BFFs in Boston

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2009-05-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

Did you hear Laura's big news? I'm so excited for her and Dave and the good people of Vermont who will now have delicious cupcakes available to them.

Guess who else has big news? Me!

Finally, 5 weeks after moving in, I have a photo tour all prepared for you. Where is it you ask? My new blog!

Go on over and check it out to find out why it is called Intellectual Domesticity and how you can be entered into my giveaway!

I HAVE been posting

2009-05-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

I promise I have. I've been doing the email-remote-post thing that worked once before (see: Kale Chips), but apparently hasn't worked since.

It's not too big of a deal except that you haven't heard my latest thoughts on the swine flu or on the tshirt choices of my co-workers or about the lack of a foosball table and espresso machine in my office as of this morning. See? You didn't miss much.

Today was quite a big day. Nathan and I purchased our first piece of Le Creuset tonight! We had a 25% coupon and a super generous gift card from some friends in Boston, so we bought one of those things that I've always wanted, but felt somewhat out of reach.

I'm so excited. We got the round 3.5 quart in Caribbean Blue. Oh man. I can't wait to bake some bread in it.

We also browsed coffee tables and benches at Macy's while we were there, but nothing seemed worth the exorbitant prices. Imagine our delight when walking home from the subway we stumbled upon a fantastic wicker storage bench that was the exact size we needed! Hoorah! Finding free things on the street is really in my top five favorite things about living in a city.

So for the past hour or so I've been browsing Craigslist hunting for the perfect coffee table. In the meantime, Nathan has somehow managed to break our bamboo dish rack and put it back together again. He claims it is even better now than before. I don't want too many details--he involved power tools in the dish rack project. I would have used glue to fix the one broken place, but he uses power tools to completely restructure the thing. This is how we are different.

Tomorrow's big plans include sitting around the apartment waiting for a certified mail delivery and cleaning. Whoohoo. Exciting life, huh? I can't wait to update you on it.

Highlights

2009-04-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Here are the highlights of my day so far:

1. HEROES. What is going on there????

2. Love that on The Hills last night Ashley mentioned Heidi's plastic surgery. HAHAHA.

3. Also, my best friend asked if I was still going to the gym even with the swine flu problems (she's been jogging on the beach for fear of communal areas). Um, well, I live a pretty communal life. The gym is the least of my worries. The subway and living in a building with 200 other people are sort of topping my list. So yes--just as I continue to travel to work and live in my building, I am indeed still working out in the gym. I washed my hands (no joke) 6 times this morning at the gym. Go me. I will agree that it is pretty terrifying and sometimes I wish that I could get on with my life with less people coughing near me. Oh well. It is what it is and the soap at work smells like lillies. My hand sanitizer smells like cotton blossoms. Our soap at home is lemon verbena. The only soap in my life I'm not too fond of is the soap at the gym--it smells institutional. Oh well. Whatever keeps those germs at bay now that HUNDREDS of people in New York City have swine flu.

4. On that note, my hands are honest to goodness SQUEAKY. This is also freaking me out.

Like whoa.

2009-04-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

Today my best friend told me I needed to update my blog "like whoa." I'm not one to ignore that kind of command, so let's catch up.

I still haven't shared photos of our meet up with Laura, Dave and Lilly. I know. I'll work on it.

I still haven't shared photos of our new place. I know. I'll work on it.

Did I tell you I went to a fancy party at the Empire Hotel rooftop and that Nicholas Cage was having a party there too? No. Alright--there you go. I went to a fancy party on the Empire Hotel rooftop. All the extra Nicholas Cage security felt a little silly to me, but, hey, a fancy party is a fancy party.

We did work around the house ALL WEEKEND except for a Trivial Pursuit party on Saturday where we ate rice and beans and yummy feta basil dip that I made with homemade crackers made by the sis-in-law. Oh, and our team won.

We went to an evening church service yesterday followed by Moe's so that made Sunday fantabulous.

So who is freaking out about swine flu? I AM. LIKE WHOA.

No, seriously, y'all. Ask me how many times I have washed my hands today. Want to know why I am freaking out so much?

Since the temps hit 90 this weekend, we've slept with the windows open the past few nights. I sleep right next to a window, FYI. The temps have still been dropping down into the 40s at night, so we go to bed hot and wake up cold. Pair that with all the pollen my face is absorbing through the open window in my sleep and you have serious sore throat potential. That is, serious potential--my throat is only mildly sore.

Pair that with confirmed cases in Queens and the fact that people from my office just returned from Mexico and you end up with me--Nervous Nelly. I am super jumpy about this swine flu business. No joking.

So, that my update, like whoa. Life is fun and busy and the temperature swings and pollen make me think of swine flu. Constantly.

Kale

2009-04-20T11:07:00.001-07:00

Kale chips are so, so yummy! A few people asked how I made them and it was easy peasy.

Buy some kale.
Wash it well—get all the gritty stuff out of the leaves.
Dry it and break it into 2-3” pieces (discard the stalks and large ribs).
Arrange pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Spray with olive oil (I have a sprayer, but I guess you could do anything to lightly coat them).
Bake at 375 degrees for 20ish minutes.
When you take them out of the oven, sprinkle lightly with salt or other seasoning.

I also read that you can lightly coat them in balsamic and olive oil. I haven’t tried this yet.

Nathan was super skeptical when I brought home kale the other day, but he loved them! I bought a bunch of organic kale at Whole Foods (in NYC, no less) for $2.50, so it’s a cheap snack. That one bunch made two baking sheets of chips.

Happy super-fooding!

Oh man...

2009-04-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to feel as if we will NEVER have everything finished in our apartment. It was certainly much easier to accomplish in Boston when we were both unemployed and home all day.

Yesterday, we had a fantastic time meeting Dave and Laura of A Dozen Eggs fame. Oh, and we met Lilly too! I took pictures and I'll try to get those up tomorrow. I'll explain why I don't quite have the energy to upload them now below.

After our meet-up at Shake Shack (where Lilly got her very own puppy bowl of ice cream) we walked around, chatted and Nathan and I saw our very first famous New Yorker--Richard Kind from Spin City. He was out and about playing with his kids in the park.

After bidding farewell to Dave, Laura and Lilly, we headed to The Container Store to get necessary implements for this ridiculous plaster-covered masonry walls we have. Well, The Container Store led to Home Depot where we dropped a chunk of change for Nathan to get the fancy drill that he wanted and we needed if anything is to be hung upon these walls. The good news is that the drill should last 25+ years, so we're in the clear for a while.

Then, last night in the middle of the night, I woke up with a migraine. Ugh. I brought it upon myself. I rarely get them and it's always for the same reason. Anyway, there it was and, needless to say, I didn't stumble out of bed today until 3:00 pm. I'm still not feeling 100% (hence, no uploading of the photos), but I did find the energy to make some pizza dough and kale chips. By the way, kale chips are CRAZY yummy.

So, all this is to say that some day we might get things hung on our walls and I can show you pictures of the new place. It won't be today though. Between the migraine and our frustrating walls and me breaking the plate I keep hanging above the stove, I've decided to call it a day.

Happy Founders Day!

2009-04-17T16:57:00.001-07:00

I've only met one other Alpha Xi Delta here in Blog World, but if you are a sister, then Happy Founders Day! I loved my time in Alpha Xi in college and I'm hoping to reconnect with alumnae here in New York City. I'm grateful for those founders who shaped our dear fraternity.

The Symphony of Alpha Xi Delta
These things do we earnestly desire:

A clear vision of life that with gracious and kindly hearts we may share both joy and sorrow, and bring into living reality the sisterhood of women.

An appreciation of real merit and worth, steadfastness of soul, that without bitterness or defeat we may encounter misfortunes and with humility meet success.

These things Oh Lord, help us to instill within our hearts, that we may grow in courage, graciousness and peace.

“No sorority is better than the individuals who compose it; no matter how high may be its ideals, the chapters compose the sorority and the individual members the chapters, and it rests with each and everyone of us to make or mar this work we have undertaken.
Let us highly resolve that our founders shall not have given so freely of their strength and brains in vain, but that we may prove their worthy successors in thought and deed.”
Ellen Leib in Volume I, Number I of the Alpha Xi Delta

Random thoughts

2009-04-16T18:22:00.000-07:00

--These days, I listen to King of the Thing by O.A.R. every morning while getting ready--no exceptions.

--Song of the South and Louisiana Saturday Night make any good day that much better.

--The exodus of the frigid, arctic air from my life is one of the best things ever. Seriously, y'all, winter didn't seem so bad at the time, but now that I have EARNED spring, I want to embrace every moment of it before it just gets really hot.

--I'm so excited to meet up with Laura this weekend--can't wait to recap our adventures!

--FYI: If you apply for a job, put your contact info on your resume. It makes my job A LOT easier. Thanks.

--Also, on the topic of resumes, it's best to correctly spell the name of your last company--especially if it is a widely known brand. It's also great to correctly spell the position you are applying for. Oh, and make your phone number is correct so that I don't have to call some woman named Angie 5 times trying to find you. In short, edit your resume and then have two other people edit your resume.

--I know I alluded to this in my last post, but I seriously feel like I am such a fantastic place in life that I honestly can't stop smiling or even laughing out loud at my good fortune. My word, y'all, I have a fantastic job, a great husband, a new huge apartment. The air has warmed considerably, fresh veggies are coming back into season and Louisiana Saturday Night is on repeat on my Itunes right now. I think I was in denial about how sad and detached I really felt about a number of things for the past few months. Aside from the bestest of my best friends, no one really knew how I was feeling about everything. Thankfully, great things are happening for one of those friends too--new city, new future, new outlooks. I'm so excited for and proud of her.

--I often think in collage (does anyone else do this?) and right now I feel like my feeling and outlook on life is best described as a mashup of being at our best friend's lake house eating fake chicken parm with them paired with sitting around campfires singing and laughing until 2 am paired with photos of pastel balloons paired with that taste of a summer vine-ripened tomato that's warm from the sun paired with that feeling when you realize you just had the most wonderful day doing nothing special except spending it with the person you love most in the world. That was probably a little hard to follow unless you too think in collage. Nathan definitely does not and it drives him crazy when I try to describe my mash-up of feelings to him.

...well, you get down the fiddle and you get down the bow, kick off your shoes and throw 'em on the floor. Dance in the kitchen till the morning light...Louisiana Saturday Night...

You know what's fantastic?

2009-04-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

I just can't stop smiling. Having a job that you don't hate is so, so, so, so amazing. I just can't get over it.

Between being productive when I come home rather than sad and lethargic to planning next summer's European cruise with my best friend to buying a fantastic handbag for less than one dollar to spending quality time with Nathan--I just can't stop smiling. It's fantastic.

I'm so, so tired

2009-04-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we have made it to the end of our second work weeks in New York and I am tired. Insanely tired. At least one of us has had plans every night this week. My house still isn't finished. I need a library card (I'm running out of books I own that I care to re-read right now) and I need to convert my gym membership. We're going to Ikea tomorrow, but before that the apartment needs to be cleaned (I only unpacked last weekend--no cleaning) and we're still trying to find a worship service to attend Sunday morning.

On top of all that stuff that would make anyone tired, my insides are tired. My soul is tired. I want to feel settled and I want to stop moving and I want some me (or, rather, me and Nathan) time to fall into my lap somehow.

Being away from family on holidays is sort of terrible. Last spring, we were in Istanbul during western Easter and eastern Easter was a fun, but strange to us, experience. We've been invited over for Easter lunch on Sunday and that's exciting, but it's still hard to not be with your family and your foods and your people on Easter. Easter requires some yummy down-home food and a sunrise service that makes you feel so happy you cry followed by biscuits. Period. That's what you need. Oh, and you need to flower the cross. That's also pretty important.

I guess you actually don't need those things--at least I hope not because they seem to be in short supply here in New York. This Easter will involve high church services and bagels and trips to NJ. I guess we'll start carving out our own Easter traditions.

Cat bowl update

2009-04-08T04:36:00.000-07:00

Good word, could I worry about this more?

So, I just woke up and went to feed the cat. A significant part of the food in the bowl had been eaten (which would show that she COULD reach the food).

I add in this morning's food and that conniving animal sniffs around and then runs away again. Why are the other members of my household teaming up against me to make me paranoid????

In other cat news, Miss Marple has definitely destroyed the top half of one of my orchids trying to catch a pigeon that resides on the other side of our living room windows. I'd be more upset, but it is a living plant (so it will grow back in 6-9 months) and so far she hasn't ruined the one with a stem of buds.

In other, other cat news, I accidentally locked her in our bedroom ALL DAY on Monday while we were at work and, wouldn't you know, she totally behaved herself and didn't destroy, chew, pee on or attempt to eat anything. God Bless, Miss Marple.

2009-04-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

So tonight Yankee BFF and I went shopping at Fishs Eddy. Friends and family, be warned: all your gifts will now come from this store.

I bought some super cute new bowls for Miss Marple's food and water.

Anyway, so cute, right? Except, now I'm obsessing over whether or not she can reach her food because of course the ONE TIME I want my "compulsive binge disordered eating overweight" cat to eat some food, she runs away.

We just found her chilling out in the shower and Nathan told me she went there to get water because she can't reach the water in her new bowls. He's so mean sometimes.

I'm off to watch The Hills and try and stop obsessing over the cat's food and water intake via the new bowls. Didn't I used to think deep thoughts? What happened?

Honest to Goodness Truth

2009-04-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

We woke up REALLY early, went to a church where they didn't even mention Palm Sunday (um, what?) and then rushed back home to finish unpacking and take photos for you.

Unfortunately, our walls are apparently made of cement (no, I'm not kidding) and we can't hang up anything until we re-group, get better tools and a game plan. I just can't show off a naked house and this nest is far from feathered currently, so that's on hold.

Good word. Cement walls? Seriously?

2009-04-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

I am typing this on our new, fancy, paid-for, secure internet connection that the nice Internet Man just hooked up. I've already unpacked 5 boxes this morning.

Also? There is a bagpipe rehearsal outside our window right now. No joking.

Cranky

2009-04-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

That last post was unnecessarily cranky. Looking back after 11 hours of sleep, I can see that. Forgive me, please.

So, our best friends who just moved into a super swank new townhouse in Charleston posted a VIDEO tour of their new place. Today's project? Plan my much lamer PHOTO tour for you good people to put up soon.

Snapshot

2009-04-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

I need to give you a snapshot of where Nathan and I are right now--mentally, because, seriously, if one more person comments on how we are not unpacked yet, things could get violent.

Look, we know you love us and want us to be unpacked. We want to be unpacked too. Seriously though we moved in on Sunday and have both had pretty stressful weeks.

Need proof?

1. Nathan wore a pair of pants to work today that had a ginormous hole in them. We were both too tired to notice. No, really--neither of us caught it. He realized it mid-day.

2. We haven't changed the toilet paper in our bathroom yet. There is still some nasty one-ply in there and anyone that knows me knows that I am a toilet paper snob. We've not been around /// too tired to care too much.

3. We still don't have keys to our mailbox--no time to check the mail.

So, dear family members and friends, PLEASE don't ask us if we're unpacked yet. We'll get back to on that. Don't make us cry. Thanks.

Now, all that said, I'm really not too cranky today. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm super excited to meet up with Laura in a few weeks, I'm super excited to make plans with all my friends in NYC who keep calling and emailing me and I'm super excited to eat homemade salsa for dinner. It's been good stress, not bad stress, but, you know, don't ask us about the boxes.

Thoughts on NYC

2009-04-03T04:41:00.000-07:00

1. I love being Southern up here (at least at my job). They have all these fun perceptions of me and of my accent. Apparently, they really like the fact that I can speak to people firmly and kick them out of conference rooms, but the firmness is "tempered" by my accent. Hilarious.

2. I saw my first honest-to-goodness NYC rat this week. Good word--that thing was the size of Miss Marple (who is, in fact, a rather small cat--but, still!). The rat was in 42nd Street Station, which brings me to point number 3:

3. Oh my goodness, Sis-in-Law told me I would hate 42nd Street and I DO! I have totally reformatted the commute after one day of that craziness. Why so many ramps? I mean, at one point, you walk up 5 flights of stairs. Fine. I can do that. So why throw crazy ramps in the middle to totally wipe out on in heels? Why?

4. I sort of hate hopstop.com. I know that makes me all colors of a freak, but, here's the deal--HopStop gives you one option to get somewhere and it keeps being through 42nd Street. I mean, I guess it's a useful tool for tourists, but, seriously, the MTA trip Planner and Google Maps both give subway directions as well--with 3-4 options. Now that I love.

5. I get a little less lost every day. I still walk the wrong way for about a block a day, but I'm working on it. I've figured out where I live at least.

6. Well, we still haven't totally figured out what neighborhood we live in. It's too far north to be Washington Heights and it's too far south to be Inwood. We're thinking it is Fort Washington? Good word. What is it with me and moving to cities and not really knowing what neighborhood I live in?

7. Our neighborhood just keeps getting happier and happier. There are lots of strollers and children in our neighborhood. It's a good place to have babies--if you're Jewish.

8. Oh yes, living in Jewish neighborhoods is one of Rachel Ann's top tips for city living. You know why? The People don't form gangs. They rarely, if ever, shoot each other. You can get good bagels. There are families.

9. Just an FYI for all of you still confused, we live in Manhattan, NOT Brooklyn. The Brooklyn apartment fell through.

10. I am loving my job. Obvi, I can't tell you exactly what I do or where, but I will say that I read hundreds of resumes a day and I work in a segment of fashion. Whoohoo! The work is interesting and dynamic and all of my stereotypes about this type of environment have totally been fulfilled. I am so not fashionable, y'all. I told BFF that the other night and she laughed and said that was funny because I'm the most fashionable person she knows. Notsomuch. I shop at Gap. I own no pairs of Ferragamos or even, I think, knock-offs, I mean, inspired pieces. I need beaded jewelry and a few more ruffles apparently. This is what everyone in my office is wearing these days. So, good blog people, where do you buy your fashionable stuff on the (fairly) cheap? Apparently, I need to inject my wardrobe with a few key trendy pieces.

So that's the update from wherever it is we live on this fine Friday morning. I can hear Nathan shaving and Miss Marple is napping at the foot of the bed. Oh yes, I'm still in bed.

I hope to have pictures up this weekend. The real internet is set up tomorrow and I'll be unpacking all weekend long, so hopefully that all works out. Happy Friday, y'all!

OK, it is official.

2009-03-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

The new apartment is AMAZING. Our bedroom is so, so, so big. We might have to get an area rug because there is a big open area in the middle. We haven't even begun to think of what we're going to use in the living room.

It's so funny because most people's idea of a tiny residence is 850ish square feet, but we feel like we're living in a McMansion.

We had groceries delivered tonight. I feel like I might officially belong here now. Also? FreshDirect is cheap, y'all. I mean, we bought A LOT of food for $120. I mean, A TON.

We needed food because no one in my new office goes out to eat. Everyone eats at their desk. Whoa. That's a change. Anyway, I've been hungry the past two days, but now I have groceries so that's amazing.

I'll try and get some pictures up this weekend. Our real internet is installed on Saturday, so that will be reliable and fast--not words I can use to describe my stolen wireless.

So, that's that. I'm still transitioning to actually doing lots of work at work (which is AMAZING, btw), but it's strange to have to juggle home things with checking my personal email. I'm still reading--bit by bit. I promise.

Coming to you live...

2009-03-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Through some sort of internet magic, I am sitting on the couch in the new place typing this. Whaaat?

Anyway, I am beyond in love with the new apartment and looking forward to unpacking lots and lots of boxes today!

Moving day!!!!!!!

2009-03-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Obvi, I've been away for a few days packing, packing, packing away. We've enjoyed many great meals with friends, but after 3 straight days of pub fare, I am really craving salads and veggies. Thank goodness we're staying with Yankee BFF and her family tonight and she is preparing a yummy eggplant dish. We're also going to hit the New Jersey Target tonight and hopefully buy one of those fancy, million dollar Simple Human stainless steel trashcans. We're excited.

Last night around 1 am when we ran out of bubble wrap, Nathan and I just started laughing at what being grown-up and married is like. Not that I don't love almost every minute of it, but it is really funny to find yourself sweaty, packing and discussing trash cans and heartburn with the love of your life. When we were first dating we always looked good and we had a lot of fun. Lately, I feel like all we've been doing is a lot of work. I'm excited to get back to having a lot of fun.

Of course, see above, having a lot of fun now involves eating vegetables and going to Target to buy trash cans. Haha. Oh well.

It should only take 4-5 hours to get to New Jersey and we'll move in to our new apartment tomorrow morning. I'm so terribly excited. I can't wait to put up pictures!

We both have to be in our new offices on Monday. I was sent a questionaire from my new company for the "fun and unique new employee welcome celebration" that asked what my favorite karaoke song was. Oh boy. If I have to perform on the first day...

I'm so excited to start with this new company. I think it's so great that I'm going to work for a company that most of you have probably heard of and a lot of you probably utilize their services. I've heard it mentioned a number of times in Blogworld.

So, I'm waiting on Nathan and my brother to bring back the truck and another thing of bubble wrap. The movers should be here in a hour and then we'll hit the road!

Catch you on the flipside!***

***Our internet won't be set up at home until next Saturday, so I may be off the radar for a bit!

On the 9th day of packing...

2009-03-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

I went to Target and said good-bye to my co-workers.

You don't even want to know how boring the 8th day of packing was. I think I fell asleep at 8:30 or somesuch.

Still, the 9th day of packing was great. Granted, I didn't actually pack anything, but I bought some stuff for the new apartment and bought some clothing and cute shoes and my best friend got a JOB and I'm so ridiculously proud of her and sort of jealous because her job sounds incredible.

Oh, and I said some sad goodbyes and some not-so-sad goodbyes at work and we had a party.

And now, I am packing my little heart out. I was hoping to be done with everything today, but now I have dinner plans too--yet another goodbye--so I'm now hoping to finish packing the bedroom, bathroom and living room and save the kitchen and foyer for tomorrow. Oh, good word. Maybe I can get Nathan to pack some things too, although, let's be honest, he is great at so many things, but not really packing or staying focused on repetitive things. I said that yesterday and I think some people at work were miffed at our unequal balance of work, so let me preemptively defend Nathan. He sweeps, he washes dishes, he hangs things, he reaches up high things and he carries heavy things--all without questions. So what if I do everything else.

Also, I wanted to answer a few questions that had been asked in the comments.

Lisagh asked if I was switching to a new blog name post-move and the answer is Yes! I haven't had the time to make it at all pretty yet, so I'm holding off on the reveal for a few weeks. I will tell you this though--there are no places in the title! We apparently have problems staying put, so even though we think NYC is our final destination, I got smart and changed to a thematic name.

Laura asked about my commute. I'll be working in Chelsea and living in Washington Heights, so the commute will not be so bad. The trains run express and you can be in Midtown in about 30 minutes. We have 45-50 minute commutes now, so we're used to a bit of ride. It is a straight shot down the island though, so not having to switch trains is nice. Also, I'm embarking on a bit of an ambitious project that I hope to discuss more on the new blog that should fill my commute time.

So, that's that. I need to get back to packing. The countdown is almost over! Wow!

On the 7th day of packing...

2009-03-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is not a lie, I accepted a job in New York City!

Oh yes, y'all. It's true. I am now employed in the Big Apple. Oh, I'm so excited. I interviewed for this position weeks ago and was set to have my second interview on Monday. However, they called me today and asked if I would just like to start the job on Monday. I accepted and I'm so excited!

I know I don't talk about work on here, but I will say that this position is poised to offer me many things I don't have at my current company: a dynamic position, responsibility, room for growth and promotion. I'm really, really excited.

So, I really am poised to have one of the craziest weeks ever. Move in on Sunday, start new job on Monday.

Also, could I please give a shout out to my friend, Lilac? She is incredible, y'all. I highly recommend that everyone find someone that they relate to really well who is 10 years ahead of the them in the job process to bounce ideas off of, freak out with and look up to. She's seriously one of the things I'm going to miss about Boston.

The others? My friend Alicia. Y'all--check out her blog. She is amazing. She is traveling to India this summer and TREKKING. Seriously--how awesome is that? She is going to do the thing that most people only talk about. I'm so proud of her.

Obviously, I'm going to miss our family here. Also, my friend Rachael who has no blog because she one of the busiest people I know, UBurger (still incredible), my very short walk to the T (it's a bit farther to our subway stop in NYC), a very accessible Trader Joe's and that gorgeous view of Boston from the Charles I get to take in every morning.

Still, New York is very, very exciting. I have an apartment! I have a job! I have friends! Already! (Side note: one of my friends who I've known since we were 10 who lives in NYC just commented that this will be the third time she has assisted in some way with a move of mine. Seriously. Could we just stay put?) Broadway shows! Tribeca film festival! Kosher Indian food restaurants that deliver! (I love the niches of NYC eating) I have a chalkboard! And a huge kitchen! And an elevator in my building!

So, yes, today is a great day. Also, I haven't packed any boxes. I'm waiting for Nathan to come home so that we can celebrate properly and then we'll pack something. My sis-in-law told me I only had to pack two boxes tonight. She also said my apartment was the size of four dorm rooms. Very true. That helps me feel better about packing it all in two days.

On the 6th day of packing...

2009-03-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

if you can believe, I folded 8 million loads of laundry.

Yes, we washed EVERYTHING today so that it will be clean for life/packing/donations. EVERYTHING. I just folded it all.

I re-watched Season 2 of The Hills while I did it. I mean, I only made it through half of a season, but it was enough to make me sad that The City had its finale last week and make me excited for the next season of The Hills. It's such a great guilty pleasure.

Also, I was reminded again of how upset I get with the whole Heidi/Spencer thing. She KNEW he was bad news and still continued to be with him. WHY do girls do this? I mean, they do it all the time in real life too.

In other news, what's with the blog wars this weekend? Ladies, WHO CARES if someone does or does not like to wear Lilly? I mean, aren't we all friends in real life with people who are not exactly like us in every small way? Isn't that the beauty of blogging--getting to know people you otherwise would have had no contact with?

In college, I always used to tell potential new members that this was my favorite thing about my sorority. Through Alpha Xi Delta, I met women who I would have probably never met or gotten to know around campus (even though I went to a tiny school) because we were different majors, lived in different buildings, were members of different extracurricular activities. That's the beauty of it.

Blogging is much like that. Seriously--I read blogs of people who shop exclusively at thrift stores, those who have more disposable income than I and shop at high-end retail shops and a lot of blogs authored by people who share much the fashion sense as I do--look good, but do so cheaply via ebay, outlets and sales. Women who are stay-at-home moms, college students, high-powered executives can all pen a blog just as well as I can. I pick up tips from people who are better cooks, bakers, home maintainers, career women than me. I read blogs of people who are WAY more liberal than me and WAY more conservative than me. That's the beauty of it.

Anyway, sorry to join in the rant, but, seriously people, does any of this REALLY matter when it's all about building community and sharing our lives with each other?

On the 5th day of packing...

2009-03-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

I packed EIGHT boxes!!!!!

Buh, buh, buh, bun.

On the 4th day of packing

2009-03-21T13:04:00.001-07:00

I went shopping with my friend who's trekking through India this summer.

Great, we're back on track with the lyrical posts. Try singing that one. It works.

I bought a pair of 50% wool gloves and that's it. She bought a backpack and first aid kits and all other kinds of travel/trekking goodies for her amazing adventure this summer. I'm so bummed that I won't be able to zip over to India for a week to travel with her.

We ate at Wagamama and then played with perfume and body scrubs at Sephora and then, like good little old ladies, went home at 9 pm on a Friday. Go us.

Also, does everyone else love the Fresh products as much as I do? I want to buy them all and wallpaper my house with their packaging. Love it.

(**Yes, I know today is really the 5th day of packing, but I forgot to post yesterday. Wait, is today the 6th day of packing? Oh good word, I'm so confused. Here's today's update so far: I bought boxes, experienced TERRIBLE customer service at UHaul, have decided I hate my tape gun and have so far packed up the bookshelves. I am a terrible packer. This is going to be a long, hard road.)

On the 3rd day of packing...

2009-03-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

I trained my replacement at work, went out with co-workers and anticipate coming home very late.

Sorry this isn't quite as lyrical. I'm going on a co-worker's blind date tonight (part of the entourage) and I'm so excited!

On the 2nd day of packing....

2009-03-18T10:49:00.001-07:00

My sis-in-law reminded me: I haven't called to set up utilities.

Yes, you can sing that out. It works. I practiced at my desk.

I also worked out 30 minutes longer than usual and so didn't get home until 8:00. Now, I go to bed in the 8:45-9:00 range, so you can guess how little packing was accomplished.

12 days of packing

2009-03-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

On the first day of packing, I was incredibly lazy and went to the gym and then washed a bunch of dishes and then read back issues of Domino.

I didn't pack a single box.

I did, however, make plans to pick up boxes this weekend, reserve a moving van, book movers, change our address and BOUGHT A CHALKBOARD.

It's a beauty (I hope). Nathan's brother and his spouse will be picking it up tonight.

That list made me sound less lazy. Go team.

We'll see how these 12 Days of Packing go. I'm guessing that no real packing will happen until after I procure those boxes on Saturday. Stay tuned!

2009-03-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

Well, good readers, you are enjoying my 201st post. I wanted to do a fun giveaway, but seeing as I am moving in 12 days (!!!) you have to content yourselves with my musings and the promise that I will do a giveaway at 250 or 300. Pinky promise.

This weekend, I was involved in my own version of What Not to Wear. I went shopping with two dear, older, more professional friends who helped me to begin the process of overhauling my closet. This means I now have to get rid of many older garments. I'll probably donate most of them, but I do have a Lilly dress that just doesn't fit me correctly that I'll be putting up on ebay. I'll let you know if you are interested in it. It is so, so cute, but it's not a petite and I'm just not tall enough for it. My torso looks really quite terrible in it. If you are at least 5'4" though, it might be the perfect dress for you!

Anyway, I purchased dress pants and blazers and little jackets and some summery office-appropriate shoes, so I'm feeling ready to take on the big bad world of professional New York.

Also this weekend I laughed harder than I have laughed in a while. Nathan's best friend and his
girlfriend were staying with us and it was just so great to be with them. I love watching Nathan and his friend interact. They are so, so funny together. We went out to eat Saturday night with them and one of our friends here in Boston and it was just so great to sit for a few hours and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh.

But now they are back at school and we're back at work (only a few days left for me!) and it's time to buckle down and start packing away. We won't be able to pick up the boxes until this weekend, but organizing is on the schedule for this week.

I've also fallen in love the past few weeks with Flickr. Are any of you over there? I LOVE the inspiration. My favorite groups are: The New Domesticity, The Frugal Kitchen and Very Small Houses.

I'm dreaming away of the new space and desperately trying to find a chalkboard to hang up in the kitchen. Nathan needs a space to sketch out his math and I think a board in the kitchen sounds fabulous. I have been searching Craigslist to no avail. I might have to paint masonite with chalk board paint and frame it , but I hope not. Chalkboard paint does not seem to work as well as a real chalkboard. Any other ideas?

I would love to write about all the other crazy things going on, but I have a strict "don't blog about work" policy. My word though, y'all--the things I could share.

So here's to Monday--let's have a great week.

2009-03-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

Any of you watch 30Rock? I'm about to say something that may shock some (especially people who know me sort of well): I love 30Rock more than The Office.

There. I said it. I think it's funnier. I love Jack and Liz and Kenneth and Tracy. I love Werewolf Bar Mitzvah. I love that Jack dated Condoleeza Rice. (Side note--I also love that part in The Departed when Alec Baldwin's character yells about how much he loves the Patriot Act). I love the Liz is creepy and funny and awkward. I love the Rip Torn is the CEO of NBC. Love it, love it, love it.

One of my favorite episodes of this season was Retreat to Move Forward. It reminded me so much of all of the leadership retreats I've been on in my life--silly acronyms, weird "team building" games, etc. Y'all--I planned those retreats for my sorority and for the orientation leaders. They are intense.

Last night I realized that I need a Retreat to Move Forward. Pretty much every area of my home life has slowly been slipping away into disrepair since Christmas. Busy schedules, planning for the move, the doldrums of winter--they have all taken their toll on us, logistically, as a family.

So we sat down last night and played with some numbers, gained some confidence in ourselves and resolved to make a fresh start of it in New York. Menu planning, daily cleaning, whole foods eating--they are all coming back full-force. The new kitchen will help facilitate lots of this. We have much more storage and space in the new place. We'll finally have cabinets, drawers, a full-size oven and fridge. I'm so excited. Y'all, we will have a linen closet!

I love(d) our little apartment in Boston. It has served us well. We made it work. You do what you need to. But now the promise of a better apartment has me re-energized to tackle our home life. I'm thinking I might "put up" some food this summer. It's been a goal for a while and the bigger kitchen, as well as an in-town sister-in-law interested in these kind of things might just make it possible.

So, post-move, I'm setting aside a weekend (or at least 4-5 uninterrupted hours) to bring all my research together and write out my goals. No longer will my 5 year plan live in my head. I'm setting it all out on paper: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly tasks. Goals for this year, the next, the next. It will be my retreat to move forward and I can't wait to document my journey!

2009-03-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

Today, I am:

--rocking footless tights.

--anticipating the arrival of our friends this evening.

--planning Christmas 09's gifts for friends and family (I have resolved to get started early this year).

--dreaming of the new NYC kitchen that is HUGE.

--thinking of how I still need to prepare food in the teeny tiny kitchen for two more weeks--like pizza dough, cinnamon rolls and muffins for our guests.

--loving re-discovering my old/new again Dansko Mary Janes that I received on the occasion of my 19th birthday.

--loving that 3 comments from Laura welcomed me this morning. (Side note: I know someone out there must be planning for a baby or bridal shower or a grad party right now--buy some cute, personalized cookies from Laura. Seriously.)

--browsing Flickr for shots of inspiring interiors and dreaming of new decor in the new apartment.

--being ever so grateful that it is not chilly today--did I mention my footless tights????

2009-03-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my. Do you ever have those days when you just feel trapped and you need to run to the beach? It's like my biorhythms need to be realigned with the tide.

I feel trapped today and I'm pretty close to the ocean. I could be there in less than 45 minutes. This is why I could never live in the Midwest. How do y'all do it? How is it possible to live more than 4 hours from a beach?

Anyway, I woke up this morning craving one of my college rituals. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, a sorority sister and I would meet for bagels and coffee. I miss having that dedicated time to hang out. I miss having control over my time. I don't really miss a ton about college--I was pretty burnt out by the end--but I do miss being the master of my schedule and the ability to do things when I wanted to do them.

I would say I definitely did not fritter away my time in college. Far from it--I was probably a bit too involved. I was always dashing from meetings to office hours to class to the library, but I made sure to always schedule some time for coffee and bagels or tutoring or watching Matlock with Nathan.

It was a good four years and I don't understand why I'm having such a hard time recapturing that now. Who knew sitting at a desk would be so exhausting? I leave work, work out and then, by the time we make it home, the day is over. Done-zo. At least, thanks to Daylight Savings Time, the sun is still out when I leave work. It's a nice change of pace. I still have to work so hard to come home and feel like getting things done.

I'm sure things will be better after the move and after the days get longer. True story: Sunday was an unbelievably gorgeous day in Boston and I got sick. I walked around outside for about 10 minutes before I had to come back home. I cried that night. I told Nathan that I'm pretty sure I deserved a spring day because all winter long I have not complained, I've bundled up without a word, I've found the beauty in the snow and ignored the slush. I'm pretty sure I deserved that day.

Oh well. At least I recovered enough to venture out into yesterday's snow.

2009-03-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

I work with a lady who doesn't understand sarcasm. She just doesn't get it. Everything to her is literal. Now, most of us have picked up on it, save one person who just can't seem to adapt. Needless to say, they argue. A lot.

Anyway, I hit a point this weekend where I was wondering if I was the one at fault (not really understanding the gist of the words) or if the perpetrator was at fault. I guess I'll never know. I seem unable to wrap my mind around such things being normal.

Vague? Sorry about that. How about this? My pants today are too short. I'm 5' 2"--it's fairly hard for pants to be too short on me. A friend commented on this and I explained it was because I've had these pants since I was in the 7th grade.

The moral? I need new clothes.

2009-03-05T08:16:00.000-08:00

Also, as an FYI--

As of today, I'm not "following" anyone. It was screwing up my Google Reader (which I am desperately trying to edit down anyway) so I just deleted them all. Please know that I am still reading every day in my Reader and I'll try to get better in a few weeks about leaving regular comments.

Anyway, because I worry about stuff like this--I just want everyone to know it's nothing personal. I'm just not all that blog-savvy, so this is way I've decided to go about taking care of my problem.

Hope you're having one fantastic Thursday!

2009-03-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

Here's how things are going right now:

1. My in-laws are here. They came in Tuesday night and are here until Sunday. Good thing I like them. And no, I'm not lying. I do like them.

2. But still, 4 people + Miss Marple in a tiny apartment is hard at times.

3. I have seriously lacking some clean foundational pieces of clothing. Problem is, I don't want to ruin everyone else's plans (see number 1) by being a party pooper who stays home to do laundry.

4. I am so over a number of things in my life right now. And I know that if I were not moving soon and dealing with all entails, then things wouldn't bother me so much. But, as it stands, I am moving and all that entails and they are bothering me so much at the moment.

5. I need a plan. I am a planner when it comes to major, icky things I hate to do--ie, move. I'm not so much a planner when it comes to travel or weekends or things like that, but big things require a plan. REQUIRE. I am waiting on key pieces to fall into place so that I can make a plan.

6. Have I mentioned the house guests? Have I mentioned how more arrive next week? Have I mentioned how I haven't STARTED PACKING and haven't HIRED MOVERS because we're not sure what day we're moving.

I'm done, y'all. Overwhelmed and done.

2009-02-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

Alright...Q&A time. Are you ready? I'm ready. It's a gorgeous day here in Boston and the good feelings are gushing out of every pore.

First up, a bunch of questions from Amy at That Fresh Feeling...

What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?

Definitely hanging out with Nathan or baking of some sort. I also knit and I claim to sew although I haven't done much of the latter in a few years. I also really love Farmer's Markets with fierce passion and exploring new cities (when it isn't cold out!).

What is one item that you have that you cannot live without?

Let's see...my electric toothbrush? I love it so much. It makes my teeth always feel like I just came back from the dentist. Oh, and my straightener and my Vineyard Vines lazy pants. So, um, I bombed that one thing business. Let's stick with the toothbrush. I really want a fancy rechargeable one, but for now my rinky dink grocery store one will have to do.

What is one thing you want people to know about you?

Hmm...one thing again. You're bleeding me, Amy. I'm hoping that many things are readily apparent about me, so I'll share something that people may not notice, but would be great if they knew. I am not shy and I love engaging with groups of people, but I'm really an introvert. It upsets me to no end when people classify introverts as shy, quiet people. It's simply not true. I don't think I would ever be described as shy or quiet, BUT I do need to have time alone to recharge after being around groups of people. I sort of feel as if I'm still recharging from constantly being around and "on" around people for four years of college. It's great. My energy definitely comes from being alone. That said, I have trained myself to pick up energy from crowds that I am trying to engage in some way. Public speaking is my thing, y'all. I love presentations. I love being in charge of groups.

If you could do anything in this world, what would it be?

This one was easy. I would live in a cute house down the street from a Farmer's Market, have 4 babies, eat a completely whole foods diet and scrap/scrounge my way to a gorgeous house. My fantasy involves a garage with many cans of paint. Or, I would like to run a food co-op or own a bed and breakfast. Mostly though I want the cute house and the ability to play and bake all day long.

What is your favorite song and why?

Wow. I have favorites in so many categories. Let's see. My favorite workout song is Don't Leave Me This Way by Thelma Houston because it makes me smile no matter what, I was listening to it when I completed my first 10-minute mile (yes, I am the slowest runner EVER) and it was played over and over and over again during Ladies of the Lake 2007 which was an annual girls getaway college so it reminds me of some of my favorite people and all the laughing we did. My favorite hymn is Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing and while I love the lyrics, I also love how sticky the tune is. A Mighty Fortress is right up there too, although that song makes me cry. My favorite recent release is Chicken Fried by the Zac Brown Band because it sums up the South so nicely that I played it over and over and over again and told Nathan I wanted to move Home. Yes, capital H, Home. And, I would be remiss if I didn't add in I Feel Home by O.A.R. because no song takes me immediately back to the wonders of my college days. Somehow that one song instantly recalls the Triple Sombrero Fiesta, teddy bear passes, crush parties, ditching studying to get coffee in Ramsey and sitting around Bruegger's with the girls from my sorority. I'm pretty sure I didn't listen to that song during any of these events, but O.A.R. hits the nail on the head in that one. Love it.

Alright, Alicia, my friend in real life who has a secret blog squirreled away somewhere asks:

What's one thing you want to tell everyone that no one has ever asked you?

It really irks me when people say "If you don't like the weather, wait and a few hours and it will change" OR " is the only place where if you don't like the weather you can wait a few hours and it will change." Listen, y'all, the weather changes kind of a lot for everybody. Yes, winter weather changes do certainly happen more in NC than in, say, Boston--BUT it doesn't mean they don't happen. For instance, today it is 60 degrees here and then tomorrow it will snow. There. That is cold, hard proof that you shouldn't say Blahblahblah is the only place where this happens. I know--it's a cute thing to say. I've even said it before. And maybe the weather doesn't change too much when you aren't relatively near an ocean. I wouldn't know. God willing, I will never live more than 5 hours away from an ocean. Living inland is one of the most depressing things I've ever considered. Nathan thinks this is because I always need an escape plan. Anyway, even in Eastern Europe, y'all, the weather FLUCTUATED. So, um, that's what I want to tell you. I hate that statement. Please feel free to disregard my feelings. It's really not that big of a deal, but it is the first thing that came to mind. I don't know why.

Anonymous (btw--who are you???) want to know:

How is the NY job/apartment search going?

Thank you for inquiring, Anonymous. I would say it's going really well. We're actually going back up tomorrow to look at more apartments. The one we looked at before is taking about 1,500 weeks to process our application and we're now thinking Manhattan may be the ticket anyway. Also, the job search is going great. Hopefully I'll be able to share more about that at a future date.

Which college did you go to?

The great University of North Carolina at Asheville. Everyone up here, and I mean EVERYONE, thinks I went to UNC Chapel Hill. I let it slide. Apparently it's a hard concept. My boss actually once asked me how trying it was to go to college four hours away from the main campus. Um, we're a separate school with a different focus. Anyway, I loved it. I have lots of school pride, but I had a rough first year. ROUGH. I met some great people, joined a fabulous sorority and was deeply involved in a number of student orgs. I went there freshman year to be a drama major and stayed in the drama department for three sort of terrible semesters. I can't blame it all on the drama department though. Nathan and I had a rough time for a while (Yes, we did somehow end up at the same college after high school. It wasn't planned. Trust me.) and, like all freshmen, I went through lots of relationship changes with my friends. Unlike all freshmen, I also had a TERRIBLE roommate situation my first semester. Needless to say, the police had to get involved. Anyway, I emerged stronger and I have a very interesting relationship with my alma mater, I think. I made one of my best, best, best friends there, but our relationship really only began to really deepen senior year. I have a lot of pride for the things I did, but I think I got to know some staff members too well and unfortunately lost a great deal of respect for them in the process. I am still quite close to a number of the faculty though and I think they are stand-up people. So, um, how's that for a long answer?

What is your current job title and what job are you trying for in NYC?

I currently am a receptionist, but I, thankfully, have more responsibilities than answering the phone. I also work with accounting and give primary admin support to two people. In NYC, I decided I would try for anything that sounded interesting. I have a good amount of event planning experience for my college internship and I also have a good amount of experience in food and clothing retail, so I was sticking to those four categories: admin, events, food and clothing retail. We'll see what happens!

Does the job search there seem frustrating because of the economy?

You know, I'm going to tell you honestly: No. Not really at all. I think job searches are frustrating and there are certainly less jobs out there, but I haven't been focusing on it. New York has definitely been hit hard in the past year, but I'm trying not to focus on that. Instead, I'm focusing on the fact that people always quit or move away or vacate jobs for some reason or another and I have a really solid resume, I think. Fortunately, I'm not pigeon-holed into one area or field, but I also have experience from working a highly-respected and demanding company and I have lots of internship experience. One thing that I continue to be amazed by the power of the network. People talk a lot about networking, but seeing it in action is amazing. The people at my current company have really helped me out a lot in that respect. Most everyone here has some New York connection and people are so willing to help out other people. Sometimes, I am amazed at how juvenille adults act in an office setting, but at other times I am just humbled and amazed by people's willingness to do kind things for each other with no expectations except that you would help them out if you could. It's beautiful. So, I don't have a job yet, but so far the search has been as great as a job search can be.

Barefoot in the Park asks:

What's your favorite place in NC?

Well, I can't pick one, so let's go with my favorite places.

I love Lake Junaluska, NC. My family vacationed here when I was younger and the most pivotal summer of my life so far was spent there.

Waterrock Knob off the Blue Ridge Parkway is another of my favorite places. The first summer I lived at the LJ (see above), we would go watch the sunset and play Frisbee a few times a week. Usually, it's pretty cloudy, but when the clouds lift, it is indescribably beautiful.

In Raleigh, Cameron Village and Fred Fletcher Park hold big pieces of my heart. I have so many great memories in both places.

I'm also quite fond of the Fort Fisher Beach because that's where Nathan and I would always go when we took beach day trips.

If you had one day where you could be anywhere and not have an agenda, where would you go and how would you spend it?

My first thought is that I would head to France, but that seems a bit silly for one day, doesn't it? Although I do love walking around France. The best part is definitely lunch. Give me a baguette with dijon, brie, lettuce and tomato any day and I'm a happy camper. Bonus if it is lavender mustard. Mmm. Okay, thinking about this sandwich made me realize that maybe it's not silly to go back for a day. I would take in a musee of some sort (preferably archaeological) and definitely eat a croissant at some point. Then, I would somehow make it to Point Sublime to watch the sunset. Watching the sunset disappear behind the canyon is one of my most treasured memories. Even better, by the time we made it up there, it was so dim that we couldn't take pictures. It's just a memory for Nathan, my in-laws and me. I'm glad we got to share that together. That said, I think I'd like to see it again.

Laura asked how the job search was going, but also asked:

When are you moving?

Soon. That's the best answer I have. We have house guests until March 16, but every day after that is fair game. Hopefully by the end of next week I will be able to name a day. We're waiting to hear about a few things.

So, this was great, y'all. Thanks for all the questions!

2009-02-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

I am, apparently, the only person in the world that has no desire to read the Twilight books or see the movie or anything like that. I suppose I should say the only person in blog world--I actually don't know anyone in real life who has read them.

I have, however, read the back of them many times. This is what I do on the T. Yes, I am that girl. The back was so terribly cheesy that I couldn't possibly read that book and, y'all, my literature standards are NOT HIGH.** Anyway, I feel like I should use the cheesy setup to inspire this post.

There are three things I know are true:

1. I've got too much non-blog stuff going on in my life to blog.

2. I love those random question posts other people put up from time to time.

3. I know that you secretly love them too and want to ask me questions.

So, yes, here's your chance. Anything you want to ask. Shoot me the question. You can also email them to me at nathanandrachelann AT gmail DOT COM if you are so inclined. I'll do a post where I answer them.

**No offense if you love Twilight. Maybe someday on a beach in the future, I'll knock them all out and know what all the fuss was about. I still respect you. Promise.

2009-02-19T07:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry for all of unexpected long absences. The truth of the matter is that there is just too, too, too much to do in such a short time. I will probably not be around very much for the next 6 weeks or so. I am still reading everything y'all are writing, but I'm sadly not commenting too much or writing much of my own.

We've had a whirlwind two weeks and we have at least 5 more weeks of whirlwind to come. We have houseguests March 3-15. No, I'm not even kidding. Yes, I am tired already. Thanks for asking.

I'm heading down to NC this weekend and I'm so excited to see Roommate BFF get married and hang out with the people who get me the most and catch up with all my sorority sisters at alum brunch and to drink tea with my Mama and sit around and talk to my Daddy. North Carolina, for me, is soul refreshing. I'm looking forward to it.

We did find a place we really liked in New York and we're waiting to hear back about whether or not we've gotten it. To quote Michael Scott, I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious. I don't want to talk too much about it until we know it's ours. Here's a hint: it is in the same neighborhood in New York where Miranda and Steve lived on Sex and the City. Can anyone guess the nabe? No prizes or anything--just fun.

I caught up with an old friend in New York last week and it was wonderful. We missed three years out of each other's lives, but we dropped back into our friendship pretty quickly. I'm glad I'll be living near her again. We also may or may not have consumed three Crumbs cupcakes between the two of us. No, we did not eat dinner that night. Yes, it was amazing.

So that's the story, Morning Glory. I'm sparse for good reasons and I apologize, but hopefully more exciting adventures will be coming your way soon courtesy of the soon-to-be BFFs in Brooklyn.

2009-02-12T06:08:00.000-08:00

Y'all, I have all kinds of cake batter and frosting coming into my life soon. Last night was Alicia's first cake decorating class and it was fabulous. Except for the fact that I need to go buy a Sam's Club amount of shortening and confectioner's sugar to make it through the next month, I am beyond excited. I also can't wait for the class to end and to put my new skills to the test making cakes and frosting that don't include Crisco or chemically food coloring. That's doable, right? Of course it is!

Still, for class I'll follow all the non-perishable frosting rules and I bought blue, pink and green gels to use in my frosting. Hopefully we won't have a repeat of that last time I colored frosting and turned everyone's mouth blue on Pref Night.

So the real adventure really began after we left class. Last night was wonderful--warm (I didn't wear a coat!) and foggy. We left Michael's excited about cakes, excited about warm air and excited about increasing our non-job-related skills.

Too much excitement sort of got us into trouble. You know, we've made the drive from Michael's to my apartment 3 or 4 times now. We've NEVER done it correctly. Oh, and yes, we do have directions. We always have directions. Apparently we also have terrible memories. Last time we attempted this drive, we wound up in Revere. Oh, and then underneath the Tobin Bridge by THE DOCKS! That was beyond scary.

True story: last night was scarier. So we're trucking along, getting increasingly lost (seriously--it's this one roundabout that is so confusing and we always take the wrong turn and both of us are terrible at getting places without getting lost) and we finally see some signs for Boston. We decide to follow those signs which spits us into a tunnel. Awesome. We decided to exit the tunnel at South Station because, surely, we're smart enough to get home from downtown, right? Um. Not so much.

Alicia comments that she doesn't know what South Station looks like from the outside and I tell her not to worry about it because I do. Um, whoops! While we're having this discussion, we pass not one, but two, DO NOT ENTER signs and drive into the bus terminal of South Station! So we pretty much start hyperventilating, praying that transit police won't be too upset, praying that we don't hit any buses and, eventually, it all works out. We take some scary turns and we're spit back out into downtown.

Now, the problem is that we're back where we started: somewhere downtown and we can't see the Pru. Oh yeah, this is how we get around. Find the Pru, find your house. We do, however, see Chinatown and know that if we can make it through Chinatown we'll be back in the right part of town. Only problem is--two girls in a car with no locks in Chinatown at 10 pm on a foggy night? Um, not a good idea. But, you know, because we're stupid, we do it anyway and we make it out alright. One sketchy red light later and we're by Copley. Hoorah we think--we know Copley.

Oh yeah, it keeps getting worse. From Copley we ended up following the E branch of the Green Line. NOT OKAY. The E line swerves off from all the others and we're slowly getting deeper and deeper into a neighborhood that we probably wouldn't visit the day let alone at night! Thankfully, we didn't really realize how unsafe we were until we were almost out of there. Sketchtastic.

Somehow we finally made it back downtown to what we knew. And then somehow we made it Comm Ave. and then somehow we made it to my apartment. Pretty terrifying, man. Pretty terrifying.

2009-02-09T12:22:00.001-08:00

Well, I keep disappearing for days at a time, don't I?

The thing is that my days have found a new rhythm that unfortunately leaves little room for writing here. You see, I'm too busy writing cover letters and searching for jobs and apartments.

I was in quite the Funk (yes, with a capital F) all weekend long. You know on last week's episode of The Office when Andy says he is battling crippling despair and depression and he's going to win? Well, it wasn't quite that extreme, but by last night I decided that I was going to win.

The first major boost I had was talking to my Daddy on Saturday. He's one of the smartest people I know and I love that he tells it like it is. Case in point? Sometimes you just need to get a job and learn from it even if it's not exactly what you want to do.

Second boost? Yesterday at church there was a guest speaker--Justin Masterson of the Red Sox. His scripture choice? Jeremiah 29. I'm sure you've seen this verse cross-stitched about a million times on various things. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Well, can we talk about how much I love that second part? A hope and a future. That's really all I want these days. To feel like it's going to all work out.

Nathan wisely pointed out that being married and having each other is certainly being given a hope and a future. We'll call this boost 2.5.

Boost number three came in the form of a podcast I had sent to me by a friend. You can check it out here. It is about 45 minutes long and she speaks from the point of view of a business person, specifically in the venture capital field, but I think the lessons are great for everyone. She said something that my father often talks about (see boost number one) which is that your career lies at the intersection of your skills, your passions and the market. He puts it in terms of your skills, passions and the world's need, but the idea is much the same.

It was so great to have all of these things laid out on the table at one time for me to look at. I certainly felt a renewed vigor today in my job hunt. I hope that all of you who are also looking can take a cue from Andy and resolve to win this battle and know that your hope and future is out there.

Passing notes

2009-02-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

Dear New York City apartment owners,
Please don't label your Craigslist ad has "has photos" if the only photo you include is of a lighting fixture. Thanks.

Dear Rachel Ann,
Don't change your resume to get an admin position. It will just mean you gave up on your dreams.

Dear really classy apartment listing in Chelsea,
Please don't be too good to be true. You look too good to be true.

Dear company that owns the buildings on the next block over,
Please shovel the sidewalks when it snows. Seriously.

Dear Uggs,
You are ugly as homemade sin. Thanks for keeping my feet warm.

Dear flip-flops,
I miss you. I promise we'll be together again soon.

Dear prospective NYC employers,
Please give me a job. Thanks.

2009-02-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I posted one of those silly 25 random things about me on Facebook. (Side note about Facebook--are we Facebook friends? Want to be?) Anyway, two of the things I listed were:

22. My clothes are terribly outdated and I am a walking fashion disaster. Winter is the worst since I haven't bought a new sweater in the past 5 years except for a lovely turtleneck from H&M that makes me feel like a million bucks.

23. Shoes are especially hard for me. I carry my running shoes with me so that I can go to the gym after work and I hate having to have special commuting shoes, so I always wear my Danskos or my Uggs all day long. I'm so over my shoes, but I also can't justify carrying around 3 pairs of shoes with me everyday.

Then, in an email to a friend the other day, I wrote:
I think for so long I've had so many people around me that I'm really learning how great it is to not be so scheduled or surrounded by people and am finally able to breathe a little. College was intense. People were everywhere and I felt like I had to always be "on" so to speak. Now, here in Boston, I can really relax and focus on me and it is awesome. I love that I am finally working out regularly and can spend my time thinking and dreaming, but not doing.

And then, this morning SCB (one of the best swap partners EVER who sent me a book about cupcakes AND a book about dessert places in NYC) posted about doing things for herself such as buying fresh flowers, going to the tanning bed and getting manicures.

So "me time" and things that make me feel good have been on my mind at least three times this weekend and today I actually did something about it.

I carried three pairs of shoes with me to work today. To commute, I wore my ever-faithful Danskos. Once I got to work, I put on my black boots. I don't often wear my favorite dresses and skirts because they only go with my black boots in winter and said boots are not commute-friendly. Now, I look great for the day. My third pair of shoes represents the ultimate in me time. My running shoes are waiting for 5:00 to roll around so that we can go the gym to put in a few miles.

(Side note--You know how you can't trust the calorie count on cardio machines? For instance, it will say that you burned 400 calories, but really you probably burned closer to 300. Can you trust the distance on machines? If it says 4 miles, did you really run 3 miles?)

Tonight when I get home I am going to make another batch of roasted chickpeas because I love them so. So does Amy! And then, I think I am going to apply some self-tanner. Yup. In February.

In the next four weeks, I will travel to NC for my college roommate's wedding, host my in-laws for 6 days (they are sleeping on our living room floor!), find an apartment in NYC and apply for thousands (ok, probably tens) of jobs and then, hopefully, interview. I've got a full month ahead, so I deserve to do things that make me feel good, yes?

2009-01-31T11:49:00.000-08:00

The SUN is out today. It is so, so bright. Miss Marple and I keep squinting and I don't mind. Not one bit at all.

The superstitious part of me would like to think that this is because I willed the sun out for this weekend by listening to sun songs, specifically I'll Follow the Sun, Good Day Sunshine and Here Comes the Sun.

Think it worked?

Granted, it is still a balmy 27 degrees out, but spring is coming. I can feel it in my bones. Only 8ish weeks to go!

2009-01-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

Domino is canceled. Please excuse my mourning in the coming days.

Also, this makes my not-so-hot day officially BAD. I could handle the slushy snow, being yelled at by a co-worker and lack of a clean apartment, but the cancellation of Domino has put me over the edge.

I actually have tears in my eyes.

2009-01-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

My brain is beyond fried from job applications. Isn't that pathetic? I still have at least two more months of this (assuming I am employed very close to the move date). I could possibly have months upon months upon months on end of this. That thought is not happy or comforting.

Still, some things are really great these days. Last night we made the bagel dough from that wonderful book I told you about the other day. We haven't made any bagels yet, but I am eagerly anticipating the comparisons between these bagels and the ones we normally make.

So, I have loved baking my entire life and started out pretty early with peanut butter cookies. Sometimes if my brother was baby-sitting me (oh yeah, did you know we are 10 years apart?) then we would make chocolate chip cookies from scratch. He's really more of a brownie guy, so I'm not sure why we made cookies, but, I digress. Anyway, I worked my way up and tried baking many different things (my one real disaster was the infamous pumpkin pie of Thanksgiving 97) and cooking lots of food from scratch (still a huge passion of mine). I always wanted to make bagels and my mother told me that was a terrible idea. She told me that again when Nathan and I got married and moved up here. Well, you know what? I love baking bagels and she still thinks it's a bit silly, but she's glad it makes me happy. This new bagel recipe we're trying comes out at a cost of approximately 15 cents per bagel. Not bad, y'all, not bad--especially when you consider the bottomless pit I am married to.

Nathan and I had a really long middle of the night discussion the other night on where we want to be, individually and as a family, in five years. And do you know that my goals are not in the least career-minded? Seriously, my goals were all about my five year plan of grinding grains and making all of our food from scratch and whipping up natural cleaners and having babies with cloth diapers on them and all that jazz. Thankfully, Nathan supports this whole-heartedly. In fact, he thinks I should come home, so to speak, sooner rather than later because it would make me the most happy. How to accomplish this is now the big question. Nathan thinks I should write a book about newlywedisms and the new domesticity, but I think there is a lot of that out there already and I don't actually come up with anything new. I'm just really good at gathering information from lots of sources and putting it to work. Also, isn't writing books impossibly hard? I mean, not the writing, but the agents and getting paid and all that?

Y'all, career-wise I'm really not too sure what I want to do with my life. How did you figure this out? Did you fall into something or did you set out on a specific path and make it happen? These things I know:
1. I love to work.
2. I love to do about a million things (like baking, knitting, event planning, retail), but my favorite part of jobs is always the relationships. I don't necessarily become all long-term BFF with people (because, let's be real, if you aren't my family or have names that start with K or S then I have trouble staying in touch with you), but I do love entertaining people. I like to swap stories and find out about other people's lives.
3. I can sell almost anything to anyone.
4. I can be really passionate about products. I always wanted to grow up to be a Tupperware lady, but I am severely lacking in social capital. I would never sell makeup, so please don't email me asking me to become a Mary Kay lady.***
5. I think that I am really, really funny and make things more fun.

So, what to do, what to do? Lots of applying. Lots of waiting. Lots of thinking and praying and wishing and hoping, planning and dreaming to come.

***One time at a Mary Kay party when we had to fill out those info cards for them to be able to stalk you for the rest of your life, the rep had us write down how we felt about being a Mary Kay lady. We could either write 1) Sign me up!, 2) I need more information first, or 3) I would never become a MK lady even if my children were dying and being an MK lady is the only thing that would save them. You know what? I wrote down 3 and I felt bad for my imaginary children that I hated the thought of selling make up that much that I would let them die first. Yes, I know I have some irrational tendencies. I'm not still obsessing over it or anything.

2009-01-27T11:34:00.000-08:00

You know with Gmail Google scans your emails and then posts things in the sidebar that you might be interested in?

Every email I get from Netflix about another disc of Rome being shipped (yes, Nathan and I are totally addicted) makes lots of stuff in Chinese pop up in the sidebar.

What is secretly in those Rome emails?

2009-01-23T10:23:00.001-08:00

Let's face it, I'm better at looking for apartments than looking for jobs. This isn't to say that I haven't done quite a bit of job searching in the past few weeks, because, truly, I spend hours a day searching job websites.

Speaking of jobs, what are your favorite job websites?

Still, dreaming of apartments and beautiful home design also fills my time--whether I need to find a place to live or not. I am over the moon in love with our apartment here in Boston, but I still used to read Craigslist to get views into other apartments. I'm telling you--I love houses.

So, in the spirit of distraction by beautiful things, let's talk Etsy, shall we? Here are my favorite sellers and items as of late:

This print is driving me crazy. Yes, it is only $9.50. Why have I not purchased this yet? The answer is that I love a good budget and it just isn't in the cards for January. Maybe for February. I hint to Nathan about a thousand times a day how much I would love this for Valentine's Day. Available here.

This piece is by an artist who used to live in Massachusetts until about a month ago. I actually met her at Bizarre Bazaar. I dropped about a hundred thousand hints to Nathan that day about how much I wanted it, but, alas, I don't have it yet. I am campaigning for this as a V-Day gift as well. I love, love, love that she used a line from one of my favorite hymns. Available here.

Y'all, that cat is steeping a cup of tea. I think this is all that needs to be said. Amazing. I love it. Available here.

I have a dream that one day I will have a beautiful white kitchen with dark hardwood floors and lots of art. This print has a place both in my heart and in that kitchen. Available here.

While I know that it will probably be at least 10 or 15 years until I have a laundry room (here's hoping for a washer and dryer before the room!), someday, somehow I will have a laundry room and this would be darling in it. Let's be real--I have a slight obsession with photos of gorgeous laundry rooms. You know when you were little and you thought the height of sophistication was pink nail polish or high-heeled shoes? I am in the phase of my life when I think the height of sophistication is a decorated laundry room. Available here.

Hopefully before I get that laundry room, I will get a 2-bedroom apartment. Until we have all kinds of babies, that second bedroom will serve as a guest room, office and craft command center. This print would be perfect in the second bedroom of my dreams. Available here.

These little guys will get to hang out in the second bedroom too. How can you not love this? The elephants are in love! Available here.

So, I think we all just learned a few ways into my heart:
1. Washers and dryers.
2. Decorated laundry rooms.
3. Original pieces of art from Etsy.

2009-01-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

Do you know how little is going on in my life right now?

Seriously, y'all, I feel like I go to work, mull over my resume and job postings, go work out, come home, cook dinner, wash dishes and fall asleep.

Oh, are you asleep now too because things are so boring?

I haven't taken a photo in weeks or shared anything particularly meaningful here. My life is very, very routine and the exciting things that are happening for me are probably not that exciting for anyone that has cable or a nightlife or lives somewhere where there aren't 12 foot banks of snow around.

One exciting thing is that Bath and Body Works now makes Need a Margarita? body wash. I've loved the scrub for years and the body wash is a much better deal in my opinion. You get a giant bottle for $15 and you don't have to rid yourself of your skin to use it. Let's be real--I need to hold onto my skin right now. My skin and hair are freaking out at the Massachusetts winter. Seriously, MA girls, what do you do? I feel like I'm the only person with flyaway hair and gross, dry skin. What are your secrets?

Another exciting this is that I have fallen deeply in love with a new book on baking. It was recently pointed out to me that my blog makes me sound like a "Martha Stewart wannabe" and a "Mormon housewife," but you know what? I love this book and it's my blog and I'm going to tell you all about because you will love it too. I promise. It is called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and it is awesome. So far, I've made a little loaf of bread for this week's lunches, a batch of cinnamon rolls to celebrate MLK Day and last night I made pizza dough. It takes about 15 minutes to measure and mix your ingredients and then the dough keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks. You get 4 batches of bread/dough/cinnamon rolls. I love it so, so much. I made my dough with whole wheat flour and it's incredible. Now, disclaimer, I certainly wouldn't call it artisan bread. I mean, it is yummy, but if you are expecting it to taste like it came from a bakery that has been using the same starter for 75+ years, then you will be sorely disappointed. That said, I love the convenience of having pre-made dough. Our pizza was awesome last night. I added spinach, artichoke hearts and low-fat mozzarella. It made a 10" pizza which is perfect for two people with an apple and a salad. So, so yummy.

Are you still reading? Seriously, y'all, would Martha Stewart blog about body wash? I think for certain she would never buy anything from B&BW. I think I can never be a MS wannabe until I shun the BeBeDub (yes, this is what we called in college--one of my roommates worked there). I suppose, I should really say Be AND Be Dub after my little Dunkin AND Donuts rant yesterday.

2009-01-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

I was so graciously given this award by Mrs. Guru. She is just so sweet!

Laura also tagged me to do a fun little book post, but I'm currently at work and have no books near me! I'll try and remember to do this when I get home.

So the big news in my life is that Alicia and I got all kinds of lost last night--in a car with no locks. Oh man. We wound up in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot (side note: why oh why do people in Boston say D&D when the name of the restaurant is NOT Dunkin AND Donuts?) where Alicia could check the map and I could keep a look out for danger.

We eventually wound up at a really sketchy industrial warehouse under the Tobin Bridge aka a pretty likely place to run into the mob. Be still my heart. We got out of there fast. It was so frustrating to see the bridge, know we needed to be on the bridge and then not be able to get on the bridge. Still, we kept our cool. We're chill girls, you know? Also, it was only 8:00 a night. Super sketchy things normally happen later, right?

Well, anyway, we finally came upon that glorious view of the city and rejoiced. To celebrate, we drive through Beacon Hill and tried to peek in people's windows. Yes, we are creepy like that. Yes, you too would spy into the houses in Beacon Hill. They are that amazing.

So that's the news from these parts. We did not Die & Die at the Dunkin & Donuts.

2009-01-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

Here are the thoughts swirling in my head right now:

1. Resumes are ridiculously hard for me to put together. Seriously. I have done about a million things and am really cool (I promise!), but the timelines don't fit, I'm not really in a field since I just graduated, but am I am just into a field enough that it feels like I'm changing fields when it comes to typing up my resume. My word. That sentence was intense and not in a good way. This is why I'm struggling with the resume apparently.

2. I'm going to Target tonight and I couldn't be more excited. Seriously, y'all--getting out to Target is an event because someone has to drive me.

3. I, like many of you I am assuming, keep checking up on Baby Harper over at Kelly's Korner. Saturday morning when I first read what had happened, I woke up Nathan because I was that concerned about the Stamps family. They've been in my thoughts and prayers ever since. Kelly is the daughter of a preacher (just like me!) and she and Scott struggled with infertility for so long (one of my biggest fears), so I've always been drawn to her. I can't imagine going through what they are going through. I think it's so beautiful that they are being so public about their faith in the midst of this hardship.

2009-01-16T11:43:00.000-08:00

Big Friday, Big News, y'all!

Guess what?

Guess who is moving to New York City?

Um, Nathan and I are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right, they are closing all of the Massachusetts branches of Nathan's office. Lots of people are being laid off, but Nathan, because he is a superstar hard workers, is being transferred and given more responsibility!

Hoorah for that, yes?

So we'll be moving in about two months and, of course, have about a million things to do before then. You know, like finding a job for me and finding an apartment and saying goodbye to our local family.

Still, how exciting is this? We are excited.

Now, I know y'all probably know New York bloggers that I don't. Tell me about them! I'm soaking up everything I can about New York.

Also, if you know of any event/meeting planning openings in the city, let me know!

2009-01-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

Do you ever just feel blindsided by grief?

The other night I was riding home on the T, listening to folk music and thinking about how beautiful it is to be a woman and to have inherited a history of baking and cooking and sewing and babies.

I was thinking about those precious nieces of ours who are growing up so, so fast and becoming such interesting individuals. Last weekend when we stayed with them, one had us in stitches with the lyrics to her "Beethoven" song (Hey! Hey, Beethoven! Milk the cow! Ride the donkey!) while the other one asked me to just to lay down and talk to her for a while while she sketched and I marveled at how similar her request was to my requests at age 6. It's a beautiful thing.

Anyway, I share all this to let you know what sort of a mindset I was in coming home the other day. I'm so blessed to be able to live near my nieces because when I was little I was always so jealous of the people who had aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents all living down the road.

For some of you this may seem odd (Nathan just can't really imagine living that close to extended family), but when you grow up in small town North Carolina, it seems that everybody is related to everybody else. Except, you know, I wasn't related to anyone else. My parents moved out of Randolph County, NC when they were young and first married and we never came back. I never had all that.

Luckily, though, I got to see my extended family fairly often and because it was always a special occasion when I would see them almost all of my memories with my grandmothers are wrapped up in food.

Well, I'm putting together a family cookbook and I received my first recipes in the mail the other day and I wasn't at all prepared. Enclosed in the letter, my aunt had written out my grandmother's banana pudding recipe and it's a beautiful thing, y'all.

I just sat and cried and cried and cried--totally blindsided by renewed grief.

I still haven't gotten it together enough to type out the recipe for the cookbook. But I will. And I will be reminded again how beautiful it is to be a woman. How beautiful to inherit comfort foods and the ability to make them. How beautiful to be a part of the never-ending chain.

2009-01-14T07:24:00.000-08:00

Anyone have any experience with this dress from J Crew? It is the Dream Soho sweater dress.

2009-01-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

OK, I just found out it is National De-Lurking Day. Know what that means? Officially, you have to tell me today if you read! De-lurk yourselves! Go!

2009-01-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

2 completely unrelated thoughts:

1. Y'all, I ate berries today and they were amazing. I haven't been buying berries because, you know, it's winter in Massachusetts and we aren't growing berries. Our salad at lunch today, however, came with a multitude of strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. I was in fresh berry heaven. Granted, I know deep down inside that these berries took about eight hundred millions of pesticides and gas to get to me, but they were so, so, so good. So yummy. Dreamily yummy. In fact, I think I'll dream of them tonight. I only have dreams to carry me through to the summer when berries abound.

2. You know how some people have word verifications attached to their comments? I have sort of convinced myself that these are real words that I'm simply not smart enough to know. Crazy? Yes. Still, it could be true, right?

2009-01-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a beautiful photo? It is one of the photos in the BBC's Day in Pictures for today. It is the Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria.

I just loved this photo so much that I had to share it with you. I loved the Orthodox cathedrals in Bulgaria. This one, in particular, was beautiful.

I hope that y'all had a wonderful weekend. We certainly did. We babysat, it snowed, we ate a lot of chili and we deep cleaned the apartment. That makes for a fantastic weekend, yes?

2009-01-09T07:08:00.000-08:00

Cardio Groove was crazy awesome. I'm pretty sure I didn't do the combination correctly even once in the hour, but as our dear instructor Al said, "That's not the point."

Al was awesome. What a great instructor. He kept the energy up the entire time and somehow taught us the combination without ever stopping. Seriously--it was cardiotastic for the entire hour.

And I know a crazy dance now. Crazy!

You can check out Lilac's take on the evening here.

Also, are you reading Fit Bottomed Girls? You should be. Reading their blog is like talking to your fun and super fit friend--relaxed, inspiring, funny.

2009-01-08T10:38:00.001-08:00

Let me tell you something, I am designed to be married.

Nathan has been gone this week (he comes back tonight--no way am I telling the internet in advance of my husband being out of town!) and my whole life has been sort of upside down.

I was really, really nervous before he left. I don't do well with sleeping alone. In college, if my roommate was not there, I would sleep on the couch in the living room. I'm not sure why. It's not like we shared a room.

Anyway, I was dreading Nathan leaving. I had visions of sleeping on the couch with Miss Marple and subsisting on 3 fitful hours of sleep a night.

Well, y'all, I am proud of myself. Yes, I did cry when he left at 7 am Sunday morning, but that probably had a lot to do with the death-flu that we were experiencing. Not much seems doable when you are dehydrated and haven't eaten in 3 days.

Still, I persevered. No, I haven't been very productive this week. I have watched half a season of The Tudors and eaten a good amount of cucumber and salmon in the form of sushi. But, I also went to the gym, got 8 hours of sleep and slept in a bed! Without a cat! Aren't you proud?

Anyway, he comes home tonight and I couldn't be more excited. I'm going to go dancing at Cardio Groove with two lovely ladies from my office and then I might even eat some falafel. You know, so I'll be sweaty and have gross breath by the time my husband comes home. I plan well.

Tonight has been a fabulous day so far. I'm wearing a new dress I picked up at Banana Republic last week for $10. The sun is finally shining again. I'm going to Cardio Groove tonight (can't get over how excited I am!) and my husband comes home.

I think all my teenage dreams are coming true. You see, I always dreamed of being the kind of girl who went to fitness classes with friends. How much of a dork am I? Anyway, I was never that girl until tonight! Oh yes, friends, I am becoming the person I always wanted to be! I'm so excited!

It's nice to be achieving some goals. I was emailing a friend about this the other day. I have the big thing in my life accomplished. The really big thing that I was meant to do is be married to Nathan. Now, I'm working on the medium things. Trying to be healthy. Trying to figure out career moves. Still, the big thing is accomplished.

Getting married is not everyone's one big thing, but I think it is mine. It's such a strange thing to say in a time when such ideas are characterized as not feminist, but for me it is true. I'm still discerning the rest of my stuff in life, but I feel pretty certain I've gotten the word from above on being married to Nathan.

2009-01-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

The air is clearing. Slowly, but surely, our little insides are healing and tasks seem manageable.

We have no fresh food in the house right now except for 3 lonely apples.

Everything was eaten or frozen before we went to NC. Then we were ill and no one felt like eating or grocery shopping.

I've been eating salads and fruit at work and hoping for the best. Still, it's time to buy some groceries and stop eating loads of tomato sauce and frozen veggies.

I feel like I am very much in a state of flux right now. Everything is changing, but not in a fast, swirling way, but in a slow, rhythmic, tidal way. It feels right.

I am going to my first ever spin class on Thursday night with this lady. I'm nervous and excited. Spinning seems like something that exceptionally fit people do.

I'm also into full-on beginning of the year nesting. I love cleaning (and dreaming of new interiors) in January.

Oh, and I have a request for y'all. Many of live live in or around NYC or visit often. What are your favorite stores, bakeries, coffee shops? I'm doing a little planning for a few months from now.

2009-01-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been MIA lately. Tuesday I came down with some sort of paint fume poisoning and on our anniversary (Thursday) I was struck with what we thought was food poisoning. Turns out it was just the "worst virus ever that doesn't kill you or even hospitalize you" because Nathan got hit with it last night. Needless to say, we're a bit down and out right now.

I finally got out of the house today for the first time since New Year's, so hopefully I'll have something to write about soon.

Happy going back to work tomorrow for all of you who have been on extended vacations (like me)!

2008-12-31T12:58:00.001-08:00

It's been a crazy year, y'all. Let's look back, shall we?

2008 started pretty early in the morning for me. I had trouble going to sleep on New Year's Eve. We had a party and then I just couldn't go to sleep. Our house was filled with girls in the wedding party and I had about a million thoughts running through my head. Not only did I have my wedding the next day, but we also were about to leave for Bulgaria and we didn't have our visas yet. I had a crazy two weeks coming up.

We started off New Year's Day with pancakes that my Daddy made for the girls and me. Then, we all hustled to start getting ready for the wedding. We needed to be at the church at noon and there was a lot to do!

The rest of the day flew by. Our wedding was gorgeous, our reception was loads of fun and we might have stayed all night if it had not have started snowing around 7:00. My mother kicked us out of our reception so that our guests would feel free to leave.

I cried a little bit during the ceremony, but then held it together until I had to say goodbye to the Princess before walking out of the reception. My mother broke that up too because I was a bit heartbroken at not being able to see her until her wedding in June.

We finally made it out, I smiled for the cameras and we drove off and forgot all of our stuff. We had to secretly drive back to the reception and have a bridesmaid bring our luggage to us.

The rest of January is sort of a blur now too. We went to San Diego for 10 days, eventually received our visas, ate a lot of Moe's queso (leftover from our rehearsal dinner) and flew to Bulgaria on January 13th. I freaked out a lot in Heathrow and Nathan got sick almost instantly upon arriving in Bulgaria.

In February, I was really hungry and was accepted to graduate school in Boston. At the end of February, we flew to France.

March began with 10 days in France. I loved, loved, loved France, y'all. I can't wait to get back. We also spent a very long night wide awake in Rome. In Greece, someone asked me if English was my first language. I had a Red Letter Day when I got accepted to another grad school, received a tax return and my brother secured our apartment for us all in one day! I went on a day trip to Melnik a famous Bulgarian winery and ate lots of mish mash. We went to Istanbul for the weekend and saw a lot of machine guns and ate a fish sandwich that left me without an appetite for a week. My parents came to visit and we explored Phillipi and Kavala with them. March was a busy month. I'm tired just reliving it.

April was decidedly calmer. Early in the month, Nathan had a most unpleasant wake up. Every time I tell this story, I start laughing uncontrollably. I started reflecting on the future. A shiny, new, German grocery store opned up next to us and I was a lot less hungry. I really missed everyone back home, so I posted a lot of wedding photos. I wrote a travelogue for The Blue Banner. At the end of April, we celebrated Easter Eastern Orthodox style.

May was a great month! We said goodbye to Bulgaria and we flew home. One of the Absolute BFFs got married and we had a blast at her wedding! We packed and packed and packed some more.

June 1st we moved into our apartment in Boston. Oh, and I got a job! Also, our best couple friends got married. It was beautiful!

In July, we celebrated Independence Day downtown and took some, um, crazy pictures of ourselves. The big news of July was that Nathan got a job!

In August, we went to the Cape. My Sorority Little Sister came for a visit. I tried out a knitting group that wasn't for me.

In September, I coined a word--Bostontacious and Yankee BFF came to visit.

In October, we went apple picking, A and C came to visit, and we went to the Head of the Charles regatta.

In November, we voted with few choices, I turned 23, Baby Girl turned 6, and I made fondue in a pumpkin and after Thanksgiving we decorated for Christmas.

We closed out 2008 in December with soul searching, ranting, and lots of snow and bagels.

I'm so glad that I have a written record of this year. It was quite a doozy--lots of traveling, learning how to be married, moving to a new city, getting our first jobs. Here's to a more settled, less crazy, but still fun 2009!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.

2008-12-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures of my favorite Christmas morning...
I had no idea what the little gold box at the bottom of my stocking was.
But then I realized...it was an engagement ring!
Love Sis-in-Law's face when she figured out what I was showing her!

2008-12-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

Before I can leave for Christmas, I need to:

-eat 5 bananas.

-finish off half a Crockpot of pizza soup.

-get Nathan to drink the last of the milk.

Why, oh why, did we buy any groceries this week?

2008-12-21T12:34:00.000-08:00

Hello there! I have lots and lots of pictures to share today...

This is one of my favorite Christmas ornaments. Our serving dishes are the Arthur Court Magnolia pattern and this is an ornament from that collection:
Here's one of our Alma Mater ornaments.
This is for southern girls like me who didn't know snowflakes actually looked like snowflakes! I had never seen flakes this big before.
Another Alma Mater ornament. This one with our lovely mascot Rocky on it.
A close-up of the wise men and camel in our nativity set.
And here's the shepherd and donkey.
OK. Now, how to make bagels. I use the dough hook on my KitchenAid. You can definitely make them without a large mixer, but I never knead by hand anymore. It's so much easier and less messy with a Kitchen Aid!
Combine 1 1/2 cups warm water, 3 Tbsp. sugar and 2 Tbsp. yeast in the bowl. Let is sit and froth for a while. Then add 4 1/4 cups bread flour and 1 Tbsp. salt. It'll look something like this once it is all combined:

Cover the bowl with a towel and place it in a warm, draft-free place. It will double in about an hour and look something like this:
Make little balls of dough and let rest for 10 minutes while you boil 2 quarts of water and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Then, you form the dough balls into bagel shapes. I like to make a hole in the balls with my thumbs and work out from there. Nathan likes to roll the dough into a snake and join the ends.

Drop the bagels in the boiling water and boil 45 seconds on each side.
After the boiling, put the bagels on a wire rack to drain (I put my rack on top of a cutting board).
Brush the bagels with an egg white and add your toppings (salt, cheese, sesame seeds, etc).
Nathan wanted parmesan bagels for his birthday. Yum.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. As you can see, this recipe yielded 9 bagels that we in-between a regular bagel size and a mini-bagel size. You could probably make a dozen mini-bagels (1 bread serving each) or 6 regular size bagels (2 servings each).
And now for the snow! It snowed and snowed and snowed this weekend. Saturday was bitterly cold, but yesterday was around 32 degrees so we ventured out. Here's the view out of one of the windows yesterday at church.
And here is our church surrounded by lots of snow. It didn't stop snowing from Friday afternoon until Saturday night and then it picked back up again yesterday morning and snowed all afternoon!
Here are some pink snow people on Boston Common. It was so beautiful on the Common. I loved it.
Here is Boston's ginormous Christmas tree all covered in snow.
And here are Nathan and I on the Common. Isn't my hat crazy? I bought it a few years ago on the streets of New York. Right after this picture, we went inside Starbucks to warm up a bit and then walked around downtown for about another hour. It was so beautiful to see everything covered in snow!
Oh, and here are pigeon tracks in the snow. I hate pigeons more than anyone else I know, but these tracks were adorable.
Our family birthday plans were canceled yesterday because the snow turned to sleet and the roads were not too clear, but we'll celebrate tonight at UBurger. Then, only one more work day until my fabulous Christmas break. I won't be back in the office until January 5th!

2008-12-19T07:06:00.000-08:00

The snow is coming! The snow is coming!

Actually, I haven't seen anything yet, but word on the street is that we're out of here at 11.

I'm so excited I'm practically vibrating.

I am going to clean, drink some mint sipping chocolate Nathan got for me, snuggle with Miss Marple, watch the 90s remake of Christmas in Connecticut, whip up some yummy pasta for dinner, bake some bagels for Nathan's birthday breakfast and maybe him bake him a birthday cake.

As soon as I get home, it is going to be a great day. Apparently, getting home is the hard part. Last year it took about a million hours for people to get home from the first storm.

I promise to post pictures of snow, bagel making, and birthday celebrations! Hurrah!

Also, in a totally unrelated note, Nathan's co-worker (who is actually my friend too!) and I just had the following conversation:

Alicia: your husband = hilarious
biega asked him if he wanted a lanyard with an id holder on the end
and his reply was "do you even know me?"

Rachel Ann: Haha
Did he accept or not?
Because apparently I don't know him.

Alicia: he put it around his neck
i was confused about what he meant, too
i don't know him

Rachel Ann: Me neither.
I guess.

Alicia: yeah, oh well

2008-12-18T08:56:00.001-08:00

Here's the snow update I just received from a co-worker.

Our first storm arrives tomorrow with the first flakes around 11am. The heaviest snow looks to fall from about 2pm until 9pm. In fact, this storm look eerily familiar to a storm last December--the one where it took 6 hours to go 5 miles. So if that was you last year, heads up, it may be very similar. Any holiday shopping/dinner dates planned for Friday evening might want to be bumped to this evening. By late Friday night most towns have 6-10" of snow---lightest north, heaviest south.

We were supposed to watch the Baby Girls tomorrow night so Bro and Sis-in-Law could go to a Christmas party, but now the party has been rescheduled. Guess I'll be cleaning the apartment and making lots of yummy food for Nathan's birthday.

Get excited! 6-12" of snow....that won't melt until April.

2008-12-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

True story: It really, really, really upsets me when people say holiday instead of Christmas.

I am totally okay with saying "Happy Holidays!" or "Season's Greetings!" when you are in a situation where you don't know if the person celebrates Christmas or not. I'm okay with that. As a side note, I get giddy if and when someone wishes me a Happy Hannukah. I love it.

What really upsets me though is when people say holiday and you know they mean Christmas. For instance, I just got an email that said I had two more days to order gifts to guarantee holiday shipping. Um, Hannukah starts Sunday night, so I doubt I can order gifts until Friday and have ground shipping get them to me by Sunday. They totally meant Christmas and didn't say it!

Last night, Nathan and I made all kinds of Christmas goodies to take into work. I was searching everywhere in the store for bags of Christmas M&Ms. I finally found them in a separate display at the front of the store, but they were labeled holiday M&Ms. Um, it seems to me that holiday M&Ms should be red, green, blue, silver and maybe even brown and orange** if we need to include Kwanzaa (but, seriously, a TENET of Kwanzaa is that you don't buy the gifts!). I was so upset that they actually meant Christmas M&Ms but wrote Holiday M&Ms that I wouldn't buy them. I bought two bags of regular M&Ms and sorted out the red and green ones.

What bothers me is that I actually celebrate Christmas, baby Jesus and all. If you don't, then I feel you shouldn't have ownership over my holiday and get to decide things about it. If you don't want baby Jesus involved, then you should tell people you celebrate beginning of winter gift giving. Make up a better name if you want. Then, come up with colors and ask Mars to market M&Ms to you. That way, we can buy Christmas, Hannukah, Beginning of Winter Gift Giving Holiday and anything else you want M&M blends.

**I think this mix of colors (except for silver which would be an awesome standard color) is a regular bag of M&Ms. Maybe we could solve this by doing away with seasonal blends all together?

2008-12-16T07:39:00.001-08:00

Our company Christmas party was last night, so I am tired and worthless right now. I will say, however, that yesterday was awesome because we received **7** Christmas cards in the mail AND I'm so jazzed to put up a photo post on how to make bagels for y'all this weekend. Look for it. Get excited!

2008-12-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

Nathan caught a cold and was rather sickly all weekend, so I have very little to report about our activities. Pretty much, I was knitting, reading a book about the Norman Conquest, watching 30 Rock or bringing fluids to Nathan all weekend. I did manage to whip up some bagels though since we couldn't go out to get them. I love homemade bagels so much. They're ridiculously easy and so delicious. Maybe we'll stop going out for bagels on the weekend.

Our spend very little money on food in December challenge is going well. Tonight is my company's fancy dancy Christmas party, so no spending money on food tonight! I'm wearing a Lilly wrap dress and my new kicky boots.

Hopefully, I'll remember to take some pictures of the two of us to put up here. I took some fun photos this weekend, but forgot to load them on BabyMac, so you can't see those yet. I really want a Digital SLR, but I'm having so much fun playing with the ISO and macro settings on my point and shoot digital that it's not too big of a deal. Who knew my tiny little Kodak EasyShare could do such fancy things?

2008-12-12T08:06:00.000-08:00

I really love rainy days where I don't have to leave the house. Everything is quiet and clean and it seems okay to stay in bed reading and drinking tea.

Unfortunately, I had to leave the house today. It is pouring buckets in Boston and, frankly, my commute was less than stellar.

Thankfully, I have a space heater under my desk so I was dry and toasty within a matter of minutes of arriving at work.

I have a headache, but it doesn't seem to be too big of a deal. I mean, it's Friday. Isn't that reward and pleasure enough? I'm wearing my absolute favorite outfit of the moment: trouser jeans and this jacket I found in Old Navy clearance for next to no money that looks like a million bucks. Seriously--people who have never commented on my appearance EVER made a point to tell me I looked nice when I wore the jacket for the first time. Love it.

Last night after watching Christmas in Connecticut (a gem my parents and I stumbled upon last Christmas), I showed Nathan all of my home design inspiration pictures. Well, not all of them. He could only handle about 15 or so kitchen pictures before he gave up and told me to decorate absolutely however I wanted--for the rest of our lives! Nathan hates change and so resists whenever I try to bring some changes into our home decor. I think it finally clicked for him how this is one of my biggest passions, so he decided to let me do whatever I want. He becomes used to changes quickly. In fact, I'm not sure he could describe to you most of the things I've done in our apartment. He just lives there, you know. It's very different from me.

Compromise is such a funny thing. I used to be terrible at it. I know I sound like a broken record talking about how much I've changed since I was married last year (almost one year! whoa!), but it's true. I think I'm a much better person. Much easier to live with and be around. Marriage has most certainly changed me for the better. I'm actively investing in a relationship that I used to just let be. I give up a lot more. I actually agree to compromises and I'm a lot less passive aggressive. I'm happier about everything in my life more. I truly think that being married, more so than any other event in my life, has changed me for the better spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally.

I think this might be one reason why I don't miss college the way other people do. I really don't miss the person I was in college. I was self-centered (to the max!), materialistic, petty, gossipy. Not that I don't fall prey to all of those things still, but I'm at such a better place now. The friends I talk to regularly (and the ones I don't talk to you regularly but still love with all my heart--that's you P and EC) are the ones who actually inspire me to not be so base. Leaving the country right after getting married helped a lot with this. I had almost no contact with anyone from school except for some emails between my Absolute BFF and the Princess. I learned a lot about rolling with the punches, being my own person and making do with what I have.

I've been missing Europe a lot lately, but I think we've done a pretty great job at retaining a lot of what we learned about ourselves in Bulgaria. For one thing, I never order a drink larger than 12 oz. at a coffee shop. Thank you, Bulgaria, for shaving thousands of calories out of my diet. We still don't have a car and, in fact, I think it would be a bigger hassle for us to have a car at this point in our lives. We live in a cozy little place with just enough space for us. We don't lose each other. I have about a 1/4 of the clothes I had at this time last year. I learned to live with walking in the rain, with public transit and with getting lost on foot.

Nathan and I always joke that are the best Christmas present that either of us have ever received, since we started dating in December, were engaged Christmas morning and were married New Year's Day. He's certainly the best gift I've ever received.

2008-12-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

Don't you love how boots make you feel kicky and giddy? I bought new boots last night and, I must say, I feel quite kicky and giddy today.

Cari tagged me to list ten things you might not know about me and five obsessions I have. Here goes...

Ten things you might not know about me...

1. I once correctly guessed the number of pickles in the giant jar at the NC State Fair and won 12 free jars of pickles.

2. Nathan and I will celebrate 6 years of dating on Sunday.

3. I only drink soy milk. I cook with milk and use skim milk on my cereal, but I can't drink it plain.

4. This is because milk ALWAYS smells bad to me. Always. I think the smell of milk is disgusting.

5. I am very much a morning person. I like to wake up, get on with my day and then relax after 1 pm. Unfortunately, this pretty much never happens since I work 8:30-5:00.

6. I have a nasty habit of buying the wrong size shoe. It's totally illogical. Totally.

7. I always have to have one foot peek out of the covers at night or I feel like I'm suffocating.

8. I worry more about Miss Marple than I should. Way more. I'm always worried that she resents us for leaving her during the day and that maybe, at her core, she's really sad. Nathan always reminds me that cats actually enjoy being alone and he points out that she doesn't show any signs of depression, but I worry anyway.

9. I love Coffeemate creamers (the refrigerated kind). My favorite part of orientation leaders' retreat in college was coffee in the morning with that creamer. I have never bought it to have around because it contains about 3 million calories and unidentified chemicals per teaspoon, but it is so, so, so yummy.

10. I have a 5-year natural living plan, but I'm not sure when I'll actually see it to fruition. Right now, I do what I can that doesn't make Nathan squirmy. We'll see what happens.

5 obsessions I currently have:

1. Origins Ginger Essence perfume. I've been wearing this perfume since I was 16. It's the best. I love it.

2. Fiber One Caramel Delight cereal. It's amazing, y'all.

3. Looking at pictures of other people's homes. It's pretty much my favorite thing to do. Whenever we are downtown, I get Nathan to walk with me down Comm Ave so I can try and see inside people's houses. Flickr works for this too (and is less creepy).

4. Trying to spend as little money on food as possible. It's a fun challenge we have going this month. We're have some spendy dinners for Nathan's birthday and our anniversary, so we figued we'd cut back on other things.

5. Formatting and re-formatting our schedule for the few days we're in NC for Christmas. I'm tired already. No joke. I made tentative plans yesterday for an early morning (emphasis on the early) December 26th breakfast before one of the Absolute BFFs has to drive back to Wilmington. At least it will all be worth it AND I don't have to go back to work until January 5th!

2008-12-10T07:41:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I forgot this in my first post, but today is the birthday of one of the Absolute BFFs! Happy Birthday, Bev!

2008-12-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

I have many things on my mind right now. The problem is that I'll go for days on end not thinking or worrying about any of them and then something will snap and they'll swirl around and around in my head for a few days. It's like a little tornado of worry that crops up every now and then.

Thankfully, the winds have died down again and Monday night I entered into a stage of boundless optimism. Seriously--I can't stop smiling and all my thoughts have turned from worry to excitement.

I'm not really sure what triggered the change, but I'm hoping it stays like this. The good news is that many, many things are contributing to the continuation of my happiness:

Swap packages are so fun to open!
Usually on my workouts, I do 3.25-3.5 miles on the elliptical. Yesterday, I did 4 miles in the same amount of time. I was jazzed.
Watching Christmas in Connecticut (one of my favorite Christmas movies) with Nathan and Miss Marple while sipping cocoa.
It is 60 degrees here in Boston. 60 degrees!
I'm wearing green shoes. Doesn't green just make everything better?
We're in the Advent season. Christmas is coming. People are actually nicer, it seems, and everywhere you turn you are constantly reminded of just how blessed you are.

The optimism is for real, y'all. This morning I hopped on the wrong bus, ended up at a different square than the one I work in so I had to hop on the T, ride that for a while and then walk a bit to work. It didn't phase me at all. In fact, I was so excited to have this time to walk around in the 60 degree weather. I just soaked it in.

I have absolutely no idea what's coming up on my horizon, but I'm excited and I hope I stay that way.

2008-12-09T07:03:00.001-08:00

You know the Dannity Kane song Show Stopper?

Show stopping...show, show stopping...

Anyway, I'm doing a good bit of soul searching these days and I keep singing Soul searching, soul, soul searching...to the tune of Show Stopper.

I may have lost my mind.

2008-12-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend taught me I know nothing of science or have lost all of logical faculties or both.

It snowed yesterday or, rather, it flurried heavily. Being from North Carolina, I was so delighted to find out that snowflakes can be big enough that they actual look like snowflakes. Like you cut them out of paper, y'all! I took pictures of them. I was fascinated. I actually cried at how beautiful it was to see my hair decorated with what looked like little stars.

Let's call that science lesson number one.

Lesson two is that cats have belly buttons or, at least, something similar where the umbilical cord was attached. In attempting to Google this after Miss Marple would not let me find her belly button, I learned way, way, way too much about cat birth. Gross, y'all. I will never breed cats--that's for sure.

What's crazy is that I'm absolutely fascinated by human birth. Completely fascinated. I read books about midwifery and whatnot, but I can't handle the cat birthing descriptions I stumbled upon.

Anyway, not much else of note happened this weekend besides my emotional outburst at the T stop on the way to church over snowflakes and my disgusting venture into the realm of cat birth. Oh yeah, and my husband making fun of my lack of scientific knowledge about snowflakes and the fact that all mammals have an umbilical cord involved in their birth process.

2008-12-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

My, aren't I posty today?

I feel the need to share the news that as seriously added to my mindless entertainment. Netflix now offers watch instantly for Mac users!

This is fabulous. Our free internet paired with our $14 a month Netflix now gives us all the entertainment possibilities of cable.

Last night we watched a documentary on the font Helvetica. Don't make fun of me. I love design. It was awesome.

A whole new world just opened up. I predict a good number of 1950s movie musicals in my future.

2008-12-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

This weekend I am hitting up the post office. I'm mailing Christmas cards, a gift and all of my recipe swap cards.

This week has been insane. I haven't cooked at home one night this week, but we haven't been going out to eat either. That's right--we've been eating toast and salad.

I'm hoping to do a little cooking and a bit of baking this weekend. We're trying to spend next to nothing on food this month. We're frustrated by the fact that people whose families are much larger than 2 people spend more money on food than we do. It's been great so far. We actually have some food in the pantry that we've been eating.

Still, I'm sure we'll find ourselves at Bagel Rising tomorrow morning for our Saturday morning bagels. This place is amazing! We both get bagels, Nathan gets OJ and I get chai for less than $10. Seriously! Love it. It's also a certified eco-friendly restaurant which we think is stellar.

Our other big plans include hitting Bazaar Bizarre after church on Sunday. It's like real-life Etsy. I'm so pumped!

Oh, and you here's a fun deal for you. Today the Daily Deal at Calista Cove is L.Erickson bow headband. L.Erickson headbands are the best headbands I've ever worn. Absolute BFF was skeptical of its comfort, so wore it for a day when she came to Boston. She agrees with me--you could nap in this headband. They're wonderful. Anyway, today only they are $22 a piece, so snatch one up if you can!

While you're there, you could enter the card contest going on. If your card receives the most votes, you win a $100 gift card to the boutique. Wow!

Anyway, my dears, I'm off to a have a wonderful day. How will I know it will be wonderful? Well, I woke up when I supposed to leave for work. I didn't have time to do my hair so it is fuzzy-looking and pulled back with a bobby pin. In my haste to leave, I forgot my gym bag. I was hit on this morning in the lobby of my building. When he found out I was married, he kept saying "You is married? You is married?" You see, there is nowhere to go but up. Have a great weekend!

2008-12-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

In much less whiny news, I wrapped a load of Christmas presents last night. Everything that is not getting flown to NC is sitting up under my tree in green polka-dotted wrapping paper and tied up with my awesome new ribbon and gift tags from Kristen. It's beautiful.

I also purchased and wrapped Nathan's birthday present. I have already started planning what I'll be baking for him and where we'll go out to eat. Speaking of that, does anyone know a good wing place in Boston? That's what he wants for his birthday dinner. As a bonus, it would be great if the restaurant served something I could eat too.

As an aside, I have still not received my birthday present from Nathan. Whatever it was, it arrived broken and had to be returned. He's having trouble finding another one AND won't tell me what it is.

If I don't receive it until February, then this might turn out to be the longest birthday ever (measured of course from the time you receive your first gift/celebration to the time you receive the last).

2008-12-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

My hair is making me lose my mind. Seriously.

I didn't bother finding someone to cut my hair up here because I made it through college with every 5 month haircuts and I figured I could keep it up.

The end is in sight. Really. It is. The Saturday after Christmas I'm having my hair cut and my eyebrows done. I'm thisclose to counting down the days.

I'm had it up to here with my hair. I always get haircuts that grow out nicely over 5-6 months. Believe me, it can be done. My hair rarely, if ever, looks awkward.

My problem is that I'm sick of having my hair this length. I want it short again. I need it short again. It looks better short.

23 days, y'all. 23 days.

2008-12-02T13:19:00.001-08:00

Two Christmases ago, Nathan bought me the complete series of Friends on DVD. Oh yeah, and an engagement ring. (He knew I wanted both of these things).

Last year, he tried to go the practical route (sans list from me) and he bought me a fanny pack. An honest-to-goodness $40 fanny pack with a bike chain running through it. It weighed about 5,000 pounds and was bought with the sweetest of intentions that I would wear on it on our 6 month European honeymoon.

The boy needs a list. He craves a list. Without a list, his logic takes him to fanny packs. Needed? Maybe. Top of the line? Definitely? A good Christmas present for your soon-to-be wife? Not so much.

I'm making him the mother of all lists. Since I like the idea of a handmade Christmas, I'm trying to fill the list with handmade wares and etsy stores.

So what's your favorite etsy store? Do you have an etsy store I should check out?

Let me know!

2008-12-02T06:26:00.000-08:00

I want to send a huge thank you to Kristen, my ClemsonGirl's Holiday Swap partner, for a fabulous package she put together. Her pictures are better than mine, so I'll let you look at it here:

Preppy Holiday Swap

I was completely blown away by her package. It was incredible, y'all! I have two colors of ribbon that say Happy Holidays from Rachel Ann on them. Amazing!

Last night I was reading this month's Better Homes and Gardens and they had an article about really practical gift baskets that are easy to put together. One basket is for the person who loves to wrap. How cute would some of Kristen's customized ribbon be in such a basket? You can see and buy her wares at her etsy shop, Taylor Made Designs.

Thank you, thank you, Kristen!

2008-11-30T16:08:00.000-08:00

I hope y'all had wonderful Thanksgiving celebrations. Ours was fabulous. As you can see, we also decorated for Christmas this weekend. This is our tree all lit up with our stockings.
We had a lazy Sunday morning since we decided to go to the 4:00 service at church. Here's our breakfast scene: The Office, pancakes with blackberry syrup, tea with honey, a cat in the window.
This is the only piece of my Christmas china that I have. Isn't she lovely though?
One of my orchids has eight blooms on it!
And here's the Christmas tree and stockings in the daylight.
Here's a fun banner I made. I think it turned out really well!

Ready for some pictures?

2008-11-24T12:55:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, Nathan, Alicia and I made pumpkin fondue using the recipe from Laura's blog. So yummy! Here is what was left over after we were cheesed out.

Here's a shot of some veggie fried rice we made last week. We cooked the rice with a chai tea bag in the water. It sounds weird, but it was so yummy!
Here are Nathan and I at Baby Girl's birthday party this past weekend.
Here is our pumpkin fondue baking (next to a delicious apple crisp).
Nathan whipped up some cream to accompany the apple crisp. So yummy!
This little kitten cat wouldn't stop flopping around and looking cute on our bed this morning, so I indulged her and took a few pictures.
This is a close-up of Miss Marple chewing on her paw. Her favorite comfort thing to do is grind her teeth next to something--her paw, your hand, BabyMac. It sounds gross, but I promise it's not!
And here is one excited Birthday Girl at her party this weekend.

Sorry the pictures are all out of order. If it helps, my brain feels a bit jumbled now too.

2008-11-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

Every morning, I ride the first car of the T into work. I don't have any particular reason to always choose the first car. Rather, I just like to stand in a certain place and the first car always stops there.

Usually, there's nothing particularly special about my commute, where I sit or what I hear. Mornings are quiet on the T. Everyone is sleepy and, on my line, few students are up yet for classes. I mostly ride in with other young professionals who live in my neighborhood and work downtown.

You could say that I ride in with people that "have it all together." They at least exude professionalism, class and control. Control seems to be a big deal with my fellow commuters. Isn't it a big deal for all of us?

This morning, one of the doors of our train was malfunctioning. I happened to be sitting next to the driver and heard his conversation. We almost hit a car, the train went into emergency mode, emergency mode keeps the doors from opening, etc. Well, a malfunctioning door, in my mind, is nothing to get too excited about. Did I tell you about the time last month when the brakes of my train went out? That was something to get excited about.

I chose to spend the extra time we had being thankful that I had a seat, thankful we hadn't hit the car and, truth be told, making a to-do list of the myriad things I need to get done this weekend. My fellow commuters, however, took the time to roll their eyes, sigh heavily, give themselves wrinkles, and take turns hopping up and starting into the cockpit area of the train. Did any of them have great insights into why the train doors wouldn't open? No. Not at all, but they wanted the control.

I get it. It feels good to have control over parts of your life. I'm glad that I have control over whether or not I get enough sleep or go to the gym or spend all of our money on handbags and shoes. Still, you hit a point where you've got to realize how little you have control over and just let it go. I hit my point in Europe and I highly recommend international travel with very little money and a new husband in a country where you don't know the language to teach you a few lessons about what you should actually freak out about. Listen, I didn't get worked up when Nathan and I were told we were going to be arrested in Bulgaria and I'm not about to get worked up over a malfunctioning door.

Things are a little rough right now. It's true. We've got front-row seats to all sorts of crazy happenings: significant problems in the financial sector, changing views of America at home and abroad. Heck, I've got wild turkeys "terrorizing" my neighborhood.

Personally, Nathan and I are waiting on all sorts of things. Does it drive me crazy a bit? Do I wish that I could press fast forward to get to the time where we'll have all the answers? Sure, but I will never be able to fast forward my life. I can choose to give myself wrinkles and high blood pressure like the rest of the Green line commuters, or I could simply admit that I'm not in control. More than that, I can choose to still be productive with the time that I have right now and anticipate the beauty of seeing God's plan unfold in my life.

2008-11-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Today is Baby Girl's 6th birthday! I'm a bit overwhelmed by this. You see, when she was born, Nathan and I were juniors in high school. We had been hanging out a bit, but we had never really been on a date or anything like that. We were 17, for crying out loud.

That afternoon, my mother was going to give Nathan a ride home from school when we got the call that Bro and Sis-in-Law had gone to the hospital. We left him at school and drove over to Durham to wait for the birth. On the way, we stopped by Burger King and bought veggie burgers for dinner. Burger King had just started selling these. So yummy, but I was hungry (and cold--the waiting room was freezing) hours later.

Baby Girl was born around 10ish (I think). I really wanted to call Nathan to tell him all about it, but I didn't know if we were at that point in our relationship/friendship. I just didn't know if I could call him, so I didn't. I told him the next day at school.

Anyway, Baby Girl is 6 today and I'm married. It's a sweet time of year--full of birthdays and Christmas and all kinds of anniversaries.

2008-11-19T12:46:00.000-08:00

I just logged into Boston.com to check out the news.

The first headline? About Northeastern not building a dorm.

The second headline? Tips: Stop being terrorized by wild turkeys.

This ranked higher than the resignation of a state senator.

Love it.

PS--I also love the pics of the state senator stuffing money into her undergarments. Seriously! FBI surveillance, y'all.

Also, that photo in the wild turkey article is from my neighborhood!

2008-11-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling good. Want to know why?

--Our bed is amazing. Amazing, I tell you. Feather bed, down comforter, down pillows, nice sheets and duvet. Love it. Thank you to everyone who bought us bedding or BBB gift cards. I think of you every morning.

--Chai tea K-cups are where it's at. My office stocks these and I love them.

--Christmas shopping! I love taking the time to find gifts for everyone and I love Christmas shopping with Nathan. He actually really loves shopping here in Boston because we aren't in a mall. He can grab a coffee and just walk around downtown with me. Meanwhile, I'm getting my shopping done.

--Budgets. Knowing that we're making good decisions. Also, we re-evaluated our budgets last week to figure out how much we could cut if the need arises. The good news? We are so blessed right now that there are many areas that we could cut if we needed to.

--The anticipation of craft shopping for my swap partners tonight at Michael's. It's been a while since I've been to a Michael's. I'm jazzed.

--Baby Girl 1's birthday is tomorrow. Know what that means? Dinner at our favorite Boston eatery: UBurger.

--My space heater at my desk. It's getting cold, y'all!

--Goat cheese. Yum. End of story.

--Thanksgiving is almost here and that means my parents will soon be landing in Beantown!

--Being married. It's awesome.

--Squashes. I'm probably about to turn orange. I'm trying to eat them all before they disappear for another year.

--This elliptical interval workout. I did it last night and loved it!

--Sunshine!

--Hummus with roasted garlic and fresh pita.

--Oatmeal. Also, the image I have in my head of the sticky oatmeal in my veins getting bad fats stuck to it and out of my blood vessels. Gross? No! It's cute. The sticky oatmeal helps my blood vessels be healthier.

--The anticipation of tonight's burrito.

2008-11-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

Before I get on with my daily brain drain, I need to share a fun deal with you.

This week, Preppy Monogrammed Gifts, is running a deal on their monogrammed keychains. I won one of these a few weeks ago and I am beyond impressed at the quality. I'll try and remember to take some pictures to show you.

I purchased a keychain like this at a shop in Raleigh a few years ago for $15. PMG's quality far exceeds my prior keychain and this week they are ON SALE at the price of 2 for $13. This is a steal, y'all! If you need small gifts for the women in your life, these keychains would be perfect. As a bonus, you also get to support a female-owned small business. Love it.

Now...on to other matters...

I had two cups of tea this morning and now my brain is buzzing. Truly. Buzzing.

I like to make really long lists of things I might actually like to accomplish someday and BlogWorld is not helping one bit at making my lists shorter. Someone is always posting a recipe, a craft, a furniture arrangement that I want to try. Right.Now.

My lists are growing exponentially. I bet that we could go 6 months eating only all new meals that I have bookmarked (and carefully organized into folders) without including any old stand-bys. This would be expensive, time-consuming and a bit sad, but we could do it.

I could make a new craft every weekend for a year I bet.

You ladies are killing me. Keep it coming though, because when I have two cups of tea and my brain is buzzing I feel like I can take on the world. I might have to modify my schedule* a bit, but I can do it!

***Oh yes, my life is as scheduled as a preschooler's. I schedule daily cleaning time, daily meal prep, daily crafting. I even schedule my sleep, I kid you not. Otherwise, how can I get everything done?

2008-11-17T07:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend I did something I rarely do: I rebelled against my list. Will I be regretting this later? Probably. I have a busy week ahead and didn't put together packages, bake bread or cookies or fold laundry.

Can we level about how miserable folding laundry is? If I don't fold it while pulling it out of the dryer it becomes an insurmountable task in my mind. Good gracious.

Here's what I did do this weekend:
Christmas shopped!
Addressed our Christmas cards.
Napped extensively.

This week is going to be go, go, go and I couldn't be more excited. Today and tomorrow I have set aside to do all the things I neglected to do this weekend. Wednesday I'm going craft supply shopping for the many swaps I have coming up. Thursday is Baby Girl's 6th birthday. Friday we have tickets (3rd row!) to see Spamalot! downtown and then Saturday will be filled with Baby Girl's birthday party, more Christmas shopping with Sis-in-Law and some baby-sitting that evening.

In an unrelated note, does anyone know anything about dreams? I keep dreaming of green beans. Yes, you read that correctly. Green beans. Specifically, I keep dreaming of eating green beans that have been mixed with stuffing (a food that I absolute loathe). Anyone have any interpretations on what this means? For the past three nights, everywhere I go in my dreams, there is a bowl of green beans there. Is this a sign of my future? Should I become a green bean farmer and enter into the world of agri-tourism ala Schrute Farms? Let me know.

2008-11-14T12:26:00.000-08:00

I usually never do this, but I am actually counting down the hours until I get to go home. It's drizzly here in Boston today and I am beyond sleepy.

My big weekend plans? Bake, bake, bake (I'm thinking bread, bagels and cookies for gifts), watching The Tudors: Season 1 and folding laundry.

I know we have to go to the post office tomorrow, but other than night I am so looking forward to sitting at home and chilling out with Nathan. He had a business trip this week, I had a huge event at work that I was working early and late for and it'll be so nice to sit, relax and smell baking bread.

Only an hour and a half to go.

2008-11-12T09:03:00.000-08:00

I really love my teeny tiny apartment. I do wish I had a larger kitchen and maybe a guest room, but it really is a perfect size for Nathan and I.

Here are some of Barbara Kingsolver's thoughts on small houses that she expressed during Duke's commencement one year:

"The rule of 'success' has traditionally meant having boatloads of money. But we are not really supposed to put it in a boat. A house would (be) the customary thing. Ideally it should be large, with a lot of bathrooms … but no more than four people. If two friends come over during approved visiting hours, the two children have to leave. The bathroom-to-resident ratio should at all times remain greater than one. I'm not making this up; I'm just observing, it's more or less my profession. … Rethink the big, lonely house as a metaphor for success. You are in a perfect position to do that. You've probably spent very little of your recent life in a freestanding unit with a bathroom-to-resident ratio of greater than one. … As you leave here, remember what you loved most in this place. … The way you lived, in close and continuous contact. This is an ancient human social construct that once was common in this land. We called it a community."

2008-11-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas, I'd like some fabric. That's right--fabric. I'd also love more pieces in my china pattern and my Arthur Court pattern, but mostly fabric.

Why?

Well, I'm at a point in my life where if I want some shoes I'll buy them. If I want a sweater I'll buy it. Granted, I will most likely buy it on ebay and will certainly never pay retail, but I'll get it, you know? I don't have to wait for things as gifts.

What was so great about my birthday this year is that I received things I didn't really ask for. My parents got me a gorgeous photo album in my Arthur Court pattern. Bro and Sis-in-Law took me out for a fabulous dinner (and bought me a cute tshirt!) and my Absolute BFF flew up to spend a few days with me. My birthday was experiential and it was fantastic.

The one thing I seem to be incapable of buying for myself is nice crafting supplies. I bought some nice yarn last month to make some winter necessities with. I was proud. Still, I can't bring myself to buy papers or fabrics that I really want. So, this year for Christmas, I'd like fabric. Or gift certificates for nice fabric stores so that I can buy some Sis Boom and Amy Butler fabrics. I miss sewing and I would like to make another quilt. I miss crafty Rachel Ann. Let's bring her back, shall we?

So, parents and Sis-in-Law, take this as my official gift post. I also welcome donations to Heifer Project International, recipe cards from Monogram Chick, and ebay/PayPal gift certificates so I can buy things like:

Arthur Court Trays
Arthur Court Chip and Dip Platters
Kate Spade Teapot
Kate Spade serving bowl
Kate Spade sugar bowl (I have the creamer and could really use the sugar!)
Kate Spade ornaments that match my pattern

Most of all though, I want to spend time with y'all. I miss everyone in NC a lot. I haven't seen my parents since June. It's been almost 6 months! I'm dying, y'all. I can obviously never get enough of those baby girls and I'm pretty much counting down the days until we get to eat tofu burritos with Princess and EC. The gift ideas are only if you want to give me something besides yourselves. I'm going to honest and say that if I've ever said "all I want for Christmas is to be with the people I love" that I was lying. Not that I would've been mad if that's all I received, but I still really wanted some things in all the previous years. I'm actually telling the truth this year. I just want to be with the people I love. I would live a great life without any more Kate Spade china, but I'm not sure how I'd fare without my family.

2008-11-11T12:28:00.000-08:00

This sounds so fun!

AGH is hosting a recipe swap. If you sign up, you'll be responsible for sending out your favorite recipe one week. All of the other weeks, you'll receive another blogger's favorite recipe. So great! Head over to her blog and check it out!

I'm so excited to see the recipe cards everyone uses!

2008-11-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

I had quite the excellent birthday this weekend. It was super low-key and fun and relaxing.

We scrubbed the apartment this weekend to help clear my mind. I ran errands on Saturday and we took a walk through one of my favorite neighborhoods with some holiday beverages to celebrate the day. It was absurdly beautiful on Saturday. That evening we had dinner with the local family at Antico Forno in the North End and it was delicious. I had a dish of fusilli with squash, eggplant, zucchini, roasted tomato sauce, goat cheese and basil. Mmmm....

Then we headed back to our place for Cheesecake Factory pumpkin cheesecake leftovers from my office birthday party on Friday. Our neighbors were less than pleased with the continuation of our party. Mr. Heckles beat on his ceiling (our floor) to get us to quiet down. Granted, our apartment was a lot noisier on Saturday night with the addition of two wide-open little girls, but it was 8:00 on a Saturday night! Give me a break, Mr. Heckles. It wasn't even late yet!

Yesterday we did typical Sunday stuff and I started a new knitting project, finished a book and spent most of the day with a cat in my lap.

My present my Nathan should be delivered today, so I can at least extend my birthday at least one more day!

2008-11-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

Whenever I read about the tackiness of Hollywood movie stars, I always wonder what their parents are thinking when they hear about these shenanigans.

Whenever I read about the Olsen twins, I imagine Bob Saget as their disappointed father.

Am I the only one?

2008-11-06T11:00:00.001-08:00

Confession time:

I love alone time. Love it, love it, love it. I love sleeping with the cat or reading or knitting or sipping tea and watching Friends alone. I love shopping alone (especially early mornings in the grocery store or at bookstores). I can spend lots of time by myself and can do most things alone (even go to the movies!).

I cannot, however, clean alone.

I really don't need anyone to help me clean, but rather I need someone to sit and talk to me while I clean. Occasionally, I can get away with watching Friends or The Office while I clean (other shows just don't work), but I usually need to have someone to be there. I've been this way since I was a little girl--I used to beg my parents to sit on my bed and talk to me while I cleaned my room. When I used to clean my room in my college apartment, I would keep the doors open and talk to my roommates. Now, I'm always trying to get Nathan to follow my around and talk to me.

The point of this? Nathan's been working some late nights this week and I've been all alone. This means I haven't been cleaning. My house is a wreck. I begged him this morning to please come home tonight so that our apartment can be sparkling before my birthday.

Are you a grown-up with everything you ever dreamed of when all you want for your birthday is a clean house and dinner with your family? This will be my first birthday ever without my parents and I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't bummed out. They are flying up for Thanksgiving, but it's not quite the same, is it? Still, I'm having dinner with my local family members on Saturday and, hopefully, my house will be clean by then!

2008-11-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

My house has seriously descended into squalor. Absolute BFF + sickness + sleepiness + general messiness = squalor. My house is disgusting.

Also, I have no clean laundry. Seriously--how did I get to this point?

The good news is that I'm cleaning tonight while watching Please Don't Eat the Daisies. Hoorah for Doris Day!

Then we might watch Get Smart. I doubt it, but hoorah for Steve Carell!

In other random news,

Laura--I did vote to ban dog racing and I'm glad it passed. Hoorah for no dog racing in MA!

Also, this weekend I purchased:

-Black turtleneck from H&M

-Black fleece pants from Old Navy (don't hate--they are so comfy post-gym)

-New black Fossil purse from Poor Little Rich Girl (fun Boston consignment shop)

-Black dress pants

-Trouser jeans

I'd say that was a productive shopping weekend.

I'm glad this election season is over. I bawled like a baby last night through both speeches. I love America. Seriously. Hoorah for America!

In other much less important news, I need answers to two questions:

1. What happens in next week's Hills preview? It wasn't online. Is Heidi really fired?

2. What's your opinion on big hair via hot rollers?

2008-11-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

Visit from my Absolute BFF was wonderful. People at my office actually asked me today why I'm so mopey because it's evident I miss her. Oh well--at least I'll see her again at Christmas.

I waited in line for an hour this morning (when the polls opened!) to vote and, thus, was late for work. C'est la vie.

I had a choice of a Republican candidate for President and for the Senate seat John Kerry currently occupies. Other than that, all of the candidates were unopposed Democrats.

We also got to vote on lowering the income tax, eliminating dog racing and whether to not to change the penalties for possession of an ounce of marijuana. Good times.

Also, so many people voted in our ward that we didn't get "I Voted" stickers. Bummer!

Since we don't have a television, we won't be watching the returns tonight after 6:30 (when I leave the gym). Nathan is excited about his old-school method of waiting to read about it in the paper the next morning. I have a feeling I'll be watching politico.com/kotecki. This is a guy I went to high school with who is really, really funny and he'll be doing a streaming feed all night.

Or, I might do laundry. We'll see.

2008-10-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah. It's another post of no importance. I just want to share that I think this is beyond cute:
Mmmhmm...That is 50th anniversary Lilly Pulitzer Monopoly. Oh, yes it is.