...The Story of Pat and Lindsay

My Semi-Annual: My Husband's Secret FB Life

2012-01-23T11:08:00.000-05:00

As I have mentioned before, I probably only engage in the phenomenon of Facebook for about 10 minutes a week, only for the simple fact I get bored. That is probably because I don't have much to share, unlike Pat, whose Facebook page managed to keep me totally entertained during my 10 minutes of Facebook stalking for this week.

Look at what I found:

I am dumbfounded when Pat says he doesn't like his work,
when I find pictures of him wearing a horse head.

FB Title: "My favorite part of the day."
I will ignore the fact that it was posted by a female co-worker. :)

FB title: "The obscure awardosaurus"
When I see pics like this I just can't help to wonder how the heck this photo came about.

FB Title: "Kids playing."
Next time Pat comes home so tired from work, I will know why.

Pat in the yellow mask...

Can you believe Pat get's paid to do this all day?

Oh...the life of a Creative.

Growing Old With Pat

2012-01-19T12:59:00.005-05:00

i-phones can do anything! With this i-phone app, we just took a picture and within seconds Pat and I aged a good 50 years. You would think I wouldn't like the outcome, but I actually think I look really cute!

This just confirms my suspicions that Pat and I will be the cutest old couple, EVER.

MLK Jr. Weekend

2012-01-18T09:35:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was such a treat because we were able to relax with good friends.

To kick the weekend off, I went to my friend, Casey's, baby shower. As with all parties here in NYC, the hosts were beyond talented and threw such a sweet party for her. One major highlight from the party were Kelsey's caramelized bacon strips on a stick. Let's just say life does not get much better than eating bacon on a stick.

Of course our weekend was full of football, as usual. I am really trying to be a good wife and not complain when we watch game after game of football, but let's just say it is hard and apparently I am not a good wife. However, I was getting a little into the whole Tim Tebow excitement. I mean, who doesn't love a modern day Christian hero? (Okay...probably a lot of people, but not me!) I have totally jumped on that bandwagon and even thought he was going to pull off another "Tebow Miracle" with the game against the Patriots. But alas, no such luck, or miracle rather.

Next on the weekends agenda was hanging with Tommy and Amanda Smith. Tommy and Amanda just moved to the area but it seems like we have known them forever! Amanda treated us to her homemade cinnamon rolls, which I had not one but TWO helpings. It's a good thing that I know better than to set any healthy New Years resolutions, because there is no way I would have been able to resist those puppies.

Next, we continued out chain restaurant love with another set of Smiths, Nate and Ashley, by eating at one of my favorite NYC joints...I-Hop. Yup. I. am. super. classy. But let's just say, it NEVER disappoints. Plus, good company always helps, and we just love the Nate-Dawg and the Shug.

Then to top off our friend-extravaganza-weekend, we hung out with our other favorite couple, Matt and Maria (we are so lucky to have the best group of friends here in the city. Really. The BEST!). We are able to just hang out and do nothing and have a great time. We went to Empanada Mama, which had some great arepas and empandas. Yet, alas, I am still on the search for an arepa that is as good as my Venezuelan friend's, Valentina's, mom's arepas. I haven't found ANYTHING that even slightly compares. I dream of her arepas.

I love three day weekends. One day really does make ALL the difference.

Nutty Montee

2012-01-17T13:43:00.000-05:00

Montee is nuts. This video just gives you a glimpse into what I mean.

Welcome to Canada

2012-01-13T15:08:00.001-05:00

(Video courtesy of the best video blog out there: Shouldisendit2nate)

I know I have a weird sense of humor, since videos like the magic show kids make me practically pee my pants, but this video made me REALLY question my sense of humor. I mean, why did this make me laugh uncontrollably at work to a point where I had tears streaming down my face?

P.S. Ever since watching Beavers: IMAX (instant play on netflix) I have had a huge respect for this animal. Probably up there on my top 10 list of coolest animals.

P.P.S. And since I am on the topic of being really geeky and revealing my obsession with animals, we recently watched a really cool documentary on dogs, called Dogs Decoded (instant play on netflix). Definitely a good watch...if you're into that kind of thing.

New Years Eve 2011 {Times Square}

2012-01-01T17:31:00.000-05:00

Yup. We did it. We saw the ball drop in Times Square on New Years Eve. And even now, after it is all said and done, I still don't know if it was really lame or really cool.

The day started out like the rest of the week, sleeping in and eating at a chain restaurant, but not just any chain restaurant but CPK-California Pizza Kitchen. When we were there, I realized that we ate at CPK years prior on New Years Eve, and I decided that this should become one of our traditions.

While we were there, Pat downloaded an App on his i-phone that allowed him to see a live video stream of Times Square. At 12pm Times Square was PACKED! We were planning on heading over there around 3, but once we saw all those people we got kinda nervous so we headed over ASAP.

In trying to prepare for the night and convincing our friends, Tommy and Amanda, to come with us, we ended up getting to Times Square at the time we had previously planned--3pm--it was a mad house. There were thousands and thousands of people that had no idea what was going on or where to go, and we were right there with them. All the streets to get to 42nd and Broadway, where all the concerts were going to happened later that evening, were already at full capacity and blocked off. Some how we managed to make into one of several "corrals"along Seventh Avenue from 42nd Street (Times Square) to 59th Street (Central Park).

These corrals where quite interesting. The police would let a certain amount of people within a barricaded space on each block. Once in the corral you were not allowed to leave, if you did, you were not allowed to come back. This was quite a commitment since it was 4pm and we still had 8 hours until the ball dropped. Even though I was sure not to drink much water that day, I still didn't know if my bladder would be able to hold out (I did manage to talk my way out and back in to go to the bathroom, and thank goodness because I learned that my old lady bladder just can't hold out that long). After Pat's Thanksgiving Parade mishap, we also made sure that Tommy and Amanda didn't drink anything prior to coming either. Amanda was quite upset that she couldn't drink a sprite with her pizza and was craving a "lemonade" for the whole 8 hours, but I know she was grateful come 11pm and didn't have to pee.

2012 or bust

I think we played more Uno, in those 8 hours, than I have ever played in my life, combined

The 8 hours waiting for the ball to dropped went by both quickly and slowly. We were not able to hear any of the concerts that were happening during the evening, which was a bummer (it turns out that in order to hear or see all that you needed to be at Times Square at 6am). Every hour, starting at 6pm, they would do a mini count down and celebration for a New Years that was being celebrated some where in the world. This offered a bit of encouragement and excitement that gave us just enough to keep going.

We were really lucky this year because the weather was so unseasonably warm. The coldest it got was probably in the low 40's. So we thought, "if we were going to do this whole Times Square thing, this was the year to do it."

All in all, we had a great time being with our friends. We knew if we weren't there we would just be at home watching it on T.V. wishing we were there.

Relive the last minute of 2011 and the first minute of 2012 with us by watching this video:

Will I ever do this again?

No.

Was it worth it?

Maybe not.

Am I glad I did it?

Most definitely.

Stay-cation with no place to be

2011-12-31T15:14:00.000-05:00

Patrick and I really lived it up the last week of December. We decided not to travel again this Christmas, but rather we enjoyed a little stay-cation in NYC. Pat's work was closed the last week of December and I took a week of vacation so we could just relax and veg. And VEG we did.

Without knowing it we started we went on a little "food tour" of NYC; however, this was not your typical city-food-tour of exotic eats or unique restaurants, rather, we sought out the best chain restaurants the city has to offer that are common in the West Coast, but scarce here in this East Coast city.

Prior to this week we always felt a little guilty eating at a chain restaurant when we live in a city that is known for their unique eateries; however, during this stay-cation we over came this guilt and just embraced all that these restaurants have to offer; my favorite being an ABUNDANT amount of space. It was so nice to walk into a restaurant and be seated right away because there were more than enough tables. We were always seated in a booth that was comfortable and had enough room for us and all our belongs. We did not feel the need to eat really fast because there were more than enough seat available. It was nice to not be seated a foot away from another customer but rather we weren't even able to hear what the other customers were talking about because they were a few tables away. Needless to say, this chain-restaurant-food-tour was much needed to rejuvenate us from the over crowded and unpredictable.

Everyday we would sleep in to our hearts content and around noon or so we would make our way to Panera, Outback Steak House, Olive Garden, or California Pizza Kitchen. Let's just say, we are embracing this life without responsibility.

Pat also received a new i-phone for Christmas from my parents.

He has become quite the phone-photographer with Montee being his prime subject.

Christmas {2011}

2011-12-25T23:26:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone got as spoiled as I did this Christmas, because really, that is what Christmas is all about? Getting awesome presents, right? ha Juuuuuuuuuuust kidding, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

Christmas morning started off the right way, by going to church and remembering our Savior and his birth. We were lucky that Christmas was on a Sunday this year because it made it so much easier to remember the true meaning of Christmas as we sang hymns of his birth and were able to reflect on all our blessings that come from the Savior.

However, after church came the presents!

This Christmas, I didn't have any "surprise" gifts, but that didn't matter because the anticipation of actually being able to open and use my gift was all I needed for me to get giddy several days prior to the big day. Pat got me my dream lens: A Canon 24-70mm f/2.8.

It was the first gift opened on Christmas day so I would be able to use it ASAP.

Here is the first picture taken:

I know what you thinking, because Pat said it himself, "I can't even tell the difference." But trust me, there is a huge difference and I am so happy about it.

I don't know if you know this, but Santa doesn't deliver gifts to adults. I thought this was a shame and decided to start a tradition where Pat and I buy each other stocking stuffers. On Christmas Eve, Pat and I headed to Target and went our separated ways for a half hour while we each picked out $15 worth of stocking stuffers for the other person. (Side note: As we were walking home from the Target in East Harlem in broad day light, we saw an ambulance pull away from the sidewalk we were walking on. As we approached the area the ambulance departed from, we saw a huge pool of blood that we actually had to walk over in order to pass. At that point I started to re-think our decision to walk home). Anyways, my stocking was filled mostly with my favorite things, candy and food. However, there was also a pack of chap stick (which I am in constant need of because I usually lose it on the first day of purchase) and a Rudolph nose. Pat's stocking had Super Hero drinking glasses and a book of games. This is definitely a tradition that will stick for years to come.

Next was Pat's big gift, a leather jacket--also not a surprise,

but he was very happy to finally be able to wear it.

I also got beautiful pearl earrings from my in-laws. The amazing thing is, is that I have been really wanting and needing new earrings. I always buy the cheap H&M earrings that seem to tarnish after a few days, so I am super excited about having some nice pearl earrings that go with everything.

We both received other gifts from my parents which, as always, was SUPER generous. However, the prize for my most unique gift goes to my brother Justin and sister in-law, Jannah.

You see, I come from a family with 5 kids, so buying gifts for each person would be a little fiscally difficult. To remedy this problem, we pick names every year of the family we will give gifts to. This year, we were lucky enough to be picked by Justin and Jannah and we were blown away by what they got us...

ROLLER SKATES!

It turns out when you give someone roller skates you not only give them something to put on their feet, but you give them an experience! And that is exactly what we got. As soon as we could, we headed out the door with our new skates. Apparently, we have a street hockey rink a few blocks away that worked perfectly for us to show off our God-given-roller-skating-talent.

We also found out it's a little hard to take "timed" pictures of ourselves while on roller skates.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas Postcard {2011}

2011-12-24T16:35:00.000-05:00

It's Christmas time, so do you know what that means? An over abundance of Christmas cards! However, in my case, it's Christmas postcards. It's funny because every year I make these, I never think I will have enough pictures to fill the bubbles because I can never think of anything fun we did. Yet, once I go back through our pictures I actually end up having a hard time narrowing all the pictures down to just 16. Ha! I guess we do live pretty fun lives.

Once again, I wish we could send a hard copy to everyone,

but since this isn't fiscally possible, a virtual copy is just as good and way more GREEN!

The Mattsons come to NYC

2011-12-23T13:54:00.000-05:00

One of the best parts about living in NYC is that it's a destination for many, which means we get to see a lot of our friends all year long without having to make the trip ourselves!

My best friend, Meghan, and her hubby, Matt Mattson, were visiting her home state of New Jersey for Christmas. They were nice enough to visit us for 21.5 hours (yes, every minute counts when I only get to see them maybe once a year).

Originally, I wasn't going to be able to take the day off of work while they were here, but I finagled myself another vacation day, and I am so glad I did because it was a blast to be able to chill with my favorite people in the whole wide world for a day.

The adventure started after work on Wednesday, when Pat and I met Meghan and Matt, at Red Bamboo, a well reviewed vegan restaurant in Greenwich Village. Meghan has been vegan for a few years now, but I am still totally oblivious to the whole lifestyle and food selection. So, when I was searching for a good place for us to eat, of course I went to yelp and was able to find this very well liked restaurant. However, when I was looking over the menu I was totally confused because almost all the entrees had meat in the title. For example, some of the entrees are: "BBQ Ribs", "Curry Chicken", "Sesame Beef", and "Fish and Chips." To make sure that there was a vegan option for Meghan, I called the restaurant and asked if they had any vegan entrees. The person the phone was a little confused and said everything they served was either vegetarian or vegan. Those of you, who are familiar with these types of restaurants, are probably thinking I am a total idiot, but I had no idea that all these options were simply fake meat. Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnyways, the food was actually really good and tasted SOOO much like real meat. I got the Buffalo Wings and they even put a little wooded stick in the middle of the meat to act like a bone! HA!

After dinner we went to Rockefeller Center and then walked and saw the Christmas window displays on 5th Avenue. While walking on 5th Avenue we had an unexpected adventure that I will post about later on, because it deserves a post all of its own, but I definitely think it was the highlight of our 21.5 hours together.

The next day was a casual day where we ate had Ovest Pizza again and just strolled around Chelsea until they left us. :(

We randomly saw a high school friend, David Martin, while walking on the High Line.
I am always blown away when stuff like this happens in such a big city.
The world really is a small place.

The sign of true friends is when you don't do anything but still have the best time.

Christmas Party Spectacular

2011-12-21T15:38:00.000-05:00

Remember this couple from the French Party this past June? Well, Kimberly and Ryan are at it again by throwing a Christmas Party that Pat or I will ever forget.

When I received the invite to attend this party I was super excited, and with the mysterious meeting place being at the 96th Subway stop on the west side, I knew this wasn't going to be your normal mix and mingle gathering.

Just as I anticipated, once everyone had assembled Ryan proceeded to tell us that we were going to be distributing the "White Elephant" gifts, that we had all brought, to random people on the street, as we made our way back to their a apartment. The "game" was, that we would walk along the side walk until someone found a person that they thought would enjoy opening a gift. Once that person was approached and congratulated on being selected, everyone would line up in a line and hold their gift in front of them. The lucky person then could pick any gift they wanted and open it in front of us. After they opened it we would all cheer, wish them a Merry Christmas and start the search for our next lucky victim.

I can't tell you how fun this was, and of course being in NYC we got some pretty avoidant responses when we approached someone. They couldn't understand that we were not selling anything or that there were no strings attached to the gift. We selected some pretty awesome people though, from a little Hispanic boy in a barber shop to an elderly black lady who was out for a stroll.

I think my favorite person we selected that night was a lady with her little boy. When we were explaining the process to them and congratulating on them on being the lucky winners, the lady was a bit confused and asked us if we belonged to a church. We really didn't know how to answer, because we all belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, but this was not a church function. So, we all hesitated and said "Well...we are all from the same church but this is not a Church function." Then she asked "Are you all Mormon?" We couldn't believe it! We were all blown away that someone would be able to call us out on our Mormon-ness. We had a good laugh about it and then went on our way as she left with a pie crust decorator and a Pyrex bowl.

When the presents all ran out, Ryan and Kimberly magically had Christmas tree decorations. We all decorated a sad little tree to being the Christmas spirit to a Harlem street.

Just when we thought the night couldn't get any more fun we entered the Simmon's apartment---aka a magical, colorful, Christmas wonderland. They had all the ingredients you could ever think of for flavored hot chocolate and yummy yummy treats. We played "Reverse Charades" where instead of having your team guess what you are acting out, your team acts out the word or phrase and one player has to guess.

When I saw this picture above, all I could think of was
Mr. Hugo Peabody (aka Ryan) in Bye, Bye Birdie shown below.

It is hard to pick a highlight of the evening, but if I had to one of the highlights of the evening was being selected to carry out the tradition of the "CHRISTMAS JELL-O." You might be asking yourself: "What is the Christmas Jell-o?" Well, we had the same question when we were selected. The story goes like this: A few years ago the Simmons were hosting a Christmas party, which included a nice Jello sculpture. Apparently, our friend, Stanton, asked if he could throw the Jello out of their 5th floor apartment window. The answer was yes, and every year since then, they have thrown "The Christmas Jello" out the window.

After we took pictures with "The Christmas Jell-o" in front of the Christmas tree, Pat had the honors of the Jell-o toss. As Pat made the deposit, the entire party waited in silence as the Jell-o made it's way to it's final resting place, five stories below. Surprisingly, the Jell-o make a very loud "kur-plop," which was followed by cheers, shout for joys, and Merry Christmas's. I wish this was a tradition I could steal, but I think the fun of the tradition is the tradition was not planned and just happened.

It's really too bad that these pictures could not capture the magic of the night. But then again,

I don't think any amount of pictures or writing could accurately depict the fun we had.

Doug and Mariah visit NYC {Year Two}

2011-12-19T15:03:00.000-05:00

Our good good friends, Doug and Mariah, came and visited us again this year. This is becoming a kind of tradition as this is the second year they came on the same weekend as last year. Doug has a Christmas party for his work in NYC around the second weekend of December. I am so glad that Doug and Mariah use this as an excuse to come visit us!

Mariah had just two things she wanted to do while she was in New York City.

1. Eat at Lombardis, the first pizzeria in the U.S.
2. Go to FAO Shwarz
3. Take pictures with Montee

I am happy to say we were able to do all of them!

I was lucky that I still had one vacation day while they were here, so I was able to take a day off and spend it with Mariah.

First, we had lunch at a local crepe joint. Then we went to South Sea Port and got some discounted Broadway tickets at TKTS. Then we walked on the Brooklyn bridge. Then we got cupcakes at Sprinkles. Then we went to FAO Shwarz and watch a "BIG PIANO" performance and got the chills. Then later that night we at the famous Halal Street food with the husbands, went to Rockefeller Center and saw the Christmas window displays. Yes, you can say it was a great day.

The rest of the weekend was a blast, but unfortunately, unlike last year, Doug had to work a lot more. Bummer. But he still managed to meet up with us during the nights and even during the day to see the critically acclaimed Broadway show "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" which was great.

I forgot to mention that Doug missed his flight coming to NYC due to work. And unfortunately, BOTH Doug and Mariah missed their flights leaving NYC due to Doughnut Plant. For some reason, I got it in my head that I really wanted to go to this famous Doughnut shop. I told Doug and Mariah about it and got it in their heads too. The whole weekend we tried to make it to the shop before it closed, but could never get around to it. So finally, the last day they were here, we knew we had to go. However, this unfounded little obsession of mine, along with us not being able to catch a cab, caused the Brewster's to miss their flight! Needless to say, I felt awful and the doughnuts weren't even good, but we did have an little adventure that we other wise wouldn't of had...fishing for ray bans in the subway. See video below.

Reoccurring Dreams/Nightmares

2011-12-03T12:31:00.000-05:00

Some high school buds. Go class of 2001!
(Lauren, Valentina, Ann, Melissa, Erin, Meghan, me, Meredith)

I haven't been sleeping well recently. I am not sure if it's stress, our horrible mattress, or these reoccurring dreams I keep having. However, last night was a particularly bad night due to my "traumatic" reoccurring dream.

I have a few reoccurring dreams one being a tidal wave coming to consume me while I am near a beach, and another one is my teeth falling out. However, my most frequent reoccurring dream was the one I had last night, and it seemed like I had it ALL night over and over again because I was really grateful when the morning finally came.

This dream always consists of me at my high school in California. The halls and classrooms are always just as I remember them being. There are always some of my classmates that I attended school with, usually people I haven't thought about since I graduated. Somehow during the dream I realize that I haven't been attending my math class, because I simply forgot, and it's the end of the year. When I finally go to the class I am so embarrassed because the teacher and classmates know that I haven't been attending. The teacher then gives me a test that I need to take in order to pass the class with all these math problems that I have no idea how to answer, because I haven't been there for any of the instruction. I am then left to figure out the problems which which is very traumatic.

This is when I usually awake from the nightmare, totally anxious and stressed out. I don't know what the dream means or what causes me to have them. I'm sure I could analyze it in a thousand ways and come up with a thousand different reasons. However, all I know is that I am glad I am not in high school and don't have to worry about this dream ever coming true. Apparently, my math classes and high school have scared me for life!

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee" Isaiah 41:10

2011-12-02T10:27:00.000-05:00

This video is amazing. It spoke to my heart as it seems that I am more fearful these days, either because I am more aware of the world around me or because life just gets more complicated as one gets older.

Pat always says, in a somewhat cliche and joking manner, "I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future." Even though that is a really cheesy saying, it's true and something that I need to remember.

FB and PAT

2011-12-01T11:41:00.000-05:00

I belong to Facebook but hardly ever use it or go on it.

However, every so often I will go on an check out what Patrick has been up to.
Check out what I found:

Apparently Pat was Garth from "Waynes World" for Halloween while he was at work.

His work partner, Nathan, took this picture of the city from the top of their work building and posted

in on Facebook. Then I guess Patrick added his one creative genius to the scene and reposted it.

Chicken Marinara Melt

Pat has started a new blog: Sub of the Month, honoring Subway's sub of the month in art form.

And of course there is always the continual posting of Pat's video blog: ShouldIsendit2nate

Apparently, Pat has a whole virtual life I don't know about.

A Note from Pat

2011-11-29T13:05:00.000-05:00

This week I came home to an empty house. I saw this note from Pat and it made me laugh so hard.

"Went running. I have my phone so feel free to call me if you need something. If I don't answer right away that is because I might not be able to hear/feel the phone on my hip as I am running. I am going to try and run a lap around Central Park! So I may be gone for a while.

Things I have w/ me:

-Phone

-ID

-Credit Card

-Sweets"

As you can tell from this note I am bit paranoid. More than a few times I have FREAKED out when Pat hasn't answered his phone and I always ask him if he has all of the items he listed in his note if he is going running by himself.

I saw a similar graph to the one below, but I adapted it to apply to me and exactly what I think.

Our Tiny Christmas Tree

2011-11-28T20:26:00.000-05:00

One of the traditions I wanted to start was to set up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving; however, we decided that we wanted to switch that the first Monday after Thanksgiving, since every Monday in our church are designated as Family Night.

When we moved to NYC I gave away our 6ft Christmas tree because we didn't have room to store it or even to put it up. This year I bought a much smaller artificial Christmas tree, but still the only place to put it is on top of our two-seater dining table.

We tried to be festive this year by playing Christmas music while we set the tree up, but since our fake 4 foot Christmas tree only took about 10 minutes to set up, the music was short lived.

Last minute we also thought it would be fun to put one gift for each person under the tree right after the Christmas tree was set up. Pat didn't like the wrapping paper we had on hand, so he is waiting to wrap his gift with some paper that he like better than the one I wrapped his with.

Every year, since we have been married, I have boughten a Christmas ornament.
2011 will be our 5th Christmas ornament.

Montee apparently really likes the taste of plastic Christmas trees.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade & Dinner

2011-11-27T19:45:00.000-05:00

This year Pat and I decided to be the ultimate tourists and to make sure we did all the NYC touristy things around the holidays. Last year, I was a bit of a bah-hum-bug and never wanted to put forth the effort and brave the crowds for those infamous New York celebrations.

One such event, is the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Last year, I didn't want to wake up early and get seats for the parade, so we ended getting to the parade just as Santa passed by. Pat was very depressed that he missed it all, so I vowed we would do it the following year. I am proud to say I follow through with my promises, even if it does mean waking up at 4:45am on Thanksgiving morning. I don't feel like there are many things in life that warrant waking up before 5am; however, I am glad to say the Thanksgiving Parade is one of those exceptions.

We claimed our seats by 5:45am, with our friends, Tommy and Amanda, when there were only a handful of people on the street. We kept ourselves warm, happy, and full by eating breakfast sandwiches and drinking hot cocoa.

The time actually went by really quickly in the wee morning hours as we watched the sun rise above central park and the city.

As the sidewalks fill with people and the parade was set to start any minute, Pat decides he needs to go to the bathroom. He has been holding it for a few hours and he can't bare it any longer. So minutes before the parade begins Pat has no choice but to leave and find a bathroom, no easy feat in NYC, let alone Thanksgiving morning. With the crowds of people I really didn't think Pat would ever be able to make it back in time. I couldn't believe that Pat was going to miss the parade for the second year in a row!

Niel Diamond was by far the most entertaining celebrity on a float.
He was singing and dancing with his old man dance moves
as he filmed the crowd from his own personal camera. I loved that
he was so excited to be on a float that he was documenting it himself!

I was really excited to see Scotty McCreery. He was one of our favorites last season on American Idol.

Fully expecting not to see Pat until the parade was over, I watched the first hour of the parade feeling so sad for Pat that he was missing all the action. Finally, by some miracle, Pat was able to make it back to our seats, only after having to take a taxi to and back from his work over 30 blocks away. I was so happy he was able to make it for the remaining hour of the parade.

I really couldn't believe how fun and entertaining the parade was. I really enjoyed the whole experience, especially with our friends Tommy and Amanda. I am surprised to say that I had so much fun that I would gladly do it all again next year.

After the parade I was totally exhausted. The minute I came home I jumped into bed and took a nap before our Thanksgiving dinner at our friends house, the Newmans. We volunteered to bring a few sides, mashed potatoes and yams, so I set my alarm to be able to wake up on time to make it. However, Pat being the wonderful husband he is, knowing that I was so tired, did it all himself! When I woke up, he told me to go back to bed and that he was already taking care of it! I couldn't believe, that was by fat the sweetest thing he could have possibly done. I didn't argue with him one bit. I just turned around and went back to bed until it was time to leave.

The dinner was amazing. However, I was so impressed with their decorations and preparations of the meal that I totally forgot to take pictures of the most important part...the PEOPLE!!!! So sad and a major fail on my part.

Our friends, Maria and Matt, invited us to this dinner and I am so glad they did. We had such a fun time having the a traditional Thanksgiving meal in NYC, no easy feat. We really enjoyed getting to know people we otherwise wouldn't have been able to spend time with and of course the food was amazing.

We played a really fun game after dinner that is a tradition in the Newman family. After dinner everyone sat in a circle on the floor and each person was given three die. However, these were not normal die, but rather wooden die with a letter written on each side: J, O, and Y. A pile of candy was placed in the center of the circle, along with some big ticket items (king size candy bars). A timer was set for 60 or 90 seconds. When the time begins everyone rolling their die and tried to spell our the word "Joy." When your die spelled out the word you were able to pick a candy from the pile in the middle or take a candy from anyone else's pile. When the time ran out you got to keep any candy that is left in your pile. I know I didn't do a very good job at explaining how to play the game, but trust me, it was so much fun and I fully intend on stealing this tradition for future Thanksgivings.

Singing Amazon.com's Praises

2011-11-25T09:48:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we got a new mattress. After extensive research online we chose an inexpensive memory foam mattress and decided to purchase it from Amazon. I was not nervous about ordering the mattress because I figured anything would be better than our mattress now and it has 5 out of 5 stars with over 500 reviews on Amazon's review system. Of course there were a few bad reviews, but we figured we would trust the numbers and go for it.

The day the mattress arrived we were so exited. Since it was a memory foam mattress it came in a relatively small box. Once the mattress was taken out of the box and the plastic covering removed, within seconds we had a full size king size mattress.

However, after the first night out all our excitement was quickly depleted as the mattress was extremely firm. We knew it usually takes a few weeks to get used to a new mattress so we gave it a shot; however, after a week of no sleep we decided the mattress need to go back. But how!?

The mattress weighs 100lbs and it no longer fits in the original box. So, to make a very long story it was a nightmare to send at 6ft by 6ft mattress in NYC back to Amazon, but despite the headache this was Amazon refunded us the money with not hassle at all.

After fighting with UPS for days on end they finally agreed to pick up our mattress. Luckily, when they picked it up when my dad was in town on business, and let me tell you he certainly earned his keep while staying with us. At first Pat would not tell me what happened because it was such an awful experience for the, but after prying he finally relented.

We had purchased a mattress box to put our mattress box in. However, when Pat and my dad tried to get the mattress in the box down our stairwell 1/2 before the driver was to arrive they realized it wouldn't fit. They managed to get the mattress back in the apartment and took the mattress out of the box. They we able to fold the mattress in half using using tie downs. Then they had to rip up the box, run to the store to get tape, find some more cardboard and make a box around the folded mattress. This took way longer than 1/2 hour so the UPS guy was there and waiting AND my dad ended up being late to a business dinner appointment. I am so glad I wasn't there. I would have just broke down and started crying. I am sure I didn't do the story justice but I am so thankful for my husband and dad figure that all out. WAY TO GO!

"Only" 5 minutes

2011-11-24T11:46:00.000-05:00

Face of Jesus Christ, Head of Christ

Artist is: Akiane who is a young girl who painted this when she was only 8 years old.

This last Sunday, I was asked to give a 5 minute speech during our church service. This church service was special in that it was devoted to inviting people who are not of our faith so they can see what an LDS service, or Mormon service, is like and also learn more about our faith.

Typically, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints you are asked to give speeches during the first hour of service about once a year. Since we do not have any paid clergy, the members are the ones that do the teaching on Sundays both in our Sacrament service, Sunday School and other meetings.

I typically do not get too nervous to speak in public, but since I am a little out of practice and I felt a little more pressure since it was a special service, I was very nervous and didn't know what to talk about. Even though it was only 5 minutes long and not much information can be covered in that short of time, it was very hard for me to think of exactly what I wanted to convey to the congregation on "how my beliefs and being a member of this church bless my life."

Generally when I give talks I don't write it out but instead I have bullet points of stories or thoughts I want to talk about. However, this time, for whatever reason, I felt it necessary to write everything out to make sure that I covered everything I wanted to talk about.

Since I already have it all written out, I thought I would share my thoughts with you.

Several years ago I was having a religious conversation witha friend. At one point in the conversation I was talking about truth and hestopped me mid-sentence and asked me what “truth” means.

I was thrown off by the question and didn’t know how to answer.My mind went blank and the only answer I could give him was “Well it issomething that is true!” He smiled and said “Lindsay, I think you should gofind out what truth is,” and the conversation was over.

After this instance I was ashamed of myself for not knowingthe definition of truth. I had thrown that word around so casually my wholelife and I didn’t even know what it meant. However, I was comforted by the factthat when I looked up the definition of “truth” in the dictionary, Merriam andWebster both gave me almost the same answer that I gave my friend: “The qualityor state of being true”! I was relieved to see that my answer was not that faroff from the mark.

This started me on a journey of discovering what “truth”meant to me. I do not remember how long it took me to create my own definitionbut I finally came up with an explanation that made perfect sense to me: “Truthis something that never changes.”

There are certain truths that I have come to believe or knowas a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of later-day Saints. Some of thesetruths are:

The truth that Jesus Christ is my Savior.

The truth that through His sacrifice I am able to overcomeany obstacle.

The truth that God loves all his children regardless of whatthey say, look like, have, or do.

The truth that God has given us prophets to give usdirection and guidance since the time of Adam, to Noah, to Abraham and even today.

The truth that God has given us the ability to have ourfamilies united forever.

The truth that prayers are heard and answered.

The truth that we can receive guidance, direction, andcomfort in our lives if we choose to seek it.

I have found that when I live these truths and choose tofollow them that I am happier and I can see things more clearly.

Since I was a small girl I have always been very fond of ascripture that is found in the Book of Mormon. It reads: “Men are that theymight have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). Or even more simply stated “We are here toexperience happiness.”

The way we are able to obtain this happiness that will lastforever and not just the happiness that is experienced for a small moment is bylearning and following truth.

When I was a young girl I was on a swim team. Before one ofmy swim meets my friend told me that she heard that if we ate a lot of candybefore we swam that it would give us a lot of energy and make us swim reallyfast.

Since my goal at that time was to get as many ribbons aspossible, and a kid can never turn down candy, we decided to gorge ourselvesfull of candy right before the meet.

As I am sure many of you know, and may have experience firsthand, we did get a lot of energy shortly after eating the candy, but our energydid not last long. We were quickly left exhausted, burnt out and feeling sickto our stomachs.

It is the same with happiness. When we fill our lives withthings that do not last but only make us happy from that moment, we are onlytemporarily satisfied. However, when we fill our lives with things that arenutritious, good, and true, our happiness will not be fleeting.

What I learned from my friend’s admonition that day to “gofind out what truth is” has been life changing. I discovered that these truths,regardless if I believe them or choose to use them will always be the same andnever change. I am grateful for this knowledge as these eternal truths bringeternal happiness and joy into my everyday life.

Bill and Val

2011-11-22T19:50:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since we have been able to visit with both Bill and Valerie, my parents-in-law, at the same time. Valerie has been able to visit us in New York, just a few months back, but Bill hasn't been able to make a similar journey just yet.

It was great to be able to spend so much time with them when we went back to Colorado. On our last evening together, Valerie was so nice to take us out to her favorite restaurant in her area called "White Fence Farm." It was a cute family-style restaurant that has a classy farm feel to it. Hard to explain but it was great, especially the cornfritters!

Thanks Bill and Valerie for spending so much time with us!

Garden of the Gods

2011-11-22T17:27:00.000-05:00

While Pat and I were in Colorado we took a little day trip out to Colorado Springs to see a famous park called "Garden of the Gods." Garden of the Gods is a free public park with trails and cool red rock formations. Since I have never been to Colorado Spring and have never seen anything close to it before, I was really excited to go and to just be in nature.

The park was great. We took a walk around and looked and read about the beauty that can come from a pocket of interesting red rock formations in the middle of no where.

After the park Pat was excited to be driving a car and decided to take a scenic route by taking a mountain road through an area that Pat used to go camping with friends during high school. He thought it wouldn't take much longer than taking the highway; however, a hour journey back home became 3 1/2 hours!

It was so funny as we made our way through the snowy mountain in our Ford Focus, through winding roads and steep hills. There were a few times that we were not sure if we were going to make it home, but we did! All thanks to Pat's great driving skills.

This actually ended up being Pat's favorite part of the the trip, which left him exhausted the rest of the night from all the adrenaline he felt not knowing if the car would make it up a snow packed hill.

The drive was actually really relaxing (for me at least). We stopped a few times along the way to both go to the bathroom, camping style, and to enjoy the view. During the whole 3. 5 hours we were driving on this road we only saw two other vehicles. It was so quiet. The only sound was that of the wind passing through the trees.

Pat made an interesting observation as we drove down a dirty road that was lined with thousand of trees that we could barely see the sky. He said "See, it is just like we are New York, except that the trees would be buildings."

I love Pat's perspective on life. If only I had the ability to see things as he does.

Two Families, Six Dogs

2011-11-21T11:16:00.000-05:00

The only thing that Pat wanted to do while we were in Colorado was see his dog Scout. Pat rescued his dog from the pound when Pat was in high school. He planned on taking him to college with him, but it just didn't work out, so his parents are lucky enough to take him until we can have a dog of our own. Scout is pretty old now, but we hope he holds on long enough for us to have him live with us for a while.

So with Scout added to the mix, the Koellings have a total of three dogs. THREE DOGS! That is a lot of dogs. And the crazy thing is, the family that let us stay with them while we were in Colorado, the Roedel's/Rodeback's (I like to call them Pat's second family), have three dogs too! I mean, what are the chances of getting two families together that both have three dogs?!

So, on Sunday afternoon we took the dogs for a walk. It was hilarious and a sight to be seen, especially since all the dogs were really excited to be outside.

Brother and their dogs

The Official Koelling Clan

Pat's best friend Ben and his future Fiance', Patty.

Twins!

Scout

Just a man and his dog

Marie and Ben, Roedel siblings

Brooklyn, Marie, and Maddox

My all time favorite picture of the trip. It just makes me laugh.

Brittanie's Baby Shower

2011-11-20T16:08:00.000-05:00

Apparently Colorado is the place to be because my other friend, Brittanie, who I served with me on my LDS mission on Temple Square, lives in Colorado right now as well! The trip really was perfect timing because Brittanie is having her first baby at the end of December, so since I was going to be in town during prime baby shower time, I thought it would be fun to plan a little party for her in her honor.

Brittanie was nice enough to put me in contact with her other friend, Patti, who helped me plan the whole thing. Patti was a saint as she dealt with my insanity over the past few months. Planning the shower from afar made me a little nuts because I was so scared I was going to forget something and then be out of luck once I was in Colorado. Also, with the added inconvenience of New York City, I was constantly sending her items from Amazon.com--everything from double sided tape to cupcake liners. We planned the whole thing via email, which was awesome.

Patti displaying our theme decorated cup cakes.

The theme of the Baby Shower was "Ahoy! It's a Boy!",

where we had everything decorated with a sailboat theme.

Patti's husband is a chef so they took care of all the food!

Thank goodness, because anyone that knows me knows how much I despise cooking.

The food tasted as good as it looked!

When the guests arrived they signed a children's book about a toy boat,

writing messages for both Brittanie and the baby to read together someday.

We played a few baby shower games, including writing down wishes for the baby, the name game where we helped Brittanie decided on boys name that started with each letter of her name, and Mommy Trivia where the guest answered questions about Brittanie and her pregnancy.

Steve, Brittanies husband, had to pick the winner for the name game.
He chose the name "Thomas". Tom Savage--I like it.

Brittanie claimed her pregnancy was contagious and if you touched her belly you would be next!

It was so fun to see Brittanie and her belly! I am glad that everything worked out for me to be there at just the right time and that even after all these years of being back from our missions (6 years this May! YIKES!) we are still great friends!

The Isoms...home away from home

2011-11-14T23:09:00.000-05:00

Now

Then

I am 28 years old. I have a best friend named Jenny that I have been friends with for 28 years. We were born a month apart and have been friends ever since her birth. Someone try to beat that...I DARE you!

When we were younger and our parents would take us out together everyone always thought we were twins. As a child I may have spent just as much time at her house than I did at my own. They even have record of me calling Jenny's mom, Patti, "mom" on a few of their family videos. Needless to say...we are close.

This past summer Pat and I planned on visiting his family in Colorado while Patrick attended one of his friends Wedding on 11.11.11. However, then the great debacle stuck when another one of his other good friends decided to get married on the same day in California! Pat was torn and didn't know what to do. However, despite all the puppies, fireworks, diabetic cookies, and tax exemptions promised to from both sides, Pat's decision was made when his friend, Jared, won the debate by asking him to be a groom's man in California.

However, since we have not been back to Pat's home town, in Colorado, since we got married we decided to still make the trip. We both left NYC on the same day; however, Pat flew to California while I flew to Colorado to visit with Jenny's family for a few days until Pat met up with me a few days later.

I was lucky enough that Jenny and her family live so close to Pat's home town, so it worked out perfectly! I spent 2 1/2 days with the Isom's and I had such a great time. Jenny sure does know how to make someone feel right at home.

When I arrived in Denver, I made my way to the baggage claim but on the way there I was interrupted by a cute boy running towards me. It took me a second to recognize Avery, Jenny's oldest, since it has been three years since I had seen him last and I was expecting them to pick me up outside. But instead Jenny and all her kids greeted me at the airport! Jenny is one classy lady!

Then when we arrived at their home, Annabelle, Jenny's second, had given up her bed and room for me to stay in while I was there AND they had a dozen roses for me. I mean COME ONE!!!! It doesn't get much better than this! I felt like royalty.

The next few days were spent playing with her three kids, Avery, Annabelle, and the newest addition Ammon (yup...all "A" names), eating good food, exploring the greater Denver area, and catching up. Jenny's kids are perfect and I attribute it to Jenny being such an amazing mom. She is so patient, loving and fun. I can only hope I am HALF the mom she is.

Annabelle wanted to get on the action when Jenny and I were getting ready.

I tried to take some pictures of Jenny and her family and Ammon
was not a happy camper. The only way he would stop crying was when you lifted him above the fence so he could see the neighbors dogs!

I had such a wonderful time with Jenny and her family. I am so glad that everything worked out the way it did that I was able to stay with them, even if it was only for a few days.

Here's to 28 more years of friendship, Jenny!

Family Traditions

2011-11-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Pat and I have recently be asked to give our friends, who are getting married, a little gift symbolizing a tradition from our family that we want to pass onto their new family. As I thought about this, I got more a more depressed. I could only think of one "tradition" Pat and I have, if you can even call it a tradition.

We always keep a dry erase marker in the bathroom, for those instances where our schedules do not align. For those times when I work early or when Pat works late, these pens work great to leave a little love note on the bathroom mirror since we didn't have the chance to say "good morning" or "good night" in person.

I plan on tying these markers up in a ribbon and attaching this poem:

Now that you two are soon to be wed,

It is important for you to prepare for the years ahead.

The future is bright with a companion by your side,

to always have someone to be there for life's amazing ride.

Marriage is a special gift from above,

being able to spend not only time but eternity with the one you love.

True love never dies if it's nourished every day;

performing small acts of kindness goes a long way.

Never miss an opportune moment to express how you feel,

this is one thing you never want to conceal.

Do as we have done and use these dry-erase markers to say something sweet;

a bathroom mirror always works well to say "I love you" or "You make me complete".

Those unexpected love-notes from your husband or wife,

is a sure-fire way to keep the romance alive and to enrich your life.

Of course, this isn't a tradition in the "traditional" sense (no pun intended) so even though I was able to come up with a gift, I still was a bit depressed about being so boring and untraditional in our marriage. Sure, I could blame it on the fact that we don't have kids and a lot of traditions involve having little ones. However, I don't think that excuse should hold us back from enjoying all the lasting memories that traditions bring to ones life.

So, I decided to TAKE ACTION.

I decided that from that moment on we would start having traditions. I made a list of all the traditions that my family had growing up and the new traditions I want to start with my own family. It seems that when you are a "single couple" (this is what I call a couple without kids) you are always holding out on starting traditions until you have kids. Well, since we have been married for almost 5 years now and there are still no kids in the picture, we need to start now! Kids or no kids, traditions will be had in the Koelling house hold!

Of course some of the traditions below require little ones, there are still plenty that Pat and I can start on. This list is still incomplete and I fully intend to add upon this list as the years go by. What traditions did or does your family have? Please share so I can steal your ideas!

Family Traditions

Daily
-Read one chapter from the scriptures every evening
-Family prayer every morning and night, ending with a group hug
-Daily dinner questions: What was the best and worst part of your day and who did you help?
-Small note in their school/work lunches

Weekly
-Family home evening on Monday nights. Start each member of the family saying one thing you love about each person
-Friday Pizza night (switch between homemade and pickup)
-Sunday dinner-Paper plates and pancakes
-Weekly journal time, where everyone sits and writes down in their journal
-Play church music in the morning as everyone is getting ready for church
-Saturday morning house cleaning, play music to get everyone pumped
-Everyday of the week is a different persons special day where they get to pick who says the prayer, make descions, pick what’s for dinner, etc.

Monthly
-Temple on the 5th of every month (The day we were married) or as close to that day as possible

Special Occasions
-“You are special today” when someone does well, birthday, etc

General Conference
For each session have something fun for the kids to do:
-Play Conference Jenga (write words on pieces and when they say it or refer to it take out a piece)
-Have buckets of candy with words written on the bucket. When someone says or refers to a word take one piece of candy out of bucket.

Birthdays
-Pick what they want for dinner and flavor of birthday cake
-Birthday hat
-Birthday banner
-Birthday wreath
-Small gift in the morning when wake up and open remaining gifts at night
-Birthday pancake breakfast
-Cover their door with streamers that they have to bust through and break when they wake up

Spring
-For the first day of spring hang a cheap bird suet feeder from a tree full of different color strings of yarn, so birds can take and use for nests.

April Fools
-Have missionaries over for dinner and make food that tricks them (i.e Angel food cake toast, faux pie that is actually a meal, frozen drinks in glasses, ice cream potatoes, etc)
-Replace food items in lunches (i.e. bag of chips has carrots in it, can of peaches has candy, etc)

Easter
-Easter Egg hunt filled with candy and change, one egg with $20 in it
-When they wake up in the morning have an Easter egg basket that they have to find
-Week leading up to Easter read the story leading up to Christ’s resurrection

Fall
-Apple picking
-Take family photo to send out at Christmas

Thanksgiving
-Homemade Cinnamon rolls for dessert
-Week leading up to Thanksgiving have a jar where each person writes one thing they are thankful for that day. At Thanksgiving dinner have each person pick a paper out and read it.

Halloween
-Pumpkin patch to get pumpkins
-Carve/paint pumpkins
-Pumpkin pancakes morning of

Summer
-Make a check list of all the things you want to do during the summer on the first day of summer
-Camp out in back yard

July 4th
-BBQ and fireworks

Winter
-Hot Chocolate Party (BYOM-Bring your own mug) Invite friends and family to attend

Valentines Day
-A gift on their bed when they come home from school
-Write love notes to each member of the family
-Valentines dinnerware to eat dinner with

St. Patricks Day
-Meals that are all green
-Toy leprechaun that they have to find in the morning that have a small gift for the kids

Christmas
-Decorate tree the day after Thanksgiving
-Cookie Exchange Party
-Make treats for neighbors and have children deliver
-Write letters to Santa the day after thanksgiving and send in the mail
-Pop popcorn and watch Elf and/or It’s a Wonderful Life
-PJ’s on Christmas Eve
-Christmas ornament for each member of the family
-12 days of Christmas where you have 12 things written on a card and then every evening you pick the activity for the night
-Donate or serve a family in need
-Stockings that Santa fills with gifts, candy and one piece of fruit
-Nativity Scene on Christmas Eve
-Make ginger bread houses
-Leave cookies and milk out for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer
-If we don’t have a fireplace or chimney make a Santa key to let Santa through the front door. Get an old fashion skeleton key, spray paint it gold, tie a ribbon around it, then put it on a wreath so Santa can come inside and bring gifts
-Write letter to Jesus on Christmas Eve and receive the letter your wrote from the last year

New Years
-Write down in a letter to self Resolutions, read letter from last year.

Go Beyond the Cover

2011-11-09T12:30:00.000-05:00

Pat showed me this video last week and I have been obsessed with it showing it to everyone that comes over to our apartment. It's not a typical video I would share about furry little animals, but definitely intriguing and left me with conflicting feelings of astonishment and disgust.

Occupy Wall Street

2011-11-07T12:45:00.000-05:00

Occupy Wall Street has received a lot of media attention over the past few months so Pat and I decided to go down to check out the protest with our friends, Matt and Maria, to see what all the hype was about.

The Occupy Wall Street website states that "Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%."

Although I may or may not agree with their movement, one thing is for sure, I am grateful for a country that allows us to speak our minds, perform protest, and enjoy all that comes with "freedom of speech."

When I was there is seemed that there were many messages being shared. Everyone had something to say from "Frack is Wack" to joining a "silly walk" group where they would walk around all silly.

When I was there I was reminded of a time in high school where we had a "silent walk out" during out lunch break. I didn't know why were were "walking out" to go stand on the field where we weren't allowed, but it didn't matter to me, it just seemed fun and exciting so I was happy to just be a part of the action.

My adorable friend, Maria.

We saw Rosie O'Donnell at the Occupy Wall Street Camp. I don't think she is part of the 99%.

Pat and Matt really enjoying themselves at the camp site.

]

Who knows what the "Small is beautiful" sign is all about. I guess it is up to us to decide.

I was surprised by how many news stations were there. They have really created quite a stir.

Don't know who this guy is but there were a lot of people filming him so I thought I would get in on the action.

This is a video that Pat saw a few weeks back of an individual who was protesting.

Matt and Pat, the Dynamic Duo.

Just a few blocks away from Occupy Wall Street there was another protest happening for a different cause, reducing violence in our neighborhoods. This was quite a Saturday! What a country and city we live in, huh!?

Graffiti Wall {FAILE}

2011-11-06T14:48:00.000-05:00

The "Graffiti" Wall in the East Village, at Bowery and Houston Street, changed again. I really look forward to this change to see what amazing art work will cover this massive space. Pat went on a bike ride earlier this week and saw that the wall had changed, so we went as soon as we could. I was excited for another photo opp and to continue our tradition of taking pictures in front of the wall. Since moving to New York City about a year and half ago the wall has graced the art work from Barry McGee, Kenny Scharf, and now FAILE.

FAILE is a Brooklyn based artistic collaboration between Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller. Since its inception in 1999, FAILE is known for their pioneering use of wheatpasting (a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water) and stenciling in the increasingly established arena of street art. They are also known for their explorations through combining a fragmented style of appropriation (adopting, borrowing or recycling aspects of man-made visual culture) and collage.

I think this is one of my favorite art works on this "Graffiti" wall so far. I know there have only been two others since we have been here, but I really loved the comic style with the bold outlines and dramatic color changes. It is always very impressive to see art work on such a massive scale.

I love this wall.

What is the Book of Mormon?

2011-11-03T17:44:00.003-04:00

I just saw this video and was very impressed with the clarity in which they explained what the Book of Mormon is all about. So many people have heard of Mormons but know very little about that actual faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints.

Jesus Christ is the foundation and core of our beliefs. He is the Savior of the world. The Book of Mormon confirms this truth in companionship with the Bible. The knowledge of Jesus Christ being my Savior allows me to reach my ultimate happiness in everyday life. The Book of Mormon adds additional insight into God's love for all his children and allows me to feel his love more significantly.

As the gentleman in the video said so very eloquently:

"I want this book to fill the world, man!"

Making up for lost time

2011-11-01T14:05:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, our friends, Alyssa and Shane, visited New York. It is actually funny that we are friends because we went to the same church back in Provo and we tried so many times to hang out but it never actually happened! Over the years we have kept in touch through our blogs and so when we found out they were coming to NY we just HAD to finally hang out for the first time.

Alyssa and I have a mutual friend here in NY...the one and only Angie! It is such a small Mormon world. So when Alyssa came into town, we all met up at a restaurant down in Chelsea called Ovest Pizzoteca. I was so surprised how good the pizza was--is the best I have had in NYC so far. We had such a great time at dinner walking on the High Line, and finally meeting Montee. Alyssa and Shane are animal people so they of course wanted to meet him, and who was I to deprive them of such an awesome experience. ha.

It was so great to finally hang out with Alyssa and Shane. However, after the night I was really bummed that we didn't take advantage of the time when we actually lived near each other--I just know we would have been the best of friends! But Alas! At least blogging has brought us together again and technology allows us to be friends from afar.

Just me and my evil kitty

2011-10-30T21:11:00.000-04:00

I was sick on Friday and had symptoms through the weekend. Pat worked all weekend leaving me and kitty home alone. This is what most of my weekend looked like–me on the computer with Kitty on my chest watching me surf the web. I gotta get a life soon.

October Snow

2011-10-29T18:08:00.001-04:00

This is not a black and white picture. That is just how bleak it was outside!

It's snowing. It's October. It started this morning and hasn't stopped. The first snow fall is always the best and of course no one was expecting the first snow fall to be so early into Fall. I am kinda bummed because I hope this snow fall doesn't ruin all the fall leaves that I haven't seen yet.

A street right next to us got a beating as almost every tree lost huge branches due to this snow fall. When I was walking a man told me to hurry home because it was not safe out. When I laughed at his comment, he looked at me very sternly and said "I am serious. Go home."

Randall's Island

I went and took pictures hoping to capture the magic and beauty that comes with the first snow fall, but quickly learned that it really doesn't work to take pictures when it is still snowing because it just looks like you have a dirty lens. Plus I was drench and freezing. Next time I staying inside and sipping hot cocoa.

So cool in 7th grade

2011-10-29T14:31:00.000-04:00

(Gena, Me, KTJ, Issa, Kylie, and Sam in 1997)

In Junior High we had this thing called "Shang-hi" where we would go to a persons house the morning of their birthday before school, wake them up and then put them in silly clothes that they had to wear for the rest of the day. I had no idea how or where this tradition started, but it seemed to sweep through my school my 7th grade year.

This picture was taken on my good friend, KTJ's, birthday (I've had this nick name for her since elementary school because there were so many Katie's in school that they had to distinguish them by using the initial of their last name name, in her case a "J").

Looking back on pictures from my junior high and high school days is really quite embarrassing. If you can believe it, this is actually one of the better pictures, where the clothes don't seem quite as baggy and the braces have not been put on yet.

Puberty and Junior high is such a bad combo. It is the chicken and the egg quandary: Is Junior High so horrible because of puberty or is puberty so bad because of junior high? The world may never know. I remember receiving specific instructions from one of our biology teachers telling the class to wear deodorant because our bodies were changing and she flat out told us we STUNK! haha

I didn't realize how much of Junior High I have blocked out until I have been recently forced to remember how it was in order to relate to the girls at my church. Most of the time I still feel like I am teenager, so I was surprised to find that when I tried to think of specific stories I could barely recall even one! I wouldn't say I had a really difficult time in junior high, rather I think a better word to use would be "awkward." Then again, who knows! I apparently can't remember much, so maybe it was difficult.

I know this is a random post, but I stumbled upon this photo and it made me laugh and I was amazed that when I look at each one of these girls how they still hold a special place in my heart.

Just call us the Kevorkians

2011-10-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

So I went through my drafts of past blog posts that were not published for one reason or another and I came across this gem. I had totally forgotten about this instance and don't remember why I didn't put it on my blog to begin with. Probably because I was a little embarrassed, but it seems over the years I have lost any kind of self pride.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

This past weekend was a bit traumatic for me.

Background information—

About six months ago Pat and I purchase some goldfish. Not the normal looking ones; we wanted really weird looking ones with bulging eyes and huge stomachs. But I guess these features comes at a price. A few months ago we noticed that our fish with the huge stomach was having a hard time swimming–frequently laying at the bottom of the tank upside down. We thought that he might be sick but waited it out.

As time went on his behavior got worse. He now could not control his direction when he did swim, and sat that the bottom of the tank upside down almost all the time, except when we fed him. His condition really concerned me because it is sad to watch a fish that can't swim–it goes against nature!! We went to the pet store and they gave us some drops to help the ammonia levels. That didn't work, so I did some research on the internet. I discovered that it is a common problem among these particular breeds of fish. From what I understand all fish have glands that helps them swim correctly. When this gland becomes over-inflated the fish floats upside down on the top of the tank. When this gland is under-inflated the fish lays at the bottom of the tank upside down. The internet offered some remedies (such as a pea diet-which we tried and didn't worked) and even said they have surgery for the problem but it is often fatal!

So a few weeks went by and his condition kept getting worse. It just killed me to see him sitting at the bottom of the tank and not being able to swim.

This weekend—

This past Friday I was again assessing our little fishes condition and saw that by laying on the bottom of the tank all the time he had rubbed away his top fin and had blisters all along his back!!!!! I WAS HORRIFIED!!!! I felt horrible for not being able to help him. What kind of life is this for a fish. I decided that I needed to take the matter in my own hands and end his life.

Pat and I discussed how to go about doing this in a way that the fish would not suffer:

Flush him? Is that humane? He might live and for how long? Where does he go to? No we couldn't do that. Apparently they can live for hours and even days suffering in sewage! Definitely not an option.

Freeze him? Do fish get cold? It didn't know and didn't want to risk him freezing to death. I wouldn't want to go that way, so I couldn't inflict this pain on our little guy.

Chop him? We read online that a method that some people use to kill their fish is by putting them down the garbage disposal. We don't have a garbage disposal, but even if we did I do not think we could bring ourselves to do this.

In doing research online I was disgusted by the methods people chose to use to put their fish "down." There had to be a more humane way.

I decided to call around to different vet clinics and ask if they euthanize gold fish. You can imagine their response. There was always confusion and me having to go into further depth of my situation. This then usually led to a suppressed laughter and on a few occasion out right mockery. How dare they! Here they are in a career that is supposed to care for animals and they openly laugh at me because I am trying to put down one of God's creatures in a humane way?! I was highly offended.

After calling around to a dozen or so vet clinics, I was surprised to find that none of them would euthanize a gold fish. I was heart broken. What was I supposed to do now? Let the poor fish suffer for God only knew how long? I couldn't do that.

You see, I have always been very understanding of those individuals that used Dr. Kevorkian to stop their suffering of their terminal illness. I am not scared of death, just the process of dying. I was determined to find a painless option is helping our little fishy go to the other side (animals most definitely go to heaven).

Once again I turned to the internet and finally found a solution--clove oil. Apparently clove oil in small doses can put a fish to sleep, and then an overdose of clove oil will put them to sleep permanently.

I set out to find clove oil, which was not an easy task, finally finding it at a local health food store. Once the oil was purchase, Pat and I had to man up and put the little guy down. And when I say Pat and I, I really mean, just Pat because I couldn't do it.

It happened just as the internet said it would. However, I was really freaked out that he would come back to life so I put 10 times the amount of clove oil in his water to just make sure he was really gone. And he was.

I know it seems crazy to go to these lengths for a little gold fish. But if crazy is defined by people who cannot stand the suffering of any living creature, then so be it! WE ARE CRAZY!

Smiths x 2 = Great Fun

2011-10-26T07:59:00.000-04:00

A few weekends ago a few of our friends, Tommy & Amanda Smith and Nate & Ashley Smith (yes that is right Smiths all around) decided to embrace the Halloween/Fall spirit and go on a corn maze.

The night started out with dinner at a very special restaurant per my request--a little place I like to call...I-Hop. For some reason Fall reminds me of I-hop and yummy warm pumpkins pancakes. You just can't go wrong with I-Hop. I know. I know. I know. It is so sad that we live in New York City and have the most amazing restaurants at our finger tips and we chose to waste a meal on I-Hop. But there is just something about sitting in a booth, being a in large restaurant, being in a restaurant with space, inexpensive meals for a lot of food, and not having to worry about getting out of there so the people waiting can have your table. Needless to say, I had a great time and the evening was starting out picture perfect.

From there we drove to the corn maze in Queens to begin our journey through the Amazing Maze. We were all very surprised to find out that this was no ordinary maze where you simply meandered around hoping to find your way out eventually. This maze had a set of very complex clue system that still has me puzzled. However, we made it through and had a lot of fun doing it. Even though we found our way out of the maze before we had all the clues, we went back and made sure to complete our handout they gave us and I proud to say we found almost every single one of the clues.

Ashley making sure we don't get lost

A very natural pose

Nate and Ashley supposedly looking scared...

My all time favorite picture of Pat.

Pat and I are so lucky to have such great friends. It seems the cream of the crop (no pun intended) are here in New York City and I truly believe that the friends we have here will be our lifetime buddies. Thank you Smiths for making this such a fun night!

Sunny Sunday in Central Park

2011-10-25T12:36:00.000-04:00

Living in the most populous city in the United States has its advantages and disadvantages. If you a person that likes quiet solitude on a sunny fall day, then New York city is not for you.

With the arrival of fall here in the city we have been lucky to have several days that have been gorgeous weather. Since these days are few and far between, when we do have one, everyone and their dog (literally) wants to be outside to enjoy it. Our desires were no different on this particular Sunday, so Pat and I took our bikes out to Central Park to go for a little ride.

The weather was most definitely enjoyable but the mass numbers of people were not. It was as if it we were having a modern Woodstock in every inch of the park. I know once we leave New York City I will miss the energy that comes with being around so many people, so I better just stop complaining and just embrace it.

The Millionair Magician

2011-10-24T12:13:00.001-04:00

Us with the man himself, Steve Cohen, and his magic tea kettle

A few weeks ago Pat and I were able to go to a Steve Cohen magic show. Steve Cohen is known as "The Millionaires' Magcian" probably because his show is so expensive that only millionaires can see him. And of course that is why we were able to go.

Since moving to New York I have heard things here and there about an amazing magician that has shows at the Waldorf Astoria. I heard he is so good that it is super hard to get tickets, and if you do have the opportunity to get a ticket be ready to pay a good price for it.

So one day I saw a deal on tickets to his show and knew I had to pounce on it. The tickets were still a little steep for my liking so we called our good magician friend, Jake, to give us the real low down of this guy--We wanted to know if it would really be worth it and if it would be better than the Magic Castle where he took us to last year.

Jake gave us a resounding "YES!" so we bought the tickets, and boy...we are SO glad we did.

The day of the show we had to get all "dressed" up because magic shows are classy events. We headed to the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Before this I had never been inside this hotel and was shocked at how beautiful everything was. I am definitely adding this to my list of tourist attractions people must visit when they come to New York City.

When we were able to enter the room in which the show was going to be held, I was surprised to see that it was simply a large hotel room with about 50 or so chairs set up facing the front of the room. Once we were seated in the second row I started to read the program:

"Before the days of radio and television, wealthy patrons would regularly invite entertainers into their home, to delight small gatherings of family and friends. In those sophisticated, friendly environs, the living room became the stage, and the audience looked gleefully on, mere inches from the show."

From the very first card trick our minds were blown. The show was full of wonder, amazement, bafflement, awe, and laughter. After the first couple of tricks I just had to shut off my brain and stop wondering how he was doing all his "tricks" and just enjoy it as pure magic.

It was so fun because the crowd was small enough that almost everyone got to participate.

One of his magic tricks that still boggles my mind is called "Think-a-drink." This trick consisted of all the audience members writing their favorite drink down on a piece of paper. The papers where then all passed in and random cards were then selected. Mr. Cohen then had a tea kettle where he magically poured out several drinks that were written on the card, all from the same kettle one right after the other! Some were even complex alcoholic drinks with many different ingredients. I have no idea how this was done, but I do know the drinks were real because I was able to sample a shot....of blue Gatorade of course.

There was also another trick that I was selected from the audience to participate in: the "Mental Map." This is where Mr. Cohen told the audience to think of any city in the United States. Once I was selected I went up to the front of the room and wrote down on a piece of paper, without anyone seeing, the city I was thinking of--San Francisco. Steve Cohen then showed a large paper map and had me wave my hands all around the map for a few seconds making sure to wave my hand over the city of I was thinking of. I was very careful to not even look at the map but rather just look the magician straight in the eye knowing that I might give away my city by looking at it. Once I had passed over my city he took the map and kept ripping off portions of the map until he whittled his way down to the Bay Area. He then place a pin right in the city of San Francisco. How he read my mind, I will never know.

There was one section where the magician read our minds. He had us write down our name and three unique things about us. Once again we passed the papers in and Mr. Cohen then proceeded to read everyone's mind telling us what we wrote on the cards and even telling us things we didn't write on the cards. Mr. Cohen knew Pat's name, our cat's name and Pat's hobby: Cryptozoology.

There were so many astounding magic tricks that blew our minds that it is hard to pick a favorite. However, one trick that sticks out in my mind the most was a trick where he took three rings from the audience. He then placed them in a champagne glass, spun them around, and magically in seconds they were all chained together. Each owner of the ring then examined the connection of the rings and made sure that it still was in fact their ring--and they all were! He then put them back in the glass, spun them around, and again, within seconds they were magically separated!

The hour and half show FLEW by and left us in total wonderment for the rest of the night. After talking it over on how he could possibly do anyone of his tricks, we finally came to the one and ONLY conclusion--Magic.

Please. Someone. Help me make this a reality.

2011-10-11T16:18:00.002-04:00

Life has been really busy lately. It's been a long time since I have felt there isn't enough time in the day. Life is good but it could be so much better if Pat and I had jobs like these people in this video. Can someone please tell me how I make this video a reality in my own life?

Embrace it all!

2011-09-30T12:21:00.000-04:00

A taxi ride with our church's young women

I mentioned before that I have been working with the young ladies (12-18 years old) that go to my church. What I didn't mention is how much fun I am having. I feel like I am in high school again (I don't know if that is a bad thing or a good thing).

A few weeks ago we did a service project where we made and delivered frozen meals to families in our church that recently had a babies. It was so fun as we had a poem/cheer prepared for each house we visited. Each of us were in charge of memorizing a line and to make up actions that accompanied that line. It made for a fun and humorous introduction.

Throughout the night our introduction continued to get more and more elaborate, where eventually we tried to get the girls to do a little dance when they said who they were. They weren't too excited about that, but Suzi (the other leader) and I sure were! ha

This service project of making and delivering meals to five new families may seem like an easy task for those in suburbs or in "normal-ville;" however, this was quite a feat for us in the city where no one has a car and using public transportation would have taken all night. It was so surreal for me to have all the girls piled in a taxi as we went to the different apartments doing our service for the recent moms.

Living in NYC is so different from where I grew up, a little suburb where there are no trains and using a bus would be really embarrassing (hahaha). Is a life out of the city better or worse? I don't think it is either, it's just so different. There are certain things that are more challenging, like this particular evening where getting from place to place was difficult. However, then I think about all the fun we had trying to hail a cab, walking from one apartment to the next, being piled in back of a cab with a bunch of girls laughing and giggling and a cab driver not knowing quite what to make of it all.

In a city, such as New York, there are many things that may seem inconvenient or hard; however, if you focus on the positives they will always outshine the negatives. You just need to embrace it all!

Valerie and Sandy in the Big Apple

2011-09-26T13:33:00.001-04:00

Valerie waving "hello"

This past week Pat's mom, Valerie, and her cousin, Sandy, came to visit us in the Big Apple. Valerie and Sandy have never been to New York, so it was fun to have them experience the unique culture and for them to fall in love with the city that we are so lucky to live in. Sandy even teared up a little bit when talking about how much she loved the city and how lucky we are to live here. And we agree.

Pat and I love having visitors so much because it forces us to actually get out and see the city! We have been so complacent/lazy recently and have not been going out like we should. However, with this last visit from Pat's mom and her cousin, it rejuvenated us and got us excited again about all this city have to offer--You can never see it all.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend too much time with Valerie and Sandy while they were here. Pat was able to take a few days off while I had to work. They were able to cover a lot of ground and see many of the tourist attractions; however, I was only able to visit a few destination spots: Pat's work, Central Park, South Sea Port, and Strawberry fields.

Sandy loves New York this much.

The Dakota, where John Lennon was shot.

Singer at Strawberry Fields that was VERY good.

This picture is for Pat. We always have to give a little shout out to falconers.

The Freedom Tower. Still has a ways to go.

Our Little Mutant

2011-09-25T22:50:00.000-04:00

I was getting ready, putting on my makeup the other morning and Montee just watched me from under the covers like this. I guess it was a little cold, but he still wanted to know what was going on and didn't want to miss anything.

DIY {Interactive Pull-tab Invitation}

2011-09-21T14:20:00.000-04:00

I am planning a baby shower. My second one ever. I was pretty nervous for the first baby shower I threw, but this time I have a experience, a partner and pinterest. What more could a girl need? The whole planning process has been really fun and I can't wait for the actual event.

We decided on a sailboat theme, and through doing internet and pinterest research, I finally stole enough ideas from other people to come up with this interactive-pull-tab invitation.

It was so fun and easy to create and I loved the results. Hopefully it was a little more fun to receive than a normal invite.

Here are the steps:

1. Digitally design card and all elements to get proper measurements (hardest part).
2. Print and cut out page elements
3. Cut slit in paper where moving element is going to be placed
4, 5, 6. Place moving element in slit
7. Stick double sided tape on sides and bottom to cover up slit. Do not place tap on top where element will move
8. Place whatever is going to be covering the slit on top of the slit
9. Tip to fit card
10, 11. Can cut out a half circle where tab pokes out to make it easier to grab
12. Stick double sided tape on back of card and place back cover, which will cover the slit on back of paper and act as a border
13, 14, 15. Pull, Pull, Pull and enjoy.

Becoming a New Yorker ain't such a bad thing

2011-09-19T13:03:00.000-04:00

Last week, upon arriving home from work a normal looking 40-something gentleman was standing in my walk-up building's doorway. I didn't think any of it since this happens quite often because I live above a laundromat and people hangout outside as they are waiting for the laundry to get done.

As I approached the man and he saw that I actually lived in the building he moved out of the way for me enter. Since living in New York and hearing horrible stories, I always look over my back as I am entering my building to make sure that no one follows me inside. As I did this I saw that the man was trying to enter the building with me. Then the conversation went as follows:

Lindsay: Can I help you?
Man: I just want to get in the building to see how many apartments there are.
Lindsay: You can see how many apartments there are by looking at the buzzers (pointing to all the buttons to the apartments where you buzz someones apartment).
Man: Oh. Yeah. I know. But. I just want to look inside.
Lindsay: I am sorry I can't let you in. Are you with a company or something?
Man: No. Which company?
Lindsay: I don't know. You tell me.
Man: I just want to take a look inside really quick.
Lindsay: I am sorry I can't let you in. Why do you want to look inside?
Man: (Shocked and frustrated I wasn't giving in) For PERSONAL reasons.
Lindsay: I am sorry I can't let you in. You will have to wait for someone else (as I shut the glass door in his face and he just stares at me, much like that one Seinfeld episode).

While this was happening I was not scared or even alarmed. This has happened before; however, usually they back down and are not so persistent. It wasn't until the situation was over and the fact that he would not give me a legitimate reason of why he wanted to get in the building that I started to see red flags. I am not saying that if I did let him in something horrible would have happened, but it was evident that this man was not "normal" to be so persistent to a young female who didn't want to be followed into her building. Any "normal" human being would have understood that and backed down quickly right when they realized I was uncomfortable.

I am sharing this story because I know a year ago I would have let this man into my building in fear of seeming naive or rude. I wouldn't have wanted him to feel uncomfortable and would have just given in. Even looking back on this situation and how I handled it, it still is apparent that I still have a lot to learn.

Because I should have done this...

I hope, even if you don't live in New York City, that you or I never do something that may potentially harm you/me out of fear of seeming rude. People should know the social boundaries of what is appropriate and what is not. If they do not abide by these social norms then you either need to let them know or get the heck out of there.

Willow, the Miracle Cat

2011-09-15T11:28:00.000-04:00

Did you hear about this miracle cat?

A calico cat named Willow, who disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains five years ago, was found Wednesday on a Manhattan street and will soon be returned to a family in which two of the three kids and one of the two dogs may remember her.

How she got to New York, more than 1,600 miles away, and the kind of life she lived in the city are mysteries. But thanks to a microchip implanted when she was a kitten, Willow will be reunited in Colorado with her owners, who had long ago given up hope.

I loved reading this story, in part because I am exhausted of hearing only depressing news stories, so this one was a breath of fresh air.

I think it is amazing that first the cat made the journey, somehow, from Colorado all the way to New York. And second that the family has moved in the last 5 years but kept the microchip address updated, even though they assumed the cat had been killed by coyotes! Now that's the power of positive thinking!

Now we gotta get Montee microchipped.

Way Back When

2011-09-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

What happened to the days when friends would get together and choreograph a good dance video? I long for those days. We had a night like this back in Provo in 2007 when Pat and I were dating. Just reminiscing.

I am messed up

2011-09-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

Pat showed me this video the other day. I watched it about 20 times and just about died from not being able to breathe because I was crying because I was laughing so hard, which just proved to me that I am definitely messed up.

Pat started a video blog of any video out there that is notable. Check it out.

Miso....WHAT?

2011-09-10T15:21:00.001-04:00

Has this ever happened to you? I know it has happened to me too many times and I finally found out why!

Yesterday I got at call at work from my mom. She was excited to tell me that "Kelly" has the same problem I have. When she said this I was confused for two reasons:

1. Who the heck was Kelly?
2. What problem do I have?

I should have known the answer to number one — of course my mom would be on a first name basis with Kelly Ripa. But number two? What could I possibly have in common with Kelly Ripa?

My mom proceeded to tell me that on the Regis and Kelly show that morning, Kelly self-diagnosed herself with a disorder called misophonia. Miso - what? I know, sounds serious, right? And it is! And after my mom told me all the symptoms, there is NO DOUBT that I totally have it too!

Misophonia is a condition where certain sounds can literally drive a person crazy. Apparently, Kelly Ripa opened yesterday's episode of Live! with Regis and Kelly that she believes that she has misophonia. Ever since she was a child, the sound of chewing drives her nuts. Her children have been trained to eat quietly with their mouths closed, and she “has to leave the house” if her husband eats a “juicy peach”.

When my mom told me this, I couldn't believe it. I wasn't alone! I have struggled with this problem my whole life, and it was so great to hear, even though it still means I am NUTS, that at least there is a reason for my insanity, which in a weird way is really comforting.

As a kid, I used to get so angry when people ate loudly. When the noises first started to annoy me I used to say a rude comment or get really angry. However, when I saw how my comments usually started a fight, I learned that it was just easier for me to leave the room. Yet, I still left the room fuming with anger at how disgusting the person was for all the gross sounds they were making.

As I have gotten older I have learned how to control my reaction. The solution for me usually just involves "getting the heck out of there!" I have been known to move seats in a movie theater (which by the way is a misophoniacs HELL because of all the popcorn, chewy snacks, and gum that usually accompanies a movie, especially when people get excited during intense scenes), leave classes during college and church, switch subway cars, leave or switch seats at a restaurant so I don't have to hear or even watch a person chew out of control, and ALWAYS leave the room when my husband is breathing loudly or eating cereal/soup or something chewy. I know it is ridiculous that I go so nuts about a "small little sound," but to me the sound is not small at all and it actually causes me mental anguish.

When I found out that this is actually a diagnosed disorder, I felt a sense of freedom and relief. I have always kept my hatred for these sounds and my reaction to them under raps because it's embarrassing. However, now that a well liked celebrity has the same problem, for some reason, I feel liberated and no longer entrapped by my issues. hahhaha

After I got off the phone with my mom I researched the disorder and found I fit the profile to a "T."

Here is what I found:
Misophonia is not a problem with the hearing pathways in the brain. Instead, there is an abnormally strong reaction of the limbic (emotional system) and autonomic nervous system (body control system) which are closely connected with the auditory (hearing) system. Hearing the hated sound activates a “Fight or Flight” response — either you become angry and potentially violent or you get anxious and run away.

According to support organization Misophonia UK :

the age of onset will often be around 10-12
the “trigger” sounds which tend to be most difficult are connected with eating and breathing
the reaction starts with the sound (or some aspect of the sound) and often develops to include actions associated with the sound and even anticipation of those actions
the closer the sufferer is emotionally to the “trigger” person, the more offensive the sound tends to be
the reaction is experienced most commonly as extreme rage
the trigger sound can create an overwhelming fight or flight response in the sufferer, so they experience a desire to do extreme violence to the maker of the sound, or to escape the vicinity of the sound at all costs.

Reading over those bullet points makes me laugh because every one is so true and I have story to accompany each one. When telling Pat about this I was giddy with excitement, which he didn't understand as he informed me that all it means is that I am "nuts."

True, but at least I am a "nut" with a name.

A little help from our friends

2011-09-07T12:55:00.000-04:00

I received an email a few days ago from our good friends Nate and Meri, aka our summer roommates back in 2009 when Pat interned here in the city. The email solicited prayers and help for their dear friends that have recently been through a traumatic and life altering tragedy.

Meri writes:

"I'm reaching out today because we have some friends in need of help. Three weeks ago, Nate got a call from our friend Rob. It was actually his wife Mercedi, who told us that something was wrong with Rob and that she needed help. Rob was rushed to the hospital, and we later found out that he had a stroke caused by a defect in his brain.

Rob is only 30 years old, and was just weeks away from finishing a decade of dentistry school and starting his career as an endodontist (root canal specialist). Rob and Mercedi have two boys, who aren't old enough to understand what has happened to their Dad. The doctors have said that Rob may never walk or talk again, but miracles are happening and Rob has shown some positive signs. We're all hopeful that Rob's progress continues (you can follow Rob's progress here).

One thing is certain: life for the Hales has changed and they could use some help. If there's room for Rob and the Hales in your prayers, please remember them. As you can imagine, the Hales have a mountain of student loans and medical bills to face. If you can make any contribution to the "Helping Rob Heal" fund, please do."

When I read this email and went to their blog and saw the sweet family whose hopes and dreams for future have been crushed in one single moment, my heart sank. My heart sank even more as I thought of his wife, the mother of two small beautiful boys, facing the future alone with the uncertainty of her husbands health and the tremendous burden of school loans, that may never be able to be paid off through the normal means of her husband using his education in his line of work, and not to mention the medical bills that will most certainly ensue such a catastrophic event.

I laid awake last night unable to sleep as I thought about all the sleepless nights Rob's wife, Mercedi, must have. I thought about the terrifying thoughts and worries that must haunt her not only in her dreams, but when she wakes up and finds them to be reality.

Rob and Mercedi seemed to have had it all. He was one month away from graduating in a specialized field that would grant them a comfortable life with their two boys that they deserved after 10 years of school. They were moving to a new city, with a new house, starting a new life. A life full of happiness and hope. Mercedi writes on her blog:

"Today all I could think about was how we were supposed to have gone to our new ward in Denver today. We would have been unpacking the house and having so much fun in the back yard. I wish that’s where we were and what we were doing. I need to work harder on letting that go. I know those things are not going to happen but it was going to be perfect. Oh, well."

I know you don't know Rob or Mercedi, either do I, but isn't it amazing how technology has allowed us to help those in need who live hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away? I know sometimes people feel it isn't worth it to give anything since they feel they can't give "enough" to actually make a difference. However, it boggles my mind to think about if everyone just gave one dollar the amount of help that would offer because all those one dollar bills add up.

There is a link on their blog that allows people to contribute, allowing us to relieve just a little bit of the financial burden this family now faces, even if all we can give is one dollar.

I am a little overwhelmed with the world right now. With the 10 year anniversary of September 11th coming up, it is especially hard not to get depressed over all the sadness that people endure on a day to day basis. It's hard to be hopeful for the future when all I can think about is that it is only a matter of time until it's my turn. Then again, it's hard to be thankful that isn't not you, because that just doesn't feel right. It's hard to see the purpose behind all the hurt and to not to ask "why."

But I guess that is where faith comes in, without faith, where would I be? That is even a scarier thought.

A BBQ with a View

2011-09-06T16:55:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we were invite to attend one of Pat's ex-coworker's BBQ. We thought we knew what to expect because we have been to several BBQ's here in the city. Usually they are on someone's 5th story roof top, the seating is limited if there is any seating, you have to be extra careful because it feels as though certain spots of the roof might cave in, and the food is subpar at its best.

However, when we arrived at the destination where the BBQ was being held, we knew we were in for no-ordinary-BBQ when we walked into the sky rise building's lobby and there was a three story high waterfall, this building was luxury at it's finest.

We then enjoyed a relaxing evening, appreciating the fast approaching Fall weather, as we sat in the buildings court yard. The court yard was spacious (such an anomaly in the city) with plenty of comfortable patio seating, trees, grass, and a beautiful view of the surrounding Midtown buildings. Then. came. the. food. All the food from the salad to even the water was totally gourmet and tasted fantastic. It was an intimate gathering and we felt privilege to be invited and to get to know the other guests.

After we finished dinner we headed up to the roof top, where the view rivaled the Empire State buildings view. It could even be argued that it was better since the we had a magnificent view of the Empire State Building. We enjoyed the rest of the night feeding of the energy of the surrounding city of Manhattan as the twinkling city lights once again reminded us how lucky we are to live here.

What Up, Montee?

2011-09-05T07:14:00.000-04:00

Montee is always cold because of his mutation. We even have a heating pad in his cat bed to keep him warm. We also bought him this cat sweatshirt to keep warm. Okay. Not really. We bought him the cat sweatshirt because it is just so cool and makes our cat look like a thug.

"Gotta have faith" -George Michael

2011-09-04T16:50:00.000-04:00

Recently, I have been asked to work with the12-18 year old young ladies that go to my church. In accepting this responsibility I plan and participate in uplifting activities with them once a week, help them plan and accomplish spiritual goals as well as build and enhance their talents, get to know them, and give a lesson on various religious subjects once to twice a month.

Today I gave a lesson on faith and more specifically having faith in Jesus Christ. A broad subject for sure, but probably the most important subject to discuss and learn about not only for youth, but for every single person. We discussed a lot about how faith is an action word and how it requires us to do something in order to receive, maintain and increase our faith.

In preparing, I came across a speech given by Richard G. Scott, one of the 12 apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of later-day saints. Since the Mormon church is literally the same church that Jesus Christ created when he was on the earth, it follows the same organization Christ established, including having 12 apostles.

The speech touched on many of the principles of faith I wanted the girls to understand and practice in their own lives and the above quote said it all.

A few weeks ago I saw a quote on my friends blog, I loved the quote but I also loved the design. So, because pretty things are so much nicer to look at, I took the faith quote I liked from Richard G. Scott's speech and modeled it after the design of the quote on my friends blog to give to the girls so they can remember and apply what was discussed during class into their lives.

Best Friends 4 Ever

2011-09-03T12:08:00.000-04:00

I have this best friend. Her name is Meghan. She moved to my small town of Moraga, Ca when she was in 7^th grade. She was so cool, with her baggy jeans and east coast style. Everyone wanted to be her friend, including me. However, it was not until our final years of high school that we became inseparable. Wherever Meghan was, I was, and vise versa. This even continued throughout college where we experienced everything together, including her joining the Mormon Church and a life changing car accident. Everything we have been through together has made our friendship a binding force that can never be broken. Since getting married we are no longer with each other 24/7, as life has moved us a continent apart. However, I quickly learned, this past weekend, that our friendship will never end as Meghan made a huge sacrifice to be with me and my family for my grandma’s funeral.

Having Meghan come to Bay Area was just like the good old days. It felt perfectly normal and just right having her be a part of our family activities over the weekend. After all, we all consider her a part of the family, regardless if she is “blood” or not.

And that is just it, calling Meghan my best friend is almost not even an appropriate title. To me, she is my sister, in that our bond will never end regardless of what life throws at us. We will always come back to each other and never skip a beat. Even though we do not share a common family, we share life experiences that will forever unite us.

It was great having her there, even though much of the weekend must have been a complete bore. I cannot thank her enough for coming. Thanks Meghan!

Fentons Tummy Aches

2011-09-02T12:17:00.000-04:00

The evening of my grandma’s service my family went to get ice cream at an old diner that holds a special place in all of our hearts from all the fond memories we hold dear from childhood.

My dad was Scout Master when we were kids. Each year they would hold a “Malt Drinking Contest” where the scouts would try to drink the most malts (thick milkshakes) at this diner. In order to win the Malt Cup Bronzed Trophy you had to drink the most malts without throwing up in the restaurants. Grossly enough, many did not make it outside the doors.

Even though there was no malt drinking contest this night, it was still fun trying to eat all the ice cream we were given. I have to admit I barely made a dent in mine.

Family Togetherness

2011-09-01T12:15:00.002-04:00

With all my siblings living in different parts of the country, it is not often that we can all get together. It is even a more rare occurrence that we are able to get together without our spouses and kids, in fact I don’t think it has ever happened except for this past weekend. Even though I missed Pat like crazy, it was so great to bond with my siblings with out the stress of kids and in the simple unit we experienced as children, just the five of us (minus Kim’s husband Sean who always livens the mood).

Even though each Storm child is so different, we still manage to get along with all our unique attributes. Us all being so different actually adds a lot of dimension to each of our gatherings, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A Beautiful Day

2011-08-31T14:00:00.006-04:00

The day of my Grandmother’s funeral was a beautiful day in so many ways. Upon entering the chapel, where the funeral was being held, guests where greeted by a table displaying prominent symbols of my Grandma’s life. Beautiful portraits of both my Grandfather and Grandmother in their 20s with their 1930s hairstyles were sprinkled amongst guest books she kept of each visitor that came to her house, homemade raspberry jam she picked and canned herself, church trinkets representing her life of total religious devotion, a book of poems she wrote throughout her life, and pictures of her family that she was able to reunite with on the other side.

Prior to this day I had never seen a deceased person; however, my curiosity coupled with the assignment to take a picture of my grandma compelled me to take the step and enter the viewing room. My grandma’s casket was a beautiful copper color with a tint of pink with fine detailing of roses, both my grandma’s favorite color and flower.

When I approached the casket, I have to admit I was a bit startled by the way my grandma looked. She looked great; however, it did not look like my dear grandma. I contribute this to the fact that my grandma had such a lively spirit that without it she didn’t resemble herself. This just confirmed even further that I knew that my grandma’s spirit was in a better place and thankful that her body was no longer a burden to her.

The service could not have gone more perfectly. The speakers were so eloquent in illustrating the life my grandma led, the purpose of life and grandiosity of the life after this life that my grandma so fervently believed in and is embarking on now. I always knew that my grandma was an amazing person, however, hearing all her accomplishments in one single sitting was humbling and motivating.

When we laid my grandmother to rest in the same burial site my grandfather was laid in 9 years previous, it was a relief to know they were together once again but this time nothing would separate them for the rest of eternity.


Aunt Cheryl, Uncle Larry, and my Momma

Cousin Kristy, Aunt Cheryl, Cousin Kelly

All my cousins

Grandma's ancestry and posterity

Kim says that if you lean forward it makes you look thinner. I am not sure if that is true, but Jodi's face kills me!!!

My grandma's homemade jam made in 1996

You better believe I had some. It's just like fine wine, it only gets better with age.

After the service my family was humbled as the Relief Society, prepared a stunning and delicious meal for my whole family. We were humbled by the charity and sacrifice of so many in our behalf and the love they must have had for my grandma.

In Memory of Grandma

2011-08-30T14:00:00.000-04:00

Growing up, I was lucky enough to live 15 minutes away from my Grandparents house, a three story yellow house set in the Oakland Hills with a breath taking view of San Francisco. Going to their home was always an adventure. From their laundry shoot, where we would throw stuffed animals down a hole in the wall and magically they would appear two stories below to their lemon trees where we would test our self-torturing skills by trying to eat a lemon whole.

Another magical element of visiting Grandma and Grandpa Smith was their Game Cabinet. As child it was as if I entered a time machine and went back in time and was able to experience all the games my mother played with as a child. Wooden puzzles of dogs and ducks, cards, and our favorite game of Raco among many other games and activities lined the shelves.

Christmas Eve was a big event in my family and the one day where traditions ran amuck. Some of these traditions included a Christmas Eve ham, red Jello, homemade raspberry jam, and a kids table, where being the youngest grandchild, I was forever destined to sit at. Proceeding dinner a “well rehearsed” play of the Nativity was reenacted with my sister Kim as the Angel, my brother Justin as Joseph, I as Mary, and a 1950’s doll as baby Jesus. Between the activities of the night at some point someone would bring out the game Raco, a game that could be played and enjoyed by all ages.

So in memory of Grandma Smith some of her grandkids got together and enjoyed a few rounds of good ole Raco outside in perfectly warm California weather. I emphasize the word “enjoyed” because we played 5 games and Jodi won all but one. I attribute that to all the extra years of practice she had playing at Grandma.

Imposter

2011-08-25T11:04:00.001-04:00

Last night I had a dinner with a few employees from my work. It was just five of us, who were recently hired within the last year, invited to eat with the owner of the Hedge Fund. Of course it was at a fancy restaurant where I would normally never even feel comfortable loitering outside of for too long, let alone actually eat a meal.

I have never seen anything like it. The waiters and waitresses all stood in a line like Buckingham Palace soldiers, minus the red jackets and big puffy hats, surveying the room with very little eye motion. With every course a new set of silverware was placed before me as if I knew what I was supposed to do with all the strange shaped spoons and different sized forks. When someone left the table, within seconds a waiter would appear out of nowhere to refold their napkin to the appropriate triangular sculpture.

During the course of the meal, feeling like I was a little girl at a grown up party, I surveyed the room to see if anyone noticed the fraud that I was. Did they noticed me inspecting my coworkers with my peripheral vision seeing which fork I am supposed to use? Did they see me squirm to find a comfortable position which does not included my elbows being on the table? Did my $20 haircut and TJMaxx shirt scream "faker!" amongst the sea of tailor-made suits and designer dresses?

When the dinner party came to end I exited the restaurant finding a black Lincoln Town Car waiting for me with the sign "Koelling" hanging in the window. I made special mental note of this scene as I knew I may never see it again. We drove back to my apartment in silence with only the lights from the stores of Madison Avenue keeping me company as they danced along the black leather on the back seat.

As we pulled up to my walk up building with a laundromat as its foundation, I felt as though my drivers suspicious were confirmed: "Imposter." But it is just as well, for when I entered my tiny outdated apartment I was home and very happy.

That's what I'm talkin' about

2011-08-24T21:26:00.000-04:00

Packing my bag for my trip to California tomorrow. Checked the weather to see what I should bring.

Can someone please remind me why I don't live there?

Let's just take a look at what New York City has to offer for weather this week.

Enough said.

Earthquake in Manhattan

2011-08-23T14:24:00.003-04:00

I just felt an earthquake here in NYC and it freaked me out. I thought I left those nasty earthquakes back in California. Since the 1989 Earthquake in California traumatized me as a kid, earthquakes (or anything resembling the sound or motion of earthquakes) have always put me on edge and changed my physical state. My heart starts beating really fast, I start sweating, and my adrenaline pumps through my body at high speed.

We just got a small aftershock of an 5.8 earthquake that was felt in Richmond V.A., but it lasted a good 30 seconds, enough time for me to mentally depict what NYC would look like if a big earthquake it--mass hysteria. Just with this little guy my whole office was freaking out looking out the window and building management set off the fire alarms and notifying the building tenants over loud speaker "that we are not in danger." Apparently, the sidewalks are full of people who evacuated their buildings and calling family. I guess people NYC are a little on edge about shaking buildings, and for good reason.

Aerial shots above New York City shortly after the earthquake hit.

What I thought was most crazy about this is how before the news even covered the earthquake twitter was popping up with tweets, telling me that it wasn't just felt here in Manhattan, but all the way in Boston as well. Pretty remarkable.

Brooklyn Flea

2011-08-22T15:33:00.002-04:00

On Saturday we went to the Brooklyn Flea Market(s) with our good friends Nate and Ashley. I know I rave about these good friends all the time, but there is just not enough good things to say about them. They are always up for an adventure and we always have a great time with them no matter if we are going to NJ to buy their brand new 42" TV or going to the wrong flea market in Brooklyn and then forgetting where we parked the car.

Let me explain the latter.

There are two Brookyln Flea Markets, one in Greenpoint and the other in Williamsburg. The one in Greenpoint has a bunch of cool vintage items that I could just go berserk buying everything insight. The other one, in Williamsburg, has a schmorgesborg of food. Ashley had her heart set on the the schmorgesborg so when we arrived at the Williamsburg vintage flea market she was devastated and HUNGRY.

Since they have a car it was no big deal, all we had to do was hop in and drive to the different location. Easier said than done. When we started heading back to the car we realized that no one remembered where we parked! Whoops. This situation has never happened to me before. In the past, when I had a car, the only times I lost it was when I parked in a parking garage, and even then you knew you would find it because there are only so many levels and only one parking garage. In this situations we didn't know east or west, or north or south. We had no idea! hahaha We had fun as we split up and did our detective work to find the car. Secretly I was having a competition and wanted to find the car first, but Nate and Ashley won. Hisssssss.

Once we arrived at the Williamsburg Flee Market, Ashley was happy when she filled her belly with a delicious doughnut and chocolate covered frozen banana. I was happy as I filled my tummy with tacos and grilled corn on the cob with peach butter. Pat was happy as he filled his mouth with a meaty brisket. And Nate was happy as he munch on his grass fed miniature hamburger.

We then enjoyed sitting in the shade, listening to a live band play Spanish nursey rhymes, eating coco helado and trying to figure out what movies a "famous" actor, who was standing close by, was in. Still can't figure it out and it's driving me nuts!

Was it a good day? Most definitely.

Utah Highlights

2011-08-18T13:32:00.002-04:00

Our trip to Utah was greatly anticipated and needed. We had SO much fun, more than we could have ever expected. Every day was jam packed with activities so many of which I didn't even get to take pictures of because I simply forgot.

Some of the undocumented highlights of the trip were:
-Pat and I eating out almost every meal at restaurants we don't have in NYC (The restaurants included: Cafe Rio, Costa Vida, Bajio, Rubios, J-Dawgs, Chick Fil-A, and Zupas). You better believe that we came back to NYC 10 lbs heavier.
-Me going to a water park. There were some very surprising waterslides that caught me off guard--I LOVE waterslides. Unfortunately, the major UN-highlight of the trip was Pat having to stay home that day and work. Have I mentioned how much I hate the advertising profession?
-Hanging out with my nieces and nephews, this is by far the hardest part about living away from family.
-DRY HEAT! Apparently it was really hot while we were in Utah, but Pat and I couldn't get over how great the weather was. We could actually be outside and enjoy ourselves and not get sopping wet the second we stepped outside.
-Running into my long lost BYU friend, Todd, and his family at the airport.We would have been on the same flight if it wasn't cancelled, but it was a good thing they were there because Todd took care of us and got our flight rebooked, definitely a good guy to have around! It was SO great to catch up with them and find out that they live in NJ, close enough for a little weekend getaway.
-Having all the Storm girls together. Regardless of all our differences (wink, wink) it was still nice to be together.
-Having lunch with Pat's good friends, Danny Debiekes and future-married-to-be-man Jared.
-Having fun in the sun. Even though my back is going to be itching for weeks from the sunburn I got, it was so nice to actually be outside!
-Eating Jordan's AMAZING homecooked Italian meal
-Snowcones with the Rowells. All I have to say is: Pina colada, Coconut, and Strawberry with ice cream. Yum!
-Pat buying a toy helicopter for the nephews to play with, surprisingly it didn't break...yet.
-I-HOP with the Rowells. I gotta learn how to make balloon animals. The lady there must have made a killing.
-Riding in a car and doing laundry in house. I am easy to please.
-Hearing about my nephew, Mason's, "America's got talent" skit that he want to perform with two boys doing flips, a girl with a flower in her hair, and Mason wearing tie shoes, a DC hat, and a sweat shirt scratching everyone's back. Apparently he thinks he is pretty good at scratching backs.
-Playing on the teeter totter with my sister Kim, and getting motion sick.
-Cuddling with those nieces or nephews that would allow me to

There is Always a Silver Lining

2011-08-18T11:23:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, Pat and I headed to the airport to fly back home to New York. My sister, Jodi, who was dropping us off, asked if we called ahead to see if our flight was on time. We hadn't because the weather was perfect, what could go wrong? After checking in our bag, we headed to our gate. It was time to board and we got in line right on time. As about half the plane was boarded we heard over the loud speaker that our plane was going to be delayed an hour because of a broken part. An hour passed and still no sign of a working plane. The loud speaker came on again and said that the flight was being delayed 7 hours because they couldn't find the part domestically. Well, this 7 hour delay wouldn't work since we had a layover in Dallas, so basically we had to reschedule our flight, along with all the other passengers.

We rescheduled our flight with a completely different airline and decided to take the Red Eye, so we could get home sooner. Later that night we got on the Red Eye at 11:45pm. The flight was normal for an overnight flight, with me not being able to sleep but listening to the snoring of others and wanting to hit them in the face because they are able to actually get some rest. Twenty minutes before landing, we were actually 10 minutes early, the flight attendants came around performing their landing duties.

But...FAKE OUT!! As we approached JFK the pilot informed us that the airport was temporarily closed because of thunderstorms. We circled JFK for an hour hoping the storms would pass, but no luck. We then had to fly to Albany, NY to refuel our plane and to wait out the storm. After 2 hours of waiting, and me going INSANE, we finally made our way back to JFK. Once arriving at the JFK airport, it seemed to take forever for us to get our luggage and get home in our taxi. Once arriving home we were greeted by our kitty who had pooped all over the bathroom floor, twice, and peed on the rug three times. So yes, the toilet training of our cat has been put on a definite hold. We spent the next few hours cleaning our apartment and ended up throwing out our rug. Oh the joys of being a pet owner. By this time it was 1pm and both Pat and I were delirious. We both crashed and slept into the evening, missing a friends birthday party. To top it all off, Pat came down with some type of flu Monday and Tuesday. I found him laying on the floor Tuesday morning and was late to work because he was throwing up...Pat never throws up.

I take all this as a sign that we were NEVER supposed to leave Utah.

But there is a silver lining to the story, because our first flight was canceled my sister was able to pick us up and take us to my nephew, Dylan's, first football game. I was really happy I could see that. It was so fun to cheer him on and see him in his football uniform.

Pat Congratulating Dylan on a Good Game

Tough Guy Dylan

One perk of living in Utah....GUNS, GUNS AND MORE GUNS!!!!

2011-08-18T10:30:00.004-04:00

Jordan, our brother-in-law, is really into guns. It's kind of his thing. Whenever he has extra cash or if you need to give him a gift, anything gun reality is what he buys or what you should buy him to make him super happy.

Being a major advocate of the United States Constitution's 2nd Amendment, the right of the people to keep and bare arms, this is, what I think, a major advantage of living in Utah. Here in NYC it is illegal to own a gun, so apparently as New Yorkers we give up this right....and the fun that is had by going and shooting guns!

On Friday, we ended our vacation with a BANG by going and shooting all of Jordan's guns, and boy does he have a lot! When that zombie apocalypse hits, I want to be at his house.

We had a lot of fun shooting paper targets and pop cans and listening to the stories that an old man told who worked at the shooting range. As we were shooting guns and relishing in our accuracy and eardrum popping sounds, I couldn't be more proud to be an American.

Remembering Grandma

2011-08-17T14:24:00.005-04:00

Yesterday evening, around 8:20pm PST, my grandma, the only grandma I ever had, passed away. This came as a huge blessing as the last year has been a hard one, and a huge surprise as her condition worsened so quickly over the last few days.

We will most definitely miss my grandma, but are so happy that she is able to move on to the next life to be with her family, daughter and husband. We all wish we could have been there to see that joyous reunion because without a doubt I am sure it was quite a celebration.

My grandma recently turned 95 this past June. She was a talented poet and wrote me poems on special occasions. Even though I did not inherit her talent in this area, I attempted to write her a poem on her birthday.

To my dearest Grandma on her 95th birthday,
who has blessed my life in ways I can never repay.
I have so many memories from my childhood,
of feeling so loved as much as any granddaughter possibly could.
Forever will the memories of freshly made raspberry jam,
linger with me as well as your yummy jello and warm Christmas Eve ham.
As a child I was always enamored by your candy bowl,
where I was never able to practice much self-control.
Your fish pond, lemon tree, game cabinet and of course your laundry shoot,
will forever be engrained in my mind as being such a hoot!
But besides all the fun that I had,
it was the love that I felt from you that made me feel most glad.
Your service to others throughout your life,
has taught me how to be a better person, church member, mother and wife.
You have so many special qualities that I wish I had,
especially your love for adventure and quick wit, which I defiantly must add!
On your birthday today I wanted you to know,
that I am so thankful to have you in my life both now and all those years ago.
I hope as you celebrate your birthday this year,
much happiness, joy and fun will appear.

I love you Grandma and will miss you dearly.

(Grandma's photo shoot, My grandma is one hot lady, My grandmas blessed all those she met)

24 Hours with the DeBiekes'

2011-08-16T10:16:00.000-04:00

Besides visiting family in Utah we planned a day to spend with our good friends Chris, Annie and James DeBiekes. Pat has known Chris since junior high, when Chris moved to Colorado, and they have been friends ever since. We even moved into the same six-plex as them when we got married, and had so much fun being neighbors for the first 2 years of our marriage.

It was so fun to hang out with them just like old times; it was as if we never left. We enjoyed our time together by going to Provo and reminiscing, eating J-Doggs hotdogs, shopping at the BYU bookstore, taking night walks, watching movies, and eating LOTS of candy.

Despite all that fun, the highlight of our time with Chris and Annie was spending time with their son James. I have been itching to see their little boy in person for over a year and a half. We were able to see him a week after he was born, but have missed this past year and a half since moving to NY.

We are not sure if we love him so much because we love Chris and Annie so much, or if we just love him because he is the cutest kid ever, but either way, we had a blast playing with James and seeing him in person. We are his biggest fans.

A Night Out at the Weber State County Fair

2011-08-15T16:30:00.000-04:00

Last Wednesday night, my family and I went to the Weber State County Fair, and boy, a county fair certainly brings in the most unusual crowd. Even after living in NYC for over a year, I saw more "interesting" people at this fair, than I have in all my time in the city. Let's just say we spent a lot of time people watching, and had a blast.

NYC pride in Weber County Utah

A very sophisticated stamp received upon entrance to the fair

My mom gave each grandchild $5 to spend on whatever they wanted. A few chose toys, one chose to save it, and Julianna and Dylan chose an "experience" because as Dylan says "memories last a life time." Well said.