My Crazy Christmas Hat

Christmas Party season is in full-gear!  Three down (would have been four but one got cancelled due to the hostess getting sick...boo!).  Four more to go between this week and next!  I love this time of year.  I thought you all would love this photo from Lucy & Amanda’s Crazy Christmas Sweater party.  My hat was the winner of the night.  My mom found it a couple of years ago at a DOLLAR store and bought just so we’d have it for occasions like this.  It is awesome, right?  (That's a sequin Christmas tree on a red leather hat, if you can't tell)

When I walked in the door, one of the girls exclaimed "Did you wear that all the way here?!"  Um, no...I put it on just outside the apartment door.  Although, I'm sure the other commuters on my hour ride from the Upper West Side to Brooklyn would have been quite entertained had I worn it on the subway.  Also, two people at the party asked me if I made the hat myself.  I thought that was pretty funny.

Hopefully I will get some pictures and post about the other parties soon!

The Book of John, Chapter 6

• Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee and was followed by a great crowd
• Jesus went up a mountain with His disciples
• Jesus asked Philip where they could buy bread to feed the crowd
• When Philip balked at the idea of feeding so many, Jesus told the disciples to have all the people sit down
• Jesus took 5 loaves of bread from a boy and gave thanks and distributed the bread.  He did the same with the 2 fish the boy had
• When everyone had eaten as much as they wanted, Jesus instructed the disciples to gather the leftovers.
• Jesus withdrew to the mountain alone
• Jesus walked on water towards a boat the disciples had gotten on to cross the lake
• Jesus told the disciples not to fear when they acted scared to see Him this way
• Jesus accused the people of following Him, not because of the miracle He performed with the loaves & fish, but because they enjoyed the food.
• Jesus told the people not to work for food but for eternal life which He could give.
• Jesus told them that this work was to believe the One God sent
• Jesus claimed to be the bread of life and that anyone who would come to Him would never go hungry or thirsty
• Jesus claimed He came from heaven not to do His own will, but the will of God
• Jesus said that no one could come to Him unless the Father draws him.
• He claimed to be the living bread and anyone who eats of it will live forever
• When many of His disciples turned from Him at this time, He asked the 12 if they would also leave Him
• He told the 12 that He had chosen them
• He told the 12 that one of them was the devil

The Book of John, Chapter 5

• Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews
• Jesus saw the 38-year-old invalid lying beside the pool @ Bethesda
• Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well
• Jesus told Him to get up, pick up his mat, and walk
• Jesus later saw the man in the temple and told him that he was now well and warned him to stop sinning
• Jesus was persecuted by the Jews for healing on the Sabbath
• Jesus told the Jews that His Father is always at work and He too is working
• Jesus told them that He could only do what the Father does
• Jesus told them that the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does.  And as the Father raises the dead, so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it.
• He told them that whoever heard His word and believes God has eternal life and will not be condemned
• He told them that He does not seek to please Himself but the One who sent Him
• Jesus claimed that if He testified about Himself, it would not be valid
• Jesus said that there was another who testified about Him and it was valid (that man was John the Baptist)
• Jesus said that He was finishing the work of the Father that would testify that He was sent by the Father
• Jesus reminded the people that studying the scripture does not lead to eternal life.  Rather, turning to jesus brings life

The Book of John, Chapter 4

• Jesus left Judea to return to Galilee
• Jesus traveled thru Samaria and a town called Sychar
• Jesus sat down by Jacob's well which was near Sychar
• Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for a drink
• Jesus told the woman that if she knew who He was, she could have asked Him for a drink and He would have given her living water
• Jesus told the lady to go get her husband (but she had none)
• Jesus pointed out that she had had 5 husbands and the current man she had was not her husband
• Jesus told her that true worshippers would worship in Spirit and in Truth
• Jesus told her that He is the Messiah
• Jesus told His disciples that others had done the hard work and they had reaped the benefits of their labor
• Jesus headed on to Galilee where He was very welcome
• Jesus went to Cana where there was a Royal official with a sick son
• Jesus exclaimed that the people would never believe unless they saw miraculous signs & wonders
• Jesus told the Royal official that his son would live

The Book of John, Chapter 3

• Jesus was approached by Nicodemus who acknowledged He must be from God
• Jesus declared that only those born again could see the Kingdom of God
• Jesus described being born of the Spirit and told that those who believe in the Son will have life
• Jesus was not brought into the world to condemn it, but to save it
• Jesus spent time with His disciples in the Judean countryside
• Jesus was baptized
• Jesus testified to what was seen & heard, but no one believed
• Jesus spoke the words of God for God
• Jesus gave the Spirit without limit
• Jesus is loved by the Father who has placed everything in Jesus' hands

The Book of John, Chapter 2

Chapter 2

• Jesus went to a wedding at Cana in Galilee
• Jesus questioned Mary (His mother) for coming to Him when the wine ran out
• Jesus told the servants to fill 6 nearby jars with water
• Jesus had the servants take some of the water that had turned to wine to their master to taste
• Jesus had revealed His glory thru this 1st miraculous sign
• Jesus went to Capernum & stayed for a few days with His mother, brothers, and disciples
• Jesus went to Jerusalem
• Jesus drove out the men who were selling things in the temple
• When the Jews demanded a miraculous sign to prove His authority, Jesus told them to destroy the temple - He would raise it in 3 days.  (He was speaking of His body).

Recent Celeb Sightings

Started this post some time ago and, again, never finished it.  So, these are celeb sightings from summertime....

Kevin Bacon rode my subway.  He was trying to go incognito with his ballcap pushed down way over his face, but he didn't trick me!

Carson Kressley - Remember his show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"?  I saw him walking into a Starbucks near work.

Ames - from the last Bachelorette.  I am 98% sure I saw him walking near my office in a business suit.

The Rent is Too Damn High Guy.  This might be my favorite on this list.  Mostly because I actually recognized him!  I am so, so bad at following politics, but I had heard about this guy and saw him on the street...also at lunchtime.

Do you know what this post makes me realize?  I need to get back into the habit of walking a mile at lunchtime everyday.  Clearly it pays off....at least in the way of celeb sightings!

The Book of John

Chapter 1:19-50

• Jesus came after John (the Baptist)
• Jesus is the Lamb of God
• Jesus takes away the sin of the world
• Jesus was before John (the Baptist)
• The Spirit came upon Jesus
• Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit
• Jesus is the Son of God
• Jesus was followed by 2 disciples and He invited them to spend the day with Him where He was staying
• Jesus left for Galilee
• Jesus asked Philip to follow Him
• Jesus told Nathaniel he was a true Israelite.  Nathaniel questioned how Jesus knew him and declared Him the Son of God & King of Israel.
• Jesus promised that even greater things would be seen

Celebrating a 15th Anniversary!

Okay, friends.  Third blog of the day?  I think we're on a roll, folks!  I've been working on this post for approximately 5 months.  Just haven't been able to get it finished!  I'm determined now.

So...going back to a weekend in June.  My cousin, Nicole, came to visit in celebration of her 15th wedding anniversary!  Does it sound a little crazy that she came to NYC rather than taking an excursion with her hubby of 15 years?  Maybe, but I think it made perfect sense!  Let me just preface this by saying that Nicole and Jason have a great marriage.  I am so proud of them for making it 15-years.  They both love the Lord before they love themselves or each other and that is very evident in the strength of their marriage.  Nicole & Jason did originally start thinking about a vacation for the two of them, sans kids, to celebrate this milestone anniversary.  But, the more they thought about it, the more they realized that maybe a vacation with each other wasn't what they really needed.  Nicole married Jason at the young age of 20 and became a mom soon after and now has 4 kids.  She doesn't have much time alone and a trip to the big city where she could prove her independence and spend some time alone was appealing.  Jason, on the other hand, thought it might be a good idea if he had some time with the kids, without their mom.  They are used to having their mom around and turn to her for everything - he wanted a chance for them to be dependent on him.  Plus, Jason had some cool trips coming up with his company that Nicole gets to tag along on, so trips without kids were in store anyway.  I, of course, loved this plan because it meant I got a long weekend with my cousin (she got her alone time while I was at work on Friday and Monday)!  I am so glad she came - we had a great time!  Jason & the kids had a great time, too (despite some severe bad luck one evening that included a broken collar bone for their 11-year-old and a $300 fine as a result of their 5-year-old pulling the fire alarm at a national park...there were a few hours when I was afraid that Nicole would jump ship and go rescue her family.  But, she handled it SO well and didn't let it ruin her time one bit).  

Here are some of the things our weekend together included :

Shecky's Girls Night Out - got free passes.  Went primarily for the free gift bag, but since our entry was free, they wouldn't give us one.  Bummer.

Dinner at the Frying Pan on the Hudson -- good food, good views!

Cupcakes from Billy's Bakery - yum!  I had free coupons, so double yum!

Waiting in Central Park for Shakespeare Tickets.  Well, Nicole did the majority of the waiting while I was at work.

Italian dinner @ Nonna, in my 'hood

Shakespeare in the Park!  We saw All's Well that Ends Well right in the middle of Central Park.  Love this experience!  Thankfully, Nicole did her homework and read up on the play we saw and then gave me a quick tutorial before the show.  Knowing what was going on helped me follow the story and I enjoyed much more than I've enjoyed Shakespeare in the past!

Tour of the NHL Offices

Shopping at a random street fair was came across

Trader Joe's!

Tea @ Lady Mendl's.  I love this place and loved experiencing it with my cousin.  Maybe someday all the ladies in the family can have tea there together :)

Free Fresh Lipgloss @ the Fresh Truck.  After a 30-minute wait in line, they gave us a lip treatment and then we got a free tube of their Sugar Lipgloss (retails for $28!!).

Crepes @ Chelsea Market.  This wasn't planned, but sooo good.  I need to go back there and try more crepes!

Walking on the Highline.  Love this elevated park with city and Hudson River views.

From the Highline, we could see that the Empire State Building

was lit for Gay Pride Day (or as Nicole pointed out, God's Promise)

Random art on the Highline

Nicole

Us :)

We ran across this random temporary exhibit with rainbow

colored blow-up features

We took a few turns at playing with some of them

More than anything, it just looked cute!

 Food Tour in Central Village & SoHo.  I love these!

Someone famous lived in one of these.  But who was it?  Bob Dillon?

I cannot remember...which is why I should blog more timely.

Lots of yummy stops on our food tour

Really cool art that our guide pointed out to us

This place had TONS of coffee bean flavors.

I don't like coffee, but these beans smelled SO good.

Funny sign to read as you hear about 10 taxis honking "unnecessarily"

They recently re-did Washington Square Park and it looks fabulous!

Doesn't it look like a park in Europe?

Hard to see in this picture, but there is a guy playing piano.

Apparently he rolls the piano there every.single.day.

Cuba was my favorite spot on the tour and a restaurant I really need to get

back to for a full meal.  It was such a cool environment and Nicole

and I shared the best Mojito I've ever had (by far).  We also sampled some tasty food.

Graindaisy Bakery makes interesting & yummy pizzas, among other things.

We strolled through the northern end of Central Park to see the gigantic swimming pool, Botanical Gardens, etc...  I didn't realize until right now, but I think this picture is right where my friend Brookie got engaged 2 years ago!

As part of the tour, we got a few coupons and one was for a jar of PB with the purchase of a sandwich at Peanut Butter & Co.  So, guess where we went for dinner?!  I got the Elvis sandwich...bananas, honey, & pb, toasted, but I had them use their Cinnamon & Raisin PB.  Oh MY!  To die for.  And I got the Dark Chocolate PB to take home (it doesn't really taste all that chocolatey though).

So, thinking back almost 6 months is hard!!  I'm sure I missed some fun things we did.  I do remember it was a great weekend though!  Loved spending time with my cousin!  And Nicole did a great job navigating the city by herself while I was at work! 

(Mostly Christmas) Music You Should Have

First off, the worship band at my church just came out with their first CD!  I got to go to the CD release concert/party on Friday night and it was great!  The CD is mostly written & recorded by my church peeps, but it includes one song with Bart Millard (of Mercy Me!) and one song includes a rap by Andy Mineo (he goes to my church and although I wasn't familiar with him before I am told he is a legit recording artist).  Andy did his thing for us on Friday night and he was incredible!  Anyway, check out the CD on itunes.  At the very least, download the title track...it's my fave so far.  But I also love hearing my friend, Sarah Jane, on I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say.  You can currently listen to all the songs for FREE or download the entire album here.  Or, it just released on itunes!

What are you listening to Christmas music-wise?  I have my favorites I look forward to every year, but this year some fun bands came out with new albums and I'm feeling Christmas music overload!!

David Crowder : oh for joy

I haven't listened to it all, but I just went ahead and downloaded

the whole album.  I mean, how could any of it be bad?!  It's David Crowder!

Pretty sure this is going to be a new favorite for many years to come.

The Civil Wars : Tracks In The Snow

 This little EP is only 2 songs, but their version of "O Come O Come Emmanuel"

is genious.  AND FREE on itunes right now!!  Go download that sucker - no excuses.

She & Him : A Very She & Him Christmas

I was super excited to hear these 2 were coming out with a Christmas album.

Their music takes a little longer to grow on me, but once it does - wow!  Love that Zooey.

Sufjan Stevens : Songs for Christmas

I picked up a few of the songs off this album last year.  Love them!

And then there are the albums I have had and enjoyed for many years now.

Jewel : Joy A Holiday Collection

Jewel can seriously sing some Christmas tunes.  One of my all-time favorites!

But, my favorite Christmas song by Jewel is actually on Rosie's album (see next!)

Rosie O'Donnell : Another Rosie Christmas

I'm really not a fan of Rosie, but I've got to give her kudos when it comes to 

assembling a Christmas album.  And don't worry, she farms out most

of the singing duties to the professionals.

Michael W. Smith : Christmas

Now if anything says Christmas to me, it's this album.  It's by far the album

I have listened to most and longest.  It's the only one on this list that I

originally had in CASSETTE format.  I listened to it throughout high school and

in college, I would listen to it for the entire ELEVEN HOUR drive home

at Christmas.  This album it tried and true. I love it.

Jessica Simpson : REJOYCE 

This is her older Christmas album (I didn't like the newer one as well).

Been rocking out to this every Christmas since the late '90s!

Avalon : Joy

I've always love the harmony of Avalon.  So you put them

in a Christmas album and you just can't go wrong.

So, those are some of my favorite new and old Christmas albums.  Of course, there are other songs you shouldn't miss (Twelve Days of Christmas by Straight No Chaser would be at the top of the list), but these are my very favorites.  What am I missing that is on your list?!

The Book of John

So, this may not be the kind of post some of you've been hoping for.  Not about me or my life or NYC!  I recently was given the idea to read through the book of John and in the process write down everything that is written about Jesus...anything about Him or what He did.  I'm a few chapters in and finding it quite interesting.  And it's such a great time to remember His life since we're spending this whole month celebrating His birth in various ways.  I highly recommend that you try this little activity on your own, but for those of you who don't, I thought it would be neat to record what I'm writing down here so that you, too, can be reminded of who Jesus was and IS.  So, here goes!

John 1:1-18

• Jesus was there in the beginning
• Jesus is the Word
• Jesus was with God
• All things were made thru Jesus
• Jesus was life, the light of men
• Jesus shone in the darkness
• Jesus was the true light
• Jesus gave light to every man
• Jesus was coming into the world
• Jesus was in the world
• Jesus was not recognized by the world
• Jesus was not received by His own
• Jesus gave the right to become children of God to all those who received Him and beloved His name
• Jesus became flesh
• Jesus made His dwelling among us
• Jesus is the One & Only
• Jesus came from the Father
• Jesus is full of grace and truth
• Jesus made God known