Five years and counting

Last week marked my five year anniversary of living in New York. Different people will offer their opinions on what anniversary makes you a New Yorker: 2 years, 5 years, 7 years. I'm going with 5 years.

Here are some things I've learned after five years here in the city:

1) God goes before you and with you everywhere. The community I have in New York is unlike most I've encountered before.

2) The Lord works in powerful ways. Ask me five years ago if I would've thought I would be where I am today? No way.

3) Relationships are the key to survival here. The people I work with, go to school with, go to church with, eat with, and share life with are what makes living here wonderful.

4) 34th Street, the subway during rush hour, and Times Square are best to be avoided if at all possible.

5) Absence makes the heart grow fonder and stronger. I miss my family more than I can put into words. But my relationship with them is deeper and more precious than before.

6) The outer boroughs are the place to be. Brooklyn and Queens, you over a sanctuary for which I am so grateful.

7) The last five years would have been so much more difficult without Casey. We celebrate holidays and Tuesdays, laugh a lot, cry sometimes, and generally have a good time just being around each other.

8) Living here is cool. I still get excited when I see the Statue of Liberty at sunset or see the Chrysler building all lit up at night. What a great town.

Thanks to the BK, Central Park, the Daily News, the G train, bodegas, fresh mouths, shopping cart escalators, the Mets, immigrant populations, and so much more for keeping life interesting. Five years together and counting...