I am finally writing this much delayed BLOG update from…Ogunquit, Maine!! And let me tell you, it is absolutely beautiful here. I had the opportunity to take a three day weekend and jumped at it. So…I planned a trip to Maine since I’d been itching to come back ever since my trip here in the fall with mom. I got in my car, rolled down the windows, turned up the music and just drove North by myself and it couldn’t have been a more relaxing trip. I am now writing on my final day here and time just seemed to go by way too fast…needless to say, I am not ready to back to the stresses of New York City. 
While here, I walked the Marginal Way (mom and I did that last fall when we visited Maine) and had dinner at a cute little restaurant right by the water. Some of these pics were taken on my walk and some were the view I had from my table. 
I followed that up with some delicious homemade ice cream (these little ice cream shops are EVERYWHERE!) J I walked all over the little town exploring shops and went home for an early bedtime…never happens in the city. The next day, I decided to drive 35 miles further North and spent the day in Portland. It’s a beautiful city and reminded me somewhat of Seattle. I caught the ferry out to Peaks Island and rented a bike and biked around the island, stopping occasionally to snap photos or sit on some rocks by the water and read my book. And then, I once again followed that oh so strenuous ride (hehe) up with some more homemade ice cream!! Check out my pictures from the ride.
I had to keep asking people to take a picture of me with the beautiful background since I didn’t want just pictures with no people in them. That’s the only bad thing about vacationing alone. By the way, YES, I do realize I will likely have to stop eating for a week with all the delicious splurging I did on this mini-trip but I decided to go all out. J 
After catching the ferry back, I found the “Fore Street Restaurant” that had come highly recommended from a friend back in NY and was it ever worth the trip…so delicious. Their menu changes daily and everything is made with only organic and locally grown ingredients. Soooooo yummy. Following dinner, I explored on foot for a bit and then in my car. It’s such a lovely, CLEAN, friendly city where people truly believe in relaxing and loving life. I chatted it up a fair bit with the locals getting an idea of what the city is like as a place to live and settle in…never heard one bad thing and it seems to have a very young vibe…hmmmm…tempting. J After returning home last night and once again getting a very restful night’s sleep that didn’t involve my neighbors blasting their music or having loud arguments in front of the building, I packed up this morning and headed to the beach for a bit to catch some rays of sun before returning once again to my favorite little café for a croissant and the best latte ever. I am currently sitting outside at this café enjoying my coffee and enjoying the pleasant ocean breeze and the sound of seagulls. There are no sirens or honking horns or loud vehicles passing…it is simply me, the breeze and the birds. 
Now, sadly, I must return to the city today and fall back in step with the hectic pace of life they live there with only lululemon and yoga and dance and Central Park to maintain my happiness and sanity. Ok, enough feeling sorry for myself…I think I’ll move onto some very exciting updates.
Well, despite the fact that I am not enamored with NYC, I have a fantastic job that I really love. Since my last blog update, much has changed and I now have just the one job…I am a keyholder/floor manager at lululemon and it’s wonderful. My co-workers are all so positive and have become my family away from home. Because of this change, I am no longer running schizophrenically back and forth from job to job with no time to even take a breath in between. It was sad to leave STEPS, mainly because I enjoyed working with Sam, but the benefits both spiritually, mentally and physically at lulu are too numerous to list and my level of happiness is much improved since I took on so many more responsibilities. The growth opportunities are great as well which is exciting and may enable me to put my business minor to use.
Summer is here and it is HOT and HUMID!! I feel dirty and sticky everyday due to the level of humidity New Yorkers must endure and walk around in. Let me tell you, I had to endure one of the hottest weekends – high 90s with about 80% humidity – WITHOUT an A/C UNIT!!! It was awful and I was not a very nice person to be around. After that weekend, I didn’t waste any time getting to the nearest Home Depot and purchasing a widow A/C unit. I quickly got it installed and my demeanor changed rapidly. Purchasing that unit though was an experience in itself…it was like a madhouse at the Home Depot with everyone clamoring for a unit and I think if I’d been 1 hr. later, I wouldn’t have left with one that day.
Now, the last time I wrote, I think my little ones I had for ballet were having their end of year recital and the little ones I got to lead on stage were penguins. It was a tremendous success and they were absolutely adorable. I took some pictures to share with you…see below.
After all classes were finished, Discovery Programs had a little end of the year party for all their teachers as a thank you for a great year. My dear friend Emily (from college), who helped get me the job in the first place, was there and we snapped some pictures on top of the building where the party took place…it was a rooftop party and the views were pretty incredible. My favorite view was the birds eye perspective of Central Park and the great distance it spans…there are so many parts of that beautiful park I have yet to explore and I spend a fair bit of time there. 
I also am including some pictures of the wee ones on the last day of class…tu-tu day!
The other adult in the picture is my dear friend Katie - she was the teacher who I assisted and subbed for on one occasion. She's so sweet!
I had another wonderful visit from Cari (she visited me earlier in the year and we took pictures outside of Tiffany & Co. – those are posted on a previous update). The temperature was much nicer this time around and so we dressed up very fancy and went to Lincoln Center where we saw “Giselle” performed by ABT. I saw Julie Kent perform the role of Giselle and it was absolutely breathtaking. What a magical night it was beginning with dinner where we chatted for ages, followed by the ballet where we were the two most dressed up gals there, and followed by dessert. Check out our picture in front of Lincoln Center. 
Lastly, one of our wonderful summer events at lulu is our yoga in the park – Bryant Park down on 42nd St. to be exact. Every Tuesday morning and Thursday evening people flock from all over the city to take this complimentary yoga class that lululemon makes possible. I get to work the Thursday evening one (and take class) and it is the highlight of my week. My two hours of working this event is part of my shift and it involves setting up our wireless microphone and sound system for the instructor, putting down all 200 mats that we provide and greeting/explaining this event to newcomers. We have our regulars and our newcomers every week and last week…well, what a treat it was. A typical Thursday evening brings just over 100 people but last week, from out of nowhere, we suddenly had 212 people practicing yoga on the lawn in Bryant Park…such an awesome sight to see. I actually didn’t get to take class last week as we had run out of yoga mats and had people just practicing on blankets or the grass. It is such an awesome event to be a part of. So, since I didn’t take class…I became the photographer that night. 
My little camera couldn’t do justice to this incredible scene…I wish I could’ve been right above all the action taking pictures from the sky. 
Well, I must bring this update to a close and with that, start my journey back to the city. I will once again promise to try to update more frequently but we all know how well that seems to go. J I hope you enjoy my beautiful Maine pictures. Please feel free to write me or call me with updates from your end…despite all the friends I have made in the city, NY is still a very lonely place.
Miss you all very much and hope I can see some or all of you soon!
Lots of love to all!
Xoxo
Meg
Well, I have loads to update everyone on but...not tonight. For some reason, I decided 1am would be a good time to do a brief update on here (finally) and that's just what it will be...BRIEF! I just want to share a few pics of some of the latest events/monumental moments in my time in NY. For those of you who thought I hated it here...surprise! It kinda got under my skin and I'e decided to stay here another year and am making the most of every moment. So, here's a few pics of me with some of my close friends on...BOWLING NIGHT at Chelsea Piers!
