That's Life

It was somewhere while I was walking from Union Square in search of food before I caught the train to a dance class, that I walked into a bad mood. It wasn't anything specific, just a seed of irritation that continued to grow inside of me. I decided to grab Jamba Juice because it was right across from the train I was going to take. Five sips in and I realized I couldn't drink the rest and I felt like I wasted $6.50 and kept my eyes peeled for a homeless person that might value it more than me. No such luck.

I marched into Steps on Broadway, hoping that dancing would get me out of this funk. It usually does. Except when I told the front desk associate I was taking the 1:30pm Intermediate Ballet, she says there isn't a class at that time. Okay, so I read the Friday schedule instead of the Saturday. So I marched right out and went grocery shopping in the store underneath the studio. I also had three invitations to hang out with four extremely awesome people that I had declined because I was going to the dance class. Now I had to sort all of that out. After a quick call to my mom in the produce section, I left the store with two bell peppers, two cucumbers, granola bars, and a plan. However, as I waited 10 minutes for the subway, the heat seeped into my plan and created another bad mood.

After dropping off groceries, I headed out to buy a swimsuit top over on the Upper East Side and then I was going to meet up with a friend from work and two old friends that were in town at Central Park to tan.

As I was trying on swimsuit tops, I heard one of the associates talk on the phone to her daughter. They were arguing about the daughter going to a party in the city after being out all day with friends. I poked my head out after she hung up, "Was that your daughter?" It was. "How old is she?" "She'll be 15 soon." First of all, a 14-year-old partying in Manhattan on Saturday night? My mom was just letting me go to the mall by myself at that age.

That's when it hit me. I was homesick! I love all of these new things I've been doing, all the exploring, the adventure, but I just wanted something familiar. I wanted some Vancouver Pizza, Ice Cream Renaissance (the early years), Pluckers, or I'd even settle for some Chik-fil-A from UT's SAC. (Not sure why everything I listed was food-related...)

As I left the store, the first song that came on my iPod was Old Blue Eye's "That's Life". If there was ever a time to have a soundtrack to your life, this was a very appropriate time. Then I realized how excited to meet up with Nicole and Rachel, two girls that have been like my big sisters since the third grade. They've given me clothes, advice, and laughs, and that's exactly what I needed in this moment.

We met up and talked at New York Burger Co. and there were tons of laughs and stories! I'm so thankful I got to spend time with two of the most gorgeous, ambitious, and lovely ladies I know.

Rachel, Nicole, and I catching up

In a way, I'm thankful that I had this day. I find that the more new places I go, the more unique things I do, the more I appreciate the old and familiar places and faces.

"Each time I find myself laying flat on my face, I just pick myself up and get back in the race, that's life." -Frank Sinatra, That's Life