Hey NBN, I’m sorry that my Orientation post got put on hold (again). Today has been an excruciatingly long day of weighing all my positives and my negatives. I was blessed to have been able to wake up at my best friends house after her birthday surprise and eat breakfast with the family. It was so nice to be back home with them all. I came back home and it was a rainy afternoon and life was a bit messy. Life happens. Life is going to keep happening. Life just goes on, even if you need time to catch up it doesn’t stop. However, work was nice and I like visiting with the other people I work with. Tomorrow I’ll be headed off to start college seminars and the likes for the week so I’ll be off work these next few days.
This isn’t an exciting update but I’d hate to leave you hanging with no post again.

XOXO keep your chin up,
NBNealie

My family and I are sitting at Rosas and we heard a bang. Dad just says, “It’s gotta be Morgan.” Sure enough the slipped and fell and strangers were helping her up. She just sat down at the table and just started laughing/crying. I didn’t know how to react because I couldn’t tell if she was hurt or not. She just is crying and goes “I’m so tired. I’m just so tired. Why would they not put a sign down? It was so funny but it hurts so bad.” The manager came up to my table like “Are you okay? Do you want to go to the hospital?” And my sister can’t even speak to tell us if she’s okay because she’s doing her cry laugh. I was trying not to laugh but during this while thing I’m crying so hard that I’m laughing. So my dad is all, “Hey man back off she can’t even talk yet to tell us if she’s okay or not.” And the manager was all, “Woah okay.” And my sister finally stopped her cry/laugh long enough to tell me “Don’t even tweet about me okay.”

So here we are at NBN and I’m putting this on the internet anyway.

XOXO,
NBNealie

P.S. My Nothing But Nealie t-shirt came in alone with all my business cards!

P.P.S. Orientation post goes live tomorrow. Kisses.

Okay NBN this one is a train wreck. Just entertain me by watching it. That would make me entire day. ALSO. STEP SIX ISNT MEANT TO MAKE YOU SAD ITS JUST SO TRUE. I’ve been really feeling that quite lately. It’s my Instagram bio at the moment.
Have at it young ones. Fair warning. There is eating, dancing, and plenty of failure.

XOXO,
NBNealie!

P.S. Dedication = Results. Just look how great NBN is doing after I buckled down and became dedicated!

Hey NBN this is the day 3 of NYC post. I’m sorry you had to wait. I went to upload the attachments and the internet crashed and deleted the whole thing so I was pretty stressed. Stressed isn’t pretty in writing so I made that fun video instead! Enough yapping though, let’s get down to business in the city that never sleeps.

Father and Morgan and I got up super early and took the subway to Central Park! Look, another selfie!

When we got there we realized that you didn’t really see any trees in NYC aside from the ones at the park. Central Park is huge for the record and it is also (arguably) the most beautiful place in the country. There are also freaks with instruments everywhere… I mean… Stinking all over the place.

After that we went to the Plaza. That place is for the big dogs. No lie. Then we went walking around and ended up being in a street show where a Puerto Rican man jumped over 2 men, my sister, a little boy, and myself.

Shortly after we scurried off to Grand Central Station to meet up with my AuntMonica and my cousin Jay. I had so much fun running around Grand Central with my dad and taking pictures. Catching up with Monica and Jay was great. They were both doing very well and Jay showed me pictures from his trip to the Whitehouse! He met with some very important people because he was part of the team that organized the gay blood drives all over the country!

We walked on over to a pretty jive steak house after that. We only got lost once and it only took us 15 minutes longer to get to the restaurant than our parents… (WHOOPS.) (COUGHITMIGHTHAVEBEENMYFAULTCOUGH.)

Right after dinner we parted ways with our extended family and took a subway back to our hotel to get ready. For what? TO SEE ROCK OF AGES. It was a hysterical play and I’ll admit, even though none of the actors tweeted me back, it was pretty rad.

As soon as they play got out we went to walk back to the hotel when we ran in to…

Zach Braff from Scrubs. I’m way too excited in this picture. Can you blame a girl? Look how close I am to that glorious derpy face of his. After my sister and I got selfies with him my sister started yelling at people that “Guess what? I took a selfie with Zach Braff and you didn’t.” That night we packed up all our things to take off to the airport the next morning.

To get to the airport we had to convince the taxi driver that it was completely safe to fit the five of us in one taxi and that we already did it once on the way to the hotel.

Our flight home was much less disastrous than the flight out… (Which I forgot to mention had fallen a good 10 feet in the air. Talk. About. Terrifying.) We took two different small planes and finally made it back home safe and sound. The north was fun and all but I’m just a Texas girl after all.

XOXO,

NBNealie

Hey NBN! No video yesterday because I couldn’t figure out my video editor! I got an app for it after all this struggle. If you want to hear me sing, see me fail, and possibly have a laugh then have at it!

I ended up getting an app for this instead btw. I was too scared of downloads!

XOXO,
NBNealie

Okay NBN, it sounds stupid but Ariana Grande losing her grandpa at 21 made me think about losing poppy at 15.
This has half to do with the fact that I start school soon and he’s not even here for it. I want to share this with NBN because you get to see all the great things and HE is the greatest thing. Besides. He is the man I was named after. We wouldn’t be here at NBN without him. I could’ve been a Susan… Yikes.
I’ve avoided writing down everything I love about him for 3 years or so. That means a lot of things are blurry by now but I’m just pretty sure that it’s time.
My poppy was crazy. He had health issue upon health issue upon health issue and he would still watch me play tennis from the Buick any chance he got. He came to every single event he could.
The Fourth of July before he died we got to spend together. I fell off my horse that day and he told me that it was okay and I looked cool falling off. That night when we shot off fireworks I got to hold his hand the whole time. That was the thing about poppy. He has the biggest hands. He could completely envelop my two little hands in his one.
When my poppy was dying we just knew. He was in the hospital for a long time and he was supposed to die many many years before because of heart problems. My mom was with him the last night that he was really conscious and I had her let him know that I won my tennis match that week… I don’t think I ever stopped telling him when I won my tennis matches.
The day my poppy died I was at my dads house. I was really mad at him that day because that morning he told me that “it might be it, today might be the day”. I didn’t believe him or didn’t want to, I can’t really remember which anymore. My dad left for work and then came back and my heart fell to my butt because I thought he might have come back with bad news. He hadn’t. He had just forgotten something. He left again. 20 minutes passed and there dad is again… Walking through the door. I don’t remember what dad said to me because I was already crying when he walked in. I already knew.
To this day I can’t tell if I regret not ever going to see my poppy in the hospital. I can’t decide if it’s better that I never saw him there because I got to see him when he was healthier or worse that I never did because I never got to say good bye.
I don’t remember much about the visitation. I know a lot of people showed up. Poppy had a lot of friends. A lot of loud friends, it was great. It was a visitation he could’ve stuck around for. Everyone was talking and laughing about good old Neal. My best friend Gabie came to sit with me. I don’t know how long she was there but she was there for a really long time. The thing I remember most is when everyone was leaving and I went back to the coffin to say bye and I just stood there for a pretty long time. My uncle Robin just came up and put his hand on my shoulder and said, “He’s not in there.”
I don’t remember the funeral at all.
Not one single thing except for that they played a song called “Daddy’s Hands”.
After we went out to the cemetery I left with my dad and I stayed out of school for a week or so. Even when I went back and people asked me where I was I just didn’t really say anything. I cried a lot for a really long time. And that’s okay.
I remember my first family Christmas without him we were about to open presents and I just went outside and sat on my porch for a really long time in my shorts and my long sleeve T-shirt. I don’t know how long I sat there. I was like freaking Bella Swan in New Moon. I just know my mom finally told me that I had to come inside. That’s not all he missed though…
While my big guy was out:
I turned 16.
Wrecked my first car.
Went to 3 proms.
Made my hair blonde.
Cut my hair (like you told me not to do).
Got a different car.
Fell in love a lot.
Turned 17.
Took my senior pictures.
Won some tennis games.
Lost a lot of tennis games.
Got accepted into my first choice school.
Fell out of love multiple times.
Made friends.
Lost friends.
Turned 18.
Graduated.
Moved out.
All of these people tell you when you lose someone, “Well the firsts without someone are the hardest.” I will never tell anyone that because when you stop and think about it WE’VE GOT A LIFE FULL OF FIRSTS AHEAD OF US.

My point is please just never be scared to love with all of your being. If I only learned one single thing from existing 18 years it’s this: People are worth it. I’m first in line to complain about people. It’s true. I know it. But let me just say that they really are. People are scary, and lovely, and destructive, and interesting, and just so different. Some people are horrible too and no I’m not asking you to remain oblivious to the fact that yes, you will also have to encounter those people too. I’m asking you to overlook that and not let a few people ruin billions of other people. Why? Because all of that BS the industry sells us about life being unexpectedly cut short and never knowing what day could be your last and carpe diem. WELL ITS TRUE. Cliche and worn out and tired sounding, but it’s just TRUE.
Wednesday at work the sweet lady that always comes in told me, “There aren’t many people like you. You’re really easy going and easy to talk to, you know?” I said, “I just love talking to people.” I meant it.
Thursday at work a man needed my help at the front desk and I did my best to help him out. He looked at me and said, “There aren’t many people like you left. The rest of these people are self centered a**holes.” I looked him in the eyes and said, “Well I refuse to be one of them.” I meant it.

I hope maybe now that I’ve gotten all of this off my chest someone will go out and embrace all the opportunities they have to stick out a helping hand to someone or just even remember to let someone know you love them.

XOXO,
NBNealie
For my big guy, 1948-2011.

My titles are slowly getting more ridiculous NBN. If you want to know how Gabie and I became best friends, how to know “what’s up” with a new best friend, and need another reason to hate T-Swift then you have found your way to NBN on the right day of the week.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE…

Oh and also here is a really embarrassing video that Gabie and I are in from this ridiculous speech project our Junior year.

Gabie starring as Lady Gaga, narrator, and random chick 1.

Myself starring as Bella Swan, and random chick 2.

Just for old times sake. 😉

XOXO,

NBNealie

p.s. GIG EM AND GOD BLESS.

IMG_5820Day 2!

We were up bright and early to go see the Statue of Liberty! Here is day two hair and make-up. I broke this headband that day… BOO.

Then we took the subway, my favorite method of transportation, out to the place we had to pick up our Statue of Liberty tickets. The boat that you ride to the island that the statue of liberty is at is EXTREMELY sketchy. Fam and I took a picture up in Lady Liberty’s head as well as a selfie featuring Lady Liberty when we got back down to the bottom. Scratching that one off the bucket list babes and I couldn’t be more stoked about it!

FUN FACTS:

1.) Nothing in the head of Lady Liberty is air conditioned.

2.) You are allowed to bring nothing into the head of Lady Liberty except for water, NECESSARY (As in  absolutely vital) Medication, and your cell phone.

3.) There are entirely too many one foot wide stairs in the form of a spiral stair case with only 5′ 5″ of head space all the way up AND all the way down Lady Liberty’s body. NOT. A. FUN. FEAT.

4.) All of the employees for the Statue of Liberty are super cool people.

5.) All Statue of Liberty employees ride in a separate boat than the one tourists use.

After the Statue of Liberty adventure. (And a few bottles of water to quench a thirst that can only be obtained by experiencing the heat and intensity of the stairs found in such a fair lady…) We headed via subway to Little Italy where I ate the best Italian food I will probably ever eat, unless of course I go to Italy. Spinach Ravioli and gelato for dessert.

Then fam and I walked a couple streets over to China Town. Where I literally stood on Canal and Bowery… I even sang the song with my little sister because I’m really big into making memories like that. I of course took a picture of the ironic “NO STANDING” sign at the Canal and Bowery bus stop. Also! For the record… the corner of Canal and Bowery isn’t romantic at all and a few feet away there is totally a shop with nothing but duck carcasses hanging in the window. You’re welcome for ruining the appeal of such a wonderful song… Will the Lumineers ever forgive me? I have inserted the song for extra festiveness!

After a few more selfies we were all pretty tired and headed back to the hotel to nap for just a little bit. They say jetlag is only for people who aren’t well traveled. I mean… they could be right. I just would like to think they’re wrong. I’m ultimate ruler and director of all things NBN so for all intents and purposes. Here on this blog. They. Are. Wrong.

SHORTLY AFTER OUR NAP THE WE HEADED OFF TO THE SINGLE BEST NIGHT OF MY ENTIRE LIFE. We went to see Mama Mia! My first Broadway show! I completely fell in love. I even decided to join a theatre club of something. Also the lead male tweeted me back during intermission. I freaked out a little. (A lot) And of course I was already feeling pretty rad that night. Just look at how killer my outfit was, how could I not be excited when I was tearing up the town in that little number? (Which by the way was a $5.00 Forever 21 find that Tiffany bought me for grad.)

Shortly after the show we passed Radio City Music Hall (and I got to snap a pic) on the way to eat the best street cart food ever. Dad and Deb already knew how great it was from the last time they came to NY.

I don’t even really know what that is. I’m pretty sure its just chicken, rice, and awesome tortilla thing.

END OF DAY TWO.

XOXO,

NBNealieInNewYork

Hey NBN this post is late because the video uploaded at first in some “Unable to View on Mobile” version? Update videos are supposed to be easy and no body has time to sit down at a computer to watch some silly update! I ended up getting my shot all by myself on my lunch today and not yesterday! I filled out my own form at CVS and everything. Adult things… Also one of my favorite people that comes into my gym bought me a drink today because she’s just a super nice lady like that. SO MUCH CAFFEINE. SO MUCH ENERGY.

Okay watch my video. There’s singing. You’re going to love it.

XOXO,

NBNealie

P.S. My pharmacist was a jive lady and I took my arm stabbing like a champ!

Okay NBN babes and beaus. This post is well over due. As most of you know I went to New York back in June. (YIKES IT HAS ALMOST BEEN TWO WHOLE MONTHS SINCE I WENT.) I took so many pictures and did so many things I just couldn’t possibly organize it into one simple post so I’m splitting them up into days. (You’re welcome because this would seriously be so impossible to read without it being separated.) THIS IS EXTRA GOOD NEWS BECAUSE… that means that NBN posts will be queued up for the next few days! I’m currently taking a small break from my social networks and you wouldn’t believe how much time that has freed up for me to get important things (like this) done. (But I will be getting on to promo this series… #lifeofablogger).

NEW YORK! So my family and I left my house at some ungodly time in the morning to catch out flight. Which was great and we made it in a completely timely and not stressful manner. That was wonderful for me because traveling really really REALLY gives me anxiety. (And I travel quite a bit.)

I made my dad and my sister take selfies with me on the bus over to our terminal. They both really hated selfies by the end of the trip…

When we finally got on our plane I was forced to sit by a stranger… for the first time ever. I’ve only ever flown sitting next to either my siblings or my parents. So naturally because it was a new experience I took a selfie with him. I truly am sorry you poor poor stranger man. I simply could not help myself. Here is the pic.

Anyway our flight ended up getting delayed for 2 whole hours. The two-hour delay got me so worried I couldn’t even stand it because that meant that when we landed in Chicago we would miss our connecting flight. There definitely wouldn’t be room on a plane for the five of us on any other random flight! Everyone else got off the plane to go stretch their legs and my step mom and I just didn’t care so we stuck around long enough for me to snag a picture in the isle.

Then it didn’t even matter that our flight was delayed two hours… BECAUSE IT GOT CANCELLED ALL TOGETHER. While the other passengers were waiting for their suspicions about our flight being cancelled to be confirmed my dad wasted no time switching our flight over to a flight to Newark, New Jersey. Which was only an hour away from boarding.

I was obviously not amused with the flight faux pas. Then when it was finally time to get on the plane to New Jersey I corralled the family to get a selfie. (surprise, surprise)

When we finally landed I took (ANOTHER) selfie and was photobombed by a very pleasant lady that was native to New Jersey. She ran away with her suit case and cackled while screaming, “I JUST HAD TO DO IT, I’M SORRY!”

We decided to take a taxi over to New York. However… While we were waiting in line a strange man told us it would be cheaper if we let him take us in his van. So my dad was all “Sure. Yeah. That’s cool. Nealie get in the van.” AND I FELT THE SAFEST I HAD EVER FELT IN MY LIFE. (EXCEPT NOT AT ALL AND I WAS PRETTY SURE WE WERE ALL GETTING KILLED.)

It was a really nice van though and the guy spoke mediocre English. It could’ve been worse.

TADA! MY ONE AND ONLY BLURRY PICTURE OF THE NYC SKYLINE.

This blur of light is the Lincoln Tunnel. I only cared about this because Buddy the Elf had to go through the Lincoln Tunnel. (WHAT UP FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE REFERENCE?!)

I also decided to photograph this NYPD car. NYPD strategically made up 90% of their squad with male models. Just saying. (The other 10% were aight.)

We finally made it safely to the Hilton Double Tree off of Times Square and put our stuff down in our room. We only sat there for about 10 minutes before we headed out the door into Times Square to face the hoards of weirdos, freaks, thugs, and fashionistas.

We hit up all the major shops in Times Square and I EVEN GOT TO SIT ON THE STEPS FROM THE SPIDERMAN MOVIE WITH MY DAD. (I really love Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone b.t.w.)

To Be Continued…

XOXO,
NBNealie

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