the "great" of 2008

in case you missed it here are my "Great in '08" moments:

• Greatest reason to have a younger sibling: My sister Alyssa flew to New York by herself in February to take care of me when I broke my ankle. She had to cook, clean, grocery shop, do laundry at a Laundromat, find the ATM & remember my PIN number, make sure I took my meds, accompany me to the doctor, open doors for me and my crutches and overall keep me sane while I was confined to my apartment with only 100+ DVDs and books for company.
  
• Greatest “Family” vacation: HAWAII for 7 magical days…saw the sights of Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, swam with a dolphin, walked the grounds of the Laie Temple, barely made it out alive from a helicopter tour, sampled the Pineapple Whip at the Dole Plantation, played lots of hands of Pinochle and swam in the ocean & pool with some of my favorite people in the world, my Mom, brothers, sister-in-law and sister.
  
• Greatest example of why I own an HDTV: Michael Phelps’ swimming events in the Beijing Olympics
  
• Greatest new item to beat the cold: Dunkin Doughnuts White Hot Chocolate…life will never be the same.
  
• Greatest “Friend” vacation: Went to London over Thanksgiving. Saw the Crown Jewels, Westminster Abbey, Changing of the Guard, Courtauld Institute Gallery, National Gallery, traveled to Stonehenge & Bath, boarded a capsule on the London Eye, grimaced through Dirty Dancing the Musical (TERRIBLE!) and ate some great Indian, Thai, Italian and American food and tried to swallow some nasty British food
  
• Greatest electronic purchase: My iPhone at the 5th Avenue Apple Store on Tuesday, September 9th at 7:00am
  
• Greatest songs in iPhone/iPod rotation: Bleeding Love (Leona Lewis), Your Guardian Angel (Red Jumpsuit Apparatus), Your House 2007 (Jimmy Eat World), Broken (Lifehouse), Let’s See How Far We’ve Come (Matchbox Twenty), Sit Back, Relax (Ryan Cabrera), Gravity (Sara Bareilles) & Crack the Shutters (Snow Patrol)
  
• Greatest New York daily moment: Exiting my Rockefeller Center office building to the sight of tour buses unloading excited tourists coming to view the Today Show or glide on the smallest ice rink in the city
  
• Greatest television shows: Brothers & Sisters, Heroes, Eli Stone, Ugly Betty, Lost, Mad Men and Grey’s Anatomy
  
• Greatest traveling moment: Was upgraded to first class when flying to Los Angeles with Missy Elliot in the seat in front of me. Was upgraded again both ways when visiting the family in Utah in October. Gotta love Medallion status.
  
• Greatest hours spent in a movie theater: 27 Dresses, Iron Man, The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, Twilight, The Duchess and What Happens in Vegas
  
• Greatest reason for a movie ticket return policy: Mamma Mia, The Other Boleyn Girl, Indiana Jones & Made of Honor
  
• Greatest “Get out of New York” destination: Newtown, CT (via train) to visit Megan and White Plains, NY or Hackensack, NJ (via rental car) to visit Target and the Cheesecake Factory
  
• Greatest home improvement: Painted a wall purple in my living room and purchased the final piece of furniture in the living room, an end table, at a deep discount at Crate & Barrel
  
• Greatest websites to distract me from work/life: Facebook, Bricks & Stones Gossip and AccuWeather
  
• Greatest personal achievement: Avoided temptation to purchase a puppy while still on crutches and turned 30 years old