Just Because

I wanted to post this picture from my attendance at the So You Think You Can Dance concert in September because my friends Em & Dancing Queen look beautiful and I have a slight tan from my hours watching tennis at the US Open. Generally I'm a pasty white girl so this is proof that my skin can obtain that coveted glow.

New York Fun Day 2007

The Sixth Annual New York Fun Day commenced with Brunch at Corner Cafe. After filling ourselves with yummy goodness we headed out into the wilds of tourist mecca New York to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells that make Christmas in New York such a destination location.

Our first stop was the Macy's windows. They were so cute with each window depicting a point of time for Santa's journey. It was shocking about how thin the crowds were. We were able to see all the windows with considerably less jostling, poking or pushing. It was great!

Netter & her sister "Floridian" in front of a Macy's window

The next stop on our NYFD adventure was to walk up towards Bryant Park where we take a moment to R&R and watch the ice skaters on the "Pond". Netter, Doc and Floridian spied a carousel and bee-lined it to the ticket booth to partake of its rotating goodness. The glee on their faces was a thing to behold.

After the carouseling was completed we made our way up Avenue of the Americas to snap some photos in front of the giant ornaments and Radio City. It is habitual that Doc, Netter and I pose in front of the red ornaments...so of course that had to happen again. Don't we look gorgeous? ;)


After taking a break for some sugar at Au Bon Pain we continued towards the Christmas mecca that is the Rockefeller Tree. It is always pandemonium and pain to make your way to the tree to snap a few photos; however, the good tourists remained away so that we could enjoy some space to immortalize ourselves with the tree from CT.

New York City Public Schools have been collecting pennies throughout the year for the charitable "Penny Harvest". This year all the pennies were displayed at Rock Center so of course we needed to get in on the fun but supporting the over $1 million dollars worth of pennies collected.
We ventured to the front of Rockefeller to enjoy the Saks Fifth Avenue Snowflake Light Show. It really is fun to watch the lights on the building going "blinkety, blink" in tune to Carol of the Bells. This location is also prime for taking pictures amonst the Rock Center Angels.

We grabbed some pizza at Bella Napoli and stopped for Doc's new addiction, Pinkberry prior to our final NYFD destination...Christmas Karaoke! Generally we attend the Pops concert at Carnegie but because of scheduling we needed an alternate ending and Netter in her infinite wisdom came up with Christmas Karaoke. It was awesome. We sang some holiday staples, 80s rock and new tunes. The time together in the little room with loud music and vocal stylings was the perfect ending to our 6th Annual New York Fun Day. I know that 2008's event will come before I know it.

Love of Live Music

I am fully addicted to the live music. The month of December has fed the madness. I was able to attend not one, not two, but three live musical events. The first of course was Jimmy Eat World in Florida. Great show and fun to be in warmth again.

The second was a spur of the moment ticket to Z100's Jingle Ball with Netter. She got some free tickets and there were some decent performers so I decided to tag along. By far my favorites were Avril Lavigne, Alicia Keys & One Republic. It was fun to let loose after a long week at work.


The third musical event has become my holiday tradition of attending the NY Pops Holiday Concert at Carnegie Hall. This year we even splurged for the $40 seats in the Dress Circle. Oh yeah! Netter & Dancing Queen came with me to enjoy the stylings of the Pops. Unlike past years there was some drama when a woman in the choir FAINTED during a song. Luckily she recovered and continued on. They did some fun arrangements led by conductor Doc Severinsen, in all of his red leather glory.


Living in New York has given me the chance to truly feed my musical cravings whether at a large venue (Madison Square Garden) or a small gathering at a bar downtown. I will continue to enjoy musical stylings throughout 2008 starting with Matchbox Twenty. Woo hoo!

An Adult Perspective

As a kid I looked forward to Christmas with immense anticipation and glee. As an adult the level of my excitement about Christmas hasn't changed but the motivation has. Instead of looking forward to the gifts I would find under the tree, as a 29 year old I now look forward to sleeping in until noon rather than opening presents. The shopping crowds at the mall used to be so fascinating, now the milling tourists just get on my nerves.

Thankfully the purpose for Christmas will remain eternally the same. I still love to read the Nativity Story and sing songs around the piano with the Moocher, Joani and the Hoodlums (collectively known as my brothers). Christmas will always be eagerly anticipated regardless of my favorite parts.

First Time in Florida

I have reached my goal of Silver Medallion status with Delta all because of a quick sojourn to Orlando, Florida the first weekend in December. I took the super early departure out of La Guardia to land in O-town before 11am. First stop off of the plane was to pick up my smokin' hot convertible from Dollar. Next stop was to get lost coming out of the airport parking lot and again trying to get out of the airport itself. Note to the Orlando government...better directions for out-of-towners would be greatly appreciated.

Being me, I had located the closest Target, Cheesecake Factory ("T.C.F.") and shopping mall. Lucky for me all three were within about a block of each other. Good planning Floridian government/retail people. :) After eating my scrumptious meal of salad, coke and bread at T.C.F. I headed into the mall and was completely bored within about 30 minutes. Luckily I was able to pick up Joani's Christmas gift.



Leaving the mall was surprisingly simple and my hotel was a short drive of about 10 miles. The shopping gods must have been on my side because there were outlets across the street from my Hilton. Of course I had to stop and enjoy their bounteous goodness. After shopping I headed to the hotel to clean myself up and get ready for the rock 'n roll stylings of Jimmy Eat World.

The House of Blues was located a short walk across the street and through Downtown Disney. I arrived at the venue at about 6:30pm which is quite early for me to arrive at a concert. The line was VERY long to get in so I decided to take advantage of the HOB "Pass the Line". So I headed into the restaurant bar to order a coke and some food which would allow me to skip ahead of the masses. This was a good idea but didn't allow me any time to actually eat the food I had purchased. Thankfully I made friends with the security guards so I had someone to shoot the breeze.


Once inside I pushed my way to the front of the stage where I became surrounded by Silverchair fanatics...not just fans...fanatics! Silverchair started promotely at 8pm and ended around 9pm. During this hour of noise three fights broke out where the band had to stop playing and security had to dive into the crowd. One fight was between two women. Come on! After waiting about 25 minutes my boys Jimmy hit the stage. By this time I had pushed my way even closer to the stage.

The band played a very similar set to the New York show. A few notable exemptions were Kill, For Me This is Heaven and the ENTIRE encore. The band played for an hour then the curtains closed and that was it. NO ENCORE! I was a very annoyed person as I walked back through Downtown Disney to my hotel. Luckily I was able to find a nice churro vendor to put my head and heart back at ease after the loss of an encore.

Overall the Florida experience was good. I wished the concert was longer and the food was better. The only way to determine if it was all worth it is if I am able to upgrade to first class at least once when flying next year.

Stay tuned...

A Spare Moment...

Work is kicking my trash lately not too mention the countless activities that occur during the Holiday Season aren't allowing for much time to sit back and review my life. I truly don't feel like I have a spare moment to post my deep thoughts and insights about life on this here blog. Okay, so I'm not that deep and when I get a chance the next posts on this blog will include my Florida trip review, calendar events of the Holiday Season, and the review of The Little Mermaid on Broadway!

'Tis the time to exercise patience my friends.

Red is the new Pink

A look in my closet shows that the pink has virtually disappeared from my wardrobe. It has been replaced by red. Lots and lots of red. In deference to the new dominant color scheme I have opted to make red my new pink until either the pink returns or another color becomes dominant.

**I don't count black as a color in my wardrobe otherwise my blog would look very solemn and depressing.**

Come On...

I succumbed to the after Thanksgiving shopping bonanza on Saturday. Dancing Queen and I "accidently" found ourselves in Banana Republic after a yummy brunch at Corner Cafe. I have been looking for a plain black cardigan sweater for quite some time and low and behold, the BR came through. I bought this very nice sweater for probably 300% above the cost to make said sweater.

On Sunday I wore it to Church, yesterday I had it on for all of an hour and then this morning I layerd it on to complete my ensemble. While talking to my receptionist this morning the third button fell off. I probably buttoned that button a total of ONCE since I bought the thing on Saturday.

It really irked me that I spent hard earned money to buy a sweater and it falls apart after the third wearing of more than an hour. I just don't get it. But I will continue to patronize that stupid store because frankly there is one on just about every corner of the Manhattan universe. At least I go into Banana knowing what I'm getting so my ability to complain about it later is drastically reduced.

Stupid button on stupid (but necessary) overpriced sweater! Errrr!

My Lists

'Tis the season to make lists.  Which is fabulous since I love lists or anything that causes me to plan something.  I'm currently working on the following lists:

• Christmas Cards
  
• Shopping List for family & friends
  
• Wish List for myself
  
• Places to visit for New York Fun Day
  
• Budget for the Holidays
  
• Dates & times of Christmas events

If you are a friend or family member please send me your wish lists for inspiration.  Otherwise there is every possibility you will receive a DVD movie from me.  

An Update...

The city is being filled with lights, trees, wreaths, music and overall holiday cheer. Almost everything that defines the Christmas season in New York is placed in its location for maximum photographic exposure. Some of the remaining components from my first holiday decor entry have been taken out of moth balls to hang in the air above 57th Street and 5th Avenue or to glisten along Avenue of the Americas.

Buildings throughout Manhattan also get into the holiday decorating spirit. My office building has yet to bring the 16 foot trees and greenery from the basement to the lobby. I love how festive and alive this city is during the holidays. As my first staying in New York Christmas approaches, I look forward to the ambiance and pagentry to only heighten.

Oh Sweet Jimmy

Jimmy rocked the house last Friday night. It was an overall great evening. Big Mike, Artiste and Claire met me at my office and we walked to Lasagna Restaurant on 2nd which was really enjoyable. Then took the lovely 57th Street crosstown bus to the venue. We randomly met some other Jimmy concert attendees heading over. The bus ride was also prime time for Big Mike to review the new tunes of Chase This Light.

I had never been to the venue before. It was a decent venue with good sound. We girls dropped off our purses and coats and headed into the crowds with two of the tallest men in the venue. We didn't endear ourselves to those standing behind. However, we were quite nice and moved towards the rear since three out of the four of us had a clear view over the shorter heads.

They played a great selection of songs from all of their albums. My highlights were Kill, Always Be, Carry You, 23 and Hear You Me. My all time favorite was performed as the first of the encore. They re-arranged their Your House song and it was fantastic! Take a moment to enjoy the goodness.



After the show Artiste risked bodily injury and illness to grab us a cab in the pouring rain. Thanks man! It was a great time had by all the Jimmy junkies. I can hardly wait to see them again in Florida.

And So It Begins...

...the 2007 Holiday Season has started! Walking around the city I have noticed that many decorations/events are starting to spring up.

The following is a current list of the Holiday preparations for 2007 in New York City:

• Today, the Rockefeller Tree arrived in the Plaza. Here is a slideshow of the tree's removal and arrival.
  
• The Macy's Herald Square windows will be unveiled on Sunday November 18th with the SantaLand beginning at the conclusion of the Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday the 22nd.
  
• Saks Fifth Avenue's Snowflake Show is primed and ready. The "Carol of the Bells" will run every two minutes each half hour.
  
• Skaters are already enjoying the rinks at Rockefeller, Bryant Park and Wollman.
  
• Radio City has their marquee tree with the domino falling soldiers
  
• Tickets have been purchased for the NY Pops Holiday Concert
  
  A couple of the remaining components to usher in the holiday season are the 57th Street Star and the 6th Avenue Ornaments. I'm sure I'll see those arriving in the next few weeks especially after Thanksgiving next Thursday.
  
  All of these components also mean that New York Fun Day is just around the corner! Hooray!

Silver Medallion

I love traveling to fun and foreign lands. This year I have made treks to Italy, California, Indiana and a couple of times to Utah. All of these trips have banked over 23,000 miles in my Delta SkyMiles bank. In order to get the perks of Delta flying you have to accumulate 25,000 Medallion miles. I'm only 1700 miles away from the perks of complimentary 1st class upgrades, 125% bonus miles and pre-boarding.

Are the perks worth planning a random trip to earn those ellusive 1700 miles? YES!

Based on the number of times I will be flying next year, it made sense to me to book a quick weekend trip to obtain those pesky last few miles to gain Silver Medallion status. Therefore...I'm heading to Florida for a weekend in December! As luck would have it I'm heading to Orlando where Jimmy Eat World just happens to be performing at the House of Blues. And the venue for their show happens to be across the street from a Cheesecake Factory. I don't think anything could have worked out more wonderfully.

The conclusion to this little dilemma is that I get Silver Medallion perks for all of 2008, will rock out (again) to Jimmy, eat some more yummy Cheesecake Factory grub and enjoy my first sojourn to Florida. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to me!

Ready to Rock

Tonight is the Jimmy Eat World show at Terminal 5! I'm very excited especially because they are going to play a great mixture of old and new based on posted set lists. The rockers joining me are Artiste, Claire and Big Mike. It's great because both Artiste and Big Mike are tall which makes it easy to spot them in the crowd should we get separated.

Another reason why I love New York, great venues with great musicians.

Finally in Utah...

My Joani gave me some wonderful news last night. The Cheesecake Factory has opened a restaurant in Utah! It is actually located in Murray which is a prime location away from the two universities so hopefully it won't be too crowded when I stop by this weekend. Yeah, right! If there is a Cheesecake Factory then there is at least a half hour wait for the yummy goodness.

Santa Fe Salad & Strawberry Shortcake here I come!

Grief & Joy

My grandma passed away on Sunday. She was a kind, generous and sweet lady who I'm blessed to be named after. The phone call came to me while at the traditional "game night" with friends. It was a shock to hear the news. I'm sad. I will miss her.

The wonderful thing that I have in my life is the knowledge that I will see my grandma again someday. That is a precious gift that I wish I could give to everyone. I know that she is in a beautiful place with her husband. Happy and at peace.

I'm grateful to have been born into her family and will bear our name proudly for the rest of my life.

Chase This Light

I "heart" Jimmy Eat World. It isn't just because we share the same hometown roots but they are a great band with exceptional song writing. Their latest release is called Chase This Light and it debuted in the Top Ten of Billboard's Hot 200 Albums and was #1 on the Digital Albums Chart. Congrats Jimmy!

My favorite songs on Chase This Light are definitely: Always Be, Carry You, Here Is Gone and Feeling Lucky. I encourage all within the range of my blogging to pick up the new album and enjoy its fantastic music.

Lucky for me I will see the boys of Jimmy on November 9th at some venue in West Midtown. I'm sure it will be an amazing show and I will make sure to get there early to scope out the best sight and sound location. I am even willing to suffer through stupid opening acts to find that prime location. Oh, the sacrifices I make for my Jimmy.

Why New Yorkers, Why??

I've realized that I developed a "hard edge" since living in the big, bad city. I'm not all sugar and sweet. Things and people bother me more than in my previous West Coast life. Lately these pet peeves are being excaberated by my fellow New Yorkers.

Here are some of the top 'peeves' I'm dealing with on a daily basis:

Wearing wool coats and boots in 75 degree weather...hello...it's still hot people. You'll have plenty of time to enjoy your wool coats and pointy toe boots. Remember the months of January and February average a high temperature of 30 degrees!

Talking on your cell phone at the top of the subway steps; thereby BLOCKING the entrance...finish your stupid call along the side wall. There is no need to allow those who want to go into the depths of New York to overhear your frivilous conversation.

Placing your cart/basket full of groceries on the ground in a long line of food purchasers...then leaving your picks to continue your shopping without losing your place in the long line.

All SMOKERS, a little tip...just because you blow smoke away from yourself doesn't mean you're saving your lungs from cancer...instead you're endangering MY lungs.

Trying to pay for anything with a debit/credit card when the line clearly states it's a CASH ONLY register. Maybe they're all foreigners...but I tend to doubt it. Something about an impatient attitude that screams "New Yorker". (I should know.)

Apparently I'm on a roll with detailing my peeves towards my fellow New York City inhabitants. Overall, I think my biggest irritation is that people don't behave the way I think they should. Apparently, I'm the one who has to fix the situation by not being irritated. We'll see if I can make that work.

Anyone want to bet on my success in not being annoyed by others because they don't behave how I want?.....yeah, I thought not.

More Niagara & Palmyra Photos

Flex just took such great photos that I need to share more with the world. Enjoy!

Niagara & Palmyra

The Family Fall Foliage Tour was a great time. It started out with some great tunes while driving across New Jersey. My excellent car dancing while driving induced a passing passenger to snap my picture with his camera phone. To whomever has my picture on their camera phone...I was dancing to the stellar tunes of Chocolate by Snow Patrol.

Our tour started at Niagara Falls where we were able to soak up some mist and majestic water falling over big tall cliffs. The newly nicknamed Flex (a.k.a. my youngest brother) took some stellar shots of the falls during the day and night. I think the highlight of the trip was the Maid of the Mist. We strapped on the attractive blue poncho and boarded the boat to chug deep into the mists of the Falls.



After our half day of Niagara fun including the worst Outback Steakhouse dinner ever; we jumped into the Saturn voiture to head to the lovely town of Pittsford, NY. Luckily the bad Outback meal was completely erased with a wonderful sojourn to the Cheesecake Factory. The 45 minutes wait was SO worth it. The next morning we woke up early to travel the quick 30 minutes to Palmyra. We first stopped at the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center where we hiked to the top on the most beautiful fall day ever. Our next stop was the Smith Family Farm and the Sacred Grove. I think the Sacred Grove has to be the most glorious and tranquil place. Leaves were changing and the breeze was blowing. It was amazing. After the lunch stop at Subway we had the best and quickest tour of the Grandin Building where the Book of Mormon was first published. So appreciate the lovely senior sister from Glendale, Arizona. Quick tours always end up being the most informative and the best!

Last but not least was driving to Schnectady for some fun in the Residence Inn where apparently every person there enjoys a nice dinner at the local chain restaurant. Thankfully the last night of our tour ended with a wonderful trek to Target. Hooray for Target!

Other fantastic highlights were singing Carpenters hits with my Joani, deciding which grotesque fast food joint to patronize at the local rest stop, swapping music with the brother and sister, as well as the laughter, chatting and overall bonding between all of us kiddies with our mommy.

Hairapy

This past weekend I spent up in Connecticut with Claire. It was a much needed repreive of my NY life before the family descends upon me. Another motivation for visiting Claire was she was the one with the sharp hair cutting scissors. My luscious mane had become damaged and faded from my habitual cleaning and curling. So the weekend was two-fold: 1st, enjoy some quality time with Claire talking, eating and watching The Rock and 2nd, take back control of the tresses.

I'm happy to say that both missions were successfully completed. The hairapy was great especially when it included Outback Steakhouse, home back cookies, Target shopping and a trip to one of the largest supermarkets I have ever seen. It was also nice to drive around the gorgeous lands of Connecticut in a nice car with tunes blaring while viewing the beginnings of the fall foliage season. I hope to repeat the hairapy session with Claire in at least 6-8 weeks. :)

I'm a Planner

One charateristic that is very obvious in my repertoire is that I am a planner. I love all the details of putting together a trip, event, meal or just about anything else. So right now is total planner season because my Joani, Punkin & Moocher are all coming from the west this week. We are renting a vehicle to drive up to Niagara Falls (the Canadian side) and stop in Palmyra. It's these types of excursions that get me giddy with excitement to plan our route, hotels, activities, etc. Needless to say, my planner gene has kicked into overdrive.

I've made no secret about my Hawaiian vacation for the big birthday next year. Right now I only have 263 days or 37 1/2 weeks to put together the itinerary for this sojourn in the islands. Hopefully I'll be able to plan everything within that time frame. Please forward any ideas for activities while in Oahu for my consideration. :)

The Other Provo

Holy cow...there's another Provo! I think if people ask me about Provo I'm going to automatically assume they mean this one. How much do I love the fact that they have a disclaimer at the top saying "not Provo Utah". Love it!

Mets Curse Continues...

...The 3rd Annual Baseball FHE Night came and went. This year we had 3,500 members and friends of the Church attend a Mets v. Nationals game. It was a gorgeous evening and the missionary choir as well as Highbench performed very well during the pre-game activities. It was a very enjoyable time; however my presence led to the downfall of the Mets victory.

I have yet to witness a win by a New York team. That is five years of defeats whenever I am in attendance. The worst came on Sunday, September 30th. The Mets were in a do or die situation with the Phillies. I went to the game instead of Church (sorry Mom) and low and behold the team fell apart in the top of the first inning. The Pinky curse continues. I feel like I should write a nice note to the Mets organization swearing to never attend crucial games for the rest of my life. A nice game in the middle of May would be perfect. No pressure if the curse continues.

It was a good time on Sunday with Bowler, Beemer and Dancing Queen. We got some free food, free tickets and Dancing Queen even won something in the Mets memoribilia raffle.

The Man, the Myth, the Legend

My brother Big Lug celebrated a birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday brother! I promise to get the BYU victory over New Mexico recorded on a DVD and sent to you ASAP. I'm lucky to be your sister and I love you very much. Enjoy this next year of your life.

Here are a few of my favorite Big Lug shots from the past few years:

Ticket Buying Mode

I'm back to buying tickets to things. I thought the purchasing had ceased with the US Open but apparently there are more things to do and see in New York. The great ticket buying party has included the following events:

So You Think You Can Dance tour - Saturday, Sept. 29th
Jimmy Eat World - Friday, November 9th
Pygmalion - Friday, November 16th

I'm so excited to attend all of these but probably Jimmy Eat World is top priority.

Five Years in the NYC

My five year New York anniversary has come and gone with little fanfare and excitement. I went to work, coordinated the Mormon Night at Shea Stadium a little more and did dishes. A New Yorker's life can't get more exciting.

Right now I'm sitting in my living room wearing lounge pants, Mickey t-shirt and watching Top Chef on Bravo TV. The thing is that my life here in the city isn't vastly different from what it would be if I was living in Long Beach, California or Mesa, Arizona. My current living situation is just a bit more expensive than those other locales.

My choice to move to New York was one of the easiest decisons I have made in my life. It has shaped who I am and given me the chance to realize some of my goals and dreams. Could I get any more cheesy?

Happy Anniversary to me!

A Day Away...

...from my FIVE year anniversary of moving to this amazing city. It is hard to believe that five years have come and gone. Luckily I have many, many, many things to show for it. That's the beauty of New York, the fact that I can literally chart the events, milestones, and character insights I have seen, heard, experienced, or realized because of my interaction with this city's culture, people, events and food. I can promise you that it wouldn't be the same had I elected to stay in Southern California or heaven forbid, Utah.

Tomorrow I will share some of my highlights as a transplant New Yorker. Oh the anticipation!

Subway Mathematics

Today on my 6 train journey to work I found myself wondering just how much money over the five years I've been a New York resident has gone to the good ole boys at the MTA. So when I got to work I opened my trusty Excel spreadsheet to try and figure out the final amount I have spent for less than stellar transportation on the buses and trains. The grand total for a service that isn't tangible or long-term was over $6,000. Now broken down that's about $1,200 a year to go from the 96th Street Station to the 51st Street station at least twice a day during the week. Yikes!

To make myself feel better I decided to figure out how much I would be spending if I purchased my dream car, Volkswagon Passat. Needless to say, with my luxury standard of living, the purchase of a car, gas, insurance and upkeep would far outweigh the amount of money I spend annually on the subway and bus system of NYC.

If only the subway and bus would drop me at my door, allow me to sing along out loud to music, and put my bags in the trunk then I would have the best of both worlds.

Jimmy Eat World New CD

Most of my friends know that I am a big music fan. You will find pretty much all genres of music in my iTunes library - yes even some country thanks to Texan. I get most excited when some of my favorite artists bring new tunes to the musical masses. One of my top five favorite bands is back with a vengence. Not only are they are a great band but also have the same hometown roots of Mesa, Arizona as I do.

Jimmy Eat World is bringing the musical joy back to my life with a new CD entitled Chase This Light (available for pre-order on iTunes now) on Tuesday, October 16th! Everyone get ready for some great, melodic, hard rock 'n roll. Mark your calendars to buy, download, share or borrow the new tunes of the boys of Mesa, Arizona.

A Month Later...

...and not much has happened. Here are the highlights:

• Sabra won So You Think You Can Dance (well deserved)


• Nicole came and went for the last summer in NYC


• I was paid twice


• Philadelphia Phillies swept the New York Mets


• Stupid movies like SuperBad & Halloween ruled the box office


• Miss Julia celebrated her 4th birthday


• Saw the first vermin in my apartment


• BYU football started with the commanding victory over Arizona


• Joani and Moocher moved in with Grandpappy


• Painted a wall in my apartment and redecorated the entertainment unit

The best part of the past month was definitely seeing my good buddy V-Baller get hitched to Mr. Magician in the Los Angeles Temple on August 11th. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful event to fly across the country to attend. Luckily Netter and I had some time to enjoy a convertible drive down the P.C.H., some shopping at Fashion Island, lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and of course a wonderful sojourn with Mickey and Minnie at the D-Land.

I was also lucky enough to spend some time with the fabulous Es! The magnificent B-Unit, Deeds, Squishy & Chomps took me for fantastic Mexican food and we ended our afternoon at the beach with the fantastic, wonderful, scrumptious Pizookie from BJ's.



All in all the last month has been quiet yet busy. Just the way the month of August should be. Now I look forward to the fall with great excitement and joy. Bring on Niagara Falls, SYTYCD tour, Thanksgiving & New York Fun Day with Doc & Netter!



Here are some pictures to capture the August monthly moments:

The Trek...a non-Pioneer variety

Waking up to roaring thunder, flaring lightning, and deafening rain drops on my air conditioner was not my idea of a good way to start the morning. I haven't seen or heard a storm like this morning since traveling on the Indian reservation from Arizona to Utah. Luckily this time I was tucked in my bed rather than driving through the storm.

The problem with storms in New York City is they effectively shut down the transportation system. I wasn't shocked to see the hundreds upon hundreds of people milling around the bus stops or trying in vain to hail a cab. In my mind I thought 5th Avenue would be a better place to find space on a bus. Boy was I wrong. Hundreds of people were there too.

There was only one mode of transportation left to me...walk. From my apartment to my work is about 2 1/2 miles. I like to walk home from work when it is nice weather outside. Today is a day that I would never choose to walk either to or from work. Unfortunately that was my final alternative.

Luckily for me I ran into a friend at about the half way point. We walked together which made the trek seem less hot, humid, annoying and painful. I reached my lovely out in the open desk at about 10am this morning. All because of stupid weather and the MTA's inability to provide emergency bus service when their subways stall.

A Birthday Tragedy

Friday night was about my main man Matt. Myself and 8 friends enjoyed the Bourne Ultimatum for my 29th birthday party. It was a great movie! Everyone go see it!

Tragically when I got home I realized that my constant companion, my joyful electronic, my mood generator known as the video iPod was gone! I searched my entire purse but alas no iPod. I loved my time with Matt Damon but I don't think losing my iPod was worth the two hours we spent together.

Farewell video iPod. I will truly miss you and won't have constant love from Matt Damon to make me feel better. :(