Spring Break, Part 1: NYC!

This post has been basically two months in the making. I'm sorry for my hiatus in February, but nothing extravagant was going on and Laura (roomie) and I were planning our New York/Washington, DC spring break trip! Which brings me to this post. I'm about to give you a compact two day itinerary to the city that never sleeps...ever, New York!

Let's start from the beginning, shall we? Our original spring break plans consisted of skiing and playing in the snow in the mountains. Well, it turned out that neither of us really wanted to ski and we didn't really want to go to the mountains all that much either. One night in January, Laura and I were sitting on the couch in our little dorm and got to thinking about alternative spring break ideas. Nothing was set in stone yet and we started to brainstorm. All of a sudden, the idea of New York hit us like a ton of bricks! *Let me point out here that in that moment, it was the beginning of January, a full two months before our actual spring break, and we didn't really think it was possible for us to go to New York.* Everything happened so quickly after that! We booked our hotel within the next few days, after many conversations with our parents, and all that was left to do was plan our two days in the city and our one day in Washington, DC!

I think planning the trip itself was so much fun! We printed out a map of New York and marked where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. We even bought a little chalkboard and kept a countdown in the kitchen! We were winging our Washington plans because everything we wanted to do there was around the same area. Here's the final itinerary we came up with for NYC:

Monday, March 2nd - Day One:

• Museum of Natural History ($22)
• Central Park
• LOVE Statue (1359 Ave. of the Americas)
• Rockefeller Center ($29)
• Grand Central Station
• Times Square

* We did not end up going to the Museum of Natural History because of personal preference, but I know it would have been amazing! We just had a lot of things planned that day and wanted to get to them!

Tuesday, March 3rd - Day Two:

• Empire State Building
• Flat Iron Building
• F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Apartment (90 Bedford St.)
• Chinatown/Little Italy
• Brooklyn Bridge
• 9/11 Memorial
• Staten Island Ferry/Statue of Liberty

* We did not go to the Empire State Building because we saw it from the top of the Rockefeller Center! The pictures and views we got from the Top of the Rock were awesome. We also did not go to the Flat Iron Building. We decided to bypass it and go to Greenwich Village first.

I would recommend this plan to anyone! The first day is completely walkable. We left the hotel around 10:30am and we were done by 3:30pm. Our hotel was one block away from Central Park, we stayed at the Comfort Inn on 71st Street. It was great to be so close to the park! There were several subway stations around and lots of little local restaurants. The second day we rode the subway most of the time, but that was an experience in itself. So fun!

Now, let's talk about our time in the city! Driving to NY was interesting to say the least. We took turns driving and we stopped a little over halfway in Woodstock, Virginia to grab a hotel room and recharge for the second half of the drive the next day. The weather got pretty bad the second day. The roads were completely covered in slushy snow and we fish-tailed a couple of times. That was scary, but thankfully we did not wreck or spinout. We saw probably 10 or 12 cars that had smashed into walls or were in ditches. We took our time and made it to the city! I drove into New York- it was so nerve-wracking! Laura and I were yelling at each other for directions, which we laughed about later, but we couldn't see the road lines because of all of the snow and that was stressing us out!

We found our hotel pretty easily, we were thanking sweet baby Jesus that it was on a one-way street. Now it was time to find parking and that process sucked. The parking garage that our hotel was affiliated with wasn't taking overnight cars! We stopped by 3 different parking garages and they wouldn't let us in! That was a blessing in disguise because we were able to find parking on the street for free the whole time we were there. That saved us a chunk of money!

We met the sweetest lady and she explained the parking rules to us. We were so grateful that it was snowing because parking was suspended that Monday. The streets have Tuesday/Wednesday parking and Monday-Thursday parking. Since it was suspended Monday, we got to park all three days! Laura backed Ferg down a one-way street and parallel parked her in the spot!

After we got settled into our hotel, we went to grab a bite to eat. The manager at the front desk (who was so nice and answered our many, many questions) told us about Big Nick's pizza right across the street. Laura and I both got cheese slices and they were delicious! Homemade NY pizza is amazing. After eating, we walked to Times Square. It was magical, just like in the movies. It was also snowing! I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. When I think of New York, I think of snow and cold weather anyway, so it was perfect.

We were apprehensive about the people we would meet because everyone was warning us about different things before we left. I can honestly say we did not meet one rude soul the whole time we were there. Everyone was so incredibly helpful! They gave directions and answered all of our questions. I know this may be stereotypical, but being down South, you always hear about how "rude" people up North can be. But, let's be real- anyone, anywhere can be rude or unfriendly. We were thrilled to meet everyone that we did!

Day one recap!

We started off the day walking through Central Park. This is really the only time I had wished the weather was warm, so everything could've been green and lively. It was still beautiful, but I would definitely want to see it again in the spring or summer!

It was around lunchtime when we finished walking through the park, so we asked around about spots to grab a good sandwich. A man told us about Bill's Bar and Burger. We decided to try it and it did not disappoint! I ordered a burger and Laura got a chicken sandwich. Both were so yummy! It's right off of 5th Avenue on 51st Street. Definitely try it if you're ever in the city!

Next we walked to the LOVE statue and that was so neat to see. I thought it was going to be a lot bigger, but it was awesome to be able to stand in front of it and snap a picture! The statue is located at 1359 Avenue of the Americas and it's very easy to spot once you're on the avenue. On a side note, we're pretty positive we saw Dylan/Cole Sprouse walking around. Y'all remember the Suite Life of Zack and Cody, right?

My favorite thing about the first day was visiting the Rockefeller Center, which is what we did next. We were packed into an elevator like sardines and ascended 70 floors to the top of the building. It was like a Disney ride! The elevator went dark and then a video began to play as you went up and up past all of the floors. The weather was crystal clear and beautiful that day, so it made the views even better!

Empire State Building

Central Park's towards the back left

The last big thing on our list that day was to see Grand Central Station. It was magnificent! When you're in there, it's really like you're in a movie. Everything is so fast moving and times and places are being called out over the intercom. It definitely gives off the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan rom-com vibe. It was cool to stand in there and take it all in. 

We wanted some real New York style cheesecake while we were visiting. Our waitress at Bill's told us about Junior's in Times Square, so we swung by there and grabbed a couple of slices. It was heavenly and probably the best cheesecake I have ever tasted! 

We were done early in the day, so we decided to visit the TKTS booth in Times Square to see what Broadway show we could see for half-off. We ended up being convinced by the booth boy that the off-Broadway show Newsical the Musical was spectacular. It was supposed to have a Saturday Night Live feel to it, and I do love SNL, but I did not enjoy this show. It made me laugh a few times, but I don't think it lived up to it's reputation. I know others like it, but it just wasn't for me. We ended our night walking around Times Square and into a couple of stores. We were ready to get day two started!

Day two recap!

This day was definitely my favorite of the two, although they were both pretty spectacular. We started out with a subway ride to Greenwich Village to spot the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. apartment building. This is something that I have always wanted to do! In January, to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary, Central Perk was re-opened for a week. If you've never seen the show, that was the groups go-to hangout coffee shop. I wish I could have gone, but seeing the apartment building was great!

Laura and I still hadn't bought anything to commemorate the trip. We decided that new Alex and Ani bracelets would be the perfect things! There was an Alex and Ani store in Greenwich Village, so we stopped by it and got our souvenirs! 

We walked through Chinatown and Little Italy next. They both weren't what I was expecting. Laura and I were talking after we left and we think they're a couple of places that are probably better in the summer season. I've seen pictures of the umbrellas and lanterns hanging over the streets in Chinatown during the warmer months and they are so pretty. It was mainly little booths on the sides of the roads while we were there with not much of a variety. We walked through both places until we found a subway station that would get us closer to the Brooklyn Bridge, which was next on our list!

We took the subway to City Hall from Greenwich Village. We got off and walked to the bridge. It's massive and beautiful in person. We walked all the way to the middle where we could see a good view of the city and water. 

As we were walking off the bridge, it began to pour snow! We ran to the subway and rode it as close as we could get to the 9/11 Memorial fountains. As soon as I spotted them, they were breathtaking. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. The snow was coming down hard by this time and there was a steady stream of workers brushing off the fountains so you could see the names of the ones who had lost their lives. While we were there, we learned that the treeline around the fountains are how big the actual bases of the buildings were.

By this time it was basically blizzarding, at least that's how we felt. We decided that since we saved money with parking we would go to the 9/11 Museum. It turned out to be free-admission Tuesday! We were in the museum for almost 2 hours. We completely lost track of time because we were so consumed by everything in there. If you ever get to spend one day in New York, you have to go to the 9/11 Museum. I was so young when the attack happened, I never really realized how much they salvaged and saved from the two towers. It's was amazing to see it all.

The museum itself is built around the foundation of the World Trade Center. The wall to the left in the photo below is the slurry wall of the WTC. There was one built around each tower to prevent flooding from the Hudson River. The column to the right of the photo is the "Last Column" removed during the closing of the recovery effort. It is signed by all of the volunteer organizations, fire departments, and rescue workers that contributed that day and throughout the recovery process. 

The beams you see in the photo below blew my mind. Those are the beams from the North Tower that the plane hit when it crashed into the building. I was amazed that the recovery workers found these and could know that they were the exact beams that were struck. They also found the set of beams from the South Tower as well. Every beam that went into both towers had to be labeled and numbered by what floor they were on when the towers were being built in the 1960's and 70's,

The museum was definitely an emotional experience. There couldn't have been a dry eye after walking through the whole thing. We also learned that during the recovery process, workers found colonial remnants of a ship from the 1770's. Skeleton keys and knobs were displayed in the museum. I thought that was so interesting.

Once we were out, the snow turned into a down pour of rain. This really sucked because we didn't have umbrellas. We ran to the subway station to make it to the last destination on our list, The Staten Island Ferry. We wanted to use the ferry so we could see the Statue of Liberty! If I could do it all over again, I would go on the ferry during the daytime and while it was not raining. We didn't really have control over either because we spread our time in other places, but seeing the statue was on our list and we were going to do it!

After we got back on land, we took the subway back up to Central Park to get back to our hotel. We both knew the next day was going to be a long one. We would be traveling to Washington, DC for the second half of our spring break! It's the how long part we had no clue about.

Things we noticed in New York:

• Houston Street is pronounced like 'house-ton'
• Separating checks is a rare thing, at least at the places we ate at
• We were saying Greenwich all wrong, forget the 'w' is even in the word
• Don't buy the $9 subway metro card, it won't get you very far

Stay tuned for the second-half of spring break mishaps and adventures!

Gallery Walls Galore!

It's been a good month since I've been home and I came for a visit this weekend. My mom has done so much more to the new house and I'm excited share! One of mom's signature go-to decorations is a gallery wall. She's awesome at it! Here are a few throughout the house:

This one is right outside of my room. It's our baby picture - grandma wall. It looks so vintage-y and I love it. Mom's going to add some baby pictures of Drew and I to finish it off!

This wall is outside of Mom and Dad's room. It's our family wall. The '4' and the 'H' are from Hobby Lobby, my papa David gave Mom 'The Hatcher Family' cross, and Mom made 'The Hatchers' sign in the middle! So crafty.

This cute little number is in Mom and Dad's closet! We are a family that loves monograms, so of course they're everywhere. The 'Rise & Shine' sign is from Target. I got it on sale for about $7! I thought it looked so fun. The adorable 'Hello Darling!' sign is from TJ Maxx. I love it because Dad says that all the time to Mom.

This last one is upstairs in Dad's man cave. The mechanic sign and 'M' are from Hobby Lobby. Mom is so good about putting pictures and objects together to make them work!

Here are a few of my other favorite decorations!

This is on Dad's man cave door! Thank you, Hobby Lobby.

These presh letters are outside of the laundry room! I painted them for mom over

Christmas break. Love, love, love.

The blue table collection. Dad found the vintage power line insulators at a

couple of different yard sales. I think they're pretty cool!



I know this post was quick, but I hope it gave you a little inspiration for your homes! I love a good gallery wall- there's even a couple in my dorm room! I hope you're all having an awesome Super Bowl weekend. Be safe!

20 Tips from a College Sophomore

Hello wonderful people!

I have been excited about doing this post since the beginning of the school year. My 20 Tips from a College Freshman post is one of my most viewed posts I have done since starting this blog. I hope this one is enjoyed just as much! This is also my 50th blog post!

1. Living in an on-campus apartment style dorm room is heavenly. I have loved my living situation this year so much! I have my own room and my roommates and I share the kitchen, bathroom, dining area, and living room. There is a lot of space to work with! It's a little outdated, but when you decorate, it makes everything better!

2. At UNCC, there are several apartment style dorms to choose from. I'm thinking that other campuses have similar housing options. When choosing your dorm, I would definitely suggest living on a hall. That is the only thing I do not like about my dorm- we just have stairwells that lead to our apartments. It doesn't really give you a chance to meet new people or interact with your neighbors. Luckily, there are a few more housing options that are apartments and are on halls for next year!

3. Coffee is still an important part of your life! Which leads me to my next tip...

4. If you're wanting a cup of coffee before class (and let's face it- none of us really like to put in the effort to make it ourselves before an 8 a.m.) go to Starbucks! I know, such a common white girl thing. There will probably be a line, but just order a tall Pike Place. You'll get it at the register and you don't have to wait for your name to be called at the counter. Spice it up with some half and half, vanilla powder, and sugar. You will be all set for your class! Plus, it's only a dollar and some change.

5. Classes become so much more important this year. You actually dive into your Major classes and start to pick up some of your Minor classes as well. Go to class. You're one more year closer to graduation! Plus, when you put in the effort it, it feels great to make the Dean's List!

6. I changed my Minor this year and it scared me to death! I thought I would be put so far behind, but it didn't. That was a relief. It may not be the same way for everyone, but if you're not happy with what your doing, change it. However, be careful with changing your Major! That's what will set you back the most.

7. Speaking of classes, they should be easier this year in the sense that they are in the same area or building. I only have to go to two different building this semester, compared to the four or five from previous semesters. That's the beauty of getting into your Major classes!

8. Wait to order your textbooks. Last semester, I ordered every single "required" textbook that was listed. Required is for the birds. I only opened maybe two of the textbooks for my classes. What a waste of money! Wait to order them until you go to class and the professor explicitly says, "You need the textbook."

9. Get used to seeing the same faces this year. Not that it's a bad thing! Since your classes are focused on your Major, you will most likely be in classes with the same people. That will give you a chance to know them! Especially with Education majors!

10. Netflix is still a great way to waste time and probably always will be.

11. Get a job this year! Freshman year is for getting situated and knowing the area. Sophomore year is about growing up a little more. Jobs on campus are really great because they work with your school schedule and they offer flexible hours.

12. Use the gym. I know, I know- the most unphysical person telling you to actually work out. But, it's free and it's good for you. Take advantage of it!

13. Be aware that the parking ticket monster is real. Don't park in a 24 hour faculty spot (even though it's in your parking lot and what kind of professor needs a spot at 10 p.m.- but that's beside the point). Just be cautious of where you park your car!

14. Keep in touch with the friends you made from Freshman year! I have a few friends that I love hanging out with now because I kept in touch with them over the summer.

15. It still isn't easy leaving home when you go and visit. Leaving home from Christmas break was difficult. Good thing I'm going home to visit soon! Just know it's okay to miss your parents.

16. Make super awesome spring break plans! Laura and I are going to New York and Washington DC for our spring break! Go somewhere incredible because your college years are prime travel years!

17. Go ahead and begin thinking of your Junior year plans. Where you want to live, what classes you need to take, etc.

18. Meet with your advisor regularly to help stay on track! I know I constantly get confused, but my advisor helps me understand exactly where I need to be. It's usually suggested to schedule an appointment with your advisor before signing up for classes- make sure you do! It helps tremendously.

Now to reiterate some Freshman tips that still apply!

19. Make a to-do list of assignments! It feels great to check them off when you're done!

20. Making your bed makes you feel better, trust me!

I hope these tips come in handy! Sophomore year is so important, so make it count. Don't sweat the little stuff.

January Favorites.

Hey y'all!

It's been a chilly January so far here in Crown Town, but I'm loving it! I love some cold weather, even though I complain about it. I mean hey, I complain about any weather. It's not even two weeks into the new year, but I already have some favorites to share with you all!

But first, I have a post coming soon that is an "edition" of an older post I've done in the past! I'm super excited to share it with you guys, but you'll have to wait on that one for now.

Let the favorites begin!

1. Starbucks Discoveries Iced Coffee

I don't know if I'm late to the game or what- I'm not even sure how long these things have been out, but I love them! At least I love the Vanilla Latte one. I picked up a carton last week at Target and I'm hooked! They're about $5, but that's how much I pay for one vanilla latte at Starbucks. I've already gotten four drinks out of one carton and there's still more in there! Try it out for yourself- I'm trying the macchiato next!

2.  2015 Planner

I'm loving my new planner for this year! I've already written homework assignments and work hours in it and I can't wait to use it some more. It has also put me in a planning mood! *cue the drum roll* My roommate Laura and I will be traveling to New York and Washington DC for our spring break in March! We are both so excited. I cannot wait to blog all about it! If you need some inspiration to plan your own NYC trip, we're using the picture below! Thank you, Pinterest.

3. Laptop Freebie!



I was browsing through the internet looking for a new laptop background and I found this cute little number! I love it, so optimistic and encouraging! You can have it (here.) It brightens up your desk space instantly. I found it on The Nectar Collective. I hope my blog is half as good as it one day!

These are just a few of my favorite things this month. I hope they inspire you too! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for future posts!

DIY End Table

I promised to share with you all how my brother and I built our mom's book end table for Christmas! Bear with me as I explain because I am not "tool savvy," but I will do my best to explain all of the directions very clearly. Here goes nothing!

Materials:

- About 12 hardback novels, varying in thickness

- One 3 foot rebar rod, you will have to cut off excess

- 2 wooden blocks for bottom of table, added for balance

- 1 bag of nuts

- 1 bag of washers

- Wrench

- Drill (w/ paddle bit)

- 4 screws

- Saw, to cut excess rebar

- Palm sander

Steps:

1. Gather all of your materials together. Stack your novels up to the height you want your table to be. You may have to add 1 or 2 books (at the end).

2. Drill holes through the centers of the books with your paddle drill. The holes should be the size that the rebar rod is round (1/2" I believe).

3. Put a nut and washer at the very bottom of the rebar rod, then slide the first novel onto the rod.

4. After each novel is added to the rod, put a nut and washer between each. Repeat this process until the last novel is added. Only put a washer on top of the last novel. This is to keep the book flat against the table top.

5. Cut the wood for the table top to the size you want it to be, then sand it with the palm sander for a smooth surface.

6. Drill a hole through the center of the table top and add it to the rebar on top of the books. Secure it with a nut and washer.

7. Screw the two wooden blocks to the bottom of the first novel. This will give your table extra support.

8. Tighten all nuts and washers with the wrench. This will lessen the height of your table, you may have to add 1 or 2 books now.

9. After everything has been adjusted and secured, cut the excess rebar off with the saw. Make sure the nut and washer that are on the table top are tightened as well. Voila, you have a table!

After the steps above are completed, your table should look like ours in the picture above! Please note that the two books on the table top are decoration, not apart of the books that the rebar runs through. I hope these instructions are clear enough and are helpful if you want to make a table of your own!

*The only thing I didn't like about this table project is that you can see the nut and washer on top of the table. Fortunately, it's easy to cover up in the end!

Christmas in the New House!

For starters, Happy New Year everyone! I am so excited to see what 2015 has in store!

Christmas break has went by so fast and it is almost time for me to head back to Charlotte. I am actually really excited to begin my new classes for the semester! I am starting classes this semester that are specifically for my major and I'm anxious to see how they turn out. This Christmas was a DIY (Do It Yourself) fest! My brother and I made my mom a book end table, my dad a bottle opener, and we took sibling pictures for both of them. I will be blogging a 'how to' for the end table, but for now, I will show you pictures because everything turned out so great!

We took this picture around Thanksgiving break. It is in the Japanese Gardens at UNCC. It was so hard to keep it a secret from mom and dad! We surprised them with sibling pictures in 2012, but we wanted some updated ones for their offices!

Mom's book end table. I thank Pinterest for the idea, but Drew and I made it a reality! It looks so great in Mom's new office!

Dad's bottle opener for the man cave! Pinterest is also to thank for the idea. This one was a quick project, but it turned out awesome! It is also Daddy's 45th birthday this coming week!

These past few weeks have been so nice at home. I am so happy we were able to celebrate Christmas in the new house this year! I loved it and all of the decorations. Speaking of the new house, I have some updated pictures to show y'all of the decorating mom and I have done over the last couple of weeks. Everything has turned out so nicely and it is coming together!

My room is up first! Click on the image to make it larger. Since I've been home, we've added the octopus above the bed, the curtains, a few throw pillows, and my nightstand and TV stand. I'm not quite done with the walls yet, but it's looking good.

This nightstand is one of my favorite DIY's. It was a pale blue color before. I used a palm sander and sanded the blue down in spots to show the original wood. Then I went back and painted it turquoise, then sanded it one more time. Easy as pie!

I'm all about accessorizing a nightstand. The seashell lamp is from my Nana, my mom made the 'to the beach' picture and framed it, then I added a picture of my mom on her wedding day, plus a few books.

I did the TV stand in the same way I painted and sanded the nightstand. I'm in awe of the way they both turned out! I didn't expect them to come out so well. Mom added the rectangular knobs to them to give it that extra touch!

This is a temporary decoration. I wanted a basket overflowing with throw blankets, but that's hard to do when you only have about 2 of them. So I put a throw pillow, blanket, and a couple of canvas paintings in there as a place holder for the moment. I love the anchor against the basket!

Next is the dining room! If y'all remember in the last post, we did not have a dining room table yet. Mom and dad looked everywhere for a farm table, but they were too expensive or not quite right. Dad ended up building one for mom and it is perfect for the space! Mom made a basket wall behind it and it really ties the space together. Now she's looking for two Captain's chairs for the ends of the table to finish the look.

Mom's office/library is one of my favorite rooms in the house. She really decorated this space well and if you know her, this space screams her name when you walk in! Click the image to make it larger.

The living room is another awesome area. Dad put built-in shelves in there and they are decorated awesomely. One of my favorite parts is the senior picture wall to the very right. I love it! Click on the image to make it larger.

Last is mom and dad's bedroom. Mom did a great job with this room as well. I love the 'His and Hers' pillow on the bed and the white ginger jar lamps! Click on the image to make it larger.

We still have a lot of wall decorations to hang, but everything is looking great! I'm excited to come home and see what else mom and dad have done. It is feeling more and more like home everyday!

On a side note, I do have a New Year's resolution! I want to use a planner this year and semester. I went to the store yesterday and picked out a super cute planner that will hopefully keep me motivated to use it! I already put my work schedule in it and ordered a monogram to go on the front- yes, I did!

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas and New Year! Thanks for reading!