New York: Introduction

So, it's been just over a month since got back from New York. Oh, didn't I mention that I was going? *Shrugs and grins sheepishly*

Sorry, friends. I know that I've been terrible at logging onto this space in recent weeks. Life has been fast-paced and full: there's been a lot of living done in the last couple of months, but far too little documenting of it all.

I'm here now trying to remedy that; there will be a few catch up reading-recap posts coming your way over the next couple of months; and, I hope, a series of posts on my ten-day whirlwind trip to NYC and Washington, DC.

I thought I'd begin by giving you an introduction to how exactly the trip came about and what you can expect from this mini-series documenting it all.

How it all came about 

One cold September morning last year I was sitting at my kitchen table with a bowl of oatmeal, mindlessly scrolling through my emails. Somewhere amidst all the clutter was an email from Air New Zealand that caught my attention, probably because it had that magic four-letter word in it: sale. I clicked on it and felt my heart almost-literally jump into my throat as I saw the limited number of dirt-cheap tickets to NYC on sale. I immediately called my mum.

"Omigoshthereareticketstonewyorkonsaleandtheyaresocheap!"

Once I had calmed down enough to string a coherent sentence together, I explained what I had found to her and then almost whispered the words I hardly dared to believe: "I think I can do this."

My mother, like any responsible parent, probed a little further and then, having enquired enough to ease her concerns, said "I'll pay for your insurance."

The tickets were booked within twenty minutes.

Yes, you read that right: within twenty minutes. In the time it had taken me to finish my breakfast I had somehow booked tickets to the other side of the world for what I knew would be the trip of a lifetime.

I walked around in a dream-state that entire morning at work, smiling ridiculously to myself and wondering if anyone could guess my secret. I'm going to New York!

I got home a little later that afternoon and couldn't help but spill the news to my then-flatmate, Jessica. She squealed with me and then after a moment said, "Would you like some company?"

Of course I said yes, and within an hour her tickets were booked. Needless to say, our other flatmate, Rachel, came home to two very giddy girls.

Our tickets were booked, and our hearts were soaring: we were going to NYC!

*****

Oh friends, it is a funny story and one that I'm so thankful for. God works in such unexpected ways and I saw His hand in this trip every step of the way: guiding, surprising and teaching. He really is the best, and I can't wait to tell you all the ways I saw that over this ten day period.

Until then!