I've Been Tagged: Five Things

I am sure that most of you know that there is this things called Five Things floating around on many different blogs, I was tagged by both Albertina and Viv, so here goes! Now my turn to tag - Holly, Amy, Daisy, Nadia and Elle.  Good luck ladies!

My relationship with NYC: I call Manhattan my first love – I moved here when I was 20 and fell head over heels for the energy, the glamour and the infinitive amount of opportunities at your footsteps. I moved away for 2 years and continued my education in Charleston, SC and then Paris to happily move back when I was 23.  I admit after bad (BAD) jobs and even worse living conditions (roommates, apartments, you name it -  I have a story and then some) I grew very tired and frustrated with a city that  used to make my heart skip a beat.  For a period of time I was one of those disgruntled, unfriendly New Yorkers that never smiled and huffed and puffed on their way – where do all of these people come from, why do people walk so slow, why doesn't the subway ever come, etc – it was the little things that added up.  Recently though I had a New York renaissance if you will, I got out of my funk and realized just how much I love this city – new restaurants, the architecture, and how you can be whatever you want to be here.  I think that it might have been our move across the East River to Brooklyn that really set me straight and I realized one day that if you give the city some love, it will definitely return the favor.

My Family:  I come from a large family – I am the second of 7 children, I know, a lot of kids! There are 5 girls and 2 boys.  Growing up, whenever we all went anywhere people would either stare or ask – ‘are those all of your children?’ Growing up it was chaotic at times, especially when there are so many girls in a household, but I am thankful that I have such a large family.

On Student Loans: I like to keep everything happy and rosy around here, but are you anything like me drowning in student loan debt?  I graduated college almost 7 years ago and I am still paying off my debt and will be until the 2020 Olympics.   I admit, I took out a lot of loans to fund 5 years of school and a life-changing study abroad experience in Paris, but I didn't fully realize then just how much it would effect and cost me after graduating. I thought I would get a job just like that and pay just a small portion of my paycheck each month, but boy I was wrong.  I will tell you though when I do finally pay this off I am going to do something crazy like sky dive (okay, maybe not really since I am deathly scared of heights and falling from them) or book a trip to somewhere amazing to celebrate my freedom!

What I Collect: I adore anything made of capiz shell and mother of pearl. One of my most treasured assets is my gold coffee table that has capiz shell inlay that was handed down from my late great-grandmother, it is from Palm Beach circa 1950. I also collect vintage cosmetic compacts, preferably made with mother of pearl and fashion magazines, both current and vintage.  

My Thoughts on Blogging: I will be completely honest about this one, sometimes I freak out about my blog, but luckily I am not the only one. I have read many posts about other bloggers pondering the purpose and meaning of blogging so thank you to everyone that has written something about this.  I started my blog nearly two years ago because my job at the time left me suffocated and incredibly depressed. I always knew that I had a lot of interests,  I just didn't know where to put the effort since my career wasn't leading me in the way that I wanted.  Through blogging I have discovered my love of photography, food and reconfirmed my love for fashion and beauty.  I will admit though that it sometimes stresses me out (this is partially due to my perfectionist tendencies) – are my ideas good enough? Is my content intriguing enough? Will there be enough good lighting to photograph my recipes, let alone where do I think it will go?     At the end of the day though, I blog because I am passionate about the things above and I want to share this excitement with you and hopefully inspire you in turn.  

*Photograph by Alison