ode to spending time with family

when i started writing my year end letter to put in my christmas cards this year i realized that every single vacation i took in 2012 had a member of my family vacationing with me.  that has never happened since i left the nest many moons ago.  i think family time has risen to the top of the priority list in 2012.  i actively chose to spend my precious vacation days on time with members of my family.  i always knew that i loved my family tremendously but i think 2012 just solidified how much i love to SPEND TIME with them.  there can often be a big difference between loving your family and loving to spend time with them.  

so even though i worked 6 of the 7 business days i was on "vacation" over christmas this year i still loved every moment i got to be with my family.  and i want to say "you're welcome" to joani for allowing her to dive head first into mommy mode and take care of me when i was so sick.  love that my communication with her while in my sick bed was via text.  she's come a long way.  pat yourself on your back my mommy.

i look forward to my time with the family in 2013 - especially my vacay with joani and flex in europe.  time for joani to get another stamp in her passport and what better places to get that stamp than in london and paris?  and flex is just an awesome and easy going travel companion so he is going to be part of the party.  plus three is always better than two.  just remember to do and go where i tell you and we will all have a great time.

new york fun day 2012

new york fun day 2012 took place in all the hustle and bustle of new york for the holidays.  netter and i added a couple of little somethings to this year's celebration of all things touristy.  we got manicures, ate at a steakhouse, saw the vienna boys choir at carnegie hall and bought fabulous jewelry.

it was a great time to be out in the magic and wonder of christmas decorations, music, shopping, lights, etc.  grateful i had netter to share it with me.  we missed the co-founder doc enormously but know she will be joining in the 2013 festivities. 

2012 - keep calm & carry on

Greatest vacation:  Walt Disney World twice!  Went in January with friends and my brother Corey then again in October with my mom and sister Alyssa. 

Greatest family time: weekend in March visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Highline with my mom, headed to California to celebrate my cousin’s wedding, made classic grandma Jewel “bunny” cake with nephews for Easter, spent a week in July with my entire family - went to the water park, played the piano with my niece, posed for family portrait and took an hour long walk with my 3 year old niece & nephew for entertainment. And our regular Sunday night video chats.

Greatest daily distractions:  Instagram photo sharing, Draw Something playing and Spoiler TV website viewing

Greatest concerts/Broadway shows: Newsies (3x), Kelly Clarkson @ Radio City, Peter and the Star Catcher, Snow Patrol @ Terminal 5 (2x), As You Like It, The Cranberries @ Terminal 5, Into the Woods, Keane @ Beacon Theater, Ed Sheeran @ Bowery Ballroom, Once, Ed Sheeran @ Terminal 5, Paloma Faith @ Mercury Lounge, The Heiress and Alfie Boe @ Berklee Performance Hall in Boston

Greatest evidence that my friends take priority: not attending the Men’s Final @ the US Open (which Andy Murray won in five sets!) to hang out with my friend Megan when her vacation plans changed at the last minute

Greatest guilty pleasures:  Purchase of 4 pairs of Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, facials @ Bliss Spa, US Open tickets, using miles to upgrade to First Class for trip to CA, drinking tea, watching TV on my Time Warner Cable iPad app and Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepson)

Greatest songs played on my iPhone: the “+” album by Ed Sheeran, Burn It Down (Linkin Park), the “Our Version of Events” album by Emeli Sande, New York & Lifening (Snow Patrol), Catch My Breath (Kelly Clarkson), Amsterdam (Imagine Dragons) and Just Be (Paloma Faith)

Greatest time spent unwinding in front of my new HDTV: Revenge, Once Upon A Time, The Good Wife, Downton Abbey, The Big Bang Theory, Smash, Mad Men, Grey’s Anatomy & the coverage of the 2012 Olympics in London

Greatest hours spent in a movie theater: The Avengers, The Hunger Games, The Dark Knight Rises, The Vow, Les Miserables and Skyfall

Greatest purchases in lieu of annual European vacation:  diamond necklace, Walt Disney World annual pass and Bose home theater system

Greatest New York moments: earning “New Yorker” status on Sept. 19^th after a decade living in NYC, taking a bike ride through Central Park with my cousin Ali, escaping the screaming teenage girls cage outside my office because of One Direction concert, an early Sunday morning stroll through Central Park with friends who just arrived from AZ via a red-eye flight and witnessing compassion, service and kindness after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy

a merry white christmas

to all a merry christmas.  from the white drenched ground of my grandpappy's house in utah.

illness befalls home for the holidays

decided to party with the family for christmas this year.  woo hoo.  arrived on tuesday.  hung with clare on wednesday.  thursday was lunch with joani and grandpappy then later viewing the lights at temple square in salt lake city with the whole motley crew.  friday was all day with the monkeys, sunshine, joani and moocher at BYU.  then the illness came.

around 3:30am on saturday morning i was awoken with illness that decided to linger for three days - all the way to christmas eve.  my sister and i both caught a bug gifted to us by our nephews.  we endured stomach flu and a 103 degree fever for me.  haven't felt that ill in quite some time.  put a damper on all of our christmas revelry. 

then grandpappy caught the bug on sunday.  and today joani is dealing with the bug.  crossing fingers and toes that the remaining healthy member of the family, flex, does not succumb to the ickyness that is the stomach flu/fever combo.  need at least one person to run the household while the rest of us drown our sorrows in lots and lots of ginger ale.

a couple of pics taken at temple square prior to the christmas plague of 2012:

much too close to home

when hearing tragic news of a horrible event in the world it is somewhat natural to be disgusted yet not truly emotionally affected.  there were two instances that i can remember shedding tears for the pain and plight of an awful event - the 1999 Columbine shooting and the 2008 Chinese earthquake.  i was horrified by all of the human produced tragedies like the shootings at Virginia Tech, Colorado movie theater, sniper targeting Washington DC, etc.  however, none of these has hit as close to home as the tragic event of this morning at sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut.

 

i have spent many, many, many hours of bliss and fun in newtown, connecticut.  my bff 4-eva clare lived and worked there for five years.  she was a nanny to two adorable little girls.  my first thought when i learned the location of the shooting was to call her to make sure the girls were ok.  thank goodness neither attended sandy hook.  but then i remembered all of the people in that community that i saw while shopping at the local target, enjoying a $1 movie at the local theater, eating with, etc who have just entered a new reality.  i hope and pray that they will be surrounded by family, friends and an army of angels.

 

this year seems to be a lesson in learning to cope with the devastating effects of natural disasters like hurricane sandy in my back yard and the inexplicable choices made by men who care so little that they would target people, especially children.  it honestly hurts my heart. 

 

last night i finally watched the barbara walters special on the most fascinating people of the year.  one of those she chose was secretary of state Hillary Clinton.  barbara asked her if there was a motto that she lived by.  secretary clinton simply responded by reciting the golden rule.  she treats people how she wants to be treated.  there's a reason that her "motto" has been called a rule.  just think how wonderful this world would be if everyone followed this one simple rule.