blog

on times square

"When I had a look at the lights of Broadway by night, I said to my American friends: "What a glorious garden of wonders this would be, to any who was lucky enough to be unable to read." 
-G. K. Chesterton






















[from Andrew C Mace's flickr]

that wedding.

Last week I mentioned that I went to another wedding. And then I said that there was more to come later on that wedding. That "more to come" just meant I was biding my time until the bride & groom's first dance was posted on youtube. It turns out, the bride is a very accomplished actress on broadway. And she completely choreographed a spectacular flashmob for their first dance as husband and wife. To say it was amazing would be a gross understatement; my chin dropped to the floor the moment I knew what was happening.  If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself at the video. Everything started out with a normal first-dance song to Dave Barnes' "On a Night Like This" and it quickly turned into THIS...I'm still smiling...I felt like I was at a broadway play....

surprise visitors






















At the end of last week I got a text from my mom that said "I might be in New York next week." Given that I get my lack of spontaneity from my mom, my mouth dropped open. After having her pour out all the details of needing to bring my brother and sister-in-law some furniture in New Jersey, she told me she was also bringing Mayce and McKay with her for a day in the Big Apple!

They arrived, took the city by storm, and now they're gone. I'm still pretty sad about that last part, but it was fun having them here for a quick trip and a fun time giving them a lightning fast 1-day overview tour of the must-see New York spots (American Girl, Build a Bear...of course)!

4 years in the big apple.

Four years ago today, I hopped on a plane destined for an internship in New York City.

And four years later, here I am. 

























[This picture was taken on the night I moved to New York. May 15, 2008. LeeAnne and Pamela took me to a benefit for HFNY, and I remember being so exhausted, physically and mentally, after my long day and flight but I ended up really enjoying the event. (It's now one of my favorite events in New York every year!) I also met a special friend - that you may have heard me talk about before! - at the benefit that night. Lots of memories and anniversaries to remember from this day!]

brucie bear
































Look who I got to hang out with recently: Bruce Winterhof! (I told Maggie I fully plan on calling him Brucie Bear until he's at least 18.) He is the cutest and happiest baby ever, and I think we had a pretty good time together. (Still not sure if he was smiling at me or the awesome Veggie Tales playing in the background...) I plan on making regular dates with this little guy in the near future. 

smooth move

That rhymes. Kinda? I digress. I've completely deserted this blog here and I'm sorry for that. But you should know that my move went very smoothly and I am so grateful for all of the help I had that made that happen. I am still settling into my new routine and new abode and haven't quite had time to do it all. But I thought I would get you excited with pictures of this cute helper I had during my move! What a trooper: carting around my hairdryer, scale, pink bag, fur blanket - all in a granny cart. My room is coming together nicely, but not nice enough to have pictures yet. Soon, though.

































You can also see a quick preview and glance of my room here at my new roomie Bethany's blog.

the joys of moving

And by joys, I mean pains. Oh, the things we do for moving! I've done my fair share of moving in my days (a few times growing up, to college, every summer out of the dorm, into an apartment in college, and twice in NYC...and I know that doesn't even compare to most people!) and I am here to tell you: it is no fun. The moving part is such a hassle, not to mention packing up every single thing you own into a box. But the end result: SO worth it. And, would I do it again? Absolutely.

Sunday morning before pre-move #1 on Monday morning.

I think this is progress...


Monday morning. (it grew.)

Thanks for this idea, Pamcakes!

Someone asked me on Sunday how the packing was going and if I had hired 'Man with a Van' to do my moving. Yes and no. There was a man (ahem, thanks againnn Brendan!!!). And there was a van...

I like to take "progress" pictures like this so that I can see how much I've done and remind myself how much more I have to do. (And, new roommates were so, so generous to let me store half of my unsightly stuff in the living room for the week.) Unfortunately, these pictures aren't very pretty, but hopefully the good ones will be on their way soon enough... 

tonight!















This is happening tonight! And, I'm going! I'm pretty excited about hearing these two together, and especially on this topic: Race & the Christian. If you don't live in New York, but would like to check this out, you can watch it via the live stream, starting at 7pm eastern. This event was completely sold out only a few days after registration opened. I think there are a few New Yorkers who are pretty thrilled to see Piper and Keller live in tandem!

(And, I'm doubly excited because my mom is arriving today just in time to go to this event, too!)

a new home in nyc!

My big, exciting news that I couldn't wait to share is: I'm moving! Not from NYC, though. Just relocating within my neighborhood. I'll still be on the Upper West Side (how could I ever leave this wonderful neighborhood?!), but just more uptown. I'm moving into a beautifully decorated and homey apartment (thanks to DIY expert, Hannah Flora. I'm moving into her room when she ties the knot!). I am so excited to have a new space to design and decorate...which has perhaps caused some slight insomnia over the last month or two...

Take a look at these photos of the common spaces [courtesy of my new roomie, Bethany].

Living Room

Living Room

Kitchen

Foyer























































































I'm moving next week, so I'll be sure to update with pictures of my new space!