back in my days..." Hopefully, I'll have a place to live tomorrow. Happy Birthday, Carla Boo! 

Enjoying this John Mayer song this week and I think it was representative of my week. 

"Love ain't a thing. Love is a verb." 

Escaping Winter

Almost a year ago, I wrote a post about the awakening that I witnessed in New York City as spring finally made its appearance. The clouds parted, the sun melted the snow and the city came back to life. People came out of their dark, tiny apartments sleepily squinting at the brightness of the sun they had not seen in months.

Sign on Spring Street, NYC 

A year later, I am here to say that my feelings about winter have yet to change living in the mountains. While the snow paints a picturesque scene for me to look at outside my window, I have felt trapped inside four walls for far too long, and I was more than ecstatic to retreat to the beach this week.

Bass Lake - Boone, NC - January 2014 

Cabin on 321 towards Mountain City, TN - February 2014 

Cherry Grove, SC - March 2014 

Cherry Grove, SC - March 2014 

I think I am at my happiest at the beach - music, bathing suit, sun and my camera.

More to come soon and looking forward to this "new" blog. This week, I am enjoying spring break and spending time with my sweet nephew before he turns four and becomes a big brother.

Love Always,
Carrie

P.S. Music I am loving tonight: The Head & The Heart, Down in the Valley

24 Freak Flags

It's been almost a month since I turned twenty-four. I'll admit that I cringed at the thought of my birthday, pleading that this next year be better than the last. So, I made a promise to myself that this year would be the BEST. Adventures would be had. I'd work diligently at school. I'd make new friends. I'd be proud of what I'd accomplished. I'd try new things and I'd fly my freak flag a little more often.

And to be honest, so far, so good.

Among my friends, I'm known to remind them "to fly their freak flag". Think of it as my own form of "YOLO" ("You only live once"). And don't worry, I fly mine. Sometimes too often. Whether I'm decorating for Christmas on November 8th, rushing fall in August or dancing and singing during not-so-appropriate times, that flag just keeps on flying. I'm proud of it.

Moving to Boone has been quite the unbelievable experience. I sit in my den and hear a beautiful sound: silence. No more honking or bustling about outside. I head to class each morning and open the door to a spectacular mountain that will soon be snow-capped. And as I tell people often, it makes me grateful. Most importantly, I've met some incredible folks who have showed me a new side to life.

But back to being twenty-four.

From undergraduate life to work life and back to graduate life, I've faced a lot of transitions over the last two years since I turned my tassel at UNC-Chapel Hill. So on my 24th birthday, I wrote down 24 ways that I was going to make this year the best one yet. Freak flag required at times.

24 Before 25

24. Visit my family more often.
23. Try new recipes and have more dinner get-togethers
22. Be better about keeping up with friends. Write. Skype. Call.
21. Go camping....in a tent. Carrie, you can do it.
20. Go to 5 concerts and try out new music styles.
19. Ask somebody on a date.
18. Face my biggest fear: public speaking. Give a meaningful speech in front of a group of people.
17. Listen more, talk less.
16. Stop apologizing for everything. Be confident and not live by "I'm sorry".
15. Learn how to SAVE money.
14. Take a trip out of the country (which might hurt #15)
13. Relearn how to run after knee surgery. Get up, get going!
12. Watch more movies - classics that I've never seen before. Hopefully, I'll be able to sit still.
11. Take an online photography class and learn how to Photoshop.
10. Remember and learn that I am Enough. Be grateful, humble, and less self-conscious.
9. Keep my blog up to date. (At least...somewhat?)
8. Read 24 books for fun. Hello, 50 Shades of Grey?
7. Write something meaningful and substantial on a topic that means a lot to me.
6. Absolutely no cancelling plans with friends. Less procrastination, more living and dancing!
5. Change my exercise habits. Exercise at least 3-4 times a week...
4. Get better at networking! Join a Young Professionals Group.
3. Visit nearby cities that I'm dying to see, including: Nashville, Memphis, and Savannah
2. Save up to give to one of my favorite causes.
1. Don't stress about the little things in life. Put everything into perspective.

And because I am procrastinating from studying for my joyous accounting exam I have in two days, I leave you with a mixture of my favorite moments from my last few months here.

 My cousin was married in Asheville and it was beautiful. 

On my way to Johnson City, TN to visit the 2012 Overall Committee! 

So thankful for this new friend and roommate who I've known for 3 months, but it feels like a decade. Those are the best kinds of friends. 

Driving around the Blue Ridge Parkway makes you so grateful 

Grandfather Mountain Winery is where it is at - just ask this little boy! 

A great weekend with 4 new friends! 

Fall in the mountains... 

My parents came to visit and brought this sweet face! 

 I stole away to visit some friends and met up with ol' Ramses. 

 My first Boone snow! 

Now go on... Go fly your freak flag! 

Carrie 

Below My Feet

I believe we made 48 trips from a rented, white van filled to the brim with my belongings to the fourth floor walk-up apartment located on the Upper East Side of New York City. It was my first time living outside of North Carolina and I was ecstatic about the possibilities, but couldn't seem to shake the feeling that maybe it wasn't quite where I was supposed to be. I said my goodbyes to my Dad who had given up his weekend to help me move in. Both of our eyes filled with tears. I'll never forget that feeling of, "Wait a second, Dad, pack me up and move me back home! I'm not ready for this quite yet..or ever!"

The apartment was fabulous. The old-timey kind with the high ceilings and the old, real wooden floors. Within walking distance to Central Park and just a subway stop or two away from the amazing features of the city- the shopping, the tourists, and the delicious foods. I was so incredibly lucky. What kind of a 22-year-old gets to just up and move to one of the largest cities in the world pretty much on her own and with the promise of a job? Only a dream for many.

I spent my days working and my nights attempting to familiarize myself with the city. From museums to walking on the Highline, I wanted to experience it all and for the most part, with absolutely no money in my pocket. When my first job did not work out, I easily found a replacement at a different non-profit and simultaneously worked selling cupcakes and coffee to the Upper West Siders at Crumbs. What more could a girl want?

But this feeling of not being where I was supposed to be was something I just simply could not let go. "Carrie, BE HAPPY," I told myself in the mirror each morning before heading to work. But inside I felt selfish and insecure. I knew that if I gave in and gave up that I would forever have FAILURE stamped across my forehead, though I am not sure who I was trying to prove myself to-- friends or myself?

After much discussion with my roommates in NYC and nights of tearful conversations with my parents, I applied to graduate school on a whim. "Oh, you'll never get in," my brain screamed at me. "Barely a year of work experience AND you failed living on your own. Pshh!"

And then it happened. Like a puzzle, everything fell completely into place. Within 2 weeks of my submission of my application to Appalachian State University's MBA program, I got the acceptance letter. A few days later and some connections from friends, I had an apartment and a roommate.

I stopped for a moment. How could something be so easy for once?

Two big moves (from NYC to Kinston and from Kinston to Boone), one knee surgery, eighteen physical therapy treatments, one meeting of a brand-new, wonderful roommate, three attempts at finding a sublet in NYC and give or take twenty glasses of wine later, I am moved in to my beautiful apartment in Boone.

As I drove up to this small, mountainous town for the first time, my eyes again filled with tears. This time, they were happy ones.

It's been a while since I have blogged and I think most of it had to do with the fact that I truly wasn't sure what to say. And I wasn't sure any of it would sound happy. But I've learned, life isn't always going to be roses and it's OKAY.

My one year anniversary of graduating came and went and there were so many things I wanted to say to the new graduates. As cliche as it might sound, follow your gut instincts. Trust yourself and most importantly, love yourself. Never doubt your ability or your feelings. LEARN from every experience. CHALLENGE yourself.

While I may not walk into the Walker College of Business on Tuesday (my first day of graduate school) with much work experience, I am walking into that classroom with an experience that taught me more than any job ever could. For once, I am able to say that I am stronger, more confident, and more assertive thanks to New York City.

In the words of my favorite band, Mumford & Sons, "Keep the earth below my feet. For all my sweat, my blood runs weak. Let me learn from where I have been. Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn."

Undercover Superheroes

Superheroes. We typically think of Superman. Or how about Spiderman? Can you imagine being able to scale a wall to save a terrified victim without ever revealing your identity? Let's not forget how cool it would be to drive the Batmobile. But unfortunately, no human has the same qualities as these fictional characters. 

But in the last few weeks, as we've witnessed our America turn somewhat on its head, we've also seen that there are actually superheroes among us. True, they may not be able to fly nor do they dress in nylon outfits, but they make us believe that there really is good in this world. 

We saw participants of the Boston Marathon, whom after running 26.2 miles and witnessing a bombing, continued to run 2 more miles to the closest hospital to give blood. Their fear and desire to help the injured carried them those last few miles. And they probably saved many lives that day. 

This week we saw several families or victims from the Newtown, Connecticut shooting stand up in front of American politicians to beg that stricter laws be put into place to make it more difficult for those to use a gun inappropriately. That's strength. 

A couple of weeks ago, as I participated in the first New York City Dance Marathon, I saw children become heroes after battling several diseases. Kids who spent their entire lives in and out of hospitals stood on the stage that day with smiles on their faces and belief in the dancers that stood before them. With HOPE in their parents' eyes that one day, there would be cures. 

Visit The Stand on Facebook. 

Dove proved to be a superhero this week, producing a film that will make any girl tear up and realize that they are their own worst critic. 

I witnessed another hero in the shape of a mother last Saturday, who stood in front of my 10k Training Team this week to speak about losing her husband to a blood cancer just after Christmas. Her 4-month-old daughter sleeping soundly in her arms. Now, that's a superhero strength. 

Our world we live in is undeniably fragile. We are not promised today or tomorrow. As the six o'clock news came on tonight and I heard stories of factory explosions, missing children and suspects for this case and that, it became apparent to me how fragile our world is. It's weeks like this one where we learn to hug our families and friends tighter, to be thankful for the days that we have and to be grateful for the undercover superheroes who make our world a brighter place. 

Sending love from NYC to Boston & Texas, 

Carrie 

It's (Technically) Spring

Winters are harsh in New York City. People burrow in their apartments as soon as their day is done. Clouds hide the sun and the wind chills you to the bone. Down-comforter coats cover your body from head to toe. Swing sets, like pendulums, sway back and forth, empty from the weight of laughing kids. Night comes early, as if persuading folks to just hop into bed and wait until the morning.

Winters are harsh. But now... it's (technically) spring.

Don't get me wrong. It's not warm here by any stretch of the imagination, but this weekend, people came out from their tiny apartments. Like sleepy children, they stretched with their eyes squinting from the light of the sun...And life commenced. Parks filled with the sound of music...and happiness seeped from people. Street fairs set up their tables, covered with crafts and delicious foods. Stores set out their brightest and best clothing choices for the season. People shed their "down-comforter" jackets for a lighter, more colorful option. Spring arrived this weekend.

I didn't even realize when I moved here, how much the city reacts to the seasons and weather. As a resident here, you walk everywhere. To the subway. To the grocery store. From work. To the museum. The city revolves around Mother Nature herself. And it seems, at times, as if She's not too fond of NYC- sending inches of snow, cruel winds and even, a hurricane.

But this weekend, just for Easter, She put the city under a springtime spell.

One of my roommate's friends from high school came to visit this weekend. And Easter was a great time to come visit for many reasons, including the Easter "Bonnet" Parade.

When I came to the city for the first time in 2011, I said the same thing: You have an awakening in this city. Everyone is so willing to put themselves out there in several ways, including sporting crazy hats, karaoking in the subway or dancing in the streets. Greatest of all awakenings is seeing the city through the lens of a camera.

Dave, is that you? 

"Wake on up from your slumber. Baby, open up your eyes." 

There are days when I'm crammed into what seems to be the smallest subway car. When my heart aches from the sight of seeing someone sleeping against the side of a building a cold night. When the heat and hot water go out of my apartment for several days on end. And I think to myself: Carrie, you're tired. Carrie, you miss your friends and family. Carrie, who are you trying to kid...living in this city?

But this weekend...this weekend felt a tiny bit different. Happier. The transition from winter to spring. Talks of future plans of things to do when the weather turns just a bit warmer. I'm ready.

Special shoutout to the Easter Bunny, who does in fact make USPS deliveries to New Yorkers. And to Marli "Meow" Eaton, for sending this hand-painted "New York Size" souvenir.

Happy Easter.

Good Night from the city.