week 4 homework

so i realized that i only had wednesday night to do my photo class homework.  eeekkk.  i trekked my tripod to work that morning because i wanted to take some shots in central park at dusk.  below are my favorites. 

also a big plug for the greatest visiting teacher ever who left work and found me in the park so we could have our "visit" and she could be my model.  the church is true!

poet's walk

betheseda fountain (notice the silky water effect)

my favorite

the young married crowd

i'm never going to be a young married woman.  i've finally come to the realization that i'm not "young" and have known i'm not married for quite a while; therefore, if i do get married i will jump straight into the "got married when she was in her 30s and has no children" sphere.  don't think there are many others in that sphere within the mormon culture.  i'm kinda bummed because it looks like so much fun to be part of the young married (with maybe one small child) crowd. 

 

most of my contemporaries and friends who are my age and married have multiple children, are home owners, drive vans or suburbans and plan play dates at the park.  that is so NOT my life.  i wouldn't change a moment of the time i've had to become me.  but sometimes it is a little depressing to realize that something that looks so fun probably won't be part of my life.  i just can't see my newly married self hanging out with another married couple in their early or mid 20s.  partly because i would probably appear ancient and very intimidating to them. 

 

the one thing i won't be sad about not experiencing is the young, married and POOR part of that time of life.  priorities. 

personal realization #15 - the dark day is done

last year was a bit rough for me.  it didn't start out well, primarily because of the events that led to the dark day in february.  then my rut, named george, and i had some issues causing my happiness level to be down in the doldrums.  the kicker came when i noticed that my marital status might be my fault.  ouch. 

 

recently in my life i have been feeling abundantly blessed.  i mean life changing wonderful things have happened lately.  i'm not sure how to embrace all the good that is happening.  i feel like i'm cheating another person from getting their prayers answered because the majority of mine are being answered in a wonderful way.  and then there is a very slight feeling that something horrible is on the way to counteract all of these good things.  thankfully that is a very small, almost insignificant, thought right now because i remind myself that life doesn't work that way.  it also has helped to talk to a therapist.

 

the biggest recent "woo hoo" occured when almost a year of hard work and the catalyst for the dark day was overcome.  i reached my goal!  hip hop hooray!  strangely i did it by not putting so much pressure on myself and just trying my best.  then voila! i was able to defeat the events that led to the dark day.  in a way the agony and defeat i felt prior made the absolute joy of the moment of acomplishment so much sweeter.  i even cried again but this time the day was full of sunshine, birds singing and me skipping down a new york city street.

 

i guess the biggest personal realization from last year to where my life is this year is that hard work will pay off but often it takes time, commitment, assistance from others and patience.  lots and lots of patience.  i'm constantly learning how to be patient in my life.  i must have missed the line in heaven where they were handing out patience...instead i went right to the line where organization was being given out.  blast!

 

good things happen when you don't give up.  now i'm going to go bask in the warm and bright glow of happiness.

week 3 homework

loving my photography class.  especially because i feel like i control the camera rather than it controlling me.   yippee!

 

my homework from week 3:

 

i highly recommend photo uno photography school for increasing your skills as a photographer. now trying to determine which course to take next...i'm thinking their "iPhone Photography".  taking this class now means that my photos from the european vacation 2013 with joani and flex are going to be exquisite!  stay tuned.

cherry blossoms 2013

rolled down to washington dc for a little cherry blossom viewing the first weekend of april.  we ended up missing "peak" bloom by like 2 days but it was still absolutely gorgeous.  and with my trusty new skills learned from my photography class i've been attending for two hours every thursday night i was ready to take some snap shots of the nation's capitol in bloom.

countdown is on!

i'm hitting the wild blue yonder this summer and i couldn't be more excited!!  it seems to be the year for island vacations as i'm going to london and paris with joani and flex.  then about 6 weeks later will fly to the beautiful hawaiian island of oahu with clare.  ecstatic to spend my birthday relaxing on a beach in hawaii.  a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do.  

only 65 days until we head across the pond for some quality time with the brits and french.  and 120 days until clare and i head to the beach where we have a condo on the beach and i'm renting a convertible.  again, my life = awesome.  and i'm incredibly lucky and grateful.

why did i wait so long?

i have wanted to take a photography class since i got my pretty SLR camera over four years ago.  i have been able to fake good pictures and think i have decent composition but couldn't utilize the true photographic skill of shooting only in manual, aperture or shutter mode.  i really wanted to be able to use these functions rather than rely on the pretty icons on the mode dial for night, landscape and action shots.  so finally after checking with my friend yelp.com i found a school that had a 6 week course for those such as me who wanted to embrace their inner amateur, but wanting to be professional, photographer.  

my first class was last saturday.  i LOVED it.  soaked up all of the information like a sponge and was probably one of the more engaged of the 9 students in the class.  had so much fun that now i kick myself that i didn't do this earlier.  what was i waiting for?  it makes me happy and wasn't going to break the bank.

can't wait for session two where we learn about aperture.  gotta go do my homework to prepare.  i have homework and i love it!

gooch, me and NKOTB

my nyc residing cousin gooch helped me embrace my love for the boys who are new on the block as an adult.  we partied it up at their concerts about 4 years ago and also might have memorized their dance routine from their jimmy fallon late night performance.  I still thank her for the fun and joy that we experienced while partying with our favorite 80s boy band, who are now all grown up.

 

then came a really bad day at work this past week.  just as I was about to eat my weight in chocolate I got an email from gooch with a link to the new music video by NKOTB.  suddenly my frown was turned upside down.  amazing how a little pop/dance music by middle aged dudes in sexy suits can make me happy.  see for yourself below.  (it also didn't hurt that I saw myself like the lead girl in the video...I would totally start dancing around a lame party just to spice it up.)

 

 

I can't wait until saturday, june 1st when gooch, netter and I party like it's 1996 at a concert with boyz II men, 98 degrees and NKOTB.  we are also going to spend the day at the beach.  bonus!

 

now if only 'NSYNC would get with the current boy band tradition and reunite to bilk millions from their now 30-something fan base.  come on Justin, enough with all this "solo" stuff...so selfish.

debit cards seem to like me

crossing the street by my apartment I found a debit card resting peacefully on the ground.  I picked it up and put it in my purse.  the next day I went to the bank it originated from to return it.  the nice bank teller lady thanked me and I continued with my day.  my mommy taught me that "honesty is ALWAYS the best policy".

 

a couple of days later, netter and I headed to the 'burbs to do some food shopping.  the parking lot at the shopping center was packed so we ended up stalking a spot that was a little ways from where we wanted to be.  I pulled our zipcar into the space, turned off the engine, grabbed my coat and purse and proceeded to open the car door.  as soon as I looked down I saw a debit card literally right next to where I put my foot.  what are the odds?

 

the next day I made a trip to a different bank to return the debit card.  when I handed it to the business bank teller and explained where I found it, she looked at me incredulously and said "wow.  thank you." 

 

it makes me sad that a bank employee was shocked that I had returned this lost debit card.  they probably deal with more stolen credit and debit cards then they get lost ones returned.  that is truly tragic.  if only people would treat others how they want to be treated...

a typical tuesday night in new york city

i got free passes to an early screening of the new nicholas sparks penned movie "safe haven".  let me state that i would NOT have gone to see this movie if it required me to pay for the viewing pleasure.  i generally find nicholas sparks adaptions for screen annoying.  my one exception to this rule is "the notebook". 

 

any hoo...my buddy lauri agreed to accompany me to the screening, which was taking place at one of the largest movie theaters in the city.  so after work i trekked over to 42nd street in times square.  let me paint you a picture of my trek.

• tourists clogged every inch of space on the sidewalk.
• "characters" like the statue of liberty, mickey mouse and dora the explorer were out in force waiting for parents to shove their kids their way for a picture that would cost the parents $5.
• wind howling down broadway so it felt like my coat was a light wind breaker.
• sirens from two firetrucks screamed through the square as they tried to negotiate speed without injuring oblivious tourists.
• two NYPD vans parked with lights flashing directly outside the movie theater entrance.
• about 100 teenagers yelling and holding signs outside the movie theater entrance because some boy band was holding a free screening of their concert film.  pandemonium.
• about 12 cops barricading the entrance.
• the wind is now colder because i've ventured closer to the water (aka hudson river)
• was jostled while trying to make my way to front of crowd to have a little chat with an NYPD officer so i can gain entrance to the theater.
• finally a movie theater employee opened the door so i could walk through and stand in line with about 80 other women for the screening.

luckily once i got inside all was rosy.  the generous screening promoters didn't just offer us the free viewing but it came with a small popcorn and soda.  boo-yah!  throughout the movie, lauri and i had fun playing the game "guess what happens next".  the majority of our guesses were accurate.  well done us.

 

so that is a typical february tuesday night in manhattan. 

 

 

genius!

this is genius.  well done actress, makeup, lighting, writer and director.  a word of warning to my joani - mute the volume at 2:10 but then turn it back up at 2:13.  trust me. 

personal realization #14 - hi kettle, i'm the pot

a little over a year ago i wrote a post about this guy i met at a conference.  he complained about the lack of women to date in new york city.  i had a strong reaction to this piece of idiocy to the point that i wanted to do physical harm to him or completely take the filter from my speech and let him know what an idiot i thought he was.  anyone who knows me is well aware that i have no problem being completely honest when i think someone or something is ridiculous.

any way, on to my latest personal realization...

i was having a conversation with someone i just met and for some reason this topic came up in our short chat.  he made the point that i have essentially done the same thing that this dude did.  i have effectively decided that there are no redeeming men to date in new york city.  i interpreted a direct correlation between a few bad dates and an entire population of eligible men.  basically i am a good old hypocrite and have been living the same way that this dude expressed to me many months ago.  it's not fair to treat all men in this way.  i need to change.  awesome.  i love change.

sidenote - my good friend offered a month or so ago to set me up with a guy she works with...guess who he was?  i'll give you one guess.

a movie marathon for me & nemo

i love how the city literally stops all function when bad weather approaches.  i think there were a total of 8 people in the office with me at 4pm on friday.  most had to depart in time to take public transit home before the blizzard nemo descended upon the tri-state area.  i was lucky to get home with only taking 12 steps outside in the slippery, windy, snowy ickiness.  there are definite perks to living so close to a subway station.

once i got home i realized that i would probably be stuck inside for at least 36 hours.  what's a girl to do?  well if you're me and have hundreds of movies/tv seasons on dvd or bluray, you pull some movies from the collection and set up your movie marathon during the raging storm named nemo. 

i pulled 12 movies ranging from kindergarden cop to roman holiday.  during my sojourn inside i was able to watch 8 of the 12 movies.  

 

i also cleaned my apartment like it hasn't been cleaned in quite some time.  i mean i mopped the floors, washed all my towels, bath rugs, bathrobe and used a dust cloth and wood polish instead of my trusty swiffer duster.  that is dedicated cleaning.

all in all i think nemo and i got along really well especially since the plows were out in force to shovel away the inches of snow he bestowed upon new england prior to my commute this morning.

fare thee well january

things have been busy.  my work load always escalates in december and doesn't start to calm down a bit until late february.  also, i've decided to keep being social as well as keeping the addiction alive.  and, you know, i went to disney world with netter for her birthday.  it was a good month that went quite quite quickly.

a few pics from the month of january

happy birthday to netter!

ate at the new beast castle restaurant

 first set of headband ears

 a little peek-a-boo with safari ride

 spending lots of time at work means being silly with co-worker

 my new hat for afternoon tea at the plaza

  ed sheeran at radio city music hall

keane at radio city music hall
 

did some baking...
 

my friend audrey & i at our friend afton's baby shower
 

beautiful spread for baby shower
 

growing out the bangs begins...

 

gooch came over to hang out

 

i am wearing skinny jeans, tom's and a grandpa sweater (whoa!)

if only i didn't spend about two weeks of the month super sick with bronchitis, allergies, horrid cough and slight fever.  i think that is why january was kind of a bummer minus the disney world party and back-to-back concerts at radio city to end the month.  fare thee well january.  bring on february.  uggh.

"why aren't you married? you're awesome."

so i've mentioned before that people have said to me "why are you not married?  you're awesome."  it is always a bit awkward to try to come up with "acceptable" answers to this query.  then one night netter, doc and i came up with a few answers.  it was one of the funniest evenings i ever spent as we came up with reason after absurd reason.  i distinctly remember having to fall to the floor because my insides were aching from laughing so hard.  these are the types of friends everyone should have - ones that make you laugh at a touchy subject so that tears are streaming from your eyes and you have to fall to the floor to control the inner laugh pain.  so thank you netter and doc for being the type of friends that i feel blessed and lucky to have.

just in case you were wondering, below are just a few of the awesome zingers we came up with to answer the dreaded "why aren't you married" question...

• "it isn't legal yet since he's currently 16"
• "recommended to wait until he's out of prison"
• "married for eternity but only 3 years to become world ping pong champion"
• "have you seen what's out there?"
• "found him but he's waiting until he's 44 for no apparent reason"
• "waiting for his second divorce to be finalized"
• "i'd rather be a ministering angel - less fighting with in-laws"
• "want him to marry me for me and not a green card"
• "need to wait for medicare and social security to kick in for him since my insurance won't cover his double hip replacement"
• "AA recommends a year of sobriety first"

i've decided to use the ping pong champion as my 2013 answer to the dreaded question.  just now need to take ping pong lessons from my brother flex so that my dream can become a reality.

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