Tue, May 21st 2013

Birth Order and Personality

Something that has come up in several conversations lately: birth order and how it affects your personality. As the younger daughter, people (including my parents) are constantly drawing comparisons between me and my sister. Though we’re close, I always wonder how two people could grow up in the same home and turn out so differently.

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Tags siblingsbirth orderpersonalityfamily

Mon, May 20th 2013

Challenge To Try: Morning Meet-ups

Within the past few weeks, I’ve been having one-on-one’s with friends (Gladys above) in the morning before work.

As a night owl, waking up early is painful (regardless of how ambitious I am), but I’ve experienced that this time in the morning is so rewarding. There’s something about mornings before the rush hour craze starts that is so neat, and sharing that time is so fun! It’s kind of like a secret world that you miss out on when you sleep in. 

When I just don’t want to get out of bed those mornings, I think of the quality time I’m missing out with friends I barely get to see and the value in scheduling those times with intention. These meet-ups also help my natural separation of “work” time and “fun” time become more seamless, which is something I’m always trying to keep fresh. Something else I love is that seeing these friends is so refreshing to start the day with! 

Where would be convenient for you?  We love our local coffee shop, but this past week Helen invited me over and pressed coffee while we talked on her rug. 

Do you meet in the mornings? If you’re an early bird, what gets you motivated to get out of bed? If not, would you be open to trying it? 

—Sharon

Tags morningsfriendshipchallenge

Fri, May 17th 2013

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, all!

I’m diving into something a little more personal today. My second anniversary of living in New York is quickly approaching (June 1!), so I wanted to do a recap of my time here.

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Tags fridaygrowing upNew Yorktravel

Thu, May 16th 2013

What Have you Learned From Your Friends?

Have you experienced that the closer you get to friends, the more of an effect they have on you?

For example, my friend Christine thinks that every girl should have cowboy boots because they’re so durable, they become your lifelong friends and share so many memories with you. We were thrilled to appreciate her point of view when we each received a pair! Do you have something tangible like that?

Raps has definitely taught my zippy self to slow down and enjoy taking a breather. Rachel shows me that it’s awesome to show your enthusiasm for something you’re really excited about, and Helen regularly reminds me that it’s important and healthy to take a moment to process how I’m feeling instead of always pushing my feelings away. (Go figure. right?)

My friend Stephanie has taught me that there are always two sides to every story, as much as I fight to be right a lot of the time, and Sarina and Mel show me how to keep weird jokes going on and on because it’s fun, and who cares?

Excuse my braggin’ about my friends—What kind of quirks do your friends bring out in you, and what have you adapted from being around them? Do you find yourself picking up their habits? 

Let’s celebrate people and friendship dynamics today, because ​people are so different, and that is awesome! ​

—Sharon

Tags growing upfriendship

Tue, May 14th 2013

New York: Summer Things to Do!

(Image source: wsj.net)

Sharon shared some fun things to do during the summer in Austin yesterday, so I’ve rounded up some of my favorite summertime activities in New York! 

I was born in July in arguably one of the hottest places on Earth, so I’m a summer baby at heart. I love the feeling of being outside all day, getting sweaty and jumping into a clear blue pool. New York is a city of extremes, meaning the summers can be miserable and humid, but I still look forward to them after a long, bleak winter, and here’s why:

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Tags New yorkoutdoorssummer activitiesrooftop filmscentral parkrockaway beachsmorgasburg