homeless

This morning as I was leaving our building two firefighters walked in demanding they get into our basement. I thought it was a little strange and then I walked out to the street and realized something was going on. There were dozens of firetrucks lining the streets and a huge hole in the middle of the street with smoke coming out of it. After living here a while I wasn't really surprised so I continued down the street thinking nothing of it.

Shortly after I arrived at work I received a phone call from Jason informing me that there was some type of explosion/fire in the manhole and all electricity to our building had been shut off. This normally wouldn't be that big of a deal but finals are approaching and Jason hates to study at the library, so he was pretty upset when he realized in order to study from his computer he was going to have to leave the building.

Then about an our ago Jason frantically called telling me that our entire building was being evacuated and that he needed to know what I wanted because he was going to run in there and grab his books. At this point I got a little worried ... what the heck is going on? Obviously it is more than a small fire or they wouldn't be evacuating the building. After giving Jason my limited number of items (apparently the books are more important then my make-up) he was on his way back to the library. He now just sent me an email from NYU informing us of the situation and letting us know that they are hoping to get backup generators for the building by 9pm tonight to restore the power to our building, but if they are unable to do so there will be cots and linens provided for us at Coles (the gym) for the night. Yeah right ... I'm not sleeping on a cot at the stinking gym. Let's hope ConEd gets their crap together or I may be sleeping in the park.

I'll keep you posted ...

sheena was a man

This is for all the book club girls.
Now remember - I haven't seen this video since high school and I guess I didn't completely understand what it was saying or notice the dancers ... so don't think I'm a bad person. Just skip ahead to the Sheena part.
My friend Melissa discovered this song and we used to get in my Jeep, roll down the windows and turn it up as loud as it could go while dragging main. We thought we were soooo cool.
You gotta love the 80's!

ElfYourself

Click here to see how Jason and I get ready for the holidays.

happy thanksgiving

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! This year I will be hosting Thanksgiving in my tiny apartment and I'm so excited. It's always hard for me to be away from my family but this year I am so lucky to be having dinner with our new friends Brent and Holly and our old friends Eddie and Michelle who are driving all the way from Ohio to be with us.

I am so thankful to be living in this wonderful city with my amazing husband. He studies so hard and I can't wait for the day when he will be able to see all the benefits from all of his hard work. I am thankful for our tiny apartment. I know most would go crazy in a studio apartment but I love that I can cook and Jason can study all in the same room. Whenever I want to talk he's always right there to listen and whenever I get mad he's still right there waiting for me to talk.

I am so thankful for my family, it's fun to talk to them each week and here all about what Shae is doing now. I love that they miss me so much that they shipped a smoked turkey all the way across the country just so I wouldn't miss out on our family tradition. And I am so thankful for my faith and the guidance it has given me since moving to NY. I don't know where I would be without the church in my life. I have made so many wonderful friends in this city who I know will always be there for me. In the words of Josh Groban "I have so much to be thankful for".

tis the season

To help jump start the holidays out here in NY Jason and I went to The Grinch with some of our friends on Saturday. I loved it!! It was very short, no intermission, but the little Who costumes were amazing. The story was narrated by the older Max, the Grinch's dog, telling the story of the year the Grinch stole Christmas. My favorite was The Grinch, we brought along our trusty binoculars so we could get a better look, his costume and make-up were incredible, he looked almost identical to Jim Carey in the movie.

While Jason enjoyed the show, not nearly as much as I did, he confessed it would have been a lot more fun if we had kids. It looks like seeing The Grinch every year will not be added to our list of Holiday traditions.



After the show we all went backed to Kelli and Bryan's apartment and Megan and I were surprised with birthday balloons and a cake. Together we both blew out the candles and it was so fun to have a little party and be able to visit with friends, thank you Kimber and Kelli for arranging a lovely night!


To keep me in the holiday spirit I've added a list of my favorite Christmas songs for you to enjoy. So if your not ready for the holidays to begin I suggest you either turn down your volume or don't check this blog until you are.

happy halloween

Now that we've been in NY for over a year everything that we've done more that once starts to become a tradition and the first of many to come is our favorite ... the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. Click here to read about our experience last year. I've posted a few pictures to make you feel like you didn't miss out on any of the fun.

wild weekend

It all started on Friday with my birthday. Jason started the morning off with scrambled eggs and toast for my birthday breakfast. A perfect start to a great day. Everyone at work was so nice. I didn't think any one would know it was my birthday but it turns out everyone knew. I received cards and birthday wishes from everyone, a birthday surprise from Holly when I came back from lunch and red velvet cake ... a great end to the work week.

After work Jason and I enjoyed a romantic dinner at Tavern on The Green (thank you Scott & Alys)that included the BEST pumpkin cheesecake I have ever had. From Tavern on The Green we went to The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine for a creepy Halloween Extravaganza & Procession of the Ghouls.

This cathedral was amazing, someone said it's the largest cathedral in the US so you can just imagine how large it is. When we walked in the lights were dimmed and there was fog everywhere making it extra creepy. Unfortunately my camera battery died so I can't show you how amazing it was but I can say that this was one of the coolest things I have ever done for Halloween.

It started out with a silent black and white film that we watched while listening to the sounds of the ancient organ playing in the background. After the film ended the room was instantly filled with fog and the procession of the ghouls began. Out from the fog came several ghouls dressed to the max. There costumes were amazing and their masks were so detailed. We arrived early enough to snag an isle seat so we were able to see each ghoul close-up.


After the procession we turned around to see the end of the parade and sitting right behind us was Ryan Gosling and Eli Roth. Of course Jason was the one who spotted them and only Jason would know who Eli Roth is (Director of Horror films) but everyone recognized Ryan Gosling. He was so nice and friendly to everyone but once again my camera battery was dead so my one chance to get a picture of Jason with a celebrity was lost.


As part of my birthday present from Jason I received a full body massage that he had scheduled for Saturday morning and it was amazing. After my massage it was time to prepare for the long awaited Halloween party. After all of our planning and stewing over costumes it was finally time to show everyone what we were made of.

After turning the Mercer party room into a frightful sight (thanks to Jill, Bryan and BreAnna) it was finally time for the fun to begin. Everyone looked amazing!! It was so fun to see how creative everyone is, I loved everyones costumes.


The best of the night was definitely BreAnna.


And of course everyones favorite SNL parody...


Here's a video that BreAnna made of everyones costumes, Enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I had a wonderful weekend and even better birthday. Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes its so nice to be remembered on your birthday and I truly felt loved on my special day.

nicole + josh

Jason's little sister is getting married December 28th and she just sent us her engagement pictures so I thought I'd share. Congratulations you two ... we can't wait for your big day!!!

don't mess with Texas

Last weekend Jason and I flew to Houston for one of Jason's call back interviews ... of course the one time we fly it rains for the first time in a month. After standing in the pouring rain for over half an hour and being denied by every cab that stopped we frantically called my boss and used her car service to take us to the airport. Luckily our flight was delayed so we made it in plenty of time.

Texas was great. A little too hot, I enjoy the seasons so this alone was a set back for me ... and of course, Jason. Jason was wined and dined and was very impressed with the firm, that is until one of the partners used the word "workenest" to describe Mormon boys. This same partner had a stuffed elk and deer on the wall of his office, definitely not something you will find in NY.

The one thing we loved about Texas was how big everything was. From accents and hair to truck size, we saw it all. I loved the accents, our waiters and cab drivers seemed so much nicer with there southern drawl. A good change from the rude waiters here in NY.

Our favorite part, besides the pumpkin cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory, was our flight home. So were sitting in the second row of coach and suddenly Jason spots his idol ... Tim Gunn seated in first class. It's not really his idol but some might think it's a little funny that he even knows who Tim Gunn is. I'll admit Project Runway is one of Jason's favorites and he does watch Tim Gunn's Guide to Style occasionally. After we got off the plane we saw him and his entourage of about 8 women so Jason didn't say anything to him. But as we were waiting for our luggage he came and stood by us and started walking out the same time as us so of course we smiled and Jason had to tell him that he loved his show. He thanked us and was very nice, very nicely dressed too I might add. Just one more celebrity to add to our list.

While we loved Texas I just don't see us settling down there. New York we're here to stay!!

Atlantic City!!

Last weekend Kyndra, Kelli, Megan and I braved the crazy crowds and boarded the Greyhound to Atlantic City. The bus was full of many elderly gamblers who didn't appreciate the 4 youngsters on the bus. The entire bus was sleeping so of course our talking seemed loud, loud enough that in fact one woman asked Kyndra and Megan to be quiet, like we were interrupting their movie or something.

After a 2 1/2 hour bus ride and another confrontation between Kelli and an eager passenger who couldn't wait to start gambling, we had finally arrived. In our minds we were expecting Atlantic City to be comparable to a Reno or Wendover, but to our surprise it was much nicer. The city was clean the boardwalk was beautiful and the shopping was great. Across from our hotel were several outlet shops so we checked out the sales and then walked down to the boardwalk. The weather was so nice, I can't believe it's almost the middle of October and we were tempted to lay out.


After some shopping we were ready for the real fun to begin. First we had a nice dinner at Ruth's Chris and then found our way to the Boardwalk Hall for a night of dancing. Our seats were great (thank you Kyndra) and the atmosphere was exciting. I didn't know how the concert was going to go and didn't know what to expect but when I found out I would be seeing a lot of the favorites from the season I got very excited thinking about all the dances I loved.


It was amazing!!! As each dance started it instantly became my favorite. It was so fun watching them live and seeing just how talented they are. All of my favorites were preformed and it was one of the most entertaining concerts I have ever been to. It was so funny how the dances would affect me. I know this is cheesy, but some of the dances made me feel like I was watching I love story, each couple brought a story to life with each dance. If I could go back 20 years, I would have been a dancer.


The concert ended but we were all still a little high from our INSANE night so we decided to stroll up and down the boardwalk for a while before going back to our hotel. Our favorite part of the boardwalk were these little rickshaw type carts, but instead of someone pulling the cart or riding a bike they get behind the cart and push it along the boardwalk. Megan really wanted to just push one but after being told no several times we settled for a picture in one instead. Then me and Kyndra got an aqua massage to help us relax after our wild night and then we were ready for bed.
\

The next morning we slept in and grabbed some crepes before catching the bus home again (once again it was filled with tired gamblers). I had such a nice weekend just getting to know the girls a little more. I can honestly say that I would definitely go back to AC again!!

hilarious

The last one is the spitting image of Jason when he was little. Enjoy!!!

you gotta love Andy

plumpkins

For YW's this week we got the girls excited for fall with some plumpkin making and some pumpkin cookies. My mom was so sweet and sent us some fall fabric so that we could teach the girls the basics of threading a needle and then put it to good use andake some plumpkins. (a.k.a. plump little pumpkins) Unfortunately we had a few issues with the floss and needles so the whole point of teaching the girls the basics of threading didn't really work but in the end the plumpkins were a success. Although I think most of the girls enjoyed saying the word plumpkin more than the plumpkin itself.



After YW's Kelli and I met up with Jason and Bryan to try out one of their favorite burger joints. (You see in NY everyone has their favorite hot spots and they have to take everyone there and convince them that theirs is better) We did enjoy Soho Park (Bryan's favorite) but I have to say that the Shake shack still makes a better burger ... sorry Bryan.

Next we had to make our usual stop with the Granum's at Pinkberry but as we were walking down the street we noticed some type of Italian festival going on, so we decided to take a look. It was fun to see Mulberry street all lite up but it started to get a little crowded and all the greasy smells were making us a little sick. But as we started to make our way out of the crowd some kid, with a very dirty mouth, ran into Bryan and as New Yorkers do, started saying not very nice things to Bryan. Then Jason thought he needed to step in and I honestly thought the kid was going to punch him but Kelli and I quickly intervened and convinced our guys that they weren't worth it. We finally made it to Pinkberry and it was a great end to a very eventful evening.

Jason recently received an offer for a summer internship from a NY firm that he is very excited about, so to celebrate we decided to have dinner and see a show. So Saturday morning I went down to the Southstreet Seaport and got tickets to Spamalot. For those of you who enjoy Monty Python and the Holy Grail ... you would love this show, but Jason and thought it was just okay. It had it's moments but in the end it was getting a little old. Despite the show our dinner was wonderful. We went to a little Argentine place called "Chimichurri Grill" where we enjoyed some empanadas and a wonderful steak with with my favorite ... chimichurri.

a must see

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you do. But keep in mind ... it's the story of her life, not one of her stories.

I found this on Wikipedia and thought some of you might find it interesting:

In 1796, Jane Austen had a flirtation with Tom Lefroy, later Lord High Justice of Ireland, who was a younger relative of a friend of hers. Jane Austen wrote two letters to Cassandra mentioning him. In a letter dated 9 January 1796, she wrote:

"After I had written the above, we received a visit from Mr. Tom Lefroy and his cousin George. The latter is really very well-behaved now; and as for the other, he has but one fault, which time will, I trust, entirely remove—it is that his morning coat is a great deal too light. He is a very great admirer of Tom Jones, and therefore wears the same coloured clothes, I imagine, which he did when he was wounded".

On 16 January 1796, there is another mention:

"Friday. -- At length the day is come on which I am to flirt my last with Tom Lefroy, and when you receive this it will be over. My tears flow as I write at the melancholy idea".[1]

It does not seem to have been a serious relationship and the love affair did not last long. However, it has been suggested that Austen might have had him in mind when she created the character Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

U.S. Open

Each year NYU sells 30 U.S. Open tickets to the law school crowd and we were lucky enough to snag two. Jason wasn't to happy that he had to wait in line for 2 1/2 hours to get them but it was all worth it in the end. I got off at 3 on Friday so we were able to enjoy some Chipotle before heading to Arthur Ashe. We arrived and we were instantly in tennis heaven. It was so fun to walk around and see all the stores and activities. Jason really wanted to get one of the huge yellow tennis balls but then he found out you had to be twelve or younger. He thought about stilling one from a kid but settled for the $5 official US Open tennis ball. I guess we'll have to go back when we have kids so he can finally get one for himself.



The stadium was amazing!! We were at the top but there really wasn't a bad seat in the house. First we watched Venus cream some girl from Istanbul, she totally dominated the match and wasted the girl in the end. Jason was so into the matches that I couldn't even ask any questions. I didn't know everything going into it so I needed a few things explained but after a quick explanation by Jason he was back into the game.



The second match was none other then Rafael Nadal ... one of Jason's favorites. Despite his knee injuries he still came out with a win. In fact, the other guy was so embarrassed that he was getting beat by an injured player he decided to fake his own injury and call the game. It was a great match with some awesome volleys, although we were a little disappointed that Nadal wasn't sporting his capri's. But I loved hearing all the women yelling for him. (I will admit he is a little hot and I might have cheered for him a couple of times myself) It was so fun to watch and I was so amazed that even from our seats we could still hear the players grunting when they hit the ball.


We ran into our friends Matt and Addy and thy were nice enough to give us a ride home after the game. We don't often ride in cars so it's quite a treat when we get to, Thanks for the ride guys!!

The rest of the weekend was spent studying for Jason and relaxing for me. Saturday night we took, Brent and Holly, our new law school buddies, to the Shake Shack and we are happy to report that they loved it!! While enjoying our dinner in the park we spotted a man in his apartment across the street taking a shower. Yes, he had a window (quite a large window) in his shower and thankfully it was a hot shower because if it wouldn't have been fogged up we would have seen more than we already had. It was a great way of welcoming them to this amazing city where anything is possible.

For Labor day we decided to get one more day in at the beach. We woke up early and made it to Jones beach before most of the crowd. However, after a few hours of soaking up the sun and catching the waves on the boogy board we decided to ditch the crowd and enjoy dinner and a movie at home. It was such a relaxing day and a great start to Jason's crazy semester.

6 months

Here's a few shots of Shae at 6 months. She's getting so big!! My moms favorite thing to do is call me when she's babysitting and let me listen to her jabber away. Happy 6 months, Shae!!

girls camp

Last week I went to girl’s camp with the Manhattan stake young women. I went up a day late with a couple of the girls that were on vacation. We met at Grand Central and we were off to Pawling, NY. Now already it was feeling a little weird, I'd schlepped my duffle bag and camp gear all through the subways of New York and now I was taking a train to girl’s camp? Definitely not what I was use to.

After a two hour train ride we finally arrived and already it was starting to feel like home. Camp Liahona was amazing, or at least compared to the camps I use to go to. It had a lake, a mess hall and SHOWERS ... honestly who showers at camp? We arrived just in time to see the girls hit the lake, canoes and slip and slide. They had so many fun things going on I didn't know what to do. That night I got settled in, met my tent mates and enjoyed a nice night around the fire. I love camp fires and have missed them since moving to the city.

The next morning we were up bright and early for the flag ceremony and then it was on to certifications and service projects. Now I know I will continue saying this but it was such an adventure camping with these city girls, it was amazing to me that almost all of them would rather sleep with city rats then spiders. After finishing our certifications I introduced the girls to my favorite girls camp game ... Phase 10, and I'm happy to report that they all loved it! Now usually a service project of pulling weeds isn't that exciting, but to 5 girls who have never dug up dirt with a shovel, it was. It was so funny teaching the girls to dig under the weeds with the shovel so they could break the roots and pull out the weeds with ease. I felt like I was teaching a little kid to ride a bike for the first time.

After getting our hands dirty with the service project we were ready for free time. After seeing the slip and slide the day before I couldn't wait to show the girls what I was made of. There was a big hill with a tarp that we would soap up and then drench with water before each girl took a ride, and believe me, a little soap can go along ways. I had my fun at the slip and slide and showed off a little but I was definitely paying for it the next morning. I can honestly say that my body is not what it use to be and I don't think I will ever throw it down a hill again ... I literally ached from head to toe.

Actually before the fun of the slip and slide another leader and I took a few girls on a little adventure to find a haunted house the lifeguard told us about. So we thought we knew where we were going and decided to go off the trail ... bad idea, never go off the trail they are there to protect you. So we go wandering through the woods and we see a beehive, so we decide to go around it, well little did we know there were several more to come. I suddenly felt stinging and looked down to see that I was covered in bees. So me, being the responsible leader that I am, started freaking out!! I started swatting and all I could feel was more stinging. I didn't know what to do so I immediately had a flash back of "My girl" and started frantically asking the girls if they were allergic. Fortunately, none of them were but then they all started to get stung so all I could think to do was yell run!!! We finally made it to safety and after examining our bodies I discovered I had been stung 10 times, the others were luckily only stung 3 or 4 times and none of us were allergic. The funniest part is, I was the only one freaking out and I got stung the most, so if you're caught in a beehive ... just stay calm!

To wash our wounds away we decided to go for a little dip in the lake and checkout the lifeguard. This poor kid was the only boy at camp and every girl was obsessed with him and I don't think it bothered him one bit.

After all the excitement of the day it was time for dinner and testimony meeting, my favorite part of camp. We had a wonderful meeting and the girls were all so amazing. The one thing that I loved about my camp experience was how diverse all the girls were. We had girls from all ethnic groups and it was so fun to get to know all of them, they each had such sweet spirits and did so much to make everyone feel included. In our stake we have a Spanish branch and two of the girls didn't speak English so the prayers and songs were in both Spanish and English, making it so touching to listen as both were shared.

After testimonies each ward broke off for the bishopric devotional and I have to say we definitely have one of the neatest bishops. He brought his cute little family up to camp out with the girls and he and his wife shared the sweetest devotional with our girls, making each feel so special.

The next day we had breakfast, packed our bags and got back on the train ... back to civilization, as some girls called it. I always loved going to girls camp each year and was excited to go again but I didn't know quite what to expect. I'm so glad that I was able to go and meet the girls of our church here in New York, they truly are Daughters of God.

3 years

On Tuesday Jason and I celebrated our 3 year Anniversary!! We celebrated last week with Michael Buble and then had a wonderful dinner at Union Square Cafe to top it off. The food was amazing and we were so full at the end of it that we couldn't even have dessert but our waiter surprised us with a little treat to wish us a Happy Anniversary.

I can't believe how the years have flown by, it seems like just yesterday was our wedding and we were surrounded with all our loved ones. We have had so many exciting adventures over the past 3 years. I was a little nervous moving to NY but I wouldn't trade it for the world. We've experienced so much this past year and I can't wait to see what the future holds. I'm so lucky to have Jason in my life, he is my everything, he works so hard in school and wants to do his best so that he can provide for me and I want him to know just how much I love him.

greg comes to town!!

On Sunday Jason's Friend Greg came into town for a quick visit. That night we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge so he could see the skyline and then we stood in line for an hour just to get some pizza at Grimaldi's. It was worth the wait and Greg agreed that New York style pizza is the best.

Monday he spent the day with Jason, that included a tour of the city from the top of a double-decker bus and an amazing burger at the Shake Shack (once again ... the best burger he's ever had). Unfortunately we weren't able to get Broadway tickets, I guess the preforms think they deserve a night off and Monday just happens to be the day they all take off. So we took him for some Thai food and some sightseeing in Times Square instead. Even though his visit was short we sure enjoyed having him come and see us. Now they rest of you need to come and try all the good food New York has to offer ... we promise it will be the BEST you've ever had.