Something you're reading.The audio version. I dare anyone to try reading or listening a single chapter without laughing out loud. Hysterical.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
January photo a day: Day fourteen
Something you're reading.The audio version. I dare anyone to try reading or listening a single chapter without laughing out loud. Hysterical.
January photo a day: Day thirteen
In your bag.Gloves, Hobo, Neutrogena hand cream, keys, ear buds, sunglasses, and marcel curling iron bc I didn't have time to do my hair before work.
January photo a day: Day twelve
Close up.I have loved these wellies dearly, but sadly, they've sprung a leak.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
A letter to my sixteen year old self
Saturday was a perfect day. I went to brunch at Sarabeth's, spent a few hours in Barnes & Noble, relaxed, went to the gym, and spent the evening laughing until I was hysterical with friends. While in B&N I came across a book recently published filled with letters celebrities had written to the sixteen year old version of themselves. I read through it and it was sometimes funny, and sometimes emotional. I found myself thinking about what I would write to my sixteen year old self. The author challenges the reader to write a letter, so I decided to do it. I really enjoyed it, and it also made me think about what my forty five year old self would write to me now.
Dear 16 year old me,
Wow. Are you ready to learn a lot? Because, you will, at least in the next 12 years. I’m sure even after that, but at this point I can’t say for certain, because I can only see the past, not the future.
Let me start off by telling you that life is good. It’s not without hard times, but overall, you are happy and incredibly blessed. You will make some amazing friends who are as close as family, with whom you’ll maintain a relationship for years and years. You’ll learn so much from these friends. Your family will grow with in-laws, nieces, and nephews, all of them a perfect fit. You’ll travel and see parts of the world others only dream about. You’ll do things others talk about and say, “I wish I could do that,” and instead of just wishing, you’ll just decide, and you’ll go do it while you have the freedom and flexibility to do so. In the beginning of your adult life you’ll take a leap, and it will pay off. Big time.
Now. A few pieces of advice. I wish when I was your age someone would have told me these things.
You’ll eventually get over your insecurities regarding your height. You won’t ever totally love being tall, but you’ll be okay with it, and learn to own it. You’ll even wear heels! I know, it seems crazy, right? But once you quit acting so awkward and insecure about it, others’ reactions won’t be one of surprise, but complimentary, and the attention you get will be mostly positive (and you won’t really care about the negative.)
A bit of bad news. Your senior year of high school adults will tell you that you’re going to date all the time in college. You’ll hear that a lot, actually. Don’t believe them. You won’t. Sure, you’ll have little blips on the radar here and there, but mostly it’ll be your roommates and friends being asked out on dates and having relationships and getting married. You’ll go to a lot of showers, and when you go home from college you’ll be asked ALL THE TIME about who you’re dating, and why you’re not married. It’ll feel painfully awkward and you’ll hate it. You’ll feel so insecure and like something is wrong with you since everyone told you you’d date, and it seems like everyone else is getting married. If you believe one thing, believe this: THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU. You will date later in life, a lot. You’ll just be a late bloomer. There are so many things waiting for you after college that you would most likely not experience if you’d settled down early. Let me tell you something Mom will eventually think of senior year of college. When someone asks, “Are you dating anyone?” respond with, “Oh, nobody special.” You’ll wish she would have thought of it sooner. It will prevent people from saying awkward things to “make you feel better” if you had just told them no. But there is some good news, you will make a lot of good friends, and have a TON of fun. In some ways college will be the best years of your life. It's the perfect amount of freedom and lack of responsibility. There will be a handful of girls throughout the years that you'll become so close to, that you would not have traded to have dated more. I promise!!
You will have your first real boyfriend when you’re 21, and you’ll fall in love, but he’s more of a good friend than anything. You’ll learn all about relationships and kick yourself for judging others’ in the past. Breaking up will be the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. It’ll be long and drawn out and painful (like future break ups) but you’ll get through it, and you’ll learn so much and really will not have regrets. You’ll date some really great guys who ultimately just aren’t for you. In addition to dating heartache, you’ll experience other heartache that will feel never ending. Even though it seems impossible, I promise, you’ll eventually get over it.
There will be something that happens in New York in 2001 that will change the way our country operates. I can’t go into more detail, but you’ll be sucked into the news more than an average freshman in college. You’ll also find yourself rooting for the Yankees, when everyone else is rooting for the Red Sox, in the 2004 pennant series. You won’t know why, since it seems the Sox are the team to root for. There’s a reason for these feelings. They’re foreshadowing.
It will be nearly impossible, but do your best to not let your emotions get wrapped up in the problems of your loved ones. It will take you a long time to learn, but you can’t control other people. (Yes, you can be a bit controlling. Even at my age, I haven’t really mastered letting go yet, but I realize it’s a problem we have.)
BE YOURSELF. Quit worrying about being popular, you have a ton of friends. It’s cliché, but being popular really doesn’t matter. Just be yourself because people really do prefer the real you, and you’ll be happier that way. You’ll find it’s the guys who you let your guard down around, because you have no interest in them, who end up liking you the most.
You know how you eat Taco Bell at 10pm after cheer practice whenever you want? You won’t be able to do that anymore and look the way you do in just a few more years. APPRECIATE THAT BODY! To be honest, as you get older you’ll still pretty much be able to eat what you want and look okay (a perk to being tall), but you will never have that perfect body that you have now. Enjoy it.
Your life (at least until you’re 28) will be different and so much better than you expect. You will meet such amazing people, find more success than you anticipate, and frequently find yourself overwhelmed with joy. It will not be without difficult times, but you will be grateful for all your experiences and find yourself thanking your Heavenly Father over and over for your blessings and your trials.
Enjoy the ride. Don’t compare yourself with others. Look for the best but have realistic expectations. Oh, and make sure you don’t drive off from the gas station with your tank lid on your roof. When you go to retrieve it you end up in fender bender. Nothing major, but it’s a stupid mistake that could have easily been avoided.
Much love,
28 year old you
Dear 16 year old me,Wow. Are you ready to learn a lot? Because, you will, at least in the next 12 years. I’m sure even after that, but at this point I can’t say for certain, because I can only see the past, not the future.
Let me start off by telling you that life is good. It’s not without hard times, but overall, you are happy and incredibly blessed. You will make some amazing friends who are as close as family, with whom you’ll maintain a relationship for years and years. You’ll learn so much from these friends. Your family will grow with in-laws, nieces, and nephews, all of them a perfect fit. You’ll travel and see parts of the world others only dream about. You’ll do things others talk about and say, “I wish I could do that,” and instead of just wishing, you’ll just decide, and you’ll go do it while you have the freedom and flexibility to do so. In the beginning of your adult life you’ll take a leap, and it will pay off. Big time.
Now. A few pieces of advice. I wish when I was your age someone would have told me these things.
You’ll eventually get over your insecurities regarding your height. You won’t ever totally love being tall, but you’ll be okay with it, and learn to own it. You’ll even wear heels! I know, it seems crazy, right? But once you quit acting so awkward and insecure about it, others’ reactions won’t be one of surprise, but complimentary, and the attention you get will be mostly positive (and you won’t really care about the negative.)
A bit of bad news. Your senior year of high school adults will tell you that you’re going to date all the time in college. You’ll hear that a lot, actually. Don’t believe them. You won’t. Sure, you’ll have little blips on the radar here and there, but mostly it’ll be your roommates and friends being asked out on dates and having relationships and getting married. You’ll go to a lot of showers, and when you go home from college you’ll be asked ALL THE TIME about who you’re dating, and why you’re not married. It’ll feel painfully awkward and you’ll hate it. You’ll feel so insecure and like something is wrong with you since everyone told you you’d date, and it seems like everyone else is getting married. If you believe one thing, believe this: THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU. You will date later in life, a lot. You’ll just be a late bloomer. There are so many things waiting for you after college that you would most likely not experience if you’d settled down early. Let me tell you something Mom will eventually think of senior year of college. When someone asks, “Are you dating anyone?” respond with, “Oh, nobody special.” You’ll wish she would have thought of it sooner. It will prevent people from saying awkward things to “make you feel better” if you had just told them no. But there is some good news, you will make a lot of good friends, and have a TON of fun. In some ways college will be the best years of your life. It's the perfect amount of freedom and lack of responsibility. There will be a handful of girls throughout the years that you'll become so close to, that you would not have traded to have dated more. I promise!!
You will have your first real boyfriend when you’re 21, and you’ll fall in love, but he’s more of a good friend than anything. You’ll learn all about relationships and kick yourself for judging others’ in the past. Breaking up will be the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. It’ll be long and drawn out and painful (like future break ups) but you’ll get through it, and you’ll learn so much and really will not have regrets. You’ll date some really great guys who ultimately just aren’t for you. In addition to dating heartache, you’ll experience other heartache that will feel never ending. Even though it seems impossible, I promise, you’ll eventually get over it.
There will be something that happens in New York in 2001 that will change the way our country operates. I can’t go into more detail, but you’ll be sucked into the news more than an average freshman in college. You’ll also find yourself rooting for the Yankees, when everyone else is rooting for the Red Sox, in the 2004 pennant series. You won’t know why, since it seems the Sox are the team to root for. There’s a reason for these feelings. They’re foreshadowing.
It will be nearly impossible, but do your best to not let your emotions get wrapped up in the problems of your loved ones. It will take you a long time to learn, but you can’t control other people. (Yes, you can be a bit controlling. Even at my age, I haven’t really mastered letting go yet, but I realize it’s a problem we have.)
BE YOURSELF. Quit worrying about being popular, you have a ton of friends. It’s cliché, but being popular really doesn’t matter. Just be yourself because people really do prefer the real you, and you’ll be happier that way. You’ll find it’s the guys who you let your guard down around, because you have no interest in them, who end up liking you the most.
You know how you eat Taco Bell at 10pm after cheer practice whenever you want? You won’t be able to do that anymore and look the way you do in just a few more years. APPRECIATE THAT BODY! To be honest, as you get older you’ll still pretty much be able to eat what you want and look okay (a perk to being tall), but you will never have that perfect body that you have now. Enjoy it.
Your life (at least until you’re 28) will be different and so much better than you expect. You will meet such amazing people, find more success than you anticipate, and frequently find yourself overwhelmed with joy. It will not be without difficult times, but you will be grateful for all your experiences and find yourself thanking your Heavenly Father over and over for your blessings and your trials.
Enjoy the ride. Don’t compare yourself with others. Look for the best but have realistic expectations. Oh, and make sure you don’t drive off from the gas station with your tank lid on your roof. When you go to retrieve it you end up in fender bender. Nothing major, but it’s a stupid mistake that could have easily been avoided.
Much love,
28 year old you
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
January photo a day: Day eleven
Where you sleep.I love my bed so much I could marry it. Best purchase I've ever made.
January photo a day: Day eight
Your sky.I guess I should have waited for day six's photo for this day, but, oh well. I still think this sky (and skyline) is completely lovely. This is taken from the east side of the Reservoir, looking west. My apartment is somewhere in the middle of that skyline. This picture makes me so so happy.
January photo a day: Day seven
Favorite. I had a hard time picking a favorite anything for this day, but when I walked outside to a sunny 60 degree Saturday, I was so happy. Sort of ironic because I just went on and on about loving the seasons, and I still do, but that doesn't mean I don't completely enjoy a random 60 degree day in the Park in January. It was so lovely. I'm calling it my favorite winter day.
Friday, January 6, 2012
January photo a day: Day five
Something you wore.I sort of love photo a day. It gets me blogging and is sort of a fun snapshot of the day. Yesterday I got home and tore off everything pictured because even when it's cold outside, when you walk to and from work, on the inside you're sweating. I happened to glance over while going through my mail and thought, "There's my photo of the day." New ($23.99) coat, mittons, beanie, scarf, and Ugg boots. I know there are mixed feelings on Uggs but when it's 1 degree outside they are necessary for walking to work. It sucks when it's snowy/slushy outside because then I have to wear my wellies and even with thick socks they're just not as warm.
I heard all about the obscenely warm temps in California this week. People, I'm not jealous. No, I don't love the 1 degree weather, or even like it. Leaving work on Tuesday it was painful. But would I trade my seasons for beach weather in January? Actually....no. I'd prefer this winter weather to be more like 30s (today and tomorrow it's actually supposed to be 50), but I'll take what I can get. I cannot believe I actually feel this way but I do. And I'm sure one day if I live in California again I'll think the opposite. I can't imagine not having the winter wardrobe of layers and scarves, hats, and coats. I really do love getting all bundled up. I will complain somedays and I'll be ready for it to end about a month or two before it actually will, but I really do love it all. There is nothing, nothing like spring in New York. Everyone talks about fall in New York, which is incredible, but there's something about the first pleasant days that are filled with sunshine and bursting with tulips and daffodils. It is so lovely.
I'm reading a book called My City, My New York I impulsively bought while standing in line to buy my Kauai book. I freaking love it. It's a collection of blurbs from famous New Yorkers sharing their favorite places in New York. It's basically a big love letter to New York and my NY bucket list is growing because of it. I'm sure this is not the only time I'll be writing about this book.
I dogeared a page the other night that summed up so many feelings I have about spring in New York, Central Park, and the happiness with which I'm so frequently filled when I'm thinking about this place.
I grew up in Los Angeles, where all the seasons are pretty much the same. You can get away with having a jacket that just goes to your waist. But that's the extent of seasonal change in Southern California. And when I first got here, at the end of November of 1992, a friend of mine at ABC said to me, "There will come a time sometime in the spring when everything will just be perfect. The blooms will be out. The sun will be shining. You go sleeveless. And all of a sudden it all makes sense why you're here."
And the first time I felt that was in the spring of 1993. I was walking in Central park with my young daughter and that spring hit me. And so I have paid close attention to this ever since. Plus there's something about Central Park. And I know it's not the intellectual center of New York. I know it's not the theatrical center. I know it's not the educational center. But there's something about this giant park, this 840-acre park. It's the City's backyard - it's our backyard - both individually and collectively. It brings us together and in touch with nature in a way that no other place in New York can do.
So I use it all the time, and I live not far from the park. That spring of 1993, I took my daughter to the carousel and she was less than a year old. And I'm riding around it and she is having a blast. And something hit me: I thought, if I should die right now, I would be so happy. I was just so happy that I couldn't imagine life getting better than at that very moment.
I think that every spring I take that attitude and I can't wait for it to happen, especially after a brutal winter. The sun is finally out and you can just feel people's liberation after hibernation.
-Bill Ritter
May 5, 2007 was that day for me. KaRyn and I spent the day in Central Park and I was overwhelmed by the lovely spring perfect day. Having moved here in February, this day was like heaven.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wedding wedding!!
To say Britt and Logan's wedding was fun would be a complete understatement. I was trying to think of what could have made it more fun and I think the only thing is if it were my own wedding. It was seriously a blast.
The rehearsal dinner was Thursday night at an Italian restaurant downtown called Trattoria Toscana. The dessert plate was ridiculous. Everything was amazing. Britt and Logan's siblings and fathers gave speeches and the whole evening was lovely.
Their photographers were with us this night and they were amazing. They are a married couple who know Logan because the husband, Stuart, served with him in Fiji. They live in Fiji now. Anyway, they stood outside the restaurant and when everyone would walk out they took a bunch of photos like they were paparazzi and it was awesome. It completely took me by surprise when I walked out but it was fun to see everyones reactions when they'd walk out. Some were total hams, Haley walked out like the celeb she is and just held her hand up to the cameras, and Britt and Logan walked out with glasses on and Log's hat pulled down low. It was a lot of fun.
And dinner we stopped by Britt and Log's new place to get a few things. Haley Roe and I got silly while waiting.
It was so fun to be together while Brittany got ready. As you can see she looked absolutely stunning. Seriously Britt always looks great but I have never seen her look better.
I died over this adorable hanger Britt ordered on etsy. So cute.
Everyone stayed at the Millennium Hilton downtown. In the morning I had to go up to the boys' suite to pick something up and they had this great view of the 9/11 memorial from their window.
When I used to see that couples would do a "first look" photo I used to think, "eh." I thought there was something so much more magical about seeing each other for the first time when they were actually getting married. However, I've completely changed my mind. It was so awesome to watch Logan stand there, knowing his gorgeous bride was right behind him, and then watch him turn and see her for the first time. And to be able to capture that moment on film was amazing. So many tourists stopped to take photos of them. It was so cute. Just the sight of Britt brought Logan to tears and that's when I realized, to have a man love you so much that he can't even keep from crying when he sees you on your wedding day would be pretty amazing.
After the sealing. I've never waited for a bride and groom outside the Manhattan temple before. It was kind of funny, people kept stopping to ask who we were waiting for, thinking it was a celebrity, since there was a big crowd of us and photographers. They thought the same thing the night before at the dinner.
Our group went to take photos across the street and Lincoln Center with the temple in the background and we were immediately stopped by a cop who said we needed a permit. Britt and Log had researched and had found out we only needed a permit if the photographer was using a tripod, or if we were asking people to move out of our photos. Since neither of those would be happening, they didn't get one. However, this police man would not let up. Logan went to talk to him and the VP of Lincoln Center just happened to be strolling by. She overheard and said she'd go take care of the permit, no problem. Logan's sister mentioned the night before that things just seem to always work out for Logan. We all laughed because Britt has the same luck. Between this, and the 50 degree sunny weather (in New York! On December 30th!) it seems their luck will continue.
We took a bunch of photos and even though we froze without our coats, we had a total blast.
I miss living with these two.
We all all headed downtown to Battery Gardens for the ring ceremony and reception. It was beautiful. We were greeted with the most amazing sunset over the Hudson River and Statue of Liberty, and the venue had gorgeous views.
Britt and Log's first dance to Ray Charles's Georgia. So sweet. I loved their choice of song. Everything the whole night was perfect. The photo booth, dinner, and especially the dancing. It was so fun to have so many former New Yorkers in town. We seriously danced our hearts out all night and just had so so much fun. At one point a bartender asked me why none of us were drinking alcohol and I said, "Do you think we need it?" He laughed and said, "I guess not." I wish I could express how much fun it was. At one point I just stopped and looked around at all my friends, dancing like no one was watching, making dorky faces and just having fun. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I am so thankful for my friends. I feel so incredibly blessed to have them in my life and for the lessons I've learned from them.
Britt and Logan did such a good job incorporating their heritage into their wedding. Logan is Scottish so the groomsmen wore green and blue plaid ties and Logan wore a green and blue plaid dinner jacket. They had a similar background for the photo booth. Brittany is part Hawaiian so when they left for the night they were wearing leis. Something I also really loved was their party favor. Back in May Britt and Logan took their first trip to Chicago together, to Logan's home. On their first night back to New York they got take out Chinese and they were given three fortune cookies. They each had one and decided the last would be their fortune together. It was something along the lines of, "Within the year you will move into a wonderful new home." That began their serious talks of marriage and here they were, two days before the new year, getting married. They had the fortune framed, and in lieu of favors made a donation to Habitat for Humanity, which is close to Logan's heart, to build others' wonderful new homes, and we were sent home with little Chinese takeout boxes with fortune cookies in them. I thought it was so perfect.
I know I'm forgetting things but it seemed like everything was just perfect. I am so thankful these two made it official!!
The rehearsal dinner was Thursday night at an Italian restaurant downtown called Trattoria Toscana. The dessert plate was ridiculous. Everything was amazing. Britt and Logan's siblings and fathers gave speeches and the whole evening was lovely.Their photographers were with us this night and they were amazing. They are a married couple who know Logan because the husband, Stuart, served with him in Fiji. They live in Fiji now. Anyway, they stood outside the restaurant and when everyone would walk out they took a bunch of photos like they were paparazzi and it was awesome. It completely took me by surprise when I walked out but it was fun to see everyones reactions when they'd walk out. Some were total hams, Haley walked out like the celeb she is and just held her hand up to the cameras, and Britt and Logan walked out with glasses on and Log's hat pulled down low. It was a lot of fun.
And dinner we stopped by Britt and Log's new place to get a few things. Haley Roe and I got silly while waiting.
It was so fun to be together while Brittany got ready. As you can see she looked absolutely stunning. Seriously Britt always looks great but I have never seen her look better.
I died over this adorable hanger Britt ordered on etsy. So cute.
Everyone stayed at the Millennium Hilton downtown. In the morning I had to go up to the boys' suite to pick something up and they had this great view of the 9/11 memorial from their window.
When I used to see that couples would do a "first look" photo I used to think, "eh." I thought there was something so much more magical about seeing each other for the first time when they were actually getting married. However, I've completely changed my mind. It was so awesome to watch Logan stand there, knowing his gorgeous bride was right behind him, and then watch him turn and see her for the first time. And to be able to capture that moment on film was amazing. So many tourists stopped to take photos of them. It was so cute. Just the sight of Britt brought Logan to tears and that's when I realized, to have a man love you so much that he can't even keep from crying when he sees you on your wedding day would be pretty amazing.
After the sealing. I've never waited for a bride and groom outside the Manhattan temple before. It was kind of funny, people kept stopping to ask who we were waiting for, thinking it was a celebrity, since there was a big crowd of us and photographers. They thought the same thing the night before at the dinner.Our group went to take photos across the street and Lincoln Center with the temple in the background and we were immediately stopped by a cop who said we needed a permit. Britt and Log had researched and had found out we only needed a permit if the photographer was using a tripod, or if we were asking people to move out of our photos. Since neither of those would be happening, they didn't get one. However, this police man would not let up. Logan went to talk to him and the VP of Lincoln Center just happened to be strolling by. She overheard and said she'd go take care of the permit, no problem. Logan's sister mentioned the night before that things just seem to always work out for Logan. We all laughed because Britt has the same luck. Between this, and the 50 degree sunny weather (in New York! On December 30th!) it seems their luck will continue.
We took a bunch of photos and even though we froze without our coats, we had a total blast.
I miss living with these two.We all all headed downtown to Battery Gardens for the ring ceremony and reception. It was beautiful. We were greeted with the most amazing sunset over the Hudson River and Statue of Liberty, and the venue had gorgeous views.
Britt and Log's first dance to Ray Charles's Georgia. So sweet. I loved their choice of song. Everything the whole night was perfect. The photo booth, dinner, and especially the dancing. It was so fun to have so many former New Yorkers in town. We seriously danced our hearts out all night and just had so so much fun. At one point a bartender asked me why none of us were drinking alcohol and I said, "Do you think we need it?" He laughed and said, "I guess not." I wish I could express how much fun it was. At one point I just stopped and looked around at all my friends, dancing like no one was watching, making dorky faces and just having fun. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I am so thankful for my friends. I feel so incredibly blessed to have them in my life and for the lessons I've learned from them.Britt and Logan did such a good job incorporating their heritage into their wedding. Logan is Scottish so the groomsmen wore green and blue plaid ties and Logan wore a green and blue plaid dinner jacket. They had a similar background for the photo booth. Brittany is part Hawaiian so when they left for the night they were wearing leis. Something I also really loved was their party favor. Back in May Britt and Logan took their first trip to Chicago together, to Logan's home. On their first night back to New York they got take out Chinese and they were given three fortune cookies. They each had one and decided the last would be their fortune together. It was something along the lines of, "Within the year you will move into a wonderful new home." That began their serious talks of marriage and here they were, two days before the new year, getting married. They had the fortune framed, and in lieu of favors made a donation to Habitat for Humanity, which is close to Logan's heart, to build others' wonderful new homes, and we were sent home with little Chinese takeout boxes with fortune cookies in them. I thought it was so perfect.
I know I'm forgetting things but it seemed like everything was just perfect. I am so thankful these two made it official!!
January photo a day: Day four
Letterbox.It seemed sort of weird but it was actually kind of cool to see all the photos of different mail boxes. I should mention, I had the best mail day yesterday. A wedding announcement from Lindsey, a thank you note, a Christmas greeting from New Mexico, and a J. Crew catalogue. And not a single bill. What could be better?
January photo a day: Day three
Something you adore.I stole these photos from Elise's blog of my nephew because I absolutely adore that boy.
January photo a day: Day two
BreakfastSo it's kind of lame but I didn't eat breakfast. This was my lunch. Ashley, Jen, and I went to the famous Katz Deli for lunch. I didn't realize until Ashley told me but this is where the famous "I'll have what she's having" scene was filmed in When Harry Met Sally. That is one of my all time favorite movies so I made sure to watch it the night before we went.
The grilled cheese was delish! And I'm obviously having Diet Pepsi because they only had Pepsi products. Lame.
January photo a day challenge: Day 1
I love Instagram. I've had it for a while but I'm loving it more and more and it's probably my favorite iPhone app. A lot of people are doing the January photo a day challenge and when I learned about it on Jan 2 I wanted in. Since I missed day 1 (photo of yourself) and I hadn't taken any photos at all on Jan 1 this year, I used a photo from Jan 1, 2011. I was in London wandering down Portobellow Road in Notting Hill. Not a bad way to spend spend New Year's Day.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
That one time I went to Boston for 12 hours
I was looking through the last year of my blog to start drafting a year in review post and was reminded what a pathetic blogger I was this year. The only things I could think of that I didn't blog though, were Thanksgiving and Hurricane Irene.
It all started earlier in the summer when I was thinking about how I've never been to Fenway. Any good baseball fan should see Yankee stadium, Fenway, and Wrigley. I grew up going to Wrigley but still hadn't made it to Fenway. I emailed Brad and it turned out there was really only one weekend the Sox were at home that worked for both of us - late in August. It would be hot, but we decided to at least go to the Fri night game vs the Sat day game.
At the beginning of the week there was a lot of talk of Hurricane Irene that was supposed to hit New York. Everyone was running out to the stores, stocking up on batteries, flashlights, candles, food, and bottled water. I was planning on being at Brad and Nadia's all weekend, and as Friday got closer, I realized I would miss the hurricane. I really didn't sweat it.
Part of the reason I didn't stress was knowing I'd be out of town, the other part was because every winter we have at least one storm that is supposed to be so dramatic and everyone gets all up in a tizzy. While I think it's smart to be prepared, I'm not one to jump on the drama wagon. These storms are never as bad as they predict (at least not in the city.) In fact, since I've lived here I've never once been inconvenienced because of a storm. Every time people have gotten the day off of work for a snow day, I've never been able to partake. If the market is open, the finance world goes on. In almost five years there has only been once the subways have shut down, and I walked the 4+ miles to work.
Anyway, I didn't sweat it.
I left on Friday and was headed up to Boston when I started getting emails like crazy. People from church were forwarding emails around, everyone was making sure everyone had a place to go to weather the storm, church was canceled (never seen that happen in my life), and then came an email that made me sort of scared for the first time. Caroline forwarded an email which stated that beginning at noon on Saturday all subways would be shut down, and depending on the wind levels, bridges and tunnels into the city would shut down as well. If this were the case, there would literally be no way off the island other than to swim. Sort of creepy...
I had already changed my Sunday return bus for Saturday evening because it looked like the Sunday buses might be canceled. Then I started getting alerts from the bus company that they were canceling more and more buses. (At this point they were guessing the storm would hit sometime between Saturday night and Sunday.) I changed my bus again to leave Boston on Saturday at 1pm. This is about the point that I realized I'd be back in New York with no emergency food or water. Like a virgin without oil, I got in touch with Emilee and desperately asked her to pick some things up for me at the grocery store and leave them with my doorman. That Emilee is a saint because the grocery stores were a nightmare.
I finally made it to Boston and quit thinking about the stupid hurricane. Brad picked me up and we went straight to Fenway. I immediately fell in love. Even though it's enemy territory, as a baseball fan you just can't help but be enamored with this charming park. I absolutely loved it and vowed to come back the next year when the Yankees were in town. They were playing the A's who I very quietly rooted for. I would have been louder but I was seriously pretty singled out there.
While I was at the game I received an email letting me know my 1pm bus was now canceled. Crap. I was really paranoid because I didn't feel like I could miss work on Monday. Luckily I was able to secure a spot on the 8am bus, the last one headed into New York that day.
Brad and I got back to a quiet dark house around 11pm and after a long talk with Nadia I finally went to sleep only to wake up to leave five hours later. The worst part of it was Madeline went to bed Friday night knowing her Auntie Rae Rae would be there when she woke up. Except, I wasn't. I was already gone. My heart was totally crushed knowing Nadia would have to try to explain to a three year old why I wasn't there.
On the way to the bus Brad took me to a grocery store because Emilee said our stores were totally picked over. There was no peanut butter, and hardly any bread. I was trying to get food that wouldn't need to be refrigerated and I could make without heat in case the power went out.
I got into town around 1pm on Saturday and it was strange, everyone was out and about as if there wasn't a potential deadly storm headed our way in a few hours. I was worried I was going to have to schlep my stuff the 30+ blocks home, since the subways weren't running anymore, but luckily I found a cab really easily. I later heard on the news that cabs were instructed to pick up any passengers, even if they already had someone, and if you saw a cop car you could hitchhike.
Getting to my neighborhood was a little eery. Windows were boarded and taped up in all the shops. There was a line around the block to get into grocery stores. The movie theater was closed with a sign saying it would reopen in a couple days. It was like a post apocalyptic world.
I was insanely exhausted and just wanted to sleep. I knew I should stay out as long as I could because who knew how long I'd be quarantined, but I gave in to my heavy eyelids and took a nice long nap. The below was the note that greeted me in the elevator of my building.
It wasn't until later that day I really started to feel alone. I hadn't felt nervous or worried at all up until that point. My bishop lives two blocks away. The church which was a safe zone is five blocks away. I've got friends nearby. Everything would be fine. The constant flow of incoming texts, calls, and facebook messages from friends all over checking in on me made me feel really loved. But the nonstop news coverage I had on in the background started to get to me. As I was getting ready for bed that night I realized maybe I should pack a bag in case I needed to leave in the middle of the night. That was a little nerve racking. The way my building wraps around, it would be REALLY hard for my window to break due to wind, so I wasn't really worried, but I still had that thought in the back of my mind. I started feeling lonely because I realized, I really don't know my neighbors, and if I had some sort of problem, it's not like anyone would be looking out for me. I really started thinking about how, if I had a real problem, I couldn't call my parents. There's nothing they can do. I can only recall one other time feeling like that, and it's when I was lost in Queens around 2am without a cab in sight. (Long story, I was still new to the city and got on a wrong bus. It sucked.) Anyway, more and more I was grateful for my membership in the church. My Elder's Quorum President, Relief Society President, and Visiting Teacher had all checked in on me. I guess what made the whole experience a little scary was having to go to bed and knowing that if something was going to happen, it would be when I was sleeping.
I had a hard time staying asleep, waking up every couple hours. When it was about 4am I woke up to pounding rain. It was so eery, knowing we were in the middle of it at that time. Eventually I fell back asleep, and woke up around 9am to sunny skies. I think I said aloud, "That was it??" Honestly, it was so anti climactic. I've experienced New York summer thunder storms that seemed worse. We'd been told on the news to stay inside most of the day because there'd be branches falling, but I did step outside my building for a minute to snap the below photo of my street. Only a few fallen branches, nothing major.
I think Mayor Bloomberg did a great job preparing the city. I don't think it's crazy to prepare the city for the worst, it just drives me nuts when people get hysterical before it's necessary. If I heard, "Batten down the hatches" one more time I think I would have lost it.
The best news is, I was able to partake in my first ever "snow day." As a kid I lived in Chicago for six years and never once had a day off school for the snow, and as previously mentioned I never have had a day off due to the snow in the city. But since the hurricane really did destroy Long Island and some of the other boroughs, a lot of the mass transit was down, so our office closed on Monday.
Monday was an absolutely gorgeous day. Emilee, Brittany, and I rode our bikes down the Hudson to the Shake Shack, and then went to Central Park with Ashley as well. It was the perfect unexpected day off.
It all started earlier in the summer when I was thinking about how I've never been to Fenway. Any good baseball fan should see Yankee stadium, Fenway, and Wrigley. I grew up going to Wrigley but still hadn't made it to Fenway. I emailed Brad and it turned out there was really only one weekend the Sox were at home that worked for both of us - late in August. It would be hot, but we decided to at least go to the Fri night game vs the Sat day game.
At the beginning of the week there was a lot of talk of Hurricane Irene that was supposed to hit New York. Everyone was running out to the stores, stocking up on batteries, flashlights, candles, food, and bottled water. I was planning on being at Brad and Nadia's all weekend, and as Friday got closer, I realized I would miss the hurricane. I really didn't sweat it.
Part of the reason I didn't stress was knowing I'd be out of town, the other part was because every winter we have at least one storm that is supposed to be so dramatic and everyone gets all up in a tizzy. While I think it's smart to be prepared, I'm not one to jump on the drama wagon. These storms are never as bad as they predict (at least not in the city.) In fact, since I've lived here I've never once been inconvenienced because of a storm. Every time people have gotten the day off of work for a snow day, I've never been able to partake. If the market is open, the finance world goes on. In almost five years there has only been once the subways have shut down, and I walked the 4+ miles to work.
Anyway, I didn't sweat it.
I left on Friday and was headed up to Boston when I started getting emails like crazy. People from church were forwarding emails around, everyone was making sure everyone had a place to go to weather the storm, church was canceled (never seen that happen in my life), and then came an email that made me sort of scared for the first time. Caroline forwarded an email which stated that beginning at noon on Saturday all subways would be shut down, and depending on the wind levels, bridges and tunnels into the city would shut down as well. If this were the case, there would literally be no way off the island other than to swim. Sort of creepy...
I had already changed my Sunday return bus for Saturday evening because it looked like the Sunday buses might be canceled. Then I started getting alerts from the bus company that they were canceling more and more buses. (At this point they were guessing the storm would hit sometime between Saturday night and Sunday.) I changed my bus again to leave Boston on Saturday at 1pm. This is about the point that I realized I'd be back in New York with no emergency food or water. Like a virgin without oil, I got in touch with Emilee and desperately asked her to pick some things up for me at the grocery store and leave them with my doorman. That Emilee is a saint because the grocery stores were a nightmare.
I finally made it to Boston and quit thinking about the stupid hurricane. Brad picked me up and we went straight to Fenway. I immediately fell in love. Even though it's enemy territory, as a baseball fan you just can't help but be enamored with this charming park. I absolutely loved it and vowed to come back the next year when the Yankees were in town. They were playing the A's who I very quietly rooted for. I would have been louder but I was seriously pretty singled out there.
While I was at the game I received an email letting me know my 1pm bus was now canceled. Crap. I was really paranoid because I didn't feel like I could miss work on Monday. Luckily I was able to secure a spot on the 8am bus, the last one headed into New York that day.
Brad and I got back to a quiet dark house around 11pm and after a long talk with Nadia I finally went to sleep only to wake up to leave five hours later. The worst part of it was Madeline went to bed Friday night knowing her Auntie Rae Rae would be there when she woke up. Except, I wasn't. I was already gone. My heart was totally crushed knowing Nadia would have to try to explain to a three year old why I wasn't there.On the way to the bus Brad took me to a grocery store because Emilee said our stores were totally picked over. There was no peanut butter, and hardly any bread. I was trying to get food that wouldn't need to be refrigerated and I could make without heat in case the power went out.
I got into town around 1pm on Saturday and it was strange, everyone was out and about as if there wasn't a potential deadly storm headed our way in a few hours. I was worried I was going to have to schlep my stuff the 30+ blocks home, since the subways weren't running anymore, but luckily I found a cab really easily. I later heard on the news that cabs were instructed to pick up any passengers, even if they already had someone, and if you saw a cop car you could hitchhike.
Getting to my neighborhood was a little eery. Windows were boarded and taped up in all the shops. There was a line around the block to get into grocery stores. The movie theater was closed with a sign saying it would reopen in a couple days. It was like a post apocalyptic world.
I was insanely exhausted and just wanted to sleep. I knew I should stay out as long as I could because who knew how long I'd be quarantined, but I gave in to my heavy eyelids and took a nice long nap. The below was the note that greeted me in the elevator of my building.
It wasn't until later that day I really started to feel alone. I hadn't felt nervous or worried at all up until that point. My bishop lives two blocks away. The church which was a safe zone is five blocks away. I've got friends nearby. Everything would be fine. The constant flow of incoming texts, calls, and facebook messages from friends all over checking in on me made me feel really loved. But the nonstop news coverage I had on in the background started to get to me. As I was getting ready for bed that night I realized maybe I should pack a bag in case I needed to leave in the middle of the night. That was a little nerve racking. The way my building wraps around, it would be REALLY hard for my window to break due to wind, so I wasn't really worried, but I still had that thought in the back of my mind. I started feeling lonely because I realized, I really don't know my neighbors, and if I had some sort of problem, it's not like anyone would be looking out for me. I really started thinking about how, if I had a real problem, I couldn't call my parents. There's nothing they can do. I can only recall one other time feeling like that, and it's when I was lost in Queens around 2am without a cab in sight. (Long story, I was still new to the city and got on a wrong bus. It sucked.) Anyway, more and more I was grateful for my membership in the church. My Elder's Quorum President, Relief Society President, and Visiting Teacher had all checked in on me. I guess what made the whole experience a little scary was having to go to bed and knowing that if something was going to happen, it would be when I was sleeping.I had a hard time staying asleep, waking up every couple hours. When it was about 4am I woke up to pounding rain. It was so eery, knowing we were in the middle of it at that time. Eventually I fell back asleep, and woke up around 9am to sunny skies. I think I said aloud, "That was it??" Honestly, it was so anti climactic. I've experienced New York summer thunder storms that seemed worse. We'd been told on the news to stay inside most of the day because there'd be branches falling, but I did step outside my building for a minute to snap the below photo of my street. Only a few fallen branches, nothing major.
I think Mayor Bloomberg did a great job preparing the city. I don't think it's crazy to prepare the city for the worst, it just drives me nuts when people get hysterical before it's necessary. If I heard, "Batten down the hatches" one more time I think I would have lost it.The best news is, I was able to partake in my first ever "snow day." As a kid I lived in Chicago for six years and never once had a day off school for the snow, and as previously mentioned I never have had a day off due to the snow in the city. But since the hurricane really did destroy Long Island and some of the other boroughs, a lot of the mass transit was down, so our office closed on Monday.
Monday was an absolutely gorgeous day. Emilee, Brittany, and I rode our bikes down the Hudson to the Shake Shack, and then went to Central Park with Ashley as well. It was the perfect unexpected day off.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
The most thoughtful gift
Christmas is such a fun time for me,
I love to spoil my family.
When thinking of gifts to give someone,
I sometimes have to put my thinking cap on.
I love to read our children's blogs,
To see what they have done.
And saw that Ryan and Megan
Had really had some fun.
One day as I was reading,
The comments of those blogs,
I came across a comment,
Of one I love so much!
She says she has a bucket list,
And some things she has done.
But I saw something there,
That I knew she would have such fun!
How fun, how fun, I yelled to your dad,
We have to do this for her Christmas gift.
I know she will love it...oh, yes she will,
She will really smile and get such a lift.
So off I went to get online to see what I could find.
Elise found it too so I wouldn't be in a bind.
Yes, up, up and away the three of us will go,
Yes a balloon ride for BooBoo, Dad, and me too!
So when you come back and the weather is warm,
Away we will go in the basket you know.
We hope you like this Christmas gift to you,
We love you so much our little BooBoo!
Merry Christmas 2011! Love Dad & Mom.
Best surprise ever.
Christmas weekend highlights
-I was sent home from work before the market closed on Friday, that's never happend before.
-I was able to get on a bus that left an hour earlier than my scheduled departure.
-No traffic and very minimal travel stress.
-The usual late nights filled with long chats and hearty laughs with Brad and Nadia.
-Feeling like a hero when Madeline is so excited to see me.
-Tossing Spencer up in the air a million times and hearing him laugh and seeing his adorable smile.
-Snow magically falling while we were opening presents, even though the weather called for clear skies.
-Delicious food all weekend long.
-Catching up on sleep.
-Watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Twice. Laughing just as hard both times.
-Skyping with our family back in California.
-Being able to cross one off the bucket list next time I'm in California because my mom got me a hot air balloon ride.
-Extremely thoughtful gifts from Brad and Nadia's family.
-A very sweet Santa who still finds me in New Hampshire and leaves me a full stocking.
-Opening our last present to find out our family will all be together next summer in Kauai! So excited! I have never been so spoiled.
-Being able to skip the bus home and ride with Chloe.
-I was able to get on a bus that left an hour earlier than my scheduled departure.
-No traffic and very minimal travel stress.
-The usual late nights filled with long chats and hearty laughs with Brad and Nadia.
-Feeling like a hero when Madeline is so excited to see me.
-Tossing Spencer up in the air a million times and hearing him laugh and seeing his adorable smile.
-Snow magically falling while we were opening presents, even though the weather called for clear skies.
-Delicious food all weekend long.
-Catching up on sleep.
-Watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Twice. Laughing just as hard both times.
-Skyping with our family back in California.
-Being able to cross one off the bucket list next time I'm in California because my mom got me a hot air balloon ride.
-Extremely thoughtful gifts from Brad and Nadia's family.
-A very sweet Santa who still finds me in New Hampshire and leaves me a full stocking.
-Opening our last present to find out our family will all be together next summer in Kauai! So excited! I have never been so spoiled.
-Being able to skip the bus home and ride with Chloe.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Why do we blog survey
From my cousin Tri's blog.
1. How long have you been blogging?
My first post was May 3, 2007.
2. Why did you start blogging?
It was maybe six months earlier I had started reading a few friends’ blogs and my sister’s as well. I didn’t really get blogging, had no idea what a community it is. I started reading more and more blogs after I started at my first job in New York. My first few months there were incredibly slow. There was no room for me on the trading floor so I sat a floor below. Being out of sight meant I didn’t get a ton of work and would get so bored. There are crazy firewalls at the banks so I couldn’t access my email or facebook, and this was before smart phones so I couldn’t kill time on my phone. (It seems so strange in hindsight to have to go all day without checking email.) I got so bored I started reading Wikipedia articles. It’s interesting how many more sites there are to kill time now than there were five years ago. Anyway, between my boredom, and constantly getting requests from family and some friends for photos from New York I decided to start a blog of my own.
3. What have you found to be the benefits of blogging?
I think the biggest benefit is having a record of my life. I’ve never been a good journal keeper, and haven’t been the best blogger the last year or two, but I really blogged a lot my first few years here and am so grateful for that. One of these days I really will print off some books of my blog so I have it in hard copy. I keep thinking (hoping) one day I’ll have grandchildren and maybe they’ll take interest in the fact that Grandma didn’t get married young like most other Mormons and had an amazing adventure being single. I don’t say that implying those who married young do not have fun fulfilling lives, not at all. It was just a really difficult time when I was in my early twenties and so many of my friends and all my siblings were married. I hope that if I ever have a child or grandchild in the same position, they will see their single status as an chance to take advantage of opportunities they may not have if they were married.
Blogging has also helped me to feel like I’m a part of so many friends’ lives, even though we live thousands of miles apart. As an adult it’s just not realistic to stay current on the lives of everyone you care about. It’s been nice to keep up with everyone this way. I also feel like it’s brought me closer to cousins who blog.
Blogging can also be really therapeutic. I try to stay pretty honest in my posts and sometimes it’s just a nice outlet. It’s pretty surprising how encouraging it can be to receive comments of support from friends, family, and even strangers. When I lost my job last year I felt so much support from everyone.
4. How many times a week do you post an entry?
These days it’s about twice a month. I just haven’t had the time and when I do have it, usually the last thing I want to do is get on the computer.
5. How many different blogs do you read on a regular basis?
A lot. My reader probably has around 100 but some of those rarely post and some of those post so frequently I can’t keep up.
6. Do you comment on other people's blogs?
I typically have something I want to say in response, and I like to know when people are reading my blog, so I will always comment unless a post doesn’t make me really have a thought one way or another. It’s always surprising to me when someone tells me they read my blog, and have for a really long time, but has never commented. I will say one thing, if you want lurkers to come out, I’ve learned the best way is to start a story and leave it on a cliff hanger for a long time. This wasn’t my intention but I found out about so many more readers this way.
7. Do you keep track of how many visitors you have?
Not really. I’ve set up an account with Statcounter but I rarely look at it. I don’t really trust the stats and haven’t spent enough time to find anything really that juicy.
8. Do you ever regret a post you wrote?
No, but I don’t write about my dating life until the person is pretty much not in my life anymore. The next serious relationship I have I will probably be more open about, but not nearly like I was in the past. Anyone else I go out with doesn’t get mentioned unless we’re basically exclusive.
9. Do you think your audience has a true sense of who you are based on your blog?
Hopefully. I try to be pretty honest.
10. Do you blog under your real name?
Yes.
11. Are there topics that you would never blog about?
I’m pretty open but struggle to find the right balance of being open and real, and being one of those bloggers who shares too much. Then I remember everyone has their own opinion and there will always be people who think negatively about me, so I think I should just write what I want to write and try not to spend time worrying what people are thinking. Sometimes I brush over topics because going into more detail would require sharing details about others I don’t think they’d want shared.
12. What is the theme/topic of your blog?
This question is probably more for people who actually blog about things like travel, books, food, etc. My blog is just about my life and random thoughts.
13. Do you have more than one blog?
At one point I had a private blog no one had access to, but I rarely wrote on it and I think it may have been deleted.
1. How long have you been blogging?
My first post was May 3, 2007.
2. Why did you start blogging?
It was maybe six months earlier I had started reading a few friends’ blogs and my sister’s as well. I didn’t really get blogging, had no idea what a community it is. I started reading more and more blogs after I started at my first job in New York. My first few months there were incredibly slow. There was no room for me on the trading floor so I sat a floor below. Being out of sight meant I didn’t get a ton of work and would get so bored. There are crazy firewalls at the banks so I couldn’t access my email or facebook, and this was before smart phones so I couldn’t kill time on my phone. (It seems so strange in hindsight to have to go all day without checking email.) I got so bored I started reading Wikipedia articles. It’s interesting how many more sites there are to kill time now than there were five years ago. Anyway, between my boredom, and constantly getting requests from family and some friends for photos from New York I decided to start a blog of my own.
3. What have you found to be the benefits of blogging?
I think the biggest benefit is having a record of my life. I’ve never been a good journal keeper, and haven’t been the best blogger the last year or two, but I really blogged a lot my first few years here and am so grateful for that. One of these days I really will print off some books of my blog so I have it in hard copy. I keep thinking (hoping) one day I’ll have grandchildren and maybe they’ll take interest in the fact that Grandma didn’t get married young like most other Mormons and had an amazing adventure being single. I don’t say that implying those who married young do not have fun fulfilling lives, not at all. It was just a really difficult time when I was in my early twenties and so many of my friends and all my siblings were married. I hope that if I ever have a child or grandchild in the same position, they will see their single status as an chance to take advantage of opportunities they may not have if they were married.
Blogging has also helped me to feel like I’m a part of so many friends’ lives, even though we live thousands of miles apart. As an adult it’s just not realistic to stay current on the lives of everyone you care about. It’s been nice to keep up with everyone this way. I also feel like it’s brought me closer to cousins who blog.
Blogging can also be really therapeutic. I try to stay pretty honest in my posts and sometimes it’s just a nice outlet. It’s pretty surprising how encouraging it can be to receive comments of support from friends, family, and even strangers. When I lost my job last year I felt so much support from everyone.
4. How many times a week do you post an entry?
These days it’s about twice a month. I just haven’t had the time and when I do have it, usually the last thing I want to do is get on the computer.
5. How many different blogs do you read on a regular basis?
A lot. My reader probably has around 100 but some of those rarely post and some of those post so frequently I can’t keep up.
6. Do you comment on other people's blogs?
I typically have something I want to say in response, and I like to know when people are reading my blog, so I will always comment unless a post doesn’t make me really have a thought one way or another. It’s always surprising to me when someone tells me they read my blog, and have for a really long time, but has never commented. I will say one thing, if you want lurkers to come out, I’ve learned the best way is to start a story and leave it on a cliff hanger for a long time. This wasn’t my intention but I found out about so many more readers this way.
7. Do you keep track of how many visitors you have?
Not really. I’ve set up an account with Statcounter but I rarely look at it. I don’t really trust the stats and haven’t spent enough time to find anything really that juicy.
8. Do you ever regret a post you wrote?
No, but I don’t write about my dating life until the person is pretty much not in my life anymore. The next serious relationship I have I will probably be more open about, but not nearly like I was in the past. Anyone else I go out with doesn’t get mentioned unless we’re basically exclusive.
9. Do you think your audience has a true sense of who you are based on your blog?
Hopefully. I try to be pretty honest.
10. Do you blog under your real name?
Yes.
11. Are there topics that you would never blog about?
I’m pretty open but struggle to find the right balance of being open and real, and being one of those bloggers who shares too much. Then I remember everyone has their own opinion and there will always be people who think negatively about me, so I think I should just write what I want to write and try not to spend time worrying what people are thinking. Sometimes I brush over topics because going into more detail would require sharing details about others I don’t think they’d want shared.
12. What is the theme/topic of your blog?
This question is probably more for people who actually blog about things like travel, books, food, etc. My blog is just about my life and random thoughts.
13. Do you have more than one blog?
At one point I had a private blog no one had access to, but I rarely wrote on it and I think it may have been deleted.
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