Tag Archives: California

Phebe Comes to Visit

The saddest thing about graduating, perhaps, is the loss of all the holidays and breaks. I really enjoy planning trips and traveling, so this “lost” time really hit hard. Everything really came “crashing down” (excuse my melodramatic candor) when my Instagram and Facebook feeds quickly transformed into a mecca for bikini-clad girlfriends and #nofilter beach sunsets the first week of March. Luckily for me, I have one of the best friends in the entire world who decided to spend part of her Spring Break in beautiful Southern California for a week of shenanigans. It had a been a little less than a month since I had seen Phebe, but it felt like eternity.

Sushi Paradise

Sushi Paradise

Phebe arrived last Tuesday night after a whole day of traveling (4 airports, 3 flights, 2 layovers, in 1 Day)  and in typical Meg and Phebe fashion, we headed straight to a sushi bar in North Park, but not after wandering around for a bit to stretch out the legs and get some fresh air. After chowing down on some delicious California, Tempura, and Spicy Tuna Rolls at North Park Sushi and Grill, we headed back to Scripps Ranch to say hit to my parents and get ready for bed.

Pheb in La Jolla

Pheb in La Jolla

 

 

 

 

The next day was a pretty lazy day after November Project in the morning, but we headed down to La Jolla to get some shoes for Phebe’s meeting  and went to La Jolla to see the seals at the Children’s Pool and explore the area. We stumbled upon this amazing bakery/café and definitely  recommend it for lunch if you’re in the area – Girard Gourmet. Phebe got the Chicken Curry Sandwich on Eight Grain Bread and I got the Pear Cambozola w/ Glazed Pecans & Strawberries and substituted the dressing  for Balsamic Vinaigrette. That night, my Mom made a delicious Salmon dinner for us and we got to ride in our friend’s Tesla which was pretty cool!

On Thursday, we ventured up to the city of Angels for Pheb’s business meeting. Afterwards, we walked around the shops in Beverly Hills and ate lunch at my favorite restaurant, Urth Caffe. Phebe had this beautiful fruit plate (judge for yourself) and I indulged myself in their Caesar Salad (typical!). We wanted to beat the bad traffic so we headed south to the beaches in Manhattan and decided to get an easy 4 miles in before laying on the beach for a few hours. Heading home, we eventually got stuck in traffic, but it was well worth our boondoggle up to LA. I also decided that if I were to ever move to Los Angeles, I would love to live near the beaches. Meg in Manhattan Beach, anybody?

After a long and exhausting day in LA, we decided to stay in San Diego for the next few days. On Friday we headed to my favorite part of SD, Coronado (also known as Crown Town). We drove down and parked North West of the Del and spent the day on the beach. After braving the elements (we kept getting whipped in the face with sand by the wind), we got hungry and decided to head to my FAVORITE place – Miguels Cocina. Lucky for us, Happy Hour started at 3 so we indulged on some chips, guac and white jalapeño sauce (my absolute favorite thing there) before ordering our margaritas and entrees. That night, we were invited to see an old friend that had recently returned from Memphis, TN for a quick trip. As we made our way up to Bay View Park, we realized that we didn’t have any costumes for St. Patrick’s Day, so we stopped at Buffalo’s Breath, the oldest and COOLEST costume warehouse, where we found tutus and matching gold sequin bras (yes, you read that correctly).

My three favorite holidays (in order) are: The Fourth of July (I LOVE AMERICA), St. Paddy’s Day, and Cinco de Mayo. That being said, I love to celebrate all three holidays to the fullest, which made Saturday a day to remember. After a few miles in the morning by the house, Pheb and I got decked out in all green and gold for a day of partying with our friends from TN. We started at our friend’s house in Pt. Loma for some early morning shenanigans before heading to Balboa Park for the St. Patrick’s Day Festival. We danced, got on stage (fine, that was just me) and made my Irish ancestors proud before heading back to Pt. Loma for some food, then back to the house for some pizza and a movie (Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion).

Sunday was a recovery day for the both of us and we headed back to the beach in Coronado, this time at the Amphibious Base for some more R&R after we bike and lifted for a quick workout. We were planning on going on the boat, but unfortunately, our hot water heater broke so we opted to get out of my parent’s way and head to Nado. Following our beach adventures, we stopped at our favorite coffee spot and grabbed some cool drinks at Coffee Cart (aka Madrid Cafe) before heading up to Del Mar for the sunset. I love watching the sunset at the cliffs in Del Mar and walking the railroad tracks afterwards and knew that Phebe would love it as well!

Phebe’s flight to San Francisco was on Monday afternoon out of Long Beach, so we quickly headed out of the house on Monday morning to Pacific Beach to walk around and catch some more rays!  After a few hours walking the beach, we got in the car and headed up to Long Beach before we said our goodbyes. Thankfully I’ll be seeing Phebe in a month back in New York.

Watching the Sunset in Del Mar

Thank you Phebe for sharing your Spring Break with me down in San Diego, I hope you had as great of a time as I did! Love you.

Surprise!

If somebody were to ask what the three most important things about me are they’d be (in no order of importance): 1. I love to workout   2. My friends and family are the most important thing in my life and 3. I LOVE surprises, both being surprised and surprising other people.

Long story short, I bought myself a plane ticket to NY to surprise my old roommate, Erin, for her birthday, celebrate Galentines Day with Phebe, and see Dave play some volleyball. It was a whirlwind of trip, but a much-needed trip back to frigid temperatures to see my closest friends.

Here’s some  quick highlights of my long weekend in the city that never sleeps:

Saturday: landed at JFK and headed straight to Phebe’s in the East Village.  After indulging ourselves with See’s Candies, we headed over to my old apartment to surprise Erin. SURPRISE Erin! Cue lots of hugs and “Is this real life?”  a la David After Dentist. Head back to Phebe’s place and get ready to go to Hair of the Dog on the LES.

Sunday: Wake up and engage in our old “habits”. We head to Coles to workout and watch the men’s basketball game, then I head to Hoboken see Dave.

Monday: Brunch with Erin at Cafe Gitane followed by a workout at Coles with Phebe. Cafe Gitane is a cute French Moroccan place that is most known for its Avocado Toast. It is absolutely divine – a must try on my list.

Tuesday: Erin’s Birthday!  Lunch with my former marketing professor, Ted Philipakos, at local Greek restaurant, Ovelia,  in Queens to catch up.

Wednesday: Head to Hoboken to hang with Dave. Grab lunch at my favorite Italian Deli, Vito’s (I ordered the Vito). Watch Dave and the rest of his team destroy SUNY New Paltz in three straight sets with Phebe.

Thursday: Breakfast with Phebe and Etan at Hoboken Gourmet Company. Head back to California. Cue tears and nostalgia.

 

It was a quick trip, but I’m so glad I was able to see my friends and surprise Erin! Hopefully I’ll be back before graduation!

Live Blogging My Way Back To New York

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Nothing is better than some play-by-play action of my flights back to New York, not that my Twitter feed isn’t interesting or anything, right?

Have Suitcase, Will Travel

Have Suitcase, Will Travel

3:33 PM – So I’m already 3 minutes later than I would like to be on my journey back to the Big Apple, but hey, it happens.  Just said goodbye to Sibel, Jesse, Jenni, John, Kenta, Shelby, Nani, Petey, and the family and am now off to the airport.

4:05 PM – Just checked into the commuter terminal to LAX and GUESS WHAT? MY BAGS ARE UNDER 50LBS! I really do think this goes down in the record books as an achievement as Meg the Packing Princess usually is over by 25 pounds.

4:17 PM – Bags are checked, just said goodbye to mom, and now through security. Love the commuter terminal – no lines, no hassle and the sweetest people ever.  I got my seat moved up to the Bulkhead on my next flight and am pretty stoked about that, as well.

4:58 PM– Commence texting everybody in my phone about how much I miss them. Yikes, this is what happens when you put your emotions out there?

 5:11 PM – Time to board the plane. We are flying a tiny 30-seater plane and we take off in about 20 minutes. It was actually pretty cool to walk out on the tarmac to the plane and I just sort of twirled around and took in the beauty of everything around me for the last time: the radiating sun, the fresh smell of the salt-water bay, the picturesque palm trees bouncing in the light wind, the booming noises of the airplanes around me. So this is what living in paradise is like.

 5:52 PM – Just landed in LA. Well, that was quick! Can’t really argue with a 27-minute flight, can you?  Have to go pick up my bag off the tarmac and transfer to the main terminal and chill out for the next couple of hours. YIPEE.

6:19 PM – Picked up Anthony and Cleopatra. I think I was supposed to read that for soccer, but does buying it count for anything?

6:38 PM – Time for dinner and the only thing in this terminal is a Sammy’s Wood Fired Grill? Guess I will have to settle, so I grab a seat at the bar because lord knows ordering a table for one is just incredibly depressing and reminds me that I am all alone again.

6:41 PM – Commence creepy server guy commenting on my “Legs of Steel” and how they would be awesome at skull crushing. SAY WHAT? I’m all for making new friends but, eww, get away from me.

6:43 PM – I order a grilled chicken with kalamata olive and grilled pepper pesto wrap. Yum (I hope).

6:52 PM – I scarf down my wrap because for some strange reason I am hungry beyond belief.

7:10 PM – Pay for my food and head to the magazine rack. Flip through some issues of Shape and Men’s Health and reminisce of my times at FQ10. Begin to get emotional, slap myself with a slice of pizza (just kidding) and head over to the seating area. TWO HOURS UNTIL BOARDING. UGHH.

7:19 PM – Begin to fill out paperwork for soccer, register for health insurance for London, and as my old boss used to say, GSD.

7:31 PM – Walk around the terminal to find a working outlet. None to be found. What is wrong with this place?

7:51 PM – Grab a Veinte iced coffee from Starbucks because lord knows I need one before getting on a red eye. NOT.

8:00 PM – Plop down on a chair, open my laptop and begin to put thoughts on paper because that is the only thing that seems relieving at the moment. I still can’t believe I won’t be back until December. Am I ready for this right now?

8:58 PM – Pack my bag up as they begin to call first class for AA Flight 10 from LAX to JFK.

9:01 PM – Board the plane and find out that I’m sitting next to this awesome girl and her dog named Rupert.

9:04 PM – Begin to chat with aforementioned seat-mate and begin to fall in love with Rupert.

9:11 PM – Rupert farts. No joke. WOULD I LIE TO YOU?

9:30 PM – Flight begins to taxi away from the terminal. Goodbye California.

9:44 PM – Pull out laptop again and commence writing my life away. Typical right?

12:14AM (PST) – Computer has 7% battery and I begin to realize I might want to sleep before getting to New York. Damn it I shouldn’t have had that huge coffee.

4:58 AM(EST) – Wake up as the plane begins to descend over Long Island. A rolling fog clouds my view but I don’t seem to care because I’m finally back.

5:14 AM – AA flight 10 lands safely and taxis to terminal 8.

5:52 AM – My bag is the last to come out of the belly of the plane but the thought of not knowing where to go makes it all okay. I contemplate telling the taxi driver where to go.

6:08 AM – Hop in a cab and stutter for a quick sec where to go. The 8 months I spent away from my city is obvious. I can’t seem to remember my cross streets or which bridge I prefer to go over or even my favorite radio station. Is it Mercer and Bleeker or Mercer and Houston? Welp. This is embarrassing.

6:31 AM – Arrive at 181 Mercer Street. Realize the gym doesn’t open for another hour. Plopped myself down outside the door.

7:03 AM – Realize that it is in fact Sunday and the gym doesn’t open until 9AM. Contemplate getting THINK COFFEE and then realize that they don’t open for another hour either.

7:15 AM – Two awesome NYU security guards let me into Coles and carry my stuff to the couches. Oh the perks of making friends with the guards.

And with that Meg is back in Manhattan!

Chilling Outside Coles

Chilling Outside Coles

If all else fails, follow your heart

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If you know me well enough, you probably already know that I’m not very good with feelings or making monumental life decisions or even just saying goodbye. I deal with feelings by storing emotions in the deep dark, pit of my soul, slap on a smile, and wait until the very last moment to be true to myself and to those around me, almost to the point where the feelings themselves become irrelevant. Instead of wearing emotions on my sleeve, I bear a big toothy grin as if it’s the only thing my face knows how to wear.  I don’t know if it’s some innate thing I’ve just done because I am a “people pleaser” or what, but it’s been something I’ve been working on for awhile, and slowly but surely I’m getting better at being honest with my feelings and myself.  I’ve been learning how to feel again and quite honestly it’s been harder than I thought. This past summer, however, something changed; my friends and coworkers taught me that when all else fails, when my emotions overwhelm you, to just follow my heart. Ignore the warning flags, just go for what your heart desires, and LIVE.

Living in, arguably, two of the most materialistic and superficial states in the U.S., I am used to measuring my success on the amount of money in my bank account, how many friends I had, and the amount of likes I would get on any particular social media post. I had complete disregard for my feelings and only focused on reaching the next milestone in my athletic and academic career.  Old Meg didn’t care about her feelings, much less for other’s either. I was a train wreck waiting to happen. I figure it was only a matter of time before I fell into a crashing flood of emotions and had to take a break from everything.  So I decided to follow my heart, because my determined self was not about to about to let “all else fail”.

Since this massive realization, I’ve come to accept that it’s best to just follow your heart even if it does make you vulnerable. I know I am not good at asking for help, much less being the vulnerable one, but it’s something worth working on. On the flip side of following my heart, I know I’m happiest surrounded by high energy, goal-oriented, young-at-heart people who have a passion for living their life to the fullest. I’ve learned that life is better spent laughing over spilt milk, rather than crying over it. And I’ve learned to love my flaws, the mistakes I’ve made and every single quirky thing I do, because if you can’t accept them yourself, no one else will.

This past weekend, I had to say goodbye to the people who helped me realize that I had to follow my heart to do anything worthwhile, and I couldn’t help but get emotional. To put it in Meg terms, vulnerable.  This summer, I learned to follow my heart and be true to those around me. I learned to tell people I loved them, to actually tell people how I felt, and began to find my passion in the sports world.  I know that if I continue to follow my heart, our paths will cross again but I couldn’t help but tear up as I boarded the 777 to JFK this evening.

My journey is far from over, but this is to learning how to follow my heart and living life to the fullest (with every ounce of emotion worn across my face).