I'm going to California tomorrow morning so I've been keeping close watch on the weather. This is what it says:
Thursday FEW SHOWERS
Friday SHOWERS
Saturday THUNDERSTORMS
So much for "sunny" California. It's a good thing I have good friends to hang out with or I might cry that my time won't be spent on the beach basking in the sun. Oh - and of course it's sunny every day before and after I'm there. Just my luck right? Oh well...I'm still looking forward to this break from work and the city.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
A note
Dear Baby Charlie,
Today I purchased an airline ticket to come see you. I will be flying in on June 30 and will be staying until July 7. I'm giving you a whole month's notice to get things in order and prepare to enter this world. I would greatly appreciate it if you can time your arrival during my week stay. It would also be acceptable if you were to arrive before June 30. I would so love to meet you before I fly black to NYC (and I'm pretty sure your mom wouldn't mind it either). I look forward to hopefully seeing you in July.
With love,
Aunt Kristy
Today I purchased an airline ticket to come see you. I will be flying in on June 30 and will be staying until July 7. I'm giving you a whole month's notice to get things in order and prepare to enter this world. I would greatly appreciate it if you can time your arrival during my week stay. It would also be acceptable if you were to arrive before June 30. I would so love to meet you before I fly black to NYC (and I'm pretty sure your mom wouldn't mind it either). I look forward to hopefully seeing you in July.
With love,
Aunt Kristy
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Family road trips
Flashback to the many road trips I took with my family when I was young. Listening to Dad's favorite music (Alabama, Eagles, Oakridge Boys, The Beatles, Garth Brooks, Credence Clearwater Revival, John Denver, Neil Diamond, and more). Kacee and me singing along - driving Kelli crazy. Using the seat belt as a guitar and the seat as a drum. We didn't need DVD players or our individual iPods to keep us busy (even though Kelli probably would have liked that better). We were perfectly happy singing along to Dad's music - even when we didn't know the correct words.
On my way to work this morning Credence Clearwater Revival "Bad Moon Rising" came on my iPod. As I was singing along in my head I was brought back to one particular family trip when my sister was singing along to this song...but it didn't sound quite right. When we asked her to sing the chorus for us we found out what was wrong. Apparently the song doesn't say "there's a bad moon on the rise" but "there's a bathroom on the right." Needless to say, as I was walking this morning I began laughing to myself and thinking about all the other song blunders my family has run across on our road trips. Here are just a couple of my favorites:
- The Beatles - Paperback Writer: "Take the back right door"
- Alabama - Going down backwoods: "Going down backwards" - Alabama couldn't say their "r's" just like someone else in the family
- Wilson Philips - Next to You - 'Keep the candle burnin': "Keep the can of Finesse"
Believe me, there were many other songs that someone in the family was singing incorrectly. It made for fun family vacations!
On my way to work this morning Credence Clearwater Revival "Bad Moon Rising" came on my iPod. As I was singing along in my head I was brought back to one particular family trip when my sister was singing along to this song...but it didn't sound quite right. When we asked her to sing the chorus for us we found out what was wrong. Apparently the song doesn't say "there's a bad moon on the rise" but "there's a bathroom on the right." Needless to say, as I was walking this morning I began laughing to myself and thinking about all the other song blunders my family has run across on our road trips. Here are just a couple of my favorites:
- The Beatles - Paperback Writer: "Take the back right door"
- Alabama - Going down backwoods: "Going down backwards" - Alabama couldn't say their "r's" just like someone else in the family
- Wilson Philips - Next to You - 'Keep the candle burnin': "Keep the can of Finesse"
Believe me, there were many other songs that someone in the family was singing incorrectly. It made for fun family vacations!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
My New York weekend
Despite my last post - this weekend was actually quite fun! It was very "New Yorkie". On Friday, Jo and I both had half-day at work, so we met up for lunch in the park (Central Park for non New Yorkers). I grabbed my favorite sandwich from Cosi and Jo went to Au Bon Pain. We basked in the sun until we got really hot and had to move on. Then we stopped into Barneys and Bloomingdale's to look at and try on ridiculously overpriced clothes. As you can imagine...we came home empty handed.
But that was not the case on Saturday. Jo and I headed down to SoHo (meaning "south of Houston") to do a little shopping in not-so-expensive places. Our first stop was Uni Glo, then Banana Republic, and Old Navy. By this time we were both quite famished (not to mention hot and tired) so we set off looking for a fun trendy place to eat. It's SoHo...one would think the place would be filled with trendy cafes and hidden treasures. Well, if there were any, they were hidden pretty well.
After finding ourselves dangerously close to the madness of China Town, we frustratingly turned around and walked down a different street in hopes of better luck. No such luck came. Well...that was until we found Pinkberry and Rice to Riches (which just happen to be next door to each other). And although we immediately agreed that Pinkberry was a much more appealing lunch than Rice to Riches, we couldn't help getting a nice helping of rice pudding to go before ordering our "lunch" next door.
Once we were fed and watered, we set our mark for 1st ave and the Upper East Side (what Jo lovingly referred to as "civilization"). But fortune was upon us and we stumbled across this new designers market. (Side note...for you non New Yorkers...SoHo is the "hipster" area of Manhattan and where new designers set their sights on being discovered. While the streets are dotted with main stream stores [Old Navy, Banana, etc] there are far more boutiques lining the streets with uber trendy clothes, shoes, and accessories) This little market was a way for independent designers to sell their items w/out putting up a rental fee for a store.
It was so fun to see what they had. The jewelry was really great and I bought this very cute headband (hand-made). There was also a guy selling these candles that were to die for! (Jo and I are probably going to go back next weekend to pick one up) Some of our favorite smells were lemongrass, fresh cut grass, tomato leaf, and mango. Just to give you a hint of how great these candles are...when I smelled "tomato leaf", I felt like I had been transported back into my grandma's tomato garden helping her pick ripe tomatoes. It was the most amazing smell ever!!! Needless to say, it's imperative that we get one of these prized possessions.
But my weekend didn't stop yesterday. Tomorrow my bishop is hosting a Memorial Day BBQ in his HUGE "yard" (if you can call a large area of grass and trees in the middle of an apartment complex in Manhattan a yard). It'll be lots of fun and I'm expecting great food! But for now, I'm going to go take a nap. I'm going to go see Star Trek at the IMAX in the wee hours of the morning (it will be Monday so no Sabbath Day will be broken). I can't wait to see Captain Kirk's beautiful face even larger than it was on the big screen when I first saw the movie. Awwww...swooon!!!
But that was not the case on Saturday. Jo and I headed down to SoHo (meaning "south of Houston") to do a little shopping in not-so-expensive places. Our first stop was Uni Glo, then Banana Republic, and Old Navy. By this time we were both quite famished (not to mention hot and tired) so we set off looking for a fun trendy place to eat. It's SoHo...one would think the place would be filled with trendy cafes and hidden treasures. Well, if there were any, they were hidden pretty well.
After finding ourselves dangerously close to the madness of China Town, we frustratingly turned around and walked down a different street in hopes of better luck. No such luck came. Well...that was until we found Pinkberry and Rice to Riches (which just happen to be next door to each other). And although we immediately agreed that Pinkberry was a much more appealing lunch than Rice to Riches, we couldn't help getting a nice helping of rice pudding to go before ordering our "lunch" next door.
Once we were fed and watered, we set our mark for 1st ave and the Upper East Side (what Jo lovingly referred to as "civilization"). But fortune was upon us and we stumbled across this new designers market. (Side note...for you non New Yorkers...SoHo is the "hipster" area of Manhattan and where new designers set their sights on being discovered. While the streets are dotted with main stream stores [Old Navy, Banana, etc] there are far more boutiques lining the streets with uber trendy clothes, shoes, and accessories) This little market was a way for independent designers to sell their items w/out putting up a rental fee for a store.
It was so fun to see what they had. The jewelry was really great and I bought this very cute headband (hand-made). There was also a guy selling these candles that were to die for! (Jo and I are probably going to go back next weekend to pick one up) Some of our favorite smells were lemongrass, fresh cut grass, tomato leaf, and mango. Just to give you a hint of how great these candles are...when I smelled "tomato leaf", I felt like I had been transported back into my grandma's tomato garden helping her pick ripe tomatoes. It was the most amazing smell ever!!! Needless to say, it's imperative that we get one of these prized possessions.
But my weekend didn't stop yesterday. Tomorrow my bishop is hosting a Memorial Day BBQ in his HUGE "yard" (if you can call a large area of grass and trees in the middle of an apartment complex in Manhattan a yard). It'll be lots of fun and I'm expecting great food! But for now, I'm going to go take a nap. I'm going to go see Star Trek at the IMAX in the wee hours of the morning (it will be Monday so no Sabbath Day will be broken). I can't wait to see Captain Kirk's beautiful face even larger than it was on the big screen when I first saw the movie. Awwww...swooon!!!
The one to last
Jo suggested a great book to me the other week and generously let me borrow it (even though I borrowed another book from her ages ago and have yet to return it). It's called Special Topics in Calamity Physics. I'm still near the beginning, but I'm really enjoying it so far. However, that's not what this post if for. The book got me thinking about my life. When I'm old and gray looking back on my life, will I consider it to have been a novella ("sweet...stories of cliche and coincidence, occasionally spiced up with tricks of the quirky, the achingly mundane, the grotesque")? Could I possibly end up living a Greek tragedy ("born into misery, destined to die in misery")? Or will my life be an epic story ("the one to last")?
I would like to think that my life would be epic. I want to have some impact on the world. I want my life to have meaning, to be remembered for something...even if just by a few. I don't need world fame. I actually don't want world fame. I just hope that by the time I'm on my death bed I can look back at my life and see my imprint on the world around me.
Looking at my life right now...it's more of a novella - overall fairly mundane with the occasional spice. Lately, I feel like my life has been lacking in spice - not even salt and pepper. Most nights after work I come home to watch TV while Maggie sleeps in the windowsill. Weekends are either spent in the same fashion or in watching a movie with Jo. Even on those rare occasions when I want to go out with a group of friends, if Jo is busy, I don't really have anyone to call. So most of my free time is spent alone with my cat.
In the book, Blue's father tells her "Everyone is responsible for the page-turning tempo of his or her Life Story...it could be dull as Nebraska and that's no one's fault but your own." It is my fault my life is as dull as Nebraska right now - no one else can be blamed for my mundane life but me. I feel like I'm in a rut and just don't know how to get out of it.
I look at the lives of my friends and family back home and I feel like they've really done something with their lives. And I guess it's all a perspective thing. I see my friends and siblings with their spouses and kids and feel like their lives have real meaning. They are making an impact on the world. Whereas I'm here, alone, working 40+ hours a week at job I don't want to be at in 2 years, not knowing what I want to do when I leave PwC, and feeling left behind in this giant marathon we call life. I feel the need for change, but I don't know if I'm ready for it.
At the end of June a big change will be forced on me and that's just something I'm going to have to deal with. It's going to be hard. I think that's where my desire for a "change of my choosing" is coming from. Like I said...I don't want to be left behind. As the wise Jo told me: "it's like when you're at a restaurant and people who ordered after you get their food first. You don't want to take their food away from them, you just want yours too." I don't want to take any one's happiness away from them (even if it means letting someone move on without me). I just want my happiness too.
I know change will come. Everyone goes through periods of their life when they feel in a rut (trust me...this is not the first time I've been stuck). I know I'll get out of it. I guess this book has taught me that I can't just sit and wait to be pulled out of dullness. I need to create my epic story. If that means creating change in my life then so be it.
I would like to think that my life would be epic. I want to have some impact on the world. I want my life to have meaning, to be remembered for something...even if just by a few. I don't need world fame. I actually don't want world fame. I just hope that by the time I'm on my death bed I can look back at my life and see my imprint on the world around me.
Looking at my life right now...it's more of a novella - overall fairly mundane with the occasional spice. Lately, I feel like my life has been lacking in spice - not even salt and pepper. Most nights after work I come home to watch TV while Maggie sleeps in the windowsill. Weekends are either spent in the same fashion or in watching a movie with Jo. Even on those rare occasions when I want to go out with a group of friends, if Jo is busy, I don't really have anyone to call. So most of my free time is spent alone with my cat.
In the book, Blue's father tells her "Everyone is responsible for the page-turning tempo of his or her Life Story...it could be dull as Nebraska and that's no one's fault but your own." It is my fault my life is as dull as Nebraska right now - no one else can be blamed for my mundane life but me. I feel like I'm in a rut and just don't know how to get out of it.
I look at the lives of my friends and family back home and I feel like they've really done something with their lives. And I guess it's all a perspective thing. I see my friends and siblings with their spouses and kids and feel like their lives have real meaning. They are making an impact on the world. Whereas I'm here, alone, working 40+ hours a week at job I don't want to be at in 2 years, not knowing what I want to do when I leave PwC, and feeling left behind in this giant marathon we call life. I feel the need for change, but I don't know if I'm ready for it.
At the end of June a big change will be forced on me and that's just something I'm going to have to deal with. It's going to be hard. I think that's where my desire for a "change of my choosing" is coming from. Like I said...I don't want to be left behind. As the wise Jo told me: "it's like when you're at a restaurant and people who ordered after you get their food first. You don't want to take their food away from them, you just want yours too." I don't want to take any one's happiness away from them (even if it means letting someone move on without me). I just want my happiness too.
I know change will come. Everyone goes through periods of their life when they feel in a rut (trust me...this is not the first time I've been stuck). I know I'll get out of it. I guess this book has taught me that I can't just sit and wait to be pulled out of dullness. I need to create my epic story. If that means creating change in my life then so be it.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Big Disappointment
What do you do when someone that you greatly care about and trust does something to completely disappoint you? I don't know if I've ever felt so betrayed.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
42nd and 3rd
On the corner of 42nd and 3rd is a vendor stand. This guy sells an assortment of things and each day is a new product. I love walking by each morning wondering what he is going to be selling. Some days it's jewelry, other days it's watches. Today was a treat - SOCKS!! Unfortunately they were men's dress socks or I might have picked up a pair - just so that I could say I bought them on the street. How cool would that be.
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