Turning over a new leaf or two

Not a ton going on since my last post. I did a whole lot of nothing last weekend....except working all day Saturday. Ugh. Not my idea of a fun weekend.

Last week there were a few people from Dallas in town, including my dear friend Jeff and my old boss Mark. We all had dinner on Valentines. Tuesday night a few people came to my crib to see it. Then we tried a new place on Park Ave called The Hurricane Club. It's Polynesian food. It was just like I'd been transported back to Maui! Ok, let's not get carried away....maybe not...but it definitely had a tropical vibe. We had a fabulous appetizer platter with deviled eggs, fried peppers, coconut shrimp, and a couple other things. Then I had a gigantic short rib. I'm a sucker for short ribs. It was really good. I'm not sure it's worthy of a parental visit just due to the type of food....but very very good. Supposedly stars have been sighted there too. It's just a few months old. Then Wednesday we had a going away party for a guy in my office who is being transferred to Singapore (like me, he asked for it...sucker). It was a decent time. Then we went and had italian food that isn't worth me blogging about. : /  Anyway, always a good time seeing some of my Dallas buddies.

This past week was NOT a good week at work....for several reasons. Was just ready for the week to be over. The 3 day weekend came just in time. Friday the weather was unbelievable. We walked home from work for the first time in a few months. The highs were in the 60's. We didn't stop and eat or anything this time. I had my rolling laptop bag because I had taken it to the shop Friday morning. There's nothing more annoying than rolling a laptop for 3 miles up the island of Manhattan. Saturday I went to my neighborhood Borders book store for their going out of business sale. I'm not a big book reader at ALL....but from time to time I find myself wrapped up in one. I got some cooking magazines, an Us Weekly (of course), "Eat, Pray, and Love" (or whatever it is), some novel called "Prague", and then a best seller called "New York - The Novel". It's american history fiction...which means it's based on real history, with fictional stories woven in. So far I've learned how Manhattan got it's name (the Indians called it Manna Hatta, which means 'the island'), as well as other really neat facts. It's starts in the 1600's and goes up through present day. And did I mention it's 900 pages??? I'm on page 50 and the british are invading the island, currently owned by the dutch. Exciting, eh?

Saturday night I decided to go up to the Madhatter (something else I learned, the dutch used to make hats made of beaver pelts, and they would have to use all these dyes. they would sometimes go crazy when the dyes got into their systems...so they were mad hatters. Should I have saved these nuggets for the "Things I've learned" section?). There were 3 of us, so we walked up the street to the Alabama bar at halftime to watch the game with them. Pretty uneventful evening. Sunday I did stuff around the house and then Sunday night I met my coworker John for dinner at one of my neighborhood spots, Benjamin's. Then we went to the movies to see "The Kings Speech". I have always liked Colin Firth, but he's generally in movies that I am not that in to (romantic comedies). I saw him on Inside the Actors Studio a couple weeks ago and fell in love (literally and figuratively). So with all the hype about the movie, and my realization that I more than "like" Colin, I had to see it. WOW! Such a great film. It was visually stunning, a true story, THE best acting I've ever seen....just FABULOUS! I expect it will win the Oscar for best film. After I saw "True Grit" I thought it would load up on the Oscars. At this point I think the best shot for True Grit is Supporting Actress for the little girl in the movie. Best Actor? My man Colin has it wrapped up like a Christmas present.

Today, I had to wait for the cable guy to come. Mom, you'll be happy to know that the TV in my bedroom is working perfectly and in HD now. I have been dreaming of Nobu sushi in Dallas lately, so I figured I'd try one of the Nobu's here since it's restaurant week ($25 pre fixe lunch). So, I went to the one in Tribeca. I had sashimi salad (I think it was seared ahi tuna), and then assorted sushi (no idea what I ate, except there was some tuna and salmon involved), and the dessert was terrible. I was comprised of two things I greatly dislike....tofu and apricots. BLUH! The sushi was good though. Then I went to Mac Cosmetics for a little makeover. I've never worn alot of makeup, don't need to, and don't want to....but from time to time I'm in a pic with other girls and I look so washed out compared to everyone else. So, I go in and tell the girl exactly what I just said and she stared at me for a good while and said "well it's hard to help someone that doesn't know what they want". WHAT!?! Excuse me lady, but I obviously just said in so many words that I need my features to "pop" a little more. Then when I was putting on lip gloss she said "it would help if you put it on correctly". Waynch. I needed the products she suggested, I'm just sorry I had to buy them from her.

So, in the big middle of all that's been going on, I decided to start the "Couch to 5k" running program. The title says it all. It gets you off the couch and running a 5k in 8 or 9 weeks. I accidentally did the week 2 workout the whole week of week 1, so I just finished week 3 even though I've only done it for 2 weeks. It's AMAZING how much just 6 workouts will change you. I don't get winded when I run after the subway or go up the subway stairs or when I walk up Murray Hill. The first day it was all I could do to run 1.5 minutes and now I'm doing 5 minutes. It's sad as an ex college athlete that this is a big accomplishment, but that's just how it goes. Plus, running up and down a basketball court is much different than treadmill running. Needless to say, I'm really excited about the program and looking forward to my first 5k on June 16 in Central Park. I ALSO started weight watchers at the same time. Hawaii pics had me saying "ew" when I saw myself...and just need to get back on track in general. I want to look cute in my summer clothes, too! Getting rid of one of my chins will be a bonus as well. I don't think I'll do ww but for a couple of months. Once you know the points value of   most things that you eat, you kind of get the idea of what you should be eating. And the fact that all fruits and veggies are 0 points now makes the program more fun. I'm a fruit and veggie eating machine right now!

Wednesday I leave for New Orleans. Gonna spend a couple days with Sugar and my precious Caroline....then Thursday night - Sunday with my girls from Dallas. I'm very excited, but I'm afraid the weight watchers and couch to 5k programs will need to take a back seat for a few days. Oh well, it's the getting back on track when I get back in town that counts. And I WILL.

Here's a couple pics I took today after yet another snow. We are up to 60 something inches for the winter now.

looking up 3rd Ave

Colin thinking about me...because it's my blog and I'll post what I want to

I haven't learned all that much since my last posting, but I'll take a stab at it:

1. Before giving a homeless man a granola bar, make sure that he has the teeth to eat it.

2. Don't let out of towners pick restaurants

3. After yet another try, another confirmation that they just don't do good Mexican food up here

4. The new bite size peanut butter snickers are worth 3 weight watchers points. I have confirmed for the rest of you, it's not worth it.

5. No place is off limits for dogs to use the restroom in this town. Including CVS.

Maui....Wowie?

SO, as most of you know, I purchased a vacation at a charity event last October. We had the choice of many places around the world (given availability and a time limit)...and ended up choosing Maui. I had gone when I was 7 with Mom and Dad...and Sugar was the best sister ever when she took me to Oahu a couple years ago for a work function. If I learned anything on those two trips, it's that you can't go wrong with Hawaii. SO, me, Karen, Jeff (who I work and vacation with), and Jeff's friend Jason (who by default is my friend), planned the trip and went. There were people in town from Dallas for work in the days leading up to the trip, so needless to say it was hectic getting ready to go out of town. I had been saying for a long time that at the first hint of snow, I was leaving town early. Of course, it snowed Friday, but my flight was Sunday so I felt OK about keeping my flights. I only had an hour or so between my flights...and I kind of got nervous, so I changed my flight to an hour earlier on Sunday....from 7 to 6 am. Had to wake up at 4:30 to get to the airport. We boarded and pushed back on time and I was getting to be pretty proud of myself for de-stressing my trip a bit. We got to the end of the runway, 3rd for takeoff....and we just sit...and sit. The 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th planes take off. Finally they inform us we are being held due to wrong paperwork for DRY ICE on board. Really? Really? I sat and literally watched the 7 a.m. flight take off. Finally 95 minutes after our scheduled time, we took off. Sigh. Got to Dallas, met up with the guys (Karen came a few days later), and we were off to Maui.

After a fairly uneventful 8 hour flight, we made it an hour before scheduled arrival on Sunday afternoon. I immediately posted on Facebook something about "Maui Wowie". I posted it because it rhymed and Maui is very wowie to me. Well, Sugar then said "just say no" to the Maui Wowie. I figured it was a strong drink. So, one night at dinner, I ask the waiter what's in a Maui Wowie. I quickly find out that Maui Wowie isn't a drink. It's marijuana!!! Oh my heavens! All of Facebook must think I'm a stoner!!! I digress.

We took a cab the 30 minutes to our destination in Wailea....to Ho'olei at the Grand Wailea, which is a group of townhomes for sale and rent. Before we even stepped foot in our residence we knew it would be special. It's not humid or stinky like Mexico is, the weather was GORGEOUS, the grounds were perfectly manicured, we were treated like royalty, it's not like a 3rd world country like the Caribbean, the list goes on and on. We are taken to our residence on a golf cart, and I'm not gonna lie, I had tears in my eyes when we walked in. The view was so unbelievable, and it was just so nice. We saw whales from our patio within the first 2 minutes that we were there. Stainless appliances, flat screen tv's, wireless internet access, a wall of glass doors to the upstairs patio that opened completely so that your whole living room and kitchen were basically outside if you wanted., 3 bedrooms (2 kings, 1 w 2 doubles), 3.5 baths, washer and dryer, groceries stocked for us, patios off 2 of the bedrooms, a master bathroom that had it all. I literally can't say enough about the place. And pics do NOT do it justice.

Patio with grill and fridge : )

living room

sunset on the patio (Lanai in background)

our awesome kitchen

our entry

3rd bedroom

our residence second from left

entry to residences

We decided which rooms we would all be taking, took a quick breather, then made our way to the hotel that is related to the residences, the Grand Wailea. Although we were close to the beach, it was about an 8 minute walk down a hill and thru the hotel. It was SO beautiful. Perfect gardens, fish, the inside of the hotel was completely open air, beautiful pools and beach. Again, the list goes on and on.

hotel entry

fountain to the adult pool

beach

beach

A razorback statue! It was meant to be!

After our quick tour of the grounds, we went to the Shops at Wailea, which was a very upscale mall next door to the hotel. When I say upscale, I mean Gucci, Tiffany's, etc. We had burgers at Cheeseburger in Paradise. By that point, we were starting to drag and it was only 7:30 pm or so. So, we walked back to the house and went to bed early. There was a 4 hour difference for the Dallas folks, 5 for me. Monday morning I had reservations to snorkel on a catamaran (just me, the guys aren't snorkelers). Sugar had suggested this particular catamaran/operation, and she was spot on as usual. Thanks, Sugar! They picked me up at the house at 7:20 a.m. We drove around 30 minutes to the dock and off we went on the Ali'i Nui. Beautiful, beautiful boat. Maui isn't necessarily known for it's snorkeling like some places I've been in the Caribbean, but on this particular trip there were supposed to be alot of sea turtles. I have never snorkeled with sea turtles so I wanted to experience that. As far as sea turtles, the trip did NOT disappoint! You had to have a "buddy" with you at all times in the water, which was about to prove to be a challenge since I was alone,  but there was a couple and another guy whose wife wasn't very good...and they were all were experienced, so they took me with them. We snorkeled for about an hour....saw some fish and pretty coral...nothing out of this world. It was the turtles that were so neat. They have "cleaning stations" where they line up at the bottom of the ocean, and fish sit there and clean algae off their backs and necks. Then the one turtle will move on and the next will get into place, and the fish continue their feast. Such a treat to see mother nature at work like that. Then they served us a really good lunch of pulled pork, teriyaki chicken, salads, etc.

water was so clear!

cleaning station...so neat

Hang Ten Dudes

After snorkeling I met the guys by the pool. We got a recommendation to eat at a place named Gannons on a golf course that was close by. We cleaned up and went to dinner there. Way too much money for way not fabulous food. The short ribs were fine, but I expect better than fine for 40 bucks. (and that's where I was informed that Maui Wowie isn't a frosty beverage!). We took a cab to an area called "The Triangle" to see the nightlife....and went home after an hour or so.

Tuesday we got a rental car. We wanted to get some of the Road to Hana done, and then pick up Karen at the airport to save her 65 bucks. Well, we got a late start, then stopped to each lunch, which was unplanned,....met with Jason's friend from grad school for a bit, and finally got on the road. We stopped at a spot to watch some surfers. Then we stopped at a place to do a "gentle" hike back to a waterfall. Well, the gentle hike was 30 minutes and included Jeff taking a tumble (hahahahahha). It was pretty, but ended up taking much more time than we really had. We got back on the road and made it another few miles, and finally turned back. The road was like nothing I have seen. A continuous "S" with a cliff on one side and alot of one lane bridges. Very stressful. Beautiful, but stressful. I would like to see more of it another time.

North Shore

Waterfall after the "gentle" hike

never been scared of heights until I stood on these steep cliffs

We picked Karen up after our very shortened Road to Hana trip. Was so glad to see her! First stop was the grocery store to pick up some odds and ends that we didn't get with the original grocery order. Nothing to speak of here, except when I walked up behind this person with khaki shorts and the whole middle of the back of their shorts was torn in half, exposing their boxer briefs. Too bad this person was Jason. BAHAAHAHAHA! We all had MANY good laughs over that one. "Cracked" up alot about it. He still has no idea how it happened. I'm glad I have a picture to remember the moment. I'll do him a favor and not post it on my blog, though. : )

Tuesday night we ate at an italian place near our house called Matteo's. It came highly recommended. Well, I highly DON'T recommend it. Bad pizza (you'll rarely hear THAT come out of my mouth) and pasta sauce that tasted like Chef Boyardee. Don't get me wrong, there's a time and a place for the Chef B. Just not in Maui when I'm paying that much for it.

Wednesday we just laid by the beach all day. We were supposed to take a sunset cruise, but it got cancelled.....which freed up the whole afternoon. It was so nice, you just had to ask for chairs and umbrellas and the cute Hawaiian boys would go set them up for you on the beach. No fighting for shade with others. There were always umbrellas and chairs to be put out. Since the night freed up, we decided to go to Lahaina to see the town and eat. I remembered it from when I was 7, but alot of people recommended going back. It is indeed a great little shopping town. We ate at Kimo's on the water. Too bad it was dark and we couldn't see the drive or the scenery at dinner. The food was decent. We went home and were all very very sleepy from a long day at the beach.

Thursday was another beach and pool day. Mom talked me into paddle boarding "because you only live once, child". I had wanted to but thought 40 dollars was a bit much. Anyway, I did it. Jeff came out with me for the first half, then Jason went the second half of their hour. I did the whole hour. Let me just say it was very difficult and physically challenging. Poor Jeff, it took him a few tries to get up, and when he did, he was never up for long. There were whales not too far off the beach, and alot of kayak's and paddle boards had gathered wayyyy out in the ocean to watch a pod of them. I decided I wanted to do that. Well, once you get into that deep of water, you get a little freaked out. The water was fairly calm, and clear, and I am a great swimmer, but you worry about what's under you. Whether it be a shark, a WHALE, other fish, etc. I was assured there aren't  sharks on that beach except for "reef sharks that won't bother you". Well, I no sooner get out there....not 10 minutes into my trip, that I see this fin sticking out of the water. It kind of just sits there....then goes under....then comes back. Not alot of movement, but definitely a fin and not trash or moss. Well, I wasn't about to say something to Jeff, who was already having issues standing up. What if it freaked him out, he fell, and got eaten by Jaws himself? So I said "let's go back in a little bit to get our bearings"....knowing he would likely follow since he was having some trouble. Well, I gather myself...make my way back out, but kind of to the side....and I see it again, with alot of bubbles. I asked a girl that passed me if she'd seen it (just to make sure I wasn't nuts), and she had. She said she thought it was a sea turtle. I was skeptical. I asked another guy about 20 minutes later as I was paddling about...he had seen it too, but didn't know what it was. Long story short, I asked a few natives after the paddle boarding excursion, and they doubted it was a shark since it wasn't darting back and forth....and thought it probably was just a turtle or manta ray. MANTA RAY!?!? Sheesh. I'm just glad I didn't fall in. But there were just so many people all day every day out there, I really can't imagine it was anything dangerous. Poor Jason NEVER got up. I guess girls are just better. : )

little did I know what I was getting in to

that's me way out there...the one standing (haha)

Thursday night we went to the Shops at Wailea and ate at Tommy Bahama's. By far the best meal of the trip. Mmm, MMM! I had tuna poke (raw tuna with avacados and crackers, etc) and then a fish called Opah that I'd never had. So so so so so good.

Friday we got up and made the hour drive halfway up the volcano - Haleakela - to go ziplining. The course has 5 lines, and starts small and gets bigger and bigger, until the last line is very long and takes you 40 mph. We all had a great time, it was very little hiking (thank goodness), the views were amazing, and the zip lining was fun! Not much else to say about it....we were very glad we did it. I would like to do it again now that I know what to expect.

wheee!

not a bad view

On the way back to the house after ziplining we met Jason's friend Lee again, and had pizza with him and his brother and his brothers friend at a place called Flatbreads in Paia, which is on the north shore. Paia is a hippy little town that is completely overun by tourists right now for some reason. The place was "all organic" which is always a scary thought for me....but it was actually really good! And the scenery wasn't bad either. I'm not talking about a beach. Jason's friend and brother are two of the best looking young men I've ever seen. Karen and I couldn't stop talking about them! Anyway, I couldn't mention that lunch and NOT mention the second best part next to the pizza. : )

Friday night we went on our rescheduled sunset cruise (on the same boat I went snorkeling on). It isn't labeled as a whale watch, but since it's whale season, they try to find some whales. And boy did they. We saw several pods of three. Just so neat to see those huge creatures. Beautiful sunset. Great food again (short ribs done right). It was a great way to spend our last night in Maui.

Jeff, Karen (somewhere in there), Jason, Me

glamour shot of the trip

3 whales in a "competition pod"

love this pic

Saturday we woke up and went to the beach to enjoy our last few hours in Maui. We ate lunch by the pool so we could lay by the beach one more hour...and then went and packed, showered, and went to the airport. I've never been so sad to leave a vacation. I almost cried (again). I feel so blessed to have such good friends that would want to come along with me, friends that are so fun and can get along so well (it's hard getting 4 people to agree on everything sometimes...and Karen didn't know Jason and Jeff before we went), blessed to have a job that lets me afford a vacation like that, and blessed to have gotten there and back safely! It was just so nice. We enjoyed eating breakfast and some lunches at the house....sitting on the patio after our long days...going down the water slides and rope swing at the hotel like little kids....just the best time. So so so lucky. I can't stop thinking about how fun it was and how beautiful Maui is. Snow is up to my waist in NYC. I know I asked for it, and it's neat in it's own right....but 80 degrees in Maui is tough to beat.

The trip home was interesting....there was almost immediately an emergency on board after we took off. They came on the intercom asking for doctors and nurses. We never figured out what happened but it sounds like they came close to turning around. Shortly after that the turbulence was so bad that the flight attendants had to abandon beverage service and strap themselves in. There were other pockets of turbulence too. I can't sleep on planes, especially with all that going on....so I didn't get any sleep. I've decided I may need some xanax when I fly over the ocean. I just get kinda crazy. I'm not scared to fly, but the second weird things start, I become a nervous wreck.

ANYWAY, I hope you enjoyed re-living my trip with me. It's restaurant week in NYC so we are going to Le Cirque on Thursday. I'll have to report back with a food review!

Am I living in the North Pole?

One day I will be able to stop saying "it's been too long since I updated my blog." The good news is it means I keep being extremely busy. I guess if I had alot of time to update my blog, I may not be enjoying my NY experience to the max.

December was a really really busy month. My dear friend Leslie came to visit. It was her first trip to NYC. I love visitors, and I love first time visitors even MORE! I had such a good time showing her around the city. We ate and shopped ourselves silly. We went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway (which was GREAT), the Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes (always a nice treat), brunch at the Plaza, shopping on 5th Avenue, Chinatown shopping, a trip by the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on the Staten Island Ferry (the best thing about Staten Island), many other things, and of course, THE ROCKEFELLER CENTER TREE. It has always been her dream to see the tree, and it was so exciting to see it. The only negative was it was sooooo crowded. I cannot tell you how many tens of thousands of people were crowding around the rink and tree. It didn't take away from it's beauty, though. Alas, a great time was had by all. I didn't get us lost and the pound gainage was kept to a minimum! Now, we just need to work on getting her husband and my longtime friend, Wes, up here for a visit. It may be like pulling teeth....the good news is, he's a dentist.

Staten Island Ferry with lower Manhattan and Jersey City in background

No caption necessary!

Brunch at the Plaza. Mmmmmm

Hehe

I also had the chance to meet Ina Garten from The Food Network's "Barefoot Contessa". I love her show and she was in the city signing her newest cookbook. So I went to Crate and Barrel to meet her. She was very nice and the line was longer than anticipated. But that's one thing I love about living here, there's all sorts of neat opportunities to meet people you admire.

I'm funny : P

We also had a luncheon for the people that work for myself, John, and Manu (with the exception of one that couldn't make it). It was nice to get out of the office for a couple hours and have a fabulous lunch at Harry's, which is close to work in the Financial District. We also had our company holiday party. It was at this place called 230 Fifth, on 5th Ave. The views of the city were STUNNING. They really go all out for the party (I think it's so fancy because no spouses are invited....in Dallas they are). There was a DJ, ipad giveaway, photo booth, buffet, open bar, etc etc. It was a great time for sure.

Holiday Party Fun

Then I fly home for Christmas. It had been wayyyy too long since I had been, but I've just been so busy up here getting settled. I had logistical headaches due to going to Dallas in the middle of the trip home, and ended up flying non-stop from LaGuardia to Northwest Arkansas. Boy was it culture shock when I got there. No honking, high prices, or walking. And it was NICE. We drove home and I immediately wanted to see Grandpa...so we went to none other than Taliano's to have dinner. It was so nice to see him right when I got in town. The next night we went to Emmy's to eat, then Hardscrabble with our family friends, then Thursday Leslie had what is becoming an annual shindig with some other friends. Somehow I was just so busy....Merrill Lynch appointment, taking dad to breakfast and the dentist, going grocery shopping, running other errands. I ended up in a predicament because I didn't do much shopping in NYC because I couldn't get it all home. Then I got home and was so busy, it was Christmas Eve before I could shop! It all came together in the end and I was happy with all of my purchases.  We decided to have Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, because it just gets too hectic on Christmas to get all the presents opened and cook a whole meal. I told mom all we did was transfer the stress to Christmas Eve....but it doesn't matter. As long as I get a turkey dinner with my family at some point. Anyway, after our annual trip to the mall on Christmas Eve for Geno's pizza and last minute shopping, we went to church, then had Gramps, Uncle Eddie and Aunt Pat, and Cousin Gerald over. The food gets better every year. Christmas morning we woke up and opened gifts, and had plenty of time to cook the non-traditional meal of chicken enchiladas. Boy were they good. We had the same folks over for that meal, and then the extended family came over like they always do.We were thankful my Great Uncle Greg was out of the hospital after a recent visit, and able to come over and enjoy himself. We sure missed Sugar, Caroline, and Mike. It seemed a little empty, but we made the best of it. I got some great gifts (as usual), and hopefully everyone ejoyed what I got them. The trip went WAYYYY too fast. I don't know where the time went. But I was able to spend some QT with Gramps and get his computer issues straightened out and get him set up on Facebook and told him how to view my blog. HI GRAMPS! MISS YOU! 

After Christmas I drove my car,....yes MY CAR THAT I CAN'T SELL...to Dallas. It was nice to drive it, don't get me wrong. But I'd rather have tens of thousands of dollars in the bank. : /  I am grateful to have such wonderful and easy going friends. I'm making a habit of not having a plan when I go there and needing a place to stay. Karen of course let me stay in her guests quarters, as I call them....and Camie and Christine opened their doors. The great thing is, I have 4 other friends right behind them offering me a spot! A lucky gal, am I. I got to see "my nerds", and "the girls". I worked while I was there as well. It was so great to see everyone and see Dallas. The girls and I tried a new Italian restaurant and it was DA BOMB! Can't wait to go back and "try" it again! 4 days later I drove back home, had lunch with mom, dad, and gramps, and made my way back up to NWA to catch my flight. I was very lucky because "Snowpocalypse" happened while I was gone. I say I am sad I missed it, but I think it may have gotten old pretty quick.

It ended up being a bit weird to fly back to NYC the 30th because I was flying BACK to New Orleans on the 2nd to go to the Sugar Bowl. I just kind of felt like I needed to be in NYC on my first NYE. I went by Times Square around 3:00 pm and it was a complete zoo. It's always a zoo, but it was the zoo times 1000. I went home and went back and forth on if I should go out (didn't have any plans)....but decided to get gussied up and text a couple folks. I ended up spending the majority of the evening with my sorority sister Renee and her friends on the Lower East Side. Random, fun evening, and glad I was social and invited myself out. Better than sitting home alone!

Flew to NOLA on the 2nd for the Sugar Bowl. Flew out of JFK for the first time. It was annoying getting there. I took the subway to save money (and you never know about traffic during the day). It was a longggg subway ride thru Brooklyn....and not thru the nicest parts. I was on a local train b/c I took one close to work (I left from work with my luggage)....but it was taking forever so I switched to an express at a stop called Broadway Junction. Let's just say....I stood out. My red luggage didn't help. Anyway, I made it to the airport on time and took my first trip on Jet Blue. Loved it! More leg room and DirecTV the whole flight. Bingo! Got to the airport and was so happy to see Sugar, CAB, and Mike. I had just seen Caroline at Thanksgiving, and she's the most petite thing....so she hadn't grown a ton...but you can tell she's really learning alot. She drinks out of her sippy cup like a grown up, and she'll hug her animals and give you a kiss. Ahhh!!! Just writing this makes me so excited to see her next month. Anyway....Mom and Dad flew in right after me and we went to the French Quarter for a great dinner. I had gumbo and salmon and bread pudding. It was spot on. Then I went back and stayed at Sugar's in Mandeville for the night. We had "Christmas" the next morning. I got fabulous gifts as usual. I think the talent of gift giving runs in the Wagner genes. Caroline even helped pulling off the wrapping paper. She liked the things I got her (at least it seemed like it).

Caroline with the NYC Mickey I gaveher

So, aside from the obvious, this picture is also great because my dad ALWAYS points with his middle finger. It's become a family joke. Just one more way CAB resembles her Poppy!

One of my favorite pics off all time! At the Sugar Bowl

At the time we didn't think these were changing our luck....they did....until the last minute :(

Sugar and I then headed down to Bourbon Street to walk around with the crazies before the game. Two highlights were getting to see The Bonoffs perform "Who Stole My Chicken" and the great solo the girl does with the spoons and metal thingie she wears. We totally stalked them last Mardi Gras...they are such a fun band....so I was glad I could see them and get jazzed up for Mardi Gras THIS year. Also, a lady walked up to me and said "I'll give you 20 bucks for your beads". They were red and white beads with a razorback. I've had them a good 4 years....they were missing beads and one had a random needle thing sticking out of it. I took those things off quicker than Ryan Mallett can throw an interception, and I was GONE. 20 bucks...are you kidding me? Anyway, it was an indication of the popularity of Arkansas down there. There were Buckeye beads on sale everywhere, and not a razorback bead to be found. We outnumbered their fans at least 5-1. We went and had some charbroiled oysters, gambled a bit at the casino, and went to the game. Our seats were great, and the crowd was sooooo loud. I was so proud to be a razorback fan. I won't recap the game....still too painful. Ugh! So painful we couldn't even bring ourselves to go out onto Bourbon Street after the game. Now THATS painful.

Headed back to NYC early the next morning....back to work, a couple more snowfalls....and here I am. Today we were off work so I ran a couple errands, had lunch at Fig and Olive, shopped at Ann Taylor, and went to see True Grit. First things first, the food. I am on a diet so I thought Mediterranean food was a good choice. I had 3 different crostini's and tuna carpaccio. It was great! Glad to find a new place I love. True Grit...was fabulous. Humorous, alot of Fort Smith and Arkansas talk in general, and phenomenal acting. I had to turn my head a few times due to a couple scenes, but all in all I loved it.

It is SO COLD. It has just been cold for weeks and weeks. The snow is still piled up on the sidewalks. It's not pretty anymore. It's black/brown/gray. And ice is coming tonight. My body hasn't gotten cold yet due to my great winter coat....plus gloves and hat....but my FACE nearly freezes sometimes. Which makes your nose run. And run. And run. I asked for it though! Not sick of it...YET! I will tell you what will be nice though....leaving this weather for beautiful HAWAII next Sunday! I cannot WAIT. Going with my dear friends Jeff, Jason, and Karen. I plan to snorkel, whale watch, and zipline. I've never ziplined and I'm stoked. And we are staying in this house thing....should be a really nice, relaxing vacation.

And this wasn't even Snowpocolypse....

My door is at least 8 inches from the patio ground

 

I haven't learned too much....(I must be getting better at this)...but I can't leave without a few:

1. There's a reason there's 2 steps up to my patio door and a big step down. It's because if there wasn't, you couldn't open your door after a good snow!
2. Don't put your credit card in your coat pocket...particularly the same coat pocket where your phone is. If you do that, it's very easy to pull your phone out...sending your card flying....straight down a sidewalk grate. : /
3. I have a shopping problem.
4. I went to see Prince and it was one of the most fabulous concerts I've ever seen. That pint sized fellow is really talented. I just want to pick him up and put him in my pocket, or hang him from my rear view mirror. Wait...I don't have a car up here.
5. It's not that difficult to lose weight if you control your portions. I've been dieting for my Hawaii trip since NOLA....now a dish of pasta that normally is devoured in a sitting takes 3 sittings....one 20 ounce coke takes 5 sittings to drink...nuts are my snack...soups and salads are my friend. It's fun trying on clothes when you're down a few pounds. Hopefully I'm down a few chins so my pics are cute.
6. Scientists say today is the saddest day of the year due to the weather, holiday bills, etc. I think the lady behind me at the movies was celebrating that when she told the old man she was stepping over, "i didn't know this was a coat rack" when speaking of the seat next to him with coats and bags. RUDE. I've run into alot of rude people this year. Thankfully I've run in to just as many nice people that even it out.
7. Another random fact...Congresswoman Giffords husband...the astronaut...has been a long running joke with a group of friends of mine. At least since NYE 2009/2010. One of the friends husband looks just like him. This random guy came up to us at dinner a year ago NYE and joked with him about being an astronaut. At the time we were so confused, and went home only too lookup the guy and find out they are twins. Just weird and random.

Thankful for Thanksgiving!

As usual....wayyyy too long since I've written. Therefore the blog will be wayyy too long. In the couple weeks before Thanksgiving, there really wasn't all that much to write about....although I feel like I've been really busy. I guess a couple things of note. My sorority sister from my Delta Zeta days back at Southwest Texas (rather, the newly named Texas State), Renee, asked me a couple Sunday's ago to go to the Cowboys vs Giants game. She ended up with a spare ticket....and we've been trying to get together since we both moved here this fall....so she asked me. I of course jumped at the chance. I also met her nice friend  Macy, and my pledge sister Monica came as well. It was so nice to see and be around familiar faces, even thought it has been 10 years since we've hung out! The Cowboys wallopped (is that a word?) the Giants...so it was double the fun. Sure shut those Giants fans up.

Also, I've continued to go to the hog bar, Madhatters, for the Razorback games. I'm slowly but surely learning some names and meeting some folks. I even volunteered to be on their leadership committee thingy that plans events with other SEC schools and in general organizes the hog watching parties and tries to raise money for the university. Some might think it's a little odd for a non-graduate to do this, but you really don't understand until you're from a state with one major school that you live and die by. You're a razorback if you were raised in Arkansas, whether you went there or not. Woo Pig Sooie! Next week, Frank Broyles and the current athletic director will be here for the induction of Ronnie Caveness into the Collegiate Football Hall of Fame. Ronnie as well as Coach Broyles and the whole Arkansas contingent are coming to the Madhatter after the ceremony. Should be a great experience.

Last Tuesday I got a MUCH needed haircut. Yuck. It was so long and stringy and unhealthy. I used my voucher for a haircut that I got at the auction I went to recently. It was this hip place in Soho...and I feel so hip with my Soho haircut. Love it! Then, Mom and Dad and Sugar, Mike, and Caroline came into town. We had pizza and hung out a bit at my apartment. Wednesday I took S, M, and C to Ground Zero and Wall Street. Then the whole family met up for lunch at one of my favorite places....Mickey Mantles. I really don't know why it's so special to us except that Mom and Dad and I started going there years ago, and Dad was Mickey Mantles bat boy in the farm leagues in Kansas. It has good food and fun memorobilia and is on Central Park South. Well heck, sounds special enough to me! Then we walked through the park....at which point a group of asian tourists thought my precious niece was just so adorable that they snapped pics of her! (and they are right, she's just that adorable). Then we went to The Plaza for a drink....just to say we did it. We're cool like that. That night Mom and Dad and I got to babysit Caroline while Sugar and Mike went out to dinner. Everything went great except for bath time....but if a small meltdown is the worst thing that happened....then I think we did pretty good. Caroline is walking and is in to everything....she's so interested in what everyone's doing and just goes and goes. She also likes waving and saying "hi" to everyone. And I mean EVERYONE. Such a social butterfly. Thursday we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from Sugar's hotel room. Their room was high above the parade, but a great view of the city and the parade from above. I went outside and watched the parade for about 45 minutes. No matter how old you are, the parade doesn't lose it's coolness. Then we went to The Palm for Thanksgiving dinner. My apartment is just too small to both cook that much and for 5 of us to eat and be comfortable. It was a great meal. Then we watched the idiot Cowboys lose a very winnable game against the Saints. Grr. Friday Sugar and Mom and I went to Chinatown after Sugar took Caroline to see Santa at Macys. Santa of course scared Caroline, so the pictures are epic. Anyway,....not many back rooms were available in Chinatown. Not sure if there was a recent raid or they were on vacation or what....but we got a few things. Then I took them to Handpulled Tasty Noodle for AUTHENTIC chinese noodles. Once again, it did not disappoint. SOOOO good. Friday night we all had dinner and had to say goodbye to Sugar, Mike, and Caroline. It was so nice of them to come up here for my first Thanksgiving. We missed them immediately. I could kiss Carolines little cheeks all day! Friday night I met my friend Meredith from Dallas...she was out with her brother and his girlfriend. It was so great seeing a familiar face. We had a blast catching up and it was a great little addition to my holiday week. Saturday I took the rents to the Madhatter for the Ark vs LSU game. What a great win by the hogs. The bar was packed and Mom and Dad really enjoyed seeing my home away from home and how many hog fans were there. The official count was 120. Sunday was a lazy day, then we went to Union Square Cafe for dinner. Fabulous as usual. Then yesterday we went to the Top of the Rock (top of Rockefeller Center). Great great view....I think better than top of the Empire State Building....because you can SEE the Empire St Bldg. We had lunch, saw the Rockefeller Center tree (unlit as the lighting was tonight), and then I made green bean casserole and turkey tetrazzini for dinner....because it's just not a holiday without those two staples. And boy was it good. Mom and Dad left today and now my apartment is lonely. Went to work for the first time today since last Tuesday afternoon. What a much needed brain break.

No time to be sad though....going to a concert tomorrow night with coworkers (Broken Bells). Thursday we are going to the world famous Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem which is always featured on the Food Network. Very excited about both those events. Sunday I start my bowling league. Next week we have our work holiday party and an SEC holiday party. Then my friend Leslie comes on Friday. There's much much more going on and more to look forward to in the coming months than I remember in a long time (home for Christmas, Dallas, Prince concert, Hawaii, Mardi Gras, Sugar Bowl?). And not to mention....I CLOSED ON MY HOUSE SO NO MORE MORTGAGE PAYMENT. That alone allows me to have such a more positive outlook and to be excited about things. Now if I could just get rid of my car. : )

I continue to get comments about my accent...and the more comments I get the more southern I get. Oh well, it remains a very fun novelty. It's supposed to rain cats and dogs tomorrow, so I better go figure out what I can wear with my rain boots that makes sense. Need to look nice for someone in town from London from our work. Then of course need to change for the concert. Yay!

Me and Shoog outside the Noodle place...in REAL chinatown

Hand pulling the Tasty Noodles

Dad and I at the hog bar

Caroline loved a picture of Maggie and I. Here she's kissing the picture of Maggie. Melts my heart.

Her new thing is to signal for a touchdown. I loved that she felt the need as we took pics with the Empire State Building. And more strangers commenting on her cuteness!

Yep, I'm the dork that had to have "that" picture made