Free falling.

So many updates, so I guess the best place to start from is the beginning.... 

This past Friday I went to my internship and the Events Editor asked me if I would be available to do a red carpet event... in the Hamptons. 

DUH! 

The deal was I would go to the Hamptons... do some red carpet interviews followed by being able to enjoy the party myself.

The event is a yearly event in the Hamptons called Super Sunday... Which raises money for ovarian cancer research. 

This year was hosted by Kelly Ripa and she had a lot of guest show up.

SO Danny and I woke up around 5am, got dressed, and headed to the Hamptons for the first time! 

We hopped on the Long Island Railroad and headed on the three hour trip from Brooklyn to the Hamptons!

The event was located at a place called "Noah's Art".

It was basically a big field with art work all over it.

The event was under huge tents where people could go shopping for top designer items... with their money being donated to charity. 

Ticket to get in for the public? 

$450. 

Press? 

Danny and I got in for free! 

We got there and stood on the red carpet and began interviewing all the celebs that past by.

Thank goodness for sorority recruitment skills because my questions just kept on coming!

I want to post more pictures of the celebs on here (and my Facebook) but I don't own rights to the pictures because I was working for my internship! 

But here is me and the host! 

The red carpet was so fun and I got a lot of good stuff! 

Following the red carpet Danny and I went and picked up our Moroccan Oil Gift bags, enjoyed a couple of drinks, and ate a delicious meal! 

The event as I mentioned before was made up of tents. You would walk up to each tent and basically be given a ton of free designer products. 

And of course there was a polo match going on! 

Our day in the Hamptons was perfect. 

But...

Then I had to go to work and do an overnight shift...

I hate the spa. 

I worked all night, got yelled at multiple times in foreign languages, and got to deal with drunk people who for some reason just couldn't go home and go to bed... but wanted to go to the spa. 

I got home around 9:30am Sunday morning and woke up around 1pm to do a write up to send to my internship about the event. 

Then had to head back to work until 2am at the spa.

I woke up late on Monday morning after getting home around 3:30am to go to my internship and I felt like something was wrong. 

I literally had slept through my alarm which is unlike me and then I had some scary symptoms occur. 

I ended up waking Danny up and we took a taxi to Union Square so I could go to the urgent care. 

New York doctors offices are amazing by the way... 

I will be getting a procedure done soon and some testing for a couple of things.

I don't want to go into details because.... I don't want to get anyone excited. 

Following my doctors appointments I got to meet up with one of my all time favorite sorority sisters who was in town! 

Cameron and I did dinner at the famous Buddahkon (rehearsal dinner from Sex and the City the movie).

And then out with some people to a bar called Employees Only! 

This picture makes me laugh because Cameron's eyes are closed so when I was drinking I cut them out! 

We had a great night! 

I got more crazy nails done yesterday! 

The lady liked her design so much she put them on her instagram page! 

Look at my chubby little fingers! 

Such a hand model if I must say so myself! 

So this week I have two more red carpet events and I can't wait to share the details! 

OH AND BIG NEWS. 

I quit my job at the spa today and started my new job at another nicer, more organized spa today! 

I feel free! 

I've fallen hard... for New York City. 

The Reminder.

You know when you go through your day to day and you forget to think about how lucky you are?

I've been in that kind of rut. 

I've been forgetting to look up and see what is all around me! 

We do this because it is a way to move through the hustle. 

My work has been killer... over nights are hard.

Mostly because I work all night then i've missed out on the whole day! 

This Saturday I was off so I finally had the chance to get my hair cut and go grab some drinks with my roommate Danny! 

We went to Mercury... my "cheers". 

OH and I love my new haircut!
It's a little shorter but so much healthier! 

Of course seeing fabulous friends including an all time favorite Jose! 

Jose knows everyone... and I mean everyone! 

Oh and me and my roommate/model Danny! 

The next day was devoted to sleeping and getting ready for my overnight shift at work. 

I hate to skip around but lets rewind back the beginning for a moment. 

Just going through day to day...

Everyone knows how it is... you begin to get so sucked into working and that you forget to stop and look around you.

Things begin to annoy you... days become just a blurred image and people who interrupt your routine become an annoyance. 

Today I hopped on the train to another job interview for a side job while I continue to work towards developing my career. 

I sat on the train and found my self surrounded on all sides by a group of young black men... maybe age 14 and younger. 

Like all teens they have total disregard for people around them and they have trouble controlling their volume.

They didn't mind speaking over me to each other either. 

I was hot, tired, and just trying to get to this interview on time when they began to rap battle. 

My level of annoyed sky rocketed. 

I took a deep breath and kind of began to listen.

These kids were rapping about their personal lives.... this is how they were communicating feelings with one another. 

One rapped a story about how his father is in jail and his mom is his number one girl. 

His friends bobbed their heads and seemed to really connect with him.

All of a sudden... when I started to listen... and remember we are all people... the once annoying sounds around me became a sort of poetry. 

They went back and fourth and a lot of what they were saying was not age appropriate but then again these young boys had experienced more in their 14 years on earth than I had. 

My small issues that I obsess over become minuet compared to what these boys were telling each other via poetry. 

This is a small moment I wanted to share. 

I think this was a growing moment for me. 

It was a perfect reminder to remember we are all just people and to open my eyes and remember to see the beauty that surrounds me. 

I ended up being an hour and a half early for my job interview so I decided to take myself on a lunch date! 

My amazing mother sent me an Ipad mini and I have been reading on it so I thought it would be a good chance to read, cool off, and get mentally prepared for my interview. 

I found this great little french place and chowed down! 

I went to my interview which went well and then I decided to do some exploring. 

I found my self somewhere between Bergdorf Goodman and central park at this beautiful fountain.

I sat and watched tourist come and take pictures and wet their hands to stay cool.
There is something about the city that makes it so hot.
Maybe much like North Carolina it's the humidity.
I was beat from the heat and I took advice from Carrie Bradshaw.
If you are an avid fan of Sex and the City you will remember when Carrie goes on a date with NYC.
She states, "My favorite part about living in New York is that any given night you can go to Paris". Next scene she is buy a ticket for one at the Paris movie theatre.
I decided I would do the same.

I saw a great little movie called "Still Mine". 

I cried my eyes out. 

It was so good! 

After the movie, it had cooled off a bit outside so I decided to keep on looking around! 

I walked past FAO Schwarz and decided I probably should go inside.

I mean what 23 year old doesn't want to spend time in the worlds largest toy store! 

Umm Barbie is my favorite! 

An etch a sketch for only $1499!

The famous big piano!

Batman made completely out of legos!

And of course the cutest turtles!

I checked out the cars for kids as well... which costed more than some of my friends cars in college. 

Today was a reminder that I need to keep exploring. 

I can't get caught up in a normal routine and stop taking full advantage of the city. 

There is so much going on here and it is constantly changing. 

I'm a southern girl at heart but i'm not sure if after living in NY if I will ever be able to live anywhere else. 

I love it here. 

What The Heck Has Been Going On.

I havent posted in a while but I wanted to just do some highlights and not a play by play! 

I think I have found the perfect apartment and I'm hopefully meeting with one of the girls who currently lives there tomorrow to go over details! 

The price is right, it is IN MANHATTAN, my room will be smaller but the living room and kitchen are large! 

I'm really hoping this all works out! 

Apartments are so hard to get in the city I've heard... it's more like a job interview. 

In a normal situation you meet the person, they seem okay, and you pay and move in.

In the city the competition like everything else is fierce... so people can be really picky! 

The good news is the girls seem really nice! 

Oh I would be living with three other girls... two have lived there for a year... they are looking for two more roommates! Each have our own room! 

I wanted to start by highlighting the 4th of July! 

I went to the famous Coney Island HotDog Eating Contest after spending the early afternoon laying out on the beach. 

It was such a great time! 

I of course had to try a hot dog of my own! 

Along with fresh cut mango on the beach! 

I love these thing!!! 

This was the video I got when Joey Chestnut the world famous eater won first place! 

There was music and performers while we waited as well! 

It was really a great and very hot day!

Another recent highlight was when my roommate and I decided to try Korean food.

I work with a lot of korean women but have never tried the food before so Danny and I went to a place called Wonjo. 

I asked the waitress how to chose what we wanted and I decided I wanted to try Korean BBQ.

We ordered our food and this is what they bring to the table:

I'm curious if this is like a starter or whats going on... then they bring this out: 

I quickly ask the waiter what we are suppose to do with all of this and what it was. 

He said we snack on it. 

It all kind of tasted weird to me... I'm an open minded eater but like things that I would imagine would be hot were cold and visa versa. 

It was like cold beans, cold spicy cabbage, hot bean sprouts, soy balls. 

I was a little confused and then they brought out the BBQ 

Which I thought was pretty good. 

Danny appreciated the other food more than I did but I mostly decided to stick to the meat. 

It was a cool experience... will I eat Korean food again? Maybe not unless the ladies at my work bring it for me. 

It is also kind of expensive. Our meal was $70... and I literally just ate the BBQ, oh and RICE! 

So I made the decision I wanted to get my nails and toes done the other day! 

I found this place in Brooklyn that does Japanese 3D nail art so I called and they said they could take me! 

I honestly was in desperate need of a pedicure... especially post almost ripping my toenail off at work.... hope you enjoy this picture! 

OUCH!

But my nails are really what I loved about my trip!

 I got so many little charms and things... although i didn't think of the consequences at the time of having large objects glued to my nails 

Days later I want to rip them off. They are adorable... but they get caught on everything. 

I'm going to get them done again... just not so dramatic. 

My internship is going well! 

I have my first clip! 

Which means I contributed to the story in Life and Style! 

PRETTY AWESOME! 

My favorite picture from the week is this one: 

I went out to dinner and drinks with this guy I met and we ended up at my favorite bar called Mercury. 

He snapped this picture of me being crazy and I loved it.

That was a really fun night although I learned an important lesson. 

No going out on work nights. 

I had to be up at 11am the next day and my boss rode my case for being tired the whole time. 

It was worth it for one night though...

We found a bar with a $1 beer happy hour... followed by dancing the night away at Mercury with friends... I even got to see my favorite guy Simba!!! 

Although my time in New York has been amazing I also got new that a friend of mine Shannon Christy passed away this week. 

She was in a tragic kayaking accident.

This Thursday my post is going to be a throwback thursday to a trip me, Shannon, and a lot of my other friends went on a couple of years ago. 

I will say among all the pain from loss I have felt I have also felt some warmth of the people from home. 

I have spoken to and cried with people I haven't in forever.

I guess love for someone can bring anyone together... 

Why going Greek in the PAST has helped me TODAY.

HAPPY THURSDAY! 

For most of you cool cats that means it is almost the weekend but for me that means it's almost time for me to have to work.

I've had the last 3 days off and have been completely lazy. 

And I needed it. 

Today is:

I once again am going to spice things up a bit and I'm going to explain why being in a sorority (in my past) has helped me reach goals today! 

Because I truly believe from the bottom of my heart I would not be who I am today without my sorority! 

1. Living in a house with 19 women 

I absolutely loved my time living in the Delta Zeta house in college. I did it for three years! I personally believe nothing could have taught me how to deal with any situation better than living in that house. I know the best remedy for a hangover, I have perfected the perfect cat eye, and I can make my hair bigger than anyone I know. I also learned patience and to not just let things stay bottled up inside of me with my relationships. If someone does something that bother me I go right up to them and let me know. I learned not to go tell four other people first (word travels fast) and MOST people will understand and change what they are doing... or at least talk about it! 

2. Recruitment 

I was recruitment chair for my sorority followed by recruitment chair for all of sorority life at Western... I can literally have a 50 minute engaging conversation with paint chips.

I constantly have 50 questions in my brain when i'm meeting someone.

I haven't met a shy person since i've moved to NY... most likely because I can carry a damn good conversation myself. 

With all my interviews I've been to, me and the person I'm talking with end up laughing the whole time. 

We may not have anything in common but I make something work (I learned this from recruitment) and I end up leaving knowing their life story... which I bring up bits in our future conversations. This is another key thing I learned during recruitment time. 

During my collegian career I had my fair share of talking to people during recruitment that answered everything I said "yes" and "no"... and I believe by learning to engage people on a more personal level and getting them to come out of their shell I have been able to perfect a casual conversation! 

(Heather and I back in the recruitment days!)

3. Being President 

Being president of my sorority in college taught me so many important lessons. I had to learn that I am not always right and even if I am right sometimes I just need to let it go. 

That all gossip needs proof. 

Being president also taught me how to take criticism. 

That's one of the hardest lessons in life to learn but I see how it makes me stick out at my internship and my side job.

If my editor comes up to me and says "Liz this really bad... I know you worked all night on it but you need to re-do this whole thing and the picture is horrible"... I will say "Okay! Will do! Thank you!" 

I see other interns get so upset, backtalk, try to tell the editor she is wrong. 

Or at my horrible job... I get yelled at constantly for really dumb  things but I don't take anything personally. 

I just brush it off say "i'm sorry" and move on.

People who work there will get so worked up and it will ruin there night.

This quality is something I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to develop! 

(The DZ national President and I are the Presidential Stair Case at Nationals)

4. All Leadership Opportunities 

I'm unsure of what other organizations on a campus can give someone so many leadership opportunities... from conferences to workshops.

I feel like every other week I was attending this or that. 

These opportunities were also always free to me! 

Like when I got to go to Ohio for 5 days and take leadership classes or even the leadership classes offered right on campus for greek students! 

I was able to make my resume better, be better prepared with interview skills, and even work on my handshake during these experiences exclusively for greek students! 

5. Networking 

Everyone, who was in a sorority or fraternity, remember that first day of class where you enter your class and look for other greeks to sit with! 

We have the bond... even if we are not in the same organization. 

Every interview I've been on one of my questions is always "were you greek in college", more than not say "YES!"... automatic connection! 

Just because she was a Tri Delt and I'm a Dee Zee doesn't mean we don't get along... we get very excited! 

PANHELLENIC LOVE! 

Remember Erika the Alpha Xi Delta from a previous post? 

She isn't in my sorority but she is moving to NY so we have been in contact with each other! 

Even better she is moving close to me! 

I can't wait to have  a NY bff who is also in a sorority living so close by. 

Erika and I were not close in college but we have a connection because of greek life and it made us instant friends. 

Did I mention 70% of CEOs were greek? I mean having a "connection" could be the difference between you and someone else getting a job! 

6. Support 

In college my sisters were there with me during the hardest moments I experienced.

Like they would literally just sit there and listen while I cried my eyes out during the "big break up of 2012", even before they understood exactly everything that was going on. 

And even now that I have left college I'm still feeling the love and support from them. 

Every day I get Facebook messages, words of encouragement, letters in the mail, from my sisters! 

I also can't tell you how much support I've got from my Panhell sisters in other sororities! 

Shout out to the AXDs, Phi Mus, and AXO who have sent me such amazing messages telling me you are following my journey!!! 

It has been such an amazing, scary, exciting, and lonely journey moving to NYC all alone but I thing the support from my sisters and family have provided me with some stability! 

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet! 

I'm posting later today a little about what I have been up to.

Keep the love coming my way!

This post made me miss my sisters:) 

DZLAM