Adios Hearst...

Today was my last day at work!! Without much sadness, I said adios to the Hearst building, never to enter again. Overall, I am very excited to be done because it means I'm that much closer to being home. Lauren (middle sis) is arriving tomorrow at around noon to spend the weekend here and help me move out. Sadly, our other sister Lindsey isn't able to come because she has the swine flu! We will miss her so much and it's so frustrating that she can't come, but we will get to spend the week together in Little Rock when I get home and we are really excited about that!!

I honestly can't believe how fast the summer has gone by. I feel like just a few days ago I was sitting on the floor of my apartment when I first arrived wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. There have been hard times, but I have gotten to do amazing things and things I could definitely only do in New York City. There are many girls who wish to do a summer in NYC, and I feel lucky to have been able to do just that. Do I wish to move here ever you ask? Probably not. I have learned that the South is where I probably belong, and while it was fun for a summer, I don't know that I could handle all the hustle, bustle, and generally mean people all year round.

So here's a recap of what I've seen... Empire State building (which is literally my next door neighbor), Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Yankees game, Times Square, The Met, Broadway Shows- The Lion King, In The Heights, and 9 to 5, picnics in Central Park, Bryant Park and Washington Square Park, riding bikes in Central Park, Times Square, concert on Bowery Street with my friends Heather and Jill, the Black Eyed Peas on the Today show, Brad Paisley on Good Morning America, a taping of The View, a taping of It's On with Alexa Chung, Rockefeller Center, Saturday morning Famer's market in Union Square, stalking the set of Gossip Girl (and seeing them!), St. Patrick's Cathedral, 4th of July fireworks on the Hudson River, Ground Zero, Beyonce concert at Madison Square Garden, art galleries in Chelsea, walking the Brooklyn bridge and eating amazing ice cream on Fulton Landing, watching Tina Fey and Steve Carrell film a movie, a BBQ Festival in Madison Square Park (where I also met Billy Mays.. RIP), Chinatown, South Street Seaport, ate at a lot of amazing restaurants, had 4 of the greatest people come visit, and basically lots of walking around and seeing many different parts of the city.

Celebrity sightings: Gayle King (Oprah's BFF), Black Eyed Peas, Penn Badgley, Jessica Szhor, Leighton Meester, Joanna Garcia (Cheyenne on Reba), Will Arnett (Amy Poehler's husband), Dina Lohan, all of The View hosts, Minnie Driver, Alexa Vega, Tina Fey, Steve Carrell, Brad Paisley, Kelly Rowland (Destiny's Child), Kellan Lutz (Twilight), and almost President Obama if the glass wasn't so thick and dark but I saw his limo.

I have learned a lot about myself and a lot about life while I have been here. I think the number one thing I have learned is that (and this might sound very cheesy) the Lord is definitely our strength and the giver of peace when we have no strength left and no peace in our hearts on our own. He has shaped me into something I couldn't imagine before I got here, and I can't wait to continue this process. I am so thankful for the fact that He promises us He is our hope, our strength, and our comforter. At the beginning of the summer I went through verses to kind of make a list of verses to live by this summer and this one is one of my favorites... "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trials and sorrow. But take heart, I have OVERCOME this world." (John 16:33) What an amazing reminder that the one who lives in me has overcome this whole world of tragedy, sadness, worry, anger, fear, and heartbreak. So while I might be frustrated or fearful of what's happening in my life, I know that He has overcome that already and I just need to trust in Him. It's just the remembering part that's key.

Thank you so much for your prayers this summer. I honestly don't think I could've gotten through anything here without the support of my family and friends and those who have continually encouraged me. I'm glad I've gotten to share a little of my summer with you through this blog!

My days at Seventeen...

So, I realized today that the title of my blog is "Life of a Seventeen Intern." And actually all I have really talked about is my life in NYC. So, I will update you on my actual intern experience. This picture was taken in the fashion closet (where I spend about every hour of my work day)... and no, I didn't wear that hat to be serious. Brooke and I, the other girl in the pic, were playing around trying to make light of a work day. Day to day can be pretty monotonous. We do pick ups from different companies (getting out of the closet which is great), returns to different companies through Dynamex (messenger), on foot, or through UPS. We sort through jewelry, organize jewelry, sort through shoes, organize shoes, organize some more shoes, etc. Then we get the occasional email noise... which we now have learned to HATE that is usually titled: "URGENT MISSING FIND NOW MUST BE BACK HOURS AGO" or something like that, maybe not that intense but that's how it feels. Because we have companies send us an email saying, "Hey I got your return of 500 necklaces, but we are missing 1. Could we get that back this afternoon for a shoot? It's urgent." And most likely, those people gave us their stuff in like February. I hope you are getting the picture... so then we have to rummage through every drawer, every shelf, every closet, every tray of jewelry. And sometimes we find it, sometimes we don't. And we have been told "I can't find it" isn't an option for an answer. So, it can get pretty ugly there in the fashion closet from time to time.

Those responsibilities are more tedious and less fun. The fun things we get to do are what I love about the job. The past few weeks we have been getting ready for the November covershoot and story. Although I can't reveal who's on the cover (because I signed a contract that threatens to sue us for $20 million), we have been getting to work with the stylists that will be at the shoots. It is a cool process because my boss makes requests for jewelry, shoes, belts, scarves, etc, the stuff comes in, we edit through it, lay it out for the stylist, then the stylist comes in and makes the outfits of what she thinks they will use. And helping the stylist means she's asking us our opinion and seeing what we like. It has made me very interested in styling... something to look into for jobs I suppose. We also get to pick stuff out for stories. Like my boss does the "super shopper" which is inexpensive looks. Today, she told me to pick all the jewelry and she would edit out what she wanted. So, essentially, I picked out the stuff for that story which is really cool.

Today is probably the coolest thing I've done yet... Me and Brooke (another intern, in the photo with me) went with our boss to do marketing appointments. Basically, we go to different showrooms and she looks at their upcoming lines for future issues. We just sat and listened. We went to Bendel's and the showroom for BCBG. It was really cool... and it was cool to get on a more personal level with our boss. We had a conversation on the subway and let's just say after a lot of really hard work, it feels good to be acknowledged and hints of a future with Seventeen. That's all I'm sayin...

It has really been a good experience. Hard, but any internship is hard because you are at the bottom of the hill, and things roll down and just hit us all the time. But I have met a lot of really cool people and gotten to do a lot of cool things. I only have Monday and Tuesday left of work, then my sisters will come and I head home Sunday!! Have a great weekend.

The View

So, my friend heather and I decided to get up REALLY early yesterday morning to go see about getting standby tickets for The View. Really early meaning before 6 am, and they don't even give the standby tickets until 8, for your number in line. Then, you don't find out if you get in until 10... And we didn't get in for the first taping, but have no fear because they were doing an afternoon show. So we got some hot chocolate (yes, those of you in the 100 degree weather can be a little jealous that it was so chilly that hot chocolate was required), and said in Riverside park for a little while and headed back at noon. We stood in line for forever waiting anxiously to find out if we were gonna get in, we were numbers 8 and 9... and one of the production assistants walked by us and said, "Good luck getting in. See that line? No chance." Well we proved him wrong because we definitely got in!! And we were so excited. We were probably the youngest ones there, and our excitement was felt by everyone around us, even the man who took our tickets who then said, "Are you girls camera shy?" And we obviously replied, "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" So he puts a blue M on the back of our ticket, but we had no idea what it meant. So we are almost 200 people back to get in the studio and a person says, "Raise your hand if you have a blue M on the back of your ticket!" We raise our hand and they say come with us and so we did! We were like some of the first few people in and got great seats! Then Heather was the one who got to bring the show back from commercial break and Whoopi Goldberg was like a foot away from me! It was so fun, and so worth getting up early. And the show was on this morning and I saw me and Heather on it! Here are a few pictures... Enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIANA!!!

Eliana, HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY!!! I love you so much and you are such a blessing to our family. We don't know what we would do without you!! I hope you had a very fun cupcake birthday party, I wish I could have been there! See you soon.

Love,
Tia Leah
This picture is from one of the first times I met Eliana when I went to visit Guatemala last summer! She couldn't have been happier at McDonald's with some french fries.

Now she is so old!! I miss her so much!!

the boyfriend's first time to NYC...

So, the boyfriend came to town. It was a really fun weekend! We saw everything: the met (lunch was hot dogs on the steps... probably exactly where the gossip girls sit), ellis island and the statue of liberty, battery park, union square, times square (when the news broke about michael jackson... absolute craziness), transformers the movie... (i fell asleep), rockefeller center, columbus circle, hanging out at central park, world trade center, south street seaport, max brenners, in the heights broadway show (awesome!!), and just a lot of hanging out. It was the best thing. Here are a few pics from the trip...

And last night, I went to a yankees game with a few friends that came in town! I really have gotten to do SO many fun things. I only have a few weeks left, and I am trying to soak up every moment! I am looking forward to a restful weekend, including some fireworks on the Hudson river! Thanks so much for continuing to pray for me. As much fun as I am having, it's still easy to get burdened with hurt for people here in the city and miss home. But, I really feel like the Lord is my strength here and I am being taught a LOT about myself and my relationship with Him. I will try and post more soon about what I am learning! Have a great 4th of July!!

A full weekend...

Here are a few pictures from the weekend! Maggie came to visit and we had such a great time. We saw basically everything there was to see in the city... the statue of liberty, the brooklyn bridge, fulton landing, union square, tribeca, soho, the lion king on broadway, the met, carriage ride in central park, and much much more! We ate at a lot of really amazing places too! Thanks so much for coming, mags.

Then, on Sunday night, I went with my friend to the Beyonce concert at Madison Square Garden. IT WAS AMAZING!

Tomorrow, mr. michael jacobs will be here and I could not be more excited. i'll put up pictures from his trip too! Thanks for your continued prayers... I love knowing I have people supporting me through this crazy time!

Star Sightings... add 3.

First of all, I hope you had a wonderful weekend! My roommates and I did some exploring, some resting from hectic work, and enjoyed being in the city! Here's something fun for you... Tonight my roommate was on a run and she called us and said, "get to times square immediately!" so we went and who do we see?? TINA FEY and STEVE CARELL about 20 feet away from us filming scenes for their new movie called Date Night. Seriously, I could have yelled and they would have heard me. Actually, I probably could have semi-shouted, and they still would have heard me. Basically, we met. Anyways, so we're standing there staring with star struck eyes and there are people from the movie asking us not to take pictures with flashes, thus the not so good pictures. However, I got a few! Also featured in this film for all the Gossip Girl fan is LEIGHTON MEESTER (aka blair)!!! And I was staring at her thinking I knew who she was and then i realized it and actually got more excited to see her than the other two! It's so surreal to see people like that. Then you realize you're staring at people and it made me think, what if thousands of people were standing in Times Square which is always busy moving, just to see me? Obviously I would daydream of people stopping just to see the famous Leah. At any rate, here are a few pictures!

Black eyed peas. The singers, not the vegetable

Yesterday morning, my roommates and I got up before the sun did to go to the Today Show to see the Black Eyed Peas! We thought we were doing well on being there 2 hours early... but I guess it wasn't good enough. People had been there since 3 am, which put us near the end of the line but we still got in! We couldn't see anything at first but then I had the bright idea of getting breakfast at the Dean and Deluca right next door and we could eat and see them right up close and personal! It was so fun and totally worth getting up early.

Then today, we went to the Snapple Big Apple BBQ Blockparty in Madison Square Park! Some of the best corn on the cob and ribs I've ever had, except that of course i spilt my whole plate on the ground. It was so fun, and reminded me just a little of the south... and we met the Oxi Clean guy BILLY MAYS!

Also, this is how the meeting with Billy Mays went...

me: "HI!!! Could you say something really really intense like you do in the commercials?"

billy: "HII!!!! Billy Mays here for all these beautiful women of New York City!!"

so did I actually ask him that? absolutely. I have a little bit of my sister in me who once told winona ryder that she was her inspiration. at least I didn't say that to him...

I am still in the process of getting used to the city, but I am feeling a lot better than I had been feeling! Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement... I couldn't get through this without you guys! Have a great weekend!!

Our apartment's on fire?

So, my room-mates decided to go on a walk tonight after eating dinner. We walk downstairs, and there are flashing lights in the lobby... the kind that flash when there is a fire in your building. Did we not hear an alarm? So of course we don't ask about it... (what?) and walk out of our building. We walk a little ways and here come 2 huge fire trucks. We still don't really stop... good decision? Yeah I guess we were tired. Then we are like ok we should probably see if everything's ok, and if not I will pack my suit cases really quick, because I payed too much money to get my stuff here for it to burn in flames without me inquiring to the front desk if it was going to be ok. My room mate goes to the front desk, and all was well. Some short in the system, except that two huge police trucks had shown up. I'm sorry if that was a little bit of a let down, but I would hope that you would be more excited that my building didn't burn down! The picture shown is the sign to my apartment building and the fire trucks. Enjoy.





Also today, I was almost a witness to an act of assault- bike rider to cab driver. It was kind of scary because I was on a run for a pick-up in a kind of scary area. You know it's a scary area when there are only flourescent lighted signs saying "Peep Show INSIDE!" So, I decided to go as quickly as possible.. Don't worry mom, I was safe. As I was walking out though, a bike rider drove between two cabs and I'm not sure the context of the situation but the bike rider challenged the cab driver to a fight. I obviously stopped to watch, then realized I was the only other one on the street so my mind told me to run... so I did. But wouldn't it be cool if I had witnessed a fight? Maybe not.





In other news, I have visitors coming!! BFF since birth, Maggie, is coming not this weekend but the next. And Mr. Michael Jacobs is coming the last weekend of June! YAY!!! And I only work Monday to Wednesday so they are both coming Wednesday night and staying through the weekend! I am so excited, and really shows me that this time will fly by while I'm here.





P.S. I forgot to mention I will be headed to the Beyonce concert June 21st at Madison Square Garden which is just around the corner... it's ok to be jealous.

Apostles and the Editor...

Hello all! Sorry it has been a few days... I have tried to keep busy in order to keep myself from getting too homesick (I didn't really succeed). I had a great first weekend and I am getting used to being here. Work is still great! Here are a few things that have been happening...

There was a casting shoot for interns because sometimes they use interns for their college stories... so we had to get our picture taken! It was funny, and there's little chance that any of us would ever actually get it. But it was fun to be in a casting shoot!

This weekend my roommates and I made our way to Chinatown. Now, some people might knock it but it is really one of my favorite places! Where else could you get all that stuff for so cheap? Haha, given that it's probably either stolen and fake, but that's ok. And we went to Central Park which I believe will be my new hangout to get sun and read! It was awesome! Here's one picture...

Today, there was a run-through with the editor in chief, Ann Shoket, in the fashion closet where I work! She has been on TV a lot and is definitely some sort of celebrity to me so it was really cool to get to see her and hear her talk, because you know interns stay quiet in the corner and aren't seen. At least that's what we were told...

Last night I met a few new people through a mutual friend. They were really cool and I'm excited to maybe get to know them a little bit better! They invited me to go to church with them so I went and it was amazing! It's called Apostles, and it's basically a church that's based on Acts 29. The sermon was awesome, and the people were so nice and welcoming. They all knew it was our first time so they kept asking us all these questions and helping us feel really welcome. I will definitely be going there while I'm here. If you wanna check it out it's http://www.apostlesnyc.com/. Ironically, it was started by people from the South so a lot of the people that go there are from the south! And a guy came up to us and said he was in charge of like "community" things at the church and he said they were thinking about starting a bible study for interns for the summer! The whole night was just so encouraging because coming up here, I honestly had no idea if I would meet another Christian. But these people were awesome so I hope I can get connected! The sermon was about being filled with the fullness of God. It really stirred in me a feeling for wanting to be filled with God, completely. I have felt kinda stagnant the past year or so and I feel like already this summer has been a turn around for me. I am beginning to thrive in my relationship with the Lord and it feels so good. I encourage you guys to read Ephesians 3:14-21 and just see that the Lord wants to be filled with us completely! And if you wanna hear the sermon, its on the website.

I am just trying to figure out my way around here and get used to it all, but I think it will go by really fast so I have decided to soak all of it up while I can! Any good suggestions? Also, i have no idea why but on the last post it wouldn't let anyone comment... I am trying to get that fixed. Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement! This has been a little bit harder than I expected... but the Lord is my strength and I am really learning to trust in Him completely! Have a wondering week!

P.S. Unfortunately, Gayle King is still the only celebrity I've seen.

3 days down...

So, my first 3 full days of work are already over! It has been a crazy couple of days, learning everything and making sure I don't really screw anything up. I was really worried that my bosses were going to be really mean, and while they are for sure intense about their jobs, they are really helpful and nice people.

To humor you guys a little bit, let me tell you about my first pickup experience. Pickups are when we go to certin companies or stores to get things for our bosses that will be used in the magazines. So my boss yesterday is like "You..." (I don't think she remembers my names) "Go on this pick up, here are the directions. Do you have a metrocard? Good. Hurry because they close soon!" So I immediately think yes! my first chance to really prove myself!! And it happened to be one of the subways I take to get home, so I was glad I kinda new where I was going. Do I get on the right one? Obviously not. I end up a mile away from the place. I surface to the streets and find myself at Madison Square Garden, which was about 15 blocks down and 2 blocks over from where I needed to be... soon. I obviously look like the most lost person ever with my little postit note in my hand looking around and a nice old man stops me. He's like where are you looking? I show him the address and he says, "Oh honey that's a good mile from here, you'll never get there on time." I am freaking out. My first errand for the boss and I mess it up? I obviously start thinking of excuses... I got mugged! my subway was hijacked! Ok, obviously those won't work. So my mind tells me.. RUN! So in my flipflops and nice clothes, I bolt down probably looking like an idiot. I get to 23rd (where I thought the place was) and I cross the street to get down to 6th street. These blocks are a lot longer it took me a while but I was determined to get there! I run. and run and run. I get to the address, oh what's this? A bakery shop. Cool, it's actually 2 streets down. So I run some more and finally get there. And I don't know if you guys realize how much running that actually is but it's a lot so please be proud of me that I got there on time. I was sweating my face off and probably smelled terrible but I got back on the right subway and delivered this really important package! Wanna know what was so important to get before closing yesterday? 2 pairs of converse tennis shoes. Wanna know what we have about 2,000 pairs of? Converse tennis shoes. AWESOME.

Hope you enjoyed that story, which is just a glimpse into the hectic and crazy life of an intern. It's been really great, but I am excited for the weekend. I think my roommate (who also interns with me) and I are going to Times Square tonight and then Central Park tomorrow. Hopefully I will have pictures to put up soon. Have a good weekend!

Starstruck at Oprah's friend?

That's correct. My first full day in New York City and I've already been within reach of fabulous celebrities, or friends of them. Let me start at the beginning...

I packed up a few things, or about 140 lbs. worth of stuff, and moved myself to New York City for the summer to intern at Seventeen Magazine. A little overwhelming arriving to this city... especially when everyone is rude and none of your roommates are there yet. I am living with 3 girls, 2 of which have not arrived yet but 1 is and she is great!

So, she and I are both interning at Seventeen and we started work today! Mostly doing regular intern work, organizing shoes... untangling necklaces (which makes you a little cross-eyed)... finding lost items that need to be sent back to companies ASAP. The usual, but it was really great and fun realizing I am doing what a lot of girls wish they could do! I also met the president of the Hearst Corporation, by accident. So my friend and I walk down to the, and I use this term lightly, cafeteria. What you are thinking is nowhere near what this place is in the Hearst building... grilled zucchini and other veggies, sushi, any kind of wrap or sandwich you want, fresh fruit, all kinds of salads and dips. You get the picture, it's not a cafeteria. Back to the point... we are standing in line and my friend goes "Oh my gosh, that's Oprah's friend!" So I look a few people ahead of us in line and sure enough, it's GAYLE KING! Obviously she's in the hearst building because she is like the editor of O magazine, but I never thought I'd actually see her! So, I snapped this picture from the back, promise it's her.

Obviously if I am starstruck by seeing her, I need to reevaluate my standards of celebrity. Who know's what will happen if I ever actually see someone famous? Like Dave Matthews who I will be seeing Friday at the Today Show for the concert series!!

Anyways, I am happy to have this blog so that my family and friends can be updated on my summer in the city! I will try to update so that you all can be jealous of my adventures. You're welcome.