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

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.

Should I be worried??

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.

In which my personal belongings are like boomerangs

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.

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.

Life Update version 20,004

List time.

• My dad went to San Francisco last week for some business and while he was there, he saved Bertha. She is now in storage and I can pick her up when I am ready for her again. I may not have room for her in New York, but at least she will be there when I need her. A big shout out to my dad who moved her out of my old house BY HIMSELF. As Rachael said "A God among men! Who knew?" Thanks, Dad!
• Jonna and her husband Ben were in New York for a few days last week and I was lucky enough to spend a bit of time with them. There are so many things to love about Jonna - she is sweet and funny and beautiful and just so much fun to be around. Her new music video just came out today and I think you should watch it. And if you like it, you should buy your own copy of the song on itunes. She has such a beautiful voice - enjoy!

• I was in my little "sister's" wedding a few weeks ago in Utah. Here is the beautiful couple:

Jessica with her bridesmaids.

Matt was my date to the reception and it was wonderful to spend time with him. If only we lived closer together. le sigh.

• On Saturday I ran a race in Long Island and since I bought this photo, I will show it to you via the blog. It is one of my happier race photos. Not as classic as this one, but good.

• My secret pal gave me some awesome cupcakes on Sunday and since the scale is messed up in this photo, you should know that they were each about the diameter of a silver dollar. And I ate almost all of them before I left church on Sunday.

And now I'd like to tell you about my Saturday morning.

It started out with me waking up at 6am after about 3.5 hours of sleep so that I could meet Brody at Columbus Circle and get on a train to Long Island for the Ho Ho Ho Holiday Run 5k. We were supposed to meet at 6:45am.

What do you do when you get stood up? You take a sad face photo.

Then you decided to drown your tears in Starbucks. I think it was the lack of sleep over the span of a week and sadness over unrealized expectations of running a 5k that I'd been planning on for months but I had huge crocodile tears in my hot chocolate.

Then you start walking home and get a frantic phone call from your friend who stood you up saying that his phone died even though it was plugged in all night and his alarm didn't go off, and he is coming to pick you up in a Zip car in 5 minutes.

And you make it to Bethpage, NY in record time.

So you run the 5k with lot of other people wearing Santa hats or even dressed completely like Santa. Smart in the cold weather!

You have a stranger take a pic of you post race.

Then you eat the best post-race treats ever. Fresh bagels, cupcakes, muffins, soda, and bananas. Just in it for the free food.

This last photo was taken at about 11am on Saturday and that isn't even nearly the end of the day.

Next post will be about Christmas Party Weekend 2010. If you like stories about me falling or not getting enough sleep, you won't want to miss it.

What is really going on with me

Apparently it is time to update everyone on my life here in New York, or my life in general as it now is. You know how I like lists, so here goes:

1. I love my life here.

2. My apartment is great as you already know if you viewed the videos I made a few weeks ago. Every time I talk to the doorman, take the elevator, do my laundry, take the shuttle to Columbus Circle, and take out the trash, I count my blessings.

3. I have hit the ground running with my job. So far I have been learning a lot and it has been really great to be able to manage some projects already. Last week I went on a business trip to Toronto and I didn't buy a single thing or take any photos in Canada. It was a whirlwind of a day and after sitting in a cab for approximately 4 hours total and then 3 hours on a plane and an hour in a cab line at the airport for a 2 hour meeting, I was ready for a nap.

4. After hearing my two bosses talk all day, I have started thinking in a British accent, and words are already starting to come out with a bit of an accent sometimes.

5. My boss finally knows that I'm Mormon. I accidentally lied to him about it the other night at a party, so I had my coworker talk about it casually yesterday while I was out of the office for a minute. Lucky for me, he had been drinking when I accidentally lied, so it was easy to cover up.

6. I am going to the UK in a few weeks for work. Woot!

7. Apparently I am into crafting. My roommate loves finding treasures on Wednesdays in the service corridor of our building and I am always fixing something up. This black frame thing was hanging on the wall in our living room and I thought I would spice it up for Halloween. I would like to thank my roomie for the lovely ghosts. The camel ghost is my personal favorite. When I pull things like this off, I find the proof that I am my mother's daughter.

Another one of Stef's treasures was a nightstand for me. She knew that the one in my room was on the verge of falling apart, so she dragged one upstairs for me last week. I wanted it to match my other bedroom furniture, so I bought some cheap craft paint and painted it while watching a movie in my church clothes on Sunday before going to dinner at the Bishop's house. I think it turned out great!

8. I was called as the Activities Co-Chair at work last week. It is my lot in life.

9. My latest San Francisco update is that my previously crazy neighbor may be dead in his apartment because from what I hear about the smell, something is dead in there. Just to be sure, I emailed him tonight and the email went like this:

we are worried about you - are you ok?

the mail has not been sorted and it smells like something has died.

- the girls next door

10. A few people have asked me if I miss San Francisco and I have to say that I don't miss SF yet, but I do miss all my peeps. You know who you are, Amy, Kristine, Rita, and Rachael. Come visit me.

11. You may have started wondering how I had my old neighbor's email address? I googled his name and found his psychic hotline website, so hopefully he knew that I was going to email him. Then again, if he was a psychic, he should have gone somewhere else to die since it is really stinking up the place.

12.My roommate is awesome. I really like her. I am going to her comedy show on Saturday night, so the jury is still out on her funniness level. :)

13. Last night I went to 3 different stores trying to buy clothes. First go at it, the only things on sale were tank tops despite the 70% sale in the window. Second go, I picked out a bunch of cute clothes and then saw the line for the fitting room and it was about 20 yards long, so I put all my clothes on the nearest rack and left the building. Third go round, I tried on clothes with no line and then looked at the line to check out and saw that it was about 20 yards long. So I hung up the clothes again and walked out. I got home, got in bed and bought everything online, didn't have to shlep it home, and got 20% off.

14. Go Giants!

15. Have I told you yet about the time that I went to Canal Street, stepped into the secret passageway, went underneath the building and up to the secret room where all the good purses are? You know what my email is if you want to know where that place is. I got 2 awesome purses and am happy to pass along good information when I have it.

16. Girls in New York even think Chris Nixon is hot and like to ask me about him.

17. Went to the Morris-Jumel Mansion on Saturday with Melissa. Apparently it is haunted, but I didn't see any ghosts. But I did some very large hairs coming out of the man's nose who was giving the tour. And not from the nostrils. I'm not sure which is grosser.

18. I am still on my diet in case you are curious.

That is all for now. Stef and I have more crafting projects coming down the pipeline, so get excited about that. And we have a celebrity couple name: STEGZ

Oh yeah. You heard me.