So, I've been a bit absent from my blog for the past couple of weeks. Honestly, there just hasn't been much going on that seemed blog-worthy, plus I tend to hit the winter blues around this time and prefer to stay in and watch a movie than get out much. Not, that I've been doing absolutely nothing, but I do seem to be doing much less. Anyway, here's a few highlights:
-We've finally seen snow up here! I realize everyone else reading my blog has seen more snow and ice than normal, but up here, it's been the opposite. Now it's snowed twice in the past 2 weeks. The first time it didn't even seem cold enough and wasn't in the forecast. So, we were all surprised at work to look outside and see giant flakes coming down. It only lasted about 3 minutes though. The second time, it snowed on and off for many hours, but not enough to accumulate. Although I've been extremely thankful for this mild winter, I would kind of like to see one big snowfall before spring hits!
-Went to another Broadway musical- The Apple Tree. It was great! I wasn't sure I'd like it, not knowing much about it, but it was very cute and funny. Joy got tickets for us- she can sometimes get 1/2 price tickets through her new job at NBC.
-Joy and I have gotten in a good habit of meeting for lunch about twice a week. It's a great break during the day! Her building is across the street from mine, but all the Rockefeller buildings are connected with tunnels, so we practically work in the same building!
-Had MLK day off!! This is the first time I have EVER had a job that gives that day off and I gladly welcomed it!
-I've seen a few movies...Miss Potter, Babel, and Pursuit of Happyness. All very different from each other, but I'd recommend any of them!
-I joined a very nice gym and I'm super excited about it. The NHL gets a discount there, plus my new health plan pays part of the fee, so it ends up being a pretty good deal. It has a steam room, which really sealed the deal for me- I LOVE those! I also get 2 free appointments with a personal trainer and I plan to take advantage of that, hopefully this week. The weight machines are different than I'm used to and I feel like an idiot trying to use them, so if I can have someone just show me once, I'll be set! The gym is located between home and work-- very close to both, so it's ideal.
And, that's about it! Writing it all out, it sounds like more than it really was...it's been a pretty dull/lazy couple of weeks!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
Gaseous Odor!
So, in case you're wondering... I am alive and breathing okay! If you haven't seen any news today, I'll fill you in. Manhattan and surrounding areas were filled with a strange gas-smelling odor this morning. I didn't notice it walking to work, but I was running late and probably concentrating on getting there and wouldn't have noticed the smell. Once in my building, I could smell it. In certain corners of my floor, it was very strong. The building facility people closed the vents so that no outside air was coming in and they reported that we were safer to stay inside than go out. It was very odd-- no one seems to know what caused it. It covered the majority of Manhattan and New Jersey as well.
It was another fun weekend. I did spend some time relaxing, though, since I’d been with people non-stop for 3 weeks straight. On Friday night I went to see Dreamgirls. It’s the beginning of awards season and I like to try to see as many nominated movies as I can. I am WAY behind this year. The Golden Globes are next Monday and I haven’t put a dent in the list of nominees. So, Dreamgirls was an attempt to work on that. It was a fun movie…great singing! Afterwards, I met up with a bunch of Journey folks at a sports bar where they were playing darts and pool. I was just there for a little while before heading home for the night.
Saturday, I met Joy, Kristin, and Hillary for brunch at Pietressanta. This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants just down the street from my place, but I didn’t know they had brunch until Joy told me on Friday. It was good, but I think I like their Italian menu better than their brunch! Afterwards, Joy and I headed to Brooklyn to meet Stan (Joy’s crush!) and go to the Brooklyn Museum to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibit. For those who aren’t familiar with her, she’s a photographer- probably most famous for the Vanity Fair cover she did a while back of a very pregnant Demi Moore. The exhibit was great- had a ton of her magazine photos, plus a lot of personal pictures of her family. It was very interesting and fun to see.
I spent Saturday evening and most of Sunday at home just relaxing- it was great!!! I finally managed to get out and go for a run in the Park late on Sunday afternoon and went to The Apostles church that night. It was my second time to visit there and I think I liked it better this time. It's very small and I felt a little uncomfortable/out of place the first time. I am trying to decide if I am going to commit to going there or to Redeemer and I’d like to make that decision this week….it’s Community Group sign-up time and I need to get involved in one. I ran into a high school/college acquaintance at church. There are not too many people in this world who went to both my high school and my college so it’s pretty random that we could end up going to the same church in NYC. Although I haven’t seen him since moving here, I did know beforehand that he goes to church there, so it wasn’t a huge surprise to run into him. It was great to see a familiar face and catch-up a little bit!
It was another fun weekend. I did spend some time relaxing, though, since I’d been with people non-stop for 3 weeks straight. On Friday night I went to see Dreamgirls. It’s the beginning of awards season and I like to try to see as many nominated movies as I can. I am WAY behind this year. The Golden Globes are next Monday and I haven’t put a dent in the list of nominees. So, Dreamgirls was an attempt to work on that. It was a fun movie…great singing! Afterwards, I met up with a bunch of Journey folks at a sports bar where they were playing darts and pool. I was just there for a little while before heading home for the night.
Saturday, I met Joy, Kristin, and Hillary for brunch at Pietressanta. This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants just down the street from my place, but I didn’t know they had brunch until Joy told me on Friday. It was good, but I think I like their Italian menu better than their brunch! Afterwards, Joy and I headed to Brooklyn to meet Stan (Joy’s crush!) and go to the Brooklyn Museum to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibit. For those who aren’t familiar with her, she’s a photographer- probably most famous for the Vanity Fair cover she did a while back of a very pregnant Demi Moore. The exhibit was great- had a ton of her magazine photos, plus a lot of personal pictures of her family. It was very interesting and fun to see.
I spent Saturday evening and most of Sunday at home just relaxing- it was great!!! I finally managed to get out and go for a run in the Park late on Sunday afternoon and went to The Apostles church that night. It was my second time to visit there and I think I liked it better this time. It's very small and I felt a little uncomfortable/out of place the first time. I am trying to decide if I am going to commit to going there or to Redeemer and I’d like to make that decision this week….it’s Community Group sign-up time and I need to get involved in one. I ran into a high school/college acquaintance at church. There are not too many people in this world who went to both my high school and my college so it’s pretty random that we could end up going to the same church in NYC. Although I haven’t seen him since moving here, I did know beforehand that he goes to church there, so it wasn’t a huge surprise to run into him. It was great to see a familiar face and catch-up a little bit!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
New Years In New York
I spent my first New Year's in the big city. It was a fun experience, unlike any New Years I'll probably have again. My friends from Dallas, Michelle, Elizabeth, and Tamara, came to spend the whole week with me and we had a great time! See pictures with narrative here!! Here are some of the details of what we did all week:
-- New Years Eve was spent in Times Square watching the ball drop. We left my apartment at 3pm and by 4pm, we were in our "pin" for the evening. The police begin to barricade the blocks into sections as they get full and you are stuck in your barricaded block for the duration of the evening...no bathrooms!! So, we stood and waited for 8 hours. This was actually a great year to do it because the weather has been so mild...not super cold and no precipitation (first December since the 1800's that there's been no snow)! We were well bundled up, of course, but it wasn't horribly cold. We were able to sit on the ground and play cards for the first hour, but we were in a prime spot inside our bin, so after that, everyone else began crowding over and we had to stand to keep our spots and not get trampled! The first couple of hours there wasn't much going on and time went by pretty slowly. At 7:00, they started having celebrations every hour for New Year's in other countries, so we'd have a count-down, fireworks, and confetti. We brought snacks with us and I spaced mine out every 2 hours to have something to look forward to! People came by with free stuff...scarfs, hats, pom-poms, etc... which also helped keep us preoccupied. Also, there were all the crazy people around us which made for great people-watching. At midnight, I got so into taking pictures, I forgot to really watch the ball drop....it is MUCH smaller than it looks on TV...very tiny, really. The best part of where we stood is that we were by all the news crews. Michelle and I were on the Times Square JumboTron a TON! Also, Anderson Cooper (from CNN and host of The Mole) passed by us multiple times (Michelle loves him)!! He stopped and took pictures with us and talked to us...he was SOOOO nice and friendly and very handsome! The night was fun and it was a low-key, no-pressure New Year's Eve. If I'm still here next year, I'd like to do something a little more "trendy" rather than touristy. But, I am definitely glad I had the Times Square experience this year.
--We went back to Joe's Shanghai for dinner in Chinatown...was fun to be there with Tamara who's actually been to China and could compare the food to the real-deal and introduce us to some new things.
--While in Chinatown, we got to go in a "back room". I've been wanting to do this and was glad I was with some girls adventurous enough to try it. A vendor asked if I was interested in designer purses. I said I was and they took us to their store, moved aside some bags, slid open a panel in the wall and we followed a man up some stores to a room full of fake goods! It was a fun experience, even though none of us bought anything.
--Went ice-skating in Central Park!! So great to have this experience. I hadn't skated in several years and my hips aren't what they used to be, but it was a lot of fun and very pretty. Definitely a great NYC memory to have!
--Elizabeth & Tamara introduced us to a Jewish restaurant they'd been to last time they were here. It's called Barney Greengrass and is located up on the Upper West Side. Tried Matza Ball soup for the first time and it was delicious!
--Went to the NYC library..a lot of movie scenes have been taped here so it was neat to see. It is also a very beautiful building.
--Shopped around the Holiday Bazaar that was still up in Bryant Park. Michelle and I bought really cute knitted hats!
--Went to the Charmin Bathrooms in Times Square. Charmin set up bathrooms there just for the Holiday Season when the area becomes extremely congested with tourists. They were very nice bathrooms in a very lively environment!
--Had breakfast at Norma's in the Le Parker Meridian Hotel. Norma's is widely known as the best breakfast in NYC. It really was excellent!!
--Went in the Pierre Hotel on 5th Avenue to get some directions from the concierge and once inside realize it was a VERY nice, VERY beautiful hotel. Later, we discovered it is actually a Four Seasons Hotel.
--Went in Saks to see their holiday decorations...beautiful. We also shopped in the Holiday area and found some really great stuff at 70% off!!
--Went to a transvestite restaurant for dinner (hope this doesn't offend any readers)!!! I had heard it was fun and so had Elizabeth and Tamara. It was entertaining. They do a little show while you eat...it was slightly racy, but not horrible.
--Went to Marie's Crisis (where I went on my 30th b-day) and we heard some excellent show-tune singing around the piano.
--Went on a harbor cruise around Manhattan. A really neat and new way for me to see my city. It was a pretty day and we enjoyed the tour guide.
--Went on a tour of Ground Zero. This is something new down there and the tours are done by people who were directly impacted by 9/11. We saw things the ordinary person wouldn't know about. It was very neat to see, very sad and touching. There is also a new museum down there that we went through and it is done very well...again, very sad, but good to see.
--I went in St. Paul's Cathedral and Trinity Church for the first time. St. Paul's is the oldest building in Manhattan and Trinity has the oldest congregation. Both very pretty churches. St. Paul's was used as a rescue site for 9/11 and now serves as a memorial.
--Saw the acclaimed Broadway musical, "Jersey Boys". I've been wanting to see this because I've heard such great things and it has won many awards. It was very good-- music was great!
--Saw the new Broadway musical, "Grey Gardens". This is the story about Jackie O's cousin and aunt who went senile. It was a very interesting story and I really liked this musical! Christine Ebersole played the lead role and was very good...rumor has it that she'll win the Tony this year.
--Went to Brooklyn to do the typical walk through Brooklyn Heights and lunch at Grimaldi's. This time, however, I got to go to the Jacques Torres chocolate factory for the first time. Delicious chocolates and GREAT hot chocolate...seriously, chocolate that is hot...not hot cocoa with water.
--Had dinner at Sardi's...a famous restaurant in Times Square known for their caricatures of actors/actresses. It was a very nice dinner.
All in all, it was great week and a very fun way to spend New Year's Eve. I have a great group of friends in Dallas that I spent the last 6 New Year's with. Unfortunately, most of that gang couldn't make it up to the city. However, Tamara and I figured out that this was our 7th New Years Eve together...hope the tradition keeps on!!
-- New Years Eve was spent in Times Square watching the ball drop. We left my apartment at 3pm and by 4pm, we were in our "pin" for the evening. The police begin to barricade the blocks into sections as they get full and you are stuck in your barricaded block for the duration of the evening...no bathrooms!! So, we stood and waited for 8 hours. This was actually a great year to do it because the weather has been so mild...not super cold and no precipitation (first December since the 1800's that there's been no snow)! We were well bundled up, of course, but it wasn't horribly cold. We were able to sit on the ground and play cards for the first hour, but we were in a prime spot inside our bin, so after that, everyone else began crowding over and we had to stand to keep our spots and not get trampled! The first couple of hours there wasn't much going on and time went by pretty slowly. At 7:00, they started having celebrations every hour for New Year's in other countries, so we'd have a count-down, fireworks, and confetti. We brought snacks with us and I spaced mine out every 2 hours to have something to look forward to! People came by with free stuff...scarfs, hats, pom-poms, etc... which also helped keep us preoccupied. Also, there were all the crazy people around us which made for great people-watching. At midnight, I got so into taking pictures, I forgot to really watch the ball drop....it is MUCH smaller than it looks on TV...very tiny, really. The best part of where we stood is that we were by all the news crews. Michelle and I were on the Times Square JumboTron a TON! Also, Anderson Cooper (from CNN and host of The Mole) passed by us multiple times (Michelle loves him)!! He stopped and took pictures with us and talked to us...he was SOOOO nice and friendly and very handsome! The night was fun and it was a low-key, no-pressure New Year's Eve. If I'm still here next year, I'd like to do something a little more "trendy" rather than touristy. But, I am definitely glad I had the Times Square experience this year.
--We went back to Joe's Shanghai for dinner in Chinatown...was fun to be there with Tamara who's actually been to China and could compare the food to the real-deal and introduce us to some new things.
--While in Chinatown, we got to go in a "back room". I've been wanting to do this and was glad I was with some girls adventurous enough to try it. A vendor asked if I was interested in designer purses. I said I was and they took us to their store, moved aside some bags, slid open a panel in the wall and we followed a man up some stores to a room full of fake goods! It was a fun experience, even though none of us bought anything.
--Went ice-skating in Central Park!! So great to have this experience. I hadn't skated in several years and my hips aren't what they used to be, but it was a lot of fun and very pretty. Definitely a great NYC memory to have!
--Elizabeth & Tamara introduced us to a Jewish restaurant they'd been to last time they were here. It's called Barney Greengrass and is located up on the Upper West Side. Tried Matza Ball soup for the first time and it was delicious!
--Went to the NYC library..a lot of movie scenes have been taped here so it was neat to see. It is also a very beautiful building.
--Shopped around the Holiday Bazaar that was still up in Bryant Park. Michelle and I bought really cute knitted hats!
--Went to the Charmin Bathrooms in Times Square. Charmin set up bathrooms there just for the Holiday Season when the area becomes extremely congested with tourists. They were very nice bathrooms in a very lively environment!
--Had breakfast at Norma's in the Le Parker Meridian Hotel. Norma's is widely known as the best breakfast in NYC. It really was excellent!!
--Went in the Pierre Hotel on 5th Avenue to get some directions from the concierge and once inside realize it was a VERY nice, VERY beautiful hotel. Later, we discovered it is actually a Four Seasons Hotel.
--Went in Saks to see their holiday decorations...beautiful. We also shopped in the Holiday area and found some really great stuff at 70% off!!
--Went to a transvestite restaurant for dinner (hope this doesn't offend any readers)!!! I had heard it was fun and so had Elizabeth and Tamara. It was entertaining. They do a little show while you eat...it was slightly racy, but not horrible.
--Went to Marie's Crisis (where I went on my 30th b-day) and we heard some excellent show-tune singing around the piano.
--Went on a harbor cruise around Manhattan. A really neat and new way for me to see my city. It was a pretty day and we enjoyed the tour guide.
--Went on a tour of Ground Zero. This is something new down there and the tours are done by people who were directly impacted by 9/11. We saw things the ordinary person wouldn't know about. It was very neat to see, very sad and touching. There is also a new museum down there that we went through and it is done very well...again, very sad, but good to see.
--I went in St. Paul's Cathedral and Trinity Church for the first time. St. Paul's is the oldest building in Manhattan and Trinity has the oldest congregation. Both very pretty churches. St. Paul's was used as a rescue site for 9/11 and now serves as a memorial.
--Saw the acclaimed Broadway musical, "Jersey Boys". I've been wanting to see this because I've heard such great things and it has won many awards. It was very good-- music was great!
--Saw the new Broadway musical, "Grey Gardens". This is the story about Jackie O's cousin and aunt who went senile. It was a very interesting story and I really liked this musical! Christine Ebersole played the lead role and was very good...rumor has it that she'll win the Tony this year.
--Went to Brooklyn to do the typical walk through Brooklyn Heights and lunch at Grimaldi's. This time, however, I got to go to the Jacques Torres chocolate factory for the first time. Delicious chocolates and GREAT hot chocolate...seriously, chocolate that is hot...not hot cocoa with water.
--Had dinner at Sardi's...a famous restaurant in Times Square known for their caricatures of actors/actresses. It was a very nice dinner.
All in all, it was great week and a very fun way to spend New Year's Eve. I have a great group of friends in Dallas that I spent the last 6 New Year's with. Unfortunately, most of that gang couldn't make it up to the city. However, Tamara and I figured out that this was our 7th New Years Eve together...hope the tradition keeps on!!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Christmas in Dallas
My week in Dallas has been great! I relly enjoyed spending so much time with family. Here are some of the highlights! You can also see pictures here!!
--Went to the train show at NorthPark. It was really cute and fun! Brian had bought a train car with Beth and Ryder's names on it (money for the cars goes to the Ronald McDonald House). It was fun trying to find his car. Ryder liked the trains, too!
--Managed to go to three church services in less than 24 hours. My family all went to Prestonwood's Christmas Eve EVE service on Saturday night. My mom wanted to go to that one and it's right down the street from their house. It was really good. I especially liked the candlelit part at the end...you know, where we light each other's candles and sing "Silent Night". I've done that a gazillion times, but this time, we were sitting in the part that's elevated a bit on the first floor and we could see all the lights in front of us and it was sooo pretty! I feel like we miss out on seeing that in most churches. Sunday morning, I went to good old PCBC. I tried out their new Sunday morning contemporary service and it was really good and the new building is beautiful! They have a new minister who does the contemporary service and he was good, but I really did miss hearing Dr. Denison preach-- I will have to go to the traditional service next time I'm in town. Amazingly, the preacher quoted Tim Keller twice. Tim Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC...one of the two churches I'm trying to decide between. My third and final church service was to the Christmas Eve service at Watermark, Beth and Brian's church. It was great as always- terrific singing!
--My mom, dad, and I went to see the most amazing Christmas lights ever!!! There are two houses-- one in Plano and one in Frisco that have their houses and yards completely covered in lights. Then, you turn your radio on to the correct station and the lights on the house dance on and off to the tune of the carol over the radio. So fun and cool!
--Spent Christmas Eve at my parent's cousin's house, Suzie. She's actually my mom's second-cousin and my dad's first-cousin. Weird, but true. Don't worry though, my parent's weren't related before they got married, just shared a cousin, not blood. It's actually kind of neat because they know ALL my family and are at ALL family events whether it's my mom's side or my dad's. And when their daughter, Amanda, got married, ALL 4 of my grandparent's and ALL my aunts, uncles and cousins were there. When I was growing up, we would spend every Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family including all his cousins, so it was nice to be with some of them again after several years of not doing it. Amanda's kids, Jake and Bella, are really sweet and had a lot of fun playing with Ryder!
--I went early Christmas morning to Beth and Brian's and got to get Ryder up. He's so sweet and loving in the morning. Beth made us a great breakfast and then Ryder opened up his gifts from his parents.
--We spent the rest of Christmas Day at mom and dad's with the 6 of us, plus Brian's parents. It was nice...Beth and I did most the cooking and it was a great meal. Then, we opened gifts. Brian's mom made delicious peppermint ice cream for dessert and we also had a ton of cookies and a pumpkin pie! I didn't feel so great the next day!! Gift giving and opening was fun, too. I got Uggs, but mom said I could exchange them for an ipod so I did...I thought about keeping the Uggs as well, but wanted a different size and they were out, so I don't know if I'll end up with Uggs or not!
--The day after Christmas is actually one of my very favorite days of the year! I love to shop the sales. My mom and I were at Crate & Barrel before it opened-- got to see my friend, Andi, who took a seasonal job there. I bought several of their Christmas things-- I love Christmas decorations! We went to many stores that day and I bought at least a little something pretty much everywhere we went. I'm normally not a huge shopper like that, but December 26th is an exception! Beth, mom, Ryder, and I did more shopping on the 27th and 28th, but didn't find much else. The time spent together was great, though!
--I had dinner with Julie and Amber at an excellent restuarant called Hibiscus. My mahi mahi was amazing. Getting to catch-up with Amber was good too! Those girls are doing great!
--Had a "mini-reunion" with 4 girls I worked with at Ernst & Young. I got to pick up my good friend Kelli and see her baby, Gil, beforehand. He had changed so much! It was a lot of fun catching up with these EY girls...some funny girls and funny memories!
--Visited my Grammy. I had hesitations about this. It's kind of a pain to get to her in McKinney and she wouldn't know if I didn't come and wouldn't remember it 5 minutes after I left. Plus, sometimes I feel like she's not really my grandma anymore. But, I went and I'm glad I did. She looked terrific. She was always really sweet and was just as sweet as ever and happy to see me. We didn't stay long, but I'm glad I saw her.
--Went to dinner on Thursday with some PCBC girls. Again, great conversation with old friends. I miss all these people dearly!!
--My final outing of the week was to see Jennifer, Vickie, Lisa, and her baby girl, Kylie for breakfast on Friday morning. Great to catch-up with these girls and see how much Kylie had changed!
And the final highlight of the week....
--Ryder knows how to give hugs now and they are the BEST!!
--Went to the train show at NorthPark. It was really cute and fun! Brian had bought a train car with Beth and Ryder's names on it (money for the cars goes to the Ronald McDonald House). It was fun trying to find his car. Ryder liked the trains, too!
--Managed to go to three church services in less than 24 hours. My family all went to Prestonwood's Christmas Eve EVE service on Saturday night. My mom wanted to go to that one and it's right down the street from their house. It was really good. I especially liked the candlelit part at the end...you know, where we light each other's candles and sing "Silent Night". I've done that a gazillion times, but this time, we were sitting in the part that's elevated a bit on the first floor and we could see all the lights in front of us and it was sooo pretty! I feel like we miss out on seeing that in most churches. Sunday morning, I went to good old PCBC. I tried out their new Sunday morning contemporary service and it was really good and the new building is beautiful! They have a new minister who does the contemporary service and he was good, but I really did miss hearing Dr. Denison preach-- I will have to go to the traditional service next time I'm in town. Amazingly, the preacher quoted Tim Keller twice. Tim Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC...one of the two churches I'm trying to decide between. My third and final church service was to the Christmas Eve service at Watermark, Beth and Brian's church. It was great as always- terrific singing!
--My mom, dad, and I went to see the most amazing Christmas lights ever!!! There are two houses-- one in Plano and one in Frisco that have their houses and yards completely covered in lights. Then, you turn your radio on to the correct station and the lights on the house dance on and off to the tune of the carol over the radio. So fun and cool!
--Spent Christmas Eve at my parent's cousin's house, Suzie. She's actually my mom's second-cousin and my dad's first-cousin. Weird, but true. Don't worry though, my parent's weren't related before they got married, just shared a cousin, not blood. It's actually kind of neat because they know ALL my family and are at ALL family events whether it's my mom's side or my dad's. And when their daughter, Amanda, got married, ALL 4 of my grandparent's and ALL my aunts, uncles and cousins were there. When I was growing up, we would spend every Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family including all his cousins, so it was nice to be with some of them again after several years of not doing it. Amanda's kids, Jake and Bella, are really sweet and had a lot of fun playing with Ryder!
--I went early Christmas morning to Beth and Brian's and got to get Ryder up. He's so sweet and loving in the morning. Beth made us a great breakfast and then Ryder opened up his gifts from his parents.
--We spent the rest of Christmas Day at mom and dad's with the 6 of us, plus Brian's parents. It was nice...Beth and I did most the cooking and it was a great meal. Then, we opened gifts. Brian's mom made delicious peppermint ice cream for dessert and we also had a ton of cookies and a pumpkin pie! I didn't feel so great the next day!! Gift giving and opening was fun, too. I got Uggs, but mom said I could exchange them for an ipod so I did...I thought about keeping the Uggs as well, but wanted a different size and they were out, so I don't know if I'll end up with Uggs or not!
--The day after Christmas is actually one of my very favorite days of the year! I love to shop the sales. My mom and I were at Crate & Barrel before it opened-- got to see my friend, Andi, who took a seasonal job there. I bought several of their Christmas things-- I love Christmas decorations! We went to many stores that day and I bought at least a little something pretty much everywhere we went. I'm normally not a huge shopper like that, but December 26th is an exception! Beth, mom, Ryder, and I did more shopping on the 27th and 28th, but didn't find much else. The time spent together was great, though!
--I had dinner with Julie and Amber at an excellent restuarant called Hibiscus. My mahi mahi was amazing. Getting to catch-up with Amber was good too! Those girls are doing great!
--Had a "mini-reunion" with 4 girls I worked with at Ernst & Young. I got to pick up my good friend Kelli and see her baby, Gil, beforehand. He had changed so much! It was a lot of fun catching up with these EY girls...some funny girls and funny memories!
--Visited my Grammy. I had hesitations about this. It's kind of a pain to get to her in McKinney and she wouldn't know if I didn't come and wouldn't remember it 5 minutes after I left. Plus, sometimes I feel like she's not really my grandma anymore. But, I went and I'm glad I did. She looked terrific. She was always really sweet and was just as sweet as ever and happy to see me. We didn't stay long, but I'm glad I saw her.
--Went to dinner on Thursday with some PCBC girls. Again, great conversation with old friends. I miss all these people dearly!!
--My final outing of the week was to see Jennifer, Vickie, Lisa, and her baby girl, Kylie for breakfast on Friday morning. Great to catch-up with these girls and see how much Kylie had changed!
And the final highlight of the week....
--Ryder knows how to give hugs now and they are the BEST!!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Julie's visit (continued)
Julie stayed until Thursday last week. We had a great time while she was here. You can see more pictures here. She struck out on her own during the days last week while I was at work and I met her afterwards to play. Tuesday night, we went to dinner at the Mediterranean restaurant down the street, Kashkaval. It was excellent as always! Although, I tried their fondue for the first time and it wasn't the best I've had. Afterwards, we did a walking tour of all the Department Store Holiday Display windows. Most of them were on 5th Avenue or near there....Bloomingdale's, Bergdorf Goodman, Barney's, Saks, Lord & Taylor, and finally, Macy's. Some of the stores have a theme or story for their windows. It was a lot of fun and the windows are really cute!
Wednesday night, we went and did some shopping in SoHo and ate in Chinatown. This was my first experience eating in Chinatown and it was great!! We went to a place a friend recommended, Joe's Shanghai. Chinatown is known for its dumplings, so we had to try some. They were soooo good. The rest of our food was delicious as well! Great chinese food! And it was deeper into Chinatown than I have been before. The streets were so quiet and windy...didn't feel like we were in Manhattan anymore...or even the US really. On a side-note, you may remember that I bought a purse in Chinatown back in October that I loved for only $18. I didn't realize at the time, but just found out it's a fake Balenciaga bag (all the celebs carry them) and it retails for $1,200. Crazy!! I thought $18 was good anyway, but now I really think it's good!
After Julie left Thursday, I had some time to mark off a couple more things from my Christmas in New York list. I went that night to the Dyker Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn. This is a really nice neighborhood with REAL houses. Single-family homes...really big, pretty homes. Not something I'd seen in New York! They go all out with Christmas decorations and I wanted to see it. I really enjoyed seeing the neighborhood itself- very pretty. The lights were just a bonus!
On Friday, we got out of work early, so I went up to St. John the Divine Cathedral. I'd been there for the Halloween show, but didn't really get to tour the cathedral and I had heard it was decorated well for Christmas. It is so pretty. The main sanctuary is beautiful, but it is surrounded by several smaller chapels, each with different architecture and each very pretty. I had fun seeing it.
I left Friday night for home and am now in Dallas enjoying family time!
Wednesday night, we went and did some shopping in SoHo and ate in Chinatown. This was my first experience eating in Chinatown and it was great!! We went to a place a friend recommended, Joe's Shanghai. Chinatown is known for its dumplings, so we had to try some. They were soooo good. The rest of our food was delicious as well! Great chinese food! And it was deeper into Chinatown than I have been before. The streets were so quiet and windy...didn't feel like we were in Manhattan anymore...or even the US really. On a side-note, you may remember that I bought a purse in Chinatown back in October that I loved for only $18. I didn't realize at the time, but just found out it's a fake Balenciaga bag (all the celebs carry them) and it retails for $1,200. Crazy!! I thought $18 was good anyway, but now I really think it's good!
After Julie left Thursday, I had some time to mark off a couple more things from my Christmas in New York list. I went that night to the Dyker Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn. This is a really nice neighborhood with REAL houses. Single-family homes...really big, pretty homes. Not something I'd seen in New York! They go all out with Christmas decorations and I wanted to see it. I really enjoyed seeing the neighborhood itself- very pretty. The lights were just a bonus!
On Friday, we got out of work early, so I went up to St. John the Divine Cathedral. I'd been there for the Halloween show, but didn't really get to tour the cathedral and I had heard it was decorated well for Christmas. It is so pretty. The main sanctuary is beautiful, but it is surrounded by several smaller chapels, each with different architecture and each very pretty. I had fun seeing it.
I left Friday night for home and am now in Dallas enjoying family time!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
The NHL
I got my official job offer from the NHL last week! Yea! Just a relief to know I'm officially employed again. The job started off very, very slow, but it's gotten better and I'm enjoying it more. Here's some tidbits about my new job:
--I still have a view of the Hudson River. Granted, it's a very small piece of river I can actually see, but I can still see it! I'm on the 46th floor at Rockefeller Center...great views of the city!! My side of the building faces the Times Square area. The other side faces Central Park and you can see the whole span of the park...love it!
--Joy quit her job at The Journey and on Tuesday, went back to the exact same job she had before going to work for the church. She's working at NBC in the Rockefeller complex and there are tunnels between her building and mine that are full of shops and restaurants. Yea-- a lunch buddy!!!
--We had the NHL Holiday party last week. It was at BB King's, a club known for Blue's concerts. We had a very nice room there. I had never had an office party quite like this...EY was too cheap and WSM was even cheaper. We walked into this one and there were waiters walking around with appetizers and red & green martinis. They had a full buffet and a live band that was good, but way too loud. The NHL commissioner was there and spoke to us briefly...I guess some people would say he is famous, but I'm having trouble remembering his name right now (don't tell). Most people came in their work clothes...it was on Tuesday night at 6:00. Two girls showed up in very short, very, very low-cut dresses. No one I spoke to knew who they were, but EVERYone was aware they were there.
--I was allowed to determine my own start date. My time as a contractor at the NHL will last through this Friday. Then, I'm taking a week and a half off for the Holidays and will start full-time on January 4th. Timing couldn't have been better. This way, I get to spend a whole week in Dallas with my family, which I was planning for all along, but I also will be off while my friend's are here who are coming up for New Years.
--I don't yet have all the details on benefits, company policies, etc... I expect they'll clue me in on all that once I'm on permanently. I do know that several people have mentioned that I will have some access to not only NY Rangers hockey game tickets, but also Giants tickets. Sounds fun! Oh, and for those of you in Dallas, the All-Star game is being played there on January 24th and someone mentioned that they may have tickets for my friends/family!! I'll let you know if they follow through on that. A lot of people in my department are actually going down to work at the game. I don't think I'm on the list to go, but I'm hoping they need me for some reason!
--Everyone at the office has a trash can that has the logo from one of the hockey teams. They were considerate enough to think ahead and had the Dallas Stars trash can at my desk on my first day. I thought that was very thoughtful of them! I've spied a St. Louis Blues trash can that no one appears to be using and I'm tempted to snag that one too. That way I'll have both my home-states represented!
--How many of you have a job where you hear someone say "Zamboni" almost daily? That is now my job.
--I still have a view of the Hudson River. Granted, it's a very small piece of river I can actually see, but I can still see it! I'm on the 46th floor at Rockefeller Center...great views of the city!! My side of the building faces the Times Square area. The other side faces Central Park and you can see the whole span of the park...love it!
--Joy quit her job at The Journey and on Tuesday, went back to the exact same job she had before going to work for the church. She's working at NBC in the Rockefeller complex and there are tunnels between her building and mine that are full of shops and restaurants. Yea-- a lunch buddy!!!
--We had the NHL Holiday party last week. It was at BB King's, a club known for Blue's concerts. We had a very nice room there. I had never had an office party quite like this...EY was too cheap and WSM was even cheaper. We walked into this one and there were waiters walking around with appetizers and red & green martinis. They had a full buffet and a live band that was good, but way too loud. The NHL commissioner was there and spoke to us briefly...I guess some people would say he is famous, but I'm having trouble remembering his name right now (don't tell). Most people came in their work clothes...it was on Tuesday night at 6:00. Two girls showed up in very short, very, very low-cut dresses. No one I spoke to knew who they were, but EVERYone was aware they were there.
--I was allowed to determine my own start date. My time as a contractor at the NHL will last through this Friday. Then, I'm taking a week and a half off for the Holidays and will start full-time on January 4th. Timing couldn't have been better. This way, I get to spend a whole week in Dallas with my family, which I was planning for all along, but I also will be off while my friend's are here who are coming up for New Years.
--I don't yet have all the details on benefits, company policies, etc... I expect they'll clue me in on all that once I'm on permanently. I do know that several people have mentioned that I will have some access to not only NY Rangers hockey game tickets, but also Giants tickets. Sounds fun! Oh, and for those of you in Dallas, the All-Star game is being played there on January 24th and someone mentioned that they may have tickets for my friends/family!! I'll let you know if they follow through on that. A lot of people in my department are actually going down to work at the game. I don't think I'm on the list to go, but I'm hoping they need me for some reason!
--Everyone at the office has a trash can that has the logo from one of the hockey teams. They were considerate enough to think ahead and had the Dallas Stars trash can at my desk on my first day. I thought that was very thoughtful of them! I've spied a St. Louis Blues trash can that no one appears to be using and I'm tempted to snag that one too. That way I'll have both my home-states represented!
--How many of you have a job where you hear someone say "Zamboni" almost daily? That is now my job.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Weekend Update
I've had a great few days with friends in town, a Christmas party, and more Christmas sights and events in the city! See pictures here.
I had no plans on Friday night, so I went to Macy’s to do some shopping. I also wanted to see it all decorated for Christmas. It looks so pretty!! And they had some great sales going on.
My friend Julie came in late on Friday night and is here until Thursday! We got up early on Saturday and headed to Brooklyn to spend the day. We first went to the Greenwood Cemetery—there was recently an article in the Dallas Morning News about it and it’s supposedly the prettiest cemetery in the US. It really was very pretty. There was a very pretty welcome building and a chapel and the grounds were gorgeous. It is huge, so I don’t think we saw very much of it, but we walked for quite a while
We headed to Grimaldi’s for lunch so Julie could try their famous pizza. We got there about 10 minutes before it opened and got seated as soon as they opened the doors—first time I haven’t had to wait in a long line on the street! It was delicious as always.
We walked through the pretty Brooklyn Heights brownstones and saw the views of Manhattan from the promenade. This is one of my favorite areas, but this was my first time to see it during the day! I like it better at night, I think, but it was nice to see in the daylight for a change.
We went to the Brooklyn Tabernacle where they were having a Christmas show. This was my first time there so it was exciting to see the pretty sanctuary and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. They were excellent. There were some skits that I could have done without, but otherwise, it was a good show. I’d like to go back there sometime to see a normal service.
Saturday night, Joy had a Crazy Christmas Sweater & Moustache party. Everyone was supposed to wear a tacky Christmas sweater and the guys were supposed to grow out ‘staches. People did pretty good with the sweaters, among other Holiday-wear. But, the guys didn’t grow their moustaches. However, George, my old co-worker, did bring a bunch of fake ones. I found sweaters for Julie and I and she brought some Christmas jewelry. My sweater had snowmen on it—Julie didn’t know that, but she brought a snowman necklace and snowmen earrings for me to wear with it. It worked out perfectly!! One of the best costumes was my friend Kelli (Kristin’s roommate). She wore a Christmas tree skirt as an actual skirt! It had characters knitted all over it and balls hanging off the end. It was a funny night!
After Joy’s, I took Julie to see the Rock Tree and skating rink. We saw a proposal on the rink!!! I have been wanting to see that—supposedly it happens quite a bit. It was really cute—just the two of them on the ice, then he got down on one knee and she had her hands to her mouth in surprise. Then, they hugged a lot and skated around a little and then suddenly he lost his balance and fell and then she did! It was so cute and funny!
On Sunday, Julie and I went to breakfast at Alice’s Teacup. I have been wanting to go to this cute Tea Room on the Upper West Side. It was really cute and we really enjoyed our breakfast and tea!
We shopped a lot on Sunday. We went to the Columbus Avenue flea market, then down to the West Village/Greenwich Village area…went to my store, Purdy Girl, and I again found a couple of skirts on sale for great prices! We got cupcakes at Magnolia. Then, we went to Chinatown to see if there was anything we couldn’t live without. Julie did a good job finding lots of scarves….I had to go to the bathroom and spent most of my time there in line for the restroom at Starbucks while Julie shopped. Starbucks really come in handy around here.
My old roommate, Deanna, and her husband, Derek, came in on Sunday and we met them for dinner at the Hudson Cafeteria. It was a lot of fun and really great to see them! It is so strange how different I feel being around people who know me so well after spending most of my time the last 8 months around people who don’t know me at all. It is a very nice feeling!!
Julie and I went to see the Rockette’s Christmas Spectacular at Radio City. It was an excellent, amazing show. I’ve seen it once in college in Branson, MO and once in Dallas a few years ago, but I don’t remember it being quite this good. The dancing was so entertaining. At the end, they do a live nativity scene and read scriptures from Isaiah and the Gospels. It was really touching and so crazy that such a commercialized, secular show became so religious and really spoke the Truth! Great for people to see at this time of year when they are more open to hearing about Jesus than any other time during the year. You could take pictures at this show and a lot of people were during the whole thing, but the camera flashes really started going crazy during this last part and that also surprised me—people were not only accepting of it, they liked it enough to take lots of pictures!
Tonight (Monday), I met up with Julie after work and we went down to Little Italy to meet Derek and Deanna for dinner again. We went to my favorite, Angelo's, and it was great. Afterwards, Julie and I did a little bit of shopping in SoHo.
It's been a great few days!!
I had no plans on Friday night, so I went to Macy’s to do some shopping. I also wanted to see it all decorated for Christmas. It looks so pretty!! And they had some great sales going on.
My friend Julie came in late on Friday night and is here until Thursday! We got up early on Saturday and headed to Brooklyn to spend the day. We first went to the Greenwood Cemetery—there was recently an article in the Dallas Morning News about it and it’s supposedly the prettiest cemetery in the US. It really was very pretty. There was a very pretty welcome building and a chapel and the grounds were gorgeous. It is huge, so I don’t think we saw very much of it, but we walked for quite a while
We headed to Grimaldi’s for lunch so Julie could try their famous pizza. We got there about 10 minutes before it opened and got seated as soon as they opened the doors—first time I haven’t had to wait in a long line on the street! It was delicious as always.
We walked through the pretty Brooklyn Heights brownstones and saw the views of Manhattan from the promenade. This is one of my favorite areas, but this was my first time to see it during the day! I like it better at night, I think, but it was nice to see in the daylight for a change.
We went to the Brooklyn Tabernacle where they were having a Christmas show. This was my first time there so it was exciting to see the pretty sanctuary and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. They were excellent. There were some skits that I could have done without, but otherwise, it was a good show. I’d like to go back there sometime to see a normal service.
Saturday night, Joy had a Crazy Christmas Sweater & Moustache party. Everyone was supposed to wear a tacky Christmas sweater and the guys were supposed to grow out ‘staches. People did pretty good with the sweaters, among other Holiday-wear. But, the guys didn’t grow their moustaches. However, George, my old co-worker, did bring a bunch of fake ones. I found sweaters for Julie and I and she brought some Christmas jewelry. My sweater had snowmen on it—Julie didn’t know that, but she brought a snowman necklace and snowmen earrings for me to wear with it. It worked out perfectly!! One of the best costumes was my friend Kelli (Kristin’s roommate). She wore a Christmas tree skirt as an actual skirt! It had characters knitted all over it and balls hanging off the end. It was a funny night!
After Joy’s, I took Julie to see the Rock Tree and skating rink. We saw a proposal on the rink!!! I have been wanting to see that—supposedly it happens quite a bit. It was really cute—just the two of them on the ice, then he got down on one knee and she had her hands to her mouth in surprise. Then, they hugged a lot and skated around a little and then suddenly he lost his balance and fell and then she did! It was so cute and funny!
On Sunday, Julie and I went to breakfast at Alice’s Teacup. I have been wanting to go to this cute Tea Room on the Upper West Side. It was really cute and we really enjoyed our breakfast and tea!
We shopped a lot on Sunday. We went to the Columbus Avenue flea market, then down to the West Village/Greenwich Village area…went to my store, Purdy Girl, and I again found a couple of skirts on sale for great prices! We got cupcakes at Magnolia. Then, we went to Chinatown to see if there was anything we couldn’t live without. Julie did a good job finding lots of scarves….I had to go to the bathroom and spent most of my time there in line for the restroom at Starbucks while Julie shopped. Starbucks really come in handy around here.
My old roommate, Deanna, and her husband, Derek, came in on Sunday and we met them for dinner at the Hudson Cafeteria. It was a lot of fun and really great to see them! It is so strange how different I feel being around people who know me so well after spending most of my time the last 8 months around people who don’t know me at all. It is a very nice feeling!!
Julie and I went to see the Rockette’s Christmas Spectacular at Radio City. It was an excellent, amazing show. I’ve seen it once in college in Branson, MO and once in Dallas a few years ago, but I don’t remember it being quite this good. The dancing was so entertaining. At the end, they do a live nativity scene and read scriptures from Isaiah and the Gospels. It was really touching and so crazy that such a commercialized, secular show became so religious and really spoke the Truth! Great for people to see at this time of year when they are more open to hearing about Jesus than any other time during the year. You could take pictures at this show and a lot of people were during the whole thing, but the camera flashes really started going crazy during this last part and that also surprised me—people were not only accepting of it, they liked it enough to take lots of pictures!
Tonight (Monday), I met up with Julie after work and we went down to Little Italy to meet Derek and Deanna for dinner again. We went to my favorite, Angelo's, and it was great. Afterwards, Julie and I did a little bit of shopping in SoHo.
It's been a great few days!!
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