Stephanie

miami.

2012-01-26T13:21:00.000-05:00

i'm going to miami tomorrow to run a half marathon.

there.

i said it.

i think i was in denial since i signed up.

is it too late to train?

4 days of Christmas

2012-01-18T23:57:00.001-05:00

I have been too busy laying on the couch lately to update anything here on le blog. But here is a small recap of Christmas. I went to Utah for four days. It was very quick but just right.

On Christmas Eve we got a nice pic of the entire fam. Those kids are so great. Also - check it out - my mom is standing! She also walks these days without the help of a walker. So much progress!

And just like always, I got the kids matching pajamas to wear to bed on Christmas. The stripes were a hit, but Riley was a little concerned about how tight they were. Daniel tells me constantly that I am his favorite. Oh I wish they could all be 3 forever.

After a depressing hour of church, we came home and opened gifts with the kids. I think Hannah got 3 dolls, 2 stuffed animals and a myriad of other toys that I can't remember. She did call me today though to tell me that she wanted a tamagotchi for her birthday, which is what I got Riley for Christmas. Then she got back on the phone to tell me that she wanted it to be pink.

We had our annual After Christmas Clayton Cousin Cookie C'Party. I think there were about 45 people in attendance and Grandma even came this year. I put my lovely Aunt Marsha in charge of the half-time show and so we sang Christmas carols and ate yummy food and had a white elephant gift exchange. Hannah sat with Grandma the entire evening.

Erica and her son Lincoln

Me with the Orton cousins - love these girls.

The entire gang - that is a lot of cousins. Four generations of people in that pic!

I know that most people aren't very close with their cousins and I am grateful to not be counted among them. I can honestly say that my cousins are all my friends and even though I don't get to see many of them often anymore, I love being around them and seeing their darling kids. I was raised to pretty much consider my cousins to be like my siblings and I just love them all so much.

Since Christmas I have been catching up on my tv viewing and the next three weeks are restaurant week here in New York, so I have been eating a ton lately. I will definitely need to tell you all about the delicious food I have been eating. Then I will tell you about the 10 pounds I gained this month. Stay tuned for that!

On being supportive

2011-12-28T16:00:00.002-05:00

When I was 21, I fell in love with a boy. I fell hard. So hard that I dropped out of school in Logan, Utah, and moved into my parent's basement so that I could be close to him while he was in school in Provo. He told me he wanted to marry me. I had a ring picked out.

We broke up about 4 months into our relationship. I lost at least 10 pounds due to the depression; I had to pull over when driving because of the crying. It has been almost 10 years since we dated, but I still have a heavy heart when I think about the pain during our breakup. I had some amazing friends who really loved me during that time and I am still so grateful for the support they showed me.

The truly unfortunate part about this entire relationship was that I was(am) really close friends with his sister. I was a bridesmaid in her wedding. I love(d) her entire family and was fairly close with them. At the time, his sister told me that she thought her brother was an idiot and that she still wanted me in her life. I told her that I still wanted her in mine but that she should never bring up her brother in conversation unless I asked. We have had this agreement for years and it works like a charm. And yes, sometimes I ask.

For Christmas, she and her husband and children were in Utah staying with my family. One night I took her to Rachael's house so that I could drop off my Christmas gift and say hello. One thing lead to another in our conversation and Rachael said something to the effect of: "yeah, it's too bad about your brother not marrying Steph". My friend's response was "Well, I knew that it was never going to work out."

Ouch. I cried later.

Now let me say something to preface what else I am going to say, but I know that her comment was never intended to hurt my feelings. She is a very loving person and I love her very much.

And on to my rant.

First off, I have determined in the past few days that for a girl, being broken up with by someone that you are in love with is the equivalent of a married woman having a miscarriage. Those are harsh words, but I mean it. There are real emotions and growing love for this thing - this relationship - and then for whatever reason, it is gone. Nothing can be done to salvage it and it just hurts and is horrible. And if this is the case, I have experienced 4 major breakups in the past 10 years with several minor ones along the way. It hurts. It hurts a lot. And people say really stupid things about something that hurts so much.

Secondly, you may be around a couple quite a bit during the course of their relationship, but unless you are actually one of the two parties in the relationship, you don't know everything that goes on behind closed doors. You just don't, so please don't act like you do.

Lately this has been a major topic of conversation for me. As friends, we need to be supportive of each other. Being critical of someone's choices or life is never helpful. I can't really think of any exceptions to this rule. If you are my friend, just be supportive. We are all insecure - me especially - and I am also a smart girl who just needs support and love. Comments such as "He is leading you on" or "Don't assume that you are in a relationship unless he is kissing you" or "you will find someone better" are not helpful.

I recently read Mindy Kaling's book and one of the chapters is rules of being her best friend. This got me thinking about rules for being my friend, which are:

1. We are honest with each other. I do not tolerate lying on any level. If you need to say something rude, please preface it with "Bless your heart." I grew up in the South. I can take it.
2. You must make me laugh. If I cannot do my part to make you laugh, I can always direct you to some good youtube videos. Outsourcing is one of my strengths.
3. We support each other, even if you think I am crazy. For example, when I fly across an ocean to see a boy that I've met once, you tell me how awesome this is and call me as soon as I get home to see how it went. When we break up, we lay on the couch and eat candy for at least a month. When you decide to participate in an Ironman, I will be at the finish line with a poster.
4. You must have a passport so that we can flee the country together if necessary.
5. I have high expectations of you. I will love you if you let me down and I will do my best to keep my expectations in check.
6. If I come visit you, I will be using your face wash, shampoo, blowdryer, and toothpaste. Plan on it.

I got back to New York last night and I am happy to be back in a world where 19 year old girls are not engaged and people don't think that there is something wrong with me because I am not married. For the record, I am very happy. I have been so blessed by good friends and family and by this amazing life that I have. I am under no illusion (or delusion) that marriage makes one happy and although I would love to be married, am happy serving and doing what I can with what I've been given. I know from experience that idiots get married every day. Fat people, skinny people, dumb people, smart people - they all get married.

I mean - either I get married in the next 10 years or I'm moving to Martha's Vineyard to work in an ice cream shop. And that doesn't sound so bad, does it.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-28T13:59:00.001-05:00

A day late and a dollar short as usual. Many of you received this in the mail already, but for those of you who didn't, here is my 2011 Christmas card.

And before you start feeling sorry for me, here is what the back said:

I mean it. Thanks for being so awesome. Also, I can't wait to see what 2012 holds in store.

PS - if you didn't get a card, please email me your address and I will add you to my distribution list.

Apartment!

2011-12-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Better late than never, right?

I remember the good old days when there were leaves on the tree below my window. This photo was taken the day after I moved in - which was also the weekend of Hurricane Irene. Yep, this is what New York looked like an hour after the eye of the ~~tiger~~ hurricane hit us.

In August I moved into a new apartment. I have been there for almost 4 months now and life is grand on 74th street. I walk up to the 5th floor several times a day and am greeted by this huge bedroom. Well, at least compared to my last room, this is ginormous. I love it.

This is what I have over the dresser now:

The living room -

And over the sofa now -

My very own bathroom! Well, kind of.

When your bathroom is off the living room, you kind of share it with everyone.

The medicine cabinet mirrors and lights are the best thing that ever happened to my makeup routine.

We also have a patio upstairs off of Caroline's room. For a tour of that, you will have to come visit and/or wait until summer when we are spending time outside again. This post was horribly exciting, but this mostly for my mother and those of you who still need to come visit.

Tis the season to be jolly

2011-12-21T14:55:00.001-05:00

This year I have been the instigator of many a Christmas party. Here is a very brief summary of all of them.

1. Holisizzle - this party was in New York with many of my close friends here in Manhattan. We had dinner at Brody's house then came to Caroline and I's house for after-dinner activities; aka - visit from Santa, karaoke, and dancing. Brody was my hot date and Santa read poems about each one of us and we all got gifts associated with the poem. What a fun time. I laughed so hard I had a headache.

I have such wonderful friends here in New York and this is just a handful of them. Oh I love you all.

2. San Franidazzle - this party was in San Francisco and it was so great to be with so many dear, dear friends. I told someone that day that it was good to be with so many people who just know my heart. In a million ways it was like I'd never been gone. The food - as always was amazing - and the company was just the best. Having Adam as my date was great and Homie Santa was a highlight of the evening.

Love. Just love. For everyone in this photo.

3. The most recent Christmas party (not the last!) was last night with Ryan. We had a Christmas party for 2 and it was great. We had great food, gifts, laughs, and danced. He is just the best.

More Christmas updates coming soon - this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I'll have a Blue Christmas without you!

2011-12-15T19:56:00.000-05:00

I have been working a whole lot this week and so doing anything other than sleeping has been low on the totem pole.

All I really have to say currently is that I am going to San Francisco in less than 12 hours and I cannot wait. I will be with these girls - amongst others - and just thinking about it makes my cold dead heart swell up like a balloon.

Also, Uzi. And Andrea. And Kirsten.

I found this one in the vault. w.o.w.....

also, HOTTTTTT

And last and not least, Marshall's wedding!

Remind me - things to catch you up on:

1. My new apartment. Is it new if I've lived there for 4 months by the time I tell you about it?

2. My birthday

3. Holisizzle & other festivities

At this point, I can't make any promises, people. Flossing is already apparently too much to ask.

And off I go to ice skate. I am SO Christmas-y.

Autumn in New York

2011-12-02T13:02:00.001-05:00

I know that it has been entirely too long since I have been posting regularly, so here is an update on how my Autum in New York is going.

At the end of October, Scott came for an entire week. How lucky am I!?

We have a thing for pumpkin flavored items and were delighted to see that the frozen yogurt place by my house had "Fist Pumpkin" flavored fro-yo. Please note that Scott did not have any sugary substances in the taking of this photo.

Scott attempting to hide in storefront Halloween decor in the village.

Our friend told us about a Halloween exhibit at the Highline so we met up to check it out one night before dinner. I love this photo of us just being normal - except with wolf masks.

The text that Scott sent out to our friends with this photo was: "Happy Halloween from the Werewolf family"

On our way to dinner, we had a run-in with some astronauts. Yes, that is a mini cooper attached to a rocket. And an astronaut.

Scott and I went to Laudree on the Upper East Side to pick up some gifts. This was on the day where it felt like the world was going to end - we had a freak snow storm at the end of October and it was horrible. As my coworker says: "I lost the will to live" about halfway through the day.

At least the macarons were delicious!

For lunch Scott and I ventured out to find Melt Shop. Find we did - it was a walk-up window at a subway station. We persisted though and got the sandwiches anyway and luckily found a building nearby that had some tables setup in the lobby.

The snow

Since I was not prepared for the amount of snow and the amount of time Scott and I would be spending outside that day, we ended up buying a much needed bubble umbrella. Might be one of my favorite purchases yet this year. Say goodbye to wet hair in the rain! I love it.

This year for Halloween I dressed up as Princess Beatrice. It took the girls a matter of seconds to know who I was dressed as - and the men - most of them are still trying to figure out why I had such a weird hat on.

Rustin was in town and was dressed like Katy Perry from this video.

Brody and I on the way to the Halloween party. We are so fancy!

This is a horrible picture, but I just had to put it up since it is of me and Jen. Most people didn't recognize her. Awesome.

I was in a pumpkin bake-off with the girls from work. With Caroline's help I made some very tasty pumpkin chocolate chip pumpkin bread.

At the beginning of November I had dinner with Karen who was in town from San Francisco - it was so wonderful to see her.

I went to DC for work and was taken on a nice tour of some of the monuments that I hadn't seen before. This one is form World War II. Each gold star represents 500 people who died in the war from the United States. Wowza.

The Martin Luther King, Jr monument was just dedicated in October - pretty awesome.

The Capitol

I went to the Quidditch World Cup with some friends - please notice that the people in this photo are riding brooms. I went into this thinking it would be a joke. I was wrong.

Ashley demonstrating how to double fist at Shake Shack.

I cheered on Scott & Annie when they ran in the New York City Marathon a few weeks ago. They ran the entire race in less than 4 hours - I believe their total time was 3.5 hours. Crazy! So fast!

Adam came to town and we were able to spend a fair amount of time together since he was here for a week. Here we are at Momofuku having milk and cookies. Yummmm

Walking back to work from lunch

Adam took me to Katz's Deli for Pastrami one day for lunch - they were incredibly messy and delicious.

Melissa came to town with her Mom for a few days and she bought her first size 0 jeans at 5 months pregnant. What a cute pregnant lady!

I went to Daytona for work for a few days and went on a tour of the Daytona International Speedway while I was there. Since I grew up with a NASCAR affiliation due to my dad's job, it was pretty surreal to me.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was testing a new functionality on his car while we were there, so we got to see him go by a few times - to just stay up on the track, the cars have to be going a minimum of 95 mph. Crazy! I was so proud of my little iPhone camera for capturing him while going by so fast.

Winners Circle!

The view from my hotel room - I am sad to say that I didn't even touch my feet in the sand the entire time I was there. I just didn't really have time.

I got back in New York and the next evening, my coworkers and I had an event one night and we ended the evening with our very own dance party. Good times.

Jersey Pout

My cousins came to town and we went all over the city - one of the coolest things we did was go to the 911 Memorial. It was awesome. If you are close by, go.

Playing the piano at FAO Schwartz

On our way to see the Rockettes.

Madison was named after the Mermaid on Splash - which was named after Madison Ave. :)

First subway ride.

At the temple!

Outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art

I went up to Albany for the day to pick up Madison after she spent a week upstate and was able to see my friend Becky, who I grew up with in North Carolina. I hadn't seen her since college and it was great to catch up and meet her husband and darling kids. Also, I got to hold baby Richard for like 3 hours that day - pure bliss. I really need to get me a baby!!!

In case you can't tell by the photos in this post, I still want to kiss New York every single day. What a great place. What a great life.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-02T12:11:00.001-05:00

A month or so ago, my friend Jen and I decided that we would be spending Thanksgiving together. For weeks we were trying to figure out what the reality of that meant. There were people that for various reasons we wanted to avoid and thus scheduling became difficult. About a week before Thanksgiving, our mutual bestie, Rachael, sent us an email that said " I can't deal with you girls and your crappy Thanksgiving plans!!" with a flight itinerary attached. Thanks for saving us, girl.

Jen's office overlooks Macy's and the end of the parade, so we went to fight the masses of people and watch the parade. Of course I was DVR'ing the parade from home so that I could watch all the performances later in the day and fast forward through all the commercials.

We had to lean really far out of the window of Jen's office to see anything. Rachael is really scared of heights and looked back at me after her first glance out the window and said "I will need a harness and a Valium!" If you are my friend on facebook you probably saw the numerous updates that Rachael contributed during the week. She was full of good one-liners.

Jen & Josh

Rachael started yelling "SANTA!!!!!!" right about this time.

Apparently I did not get the memo regarding the black coat and purple accessory.

We we have a picture of only me in the kitchen is unclear since Jen is the real mastermind behind our entire dinner. It was amazing. She cooked all day and brought the tablecloth and cutlery to make our dinner so beautiful. Lest Rachael be offended, I did not mention her floral work and roll contribution and her stunning good looks.

It was such a great week - lots of laughter and good times. The food was AMAZING and I am still thinking about the apple pie! Dear Jen & Rachael - thanks for being so awesome. Giving thanks for such great friends and for living in this city is always appropriate, but even more so on Thanksgiving. XO

Fallpalooza 2011

2011-12-02T10:03:00.001-05:00

A few months ago I went to New Hampshire with some friends. I hadn't been there since I was about 11, so it was nice to head up to New England for some prime leaf-peeping and good times with friends. These photos are fairly self explanatory, so here goes. I should also note that most of these photos are not mine. Thanks to those who actually took photos!

Kayaking after breakfast on Webster Lake

Drew

Tyson

Flag football. I was quite happy to be the head cheerleader in this game.

On Saturday afternoon we went apple picking and a photo shoot in a tree. Please note that the apples that we sampled (and bought) were delicious.

Cute Jane

What I didn't get photos of:

Playing Murder in the Dark with a group where 95% of us are over the age of 30. We sure don't need alcohol to act like idiots.
Taking a long Sunday walk along the lake
The cute B&B where we stayed.
The hilarious road trip home

Oh, Canada

2011-12-01T23:05:00.001-05:00

Last summer I went to a funeral of a family friend, as mentioned here on this blog. At the funeral, there were some Royal Canadian Mounted Police there because the person who died was one of them. Random.

A week later, I was in Vancouver, Canada on a work trip and no kidding, I was walking through the convention center and saw a Mountie who looked a little too familiar. So I walked up to him and asked him if he just happened to be at a funeral in Utah a few weeks earlier. He said yes. And BAM - just like that, it hits you. I really do have magical powers to remember people that I have barely met. This story is about to get weirder.

A few nights ago I am watching TV with a neighbor - and suddenly, what do I see on the screen? I seriously stopped the tv, rewound it and took this photo. Please tell me that I am not insane and confirm that this is the same Mountie.

The point of this story is to prove to you that I have strange magical powers. Let's start taking bets on where I'm going to see him next. I mean - you never know when you are going to run into a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, right?

Canada, I'm watching you.

Palm Reading & Other Nonsense.

2011-11-10T11:10:00.000-05:00

Have I ever told you about the time that I accidentally-ish had my palms read?

A few months ago I was in Houston for about a week at a work conference. I went out a few days early to go on a tour of Galveston Island with other meeting planners and so in consequence ended up making a few friends. When I say that I made a few friends I typically don't mean that my friends are even close to my own age. There is usually a huge age gap with people in my industry - you are either straight out of college, have grandkids, or are a gay man. Ok maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but not by much. Anyway - a lot of the friends that I make on work trips are much older than me. For those who know me well, this is no huge shock.

I became friends with 3 ladies in particular who were all grandmothers and from various parts of the country. They loved me. They told me constantly things along the lines of: "If my son weren't married, I'd set you up with him!" Old ladies are always entertaining and I frequently get invited to do things with them. So I spent 5 days with these ladies and the last night they invited me to dinner. I overheard two of them talking before we went to the restaurant that the other one had read their palms earlier that day. I was surprised to say the least. I mean - I don't know any other women with 5 grandkids who lives in Palm Beach with her third husband who reads palms. Maybe I am just ignorant.

Over dinner one of them brought up the palm reading and curiosity got the best of me. I asked my friend if she would read my palms. She got very serious and grabbed my hands.

*Related Tangent* - I ~~shouldn't~~ don't believe in psychics. I used a ouija board when I was in the 6th grade with my best friend and when I told my mom about it, she said two things:

1. Don't do that ever again.
2. I used a ouija board with my friends when I was in elementary school and it told me I'd marry Bill.

My dad's name is Bill. Also, needless to say, my best friend in the 6th grade did not marry her crush, Hunter, as we were told by the ouija board. Obviously I am thereby curiously skeptical about their powers. I also think that psychics in general are creepy and I have no interest in giving anyone my money to tell me something that may or may not be true. When someone that you have come to mildly trust over a 5 day period is looking at your palms though, it is harder to be skeptical. Also, I was not paying her for her services.

Back to having my palms read:

I don't remember a lot of what she said to me, but a few things stick out in my mind. She told me that my life line was the longest she had ever seen. My mom's great grandmother lived to be 104. My dad's mom is going to be 98 next month and unless her gangbuster neighbors take her out in the next 2 years, she's going to make it to 100 quite easily. I just might live forever with those genes. Then she started looking very closely at some lines on my palm and held them over the candlelight to get a better view and got very excited. She said to me: "I have never seen this before! Wow! What a lucky girl!" I was obviously very curious at this point and then she looked into my eyes and said "You are never going to get married. How fun! You'll never have to be tied down to a man! But you will have one child." Then she dropped my hands and picked up her glass of wine and asked someone a question like she had not just shattered my eternal life plans.

Now you should know that I'm not blogging about this to get sympathy comments and emails. It happened about 6 months ago and I haven't shed any tears or had any sleepless nights. I don't think about it very often because even if it is true, I still like men and how will I ever get pregnant if I give up completely?

What are your thoughts on this? Fess up if you've ever used a ouija board and had something come true. Just be anonymous in case your mom reads this.

My latest dating rant

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today I read an excerpt from Mindy Kaling's new book.

When men hear women want a commitment, they think it means commitment to a romantic relationship, but that’s not it. It’s a commitment to not floating around anymore. I want a guy who is entrenched in his own life. Entrenched is awesome.

So I’m into men now, even though they can be frightening. I want a schedule-keeping, waking-up-early, wallet-carrying, picture-hanging man. I don’t care if he takes prescription drugs for cholesterol or hair loss. (I don’t want that, but I can handle it. I’m a grown-up too.)

Obviously I bought it. I shouted "Amen" in my head when I read it.

And for my lady readers, here is a great link to an article I saw on my friend's facebook page recently. 50 universal truths about men. I found it interesting.

An Anniversary

2011-11-08T12:50:00.001-05:00

Two years ago today, I sent out the following email:

Friends & Family-
I don't want to make this long, but I wanted to share with all of you that I finished my first marathon today. Most of you knew about it, but yes. Read that sentence again. I ran a marathon. (And am alive to tell you about it!) ha! When it was pouring down rain at 6am when we got in the bus to go to Marathon, I was slightly discouraged. We had a two hours wait in the rain before the start and took refuge in a burned out apartment building. And the pouring rain didn't stop until at least mile 10. Starting a race like that isn't ideal for sure. True to form I made a few friends along the way - John from Canada who is a Team Diabetes coach ran about 5 or 6 miles with me when we were going up the worst part of the hill, and Melanie from France and I ran/walked the last 5 miles and even finished at the same time.
My time was horrible and we can talk about that later, but I just wanted to send out a huge thank you to everyone who encouraged me along the way. I felt so much love today and I'm just grateful that even though I was running "alone", I had so many people cheering me on from around the world. Few people are as lucky.
Oh - I've also learned that getting emotional when I'm at mile 20 might lead to a temporary case of asthma. That's what I like - to constantly learn new things about myself. We're off to Santorini tomorrow - should be awesome.
Love you all.

This has caused me to reflect on a few things. Initially this race always makes me think of this. Which then of course makes me think of this and this. And which then how can I not remember this and THIS. Time to lay down? Yes, I think so.

Conversations with Uzi

2011-11-08T11:43:00.001-05:00

This is an excerpt from a conversation I had with Kristya few days ago about how my day went.

I thought about transcribing this more, but with very fewedits, here you go.

me: so this morning i worked from home

which means not working and running errands, obviously

so i wake up around 7:30

and decide to go running

not sure how far i went

a few miles

we'll say around 3

i put some laundry in before i left

i get home around 8:30 and take a shower

i had a call at 10

so i get ready

finish the laundry, etc

at 10 i get online

and my boss says that i missed the call - it was at 9

Kristy: shut up!

me: so then i send him a screenshot of my appointmentrequest that said 10am

so that he doesn't think i just missed it

not my fault

anyway

so then i have a chiro appointment at 10:30

so i throw my pink hoodie on and run out the door

meanwhile i text whatshisname to see if he wants to grablunch at 11:30 before i get on the train
my chiropractor was running late or something bc i laidthere forever before she came in

so i get out of there around 11:10

whatshisname has now called and texted

i tell him to meet me at chipotle by my house and i willmeet him there

btw - i have not yet packed

then i realize that i have to drop something by theoffice - a gift for my boss since he is running the marathon on sunday here

(oh hells bells!)

so i run by the office and drop my stuff off

then i literally run to the subway

just miss the express

hop on the local

there is a delay

ugh

so i finally get out of the subway and luckilyfind whatshisname walking the wrong direction from chipotle

my train was at 12:25

at this point it was 11:45

he runs over and is like - forget food - lets just getyou on the train

so we go to my apartment and he puts some soup in themicrowave

while i am PACKING

hahaha

i have clean laundry all over my bed

so then we start eating soup at 12

he is panicked

i'm like - whatever! i'll make the train!

Kristy: haaaa ha ha haaaa

me: so we leave

he carries my suitcase

so i hop on the subway

and he goes to get a bus

then i start realizing that i might not make the train

HAHA

i get to penn station, try to print my ticket, and itwon't let me

so i get in the customer service line - its like 12:24

there are like 12 people in front of me

so i call the lady who booked my ticket to tell herthere's some problem and i'm missing my train

so i finally get up to the window and by then the ladyhas rebooked my ticket for the 1pm train

and the guy at the window prints it out for me and tellsme that my train was actually at 12

of course it was

Kristy: HAAAAA, shut up!!

this is hilarious!

me:here is my text exchange with whatshisname: me:so. my train was at 12. got confused with my train back to new york. haha. theyput me on the 1pm with no problem. oh we could have finished our soup. LOL

whatshisname: haha well you are having a very consistentday at least :)

me: so true.

Not-so-breaking news!

2011-10-31T16:10:00.001-04:00

A few things have happened recently that has made itclear to me that maybe people aren’t aware that I moved to New York...more than a year ago.

1. The congregation I attended for church in SanFrancisco has a new twitter feed. Twoweeks ago I got a notification that they were following me. Last week, I got a notification that I hadbeen mentioned in a tweet. Sorry kids,won’t be making it to a church activity in San Francisco.

2. On my birthday, I got a call from an unknownnumber. Since I answer all calls on my birthday, I was surprised to hear my old bishop’s voice on the otherline. To be clear, he did not know who Iwas when I lived in San Francisco. Verynice man – but seriously wouldn’t be able to pick me out of a lineup if hislife depended on it. I told Rachael tomention to his secretary that my birthday should be taken out of his calendar. I’ll let you know next year if this has beendone. Help me, Rachael-wan-kenobi, you're my only hope {to avoid future awkward phone calls with someone who doesn't know me}

3. A few months ago I went camping in Pennsylvaniafor a few days. On my way out to thesticks, I noticed a phone call from a lifelong friend who reads this blog. I listened to the voicemail and in it, myfriend started talking about a restaurant in San Francisco that I havementioned several times and then he said he was in San Francisco for work andwanted to know if I wanted to go grab dinner. Yep - but it will take me a few hours to get there.

Moral of the story is: If you have been wondering why you haven't seen me in San Francisco lately, it is because I no longer live there. I know that I traveled a lot when I lived there, but I have been alarmed at maybe how much I was gone if people don't even realize that I haven't been around for the past year. I have my moments when I wish I were there with all my friends, but I currently live in New York City. And I want to kiss it on the mouth almost every day. Well, every day but last Saturday but that is something that I don't even want to talk about.

Improved Celeb Sightings

2011-10-25T13:57:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago my coworker burst into the office after lunch claiming to have ridden in the elevator with Beyonce. It wasn't that I didn't believe her, but I figured it was a fluke. Well, you should know that the two photos below were taken outside my office building in the past week and I have seen Beyonce and her baby bump with my own two eyes on both of these occasions. Apparently she has an office in my office building.

And my one chance at talking to one of the most famous people in the world? Of course I said something. Remember that one time that I sat next to Scott Wolf during the taping of American Idol? I totally talked to him and only told him that I loved him all through high school in my head. Back to the story. About two weeks ago I was waiting for the elevator at the end of the day with two of my coworkers and we were talking about what we were going to eat that night for dinner. One of my coworkers was complaining that her future mother-in-law was making her corned beef that night when the elevator stopped and three people got in the lift with us. All of a sudden we all realized that Beyonce was one of them and we just got huge eyes and tried to act totally normal. So I said to my coworker "Corned beef, huh?" Then I looked over at Beyonce's fingers texting away on her iphone and said "I like your nails! They look like little watermelons!" I give myself an F. Not sure if it is for FAIL or FREAKING AWESOME! For the record, she smiled and said thank you.

If I see her again today I will make sure to tell you what she will be wearing in her PEOPLE photo tomorrow. She is for sure here again - Pappa - Pappa - Pappa-RATZI are all around the building. Carry. On.

Live from New York, It's Stephanie's Life!

2011-10-14T15:35:00.000-04:00

We all need weeks where we hit the recharge button. This week has been one of those for me. I went to bed at 8 o'clock on Monday night because I could barely keep my eyes open. I was crafting while pretending to watch a baseball game with our neighbor and he had to cheer me on so that I could finish my craft before passing out. Not even diet coke could help at that point. I surrendered to my bed and it was delicious.

Waking up at 3am was not delicious. But I digress.

We all know you are here for the photos.

Without further ado: This past week (or so) in photos!!

Slept in a bar.

Went to a floral design class.

Occupied Wall St.

Took a pic of my friend sleeping on the subway while listening to a homeless man sing "If you think I'm sexy"

Spent lots of hours sitting outside at Shake Shack enjoying the weather.

Bought this fancy thing for my bedroom wall. It is perfect for my room.

Added some adornments in the living room as well.

Happy Fall!

Sky writing in Central Park on Sunday afternoon. I'm glad I didn't see the more "threatening" messages!

Me with my new friend Jill. She is all sorts of awesome.

Exciting things:

I am heading to New Hampshire this weekend to do some leaf peeping, apple picking, and dance partying. Huzzah for Fall!
Beyonce has an office IN MY OFFICE BUILDING. I have seen her twice now. We should talk about that some time.
I got the new iPhone. AEAEAEEAE
San Franidazzle 2011 is happening. eeek!

Three months late - San Francisco trip!

2011-10-10T16:32:00.002-04:00

A few months ago I went to San Francisco and I just recently realized that I never put the photos up from that great/too short trip. I was really lucky that my sister and her kids happened to plan a vacation there the same time that I was there, so I was able to see my always adorable niece and nephews and give them too much candy.

Can you blame me?! Hannah - age 4.

My Uncle Mike. He is the best. I am his number one niece, after all.

I asked Hannah to smile for the photo and this is what I got. I would like to put her in my pocket so I can take her with me wherever I go. She is a hoot.

"Daniel, be sad!"

Sam & Ryan climbing in the tree outside Gram's house. Lots of generations of Zundels have climbed those trees!

Me and my sis.

Gram & Hannah

Hannah is also the only child who will sit still long enough for a photo. Can you tell?

Auntie Ilene & Daniel

My awesome Gram. She is going to be 98 in December. Can you believe it?

Deb & Blair. Aren't they darling?

Andrea!!!!!!

I already had this photo on my blog in the last few months, but I love it so much, that here it is again. Cannot wait to see you in a few months!

Silvia drove up to see me from Santa Cruz - at the time she was about 7 months pregnant. Isn't she the cutest pregnant lady? Sil - thanks again for making the drive. Gold star.

I'm not sure how well you can see this photo, but it is the fog rolling over the hills off the 280. Oh, nostalgia.

Making the familiar drive over the Golden Gate Bridge on the way to my Gram's house.

Breakfasting with Jane.

Lunching with some of my favorite old coworkers. These ladies are the best.

I will fully admit that when I walked into the lobby pictured below (my old office), I ran into an old coworker and started crying when she hugged me. I think I just realized how much I really loved working for the Academy. I still feel like they are my family and I am now for sure an eye doctor snob. Walking down the hallway, people would say hi to me as if I was there every day and then a few steps later they would stop and say "Wait! You don't work here anymore!" Speaks volumes for a company where hardly anyone leaves. I miss you guys.

And last but not least, the view from Rachael's apartment at night. I'm considering quitting my job and just occupying Rachael's living room. I hear she makes good desserts, too.

I'm going back to San Francisco in approximately 2 months and I can't wait. Just, you know, visiting the pieces of my heart that I left behind.

Split Screen Sadness

2011-10-07T16:18:00.001-04:00

You know in the movie "500 Days of Summer" when Tom is going to Summer's party and you see the split screen of reality vs. expectations? I have felt recently in my life that a split screen like that would be applicable in many aspects. As you can probably tell from my last post, I have been extremely frustrated with dating recently. With LDS guys, with non-LDS guys. Yep, I have been on dates with both flavors lately. And now you want details. I can tell.

The hard thing for me in this aspect is that you, my readers (fans), aren't all LDS or not. So let me paint a picture for you of what some aspects of a given date are like:

Greeting with an LDS date:
We see each other and there might or might not be a hug that is definitely not super affectionate. Things that might be said at this time - "How are you?"

Greeting with a non LDS date:
We see each other and there is a hug and a kiss on the cheek followed immediately by a "You look great!" Then possibly a "How are you?"

During dinner we both have good conversation. There might be an awkward moment with the non-LDS guy when I don't order an alcoholic beverage. I will also say that in my most recent experiences, the LDS guy paid for me and the non-LDS guy didn't.

We leave dinner to go to our after-dinner activities.

LDS guy either has a plan that for some unexpected reason doesn't work out or hasn't made a plan and is now fumbling, trying to figure something out. I make a suggestion. We do that.

Non-LDS guy asks me if I want to go get another beverage. I agree and we end up at a bar where we watch "the game" on TV and talk more while he puts a very G-rated move on me. I am now drinking sparkling water, just to be completely clear. Still awkward for my date that I am not drinking something a bit harder.

Saying goodbye with LDS guy: In my head I am wondering if he is going to escort me to either a) my home or b) the closest subway station. Neither happens. We have a very awkward goodbye that feels very much like "See ya, buddy!" I walk myself to the subway very confused. And upset.

Saying goodbye to the non-LDS guy: He has already asked me out on a second date while he is holding my hand walking me to the subway station without being asked. He gives me a nice kiss goodnight and I go into the subway station and go home, not wondering what just happened.

The funny thing about BOTH of these scenarios is that they both ended up in the same result. A few days later, it was either "I don't think that we are a great match" or "I didn't feel our relationship moving to the next level." I will let you guess which response went with which scenario. What I'm saying is that the result was the same in the end, but the delivery was totally different. I think that both of the guys are really nice and I had fun with both of them.

There is a singles conference this weekend here in New York and let me tell you in my most monotone voice how excited I am to go to it. Get me to a nunnery, STAT. I think that I am just in a funk but it is nothing that a bunch of hummus and games of hearts can't cure. Good thing I have a plethora of those in my life thanks to Costco and a very social roommate. Thanks, friends.

Sad faces all around

2011-09-29T16:30:00.000-04:00

Today I got caught in the rain on my way back to the office after lunch.

It fit my mood so I went with it.

I am having a hard time understanding why dating has to be so hard. Someone said to me today that being single is like not having a job. You find temp jobs and have lots of interviews, but never land the job. I've been at this game for 12 years now.

Uncle. ?!

Crying on and off since I got on the subway this morning is not good for my makeup. Or my morale. Let's go dancing and hook up with strangers. Sound good, everyone? I thought so.

where i been

2011-09-20T23:23:00.002-04:00

Last weekend I was in Toronto for work and the only thing I did outside of work was go to the Yankees/Blue Jays game on Friday night with a gaggle of colleagues. You might be surprised to find that cheering for the Yankees helped me make some friends - a Canadian in front of me turned around and wanted to know why a girl like me was cheering for the Yankees. We chatted for a while and of course the conversation turned to hockey - we were in Canada, remember - and then I tuned out and tried yet again to explain to my British friends how baseball is different than Rounders.

Yep. It was exciting.

A few gems from my trip:

I was sitting in a hotel lobby at a registration desk helping people get their badges for a conference.
Man runs up to me like he is about to pee his pants - at least that is what it looks like is happening
Man: in a foreign accent Can you tell me where the &$*&#$# room is?!
Me: Are you looking for the restroom?
Man: NO NO NO! (Doing pee pee dance) THE WASH ROOM!!!!
I put this story on facebook, but it cracks me up every time. Lost in translation, apparently. Then it happened again, about 30 seconds later with another guy.

I also decided on my halloween costume. Let's just say that I'm rocking a princess costume this year. Just. You. Wait.

This weekend I am going to Utah to visit my parents - the first time since their accident back in June. We have fun plans like getting my hair did with my mom and going fishing with my dad up at Strawberry. I'm also having a birthday dinner with my nephews and niece. Tons of fun packed into one weekend. Maybe if I'm lucky my mom will make me tuna casserole or tacos. And see some of you? Have your people call my people, if you know what I mean.

Zundel out.

Day of Remembrance

2011-09-11T09:30:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe that 10 years ago I was in Logan, Utah, and now I actually live in New York City. A lot of lives have been changed due to those events and I hope that we can feel more love towards our fellow men always.

Since we are remembering things today, last weekend my girlfriends asked me re-tell them the story of the time that my ex-boyfriend rode in an avocado truck as a stowaway in Mexico ON A FERRY to spend the weekend with me.

Click here to check it out. Please keep in mind that it was written over 3 years ago and the story itself actually happened in 2006. Also, it is awesome.

Alive. Barely.

2011-09-10T23:52:00.000-04:00

Well, it is official. I'm no longer in my 20's. The night of my birthday, I was laying in bed with one of my best friends and she said "Do you feel different?" I looked at her and said "Nope" and she said "See? Not so bad, right?"

I will post all the gory details of my birthday celebration in the next few days, but for now, I just wanted you to know that I made it. I'm not exactly sure how I got here, but here I am and 30 feels just fine.

This week I was sitting on the patio of my new apartment with friends, playing hearts and I seriously thought to myself: "Life. is. good."

Someone told me a few months ago that I didn't seem settled in New York. I didn't know exactly what he meant by that and after doing a lot of thinking and soul searching and purging, I'd like to officially announce that I am settled. And it feels so good.

Pre-Celebration

2011-09-01T07:39:00.000-04:00

This week I am celebrating the last week of my twenties. Just to give you an example of how busy it has been:

I haven't been home before 10:30pm any night this week
I have been to a sporting event in Queens - the US Open - maybe you have heard of it?
I went to a concert in Central Park last night (from 4:30pm until after 10pm)
Today I have plans for breakfast, lunch, dinner, 4th meal, and 5th meal (I am not kidding)
6th meal will undoubtedly happen at Chick-Fil-A tomorrow morning when I have not slept at all and arrive in South Carolina with 3 of my besties.

If this is any indicator of what the coming decade is going to be like, then bring it. This last one has been pretty amazing. Also, I need to lay down. I am quite tired.

Update! My week so far in photos:

Monday

This is an entirely new level of red pants. Hipster preppy red pants! I seriously stopped this guy in the subway to ask him if I could take a photo of his red pants. WHALES! I have absolutely no shame. He probably thought I was kidding about the pants - but obviously I do not care the least about his face.

Tuesday
Watched Rafa at the US Open. Who doesn't love him?

Wednesday

Went to see Joshua Radin & Sara Barielles in Central Park. On nights like that, I am reminded why I am head over heels in love with this city.

Thursday...so far

This morning I had breakfast with my friend Dan - who I hadn't seen since I was 18. It is so great catching up with old friends.

In other news, I have done my hair 4 of the last 5 days. That might be some sort of new record for me. Watch out, world!

Thursday - update again

I failed to take a lunchtime update photo, but imagine me sitting in Bryant Park with a good looking, funny man who took me to lunch.

Post-work with Rachael. If you call eating cherry licorice and cheezits a treat, that is fine. I call it dinner. Sometimes it is weird to think that Rachael and I don't share a bedroom door anymore. Just so glad I was able to celebrate with her today. Love you, Rach.

Scott took me to 4th meal at Shake Shack and it was delicious. By that time, my eye was being weird and though it looks like I am crying, I am just fine. JUST FINE! I surely don't spend as much time with Scott as I'd like to, so I'm glad he came to take me out for my pre-celebration. I did celebrate Scott's 30th with him here in New York a few years ago.

Thanks for making me feel so loved this week and especially today, friends. I can't begin to tell you how lucky and blessed I am in the friend department. Sometimes I try, but it is always a fail. I have the best - just believe me. I wish you were all here with me all the time. Today someone asked me where my closest friends live. San Francisco, Salt Lake, Rockville, Arlington, Seattle, San Diego, Charleston, LA, Phoenix, Tucson, Syracuse, San Jose, Palo Alto, Huntington Beach, Provo, and New York. Is that a good answer?

There are no strings attached to my friend with benefits.

2011-08-31T10:15:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I came across this hilarious list of 25 questions to ask someone when you're stuck together during a hurricane. I was kind of stuck with someone this last weekend and though we are great friends, we aren't romantically interested in each other. I still sent it to him. And it reminded me of a recent list that I came up with (I'm sure based on some other list that I saw on that website). Drumroll please.

Reasons to justify having a makeout buddy.

1. He has cable - you don't.

2. He lives alone - you don't

3. His couch is quite comfortable and yours feels like a metal bench with a piece of pleather over it.

4. He always seems to contact you when you are out and about - and he lives close to a subway stop.

5. I like to kiss. So shoot me.

And in relation to the list above:

Reasons to justify not having a makeout buddy:

1. He doesn't speak to you in public.

2. You like someone else.

3. Two of the reasons above no longer exist due to a recent move.

Carry on.

West Coast - Seattle

2011-08-30T11:36:00.004-04:00

In July I went to Seattle for approximately 24 hours to spend some time with close friends. When I arrived at the airport, I was glad to see that little Lucy had forded the river safely and made it to ~~Oregon~~ Washington. I have been worried about that ever since I quit in the middle of my Oregon trail game in the 5th grade.

Kim, Steph, and Me. I love these girls so much. So here is the back story - The two on the left are cousins and their respective mom and dad grew up in the same ward as my mother. Kim's family moved to North Carolina when I was 11 and she quickly became my best friend. When Kim's cousins came to visit, her Aunt and my Mom would catch up and so the first time I met Steph I was probably 12 or 13. Fast forward through years of living in Utah and being best friends still with Kim, I would see Steph around campus at Ricks College and other various things that we were both involved in. We were bridesmaids at Kim's wedding in San Diego about 3 years ago and Steph and I were both at a loss as to why we weren't closer friends. The rest is history. Sometimes I forget that they are related - and then they act like each other and it freaks me out. I was so glad to be able to spend time with Kim - the time we get to spend is far and few between these days. Boo to that.

For something to do on a rainy day in Seattle, we went to Pike's Market and ate donuts, crepes, and cherries. Oh, those cherries were amazing.

Every time that Kim and I see each other, we try and get a photo - that should be a post in and of itself. Now that I have a photo scanner, maybe I should get on that, eh? Here is our 2011 pic.

And anyone who can hula hoop, play the guitar, play the harmonica, sing, and dance at the same time deserves to have a photo on the blog.

And seeing Kim's cute little girl, Abby, wasn't so bad either. :)

And I will leave you with a cute pic of Steph and Marcus.

Action Jackson

2011-08-29T01:03:00.001-04:00

Maybe you heard about some of the action that has been going on in New York over the past week? Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, rumors of wars, etc. I have to admit that things got a little exciting around here as far as natural disasters go. Maybe that can be another post? Maybe.

Really though, the most exciting thing that happened in my life this last weekend was that I moved into my new apartment and I could not be happier about it. There are a lot of great things about it and I'm sure that those things will become apparent in subsequent posts, but here is a photo of my new bedding (and bed!) - I am in love with it.

This was one of the best weekends I've had in New York - and I left the apartment once. And before anyone thinks that I am ungrateful, I owe many many people so much for letting me stay with them during the past month. I think that in the month of August I slept (alone, Mom) in 8 different beds. To anyone who housed me or fed me or friended me - you are the best. Oh, I am so happy. So happy.

Spa Heaven or Hell

2011-08-20T23:26:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine is moving away next weekend. And while I am sad to see her go, I am moving into her bedroom, I took her calling, and she is moving to San Francisco. Maybe she can move into my old bedroom and take my old calling? Would that make things even?

As a going away, we had a spa day with some of her nearest and dearest in Heaven. Heaven is in Queens, believe it or not; and is a place also known as Spa Castle. Holy cow - if being in water and laying in saunas is your thing, this is the place to go.

First off, the girls all wear matching outfits and so do the boys. Then in each locker room, there are bathing areas where swim suits are not allowed. Scary. For most of the day, we laid in saunas, hot tubs, special pools where the water flowed over you, etc. Each sauna had different minerals - like jade, gold, salt, etc. and was pretty cool (and hot). I run fairly hot naturally so I didn't last as long in the saunas as some of the girls did. I really enjoyed my 45 minute nap though in a lounge chair this afternoon. Those were special times.

By 6:30pm, there were only 3 of us left at the spa. We went down to the locker room and checked out the spa there and decided that we were going to brave it and go full throttle. Let me also say that the towels that they gave you in the locker room were about 6 inches wide and 12 inches long. If you were going to do it, you were going to do it. I must admit that after about 30 minutes of being in the room with about 50 other women who were baring it all, it became fairly empowering and suddenly I realized that no one cared the least about what I look like without my clothes on...except me. And then I ate a huge burrito and a snow cone for dinner. I'm just going to eat away that pain!

So - would you do it? I'm curious. Are you too self conscious or would you strip down in front of your friends in a bathhouse?

Why yes, I can be talked into doing things...

2011-08-18T20:45:00.003-04:00

The other day I somehow stumbled across this song called "The Pretty Girl From Matthews".

Dear The Avett Brothers,

If I'd have known that you wrote a song about me, I would have loved you so much sooner.

Love, Me.

But really - I want to know who this song is about because if she is from Matthews, I know her. For reals. I have used my crazy amazing deducing skills to figure out that this "Matthews" is my hometown. I will stop rambling about this now.

It is quite a country song. Which is fitting if you are singing a song about a girl from North Cackalacky.

Last weekend I went camping with friends. Please reread that. I went camping. I was talked into it for a few reasons. The first being that I really liked who invited me (in a friendy girly way). The second was that I decided that in an effort to make more friends, I was going to say yes to anyone who invited me to do something unless I already had solid plans. So, I borrowed some camping gear from a generous friend (who is also hott - thanks, Jen!) and headed out into the wilderness of Scranton, Pennsylvania! No, I did not see Dwight Schrute there.

Here is how you camp as a New Yorker:

1. Pack up a rental car so full that you are fairly sure that you will be feeding 100 people and housing 50 in the woods for 2 weeks.

2. Get stuck in traffic on your way through the Lincoln Tunnel at 9pm on a Friday night.

3. Take a photo with Adrienne in a car, because you are in a car and not in a subway or on a bus.

4. Make friends with the local campers when you arrive at your campsite and have them give you enough wood to make s'mores. Put your headlamp on so that you look more outdoorsy.

5. In the morning, plug your waffle-iron in and eat up.

6. Appreciate the outdoors with 7 friends after breakfast and stay in this same position until someone realizes that it is 2pm.

7. Put some real clothes on and head down to Lake Lackawanna. (It is approximately 50 yards away)

8. While you are kayaking across the lake, it will start pouring rain and you will spend the balance of your time in the wilderness inside a tent napping, reading, talking to friends, OR you will be under a tarp eating dinner and you will be mostly damp.

9. I will spare you photos of this, but you will be munched on by approximately 500 bugs that I have decided were chiggers. Just imagine a foot that looks like it has chicken pox over every inch of it. There you go. Also, imagine the cute pedicure that I got today at lunch. That's even better.

In regards to the other craziness in my life (aka - couch surfing), things are going well. I am really grateful for good friends. Also, my dad is going under the knife tomorrow and getting a rod put into his leg. The saga continues.

I am waiting for my compensatory blessings

2011-08-10T10:08:00.002-04:00

This is part of a conversation that I had with someone last week:

"So, a lot has been going on with me.
1. My parents were in a horrible motorcycle accident in Spain and they are finally back in Utah and it will be a long road of recovery for both of them.
2. My ex-boyfriend who I really loved and was going to marry showed up on my doorstep for a week
3. I found out that my roommate was overcharging me by $400 per month and pocketing the money.
4. I AM TURNING 30 IN 3 WEEKS."

And then I cried.

OK - maybe I cried a little earlier.

Life has been hard the past few months - not going to lie. I sent out an SOS to friends last week and was sent a lifesaver within minutes from so many. People invited me to stay with them, to dinner, to classes where I could punch people in the face, to help me move.

Last Saturday was easily one of the worst days that I can remember in recent history. Moving under duress is never good. BUT - I went to brunch with some friends that morning which was wonderful and needed, then that evening I went to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where I stood in line for more than 3 hours and caught up with a wonderful friend (or 2).

Just wanted to send out a little note to say that I am alive and doing well. I watched Bachelor Pad last night with my friends and who knew that watching Vienna and Jake (and Kasey) again would cheer me up so much?

If bad things happen in three's, there are some amazing blessings waiting for me around the corner.

That's what friends are for

2011-08-01T21:52:00.004-04:00

In the midst of catching up on the blog, life has happened and tonight instead of going to play flag football with friends, I decided to lay in bed and catch up on blogs and chill out.

I was out until approximately 2:30am on both Friday and Saturday night, and my lack of sleep is catching up with me in a major way. That is my excuse, ok?

A few weeks ago I had a chat with someone about how I've struggled to make friends since moving here. I have friends - don't get me wrong. I have wonderful friends here. I've never sat home at night due to loneliness, but I don't have a group of friends that I can always rely on. I think you know that I'm saying. Right? I told Rachael this already, and continue to tell her constantly, but the Lord is answering my prayers to have good people put in my path and to make friends that will bless my life now and forever. My prayers are being answered - not always in the ways that I've expected and sometimes the process hurts, but I am getting there. We so easily look at other people's problems and see the ways things

turned out and think to ourselves that our problems are harder to bear in some way or another. No one knows in their darkest moments how the light is ever going to come again - and I am so very grateful that I am being molded into the person that I need to become. So many people have reached out to me lately and I have felt very loved.

I will eventually update you on my trip to the West Coast a few weeks ago, but for now, these girls should know how much they are loved. What a great group of friends I have. A year later and I am still calling you withmy problems. Thanks for being the light at the end of my tunnel. You know how easily scared I get.

The only advice column I will ever write. Probably.

2011-07-27T23:56:00.002-04:00

I saw something today on someone's blog about introducing people. And I have a little tip for those of you who have trouble remembering people's names and often have a wingman.

When I was in college, Matt and I were inseparable. Matt is adored by many a male and female and is also horrible at remembering people's names. Without fail, his adoring fans would approach him wherever we were and he would hardly ever know who they were even if they thought Matt was a close friend. So we came up with a system. If he didn't immediately say: "{George}, this is Stephanie, Stephanie this is {George}" upon seeing them, I would take this as a signal that he had no idea what this person's name was and I would say:

"Hi. I'm Stephanie. What's your name?" Bingo. We both got the name without making Matt look like a forgetful poop. Sometimes I would add "How do you know Matt?"

I've even started applying this in my own day to day life. If I am with a friend who runs into someone and I am not introduced immediately, I will take it upon myself to go through the exercise mentioned above. It is always awkward when you are with someone who doesn't introduce you to their friends.

And now you know.

Catch up part 1 - Duck Beach

2011-07-25T11:50:00.000-04:00

This year Duck Beach was a major highlight. We played so hard that by the time I left, I looked Latina and had averaged approximately 4 hours of sleep per night for a week straight.

We had so many good times. So many. I will just let the pictures speak for me.

Always a good time with Scott.

Watermelon in the pool with my girls. Oh how I love this photo.

This is how rumors start about things at Duck Beach.

And this photo may be the wallpaper on my phone.

Uzi and Toddles

The view during sacrament meeting. Yep, I am sitting in the hall and there are hundreds of people standing around me. During sacrament meeting. This is not after church.

View from our kitchen deck.

Scott is obsessed with taking pyramid photos. Obsessed. In turn, I have a collection of pyramid photos. Luckily, they are always with some of my most favorite people.

Um, sorry, Scott....

Uzi and I had to hit up an island so that we could keep up with our Summer Island Adventure. We went down to Roanoke Island for a few hours the morning that we flew home. I have been there before, but it was the first unsuccessful English colony in North America. I get excited about it. =nerd

And for the Grand Finale, some mathematical equations for you:

1. Steph + Todd = Steph Todd

2. Kristy Uzelac + Stephanie Zundel = Kristephanie Zundelac (duh)

3. Me + Duck Beach + Good Friends = Happiness

PS - Wendy made a great list from people's follow up emails of fun memories from our house this year. Since this blog is really for me anyway (sorry, Rach), here is the list.

1. Dorian's cowboy recitation of "Square Dancing on My Heart" at Duck Deli

2. "Just Dance"...but not with the yellow controller... for HOURS... never got old

3. Mauri's photo shoot

4. Watching Kristine, Scott, and Christian work out while the rest of us ate breakfast

5. The video sent to our iphones of Vicki running and (trying to) jump on Shamu while Michael moves it out of the way!!!

6. Cruzin' to Duck and crankin' the tunes!!!

7. Norfolk Costco reunions with other 'Mormon Ducks'

8. Dance Parties galore til 3:00am!! Including spontaneous new dance moves such as the "Don't Stop Believing" group sit

9. Karaoke!! Don's Backstreet Boys backup dancers (Wendy, Kristi, & Alicia) and adoring crowd of female groupies

10. Double dream hands & feet dance by everyone in the house at once! shoulder. chin. shoulder, shoulder, shoulder...

11. Trying to build a beach pyramid with sunscreen lathered bodies

12. Toothpicks. Diver down. SAFETY FIRST!!! Carrie's epic fake-out bumping Scott out of the game & Anna getting pushed back in again, and again. SAFETY FIRST!!!

13. Scrum on steroids--Rita not being able to remember to let go of the cue ball

14. Ultimate Frisbee intimidating kick-off dances and goal celebrations

15. Dance prison--how was that Travis!

16. Alicia and Boone's eye of the tiger Rocky routine--complete with arm-chair cover & killer punches

17. Spencer's "hit me baby one more time" dedicated to Wendy (kinda freaky)

18. Brett's black man's hair

19. The birth of the best dance move ever...the jumping shimmy (perfected by Jen) :)

20. Scott's "chicky chicky parm parm" and more of his and Vick's Porter-isms and abbreviations

21. 3am viewing of Tom Haverford's food names...over, and over, and over.

22. "What you ought to know" celeb viewing

23. Rook tourney until the wee hours complete with pu-pu-pu-pu-poker faces. Or not.

24. Patti Papsicle and her many expressions of surprise. "Yeah, I was supwised."

25. Travis packing heat on his swim trunks!

26. Culinary genius of the meal leaders and their crews--pistachio salmon, margarita chicken, kabobs, mexican corn, breakfast blankies, brown sugar bacon, and who knew so much could be done with pre-birds??

27. Hot tub confessionals. (Brett's specialty).

28. Beach cruisers and long walks...

29. The "No Recording" sign outside our house.

30. Tons of toe trauma--including Brett jack-knifing his foot

31. Flying fighting kite, puzzling and riding house bike with no theft

32. Boogie boarding catching some totally awesome waves in the warm ocean

33. Trying to take the raft and oars out past the waves and getting pummeled!

34. Chasing crabs and being brave with Alicia to let them walk on our feet...Todd trying to be brave and then giving up and screaming like a girl

35. Pool play, pink floaties, watermelon, toothpicks and Shamu not to mention the subterranean divers

36. Martha Washington up-do contests in the hot tub

37. Patti singing "You Shook Me All Night Long"--OPERA STYLE

38. Watermelon Pool Scumming--including the opposing teams' clever strategies of "7 minutes in heaven" & "wedgies from hell"

39. Rob K's flash demonstration of why his chest doesn't look like the house owner's picture

40. Scott making wind for Alicia's hair with a cookie sheet during her celine dion cover debut

Adventures in Dating

2011-07-21T09:03:00.003-04:00

A month or so ago I had a long-time friend send me a link to a dating website. If you know me well, you know that I have no opposition to online dating. On this specific site, you enter very basic information such as: if you are religious or into politics and to what degree. And you put up a photo. Done.

I put up a date idea a few weeks ago and had some guy send me a message saying that he was interested in my date idea. The conversation that followed totally made my day:

Me: Hey there! Still want to check out the Cloisters?
Him: sure. why not? what sort of serious faith do you have that fits into other?
Me: Are you asking me what religion I am? I'm fairly sure you are - and I'm Mormon, actually.
What about you?

Him: not really religious at all. think it might be more fun if were then cause it would seem more wrong for all the things i do :)

Me: having rules to break always adds to the excitement, for sure. ha

Him: so you break the rules often? isn't it too hot today to wear magic underwear let alone any underwear? :)

Me: Wouldn't you like to know....

Him: actually i would...

Me: look. if this underwear were magic, i wouldn't be online dating. lets be real.

I win.

Sweaty in the City

2011-07-12T23:23:00.004-04:00

I have thought about revisiting the pic per day project just so that everyone out there knows that I'm ok. I was going to start to do it tonight, but I was sweaty from my running class (in which I ran the fastest that I've ever run and then felt like I was going to overheat in the middle of Central Park). So I didn't. So there.

I was told yesterday that my blog is suffering. It is - I need to figure out how to get this thing going again. Part of the reason that I haven't been saying much is that this month has been full of hard things. Really hard things.

First off, my parents are doing well. My mom's prognosis went from being in Spain recovering for 10 months to going home next week. Of course there are going to be doctors at the airport to greet her when she gets back to Utah and who knows what is in store from here on out, but she is looking forward to yelling at doctors and having them understand her. I have been extremely touched by the Relief Society sisters in Valencia, Spain, who have taken care of my mom when no one else really could. They have been amazing. My parents were able to see each other for the first time in nearly a month on Sunday morning since my Dad was able to get on a plane finally.

Just when that is getting under control, I get a text from one of my nearest and dearest that his mother had an aneurysm and is more or less now in a coma. I have always been close with this particular friend's mother and it just fills my heart to the brim to know that she isn't doing well. Ugh. I have a lot of friends who are going through a lot currently and it has been overwhelming. I sure love you guys.

Then He-who-shall-not-be-named came to town. I knew that he was coming to New York sometime at the end of June/beginning of July. What I didn't know was that he would end up staying at my apartment and that I would spend the better part of a week with him - and I mean every second while I wasn't at work. I have been thinking about what I wanted to say here about the entire situation and I'm not super sure what to say. You should know that I still really love him. I think I always will. I have never done anything but be kind and just love him and unfortunately have put up with him not treating me in like manner. Here are some pictures from our week together:

I am also happy to say that I am now completely over him. It is fairly empowering to be able to say that you love someone so much and that you hope that they have a wonderful life without you. That chapter of my life is officially over. Can I have an amen?

In the meantime, I will be blogging about happy things going on with me. For example, my trip to Massachusetts for the 4th of July. Duck Beach! My upcoming trip to Seattle and San Francisco. How I got a booty call a few hours after Darrel left town on Sunday. Well, maybe I won't be blogging about that. While you are processing that information, I will be going to the frozen tundra of Seattle and San Francisco in the Summer and I am excited about every second of it. I promise to have picture overload from that.

Because you will want to know this

2011-07-07T13:56:00.002-04:00

This week I have been spending a lot of time with this person. Just want to keep my fans informed. You may remember him from here. and especially here. Carry on.

The Bi-monthly update, which is what this blog has turned into.

2011-06-28T21:11:00.007-04:00

I have been meaning to blog for a few weeks, but have been too tired. On Saturday, I was supposed to be at a ward activity (which I was in charge of) and instead I laid down on top of my unmade bed and slept for 3 hours in the middle of the day. Exhaustion, perhaps?

About 2.5 weeks ago, I got a call from my dad that he and my mom were in a motorcycle accident. He said that they were both fine, but they both had broken right legs and were in the hospital. He vaguely mentioned that my mom had been in the ICU, but I figured that this was probably just due to my mom's various medical issues. At that point, I wasn't too worried. Fast forward a few days and I get the full story: my dad's leg was broken in 2 places and my mom's leg was shattered (luckily just below the knee). There was a 50/50 chance that she would lose her foot. Needless to say, times were not good. A week after the accident, my mom was flown from Mallorca to Valencia so that a specialist could look at her foot/leg to decide what its fate would be. Since then, she has had 2 surgeries including a skin graft and has been in Valencia figuring out how to communicate in her broken Spanish. Despite the sheer amount of time that my parents have lived in Spain during their lifetimes, my mom never learned Spanish. It is unfortunate that her crash/survival course has come at a time like this. Of course the members of the Church have come to the rescue and have sent women to spend the night with her every day and help her at mealtimes. My dad has even asked them to smuggle in food. Jamon y queso really is the cure-all. My dad got out of the hospital this last week, but since he has a medieval torture device attached to his leg still, he can't go see my mom quite yet. Things are looking up for my parents, but it looks like they will be spending the next 10 months at least in Spain making sure that my mom is able to walk again. Sending some prayers up for them is still appreciated. It has been a rough go.

And now that the bad news is out of the way, let me tell you what has been going on here in New York.

A few weeks ago, some girlfriends came into town to visit. Liz is in Palo Alto, Annette is in DC, and Emily is in Boston. We all met in the Bay Area and it was so fun to have them come visit for a few days. It is so nice when people come to town with no agenda - they are happy to just spend the day in New York. Also, please note that I have lost all motivation to do my hair with the humidity. I am learning to embrace the fluffiness of my hair.

This sign was on the sidewalk of an elementary school on the Upper West Side. I <3 NYC!

Did I mention that the reason that we had this girly weekend was kind of a bachelorette weekend for Liz?!?? She is getting married in August and I couldn't be more thrilled for her.

Food carts in New York are one of my favorite things. Food carts from restaurants I love are a double bonus. Since Tavern on the Green is currently closed, they have the back open with picnic tables - and that view of Sheep's Meadow. (lamb tacos at Sheep's Meadow anyone?) Really - how can this place get better???

My friend Jackie gave me a guide to New York before moving here and one of the things I decided I was going to take part in was the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. Please note that I did not look up the website before deciding to go. So yeah - I saw more boob than I planned on. :) But since Liz and Annette were here and we were all the way out at Coney Island, we decided to pay up and ride the Cyclone ($8 per ride...) I will say 2 things about the ride: 1. I am glad we did it. 2. Shaken Baby Syndrome.

It is awesome when you not only have a roommate who will GO to the Mermaid Parade with you, but will dress like this AT the Mermaid Parade. Awesomeness.

Then we went to Rita's to get frozen custard. If you live on the East Coast and have one of these close to you - please get there as soon as possible and get a Gelati. You can thank me later.

Me and Dani

Todd & his twin, Tyson. They don't look as much alike in this photo as they do in real life...

Brandy was one of my closest friends in high school and I am so lucky that we have remained close even though we haven't lived in the same town since 1998-ish. She was in town visiting her husband's family this last week, so we got to hang out one evening. She has the cutest little boys and the nicest husband/family. I have said this before, but it makes me happy to know that high school Stephanie had good taste in her friends - and I'd choose the same friends today. I love this pic. So cute.

On Friday my boss brought his kids into the office. Tiny British people! It was so fun having them in the office - not that we got a lot of work done, but being able to play with little ones was great. Good for my soul, for sure. The little girl just came and sat in my lap a few times - bliss.

So. In summary - its been a whirlwind. Also, because all of my posts in the last few months have mentioned running, you should know that I'm taking a running class. And I kick it in the trash every week - for once I am one of the best in my class. I loooove it.

Ok now leave some comments, friends.

In which I make you jealous.

2011-06-20T21:15:00.003-04:00

Some things in life just present themselves to you. For example, an all-expenses paid trip to the Atlantis Hotel in The Bahamas. Did I win a competition? Yes. I beat all of you in a competition that I have named: "Who has the coolest job?"

The Atlantis Hotel flew me there and fed me good food, introduced me to nice people, let me bring my roommate, showed me amazing views of the ocean while sitting at the table over from Jerry Seinfeld, and let me swim with dolphins! I will admit that I did not have this little gem on my life list/bucket list. I have since added it and put a check next to it.

Since it was for work, I took a few hours worth of hotel tours. One of the hotels in particular is a hotel that I couldn't even have imagined in my dreams. Here is the view from our lunch table. I have started a savings account to have this view again at a later date in my life. I don't want you to know where it is because I want it all for myself.

View of some of the condos on Paradise Island.

The awesome people we met on our trip - we were waiting to see Jerry Seinfeld.

On my way to the airport on Sunday morning, I snapped this pic from the cab window. Isn't it beautiful in The Bahamas?

I do believe that my roommate took some legitimate photos which I will have to post at a later date. I wish I had photos of the time that I almost got killed by a stingray - I have Stef and a 4 year old boy to thank for saving me from telling you a story about the time I actually was stung by a stingray. I also wish that I could have spent a week in the Atlantis Kids Adventure Room. Some things just aren't meant to be.

Stephanie Vs. New York

2011-06-10T07:21:00.005-04:00

This week I have felt a complete range of emotion: happiness, sadness, pity, empathy, hope, dispair, frustration, joy, love, and fright.

Oh, I could tell you stories of each of the above emotions, but I am going to only tell you about the last one. What I am about to tell you is something I didn't think I would ever have to experience.

Last night I got home from a long night of managing crowds of 30,000 people in the rain, saying goodbye to friends, etc. I am going to The Bahamas today, so I got home last night with the sole task of packing for my trip. I was wandering around the house finding everything I needed when I decided that I wanted a snack. I was standing in the kitchen when I saw him for the first time.

I froze. I stared and told myself that this wasn't happening to me. I started talking to myself. "I live in a nice apartment building!", "I pay way too much rent to have a cockroach!", "How did this critter get in here? The windows have all been shut today", "OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHGETITOUTGETITOUT!"

So what did I do? I called Todd, who I knew was awake at 12:15am since he sent me a text at 12:12am. "What do I do!?? How do I make it go away without touching it?" Todd, of course, had no answers that I wanted which pretty much included a magic wand or another person (him) taking care of this for me. The only advice he could give was "Whatever you do, you have to smash it to pieces to make sure it is dead - this mo fo is going down."

I looked around - no magic wands and Todd lives about 35 blocks away and was not coming over.

I did what any reasonable person would do: sent a text to 4 people with the above photo attached which read: "I am currently freaking out due to the critter on the blinds. Can someone please send my husband over stat!?!?!"

No response.

The staredown continued - the cockroach didn't move anything but his huge whiskers and I named him Fred. (Short for Freddie Krueger, obviously)

I sent a text to my roommate: "OMG Where are you?"

I called - she didn't answer. I left her a voicemail. "OMG WHERE ARE YOU WE HAVE A NEW PET!"

I called Uzi. She suggested windex. I had a few bottles of lysol. I tested out both bottles to see which one had the best range and had the highest likelihood of hitting Fred square in the face without me having to get too close. Uzi requested that I get all of this on video. I declined due to the fact that I was only wearing underwear. (Zing! Visual! You are welcome!)

I continued to stare.

I decided to use a broom as my weapon of choice. With spray bottle in hand, I got close to the blinds and started spraying as much as I could from approximately 3 feet away. Fred spread his wings and flew across the room while I am screaming and waving the broom around me. He landed on a shelf we have in the kitchen. I continued spraying and screaming. Somehow he got in the sink. I ran around into the kitchen area and knew that he was somewhere in the sink - I could hear him trying to climb the sides of the sink and I continued to spray my little heart out. Every time I would see his antennae pop up over the edge of the sink (I was still at least 2 feet away from the sink) I would spray faster until I heard the climbing stop.

It took me about 5 minutes to get the courage to look inside the sink to see if he was really dead. Also, I looked into the sink from the safety of the living room whilst standing on a barstool. And I reached out my hand and took this photo.

And then I did again what any rational person would do with a dead cockroach that they had named Fred:

I put a cup over it and sent a text to my roommate that read: "omg please dismember our new pet when you get home. i trapped it for you."

And I went to bed.

**If you ever feel the need to invite me to do anything involving nature (excluding the beach - unless there are sea snakes or sharks) please refer to this post.

Lessons from a week spent at the beach.

2011-06-05T00:13:00.003-04:00

This last week I learned many lessons.

Going on vacation with 20 of your favorite people is always a good decision.
No matter how hard you try to help two people avoid each other on said vacation, it will be impossible. The person you are trying to avoid will be staying in the house across the street.
I am always happier when I am tan. Also, I will be more tired.
If you invite me to the beach, I will go - even if it costs me $12 to get on to the beach and even if I've just spent an entire week at the beach.
If you play Just Dance for 6 days, your body will be sore.
Dance parties that last until 3am will be epic.
I will never look at a watermelon the same way again.
That Uzi can always make me laugh.
Sometimes the lack of sleep is worth it.
Shamu will not let you ride her.

So yeah - Duck Beach was awesome this year. I have a few pictures and stories for you, but I need to catch up on some sleep first. Photo of my tan coming right up.

List Day - May 2011 Edition

2011-05-26T09:07:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I was gchatting with Uzi and I started to tell her a really horrible (read: sick) joke and I totally screwed it up. And I cannot stop laughing about it. Seriously - still laughing as of this morning. If you want to know the joke, email me.
My coworker just told me that instead of dying her hair as often as she needs to to cover her gray hairs, she colors them with a sharpie. Apparently this lasts for at least 2 washes.
Speaking of dying your hair, I am blonde-blonde again. Love.
Last night when I got my hair done, they charged me $45 to blow dry my hair. Oh, New York.
I am going to Duck Beach tomorrow for a week. I have been squealing in delight for a week straight.
Go here and vote for me again. Polls close tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who has already voted for me. :)
I started taking a running class once a week. There was a girl that I was running with for about 20 minutes when we finally started chatting. She's from the UK. boom.
Uzi and I have been on a roll for a few weeks now - I have a feeling that this weekend at Duck is going to be out of control. If you are going, you have been duly warned.
And now, pictures!
This woman was in my travel group when I was in Galveston Island a few weeks ago and she showed up to do site visits all day looking like this. Please keep in mind that she was at least 60 years old - her legs were hairy and had major age spots. We were all dying all day. Lucky for me, lots of people took photos and then sent them to me.
When I was in Houston I was able to spend the evening with Karen and Victoria and it is always like no time has passed. They are my proof that no one you meet is a coincidence. Seriously - I met them in Italy when I was 21. The second photo is Victoria's daughter Sara. Isn't she gorgeous? She is a junior in high school.
The Brodster at Coney Island.
A pic of me running the Brooklyn Half. This was at mile 13 - I was pumping away to finish that darn race.
My nephews and niece are hilarious - I was skyping with them the other day and they were going crazy, so I took some photographic evidence. Just to be clear, Hannah was showing me that her skirt had surprise shorts underneath.
I went to the ballet the other night to see the American Ballet Theater's rendition of Don Quixote since a few friends from church are in it. Great show - can I go to Spain this summer please? The chandelier at the Met is so gorgeous.
My dad sent me this picture the other night of my niece washing the porch at my Grandma's house. I wish I were there to hang out on the porch for a few hours.
I saw this the other day and sent it to Rachael but I thought it was worthy to put on le blog. Hilarious. The next time someone asks me to do something that I don't want to, I am just going to send them this photo. For reals.

Smooches to you all. I will be back in a week and will be very sunburned. Please don't tell my dermatologist.

Good day.

For the record

2011-05-22T13:17:00.003-04:00

This weekend has been quite full - which isn't shocking. I just wanted to say publicly that yesterday I wanted to take New York City and kiss it on the mouth. The weather was amazing.

I decided on Friday afternoon to run the Brooklyn Half Marathon on Saturday and so on Friday night I worked my shift at the temple (which was wonderful and so needed) then giggled like a little girl at the cafe under the temple with my friend Karen for about an hour afterward. I stayed up entirely too late that night and after 3 hours of sleep, got up at 4:30 to catch the 5am subway out to Brooklyn to run a race that I had not prepared for. Well, it was my 2nd best half marathon ever! I didn't get a medal at the end and the race ended at Coney Island (which may as well be Kansas, it is so far away) but it was a great way to start a Saturday. The rest of the day was so amazing. Weather wise, it was the best day of the year so far. Warm, sunny, not windy! I went to lunch/brunch with a good friend, saw a wonderful movie (Midnight in Paris), went to some church meetings in the evening and then to dinner with some of my closest friends in New York. Unfortunately I went to bed at 2am last night, so I was up for 22 hours straight and then had church earlier than usual today.

I just wanted to make sure and record this so that come July when I am cursing New York and begging to move back to San Francisco, I will be able to remember.

Carry on.

You want to see me in action?

2011-05-16T11:19:00.003-04:00

Part of the reason I have been so busy lately is because I have been preparing for this.

Help a girl out and go vote, "like", or leave a comment and tell your friends.

Thanks!

Sleep is not my top priority, obviously.

2011-05-10T09:22:00.006-04:00

I've been all over the place lately - going from one island to the next.

From here:

To here:

In two weeks I'm going here:

And in a month I'm going here:

If there is radio silence in the meantime it is because I am going to the gym when I'm not here:

or here:

or here

or here:

Now you know why I can barely keep my eyes open today after hitting up the gym at midnight - and it is only Tuesday, folks. Seriously - midnight.

In which I inundate you with photos from my phone from the last 2 months OR Dear Mom, I have friends.

2011-05-03T21:29:00.013-04:00

I'm not sure if you really care that I dropped out of the blogging world for a while or if you have been waiting breathlessly for my next update. I'm also not sure if I want you to answer that question.

Since I'd rather focus on me instead of telling you about the 13 couples I know who have gotten engaged in the past month or so, I will tell you how bad I have been at blogging and that I'd like to make it up to you by giving you a complete tour of my iPhone photo album. This may or may not be in chronological order.

A while back I went to a burger place called "Rare" at the Hilton Fashion District and let me tell you about the sliders I had and most especially about the maple honey fry dip. I swear to you, liquid crack in a small metal container. Chad would agree with me that it was the most delicious dip I have ever put into my mouth. Oh and the sweet potato fries. Yum.

My company moved into a new building a few weeks ago.

I got on a cooking kick and decided that I wanted to try my hand at spaetzle. It turned out well, I think; however, it looked like chicken nuggets. I shared some with Stef and she put ketchup on them and just pretended that they were nuggets and seemed pleased.

Remember when I ran the DC half marathon a few weeks ago? Although I am trying to block it out, I thought you would enjoy the following photos. You might recall that I am usually smiling in race photos - at least I try to smile or run or look athletic in some regard. At mile 9, my entire body cramped up and I couldn't run. And when I say couldn't run, I mean that I almost laid down in the middle of the road soon after this photo was taken due to the pain. So I checked myself into the medical tent and was driven to the finish line.

Here I am though earlier in the race when I was feeling good. Seriously - I wish I knew what the cause of the cramps were. Not the most awesome thing that has ever happened. We were also 15 minutes late to the starting line and so everything was rushed and my sweat pants were tied to a pole in hopes that I would be able to retrieve them later (I did!) and I didn't have my gloves, etc. Not a great start to a long run. I won't be running that race again any time soon...

Later on in the day Juliann came over and she went with Alicia and I to the National Mall where I would fulfill one of my lifelong dreams by flying a kite by the Washington Monument. Lucky for me it was the Kite Festival weekend and so they were selling kites at the souvenir stand right off the monument. Best $10 I have spent all year, I must say. I also want to come back with my kite when it is warm.

And it was also during the Cherry Blossoms!

I took this on my phone - isn't it great?

And on to Baked and Wired for cupcakes! The line at Georgetown Cupcakes was down the block and I thought that this place was very good as a second option.

I love these two ladies - I am so glad to be within a few hours of them both. Spending the day with them around DC was fantastic.

Me and Mauri after church on Sunday

Melissa and Kristen came to New York during General Conference weekend and during the afternoon on Saturday we went to Serendipity's since Kristen hadn't ever been to NYC before. In case you are curious, I had the chili. It is reasonably priced and quite delicious as far as chili is concerned. I mean - it isn't my mother's, but it is really good.

I started going to an exercise class called "The Refine Method" since my friend Katie is training to be an instructor. Soon after this photo was taken, I was hardly able to walk. This class kicks my trash. I really really really like these girls, too. Added bonus.

One Saturday I ditched Miss Jill at the temple so that I could catch up on my sleep, so she came over afterward for breakfast. I made up a concoction for sweet potato pancakes and they weren't too bad. I think that if I had a blender they would have been better, but I have no room for appliances as large as blenders; don't be ridiculous.

After breakfast, Stef showed us one of her "Stupid Human Tricks" in which she stands on several books and can still put her hands flat on the ground. I can barely get my fingers to graze the carpet when I'm not even standing on anything, so this is truly a human marvel in our home. Good job, Stef. I am impressed.

Josh Porter came to town and it was so great to see him! I will even forgive him for making me go to Times Square.

Then I was off to LA for my 2nd Ragnar Relay. Please look closely at the elevation chart of the first 5.4 miles of my total 18 over the weekend. I power-walked past people who were trying to run those hills - thank you for the awesome walking muscles, New York.

We drove past the San Diego LDS temple on our course early Saturday morning.

The relay finished at Coronado Island on Saturday afternoon about 4pm - we had a great team and although I was crabby and tired most of the time, I loved being with everyone.

On my way home I ran into a bunch of friends in the airport. Bryan was one of them - I was missing him in Huntington Beach and then bam! I run into him in the Salt Lake City airport. I love my weird life. He was on his way to Arizona from Chicago - it isn't like he lives in Salt Lake, so it is doubly weird.

Since I had a few hours on my layover, my parents came up to say hello and buy me a snack. So nice of them to come up for just a few minutes.

Then Becca got married and I was very sad that I couldn't be there. I have known this girl her entire life and love her to pieces. So happy for her and Josh.

Beverly came into town for her birthday over Easter weekend and we did all sorts of things around New York that I hadn't done before. We hit up the Lower East Side Tenement Museum which I would recommend if you are into history and especially New York history. Around the corner was a bakery that caters to people who need gluten-free and vegan desserts. I wasn't crazy about mine, but it was fine for not having real ingredients in it. :)

On that Saturday morning I ran the New York Road Runners 4-mile race in Central Park and there was a moment before the race started that I was standing in the pouring rain in 40 degree weather when I thought to myself "Damnit, I am an athlete." Watch out, World. I have finally decided to embrace it. It was my fastest race ever. I figured that if I ran a full marathon in similar conditions, I could do 4 miles without a problem. I was right. When I got home, Beverly got a picture of me. It took over 24 hours for my coat to stop dripping water - I was seriously so wet.

In the afternoon we hit up the American Museum of Natural History since I hadn't been there before. Lots of interesting things. I can't post my favorite picture here since this is a family-friendly blog, but if you want me to text it to you, let me know and I will send it to you. Taking pictures with the sculptures from Easter Island only seemed appropriate for Easter weekend.

That night we went to Zigolini's in Hell's Kitchen and it was delicious.

Sunday morning we had a really nice Easter service at church. Since I've always been in too much of a hurry to snap a photo of the temple myself, I stole the one that Beverly took. This is where I go to church - and it is also the temple. I only live a few blocks away, so this is a really awesome thing in my life.

On our walk home, Beverly took a cute picture of me in Lincoln Center. Mom, I wore heels to church, don't worry - I just had these in my bag to walk to/from. Bev, thanks again for coming to visit me!!! Sure love you; I am so lucky to have you in my life.

I met up for lunch with Traci, Dani, and Brody the other day at Bryant Park and outside the library, there were people trying to spread awareness about World Malaria Day or something, so they had someone dressed as a large mosquito. Only seemed appropriate that Traci would take a pic with him/her. Dear Traci - don't go. Love, me.

Where was I at 5am on April 29, 2011? Please see below.

Also, I was lucky enough to have Rachael in town, so I was able to sleep over at her hotel and watch the entire spectacle in bed that morning with her. As I told someone tonight, you think that you are fine but then a friend comes to visit and they fill this huge hole in your heart that you didn't realize was there. I talk to Rachael every day, but I cried a few times when we were together just from gratitude. Love you, girl.

Right now I am in Houston for work and the last few days have been spent in Galveston touring the island. My favorite part of the day was when we got to go behind the scenes at the aquarium and they pulled a penguin out of the exhibit and we all got to be really close to it. So cute!!

And lest I leave anything out, I did go to Charlotte last weekend for Becca & Josh's wedding reception. I have a few favorite moments that I'd like to share:

All of the time spent with Brandy and her family - all of it was great, but I really loved playing cards with her son Jacob and Brandy calling him out when he tried cheating. He is 6.
I dropped by the Gunson's house unannounced, walked right in and had fried chicken with Doug & his parents as if it happens every day. I love them so much.
Jacque came up from Charleston with her two kiddos to see me and she gave me an awesome massage - seriously. My favorite moment though was when Connor gave me a big hug and kiss. Thanks for coming to visit me, Jacks. I am still hoping we can have adjacent backyards in the near future.
I really love that I still think of Charlotte as "home" and everyone that I know there treats me as if that is the case. I saw so many wonderful people at the wedding reception that I hadn't seen in a very long time; I just feel so grateful to have been surrounded by such wonderful people when I was growing up.

This post is missing some photos - you know who you are if you have photos that you haven't shared with the group yet.

Dear Santa Claus

2011-04-25T23:49:00.001-04:00

I want these things.

1. Jacket

2. Garmin.

Just in case you were wondering.

Home

2011-04-18T11:35:00.004-04:00

In case you aren't friends with me on Facebook, I was blowing up the news feed this weekend with Ragnar updates and am happy to report that I am still alive and will have pics for you soon. It was a great race and I ran 18 miles and am not too sore! I got to spend a lot of time with really close friends and I had to hold back tears a few times yesterday.

When Rita and Amy were saying goodbye to me in Huntington Beach, I tried to be unemotional and just pretend like I'd see them later on that day like I would if I still lived in San Francisco.

Yet this is the thing - I have amazing friends in many cities and even if I went to San Francisco today, it wouldn't be the same as when I left. Rachael has her own apartment now and Rita lives with someone who I don't know at all. I have memories spanning my entire life in San Francisco so it will always have a major place in my heart, but it isn't home anymore.

New York may be where I sleep at night, but HOME is whenever I'm with you. This post is specifically dedicated to Rita, Amy, Scott & Zach, but generally to all of you. I have wonderful friends here in New York and I am fine and happy, but I am missing many of you just a little bit more today. Love you guys.

Need one of these?

2011-04-13T15:46:00.003-04:00

via dearcolleen

I leave tomorrow to do this. I am so excited to see Rita and Amy that I could almost cry. I can't wait. Life has been insane and maybe tonight while I'm waiting for my laundry to dry I will update you. Sound like a deal? *Shake*

Deal.

I'm So Excited

2011-04-08T00:15:00.003-04:00

My roommate took this photo of me tonight. I've been really wanting to update this thing, but in the words of Jesse Spano:

Race Day

2011-03-26T06:06:00.000-04:00

Emily, this photo is mostly for you - appropriately dressed in red, white, and blue with lipstick and mascara. A girl has always got to look her best! :)

friends

2011-03-25T13:17:00.002-04:00

Last night I went to dinner with someone I've known since roughly the fifth grade. She was one of my best friends all through high school and I probably had more classes with her than anyone else in the history of my education with the exception of Matt Dickamore. I could tell you stories about the time that we sang opera in math class with our teacher Mrs. Fritch or how we had this zany chemistry teacher who was mistaken daily for a student. Courtney is married now and other than meeting up for dinner last summer, I haven't really talked to her since high school. I was amazed at how easily we just picked right back up where we left off. It makes me feel good to know that if I met her today, we'd be friends all over again.

It is easy to look back and think that we made strange decisions when we were in high school, but sometimes I think that the friends I had then (and have now) are really the best around.

Have a great weekend! I am off to DC for this.

Life in New York

2011-03-24T10:52:00.004-04:00

When I pop out of the subway by my office every morning, this is what I see. Today, I stopped for a minute to take a photo because I feel like I'm starting to take this stuff for granted.

Not one of those days

2011-03-23T20:35:00.002-04:00

I feel like I need to start blogging more often just so that I can reteach myself to have one long coherent thought. I feel as though my life these days is broken up into a million different scenarios that are all mashed together. Maybe that is why I am so good at making lists. You see, I make lists for all types of things. I make them at work - I have a notebook full of lists with the date written at the top of the page so that I can keep track of what I spend my days doing as well as keep track of everything that I need to do. If it is written down, there is a 98% chance that it will get done. I'm not sure what happened to the other 2% but I'm not perfect. There is my confession. I have lists on my phone. I make lists on church programs. I have a list on my wall of things that I need to take care of.

There are just so many disruptions here in New York and I am slowly but surely adjusting. My elevator gets no phone reception which I find to be one of the biggest annoyances in my life currently. I generally enjoy talking to people when I am walking home from work and when I have to cut someone off in the middle of something good just so that I don't have to stand outside in the rain or wind or freezing temperature, I feel bad. I ran into a friend on the subway the other day and just as we were in the middle of a meaty conversation, it was my stop. (True confession is that I went an extra stop just so that we could keep talking.) On Saturday, Traci and I were hanging out in a hotel in Connecticut just enjoying Saturday morning when the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate. Luckily we were able to get into the car to stay warm, but I didn't even have a jacket on me.

I hope this doesn't come across as complaining because everyone is always so good about rolling with the punches and letting me call them back when I am in my apartment or letting me get on the subway and call them back. I am just adjusting.

In other news, I darkened my hair a few weeks ago. I didn't want to go really dark, but I was thinking that I wanted to be a brunette again. A few days after I had made the change I was at a birthday party for a friend and she said to me, referencing my hair, "You know, I've always favored people with brown eyes and blonde hair." Then today at the dentist, I made some intelligent comment to the dentist and he said "How did you know that?" My reply was "Um. I'm smart?" The hygienist quickly piped in, "Just because she's blonde doesn't mean she isn't smart!!" What I'm really trying to tell you is that I just can't win.

You want a Spring playlist?

2011-03-21T21:48:00.005-04:00

You've got your Spring playlist.

1. Home - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

2. Stuck in the Moment - Justin Bieber

3. And the Boys - Angus & Julia Stone

4. Last Tears - Indigo Girls & Brandi Carlile

5. Landslide - Gwenyth Paltrow & Glee

6. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap

7. Basketcase - Sara Bareilles

8. Running back to you - Matt Wertz

9. Goodbye to you - Scandal

10. I'm into something good - The Bird and the Bee

Weekend

2011-03-21T15:58:00.005-04:00

This weekend was great. I was able to spend some good quality time with Traci on Friday and Saturday, which is always a treat. I invited her to attend an event with me in Connecticut where we intended on watching some basketball, but instead we ate large amounts of cheese and heard really drunk people sing horrible karaoke while playing shuffleboard. Every time I am around people who are drunk, I thank my lucky stars that I don't have to worry about looking like a fool in public and not remembering all the details. I always remember every detail. Unless it is at 4am and involves group congo line "ice skating" through the kitchen, but those are minor details and I have photographic evidence.

I was asked to speak in church on Sunday and so the balance of my Saturday was spent figuring out what I wanted to say. I thought it would take 20 minutes, but I was still typing away on my computer 4 hours later. Needless to say, I'm running 8-10 miles tonight either in the rain or on a treadmill. I vote for the treadmill.

In other news, here are some pictures from St. Patrick's Day that I put up on facebook. My boss gave me the hat and I wore it all day. And I ate a green bagel for breakfast.

When Erin got up and asked some guys in the pub if she could wear their hat, I knew that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Also, I am running the DC Half Marathon this weekend. I have a feeling that this weekend would have been a lot more enjoyable if I would have trained. You'd think I would know better by now. There are lessons I am being taught over and over - maybe one day I will internalize. Maybe.

Does this finally mean that I am an athlete?

2011-03-18T14:16:00.001-04:00

Who do I think I am?

Doesn't get much more exciting.

2011-03-16T12:34:00.002-04:00

A friend told me yesterday that she can't wait to come visit me in New York and follow in the footsteps of my exciting life. I couldn't help but laugh at that. Let me give you a run down of my day yesterday, which is VERY typical:

7:00 am: alarm goes off- snooze
7:09 am: snooze
7:18 am: snooze
7:27 am: snooze
7:36 am: snooze
7:45 am: realize what time it is and get out of bed
8:30 am: walk the half mile to the Subway because I have just missed the free shuttle from my building.
9:15 am: get to work late because I have just missed two subway cars by mere seconds.
6:00 pm: leave work
6:30 pm: realize that I have an hour until I am feeding the missionaries, so I go to Starbucks, order a tea and play a game on my phone that I am addicted to .
7:30 pm: eat dinner at the Greek Kitchen around the corner from my house with the missionaries. It was super delicious. I will be going back as soon as possible.
9:00 pm: activities committee meeting at the church at Lincoln Center.
10:20 pm: get home
10:30 pm: in bed
11:30 pm: talk to yourself about how you are crazy for being addicted to some stupid game on your iphone, say your prayers and go to sleep.

Other items of interest:
Advice on how to live on a tight budget. Let's just say that I might get invites sometimes because of the subway card I buy every month and my willingness to shove someone in a turnstyle with me.

Rebecca & Derek's fabulous wedding is finally up on Martha Stewart's website

Last night I was at Starbucks as previously mentioned and Adele's CD was playing in the background. I heard the people next to me talking and the conversation went like this:
Guy: Oh, this is totally my song!
Girl: Who is singing?
Guy: Here name is Adele (pronounced - Ah dee-lee)
I just shook my head. Learn how to pronounce her name if this is "totally your song."

Happy Wednesday!

Lessons I have learned

2011-03-15T10:57:00.002-04:00

Running in Central Park is good for my soul.
You know how I run into people I know everywhere? Last night, Stef invited me to a screening of a web series she was in, "Octane Pistols of Fury" and I ran into a girl I knew in elementary school. I called her name and she knew me immediately which made me feel good considering that people I've vacationed with in recent years can't remember my face, let alone my name. Lesson learned - I don't only run into Mormon people. (case in point - I just got back from lunch where I ran into a friend)
This past weekend was super girly - I loved every second of it. It was much needed, so thank you to all who were involved.
I have a ton of weekend trips lined up: DC, LA, Houston, Duck, Charlotte, Seattle, & Orlando. By the end of this, my big birthday will be upon us. Heaven help me. I'd like to take suggestions in the comments for what I should do/go (other than to my bed to sleep it away) Lesson - I have really enjoyed spending my weekends at home. I am a sleep in/eat brunch kind of girl.
No matter how much time passes and even though I think that I will somehow outgrow it, I need to take iron pills so that I don't want to sleep the day away. Will iron make me a morning person? Here is to hoping.
My celebrity sightings continue - saw Robin Williams the other day and some designer that I can't remember the name of. I saw others, but there will be a full post about that experience.

Grateful for: Being Single

2011-03-14T23:31:00.002-04:00

I have had some varied experiences with men as of late that I'd like to relay to you. I will keep this as anonymous as possible to protect the reputation of the guilty parties.

I went speed dating a few months ago and had 6 matches, which I thought was a pretty good number considering the number of times I said "yes". I had a guy email me soon afterward and ask me for my phone number which I thought was considerate since he already had it via the speed dating "you got a match" email. He's told me at least 3 times now via text and email that he'd like to take me out and then has done nothing. I invited him to a group activity last week and ran into a friend while with him. She asked me how I met him and turns out, she met him speed dating, too. Apparently she got the same "funny" email from him that I did, asking for her number and he's taken her out and asked her on a second date already. Not so charming anymore, Speed Dating Guy.
I had a guy stare at me on and off for over an hour the other night in the temple. Awesome. I had not showered in 2 days. Glad I ever spend time getting ready for anything. I have heard that he wants to ask me out. I'm not super optimistic.
Got an email from a guy that I really care about that just said "Loser" with no other text.
Had a great date with someone, he told me he wanted to see me again - that was a month ago and I have heard nothing.
Got a text from someone today saying that they never see me on gchat anymore and they are wondering if we are still friends. I emailed and texted back. No response.

And before anyone out there thinks that I am a manhater, I will tell you that last night I had dinner with Scott and it was great - he is wonderful. I also had a man friend volunteer to run 11 miles with me on Saturday. The next man to tell me that women are complicated is going to get a punch in the nose.

On my to-do list

2011-03-04T12:15:00.002-05:00

Run 10 miles tomorrow morning in preparation for the half marathon I'm running at the end of this month.
Find a place to take a friend visiting from the UK to dinner on Saturday night. eek. Any suggestions?
I'm thinking of going grocery shopping, but I don't want to get overwhelmed.

Proof

2011-02-22T09:46:00.004-05:00

I have been horrible at taking photos since leaving San Francisco. Occasionally other people take photos and I am in them, but then I never get copies.

This morning I received some photos from Annie's birthday party at the beginning of January and I thought that I'd share so that you can see that I actually do have friends here. Also, I was in DC for meetings last week, so I went down Sunday night so that I could see some friends on the Monday holiday. I will include those for your viewing enjoyment as well.

Scott & Annie - some of my favorite people. Aren't they darling?

Annie, me, and Traci

The perfect place to be on President's Day - Mt. Vernon. There was a surprise party for George.

This pic is mostly for my parents - this is the original Prayer at Valley Forge that used to hang over Arnold's fireplace. We miss you, Arnold.

I called him "George" and he didn't seem to like that too much. "Not even my wife calls me George, young lady." haha. oops!

Maybe one day I will really start taking photos again without my coat on so that you can see that I haven't gained 50 pounds.

As seen on tv.

2011-02-18T10:33:00.001-05:00

So a close friend of mine got engaged a few weeks ago and so this morning, we did this:

Filene's Running Of The Brides: MyFoxNY.com

Scattered Pictures....

2011-02-17T00:54:00.003-05:00

Finally got around to putting pics up on my wall. Please note that many of you are also framed. Good thing there isn't a friend quota. Sheesh.

You should know...

2011-02-15T18:54:00.003-05:00

I feel like I have this conversation with my friends here fairly regularly(especially Traci), but don't really share it with the masses:

I really love living in New York. I don't actually miss San Francisco. Yet. I DO miss the people there for sure. One day my old coworkers put me on speakerphone and I could hear everyone yelling their hellos at me - and I could have cried. They are great people. But back to New York - I love that today I walked to work because it was a beautiful day; cold, but beautiful. I was walking down 5th Avenue enjoying all the window displays while almost no one else was out on the street. I love not having a car and not having to deal with parking, gas, paying for parking, insurance, registering, moving the car on street cleaning day, moving the car when your roommate parked behind you in the garage, etc. I love that other people are constantly in your face - not in your business, but just that you look other people in the eye all day long. You say you're sorry to people when you walk into them and you say thank you when someone holds the door open for you - and it happens all the time. New Yorkers are really nice and helpful. I love that it is 7pm and I am still here at work with my other coworkers (but that we aren't bitter about it). I love that the grocery store is just a block away from my house. I love that there are always friends in town. I love that there is so much history around here - mostly, I just love it here.

Love.

Valentines Day 2011

2011-02-14T12:46:00.001-05:00

I haven't seen a photo of myself in my sleeping bag before. Tomorrow I'm starting my diet again. Also, Valentines day was great.

I spent the evening with good friends and felt very loved today - the texts that I received were amazing- there was virtual kissing, teasing, promises of risque photos, and cat calling. What more could a girl ask for? Maybe watching The Cutting Edge at the park with your girlfriends? If so, I asked for it and I got it. Life is good.

Hope your Valentines Day was amazing.

Post-edit - here I am with my girls at Bryant Park. Love these two.

What are we going to do next, Pinky?

2011-02-13T01:02:00.002-05:00

Someone said to me tonight:

"I asked someone recently, 'Did Steph just move into our ward? How does she know everyone??'"

My plan to take over the world is slowly working.

Estefania

2011-02-12T00:31:00.003-05:00

I am not as skilled as some of my friends when it comes to snapping mobile pics when the right opportunity presents itself (you know who you are).

Tonight I was riding the bus on my way home from my friend's comedy show. To avoid awkward encounters with my fellow riders, I was playing Nerts on my iphone. I noticed the guy sitting across from me staring at me and I was doing my best to ignore the situation. I have found that the best way to deal with these types of things is to pretend that they aren't happening. After a few minutes the Latin gentleman pulled out a book and started paying more attention to his book than me. My stop was next and when I stood up to get off the bus, I noticed the title of the book he was reading: "Estefania!" If only I were more savvy with the camera on my phone.

I'd also like to make a few shout outs.

1. MJ - Happy Birthday to my great friend. My friendship with Jill was destined for lots of reasons that we could discuss in a later post. Her ability to make me laugh is my favorite reason. Knowing her in real life is the best. Reading about her life on her funny blog is the second best.

2. This season of the Mormon Bachelor is almost over, but since Rick Buck is one of my favorite friends, this shout out is way past due.

Should I be worried??

2011-02-10T10:26:00.002-05:00

This morning I got on the subway like usual. I even snapped this photo so that those of you who have never experienced 8:30am on the 1 train going downtown can see what it looks like. The guy on the loudspeaker usually says things like "Next stop 50th Street" or "Stand clear of the closing doors!" This morning, the doors closed and it was unusually quiet on the train when he said "Well, this is going to be an adventure!"

I would like to report that I experienced nothing unusual and got to work without a scratch, but after the conductor's announcement, I wasn't sure that would happen. Oh, New York.

This should get some comments.

2011-02-08T10:12:00.001-05:00

Look who was in my kitchen a few days ago!!

In which my personal belongings are like boomerangs

2011-02-02T00:01:00.000-05:00

There are things about me that you might not know, even if you have been reading this blog for years, unless you are a day-to-day friend. The best example of this that I can offer you is that I have this amazing ability to lose things and then have them find their way back to me.

Case(s) in point:

Last year when I was running the Ragnar Relay in Southern California, my teammates and I made a pit stop in a random cul-de-sac somewhere along the route. An hour or so later, a friend of mine (who was luckily on my team and in another van) called to tell me that someone found my phone on their lawn and she was the last person I'd called, so they called her. I had no idea my phone was lost.

Later on last summer, I went to Vancouver for work. I was in my hotel room taking a nap when the hotel phone rang. Who calls each other on the hotel phone anymore, right? I answered and it was someone who found my phone, called the last person I'd talked to - my Dad - who told them who my boss was and that they should call her (by finding the number in my phone), and then my boss told them what hotel I was staying in. Yet again, I had no idea I'd lost my phone until they called.

This also happened once on the BART - but we've had enough stories about me losing my phone, haven't we.

A few years ago I was running some errands on my way home from work in the Tenderloin of SF. (In case you aren't familiar, think of crack heads and then think of more crack heads) All I remember is that I had to fill the meter for street parking and then I went on my merry way. Later on that night, I realized that somewhere between the parking meter and that evening, my wallet had disappeared along with my social security card, and the $200 cash I had in my wallet. Bummer. The next morning at 5am, the police were banging on my door telling me that my wallet had been found and I needed to go to the police station to pick it up. I lost it in the Tenderloin and everything was there when I got it back. Miracle.

A year and a half ago, I went to the wave organ with some girlfriends on a Sunday evening. I was trying to not take a bunch of stuff with me, so I put my debit card and drivers license in my back pocket (normal behavior for me) and away we went. We got home, and I couldn't find them. We'd just walked about a mile on a jetty in the dark. Good luck finding it unless you put on scuba gear. So I ordered a new license and debit card. I went to DC for work a week or so later and took my passport with me as my photo ID and my temporary drivers license - and then at the last minute decided to go to London for reasons that we don't need to discuss. The day that I got home, a blind and deaf man showed up on my doorstep with a note saying that he'd found my license and debit card and I could go pick it up at the yacht club in the marina. That is a true story.

Fast forward to the present time. I bought some really awesome pink knit gloves when Amy was here at New Years and I wear them constantly due to the cold. I took a cab home a few weeks back and ever since then, could not find them anywhere. Blasted. Someone in a cab somewhere was wearing my gloves. I was coming home from visiting some friends in Queens on Sunday afternoon and all I could think about on my way home was how hungry I was. I decided that even though I didn't have any food, I had a few pieces of bread and some eggs, so I could make do without going to buy food on Sunday. Seconds after thinking that, I was walking toward the front door of my apartment building when I saw something pink sitting on the parking barrier covered in snow and ice - and a bit dirty.

I was telling my coworker about this ability that I have and she said to me: "I lost my hat the other day. You want to walk around with me for a little while?" If only this were a skill that could be hired out. Some people just have skills. Or luck - not sure which this is.

The Meetles. Apparently.

2011-02-01T23:22:00.003-05:00

Remember this scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off?

Well, the other night, I was coming home from Stef's comedy show when I came across this:

Somehow in person they all look much more homeless. I don't mean that as a slam - just an observation. I even put a dollar in their guitar case. And maybe Traci and I danced in the subway station for a little while before getting on our connecting train.

I love New York.

Update

2011-01-24T23:06:00.002-05:00

1. A week or so ago I decided that I was going to start watching Veronica Mars. Now I watch it as often as possible and after only a short week, am in the middle of season 2. Many people told me how much they loved it over the past few years and now I'm kicking myself for not hopping on the bandwagon sooner. Then again I may pull a Felicity or Gillmore Girls if it doesn't end the way I want it to and end it when everyone is happy and people are in the relationships I want them to be in. Right now, I'm loving everything about Veronica Mars. Judge me if you must.

2. I signed up for the DC half marathon and so I've been running a bit. Well, twice so far. But it is a start, right?

3. It has gotten real cold here the past few days - I'm talking single digit temperatures. Wowza.

4. I am really starting to feel like things are normal here - I know most of the people at parties now, I am making more friends and am being included in things, etc.

5. I went to the opera last week - La Traviata. I wish I could tell you to go see it, but if you are in New York, skip this one. I loved La Boheme, though.

6. Tonight for FHE we played "Minute to Win It" which was highly entertaining.

7. I made a bet with someone last night that I would kiss someone by Valentines Day. This is all sounding very familiar - is it not?

Wednesday. Is it only Wednesday?

2011-01-12T20:47:00.000-05:00

I wish I could write more than I do. I have to be careful about what I write because for the most part, I'm not really sure who reads this. With my luck, the very person that I'd be writing about would be reading this which could be detrimental in many ways.

It has been a long week and I wish I had more dialogue to share with you of what really goes on in my life. To be vague and brief, I will just say that this week has had its challenges and I am quite tired. Last week I had a scheduling conflict between my work post-holiday party and working at the temple for the first time here in New York. I called the temple and told them about my conflict - it is a bit hard to avoid the holiday party when there are only 5 of you in the office - and they were fine with me coming late. The problem is that I ended up at a gay bar with my coworkers and never went to the temple. I did mention to the temple that there was a possibility that I wouldn't be able to go at all; I think.

Last Saturday I went to Coney Island in the freezing cold to get some pizza and I enjoyed the long subway ride and my tour of Brooklyn that went with it. I am looking forward to going back to Coney Island in warmer weather. The pizza was good and the company was better. I karaoked my heart out that night with some friends and taught them all the San Francisco way to karaoke, which means that everyone sings along and there is a lot of dancing. Possibly on the table, but that is up for debate. Sunday I had big plans to come right home after church and work on some family history, take a nap, and watch the CES fireside from the warmth of my bed. I ended up at a missionary discussion that went on for 2 hours, a potluck dinner, and at the church building for the devotional. My plans were good, but that was better. Feeling loved by those around you is always better.

As I talked to my friend last night about New York and the things I am experiencing here, she said "I think that X is the reason that you moved to New York." I think that her hypothesis is valid. I also think that it has been amazing to me to see how the Lord can bless us using the same people over and over again in our lives. For example, when I think about my time in college (and EFY), I can think back and see how big of a blessing Traci was in my life. She might not remember, but she invited me up to her parent's house in Midway pretty regularly and it was just what I needed at the time. I had some great experiences with her then, and I am being blessed by having her in my life again, 10 years down the road here in New York. And she isn't the only example - there are lots of them.

I also decided today that I don't mind the cold weather. Maybe I will change my mind next month, but maybe it is the non-sweatiness of it all that makes me giddy inside.

Sorry about the lack of photos the last few days - I have had two twelve hour workdays and one fourteen hour workday this week, so if you'd like to see a photo of my desk or my computer screen, that can be arranged. For now, I am off to fold the laundry on my freezing cold bed.

1.09.11

2011-01-09T23:36:00.000-05:00

Today I decided that these are the best purchase so far of 2011.

1.08.11

2011-01-08T23:34:00.000-05:00

Karaoke saturday night

1.07.11

2011-01-08T12:23:00.000-05:00

Holiday Party for work

2011-01-07T13:17:00.000-05:00

I realized yesterday while riding the shuttle to work that I know more current R&B music than I do current pop music due to the driver's taste of music.

welcome to new york.

also, it is snowing again outside.

Happy Friday. Red Pants Friday.

1.06.11

2011-01-06T20:21:00.000-05:00

Papparazzi in the office today

1.05.11

2011-01-05T21:23:00.001-05:00

My new bling

1.04.10

2011-01-04T19:45:00.001-05:00

Who needs a boyfriend who can touch you? Apparently I don't since I have the Elders.

1.03.11

2011-01-04T00:24:00.001-05:00

Happy birthday, Annie!!