I know it's been awhile since I posted. Luckily it is because I have been able to stay in New York for the past 2 weeks....aside from an all too brief trip to Atlanta for my cousin's wedding (yay family gatherings!!!) I was staying put there for awhile.

However, at exactly the same moment that my roommate decided to have a birthday and I had to go out of town again, I came down with a whopping sinus infection that kept me fairly out of commission for about 4 days. Sucks to have to travel when you are sick and can barely get out of bed. I would leave, go to my appointments, then come home and curl up under a blanket. Thankfully I am finally feeling better.

That being said, my 3 day trip to Connecticut was relatively dull. However, I have come to realize that there are a few every day luxuries that I took for granted while living in Tallahassee.

1- Running errands is SO much easier with a car! When I am on the road, I often try to run errands in my rental car (hello, Ikea!) You really take it for granted sometimes....

2- I miss the radio! There is nothing quite like jamming out to fabulous country songs and fake playing the drums on the steering wheel while you are stuck in traffic.

3- Shopping in New York is expensive. Now, I'm not much of a shopper anyway, but hello- Florida girl about to have a winter requires some new clothes. When I am on the road, I get to hit up the cheapy discount places like TJMaxx.

4- Last, but certainly not least, Mom, Dad, and the pooch were a mere 15 minutes away, and Ang was just across the hall. Can't beat that with a stick. Luckily we have many more fun get togethers planned in the very near future

Like I said, little things that you take for granted. One last thing- New York is already getting cold.......

It's fall in New England. And it is absolutely beautiful.

I returned yesterday from a trip to the great state of Massachusetts. I did a couple of college fairs there, as well as my usual campus visits. It was a great trip- I even had some free time to peruse Boston for a bit. I've never been, but I will definitely return! Boston is a great city. See my pictures on Facebook.

The coolest campus I've been to so far? Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. The campus is incredible, especially on the day I was there. It was a perfect, crisp, fall day.

This weekend I head to Atlanta for some personal travel- Kathryn's wedding!

Home, sweet home

I am finally back in New York for a couple days. It is nice to rest a bit and sleep in my own bed. My day in Philadelphia was great- I've never been there, so it was fun to get to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. It is amazing how much really important stuff happened there!

I spent Sunday doing a huge college fair in Philadelphia and then immediately hit the road to head to DC. I was lucky enough to have dinner with a friend of mine from grad school who just moved to Philadelphia. I met him on my way out of town- it is nice to have company instead of eating alone! On my way to DC I realized that I had been in six states and one "district" (New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and DC) in less than a week.

I met some college friends on Sunday night, again- it was nice to have company after traveling alone for so long. I spent Monday doing another college fair, taking a break to have lunch with another college friend (so many friends, yay!)....after a very long week of travel, I returned my car to the airport to catch a flight home.

It was long, and quite a disaster. Let's just say that I hate JFK. The airport, not the dead president. But I am home safe and sound, and I get to stay in New York until Sunday before I pack my bags and do it all over again.

Hello from Pennsylvania!

Hi friends and family- Sarah here, blogging from Bensalem, Pennsylvania!

It's cold and wet up here in the north. Fall/Winter is starting to come on and it's getting cold out. Combine that with the rain and it gives me a dozen excuses not to leave my hotel room. Since arriving in Pennsylvania, I have visited 2 more private Quaker schools, one of which was founded in 1799! A tad bit younger, the other school I went to was founded in 1893. The campuses are beautiful, both of them are boarding schools, so they feel more like college campuses than a high school. I like these places- a lot of them have working farms! It's fun, and a really great experience for me to visit all these non-traditional high schools. I am learning a lot about different styles of educations that are so unlike the way I was educated.

This weekend I head to Philadelphia. I get a day off on Saturday to explore the city, which is exciting because I've never been there. Hopefully the weather is better than it is today....

On another, completely unrelated note....If you have a Rita's Water Ice store near you (for you Tally folks, it is by Gold's Gym on Pensacola) drop by and get their Pumpkin Pie Italian Ice- it is so good!

Back on the road

I was back in New York for a very short period of time before I left again, this time to head upstate. This morning I did something I always promised myself I would NEVER do-

I drove a car through Manhattan.

And I obviously lived to tell the tale, so yay, go me! I picked up my car this morning at 7am all the way up on West 81st Street, which meant that I only had to drive a couple blocks before I was out on the highway, meaning that I only got cut off by about 6 angry cab drivers. I suppose I need to ease myself into it, but you can bet that you won't find me driving through midtown at rush hour- I have to draw the line somewhere.

Today I am in Saratoga Springs, which is a beautiful little town about 3 hours north of the city. The place is full of antique stores, Bed & Breakfasts, and amazing Victorian style homes. My campus visit today took me to Waldorf Saratoga Springs, a small private school up here. It was great- I ended up having lunch with the parents of an interested student, where I found out that her father is from Shreveport, Louisiana. Such a small world! I am out of here first thing in the morning to head back home, making 1 more visit on my drive back.

Oh, and happy first day of Fall!

Back home!

Hi everyone- I am back in New York. After a....ahem, lovely.....adventure in the JFK airport on Friday night, I arrived back home only about 3 hours later than I was supposed to. Man, I love flying into New York on a Friday night.

The rest of my trip was good- I spent 2 days driving around New Hampshire and visited 3 different schools. New Hampshire, like Maine, is very beautiful- but a little on the sleepy side. It was nice getting back to Manhattan, the land of 24-hour everything! I would have to say that the coolest experience I had so far on my trip is my visit to The Meeting School, a Quaker High School in Rindge, NH (pictures on left- if you want to see them full size, click on them). I drove way past the nearest town of any considerable size and up a dirt road to find this school, which is a boarding school on a working farm! I was served lunch by the students- it was homemade chicken soup- they raise all the meat that they eat at school- and delicious biscuits. It was such a unique experience. The program I am recruiting for was founded by Quakers and the program is geared toward non-traditional learning, so I am going to be visiting schools ranging from these, on working farms, all the way to fancy private schools. It's great to get a tour of all these Northeast high schools!

I leave again tomorrow morning to head upstate for 2 days then immediately leave again for Philadelphia and DC for a week. More updates from the road.....thanks for reading!

In between my campus visits, I was able to hit up a few points of interest along the way. Most notably, I went to Fort Williams State Park in Cape Elizabeth. The views of the coast were absolutely stunning, something out of a postcard or "Maine Lighthouses" desk calendar. Check out my album on Facebook for more pictures.

Unfortunately, I think I barely missed the leaves changing colors. As I drove around, I kept seeing bright red leaves sprinkled in among the green trees. As beautiful as it is while everything is starting to change, I can only imagine coming up here when they are completely changing. So far, I think me and New England are going to get along nicely.

Greetings from Maine!

I am hanging out in Maine this week, visiting a handful of schools in the Maine and New Hampshire area. This is my first trip to the northeast and so far, I have to say that I am a fan. This area is so quaint and beautiful. A very stark contrast to my new home in New York City.

This is me behind the wheel of a car for the first time since July 29- hooray for public transportation! Turns out that driving is kind of like riding a bike- you never forget how to do it, no matter how long it's been. I flew into Portland on Monday night and visited three schools in my first 2 days here. I am vising a very wide variety of schools, so I thought it would be fun to take pictures of all of them so y'all can see where I am all day.

The first part of my journey took me to three different schools:
Brunswick High School in Brunswick, followed by Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport. My last school before packing up and heading to New Hampshire was Deering High School in Portland. All three were public schools and not so different from the high school I attended. So far, I think it is a little bit early in the college admissions process to garner a huge audience at presentations, but I've met a handful of interested students so far.

I enjoy recruiting- especially for a program like this one. When I got into higher ed I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do, but so far I enjoy the admissions side of the college experience. It is really fun and rewarding to watch these 17/18 year olds decide what they want to do with their lives and move in a positive direction. I remember when I was in that position, but I had it easy- I knew exactly where I wanted to go to school- Go Gators!

Who I am, Where I am, and What I do here

For my entire life I lived in the south. I never ventured far from home, not even when I left for college. Armed with a Bachelor's degree in advertising, I headed back home to Tallahassee where I got a Master's degree and a few years of work experience under my belt.

Then I moved to New York. Which, some may say, is a very far cry from home.

So far I love it here. I have a lot of friends (it seems like tons of people from UF moved up here...) and a really interesting job that keeps me occupied. And on the road. A lot.

My job here is the assistant director of admissions for a unique 4-year degree program that sends students all over the globe. We are based out of Brooklyn, but our students get their education everywhere. This program attracts all different kinds of students from all different backgrounds. My job is to visit schools in the region and try to get high school seniors to sign on to spend 3 and a half years globetrotting.

Next week I embark on my first adventure, which will send me to Maine and New Hampshire. I am thrilled about the opportunity to travel and see the Northeast during the fall, which I have never done. I have always had an interest in education (hence the career choice), so I am excited to visit high school campuses all over the area.

That is where this blog comes in. My viewing public (meaning my parents, a few random aunts and uncles, and a handful of friends) want to know where I am going and what I am doing when I get there. Soooooo, welcome to Sarah's life on the road!