Best Wishes to the Bride and Groom

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times,

always with the same person.

This City knows how to do Christmas

Three wise men must have stopped for a coffee break. You never know what you will see on the streets of New York City.
Photo compliments of Danny. He's so lucky to see this sight a couple times each week on his walk to work.

The Summer of Jennifer

This summer has been one that I will always remember. Danny and I have been enjoying our city to the absolute fullest. Commuting to work together, home-made lunches on bistro tables, riding around town on our bicycles, movies in the park, dinners outdoors, strolls down the street, beaches, lakes, vitamin water, paper plates and lots of sunshine. We are also lucky to have some of the best friends and have spent countless hours playing games, BBQing, exploring the city and hanging out.

I may have never mentioned that Danny and I met during the summer 5 years ago. That summer was one to compare all summers to. It was a dream with all the adventures we got ourselves into.

That was probably the summer I started falling deeply in love with my city and it definitely was the summer I started falling in love with Danny.

The bar might just have been raised for future summers.

I Owe Explanations (2)

Some days I leave work needing to go to the bathroom. Part of me thinks that if I do this I will get home faster because I NEED to get home faster.

It crossed my mind the other day that if the subway broke down I would be in quite the predicament.

I probably will not modify my behavior. Not all my decisions are stellar but in the MTA I trust.

Shirt Exchange

How much is an hour and a half of sleep worth?

$50 in Lacoste store credit and 2 frisbees for Danny.

Priceless for Jennifer. Which is why I passed on arriving at this event before 8am and opted to participate during my lunch hour. If you see Danny and I in matching Lacoste polos don't assume we are living large. Instead we spent a combined 4 hours waiting in line for discount croc collars.

We survive on slick deals.

Cotton Anniversary

If I could make a livin' out of lovin' you
I'd be a millionaire in a week or two
I'd be doin' what I love and lovin' what I do
If I could make a livin' out of lovin' you

Early every morning when the sun comes up
I'm punching that clock on the wall
Breakin' my back just to make a buck
Wishing I was in your arms

If I could make a livin' out of lovin' you
I'd be a millionaire in a week or two
I'd be doin' what I love and lovin' what I do
If I could make a livin' out of lovin' you

I could work all day and feel right at home
Lovin' that 8 to 5
And never have to leave you here alone
When I'm workin' overtime

If I could make a livin' out of lovin' you
I'd be a millionaire in a week or two
I'd be doin' what I love and lovin' what I do
If I could make a livin' out of lovin' you

I Owe Explanations

Most mattresses need to be rotated to achieve their maximum usable life. Rather than follow this recommendation the conventional way, every couple of months Danny and I rotate ourselves. We are currently slumbering with our heads at the foot of the bed and I imagine at the end of the summer we will revert to sleeping the correct way. This causes some issues with waking up on the wrong side of the bed, but the benefit for rotating ourselves is three-fold:

1) Our mattress will last longer. We of course want our mattress to last forever. That purchase was like buying a small car.
2) In order to watch TV from our bed we have to lie with our heads at the foot. This makes summer-time one big sleepover with many late night Law and Order episodes.
3) In the summer-time the person with their head closest to the window is about 2 inches away from the air conditioner. This is the true reason we rotate because no one wants ice cold cheeks even if it is 100 degrees outside.

New Addition

One just wasn't meeting our needs so we have become a 2 bike family.
The Schwinn Mirada.

San Francisco Treat

Congrats to the Happy Couple!

Sidewalk Shopping

Window Shopping is a little old school and to be honest, fruitless. What do you really get out of it besides tired feet and deep jealously for things you don't have? I personally prefer sidewalk shopping - also a great way for "economical" folk to pass the time and obtain what they need (or don't need). One well kept secret about the fine city we live in is a similar sport called sidewalk shopping.

For the suburban folk, think of it as a yard sale without the price tags. Since I don't have too much time on my hands, as I walk along the streets to my daily destinations, I often find treasures on the sidewalk out on display. They are ripe for the taking as long as you snatch them before the garbage man does.

Now, it's not like I'm digging through my community dumpster, no no no. We are talking quality items that are abandoned on the sidewalk perhaps because someone moved, or upgraded, or no longer has room in their tiny apartment. I see electronics, books, baskets, couches, dishes, vases, brooms... One time I saved a microwave from it's destined doom and gave it to our friends who didn't own one.

Anyway, several times a week as I'm strolling down the street I can see a piece of furniture in the distance that I covet as a pass. I will deeply regret that round coffee table I didn't haul up to my apartment because I didn't know where I would put it. Next time I will impulse shop and live by the motto take first and figure out where it will fit later. If I lived in a two bedroom I would furnish the guest room with sidewalk shopping trips.

The Summer of George

I spotted them today.

I don't know how long they've been back, but I saw trees with white blossoms and green leaves while I was out and about.

Welcome back sweet Spring.

We have missed your extended sunshine, tourist influx, free outdoor events and irreplaceable hours in The Park.

Summer, please make yourself at home. We have some big plans to hash out.

Benihana Buddies

The other week we took a field trip to the East Side and dined at the famous Benihaha. Danny had a $30 off coupon and he had never been so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. For those who are unfamiliar with Benihana, it is a restaurant where the chef prepares your meal right at your table. You are seated at a table with 9 people, in our case 7 of them were strangers, and you share the experience with them. The level of interaction with your dinner-mates is completely up to you because although you are only sitting 4 inches away from your neighbor, that is very common in a NYC restaurant.

Well, for those who don't know, my husband is a super friendly chap. He loves to chit-chat and can pretty much have a conversation about anything with anyone. I should have known he would make lasting friendships with the people at our table. There was a 29 year old guy named Brandon sitting next to Danny. He is from Korea but in NYC taking English classes so he can go to school in Shanghai and obtain a Masters. Danny talked to him for about 2 hours and I think it's safe to say that Brandon knows more about Danny than I do. They ended their evening by exchanging Facebook information. I have yet to confirm if their relationship is official, but I'm glad they had a nice evening.

I personally had my eye on our chef, Richard, from Mexico (Richard? I know!). He made me laugh multiple times with smart remarks like 'Japanese Coca-cola' as he sprinkled Soy Sauce over the fried rice and every trick/fancy thing he wowed us with he basically laughed at himself and it came across as "I can't believe I do this ridiculous act for a living".

Nothing like an adventure on the East Side.

Fun in Philly

Danny and I went to Philadelphia over Danny's birthday/Valentine's/President's Day weekend. It was nice to get away and expand our adventures to another city.

We felt inspired by the history of Philly and all our country has to offer, so naturally some of the highlights were:

• Eating at Chick-fil-a upon arrival
• Going to the mall and purchasing matching jeans at Express
• Ordering never-ending pancakes at IHOP

Our city has taught us to appreciate the simple things.

New York City's Dark Side

New York City has a Dark Side. No, not an evil side, just dark. Subways are a very dark place in the wintertime because everyone sports a black coat. I too am a part of the black coat society.

I can't wait for bare legs and bursts of yellow blouses in the spring. Until then, I'll punch up the streets and my commute with these.

NYC Initiation

We seem to have gone through some sick New York City initiation where you must suffer financially by paying an absurb amount of rent for a space the size of a large closet. Once you pass the initiation period, which lasts two years, the landlord lowers the rent to something even lower than what you originally paid at the beginning of your lease two years ago.

A couple weeks ago, our landlord (who we will now be referring to as our guardian angel) randomly knocked on our door and lowered our rent $141 dollars. We feel blessed.

Thank you NYC for welcoming us into your club. We are honored and humbled.

Teach your phone new tricks

Danny always keeps this family (me) abreast on the newest technology and he has done it again. Google has introduced a new service called Google Voice. Basically it enhances the capabilities of your phone numbers. One neat trick that Google Voice does is email you a transcript of voicemails once they are left on your phone. Below is the transcript of a voicemail that one of Danny's friends left him the other day:

"Yeah. What's going on for and though I'm just getting home from work and I'm going to see if you guys want to let children. Our or whatever, but now i gotta go upstairs to my apartment and then might kill it. For me, it's all good. I'll talk to you today but I hope you're doing good. And hey, everything is true. Alright, I'll talk to you later. Bye."

Noodle on that. Obviously there are still some kinks that need to be worked out or maybe Danny just has strange friends.

Subway Requests

I secretly wish it were socially acceptable to lay my head on the shoulder of my fellow subway passengers. Sometimes the work days are long and when I finally sit down on the subway ride home I just need to lean my head and shut my eyes. Usually the shoulder of the older, taller man who reminds me of a Dad looks rather appealing.

I imagine the request would go something like this, "Good Sir reading your Kindle, would it bother you if I borrowed your shoulder to rest my weary head. I find it a convenient height and imagine it would not interrupt your reading. Just wake me when it's your stop. Thank you."

Lessons Learned

Personal Comments on the closet cleanse:

• Not only did I have to keep in mind do I wear something, but should I be wearing it. Let's just say I had some black shirts that were well beyond faded.
• If the only reason to keep something is to wear it as a joke it is not qualified to reside in my closet.
• I should have done this after the wash. It's easy to organize the clothes you have in your closet when a month's worth of laundry is stuffed in a basket.
• Shopping in my closet would be a dream for most gals. I had millions of items in pristine condition - especially shoes.
• Some unqualified items may have weaseled their way back onto the rack. My hopes are that when I swap out my summer clothes these items wont make a home in the luggage underneath my bed.
• And lastly, I have discovered another reason to look forward to summer - clothes are smaller and easier to contain, bring on the shorts and short sleeves!

Fun Fact: We have 3 closets in our apartment. Quite the treasure in our neck of the woods. This is the largest of the three and I have it all to myself.

Contain Yourself

Nothing like starting the New Year with a fabulous Before and After. Exhibit A: my personal closet.

I know you want me to come over and organize your closets now. Please... Contain Yourself.

More to come on the lessons I learned.

*note: this is not the same closet that was gained when we returned a large item that shall not be named

When You Eat Your Family

Olive Garden is a staple in our relationship. Judge us if you wish, but we have waited hours on multiple Friday nights, along with every tourist in Times Square just for a sampling of the delectable salad and breadsticks from the OG.

We have created some funny memories during the countless hours spent waiting and feasting. Once we were trying to recall the OG slogan on their corny TV commercials. After some brainstorming, I blurted out with complete seriousness, "When you eat your family." This cannibalistic adage brings giggles every time we walk by an OG, hear an OG commercial or merely think of the true motto "When you're here, you're family."

Our most recent visit to the OG did not disappoint, especially because there was no wait. Like ravenous wolves we demolished the first pitiful offering of salad and breadsticks. At first we used our salad plates like civilized folk, but as we were nearing the bottom of the family sized salad bowl I was using my fork to fish the last slivers of carrot right into my mouth. Our waiter passed by with a look of disgust and practically snatched the bowl from the table. He inquired if we wanted more and in my mind I was thinking, Was that tacky to dig my fork into the bottom of the serving bowl? And said, "Why yes we would thank you." I of course then turned to Danny and referring to the fork incident said, "Was that unclassy?" He responded, "Were you using your fingers?" I shook my head. He concluded, "Then no." This is possibly why OG is one of the fancier dining establishments for date nights.

At the end of dinner, Danny groaned because he was so stuffed. In his own words, "I just ate Italy." He had after all been all around the country with the Tour of Italy.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

In my opinion, pearl earrings make a woman look classy. They instantly produce a polished and put together look. I aspire to be classy and put together, so I requested some pearl earrings from Santa. He obliged and delivered them in my stocking.

As of late, I have been accessorizing every so often with some studs and feeling pretty classy.

Today while out at lunch something inside my shirt was scratching my neck. I felt my front collar and what did I find? The label. Yep, my shirt was on backwards. Super classy.

After lunch I did not return to the office and reverse my shirt. Instead I pulled my pearl earrings out of my purse and put them on. I figured that's what a classy woman would do.

Sunday Stew

My parents and Danny gave me crockpots for Christmas. At one point my living room was overflowing with the three crockpots that I was deciding between.

I made my first slow-cooker dish on Sunday. Beef Stew.

Taking down the Tannenbaum

Taking down the Christmas tree is not as fun as trimming it. Remember this beauty that brought so much joy to my winter solstice?

We purchased this cherished piece in October and it seemed to complete my Christmas fantasies. The packaging promised 'Never Out lighting' which should have been the first signal of trouble. I finally removed the ornaments on our tree about two weeks ago, but I procrastinated disassembling the tree because one section of the pre-lit lights was out and I wanted to fix it before putting it away for the year. I justified the procrastination because businesses in NYC hadn't taken down their holiday décor so I figured it was alright that I hadn't either. But alas, I noticed last Wednesday that everyone was embracing the New Year and Christmas in the city was finally stored away. So I figured, with a little Google search, the instruction manual and my natural intelligence it was time to simply fix the tree and store it away for the year.

After an hour of fiddling with it, with my arms scratched and my fingertips cut, I gave up. Taking down the Tannenbaum was killing the Christmas spirit that was supposed to sustain me for the rest of the year. So I did what anyone else would do. I returned the tree to Kmart for full price. It was still within the 90 day return policy and although I feel a like we took advantage of the system, it didn't work and I'm not willing to invest in something that will bring tears to my eyes next Christmas season.

On a positive note, since we are down one tree in our apartment, I have regained the hallway closet which had become home to many things because the tree box took up so much space under the bed. Many families have a tradition of going to a tree lot and selecting their prized tree for the year and we seem to have started that tradition also. Our tree lot of choice is Kmart. We went to Kmart, picked out our fake tree, used it for a month and then got rid of it just like most Americans.

Lessons I have learned from this experience - next year purchase a non pre-lit tree and multiple strings of lights.

A Resolution to Rectify this situation

Keep the apartment in condition = liveable.

Out of town and Overwhelmed

One of the things I love about our city is the shock value. Take an out-of-towner to Times Square and guaranteed they will be in awe of the bright lights, huge advertisements, enormous amounts of people, fast moving taxis, noise and naked cowboy. Sometimes, they even feel a little overwhelmed by this experience. Danny and I on the other hand, we walk down Times Square and feel right at home. Our local Redbox is in the center of it all.

But, as Manhattanites, we too have places that bring a shock equivalent to the one described above. Danny and I went "out of town" on Saturday and visited the Target in the Bronx. As we strolled down aisle after aisle, Danny paused mid-step, slowly turned to me and hesitantly whispered, "I feel very overwhelmed".

With all the low prices, large packages of food, spacious aisles, full sized shopping carts, every item imaginable and the pure desire to never leave... you could say we were out of our element. I fared a little better than the husband because you can't take suburbia out of this city gal, but Danny grew up in a small town and did not frequent Target as much in his childhood.

Oh how we wish there was a Target in Times Square. It would bring shock to New Yorkers and a little bit of home to our beloved tourists.

Let's hear it for the Boys

We love our Gang Green.The boys made it to the playoffs!

Vows with White Blood Cells

I have been sick a lot more this winter than in years past. I suspect the reason is the company I keeps on Sunday mornings, however that is another post for another day.

When I am sick and lying in bed, I try to make pacts with my white blood cells. Their part of the deal is to work harder and get me healthy again and I am to do everything I can so that they don't have to work overtime and can take a break for the remainder of 2010.

Thursday, as I was willing my white blood cells to speed up the healing process, these were the vows I was silently making:

I vow to become a Purell addict.
I vow to wash my hands with warmer water and for 2 full rounds of Happy Birthday.
I vow to wear mittens on the subway and never touch the germ infested poles.
I vow to Lysol my doorknobs and light switches as a hobby.
I vow to sleep longer and eat more fruit.
I vow to purchase those nasty multivitamins and take them daily (this probably will not happen unless we count Flintstone chewables).