brooklyn!

imagine me saying the title of this blog in a nice thick brooklyn accent. it’s pretty funny when i do it. i try to be hardcore. brooklyn’s not really as scary as everyone thinks. well, at least not the parts i’ve wandered through. last week i had the pleasure of going to quaint williamsburg. it was so cute and the buildings were shorter and i went to a vintage store called beacon’s closet. i really liked it there, they had a lot of awesome stuff, and i came out with a wristlet that i love for only 11 bucks. the clothing was reasonable and i see no reason why i wouldn’t go back to look some more. my friend and i went there, got some lunch, and then went for gelato/sorbet. the guy must have thought we were cute because he gave us extra on sunday i went to church, then to greenwich village which is so nice and quiet and little. i went to magnolia bakery and got a cupcake (they really are as good as everyone claims) and some banana pudding (even better).

now this weekend. this weekend, i wasn’t sure what i wanted to do. last night i plotted out how to get to several places, and this morning i decided on the brooklyn botanic gardens. i really had no idea how wonderful it would be until i got there. the ride to get there was a little rocky, fraught with delays and an unexpected transfer, but i got there. i walk up the steps from the subway, the sun was so beautiful today, and i looked around and found signs to the brooklyn botanic gardens. i wasn’t expecting to pay, i hadn’t thought of that, but i paid the 4 dollars it costs for a student ticket and went on in.

i can’t even describe how breathtakingly beautiful it was even just in the entrance. the sun was so bright, the flowers in bloom, some of them just budding, it was just so beautiful. and so green! i had forgotten what grass felt like as i stepped off the walkway and my foot sunk slightly into the forgiving ground. the sound of my footsteps in the grass was music to my ears, as was the lack of sirens and horns. as i walked farther along, i made sure to take pictures, but i knew that i had to really look at the trees and flowers and nature around me, and appreciate it beyond taking a pretty picture. i walked slowly along the paths that were cut, and occasionally ventured off the beaten path. there were so many kids around, and even though there were a lot of people, it didn’t seem like it because the place is so huge. some of the kids were doing cartwheels, playing ring-around-the-rosie, it was idyllic and absolutely relaxing. i was happy to see many couples holding hands, wandering around, and there were plenty of couples playing with their children, chasing them, and laying in the grass while the kids yelled, "watch this!" it’s times like these that i could picture myself living in the big city, well - outside the city, in brooklyn. after i spent hours in the gardens and conservatories within, and read a book under a tree, i left even though i didn’t really want to. it was getting a little chilly because of the breeze, and i was getting hungry.

the brooklyn museum of art was right next to the gardens, so i walked past that and noticed an ice cream truck. i couldn’t resist the urge to have ice cream for lunch so i went and got a chocolate soft serve cone dipped in cherry. it was the kind of ice cream that you have to eat fast, before it melts all over you, and i felt like a kid again. of course, there were plenty of kids here, too, and most of them had ice cream as well, mostly all over their faces. they were running around, ignoring the pleading of their moms to slow down, you’re going to hurt yourself!

on the way back, at one point the train went above ground, which i wasn’t expecting, as it crossed from brooklyn back into manhattan. a bright burst of light scared me as the train crept up and suddenly came out of the tunnel. i looked around, kind of confused and surprised, and then i saw it. the light hitting the water, the brooklyn bridge, the view i had was simply perfect. i sat, mouth open, and just stared in silence. i can still see it now, and i have the same wide-eyed, mouth agape look as i did then. that view... it will be a long time before i forget that. of course, all good things have to come to an end, so we finally slipped back underground and i decided to get off at union square before i headed back to my room. there was a farmer’s market going on, and it was so packed, but it was still neat to get to see everything that was set up, and i got a hot apple cider for a dollar that tasted so good. i finally made my way back to my room, and i went to dinner with a friend at a bbq place.

tomorrow isn’t supposed to be very warm or sunny, but the past couple days and weekends have been wonderful enough to make up for that. i took about 80 pictures at the gardens, and i definitely plan on going back, so i’m sure there will be more where that came from.

if you’ve made it this far, thank you. i hope you enjoyed the update.

Currently Listening Hey There Delilah By Plain White T's see related

location: new york, new york

ohhhh xanga. how i've neglected you. i've had a lot of projects for school recently and as the month comes to an end there are even more. i've decided not to stress out about them unless i have to. for example, if i'm doing one the night before it's due at 11 pm, THEN i can stress. but before that, i'm not allowed. things are going well in my  life. there have been times lately where i've slipped away from what i know is right...times when i go too far, even though i know it, and still continue. but never too far. i hadn't done devotionals in a week as of sunday, so i've been doing them the past couple nights. getting back on track. it helps.

a girl i work with told me yesterday that she's been with her boyfriend for almost 2 years. he's almost 19, she's 21. she is his first (real) girlfriend. they're already making plans for getting married. i cannot imagine this. even at 21, there's no way i'll be married, let alone now, at 19. i think it's wise for me to graduate school first, and then go from there. my mom told me that she believes people should date more than just one person before getting married. i say, why bother? if you feel you're supposed to be with someone, why should you break it off with him in order to date more people, just to make your mom or society happy? i'm not saying that i am sure i'll end up with chris and therefore feel indignant about what my mother said, but it's just ...i dunno. whatever happens, happens. i've dated other people, but have never gotten serious with them. does that count? i feel that you know what you want without having to experience a dozen relationships. some say 'the more experience, the better', including my best friend. she's had at least half a dozen boyfriends that she's dated for 6 months or more, and is engaged at 20, after less than 6 months of dating her fiancee, who is 23. so, the fact that she's had so many boyfriends makes her wise? really? she's also told me that she wishes she hadn't gone through everything that she has, because in the beginning of her current relationship, whenever jon would say something one of her previous boyfriends had, like a promise, she was wary. and she's been cheated on twice. i don't agree that experience is necessary. sure, maybe it helps you spot the jerks, but that's not an issue for me at this point. i know my mom wants the best for me, i know she does...and i know she's not trying to sabotage my happiness, but rather, trying to make sure i am happy and make wise decisions. i understand the concept of obedience, but God tells us that even things our parents tell us are not the wisest things. maybe what she's telling me isn't the best for me, even though she has no way of knowing that. does that make sense?