Steffanie Peterson and her daughter, Hannah Jane, embarked on the most extraordinary journey. As a single mom, moving to New York City to help her daughter chase her dreams of Broadway was never in the plan for Steffanie. But, like many things in this world, plans change! “The Peterson Girls” went from their small, comfortable hometown of Charleston, West Virginia, to a city of more than eight million people, where life moved at an entirely different pace. With little knowledge and experience, and even less money and resources, they began to chase what many considered to be an impossible dream, but that was not going to hold them back from what lay ahead for them in the Big Apple.

“We came here with blinders on, thinking that everything would be just like it was on the first few visits that preceded our actual move. I now know that those few long weekend trips we took between May and October when we were job interviewing and house hunting were the times that fairy tales are made of. The sun was out every day. The air was crisp in the morning and warm, but not hot, in the afternoons. There was no rain or snow and we weren’t carrying a heavy school bag or a purse and a briefcase to weigh us down. The sounds of the city were invigorating, not overpowering. The scents from the food trucks were wonderfully new. They were blissfully perfect weekends.”

Five years later, they are both living their dreams to the fullest in what they now call their “beloved city.” It has not been aneasy journey for either of them, but in the midst of struggles, they are learning to treasure every moment of the experience.Their irrepressible journey has been captured through selfies, Facebook posts, and personal journals, now known to those closest to them as #thepetersongirlsadventures.

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