Travels Without A Poodle

2012

2011-12-30T23:34:00.000-08:00

"Now is your time. Become, believe, try. Walk closely with people you love, and with other people who believe that God is very good and life is a grand adventure. Don't spend time with people who make you feel like less than you are. Don't get stuck in the past, and don't try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven't yet earned. Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life's path."

- Shauna Niequist

Oooooh

2011-08-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

I really like this.

prettymaps (paris)

by: Aaron Straup Cope

A Few of My Favorite Things.

2011-08-29T02:07:00.000-07:00

A really great sunset. And palm trees.

Traditional photos.

2005

2010

Adirondack chairs (snow optional)

Things that look inappropriate.

Making collars for my really cute dog and my really cute dog.

The Marina and the Color Accent feature on my camera.

I Would Like to Live Here...

2011-08-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

Evolution of a Baby Blanket

2011-08-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Traci is having a baby girl! She is due in 13 weeks!

This weekend was her Baby Shower. My giving love language is gift giving. (I've never actually taken the quiz, but I know it's true.)

I try and put a lot of thought into giving gifts and I often make gifts for people. I love when people put thought into gifts for me as well!

I decided that I wanted to crochet a baby blanket for Traci. I found a pattern that I really liked online and went for it. I actually have never followed a pattern before, seriously. It's like my brain just can't figure it out. There are so many abbreviated crocheting terms and I don't know what any of them mean. Luckily this pattern was a straight line (which I am GREAT at!).

I used Bernat Baby yarn in pink sparkle. I used two strands at once so it would be softer.

Making progress!

The blanket is finished! The original pattern I found used special ruffle yarn. A quick google search of how to make ruffles and a mini lesson from Rebekah on how to Triple Crochet and I was in business!

Allll finished!!

Traci with the baby blaket!

Daily Inspiration.

2011-08-08T19:48:00.001-07:00

Daily Inspiration from the Mouth of a Black Man (1): changes can happen and it would be fine or things will stay the same and you will also be just fine. -Shawn

The Fair!

2011-08-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

Game Faces

Aaaaand go!

Ohhhh we lost.

Los Angeles

2011-08-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

I have never thought Los Angeles was beautiful. That's not true. One time I did.

It was Halloween night in 2009 and I was driving into the city from the South, which is odd because I live north of the city. For some reason from that angle at night time, I actually thought L.A. was beautiful.

This is L.A. from the Griffith Observatory. It's kind of pretty from up here too.

Gwen

2011-08-01T00:07:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Gwen.
She turned 8 last week.
She's pretty awesome.
She likes poodles.

2011-07-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Break Me Through

Bebo Norman

Today I woke up early, today I woke up sad
It's funny how it hurts me, the love I've never had
But I can feel you breaking me through this mess
I can feel you through this loneliness

Show me that
Life shines with you
You show me that
Life shines with you
Break me through

I think that I can hear it
Is it a trumpet or a train
And now I'm drawing near it
And it's calling out my name
I got nothing to lose
I got nothing to prove in this mess
There's nothing to lose
But all this emptiness

If I had a ladder
To reach up to the sky
I would climb up there forever
It would just be you and I
And I would feel you
Breaking me through this mess
I would feel you
Through this loneliness

I'd rather be a comma than a full stop...

2011-06-12T22:16:00.000-07:00

For a while now I have been feeling angsty about my life and how it feels like I am in a constant state of transition. It is not a feeling I enjoy. There are currently things up in the air for me that I have absolutely no say over. There is nothing I can do. I realize that this can be interpreted as having control issues, but I assure you that is not the case.

Coldplay has a new song and one of the lyrics says, "i'd rather be a comma than a full stop." For some reason I have been thinking about this a lot. I don't think being a full stop is a bad thing, but I've come to the realization that change makes me feel alive. I am glad to be going through change (obviously not at the time). It reminds me that I'm not stuck in some terrible situation where I have no hope and nothing can change. It can change, and it does.

The ability to experience change is terrible and wonderful at the same time. If I'm not changing then I am stagnant. And that feels even worse changing.

Sometimes You Need to Feel Like a 3 Year Old...

2011-06-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those moments where you feel like you can't handle one more thing?You can't take one more step without breaking down?

Today I had one of those moments. When it feels like the weight of the world is crashing down and nothing is going right. All you can do is stomp your foot and burst into tears.

Sometimes, a good cry is needed.

My Life on the Sub List

2011-05-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

Miss Floyd, why aren't you married? It's because you're too hot and no one can handle you right now. I have the same problem. -8th grade girl

Are you 20? You look really young. - 6th grade girl

7th grade boy: Where did you go to college?

Me: CSU, Channel Islands. Where are you going to go to college?

Boy: Oregon

Me: University of Oregon or Oregon State?

Boy: University of Oregon

Me: What are you going to major in?

Boy: Football

Happiness is:

2011-04-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

111. Fireworks over Dodger Stadium while standing ON the grass of the outfield.

112. Introducing the joys of B&N and mags to a 7 year old.

113. Fresh strawberries picked that day!

114. Fishbowl from LDC.

115. "Modern Family" breakfast.

Lent. Part Duex.

2011-04-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

Longest 40 days of my life.

I've failed. I've gone on FB numerous times. I never comment, I just casually look around. I actually feel a lot better about the 'Book now. I don't feel as nosy and I definitely don't feel like I am constantly comparing myself to others. SO maybe I didn't really fail. I partially accomplished what I originally set out to do, I no longer feel (as I assume) an addict feels.

Facebook is still something I'm not a complete fan of and hopefully I won't get wrapped up in all of it again.

Happiness is:

2011-04-12T22:55:00.000-07:00

I started Happiness is: after I moved back home from New York. I lived in New York for a year doing a year of service. Basically I lived in an apartment made for 1 with 5 people. I lived in poverty and I lived in an area where I was the minority. It was terrible and incredible at the same time.

New York is an incredibly hard place to live. Especially when you are from southern California and the only weather you experience is some rain and wind. Needless to say I was very unprepared for life in a big city, or even a place that has actual weather.

Happiness is: was started because I needed to focus on the things in life that made me happy throughout the day. I was too focused on feeling sad and I needed to divert my attention elsewhere. My goal was to do one daily, and I do have happiness everyday, I just don't always write them down. I've been writing them down on FB, since I am not (ummmm) going on FB for Lent. I will continue them here.

104. Beauty and the Beast at the Pantages with Rebekah.

105. Fireworks on Rebekah's b-day.

106. Rainbows after the rain.

107. Mimosa Sundays with Tony and Courtney.

108. Pink sunsets

109. Fluffy puppies

110. Dodger seats in front row Loge.

Baby!

2011-03-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

Some dear friends of mine just found out they are pregnant.

When I got to work on Friday this was waiting for me on my desk!

A pink poodle baby rattle!

I love it!

Their last name is pronounced "shoe".

So some names they are considering:

Tyrone Dam Schuh (tie your own damn shoe)

Brianne New Schuh (brand new shoe)

haha they are great!

They are also going to make absolutely wonderful parents! Congrats Schuhs!!

Beauty and the Beast!

2011-03-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

For Rebekah's birthday I took her to see Beauty and The Beast on Broadway.

2 days before I found my "Buty and the Best" Barbie dolls from 4th grade. Naturally I HAD to bring them to The Pantages and whip them out before the show. Then at intermission they had a costume change. The 5 year old girl sitting in front of us was SOOOO jealous. She kept turning around, staring at them and giggling. I felt the same way.

Life is a Waiting Game

2011-03-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

For a while now I have been feeling like I am waiting for my life to begin.
Then I read Donald Miller's new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. A fantastic (I may be slightly biased- since I'd marry him in a heartbeat) book about getting out there and living life. It made me feel even worse about my lack of life.
Darn you economy.
Darn you state of California and your horrible budget issues.

Recently I read Cold Tangerines. A book, that at times while reading I was certain that Shauna Niequist had read my journal/we were the same person.

"I have always, essentially, been waiting. Waiting to become something else, waiting to be that person I always thought I was on the verge of becoming, waiting for that life I thought I would have. In my head, I was always one step away. In high school, I was biding my time until I could become the college version of myself, the one my mind could see so clearly. In college, the post-college “adult” person was always looming in front of me, smarter, stronger, more organized. Then the married person, then the person I’d become when we have kids. For twenty years, literally, I have waited to become the thin version of myself, because that’s when life will really begin.
And through all that waiting, here I am. My life is passing, day by day, and I am waiting for it to start. I am waiting for that time, that person, that event when my life will finally begin."

My New Life Goal:

"I don’t want to wait anymore. I choose to believe that there is nothing more sacred or profound than this day. I choose to believe that there may be a thousand big moments embedded in this day, waiting to be discovered like tiny shards of gold. The big moments are the daily, tiny moments of courage and forgiveness and hope that we grab on to and extend to one another. That’s the drama of life, swirling all around us, and generally I don’t even see it, because I’m too busy waiting to become whatever it is I think I am about to become. The big moments are in every hour, every conversation, every meal, every meeting. "

Amen, Shauna, AMEN.

March 17, 2011

2011-03-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day! But most importantly Rebekah's birthday!

I have 2 best friends. Coincidentally they both have the same name, and live on opposite sides of the coast. I've always been stingy with the word "best friend", so when I say it, I mean it. Sort of how I also feel about giving hugs.

Rebekah is my soul mate best friend. OR heterosexual life partner.

I met Rebekah working at the summer camp that we both still run. The first time I officially hung out with her I was with my other best, Becky and all three of us went to see Shakespeare in the Park. The rest is history.

Rebekah and I have been friends for about 7 years (this July). Over the course of 7 years we have learned a ton about each other. We've cried, laughed, peed our pants (well...one of us. ahem), t.ped ("decorating"), gone on vacations, road trips, and countless other adventures. She is one of the most honest, loving, giving, and caring people I know. Whenever we are out, and one of us notices something about a person or thing around us, we tell the other person, and they've already seen it. We see the same things. We observe the same things. We laugh at the same things. To quote Blink 182, "I don't think she needs me quite half as much as I know I need her."

About a year ago Rebekah started dating a great guy. I felt extremely jealous that he was taking her away from me and threatened that I would no longer have my best friend around. Or that she wouldn't need me as a best friend anymore. Thankfully they are engaged now and I'm a great third wheel. Besides, she'll need someone to complain to about him, and talk about how much she loves Josh Groban. Sooooo December, 2nd bedroom? Good.

Lent and Why I Had to Give up Facebook.

2011-03-12T17:33:00.000-08:00

Every year for Lent I decide that I am going to give something up. One year it was fast food. I did pretty well with that even when mom drove through the in-n-out drive through. Rude. One year it was deciding to not hit the snooze button. That one I did not do well with. I hit it the first morning the alarm went off. Then I reminded myself about an article I read that said the best sleep you get is between snooze button hits. Why deprive myself of that much needed sleep? This could also be the reason I let the alarm/snooze go off for practically an hour before I actually HAVE to be out of bed. Ridiculous. This year I was sort of over the whole idea of giving something up. You're suppose to give something up that takes time away from God and replace that activity with something that will increase your relationship with God. Two days before Lent someone on FB said they were giving FB up for Lent. The next day my good friend Courtney decided that she was also giving up FB. I knew in my heart of hearts that I needed to do that also.

First though, I need to give you a brief history of my relationship with Facebook.
I like FB. And by like I mean that I can spend 2 hours on FB and not even realize it. I'm also really good at FB. I'm too good at FB. The way FB works is that people put things online that they want you to know. If they didn't want you to know they wouldn't put it OR they would delete it. When I say that I am good at FB I mean that my friend can have 2 random comments on his wall from someone who I don't recognize as a normal contributor to his wall and I know that something is up. In fact this happened and of course I was right. He also told me I should work for the FBI. (Don't worry I looked into it already.) This friend of mine also knew that I would be looking and guessed I would ask about it within 4 days. It took me 2. I can't help it I'm curious AND observant.
I can hang out with my best friends and have entire conversations about things that have happened on FB. It's too much. I talk about FB comments ALLLLLLLL the time. It's too, too much. I've even had 2 separate dreams involving FB. ooooookay.
THEN people that I went to high school with add me as friends. I wasn't even friends with some of these people IN high school so the fact that they want to be FB friends OUT of high school is beyond me. It's been 9 years. I've been fine not knowing, I'll be fine now. But noooooo I accept their friend request. Then, of course I have to go their pages and compare my life to theirs. Married. Kids. Job. Me: 0.
Not only am I disgusted with the fact that FB is actually my only socializing, and I talk about it all the time BUT it also lowers my self-concept. I read an article on CNN.com that said that young adults were now having "thrisis". (http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11-09/living/generation.thrisis_1_somethings-social-networking-adulthood?_s=PM:LIVING)

The article basically says that people nearing 30 (me. ugggggh) are going through a mini crisis because we are on FB and comparing ourselves to our peers. Nailed that one. Like I don't already feel badly that I have no job, husband or kids, but now I have to see pictures and posts about people younger than me with all that. No thank you.

I've vacillated between deactivating my account or just leaving it. I can't decide. I've made FB such a part of my day-to-day life that I feel like I'd be missing out on so much if I deleted my account. Then again, maybe I wouldn't feel so badly about my lack of "traditional" adult milestones.

The Paris Wife

2011-03-08T21:26:00.001-08:00

I've been reading The Paris Wife. It is about Hadley, Ernest Hemingway's first wife.
She was 29 when they married, he was 21.

I love this book. It reminds me a lot of A Moveable Feast by Hemingway. Coincidentally they are written about the same time frame. I'm not sure what exactly I love so much about them.

I think I would have loved Paris in 20's. The sheer Bohemian lifestyle that they lived there. Hanging out with up-and-coming artists and writers, expatriates living in Paris.

Maybe I've just romanticized Paris so much that anything I read about it makes me long to go even more.

I love that the author has given Hadley a voice. I love this book.

My Life on the Sub List 1st Grade

2011-02-19T17:55:00.000-08:00

A first grader told me that I had an "elf ear".

1st grader: I want to kiss you.

me: Ohhhhh, no. That's okay.

1st grader: I know, i've just been thinking about it.

I turned around and one of the boys had colored his nose blue.

My Life on The Sub List

2011-02-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

I had to send a 5th grader to the principal. Don't worry he had already been there once today because they thought he started a fire in the bathroom yesterday. How does that even happen?

A 1st grader asked me for my "texting number" so he could text me later.

‎"If I see one more paper cell phone I am going to take it and make long distance phone calls with it. Making your phone bill really high."
-me to a class of 5th graders

2010 Books

2010-12-19T13:41:00.000-08:00

This year I tried to keep a list of all the books that I read. I read 28 books this year (still working on 29 and 30).

I wanted to share my top 5 books that I read this year.

1. The Help. I cried, I laughed, I cried a lot more and can't stop thinking about it.

2. The Hunger Games. The first in a teen trilogy. Excellent read.

3. The Last Lecture. Amazing.

4. Immoveable Feast. If you like Paris, you will definitely want to go there after reading this.

5. The Tipping Point. It's 29, but it's well worth a spot on the list.

Happiness is (3):

2010-03-21T23:14:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning Farmer's Market at the Channel Islands Harbor with the fam.

happiness is (2):

2010-03-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

The first official day of Spring! (in CA we have been having Spring for the last month, but that's besides the point)

Happiness is (1):

2010-03-18T20:38:00.001-07:00

A package of Blue Bunny Peeps!

One Time...

2010-03-07T23:16:00.000-08:00

In college I had to take a Geology class. Once for a project we all had to meet early one Saturday morning on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) to look at rocks. Our teacher made us wear hard hats...I'm fairly certain for humility's sake. We also all had clipboards that had our research questions on them that we had to answer.

So there we are standing on the side of PCH with our hard hats and clipboards looking at rocks. Lots of trucks and cars started pulling up and loading a whole bunch of equipment. All of a sudden a really fancy car pulls up and out gets Mary J Bilge wearing this furry vest thing.
She was there we learned to film a music video. At the time our teacher was standing with his back to the ocean and we were facing him. Mary J was behind him and we were all much more interested in her than listening about rocks. So the teacher made us all turn so we were facing away from Mary J.

At 57 seconds is what we saw her filming. She is wearing a fuzzy vest and standing on rocks near the ocean.

Read-A-Thon 2010

2010-03-06T21:14:00.001-08:00

I decided to keep count of all the books that I read this year. I decided mid-February to keep track, so I had to try and remember exactly which books I read since January.

I have read 6 books so far...and I am varying stages of finishing 3 more.

1. Sunday at Tiffany's

2. Immovable Feast

3.Bright Lights Big City

4.The Moon by Night (a Madeleine L'Engle book I hadn't read yet!)

5. The Mysterious Benedict Society (I admit it is Young Adult novel but it has close to 400 pages)

6. The Zookeeper's Wife

Reading:

7. This Side of Paradise (Slow going...I probably would have stopped reading it if some of it didn't a. take place in Princeton, NJ and b. I feel like I should read it)

8. Atonement (so similar to the movie I don't really want to finish it, but I will for the sake of the list)

9. The Chosen (I've decided this is my favorite book. I've read it at least 2 times before...but not recently. It's just so good!)

Also with the help of my sister's library card I have re-newed my relationship with the library. My card has too many unpaid fines, I really should just man-up and pay them.

Officially Obbbbbbbsessed

2010-01-20T22:26:00.000-08:00

I was in the bookstore the other day reading Real Simple and I saw something that my mom would really like so I wrote the website down for later. www.fusionbrands.com

Much to our surprise we love many of the products from the website. Each item has a little information video to go along with it.

This is my favorite.

http://www.fusionbrands.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=191

2010-01-09T21:15:00.000-08:00

"Hey rest of the world it was 70 degrees and sunny here today, but please don't move here." Announcer before Chelsea Lately.

That excludes you R. Grinstead. ♥

One Time...

2009-12-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

One time I went to a basement concert in south Jersey with Becky and some of her friends. We all had to wear ear plugs. And my ears bleed for a solid 3 days after. It was also sort of a costume party. A girl was dressed as Mr. Norwall (the whale from Elf) and her horn was so large she had to duck into every room. And a guy was dressed as Buddy and they kept referring to each other as their costumed names....

2009-12-13T00:37:00.002-08:00

"Our true purpose is to love one another and to love ourselves. Not based off of the things that we have acquired or accrued on this planet, but based off of the fact that we all have God inside of us." - Michael Cory Davis

Spicer, Minnesota

2009-10-13T21:16:00.008-07:00

This is a picture from our hotel room this morning. It is snow from the previous day. At first mom thought it was toilet paper all over the ground. Obviously she thinks back to my high school days of t.p.ing friends. haha
A pumpkin patch in a parking lot. The pumpkins were all covered with burlap bags so they wouldn't freeze overnight.
The Minnesota country side. On our 2 hour drive to Spicer.
Spicer, Minnesota's Green Lake.

When I was younger my family use to come to Spicer during the Summer. My Step-Grandma, Rosa lives there and we would go visit her and my grandpa because they summered there. Now Rosa lives there year round. Spicer is a really cute little town, it goes around Green Lake. When I was in my hay-day (8 years old?) Rosa, Emily and I all rode our bikes around Green Lake, which is about 15 miles!
We haven't seen Rosa for about 5 years. It's really nice to see her.

Tomorrow mom is driving me back to Minneapolis for my VEV event, and then she is coming back to visit longer with Rosa. Perhaps she will blog soon!

Minnesota

2009-10-13T21:03:00.003-07:00

Mom and I arrived in Minnesota yesterday. Our flight was delayed by about an hour because it snowed the day before and was still pretty frosty. We arrived at the airport, picked up our super fancy rental car (we had to upgrade, so it would be safer to drive in case it snowed). Then we headed straight to The Mall of America....which was dissapointing. I've wanted to go to the MOA every since they built it, and filmed some Mighty Ducks 3 scenes there. My hopes were too high. They have a QVC store there. Mom loves QVC...plus it's a super cute pic of her.

We walked around the mall until it closed and we ate dinner there.

Pumpkin Patch Puppy

2009-10-13T20:52:00.003-07:00

My favorite aunt works at her friend's pumpkin patch in October, so we dressed LuLu up in her Halloween costume and went over there to surprise her. It was a lot of fun, plus it doesn't hurt that we have possibly the cutest dog ever. It may seem cruel to dress up animals, but LuLu LOVES it! There was a big John Deer tractor that LuLu was very interested in.

Dodgers win NLW!

2009-10-13T20:35:00.003-07:00

The fam went to the Dodger game, the day they won the National League West. It was SUCH a great game! I may be biased but Dodger fans really are the best fans. I recently went to Yankee and Mets games, the fans are so mean to their own team. Dodger fans love the team, and even the city loves them. I'm also a big Joe Torre fan.

The Bek and Liss Show...coming soon!

2009-09-27T16:54:00.003-07:00

A little teaser for your pleasure.

Our old boss use to say that when Rebek and I were together it was like the Bek and Liss show, so since we will be sharing a room for the next year, we might as well actually make a show out of it. Hope you enjoy!

Ladies and gentleman.....THE KILLERS!

2009-09-24T22:49:00.002-07:00

For my birthday Rebekah and I went to the Hollywood Bowl to see The Killers. The Hollywood Bowl is an amazing venue. It is outside so you sit under the stars while you are watching the show. The Killers were great. Unfortunately Bek and I saw Coldplay later summer and they were amazing so sadly everything else pales in comparison. Then we drove back down to Anaheim and I slept on the floor of my new apt. I'm not officially moving in until October so my bed isn't here yet.

Update

2009-09-21T11:30:00.003-07:00

I have a job! Well...sort of. I'm working on Mondays at my old job. It's great there! Aaaand I get to work with my 2 favorite co-workers! I think I am going to continue to work there even after I move. The commute will only be about an hour (with no traffic). I figured out that if I work 4 Mondays a month, that it is about half my rent...plus it's a sure thing, so i'm sticking with it!

I am moving to Anaheim ( where Disneyland is) at the beginning of October. I will have 3 roommates. 2 bedroom, 2 bath. The complex is brand new and it looks like a resort center. It's a little unreal. There are 3 pools, tons of flat screen TVs, cabanas near the pools that have iPod hookups and flat screen TVs in them. 2 workout areas that are open 24 hours, covered parking, fire pits and waterfalls. It's ridiculous! We have a big, brand new kitchen, and 2 balconies. It's really close to the freeway and walking distance to the Anaheim Angels baseball stadium.

LuLu's Birthday

2009-09-02T20:24:00.005-07:00

Yes, we are those kind of dog owners that throw birthday parties for their dogs...

Any who. LuLu turned 5 this year. Mom brings her to the thrift store on Wednesdays when she works and the customers love her! She has been going since she was a puppy. We even have a few customers who come only on Wednesdays to see her. Last year was the first year we had a party for her, so we decided to have one this year also.I made fliers that we posted around the store the week before. Then I made pink Poodle cupcakes. We even had little goodies for any kids that may come in, and we have special "LuLu Birthday Specials" at the store. Sadly, this year was quite possibly the slowest day of the year, and we only had about 5 customers, but it was fun anyway! One customer even brought LuLu a little present of some chewy bones!

Home Again, Home Again.

2009-09-02T17:31:00.002-07:00

Hellllllo!

I have been home in our newly air-conditioned house about 3 weeks now. LuLu slept with me for about the first week I was home. And by slept with me I mean that she hogs about the bottom third of my bed while I contort myself around her. I always wake up very sore the next day. But since she is so cute and full of love that I gladly take it.

The parents are also in the middle of re-modeling the kitchen. Our house is out of control. There are basically little walkways through the house, including my bedroom. There is a walkway from the door to the bed. Our refrigerator is in the living room, along with the microwave, and that's it. We eat off paper plates and bowls, including LuLu! and use plastic utensils; since the only sinks are in the bathrooms. I've been all over the county looking at flooring, paint colors, door knobs and handles. I've had to carry our big cabinet door into about 15 stores to see how it will look with various colors and such.

Also, I am officially moving to Anaheim, CA! Rebekah found us 2 girls who needed 2 roommates in a brand new apartment complex, we met them, and are IN! Soooo I need to get into the swing of things and start the job hunt. On a good note, I'm working at The Learning Center again on Monday nights until I move! YAY!

My Last Night in NJ

2009-08-14T07:31:00.002-07:00

My last night in NJ....

Becky has community group on Wednesday nights, which is a Bible study with various people from her church community. It was over around 9 P.M. Everyone left.

Then Becky, our friend Jess, and I decided to go walk and get ice cream. It was my idea. So I do feel pretty terrible about suggesting it. We got back around 10:40ish?

When we got home the door to the actual apartment was wide open, the kitchen light was on and there were some papers on the floor. We knew we shut the door and left the lights off. We thought that maybe Becky's roommate, Mona came home and left in a hurry. At which point I start looking for my backpack because I knew I needed to charge my computer for the flight home. Jess called Mona, who said she hadn't been home. I'm still looking for my backpack. I had just taken my wallet out of it to walk to get ice cream, it had to be there.

Then I see 3 unimportant papers under Becky's desk that had been in my backpack. Then we realize Mona's laptop is missing, as well as Becky's iPod and speakers. So we call the police, who come and fingerprinted some areas. All of Becky's jewelry was stolen. Some of Mona's jewelry was stolen and my entire backpack.

In my favorite backpack was:

Laptop

Digital camera

library book--sorry NYPL

A zip pouch that had all the essentials needed for a purse.

Could have been worse. We are all safe.

Full Circle

2009-08-12T06:27:00.002-07:00

I am sitting here at Panera in Princeton, NJ. Becky has to work all day so I am entertaining myself. Almost a full year ago, I sat in this same place (prob. not the same seat) and wondered what the coming year of intentional community would bring.

To say that I had a "rough" year could be a bit of an understatement. I don't think I

am even anywhere close to beginning to process the year.

I'm really glad to be going back home. My really comfy bed, air conditioning, a car, fuzzy black poodle dogs, and the excitement that I will be living in Orange County in a few months.

After today; 5 days!

2009-08-08T12:06:00.005-07:00

I am leaving the city in 5 days!

Here are the things I am doing before I leave...

- Seeing Hair 8/8/09

-Harlem Studio Museum 8/9/09

-Blockheads for the last time 8/9/09

-Yankee game 8/10/09

-2 days of work 8/9, 8/10

-2 nights in New Jersey

-Eat at Kitchenette by myself 8/9/09...not by myself though!

Summertime In New York

2009-07-30T19:02:00.002-07:00

Summertime In New York

Hot, sticky, humid

Lightening bugs in the night

Concerts in the park

We saw Arlo Guthrie tonight. I can officially say I have heard, "This Land is Your Land" live with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop.

B-R-O-OK!-L-Y-N

2009-07-25T16:55:00.001-07:00

I'm sure most of you know this......buuuut this summer I am working at a preschool in Brooklyn for kids with special needs.

I am a para, which means that I follow one little girl around and make sure she doesn't kick or hit me or others, run out of the classroom, etc. She also licks the bottoms of her shoe fairly consistently and bites her hand when she is frustrated. She also will put anything on her face: paint, stickers, food. Charming.

I work from 9-3, and it is about an hour commute each way. And I absolutely love it! There are 10 kids in the class and they are all so unique and interesting.

It is a nice end to a crap year.

I didn't have any experience really with Brooklyn until this job, and I really like it as well!

More crazy kid stories to come! Like how she turns upside down to stare at peoples hair, and how we have the same discussion numerous days in a row.

Ahhhh Massachusetts!

2009-07-23T17:23:00.002-07:00

This past weekend I was lucky enough to go to Massachusetts and stay with Becky's family.

Becky's mom drove 2 hours (one-way) to pick me up in Connecticut!

It was such a nice weekend. I really needed it.

It was fairly nice weather, and staying in a nice house with air conditioning was GREAT!

I got to swim in the pool, play with the 3 ridiculous dogs, play ping-pong, watch movies, sleep in a super comfy bed!, go to church, have a BBQ, garden, spend time with loved ones.

Then Becky's dad woke up at 4 AM to drive me back to Connecticut, so I could make it to work on time on Monday.

Thank you Grinsteads, your love and generosity was wonderful this weekend!

Prayer request

2009-07-20T18:35:00.002-07:00

Please pray for Patrick's dad, and the whole Fennig family. He is in the hospital dying from cancer. It was all very sudden. He was visiting Patrick 2 weeks ago. Came down with pneumonia, had complications, went to the hospital and they found massive cancer all over.

High Line Park

2009-07-06T15:52:00.014-07:00

On Sunday Sarah and I decided to go to a new park that opened 4 weeks ago. It is called the High Line. It was originally constructed in the 1930s, to lift dangerous freight trains off Manhattan's streets. Naturally, there was a line to get into the park.
First we waited across the street.Then we wound our way through this line. We did only wait about 10-15 minutes.

Here is one of the views of the Hudson. I really like sailboats.
The incorporated some old railroad tracks into the landscape. It was very pretty.
Here is some more cool landscape.
A section of the park has some wooden benches you can sit on. This is a nice 2 person lounge. There are single lounges that actually have railroad wheels and are on a railroad track so you can push them together. Sarah and I sat here long enough to put sunscreen on. It was a really hot day.
A view of some buildings with neat architecture. I took a whole bunch of different pictures of the blue building.
A view of the Statue of Liberty far off in the distance.
Here is stadium like seating that has a big glass window looking down onto the street. We sat here a while with all the other people and watched the cars pass under us.
There is the glass window from the street view. It was a really nice park.

Happy 4th!

2009-07-05T19:26:00.006-07:00

Brian, Sarah and I decided to be adventurous and try to get fairly close to the fireworks. We ended up on 57th street, amazingly practically right in front of one of the six barges on the Hudson. We literally sat ON the West Side Highway that was closed down for the fireworks. We got there about 2 hours early.
The sun setting and lots more people!

New camera takes some pretty sweet pictures.

I'm patriotic and Sarah's shirt says, "Make levees, not war."
After the show everyone started clapping. It was a pretty good show. Then it was an absolute madhouse along the streets back to the subway.

Coney Island

2009-07-03T19:26:00.007-07:00

Happy 3rd of July!

I was lucky enough to have Friday off of work. I was invited to Coney Island with my friend Sarah, 2 of her roommates and 2 of their friends. It was a pretty nice day. It takes about an hour and a half to get there...it is the very last stop on about 3 different trains. I had heard that Coney Island was a bit shady, and now I know for sure. They had a whole bunch of freak show tents. You could pay 50 cents and see a 100 pound rat. No thank you. There was a game called, "Shoot the Freaks" where you use paintball guns and hit live human targets.

Naturally, we ate at Nathan's. I had a hotdog and Sarah and I shared cheese fries.
Look at all the hot dogs they have cooking at once! There were about 20 lines to order food in and all of them had quite a few people in them.
These pics are for my dad. He watches the hotdog eating contest every year.

The large count down clock to the hotdog eating contest. 22 hours to go! Please note: 1988 winner ate 13. The 2008 winner ate 59.

The Wonder Wheel. I wish I would have taken a picture of the man taking tickets to go up who was smoking on the job. Classy. I didn't go on any of the rides because they were all pretty expensive and it's not like I've never been on these exact same rides elsewhere.
Cyclone.

View from the pier. The large buildings in the background are actually Public Housing apartments. Interesting, eh?

Freak June Storm

2009-07-03T18:23:00.005-07:00

One day in late June I was running a few errands after work. I was just about to cross the street when all of a sudden it got really, really windy. Followed by the harsh wind were dark, ominous clouds. I quickly hurried into Barnes and Noble (no big surprise there). I found my book that I was reading and a nice window seat on the 2nd floor....just in time for the rain to come pouring down! It also thundered and lightninged for quite a while. It was crazy. I got a little video of it, if you watch closely you can see the flashes of lightening.

M.J.

2009-07-03T18:17:00.004-07:00

I walked down to the Apollo the day after Michael Jackson died and there were loads of people there. Including about 7 t.v. vans and camera crews.

Oh, Harlem. You're a card.

Dinner Menu

2009-06-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

fried tofu

french fries

pineapple

salad

grilled onions

my life!!!

6 more weeks.

2009-06-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

The can not go fast enough. UGH

Maelstrom at the Met

2009-06-18T12:29:00.005-07:00

The Met has a new exhibit on the roof.

On Sunday, Sarah and I went to breakfast at Kitchenette, my favorite little restaurant near my attic. Then we went to church, and walked through a bit of Central Park on our way to the Puerto Rican Parade on 5th Ave. Since we were so close to The Met and it is pay what you want we decided to go.

The exhibit is called Maelstrom by Roxy Paine.

P.S. my camera has officially decided to not work, and lose its button. So this was taken with my camera phone. I'm going to Best Buy today to look into getting a new one.

American artist Roxy Paine (b. 1966) has created a 130-foot-long by 45-foot-wide stainless-steel sculpture, especially for the Museum’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden. Giving viewers the sense of being immersed in the midst of a cataclysmic force of nature, Maelstrom (2009) is Paine’s largest and most ambitious work to date. The latest in a diverse body of work, this sculpture is one of the artist’s Dendroids based on systems such as vascular networks, tree roots, industrial piping, and fungal mycelia. Set against Central Park and its architectural backdrop, the installation explores the interplay between the natural world and the built environment amid nature’s inherently chaotic processes.

Feeeeevers!

2009-06-01T19:39:00.002-07:00

Kids have been going home with fevers left and right.

A few schools are being closed for a few days due to the large amount of children going home with fevers. Not our school...we have acquired enough surgical masks for all children and staff to wear if need be.

I'm sorry is this a school or a factory?

I've been religious about taking my vitamins, washing my hands, and trying hard not to touch my nose, mouth, or eyes at all. Aaaaand going to be early.

Memorial Day BBQ!

2009-05-25T20:56:00.004-07:00

On Monday, we had a BBQ! We had hamburgers and hot dogs, fruit and veggies. Macaroni salad with bits of bologna (a Brian creation). There were 9 people there!

I even made some toaster oven baked brownies for everyone to enjoy.

There is a group shot and then Patrick, me and Sarah. It was also a blue party...not really.

Little Red Lighhouse

2009-05-25T20:28:00.003-07:00

This sort of thing is really only exciting if you like lighthouses... OR stories about me sweating...

The Little Red Lighthouse(there is a children's book written about it). The real name is Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse. It is not a functioning lighthouse so it is only open about once a month for tours. I had been planning on going all month.

Luckily it was on Sunday when the weather was about 90 degrees and 90% humidity! I got off the subway at 168. I ended up walking to about 181. Then through trails and such over the freeway, until I finally arrived (hot and sweaty and oh so attractive). There was a line outside the lighthouse to get in. The line was also all the way up the spiral staircase of the lighthouse. It was about 105 degrees inside! The stairs were fun because there was a line on them and then the people coming down had to pass by us. After making it past the spiral staircase we ten had to climb a ladder like thing to another little holding area. Where you then had to crouch down and climb through that square cut out to get outside.

The view from the top was nice, and the breeze was even better! All the sweat finally had a chance to dry. The last picture is of me leaving the lighthouse and I am on the phone with Emily. Hi Emily! Then I walked the over 3 miles home along the Hudson because I didn't think I was sweaty enough.

Friday Nights...

2009-05-24T15:37:00.003-07:00

Will now be spent playing kickball! I joined an adult league that a teacher from the school I work at is on with her husband. Our team name is The BAMF's (The bad ass mother...you get the idea). I was unable to attend the first game because we had our monthly roommate meeting. This week was no game because of Memorial Day, but we did have a scrimmage. Which means that people from all 4 teams in the league come and we play all mixed up. There were about 25 people there. It was SO much fun! We play under a bridge on the lower east side. It's literally under the bridge. It's just this big, brown clay field.

Everyone is in the 20's and early 30's. It was SUCH a great time! Then after the games everyone goes to a bar and eats and drinks.

My New Favorite...

2009-05-23T21:17:00.005-07:00

So last week there was a benefit concert here at church. There were some great performers. My favorite was Erin and Her Cello (www.erinandhercello.com) I briefly spoke with her after and she gave me a card for her next show.

It was tonight! So Brian, Sarah and I went. She is so great live! She is a singer/comedian. Here is one of her great songs!

Don't be jealous....

2009-05-13T17:05:00.002-07:00

But I saw THIS live!

Typical

2009-05-09T21:59:00.003-07:00

This is what I look like on a typical Saturday. I make a pilgrimage to Target, and then schlep it all home. I never use any Target bags, so I have the huge silver on, the wheelie one, and almost always toilet paper. Two more reason to move back to CA.......a car AND Costco toilet paper!

Job Offer

2009-04-29T19:58:00.002-07:00

Sooooo today I was offered a job at the school I am currently interning at. The pay is pretty nice and benefits are included. However I am overly qualified for the position, so I am going to give a demo lesson to try out for an associate teacher position. There is a 3rd grade teacher who really wants me to do it and she has agreed to help.

I have much to consider.

Nothing is final.

I'll keep you updated.

Last Day for Pirates

2009-04-20T12:02:00.006-07:00

This is our last day here. Alissa went to work, so Emily & I are on our own for the day. A rainy, windy day I might add. We got ourselves to Brooklyn to have pizza at Grimaldi's Coal Oven pizza place. Rachel Ray recommended it in her mag. It was pretty good - better than any other I've had here. The usual NY restaurant - lots of tiny tables squeezed together with no room to move. We really don't appreciate all the room we have in CA. No one ever has to invade our personal space there. Here? No personal space at all!!!

These are pictures of the famous Monty that Alissa is always talking about. He is really cute & hasn't been cut for about 4 years. Only his face gets trimmed at times. LuLu would love to play with him. He makes me miss her a lot.

It is pouring rain. Em & I got drenched before we came home to Alissa's. We leave in the morning & our luggage may be soaked. We're going to take a taxi to the airport, but I don't want to fly in this weather!!!!'

2009-04-20T11:49:00.002-07:00

Hagrid & friends made from Legos at FAO Shwartz - yes Alissa is there too.

I don't think I have recounted my umbrella adventures as yet. I had my choice of several to bring to NY with me, so I chose a bright red one - easy to see. Turns out I chose probably the only one that did nothing automatically - wouldn't open, close, NOTHING. Best part was that I could hardly get it pushed back together it was so strong! And here you open & close them constantly as you get on & off various vehicles. Not only that, but every gust of wind whips the darn thing backward. I'm leaving that umbrella here.

Another funny item. Emily had no idea she was out over the water on the Brooklyn Bridge. She never looked down & thought she still had cars & streets underneath. Turns out it was probably better that way.

Brooklyn Bridge

2009-04-17T19:40:00.004-07:00

I am almost caught up on our trip. Today, Friday, we finally got to Liberty Island. We had two drizzly, grey days when we chose not to go there. So many people & soooo much security. It was like the airport except for keeping on your shoes - & that was just to take the boat over. To climb just to those windows on the base (near her feet), we had to go through a puffer machine. I had never heard of it before, but apparently some airports have it. You take off all jackets, belts,etc. then you stand in this box & air puffs you all up & down. It makes long hair fly up in the air. Really weird. Then you can't even go in the statue for security & safety reasons.

The Brooklyn Bridge was amazing. Emily got all the way out over the water with no problem. There were loads of people walking across. I had no idea it was such a popular thing to do. One half is for walkers & the other side of that white line by Emily is for bikes. The bikers are not happy if you are in their way!!!!

It was really beautiful today - warm (for NY). That meant we only needed 1 layer of coats. Emily has crossed almost everything off her to-do list because of our oh-so-efficient tour guide & task master.

Winnie the Pooh

2009-04-17T19:22:00.005-07:00

These pictures are for Judi.

Finally, back at the library, the original animals from the Winnie the Pooh stories.

All the animals are very well-loved. Pooh reminds me of the bear I had when I was very small. I think I gave mine a bath under a water faucet at my grandmother's house.

2009-04-17T19:03:00.003-07:00

Macy's is having this amazing flower show right now. The entire first floor is decorated with the most gorgeous flowers. There are platforms above every cosmetics counter just loaded with flowers. There have to 50 or so. Each one is different & they have tours where someone points a laser dot at the flowers & tells you what is what. The large floral gown was by the designer of the day. I think it's different every day. Really amazing.

We are walking about 5 miles a day I think. Even Emily is getting worn out. I was ready to get hit by a bus so I could rest in the hospital again.

2009-04-17T18:48:00.002-07:00

These are pictures from the chapel of patches

from all over the country. We just happened to find this one from Calif.

On Tues. we went to see Martha. We got a book by Charles Grodin, yummy cookies and a pansy plant.

2009-04-17T18:20:00.003-07:00

On Tuesday we went to Wall Street & the World Trade Center site. I guess work had progressed since Dec., but you couldn't really tell. We also visited the two churches in the area that survived with very little damage - both Episcopal by the way. I had so expected to feel utter loss and sadness at the site in Dec. or now, but there was just nothing there to see or relate to.

St Paul's Chapel was another story however. It was filled with pictures, stories, tragedy & joys. They fed and housed rescuerers 24/7 for months. There were signs & patches from towns who were there. All the feelings I expected to have were in this chapel. It was really hard seeing it all & not sobbing.

And on a much lighter note.....I talked to Bill & he said he put Joy dish soap in the dishwasher. He was busy cleaning bubbles off the floor!!!! Who does that????

3 in NYC

2009-04-14T18:20:00.007-07:00

Pirate Mom here again & having internet trouble again. Pics are now on Alissa's Mac & I can use it.

On Sun. we hurried back to NYC for this orchid show. It was really different from others I've been to (Santa Barbara) because the flowers were in very natural settings on trees & tucked in with other flora. However, there weren't as many varieties as in S.B. It was fun. The large vanda is for Barbara.

3 in D.C.

2009-04-12T06:40:00.006-07:00

Arrgh!!! It"s Pirate Mom here again with the kids in D.C. Emily & I arrived safely on Thurs. & walked to the White House. Wewalked all around it looking for the "first playset", but no luck. We did, however, find a cherry tree ( I think) in full bloom. Sadly, most of the others had already bloomed & blown away. On Fri. Alissa arrived by bus about 2 hours late. Em & I had gone to the Nat. History Museum where they had a mini orchid exhibit - nothing like Santa Barbara.

Sat. arrived cold and rainy. We were scheduled for a cherry blossom cruise on the Potomic for tea. We already knew no blossoms but oh well. Tea consisted of 1/4 egg salad sandwich, 1//4 cuke & butter sandwich, 5 spoonfulls of butternut squash soup, some store bought cookies, a mini scone & a mini brownie. We skipped lunch for this thinking we might be too full!!! I was seated by a bookshelf facing the girls. We hit a bit of turbulent water. Can you see this coming? The books fell off onto my head and shoulder. Natashaa Richardson anyone?? Of course this " never happens, so sorry, are you alright?" They were great big books too. The picture is of Alissa outside & Emily inside the boat. Also there are some slightly pink trees along the shore.

The last picture is along the walkway where the trees would have been gorgeous in bloom. In the background is the Jefferson Memorial.

Today, Sun., we are bussing it back to NYC.

Jacque turns 21!!!

2009-03-24T18:45:00.005-07:00

Jacque turned 21!!! Courtney came out to NY to spend the week with her and I also partook in some quality Bud time. We went to a bar in China Town called White Star. We went because this particular bar sold drinks with Absinthe in it. I had never heard of it before....

Jacque and her roomies!

I look gross but Jacque looks great!

The bar used throat checkers as their drink stirrers.

Champagne and Absinthe.

Happy Birthday Rebekah!

2009-03-17T10:21:00.002-07:00

They didn't want this one of FB, but it's too good.

Washington D.C.

2009-03-08T10:00:00.001-07:00

Friends in NYC!

2009-03-03T20:01:00.007-08:00

Court, me, Rebekah and Jessica in Times Square on Valentine's Day

Us on the Statue of Liberty island. Manhattan is in the background.

Here is us on the ferry that takes us to The Statue of Liberty and Rebekah is portraying a Russian grandmother in anticipation for our trip to Ellis Island.

Our reflection in the Jeff Koons flower.

Here we are eating yogurt on the steps of the Met like they do on Gossip Girl!

This is a little dancing on the Statue of Liberty Island.

L&O:SVU and Empire State Building

2009-03-01T19:59:00.008-08:00

Law and Order: SVU was filmed ON my street. Just one block to the east. Here are some photos. Courtney even asked if we could be extras after they told us to not walk on a certain side of the street because we were in the filming shot.

You can see Detective Stabler and Detective Benson.

Rockefeller Plaza at night. The ice skating rink is still up.
A single light on in the flatiron building.
The very top of the Empire State building. It costs an additional $15 to go up there.

This is the view straight down from the ESB. 86 floors straight down. Looks how small the taxis are.

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

2009-03-01T19:44:00.006-08:00

Ellis Island has a big wall of remembrance outside. These are names that people payed to have placed there, so they are not everyone who came through Ellis Island.

Here is the outside of the Ellis Island Museum. Next to that is the Registry Room where every single immigrant to Ellis Island waited in a long line. Including my great-

great grandparents on my Dad's side.

Then there are various Statue of Liberty pictures. One is of Manhattan from the boat. One is looking up the dress of Lady Liberty. The pictures keep getting all messed up.

Ground Zero

2009-03-01T19:34:00.010-08:00

This is the church that stands directly across from where the Twin Towers were. There is/was a large tree that they believe blocked the church from falling debris.

Here are the events in order from 9/11

Here is the actual Ground Zero site. It is a big construction site. The next picture is of the two fountains they hope to build near the new Freedom Tower. The fountains will have the names off all that died from the 9/11 events. Next, is inside Trinity Wall Street Episcopal church. The church is only a block away from where the Twin Towers stood.

The red flower is a Jeff Koons sculpture that is near the 9/11 site also. Next to that picture is a sculpture that actually stood between the Twin Towers, the sign tells you all about it.

New Hope, PA

2009-02-12T16:01:00.011-08:00

Last weekend I went to visit Becky in New Jersey. On Sunday we decided to go on an adventure and drive to a town that she heard was cute. The town was called New Hope. It was just on the other side of the Delaware River in Pennsylvania.

The weather was amazing. Sunny, and in the 60's. Coats were not necessary. It was a lovely weekend.

Here are some ducks and geese.
The Delaware River, full moon, steeple and bridge. Of course my eyes would be closed.

Here is Becky with some random animals that were in the parking lot we used.

25 Randoms

2009-02-09T20:26:00.002-08:00

1. Contrary to popular belief I do NOT have blue eyes. I have never had just blue eyes. I think people assume I do because I have blonde hair. Starting from the pupil they are yellowish/greenish/blueish. My mom has always called them golden.

2. In 4th grade I wanted a retainer or braces because that is when a lot of the kids were getting them. So I would go home, form gum to the roof of my mouth and then freeze it. When it was frozen I would then wear it like a retainer for 10 minutes until it unfroze.

3. I collect pressed pennies. I even have a special pressed penny book I keep them all in.

4. I have been to about 40 of the 50 states. New last year were: New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Connecticut.

5. Things I've done more of in the last 6 months than I have in the last 6 years: eaten more chickpeas than I would have liked, used public transportation, cried in public places (on the subway, walking through Times Square, at Barnes and Noble, in a Thai restaurant), walked, written postcards, spent hours at a time at Barnes and Noble (debatable), missed love ones.

6. I talk to my mom on the phone every day and I always ask how LuLu is. Then I make my mom tell me exactly what LuLu is doing.

7. I secretly wish I was as witty as Derek. Or I wish someone thought I was as witty as Derek. There I said it.

8. I've decided the only state I really love and would want to live in for long periods of time is California.

9. My grandma once told me if I was a Popsicle that I would taste good.

10. I've been to a lot of concerts and shows and by far the best was Coldplay this summer.

11. The only breed of dog that i'll ever own is poodle.

12. I have less than 20 units left to get my Master's degree and I have absolutely no desire to at this point.

13. Technically my first car was a hideous, green 72' Chevy truck that use to have our camper on the back of it. It was actually broken, so I only drove it once. The camper use to have poodle wallpaper in the bathroom. We bought it like that, I swear.

14. I currently reside in West Harlem. It’s not too bad. I live across the street from a police station.

15. When I was little I had a Cabbage Patch preemie. She was little and bald. I named her Penguin. I slept with her every night and took her places. She was more of a world traveler than many people I know. She traveled to Australia, Mexico, Hawaii, and numerous other states with us. My mom use to make her doll clothes from McCall patterns and once pierced her ears for me. She is in my closet.

16. I was in 2nd grade when I got my ears pierced. When I was 18 I went and got a 2nd hole and the lady said the 1st holes were uneven.

17. It makes me cringe when adults don’t know the difference between, ‘your’ and ‘you’re’.

18. I listen to Grammar Girl podcast and I really, really like it.

19. I went to 5 different McDonalds to get 2 Hotel For Dogs, Poodles. I’m really quite ashamed to admit that. Technically 4, but I went to 1, twice. Don’t judge me.

20. I have a quote book that I write down funny quotes in. In the last 6 months I’ve written maybe 2. My roommates give me very little to work with.

21. I still take children’s chewable vitamins. The sour chewy kind. Adult vitamins are too large to swallow, and the adult chews taste nasty.

22. All the doors in our apartment are creeky. I can tell who is leaving their room just by listening to the creek.

23. My top 5 favorite animals are: Penguins, poodles, seahorses, owls, and llamas.

24. I can’t seem to go to Target and not spend less than $ 50. Ever.

25. A kindergartner once told me that if I didn't stop talking to him then he wouldn't be my girlfriend. To this day I am still perplexed by that statement.

Brief Update

2009-02-03T08:08:00.002-08:00

I have tonsillitis, AND possibly Strep.
Cough medicine with codeine helps me sleep. 1 teaspoon every 6 hours. Powerful stuff.
It is snowing right now. And yes I did have to take the 3rd graders out for recess.
I have been watching Arrested Development on hulu.com. I'm fairly certain that website has changed my life. Its a really funny show, you should watch it.
I have 5 large, red bug bites on my arms. At least I hope they are bug bites.....I did ask the Dr. and he didn't seem concerned.
My friends are coming in 10 days and I couldn't be more excited.
I miss LuLu.

2 Weeks....

2009-01-30T12:23:00.002-08:00

In 2 short weeks 3 of my dear friends are coming to visit me from CA!!!

I am SO, SO, SO excited!!

Aaaaaaaand Back!

2009-01-23T19:12:00.002-08:00

I'm sorry for my extended absence.

I'll do a brief fill-in and then address more exciting points in further detail later.

California was glorious while I was there. How could it not be? I left the day after it snowed allllll day, and then arrived in warm weather. I wasn't sure I would make it CA, because I had a layover in Chicago where it also had been snowing. Luckily my window of departure and arrival time worked hugely in my favor.

We went to Vegas for Christmas, which was weird but fun. Very relaxing. We stayed at the MGM Grand, which was really nice. My aunt, uncle and cousins were there also. It was great to be with family. Mom, Em and I went to midnight mass at an Episcopal church that I picked out of the phone book because of its nearness to the hotel. It turned out to be great. The priest preached an sermon about social justice (a personal fav), we sang silent night at midnight the lights were dimmed and we sang by candle light. It was so lovely.

While in CA I got to spend time being pampered by my mom, driving my car, cuddling with LuLu, eating in-n-out and other equally delicious foods, and actually having friends who wanted to spend time with me! I didn't want to leave. THEN my plane flaps were broken as we taxied out, so I actually did get to spend another night in CA!

Last Friday I had a huge meltdown. I couldn't get ahold of my mom, due to a quilt convention and her cell phone being in the car. I couldn't get ahold of any family member. I found out that the principal of my school (whom I love dearly) was leaving, and I was sick of the apt and the stupidness of it. I made plans to go see Jacque, and spend the night at her apt. Poor Jacque, I always cry to her. I got on the subway and then off so I could try to call my mom one more time before I got to Jacques. I reached my dad and then proceeded to cry to him while I was in Barnes and Noble. I then got on the subway, cried some more, cried as I was walking through Times Square, cried to Jacque. She made me delicious cookies and we watched a movie. SIDE NOTE: My aunt nicknamed me Tiny Tears. It's funny because it's true. I got home the next day and had an e-mail from a roommate, saying he wanted to switch rooms with me! We did and I must say it is life changing. I can breathe and move. In Feb when the ladies come to visit we can all fit!

Any-who, this Friday the principal spoke to all of the staff. It was incredibly sad and I fought back tears as he spoke to all of us. He is so kind and warm; just the kind of man you would want to run a school. But apparently politics disagree.

I just did laundry. I find it easier to do it every week so that I can actually carry it all without giving myself a hernia. I was sitting reading a book and this kinda crazy lady asked if I was a student at Columbia. Not only do I look young, but I also look smart! I told her I wasn't. Then I wasn't really sure what to tell her so I went to check on my clothes. While I was over there she came to the corner about 4 feet away, said, "you'll have to excuse me." THEN she put one foot on a stool and peed into a coffee mug!!!!!!!!! I could thankfully only see her out of the corner of my eye, but OH MY GOSH! I'm slightly traumatized and I hope that in turn you are also.

Tomorrow I am going to do my usual Saturday business of Target and Starbucks. Target is comforting to me. I don't feel like I am in New York, and it's actually full sized (unlike most places) so I don't feel clausterphobic.

Pictures of my NEW room coming soon!

XOXO Tiny Tears

Tuesday, December 9!

2008-12-14T06:35:00.002-08:00

Tuesday I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the first grade classes. We thought that we were suppose to take small groups of children around, but The Met wanted us in groups of 15 to take guided tours. New York field trips are interesting because all the children are so bundled that museums and other places that host school trips have big rooms devoted solely to holding large rolly containers that all of the children pile their coats and winter accoutrements into. By the time that is all taken care of there is about 20 minutes left. My group was first taken past the large statues of naked men (that is quite something for 1st graders) then we went into a furnished room of King Louie the 14th, or something. Booooring. By the time we got there we had 20 minutes left of the field trip and we hadn't even seen what we went to see! Which was the Angel Tree, which is lovely. It was my 3rd time seeing it.

On the way to The Met in the big yellow school bus, as we were stopped in traffic on 5th Ave. we luckily stopped RIGHT in front of where they were tapping Gossip Girl!! Luckily I was able to whip out my camera in time to get the backs of Penn Badgley and Blake Lively.

Then that night we had our first snow of the winter. It was actually sticking too! This picture is from the next morning in our "front yard".

Last Night

2008-12-03T20:28:00.002-08:00

This will be my last blog from the really uncomfortable spot at the end of Alissa's bed. I leave tomorrow, but there may be more to write about for a few days.

On Sun. we went to church at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine. 7 years ago they had a big fire & half of the church & the organ have been closed. They reopened it last Sun. & blessed it for almost 3 hours. Every high- up in the church from around was there. Even Hillary who spoke briefly. You had to get special tickets to get in! They honored the firefighters & then put them to work when a bishop or someone up near the altar had a problem & people were all huddled around him. They wheeled him out later. Huge stone church got really, really cold after a few hours.

Tonight, a roommate got tickets to a men's choral group performing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They sang right in front of the huge angel tree & Alissa sneaked a few pictures!

The group was called Chanticleer from San Francisco - supposedly world famous!

I leave tomorrow very early. Suitcases weigh a ton, & I sent boxes.

Great Mom Quotes

2008-12-02T20:31:00.003-08:00

"I'm really looking forward to going home so I can take care of myself again."

"I was thinking it would be nice to be hit by a car so that I could rest in the hospital."

Pictures

2008-12-02T20:24:00.002-08:00

Here are more shots of Martha's set. She answered a couple of questions at the end. She had on the most boring shirt - probably hideously expensive. The audience was supposed to dress nicely & in bright colors for the camera, then she wears this!

Martha!!!!

2008-12-02T20:04:00.003-08:00

We went to see Martha today!!! Kristin Chenoweth was the guest & Martha made her sew on a machine. She had never done it before & she had to stand while sewing. It was rather funny. The set was really large & Christmasy. We got a CD of Christmas songs by Kristin, a cookbook of desserts & M&Ms.

Later, we went to see Spring Awakening on Broadway. Alissa read it was set in the late 1800s & I was feeling sleepy..... Well - the songs woke us right up. Every not-talked-about situation you can think of (well almost) occurred from beatings, incest, sex (both) to suicide and abortion. The music was really current & upbeat. There was an entire song about the f word.

It was really done well.

I have a new blister on my little toe & perhaps one on the bottom of my foot. This child of mine can really walk my legs & feet off. I will post more pictures.

More Parade

2008-12-01T18:44:00.002-08:00

Buzz was new this year. The "regulars" around

us seemed to be very pleased with the way he was depicted.
The poodle next door - Monty - is rough-housing with a friend & making growly noises. It is making me miss LuLu a lot right now. We can hear them through the walls. That's right.

Learning

2008-11-27T18:09:00.002-08:00

Things I have learned in NYC:

Hi Emily, Ann, Judi & Barbara

1. Backpacks do not work as a purse here. I have to swing it off my back to sit on the bus or subway then swing it back on when exiting. Not easy in very crowded spaces. Across the body purses or bags work best.

2. If you are native to SoCal, you may not be equipped for cold weather. Thank goodness for Emily's jacket, because it keeps me really warm. However, when all bundled & scarved up, it isn't easy to zip. I find I have to ask Alissa to "zipper" me up - just as her first graders at school do.

3. Using a Metro card is not as easy as it might look. First there are the gloves, the awkward getting it out of somewhere, & the sliding or inserting it . Alissa says this just sounds soooo dirty!!!! I usually let her hold mine & produce it for me as needed. She's such a good mom.

4. Then there is camping at her house. I swear the little room with the toilet looks like an outhouse! I managed to soak myself turning on the shower the first time - it is barely big enough to turn around. But it's free!!!!

That's all. Love to everyone,

the Pirate Mom

Balloons!!!!

2008-11-27T12:50:00.004-08:00

Smurf balloon being blown up & the next day at the parade flying down the street. Just to the left of flying smurf, you can see a smidge of grey hair from the jerky, really tall man who pushed himself in front of us after we had been standing there an hour. He had an equally tall friend who stood next to him. They are in most of the pictures because they didn't move!!!!. Fortunately, the balloons were high, & that was the best part. We had Thanksgiving dinner in Central Park at Tavern on the Green. They had an occupancy sign that stated there could be no more than 1,250 people at one time (or some rediculous number close to that). It sounds like a convention hall!! There were rooms of people all over. The decor was amazing. Silver and copper everywhere, huge chandeliers, sparkling trees & lights.

Sadly, I think I lost my camera tonight along with the pictures. We will call tomorrow, but I am not hopeful. We were watching the Bacon Brothers sing & took a camera video for Emily, and no one knows where the camera went. Kevin probably swiped it.

2008-11-27T12:29:00.003-08:00

We went to see the Rockettes on Monday. First we had hot dogs off a cart on a corner near here & I had to take a picture. Inside, they also had hot dogs, popcorn, watery hot chocolate & expensive souvenirs. We sat really close to the stage. The orchestra pit raised up & down. The dancers were fantastic. There was a Nativity at the end with real camels, donkeys, sheep, amazing costumes. Sadly, I think all my photos were blurry. Maybe Alissa got some.

The Hurrier I Go...

2008-11-24T19:04:00.004-08:00

the behinder I get. I am soooo far behind right now, but here goes. Felicity's workplace. I have had 2 beverages from here & both were horrible. The second time, it was barely warm. I am so over this store - give me a Starbucks any time.

Now we have the tree at Rockefeller (that looks so wrong) Plaza. It is being decorated & later in the week we saw the scaffolding coming down. Up close, the tree looks rather wilted and sad. But that was during the day & up really close. It was also Wed. when we went to the Today Show & Beyonce was on. Couldn't even get close enough to see any of her, but we did see the back of the set & got to hear a song so I'm good. I also saw the back of Matt & Meredith & their teleprompter.

All by myself.........

2008-11-24T07:26:00.002-08:00

Here is a better picture of the poodle tree. This will probably be the only picture because my laptop with all the pictures will not work tonight in the little corner of the bedroom where it will only work. Today was much warmer - I only needed 3 layers for most of the day. Now it is raining out.

Alissa went off to work this morning & I headed down to Macy's alone on the subway. This can be really claustrophobic during busy times. Got off at Penn Station - huge place. It took me ages just to follow exit signs & get up to street level! Macy's wasn't open yet, but I got to see Harold Square with all the cameras getting ready for Thurs. One of Alissa's roommates said they just unveiled their Christmas windows last night. I think I saw them today, but I didn't even think they were very cute! Not nearly as cute as the poodle tree!!! I miss LuLu!!

Sunday at the Library

2008-11-23T11:46:00.004-08:00

NOT!!!! The interns are having a meeting this afternoon, so I

went to the library. Not open on Sunday. Of course. I forgot my phone and metro card, so I returned to the church to sit downstairs

and do this. Which, by the way, is about my fourth try to get it

somewhat right.

Yesterday, at Macy's, everyone was taking pictures of this big

ball. No one could get by. Turns out - are you ready for this - it's

the Waterford crystal ball that drops in Times Square on New Year's Eve. I got to see it up close - amazing!!!!

This a window at Macy's. They were all from Miracle on 34th Street. Some stores still had their windows covered, so I don't know if these are early or what. It is 24 outside. I definitely owe my warmth to Emily's jacket and Barbara's scarf and hat. Many thanks. The Mommy

Alissa is not alone

2008-11-22T17:42:00.006-08:00

The Mommy has landed, and I have pirated this blog for the next little while. And believe me, it isn't easy to blog. I have to sit at the end of Alissa's bed with the computer up against the wall and hurry before the connection ends. Anyway, I had the smoothest flight ever. This morning we had brunch at this really cute little tea shop with Becky, one of Alissa's friends back here.

Then she walked me all over NY. These are snowflakes at Columbus Square. The bright white dots on the pink ones are when it snows - every 10 minutes or so.

We went to Macy's today - huuuuge. It has all the stuff ours does

but 20 times more brands and styles. The top floors still have the

original wooden escalators, and they get narrower the higher up

you go. Really cool. Also, I'm not sure you can tell, but that is a

POODLE tree - yes really!!!! Tomorrow we see the Rockettes!!