I knew nothing was the same when I went from not knowing any buildings, to pointing out a lot of buildings. I won’t ever know them all, but I know enough. From 100 floors above the world at One World Trade, everything is different. Perspective is everything.

@W4 & Avenue of the Americas because America is where dreams are made.

Quite possibly one of the best cookies I’ve ever had and it’s not because it starts off with a shot of milk and is in the shape of a cup. New York, you’ve taught me you should never say never and this is example 542. Thank you.

Being too busy to sit and eat so I’m just going to stare at pictures of past meals instead. That’s how life’s been this past week. (Except avocado toast Wednesday!)

Brunching on a Wednesday because, why not.

The struggle to get here seems to be the same struggle to get out. While coming to a city of unknowns is thrilling, exciting, frightening, and eye opening, so is leaving one. The thrill of going someplace new is filled with a thrill of leaving a place that has become so normal. The excitement of discovering new parts of a city is now going to be the excitement to returning to what I have known my whole life. A frightened exterior is replaced with a frightened interior, and the eyes that were open to see for the first time may be seeing things for the last.

Leaving brings renewed energy to the past, present, and future. You’ll come back with a greater appreciation for what you left behind and for the things found on the adventure you took. Welcome the struggle and endure the pain. All these thoughts I’ve learned are true and maybe the start of a migration pattern too.

My family doesn’t often come to the city, but when they do, they bring Hawaii with them. Not just bringing the sweets and treats I miss (and love!) but the feeling of home, family, and the Hawaiian culture.

Fresh pineapple might be the last thing I care to eat (because I’m the only person I know from Hawaii that is allergic to it), but I would never turn down the chance to share it. This Maui Gold came a long way and someone should enjoy this piece of paradise.

Pools are transparent. They are crystal clear and you can see right down to the very bottom. The current never changes, there is no surprise drop off, and what you see is what you get.

People are not transparent. (Except in Inside Out, the latest and greatest from Pixar where I learned today that feelings have feelings and I could see what each character was thinking in the most colorful and cutest way possible). In real life, people can say something, but not mean it. You can’t see all the way to the bottom and sometimes it is difficult to even scratch the surface.  Honesty is sometimes a mystery. These are the people who challenge you, test you, and put you through moments that make you or even break you.

What you see might not be what you get, and in this crazy ocean we call life, you learn to deal with this over and over again. People are not like pools but that’s fine because I always liked the ocean better.

History is being rewritten and we are living to see it happen. The big concrete jungle of New York City was a lot more c-o-l-o-r-f-u-l this weekend and this is just a glimpse of what is yet to come.

Something life-changing happened every day this week. On some days, it was more than one thing a day. For some reason in the universe, it was as if life was spinning around like a top and I was dying to see when it would just stop. These are the times you need the reminder that things fall into your control and sometimes they fall out. You’re playing a game and directing yourself to a target, maybe even through a journey, looking for the answers to well, life. I know I’m no expert because I’m just learning as life goes on, but what I can do is point myself in certain directions. I have feelings and instincts. I can tell when things are right and if they might feel wrong.  I can think about the future, but really not know for certain what that means.

This week I made decisions. I made more than one decision about a variety of things. People and thoughts often considered, but mostly thinking about myself and where I want to be. What journey I want to be on and where I see myself in a year. Okay, maybe just the next couple days.

Tonight I made the decision to walk aimlessly as I got shit done from my “shit to do” list.  The journey ended up being a 5  mile roundtrip from home in the West Village, up to Midtown, and back. Of course I should have been working, or doing something else, but I was able to get out, talk on the phone, take a walk and take the time to enjoy time. I made a decision.

At The Met.

At the Guggenheim.

I grew up only looking at artwork in pages of books, on computer screens, and projections in my college lectures.  There are good museums in San Diego you can also see some prized pieces of art. We went to see those. We would talk about what the meanings and “see” how these pieces made statements and made art history. What I didn’t realize was how much more I had to see. New York is a gift. New York has given me access to hundreds, if not thousands, of art that I would have only seen through pages of a text book and pictures on screen. On any given day, I can walk into world-famous museums (this weekend I walked into two), to see things people wait months, years, their whole lives to see. It can cost me as little as a subway ride and $1 to see something worth millions, sometimes even priceless. New York is a gift–the gift that keeps on giving.

We whine whine whine about winter for months (well, we totally had the right to do that this year) and then it’s finally spring. The flowers are blooming, allergies are emerging, and it’s like the city just got a fresh coat and a new attitude. We waited a long time for this, so of course we need to enjoy it. Sunday walks are back and this time, they are filled with cherry blossoms in the trees and bright blue skies. Let’s hope this weather is here to stay because if it’s one thing I learned this season, it’s that the weather can just be a big fat tease.