True Love

When it comes to true love, I'm not sure that anyone could ever accurately put it into words. Sonnets, romantic comedies, and country music lyrics are great and all, but they can only go so far. I'm talking about really, truly describing what it means; how it feels. But goodness knows that this lack of a concrete definition doesn't stop a girl from trying to find it, which in all honesty, can sometimes be a bit discouraging...

... It's stories like this one, which appeared in the New York Times: Modern Love column last month, that reassure me that this oh-so-elusive 'true love' thing does indeed exist:

In a Charmed Life, a Road Less Traveled

"I listened as [the doctor] described her condition, then asked, 'Can she think?'

'Yes. Her brain is fine.'

And that’s when I knew we could do it, long before I had any idea what 'it' was.

Now, 15 years later, we do know."


True love? Oh, it's definitely out there. And Layng's story is one (of many) that proves it is more powerful than I can even begin to imagine... for now.

(And thanks to Annie for the article! If she's not on your Must Read List, add her asap. You won't be disappointed.)

The Xylopholks

I've been hanging on to these videos all week because, A. I've been in something of a funk and needed time to mourn NYC's loss(es) and, B. I think this whole "Happy Friday! Happy Video!" thing might just become a regular feature here at PTTP (see how I just referred to my blog with an acronym?! OMGoodness. Things are getting serious...)

It's without further ado that I give you, The Xylopholks (Thanks again to Daily Intel for these finds! If for some silly reason you don't already follow NY Mag's DI, start immediately. Seriously, it's fabulous.):

I mean, just the chance of starting my morning by running into these guys almost makes me want to start using public transportation for my commute... Ha, emphasis on the "almost."

Happy Friday, y'all!

Once Upon a Wednesday

Once upon a Wednesday evening long, long ago, a wide-eyed girl who had just moved to the Big City made a phone call. Unbeknownst to her, this conversation was actually a foreshadowing of what would be a defining part of her New York existence...

"Hi Mom! Oh my gosh, yes! Bible study was so great... Amy and Nichole said to say hi. Yeah. Everyone is really friendly and it seems like it'll be a really fun group. And, Mom, there are these three girls - Alyssa, Amy and Kristen. Mom, they're ALL from Texas! Yeah, I know, can you believe it?? Yep, two of them are from Dallas and the other, Kristen? No. Wait, maybe it was Alyssa?? Ohhh I can't remember, I'll have to look them up on Facebook when I get home... But yeah, the other lives in Midland now. Yes! They ALL just graduated in May and moved up here in August too! They're even staying in my neighborhood until they find an apartment. We walked back together and just chatted the whole way! They went to A&M and a couple of them were in sororities too! Yeah, they're all looking for jobs in advertising or something like it. I mean, they're just all so... so genuine! I don't know... I just have this feeling. Mom, I think... I think we could be really good friends..."

Little did I know that all too soon (about a year and eight months to be exact), I would be remembering this conversation with a bittersweet heart. Amy's path led her back to Texas almost a year ago and in the next week or so, Kristen and Alyssa are moving on to brand new adventures in 'God's Country' as well. And while I'm so excited to see what's in store for them next, I just can't shake the urge to lock them up in my apartment and make them stay here with me forever. Childish? Maybe... But these girls, well, words just can't quite describe the impact they've had on my life here in New York so far.

Our early conversations over Tasti D Lite quickly turned into weekend brunches and play dates around town. No Hollywood Heartthrob has gone unrated since we've met and not a single episode of The Bachelor or Gossip Girl escaped without a G-chat recap the next morning. From day trips at the beach to snowy treks around the UWS to picnics in Central Park, we've definitely made our mark on this city.

But the most striking thing that comes to mind when I think about these friendships isn't one of our many exciting adventures - it's actually the overwhelming amount of trust that I have in each of these girls. And not just when it comes to dishing about our latest crushes (though yes, they've heard it all), but with the stuff that truly matters... Faith. Fears. Dreams. Missteps. I know that when I turn to these ladies with even my deepest concerns, I'll be greeted with open minds, hugging arms, and prayerful hearts. Friends like that are nothing short of inspiring.

They say New York changes people... but me? I'm realizing more and more that it isn't just the City that does the changing. It's who you meet here that can really shape your life. God blessed me beyond my understanding that first Wednesday night when He brought us all together - what a beautifully orchestrated plan! Alyssa and Kristen have helped me to grow in ways I never expected over the past couple years and I have no doubt that they'll continue to do so for years to come, no matter how many time zones are between us.

Love you both SO much! I'll see you very, very soon :) xoxo

^"15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ¹⁷I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and his incomparably great power for us who believe." -Ephesians 1:15-19

He Has Risen!

^"3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, ⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." - 1 Peter 1:3-9

Headed to Central Park to celebrate the Glory of today with dear friends - I'm not sure my heart could be any more full of joy. :) Wishing you all a very blessed Easter!

The Lost Tribes of New York City

I came across this video on Daily Intel and it just makes me happy all over. As Jessica describes, it's like a "New York City–meets–Sesame Street short documentary." NYC and Sesame Street and personifying inanimate objects?? You had me at Hello.

Happy Friday y'all!

"We have to learn to stick together, to love one another. Whether you're white, blue, red, black, green, or whatever." -The Lost Tribes of New York City

Hold the Cereal, Darling

If there was ever a conversation to sum up Jer's and my friendship, this just might be it:

Jeramey: i love cereal because you don't have to wait to eat it.
Me: except for when you don't have milk. then it's a sad, sad day.
Jeramey: yeah. then you have to use water
Jeramey: or beer.
Me: what are you? a frat boy?
Me: champagne, darling. clearly, champagne.
Jeramey: oh who are we kidding? hold the cereal.

Ok, ok... To have truly defined our friendship, I suppose it should also have involved discussion of brunch, Ab Fab, fake engagements and cute celebs... But still. This was pretty darn close.

By Faith.

I was reminded of the below passage recently and I haven't been able to get it out of my head (in a good way, clearly. Not like that time I was absentmindedly humming One Republic's "Apologize" for a week straight... Ugh.).

Reflecting on the stories of so many before me who remained faithful in even the most unlikely and frightening of circumstances has been just what I needed to hear for the past few weeks... And each of them received their reward, a heavenly reward, that was so much greater than they could have ever imagined.

Life can certainly throw some nasty curve balls every now and then, and sometimes it seems like too much. But He continues to encourage me, and so I will continue to persevere... by faith.

(italics and bold mine)

Hebrews 11

¹Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ²This is what the ancients were commended for.

³By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

⁴By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

⁵By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

⁷By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

¹¹By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹²And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

¹³All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." ¹⁹Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

²¹By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

²²By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

²³By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

²⁴By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. ²⁵He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. ²⁶He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. ²⁷By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

²⁹By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

³¹By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient...

³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. ⁴⁰God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hebrews 12

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.