Blest on a Sunday

When We moved to the city, as you might assume, I suffered a bit of shell shock and culture shock adjusting to a new culture and I made some hasty what-seemed-like-a-good-decison-at-the-time kind of choices on what I was going to be doing with my time and my business.

A regular Sunday.


A typical Sunday living in NYC from kimberly on Vimeo.



One of those decisions was to blog at least 3 times a week about what all I was learning and seeing and the different places I was discovering. Seeing this city with a fresh set of eyes, and a refreshing perspective is what I had to offer at the time.

WELL, lets see, um, the blogging 3 times a week, as you can clearly see, that actually didn't happen at all.

LIFE was all I could handle for a the first several months being here. Amongst ALL the AMAZING and the good stuff there were colossal melt downs and minor emotional crises along the way.
Recovering now. On the upward swing and so thankful!!

What I wish I could have learned many many years ago, and to have put into practice years ago are:

To take one day at a time and don't make any big or small decisions out of fear EVER! Ask God to give us our daily bread and mean that. For me NOT to try to plan the BIG PICTURE but to work hard each day letting what passion God placed there lead the small action steps I take. Stay on a good honorable path, love all people equally, care of your neighbor and God will lead you to the places you need to be.

Learning that the life God chooses for us is better in NYC because he himself chose it for us, and if I open my eyes and heart, letting go of what I have always known, his choice is way way better.

So this is where where I am, daily choosing to love, to relax and trust, to make small decisions, and to take action little by little and most of all to take deep breaths and enjoy the moments and people and beauty here.  

Recently, my husband (T) has discovered imovie for some work related projects, last night, we had fun editing this video together. 


Our first clip, this first footage is raw, choppy, interesting, but not really all that exciting. Now that we know what we are wanting to film, things can only get way better from here.

Little bits about the video since there is little to no words involved...

We get to attend Tim Keller's church (one of the most profound Christian thinkers in the world) Which is AMAZING so it is not by any means"regular" but it feels kind of normal to us now, like a regular process of our new lives.

The reason we chose attending there instead of staying with the Gallery Church which we still love and care for all the people there, was because of our kids needing children's ministry with strong leaders. So we miss the Gallery's community a ton as we choose what is best for the kids, it seems also to be the best for our growth and understand at this time too.   

Honestly, when Keller is speaking, there is a tangible concentration in the room all round us as the whole church ponders over and brain chews on what he is saying about Christ. It takes all my brain power to dig into what he is saying is true sometimes. Completely Amazing. So for this season of life, this is where we are. Wishing I could somehow mix the amazing community of the Gallery with the needs of the children together!! 

We shop at Trader Joe's for their simple ingredients and prices, but we have to trek across town with heavy bags to do so. 

Amsterdam Ave is one of our very favorite streets and areas. Love it!! 

Our kids ride scooters everywhere. And there is always waiting and a bit of strife here and there btwn the siblings.


We have been living here (My husband for 11 months), I and the kids for 10 months, and is it weird that I measure our time in Mayonnaise? We have made many friends, seen some move away already, Had three visitors, visited around 5 churches, gone through around 6 Trader Joe's mayonnaise jars (that's a lot of sandwiches), seen our friends Brian and Erica twice. Met around 15 Tennesseans, 5 North Carolinians, Lia's gone through about 2000 pieces of paper, deep cleaned our apartment around 7 or 8 times, and I have been to the MET now around 5-6 times, the MOMA 3 times, Columbus Circle around 30 times or more, and as my position and frame of mind is not on as wobbly shock effected territory as it once was, it could be a good time to start this blog thing after all.

My husband, whom I greatly admire, has a completely different style of writing, completely different very interesting perspective, so I have asked him if he would also blog here once a week, and he said he would be happy to! 

Stay tuned!

A whole new world.

Brooklyn, through the eyes of a newbie: 
So, be real with me, you've always wanted to live in Brooklyn or NYC haven't you? Remember those dreams? OR some of you DID live here or in Manhattan when you 20 something! You met your husband/wife here and now you've moved somewhere in the suburbs to a house on a quiet out-of-the-way cul-de-sac. Your house is cute, you love sipping on beers on Saturday nights on your back porch with your best friends next door? Barbecuing while you watch your kids jump on the trampoline together.  All the while, memories of brooklyn haunt you, and somewhere in your heart you miss it don't you? You were done, you were too old so you traded the life here for space. If you stayed wouldn't have the yard or garage to work in. 

How would you raise your kids in Brooklyn or NYC? Who could do that? Now you have to drive to get to civilization now that you are in the burbs? But you're okay with that now, now that you're old right? You don't need all that hassel of taking your laundry to a Mat and lugging your groceries up four flights of stairs and running up and down stairs on your commute. Good news, you don't have to live here to see this city again...

Now, you get to be here every week if you like, just by following our journey! I will bring this city to life for you right from your living room, how's that for awesome?

I'm telling you, there is something about this place and I need to find all that it has to offer and what it is that God has for us here. Lets discover what that is together as I learn to love it here through the lens of my camera and through the people I meet, food we discover, art we find and the community here in PS. 

Today, I decided 4 things. 
1: "take each day as it comes." Papaw
2: "put one foot in front of the other and take one breath at a time,    then discover what I encounter." a paraphrased quote I heard somewhere
3: Focus on the beauty right around me, never letting the negative or Ugly or the past get in the way. my own thoughts. 

So today I walked from Union to Third and back up to 7th just to see what I would see. This was the first thing that struck my eye. Someone took the time to make this crazy wall structure around a tree. from far away it looked dilapidated and ugly, but if you zoomed in, you could see the artists vision of beauty. 

This street was gorgeous, love the brownstones, and this guy made me giggle, his hair flopped up and down as he jogged. 

I love some of the details that people put into their homes. Some, I love not-so-much

Like these details, hello... anyone home? Who thinks this is a great design combo and enhances the hood and value of the home? blahk. I am sure those railings cost a fortune and the awnings and door, but wowzers. 

cute garden, but this empty space is worth over a mil and a half. I love green spaces, but If I were Annie, I am just saying. 

Will be revisiting this business that I happend upon. A Niche market business that is doing well here. Seems to have a strong story and heart behind their business. Can't wait to find out more. 

I love brownstone doors.. love all the architectural elements and the spring additions!!!  

I see lots of style, and yes, each day I blog I will have a style watch comparison, so watch out for it! What do you think? a, b or c?  

Hello beautiful cathedral right down the street. 

It is places like Sweet Melissa's that draw me in. I am always fascinated with certain businesses and why some are so inviting and some are cold and non-welcoming at first glance.  Just the colors, the window display design, the flowers, the chalk board.. the wood door, all make me want to go in and see what's inside. 

Loved the inviting store front and would love to know more about Sweet Melissa's 

Inside a mural.. very cute. Must be of the original store front on Court Street. 

Another amazing business. Imagine, it has been in business for over a 100 years, and potentially in the same location? not sure. But this business store window design was rather vintage and stately.  

As I am walking around the city, it is inevitable that I accidentally eavesdrop on other people's conversations.   

this is what I am hearing... people are either wanting more money, needing more things, grieving a loss, pissed off at a roommate or boyfriend, hating a neighbor, sorrowful for a loss, & oblivious too into shopping. There is almost always a common thread... that each conversation that I hear has something to do with either money or getting more things, more prestige, power, better position etc. 

I haven't heard anyone's conversations where the person sounds completely satisfied right where they are. (I know that they're are those of you out there, so no judgment from me about it, it is just what I have heard so far). 

  
I did pass a woman by the other day, she lived on one of those dreamy do die for brownstone streets, she walked out on her stoop to just smell her lovely flowers that were immaculately kept in perfect design and harmony. As I passed her by, two thoughts occurred to me, first, I thought to myself, ooooh, she looks happy. She's woman in her late 50's, living in one of the most beautiful homes yet, did not appear to have plastic surgery and or any hair dies or such. Not sure she even had on make up. She let her hair turn gray and wiry, yet she was wearing fine linen garments and seemed to float when she walked toward her flowers. I peered into her beautifully sophisticated and simplistic home and I did feel just a tinge of envy. How do you get there, floating in Linen I thought.  
It happens so quickly. Those thoughts, the covet ones.  But this is a subject for another day. Am I content right where I am? Putting one foot in front of the other, waiting on God's best for me? To be continued.