Jed and Kate in NYC

SHALE - A Short Film

2011-10-04T14:15:00.002-04:00

Does anyone still come here?

If so, you should check out this movie I am executive producing...

Shale is a screenplay my husband wrote and thanks to some awards from HBO and Panavision, he now gets to direct it as his thesis project for his master's degree in film at Columbia University.

I've never been more excited about one of his projects.

Shale is the story of a woman who has been in an imbalanced relationship for over 35 years. One day she finally decides to stand up for herself. The movie shows us what happens when she shows her dominating husband that she has an identity and valid thoughts and opinions - that she matters as much as he does.

Being a bit of a feminist, this story really speaks to me.

I'm helping Jed out as his Executive Producer. That means I get to work my tail off fundraising for the project (it's an expensive one) and doing all I can to help him bring Shale to life.

Sundance, HBO, and Panavision are on board with us. You can be too!

We are fundraising through a website called Kickstarter.com. We have to raise our FULL amount by October 17th, or we don't get ANY of the money donated. It would all get refunded back to the donors. And then no movie would get made.

We can't let that happen.

So far, we are 63% of the way there with $7, 664 pledged to our project.

Help us reach our goal by 10/17/11! If you do, there are some pretty special rewards for you, outlined on our Kickstarter page, including the chance to spend a day on set, tickets to the premiere, and a DVD of the finished product.

Checkout our Kickstarter page to learn more about the story through video interviews with both Jed and myself and see some footage of Shale's location.

If you like what you see, click "Back this Project" (in green on the right of our Kickstarter page) and follow the instructions.

Let's make Jed's movie-making dreams come true!!!

If you missed it, CLICK HERE to donate!

My Typical Tuesday

2011-04-19T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hi there!

Today's post is a little different from my norm, thanks to my blogging buddy, Rachel.

Rachel has a fantastic blog with some actual followers. One of her blog's highlights is a weekly guest post from another blogger sharing the details of their typical Tuesday.

It's pretty fun to see a-day-in-the-life of some fellow bloggers from all over the country and the world. We all lead such different lives, but have so much in common at the same time!

Rachel asked me to do a Typical Tuesday post for her after checking out my previously semi-secretive ode-to-NYC photo blog. After she asked, I immediately checked to see if she was sure...I spend 12 hours every Tuesday either commuting or sitting silently at my desk at work.

BORRRING

She assured me that's what the "typical" part is all about, so here we go...

I will try to make this as exciting as possible.

(Please forgive the scrolling nightmare this may become, but I am going to show you my Tuesday in [a bajillion] photos. That's the best part of most blog pots anyway, right?)

On my typical Tuesday we begin earrrly in the morning on New York City's Upper West Side...

After repeatedly hitting snooze for over an hour I finally leave my apt just after 5am

My sweet husband, Jed rolls out of bed to walk me to the subway station since it's still dark Forgive his angry expression. Jed is not himself at 5am and usually can't remember anything about these early morning walks. We say our goodbyes and I head to the Downtown subway platform I wait for a couple minutes in the dark for the train The subway is pretty empty at this early hour

I doze between stops until I arrive at Columbus Circle

and say goodbye to the train as I embark on my half mile walk across town

I pass by the tall monument at Columbus Circle

I look down deserted Broadway toward the glowing Times Square

and admire these pretty doors as I walk past

I snap a shot of the New York Athletic Club's historic seal

And peek into this pretty, empty bar

My walk is sprinkled with fancy, old school hotels

and tasty NYC restaurants

I always get a little excited as I approach The Plaza Hotel

Such lovely lamp posts and checkered sidewalks

Red carpet for entering guests and residents

and such a bright main entrance across the street from my office

And now, I've arrived at my office building

I pause to appreciate the pretty fountain and shiny Apple store entrance out front

Then I head through security

to the elevator bank

and finally arrive at my office gym for a quick workout before work

Tuesday is my plyometric day followed by a run on the treadmill

Do you see the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building out the window??

The sun rises during my run, so I get to watch the city come to life below

After my workout I get ready in the bathroom at work

And arrive at my desk (ideally) by 7:45am - ready for my day as an executive assistant to my hedge fund's CEO

I'm ridiculously spoiled and have my meals provided by my work - starting today with a veggie egg white omelet for breakfast

followed a couple hours later by a Milky-Way hot chocolate...so wish I had not discovered this temptation on our coffee machine!

And before I know it, it's lunchtime! I try a wrap from a new middle-eastern restaurant...pretty good.

I take a short break to go admire our nice view of Central Park and the Upper East Side

A few hours later I take yet another quick break to visit these evil cupboards of temptation in the kitchen

At 6pm, my workday is done and I head out the door

to this majestic view of the Plaza

Again, I admire the Plaza's lovely lamp posts

and I turn back to take in this view of 5th Avenue

I get my daily ride-offer from the bike taxis (no thanks!)

and walk past the yummy smelling (slash questionable) street-meat carts

Again, I say hello to the New York Athletic Club seal

I wince as I watch the poor carriage horses maneuver NYC traffic

And arrive back at Columbus Circle to jump on an uptown train

I get off at Cathedral Parkway to meet up with some friends

at our official "Baby Shower Planning Committee" Headquarters

Cassidy and I compare hedge fund work stories & travelogues

Amanda, Melissa, Breanne, Little Kenna, and Cassidy brainstorm shower ideas for our good friend Melanie

After the planning mtg is done I walk farther uptown to Broadway & 116th

And enter Columbia University's campus

I take a couple shots of the pretty libraries, though it's too dark at this hour to get a good one

And then I head to the film school to meet up with Jed

He shows me the progress he's made on editing his latest short film When we're done we walk a couple blocks to where our Vespa is parked, and Jed fires it up

I jump on the back and we zip home in just minutes

José, our favorite doorman is there to welcome us home

After getting in the door I immediately get my workout clothes ready for tomorrow (or else the workout just won't happen)

I pack up my gym bag with tomorrow's boots, makeup, etc.

And set everything out for the next early morning

Clothes hanging by the door, all ready to go

Jed and I relax a little by watching the special features of The Life Aquatic

And after scriptures and prayer, it's 10pm and time for bed!

And that's my typical Tuesday! Thanks for letting me share it with you!

And seriously, go checkout Rachel's fabulous, honest, from-the-heart blog!

Happy Tuesday!

Celebrity AGAIN

2011-04-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, this one might be a little more recognizable than our previous celebrity...

Jed walked past Steve Martin in the hall at Columbia the other day. He made eye contact with him and just like Ethan Hawke, Steve Martin quickly looked away...I guess Jed just has that effect.

Jed overheard Mr. Martin offering to give a professor a ride to the restaurant they were headed to for lunch to avoid the walk down Broadway. What a guy, what a guy.

Celebrity Alert

2011-04-15T15:18:00.003-04:00

Maybe you don't recognize this guy, but Colin Smith walked right past me while I was waiting for my photobooth pictures to develop downstairs at Bubby's Pie Company. I knew I recognized him as the talented musician that Jed and I had seen with some friends at Rockwood Music Hall over a year ago. We had liked his show so much that we went online and purchased his album (even though you can listen to the whole thing for free on his website).

I was too afraid of making a fool of myself by saying something to him. He even passed me in that tiny hallway a second time - we were squished face to face as I tried to make room for him to get by. Still didn't say anything.

After my mom and I got our awesome photobooth pictures (will post later if you are lucky), we went back upstairs to our table and saw that Colin was seated right next to us. Jed and my parents kept urging me to interrupt his meal to compliment his music, but I just couldn't do it. What if he was there on a date? What if he was shy? What if I said something embarassing and turned bright red (as I often do)?

So, after finishing our meal, I left the restaurant without saying a word.

Do you think I should have?

Found the above photo here

Dear Dog, I Love You

2011-03-14T12:30:00.002-04:00

I wouldn't really consider myself a dog-lover.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm definitely not a dog-hater.

I guess I would consider myself a dog-liker in general, and a sometimes-dog-lover-depending-on-which-dog-we-are-talking-about-kind-of-a-thing.

But, my point is, this post is not a love letter to a dog.

Dear Dog, I Love You is actually the (current) title of Jed's most recent film - a comedy starring an amazing white basset hound named Paul Newman (that's the dog's name in real life, not in Jed's movie...make sense?) (and Paul Newman [the dog] happens to fit into my sometimes-a-dog-lover category) (which does not take away from my deep and abiding love for Paul Newman [the person], mind you)

So, we shot this film during the last week in February in a suburban-looking house in Brooklyn and a small office space in Yonkers, NY.

Jed wrote and directed the movie, which took 6 days to shoot and will be about 15 mins long once edited. And technically, I am the film's executive producer.

I know, I am kind of a big deal now.

This movie is pretty near & dear to my heart since Jed and I spent our early morning marathon training runs discussing, revising, and casting it. While Jed was the creative brains behind the operation, I was more involved than usual in the entire process (sometimes more enthusiastically than others, I should admit).

The actual shoot was full of all sorts of crazy mishaps including (but not limited to) Jed accidentally shattering Paul Newman's (the dog) car window, crew members getting into a car accident in a rental van without insurance, a dog actress (is that a term?) dropping out last minute, the wardrobe/props expert out sick for the first 4 days, and a snow storm on the first day of (exterior) shooting.

Awesome.

Jed was pretty stressed to say the least. So I tried to be on set as much as I possibly could to help out. And to be honest, I had a pretty fabulous time working with our extraordinary cast and crew. There were some amazing people on this shoot and it really was a pleasure to work with each and every one of them. Most of them were working for no pay, and we cannot thank them enough for the time and talents they contributed to this project.

Here are some pics from our memorable week...

(Please excuse my overuse of the Hipstamatic iPhone app. - I can't stop.)

Jed w/ the DP, 1st AC, Script Supervisor & UPM

Producers, Stevan & John Jonah, the First Assistant DirectorPaul Newman (the dog) as Maximo Jed watching Molly's hilarious performance as CynthiaCamera guys using Mike as a stand-inThe Director of Photography, Thomas looking way too coolJed directing the comedic superstar, Dave Hill as DudleyHanging out with always-in-character Andrew (Brenden) between takesDirector, 1st AD, & DP discussing upcoming shotsDavid, the incredibly talented gaffer we flew in special from UTWaiting to start the next sceneJohn & Chris & Variety MagazineJosh shooting "the making-of"Keith, our aweome sound expertAlex, Thomas & the REDAndrew taking a quick break between takesTim, Alex & Thomas ready for the next shotProducer, John making pancakes for the cast & crewEnjoying my yummy chocolate chip pancake - thanks, John!

Two of our French crew members, Alexandra & Stevan decided to make their own version of pancakes for the cast and crew - delicious, nutella & banana filled crepes!

Jed and Dave discuss the next scene Andrew's INGENIOUS, in-character invention to keep his craisins close at handDudley's close-upThomas & Alex take filmmaking very seriously

Dudley + Cynthia forever

Jonah being a hardcore 1st AD

David going above and beyond by sheilding Jed's (diva) eyes from the sun

Stevan, me and Chris working really hard

Thomas and Jed working out the next shotAndrew (in charcter as usual) & JedMimsy's closeupJed, Thomas & Mike working out the lightingAfter a long week, that's a wrap!!

A huge thank you to our entire cast and crew. It really was a fun shoot and we hope to get to work with everyone again in the future.

Ethan Hawke

2011-03-10T12:45:00.000-05:00

Jed spotted Ethan Hawke in Chelsea a few weeks back.

He made eye contact with him, so Jed said "hi!" and waved a little bit.

Ethan immediately looked down at the ground, ignored Jed, and increased his pace.

Poor guy was just trying to go about his day without getting swarmed by rabid fanatics, and Jed almost ruined it for him.

Still Here...Celebrity Sighting to Prove it

2011-03-09T15:56:00.003-05:00

Family, friends, if you are still out there...I am back with another celebrity sighting for you.

This is a duplicate though, sorry!

Spotted Ed Westwick (for the 2nd time in my life) in the middle of shooting Gossip Girl. They were doing a scene outside the Plaza Hotel as I was headed home from work Monday night. My photo is crazy blurry since I was zooming with my iPhone camera from across the street. Wish I'd had the massive zoom lenses the paparzzi next to me had.

Anyway, other than walking through film sets during my commute, Jed and I have been real, real busy...actually, on a film set of our own.

Jed shot the first of his 2 final films for his grad degree last week. It was an insane 6 days of shooting, but lots of fun. Stay tuned for a post all about it!

Marathon Post About My Marathon

2010-11-11T16:37:00.005-05:00

I cannot even believe marathon day has come and gone!

It was an amazing, incredible experience.

And maybe this is obvious, but can I just tell you that marathons are not easy?

Like, they are really, really hard.

It was probably around a million times harder than I expected.

Regardless, I can't wait to do it again.

But let's start at the beginning...

When my alarm went off at 4:30am, I was so giddy with excitment that the day had finally come! I was going to put my months of training to use!!

Here's the intense spreadsheet I used to track my training

I was ready for this. I put on my race clothes, packed up my water belt, and bundled up to face the cold.

Jed drove me down to Times Square to catch the Robin Hood bus to the starting line on Staten Island. I told him I'd see him at the finish line, kissed him goodbye, and was on my way.

Absolutely thrilled to be riding the bus toward my first marathon

The busses dropped off all 45,000 runners in Staten Island by around 7am. Because of the final preprations that had to be made on the race course, we all had to wait about 2 or more hours before lining up to start...in the freezing, freezing cold.

Fortunately, when you run for Team Robin Hood, they hook you up with a sweet tent to keep you warm for those 2+ hours. They also hook you up with breakfast and your very own, private, luxury port-o-potties. Like, the ones that flush and that have an actual sink with real soap and everything. When you don't run with Robin Hood, there is no tent to keep you warm. There is no breakfast. And there certainly are no luxury port-o-potties.

What's EXTRA cool is that all these perks are provided by generous donors so that 100% of the money we raise actually goes straight to the needy.

So grateful for the Robin Hood tent!Hanging with my team of co-workers before the race.

Trying to pass the time by posing with my awesome Robin Hood hat (notice the giant heating duct behind me?)In the NYC marathon, they have the runners start out in 3 waves spaced 30 minutes apart. There are around 15,000 runners in each wave.

I was scheduled to start in the 2nd wave - at 10:10am. Because of the huge number of runners making their way to the starting line, we had to head through the corrals around 30 mins early. Which meant more standing and waiting in the cold. Because of all of the waiting in the cold that happens before the race, everyone buys cheap sweats, hats & gloves to stay warm. Then, when it's go time, we all strip down to our running gear and toss the warm clothing to the side. The New York Road Runners club comes through after the race to collect the clothing. They then wash it and donate it to charity.

About 10 mins before the gun goes off, the runners are allowed to slowly make their way toward the starting line. See the ditched clothing on the ground?Somehow, I made my way pretty close to the front of the starting line so my pace wouldn't be affected by the other runners.

However, when that gun went off, it was pretty impossible to stay calm enough to run at a reasonable pace. The excitment from all those months of training, and all the hours of waiting to start, and the thousands of runners surrounding me, all caused me to start out way faster than I should have. Everyone had warned me about this, and I kept telling myself to slow down, but it was too hard!

As I realized I was actually starting the marathon, I thought of Jed and how much I wish he was there next to me. I wanted to look over at him and shout, "we are doing this!" I was so sad to not have someone to share the experience with.

Those first couple miles are over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn. I found this amazing time lapse video of the first 2 waves of runners crossing the bridge. Watch for me in the 2nd wave! ;-)

See how impossible it was to avoid being swept up in the momentum???

Momentum or not, I did pause on the bridge during the first half mile to snap the picture below. I wished Jed were there to see this awesome view, so I figured I could at least show him a photo. My Blackberry proved too difficult to get in and out of my zippered pocket though, so I didn't take any more photos till I crossed the finish line.

A few seconds after I took the above picture, I heard a girl behind me trip and fall. I paused and looked back as two or three men jumped over her and kept running - I couldn't believe they would leave her on the ground like that! Another man decided it was worth taking a couple seconds out of his race to help her up and make sure she was ok - and she was. She looked about my age.

Coming off the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn was an awesome experience - that is where the crowds began.

Over a loudspeaker we heard music playing and a booming voice yelling, "Welcome to Brooklyn!!!" People were lining the streets with signs and noisemakers, clapping and cheering for us. Little kids held their hands out waiting for high fives from runners, and spectators, seeing my name on my shirt, yelled out "Go, Kate!" "Looking good, Kate!" "Keep it up, Kate!"

Everytime I heard my name, I looked for the source of it and would smile and wave in appreciation. I was surprised that almost every time I waved, people would light up like they were shocked I noticed them. I felt like a celebrity.

Around mile 3, I noticed the girl who had tripped at the beginning was now running next to me. I told her I had seen her fall and asked if she was doing ok. She said she just scraped her hand and that it could have been a lot worse. I noticed she had an accent and asked her where she was from - Norway.

Throughout the rest of the race, she and I would end up next to each other for a few strides every few miles. I'd call out, "how you doin', Norway?" And she'd say, "Feeling good. How about you?" After a minute or so, one of us would need to speed up or slow down, so we'd part ways with words of encouragement - "keep it up, Norway!" "You've got this, Kate!

By mile 5, the only thing that hurt was my face from grinning constantly. I could not stop beaming at the masses of supportive spectators, at the other runners, and at the thought that I was actually doing this! Again I wished for Jed to be there with me.

I felt so great, I didn't want it to end - but I had a long way to go still.

Here's a map of the course

I really felt absolutely amazing - as if I could run forever and ever. I was flying! I passed mile 7, then 10, then 13, and couldnt believe that I didn't feel the effects of a single mile!

That is, until I hit the Queensboro Bridge.

{insert dramatic, ominous music here}

Right around mile 15, we entered the lower level of the Queensboro Bridge. The first thing I noticed was the immediate silence - the result of spectators not being allowed on the bridges. After hearing bands playing, people yelling, horns blowing, cow bells ringing, children chanting my name, the sudden quiet was almost startling.

In addition to the quiet, the Queensboro Bridge also brought a steep, steady, incline. I immediately felt the strain on my muscles and the drain on my energy from going uphill. If there is a wall runners hit during a marathon, this was mine. And it came much earlier than I had expected.

I could feel my pace slowing dramatically. Up to this point, my pace had been consistently between 8 & 8:30 mins/mile, but on mile 15 I dropped down to 10:18 mins/mile. I was definitely struggling, and wanted the Queensboro Bridge to end more than anything else in the world. I hadn't experienced anything like this in my training runs, and I was not prepared to feel this way for 11 more miles.

Around this point, I started looking outside of myself for some motivation. Oh, how I wished Jed were there to give me some words of encouragement!

That's when I noticed something kind of special in the air - the enclosed feeling on the lower level of the bridge, being on our own as runners with no more spectators to perform for. The only sounds were the runners' feet hitting the pavement and our labored breathing. It brought on an unexpected sense of unity. Everyone's pace was slowing. Everyone was running up the same hill. We were all struggling together.

I was apparently not the only one who felt this way, because right around that point in my thought process, some runner from Latin America yelled out,

"Come on! We can do this! Come ON, RUNNERS!!!"

Everyone around him including me, responded by cheering despite our fatigue - "Woo Hooo!"

It wasn't long after that when we crested the hill and spotted the overwhelming masses of people waiting for us in Manhattan. We turned the corner off the bridge and headed up 1st Ave with a new sense of determination. The most difficult hill was behind us, and we had thousands and thousands of supporters lining 1st Ave, willing us to keep going.

I owe miles 17, 18, and 19 to each and every one of the 1st Ave spectators. During those 3 miles I almost felt numb. I knew my legs were hurting. I knew I was exhausted. I knew I wanted to stop running so badly - but I couldn't! I wouldn't!

How could I?? I heard strangers yelling, "Don't you quit, Kate!" "Look at you go, Kate!" "To the finish line, Kate!" I even remember specific faces of the people who called out to me -- including the woman who reached her arms out toward me as if she were pushing me on. She looked me right in the eye and said, "You are going to finish this, Kate! You are an amazing woman!" She didn't know me, but by the look in her eyes, she meant it.

Wooo, I am getting emotional as I write this...

New York City is known for being tough. It's known for being cynical and cold. It's known for being in too big a hurry to worry about a neighbor. But the New York City I saw on Marathon Day could not be more different. There was a moving sense of community, encouragement, unity and love. People from all walks of life in all 5 boroughs of this crazy city came out to support and help and strengthen their neighbor. I have never experienced anything like it.

About 3/4 of the way through mile 19, the crowd started thinning out as we approached the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx. It was at this point that the pain in my legs was no longer bearable and I decided I had to walk for at least a minute if I was going to finish this race.

This was a really tough call for me - I had expected to have no problem running for the entire race. I had certainly not planned on walking at all. But with how quickly I was fading, I was worried if I didn't walk for a bit, I would be in danger of not making it to the finish line.

I knew my friends were waiting for me at the Robin Hood Block Party at Mile 20. So I gave myself permission to walk for only a few steps and then I had to pick up the pace and run again. I did NOT want to let my friends down. I had to keep going, and my pride told me I had to be running when I saw them!

If you talk to anyone who ran the NYC Marathon earlier than 2007, they will tell you that mile 20 was the most desolate place on the course. Runners dreaded hitting the Bronx because no one came out to support them - they were on their own until reentering Manhattan on 5th Ave.

Robin Hood changed that when they started holding their Block Party at mile 20 four or five years ago. The first year they were there, kids in the neighborhood asked what they were setting up for. The Robin Hooders replied, "for the marathon!" The kids asked, "what's a marathon?" For decades the NYC marathon course passed down their street and they had no idea what a marathon was.

Now, those same kids show up each year to cheer on the Robin Hood runners. They wear, in layers, all the t-shirts from marathons past. Robin Hood transformed the mile 20 stretch.

When I came off the Willis Avenue Bridge, I was again not fully prepared for what I would see - a giant jumbo-tron screen with a live feed of us runners charging down the street, huge crowds of people cheering and screaming, music playing over the loud speakers. I wanted to cry when I saw that block party and needed that energy & encouragement more than ever.

As I approached the Robin Hood group, I saw familiar Robin Hood employees who had helped organize all our training runs and cross-training spin classes. I high-fived each one I saw as they smiled and cheered for me.

I scanned the Robin Hood crowd for my friends. There were so many people, it was hard to pick them out of the crowd and I was worried I wouldn't spot them!

Then I heard someone from behind me yelling, "There she is!!! Kate!!"

I turned around...And there was Noelle!!Noelle got a BIG, sweaty hug because she is the reason I ever got into this whole mess! She and I worked together for the past few years, but she left our hedge fund to go work for Robin Hood. Soon after starting there, she invited me to an info meeting about running the marathon for Robin Hood. Thanks to her, there I was, DYING at mile 20! ;-)

I told Noelle I was out of water and she panicked"It's ok," I told her, "I'll get some at the next water station!"

I continued onward, looking for more of my friends.

That's when I spotted Dana and Marlon - I was clearly pretty ecstatic about that. "I NEED a hug!" I told her.
Regardless of my sweatiness, she kindly obliged
"Marlon! You're next!!" "This is sooooo hard," I told them, "I had no idea!!!"
"I'm dying!" I remember saying, as I drew my hand across my throat. "DYING!"

You can't quite see it in the picture below, but my hands are pressed together as I yelled to the Ruizes,"PRAY FOR ME!!"

The Ruizes sent me on my way, and just as I thought I was getting to the end of the Robin Hood crowd, I saw Stephanie, Megan, and Brian yelling for me!

Apparently the Robin Hood photographer had enough of my dramatic antics at this point, since I didn't end up with any photos with Megan and Steph. But I can assure you our exchange was very similar to that with Noelle and the Ruizes.

Their smiles, cheers, and hugs came at an incredibly vital time for me. "You can do this!!" Stephanie told me after I whined about the difficulty of the race. After a hug from each of them, I pressed onward, renegergized for the 6 miles ahead. I could do this.

Miles 21-25 were the most difficult miles of my life. They were a complete blur. My mental capacity was slowly breaking down and I no longer had the ablity to process the cheers from the crowds. While I know people were calling my name and encouraging me to keep going, I felt almost as though I couldn't hear a thing.

Every half mile or so, I would allow myself to walk a few steps, then I'd pick it up again. For the previous 20 miles I felt I had complete control over where and how I placed each step, but from mile 21 to the end, I just didn't have the energy for any level of precision. My feet landed wherever they were going to land.

Around mile 23, the 4 hour pace group passed me. I momentarily thought I could pick up the pace to keep up with them and still make my goal time of 4 hours or less, but I quickly realized that was just going to be impossible. I was going to be lucky just to finish this thing.

While this was discouraging, I kept thinking of Jed waiting for me on the exclusive bleachers at the finish line in Central Park (another perk of running with Robin Hood). I had to keep up my pace and make him proud!

Here he is, waiting for me at the finish

As I rounded the Southeast corner of Central Park and passed my office building, I told myself that all I had to do was run my daily commute, plus just a little bit more. I walk to Columbus Circle every day, how hard could it be??

I passed under the sign telling me I had only one more mile to go, and I told myself I would run the entire mile. No matter how badly I wanted to quit, I would NOT walk a single step of the final mile.

I came so close to walking, but I refused!

As I veered to the right at Columbus Circle, I was met with another jumbo-tron screen showing us runners as we reentered the park. I heard "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey playing over the speakers and almost got teary-eyed. In my hazy, lethargic, exhausted state, I seriously felt like Journey was singing directly to me - I did just as they said and did not stop believing I would make it to the finish line. Looking back, this sounds so cheesy, but that song got me that final half mile.

I ran into the park, started up the gradual incline (who designed this race course with the final half mile on an uphill?!) and could finally see the finish line ahead of me. I immediately started looking for Jed in the bleachers. You would think at this point that I'd be used to the giant crowds, but I hadn't realized how many people I would have to sort through in order to see Jed.

I got closer and closer to the finish line, trying to look on both sides of the running route, with no luck. I realized I would have to just pick a side and search for him. I opted for the right hand side, ran as close to the crowd as I could and scanned the bleachers.

No Jed.

I was not going to see him as I crossed the the finish line.

I gave up and just hoped he would see me. That was the whole point of having him at the finish line instead of somewhere else along the way. But I was too exhausted to think any more about it.

I looked ahead and noticed the runners coming to a stop just across the finish. It seemed so foreign to me. This steady stream of thousands of people who had been consistently running together for what felt like days, suddenly just...stopping. It was so strange. It seemed wrong.

I don't remember what I did as I crossed the finish line. I might have raised my arms up. I might have smiled. I didn't have the energy to cry as I thought I would. But I do remember how awkward it was for me to stop running. It felt like my legs just didn't understand what I was telling them to do.

I crossed the line and stopped my watch - 4 hours, 14 minutes, 41 seconds. About 15 minutes passed my goal time...I could live with that.

I was immediately given a mylar blanket to trap in my heat. I put it on, then emailed Jed from my Blackberry:

"Finshed! Walking thru park."

Then I snapped this photo

I was too exhausted to get a better one.

I was then handed a bright orange bag filled with food and water. Then was directed to stand in front of a photographer and have my picture taken.

That could not possibly have been an attractive photo.

Famished, I searched through my food bag - an apple looked incredibly appealing to me. I took one bite though, and just could not stomach it. I pulled out the water and slowly sipped it. Even that was hard to keep down. I knew I needed to eat something though, since I felt so weak. I pulled out a power bar and tried a tiny bite. But I didn't have enough saliva to break it down and instead, pieces of it cemented themselves to my teeth.

It was the strangest sensation to want this food so badly, have it right there in front of me, and just not have the capability to eat it.

The runners are all forced to continue walking through corrals along the park for about 10 blocks. This part was almost more torturous than miles 21-25. Having to walk at a painfully slow pace, sorrounded by thousands of people, feeling the way I felt...I wanted to scream. It felt like they would never let us out of the park. I wanted to stop and sit along the way so badly, but none of the officials would allow it.

I finally got out of the park around 77th St. and then had to walk to Columbus Ave. Bike taxis were swarming the runners offering us a cheap ride wherever we needed to go. It was so tempting, but I only had one more avenue to go to meet Jed.

I stood and wobbily stretched while I waited for Jed on the corner of Columbus and 77th. I was freezing cold, tired, hungry, and nauseous. I wanted to sit down but was worried I wouldn't be able to get up. I shivered and shivered until I heard Jed whistle and turned around to see him.

I immediately burst into tears.

"Babe, that was so hard," I told him as I cried, "it was amazing."

We hugged and hugged. I continued to cry as I told him how much I wished he could have done it with me. How I so wish I had been able to share the whole experience with him. I told him about not being able to find him in the crowds and asked if he had seen me. He told me he had been tracking me using his iPhone, had seen that I was approaching the final stretch, got the camera out and anxiously watched for me as runners flowed toward the finish line. He watched and watched but didn't see me. Unfortunately, I had chosen the right hand side to focus on, and Jed was sitting on the left.

He checked his iPhone and realized I had finished...he had missed me.

We felt pretty forlorn about the whole thing. First, that Jed hadn't been able to run with me, and second, that we didn't see each other at all during the race. But, as much as I wish he had been able to run, in a way, running it entirely on my own was incredibly empowering. And while we didn't see one another at the finish line, just knowing he was there waiting for me at the end, motivated me at my most troublesome moments.

Jed gave me the sweatshirt he had brought for me and put his coat around my shoulders. Dana and Marlon found us and we all stood there on the street as I told them all about the crazy, amazing experience I had just had.

I headed home for a much needed shower, but took this photo first

We then went out for a celebratory dinner Thank goodness my ability to eat had returned!!
I was sure to wear my medal to dinner. Isn't it sweet?!
I'll have to get it engraved
The next day I found my results published in the New York TimesI was 19,847th out of just over 45,000 runners.

Not too shabby, I guess.

After checking the results, Jed and I registered for the lottery for next year's marathon. Hopefully we'll get to run that one together.

SPECIAL THANKS

Thank you to anyone in NYC who comes out to support the marathon. Please keep doing it, the runners NEED you!

Thanks to my friends on Facebook & not on Facebook who sent me words of encouragement surrounding this race. It meant so much to have your support!

Very special thanks to my friends who came out to support me on race day - especially those I couldn't find in the crowds. Your cheers (heard by me or not) meant the world to me!!

A huge thanks to Robin Hood for making this an incredible experience. They really are the only way to do the NYC marathon. And I'm particularly grateful to their photographer...I will absolutely treasure the moments they captured!

An extra huge, grateful, heartfelt, whopping thanks to everyone who enabled me to run by making a financial donation. I felt like an absolute pest asking over and over again, so please know I appreciate it like crazy. Through this marathon, we made a difference in the lives of impoverished New Yorkers.

And finally, thank you, my sweet husband, for running every single training run with me. I am so sorry we didn't get to run the race together. Our early morning runs will be some of my most treasured memories of this time in our lives.

And thank you to anyone who actually read this post. If you made it through the entire thing, you deserve a medal of your own.

Can't wait till my next marathon!!!

Celebrity Sightings!!

2010-11-09T14:29:00.004-05:00

Just what you were waiting for, right? Another post about celebrity sightings??

I promise, my marathon post is coming soon. Pics are loading as we speak.

Just had to tell you about the celebs I saw the weekend before the marathon...

Three of my bffs came to visit over the weekend and a couple of them won the lottery to see Wicked (I have a pretty good record for getting our visitors into that show, if I do say so myself).

The first night that we tried for the lottery (and failed), we saw Molly Shannon (from SNL) rushing down 50th St. Marlon even chased after her to confirm it was her because I was SURE Molly Shannon was much taller than this woman appeared to be. Marlon returned w/ confirmation. We googled her height later, she's only 5' 5''.

The second night that we tried for the lottery (and succeeded!), we saw Vince Vaughn with a brunette, pregnant woman walking into the Wicked theater. There was absolutely no question this time whether we were actually looking at a celebrity. He looked exactly like he does in the movies.

With Just 5 More Days Till the Marathon

2010-11-02T13:14:00.004-04:00

I am so excited to announce that...

After my personal pleas via the internets, and our awesomely successful karaoke fundraiser, I have reached my individual goal of raising $2500 to fight poverty in NYC!!

Thank you so very, very much to all who have contributed!

Every last donation helped.

Last night I went to an amazing Team Robin Hood pasta dinner hosted generously by Del Posto Restaurant. During the delicious carbo-loading meal I listened to school principal, Jabali Sawicki speak about the difference Robin Hood has made in the lives of his students throughout Uncommon Schools. Hearing his stories about the kids whose lives have changed thanks to funding provided by The Robin Hood Foundation reminded me why I am running this marathon.

It also reminded me why I am so grateful to everyone who has shown their support along the way. The lives of actual people living in New York City will change because of YOU.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I am so ready for this poverty-fighting race. So ready.

YOU'RE INVITED...

2010-10-25T17:25:00.004-04:00

...to 2 exciting events!!

1. Karaoke Marathon Fundraiser

for Glenview Capital's runners for Robin Hood

Wednesday 10/27 6:30pm-9:30pm

at Iggy's Rock n'Roll Karaoke Lounge in NYC

Cost: $30 at the door

Promised: Entertaining performances by my coworkers & myself

Come and SING for a good cause!!

and...

2. Robin Hood's Marathon Block Party at Mile 20

Sunday 11/7 11:30am-3:00pm

Alexander Ave btwn 135th St & 138th St in the Bronx

(take the 6 train to 138th St)

Featuring DJ Bonnie

Seating, t-shirts, & water provided

By mile 20 I am going to be dying for some motivation to keep going. Seeing your face in what used to be the most desolate area of the marathon route would mean the world to me!!

Come one, come all!!!

My 2nd 20-Miler

2010-10-19T12:00:00.005-04:00

Last Saturday was my 2nd 20-mile training run and it was another great one for me!

I shaved 5 mins off my overall time & felt pretty strong throughout the whole thing.

Jed & I paused for a photo at one of my favorite spots in Central Park

(The Jackie Onassis Reservoir)

Unfortunately, this run was not as great of an experience for Jed. At about 9.5 miles his knee, which has been bothering him a bit, caused enough pain that he had to stop. He was pretty bummed to have to quit and let me go on without him.

I gave him his metro card along with some Sports Jelly Bellies and kissed him good bye. He limped to the nearest bus stop and spent the rest of the day elevating & icing his knee.

After parting ways with Jed, I had 10.5 miles to run on my own. Finishing the 2nd half of a 20 mile run with no one to talk to and no music can be a little psychologically challenging.

Fortunately, I had a nice breeze and this pretty view of the Hudson River to enjoy.

Running along this river trail, sometimes it's easy to forget that you're in NYC. I love it!

Also along my scenic running route is a historical WWII aircraft carrier (now museum) called the Intrepid.

I paused for a quick sec to snap a photo.

After taking it easy on his knee over the weekend, I am happy to report that Jed was able to complete a 6 mile training run with me this morning without further incident. Fortunately, from here on out, we will be tapering down our distances until race day.

I'm still chipping away at my fundraising, so if you'd like to donate,

CLICK RIGHT HERE!

20 People

2010-10-12T17:24:00.005-04:00

Let's take a second and just talk about a very special group of 20 people.

There are 20 people - friends and family of mine - who have decided to give up some of their hard-earned, well-deserved moolah on my behalf.

20 of my family and friends have shown some serious monetary support of my marathon.

20 amazing people I know personally have decided to fight poverty in NYC.

Between these 20 people, I have raised $850.

And to those 20 people, I would just like to express some heartfelt gratitude.

(You know who you are)

But why don't we tell everyone else who you are too??

Kim Allgood

Shannon Vanderkooi

Noelle France

Dana & Marlon Ruiz

Bethany Cowley

Stephanie Allgood

Kevin Cowley

Jon Allgood

Nicole Bayly

Kim Skidmore Noel

Doug & Wilma Allgood

Sunny Noh

Morgan Olson

Marie Hamilton

Mitzi Cannon

Kim Orlandini

Mike & Joyce Murray

Thank you to each and every one of you! Your support is incredibly motivating!

I still have a long way to go

(sixteen hundred and fifty dollars that is)

So if you've been on the fence about donating, now is your chance!!

Click right here and help take care of that $1650!!

20-Miler? Check. Fundraising Goal? Not so much.

2010-10-06T12:22:00.006-04:00

My 20 mile training run on Saturday went incredibly well!

The weather was amazing, my powerade/water bottle belt worked perfectly, and I felt energized and comfortable the entire time

(comfortable being an entirely relative term, of course).

Thanks to everyone who crossed their fingers, sent good vibes, and prayed that it would be a good one...it worked!

The run took Jed and me 3 hours and 1 minute.

About what I was expecting my pace to be.

On race day, I will just focus on completing the whole 26.2 miles injury-free.

If that happens in under 4 hours, I will be thrilled!

While my training could not be going better, my fundraising certainly has room for improvement. Asking for donations is not my favorite thing in the world, and yet somehow I find myself doing it pretty regularly. I still have about $2,000 to go and maybe that's because I'm always hitting up the same crowd for donations.

I'm sorry!

If you've contributed to my marathon or to any of my causes in the past (Romanian street children, breast cancer research, heart disease research), I want to extend a whole-hearted, deeply sincere, grateful THANK YOU!

If you wish you could give but are just not in the position to do so, please don't feel bad!

Many people have offered words of encouragement & support and that has motivated me as much as (if not more than) financial contributions do.

If you ARE in the position to do so, and if you would like to make a difference in the lives of New Yorkers living in poverty, and if you want to support me in my crazy marathon undertaking, now is the time to donate!

If 100 people donate $20, I will meet my goal and be cleared to put my months of training to good use!!!! I definitely know 100 people with $20 who haven't gotten around to donating yet.

Could that be you??

Oh man, asking this of you is hard. But I must remind myself, I'm not asking for ME, I'm asking on behalf of the 15,000 children who will sleep in NYC shelters tonight.

FIFTEEN THOUSAND kids in New York City will be sleeping in a shelter tonight.

Do you know a child?

Can you imagine having to sing that child to sleep in an inner-city shelter?

I can't.

This is exactly why I am running.

See what I am talking about here:

If you want to help shelter a child

CLICK RIGHT HERE

Any amount can make a difference. And I mean ANY.

THANK YOU!!

T-W-E-N-T-Y MILES!

2010-10-01T00:00:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow I will cover the longest distance for my marathon training: 20 miles!!!

TWENTY MILES, PEOPLE!

I am going to run 20 miles.

I'm sorry, no matter how many times I say it, it still sounds like twenty miles.

We've been pretty diligent about sticking to our training schedule, and so far, the schedule has been good to us. The farthest we have run was the 17.3 miles we ran 2 weeks ago. And that was totally doable. This is only 2.7 miles more. 2.7 miles is NOTHING.

But still...twenty miles.

Okay, I will stop saying that.

But, will you please cross your fingers for me?? There is just something about that distance that intimidates me.

Here is what I will do - while I'm running that seemingly-impossible distance, when it gets hard, I will remind myself that I am running for an amazing cause. I am running to alleviate poverty in NYC!

I have so many, incredible blessings. I have been so fortunate for all of my life. The least I can do is run 20 miles to help New Yorkers in need. When I think of the struggles some people in this city face, no distance or hill or headwind could convince me to quit!

Right?!

Right!

So, if you want to help me to help impoverished children and families in NYC,

CLICK RIGHT HERE

and make a donation. Let's alleviate poverty together!!

And please don't forget to cross your fingers, send good vibes, say some prayers etc. in hopes that I will not be killed by this 20 mile run.

Thanks.

Training Update

2010-09-27T12:45:00.012-04:00

If you haven't been here in a while, you might not know that I've been training for the NYC Marathon. I am now 6 weeks away from race day!! Read on for an update on my training...

Last Saturday, Jed and I tackled a 13.6 mile training run and we decided to turn it into a little adventure.

We had to rent a car to drive down to Philadelphia for a wedding reception, so we opted to save some money by renting a car in New Jersey (1/3 the price of renting one in NYC). That meant we had to get ourselves from Manhattan to NJ.

No problem! We would just run to the rental agency!

We mapped out our course beforehand - it took us from our apartment, down the Hudson River, up through the Cloisters, then across the George Washington Bridge and on to Englewood, New Jersey.

Here's Jed halfway through our run across the GW Bridge

The marathon course will take me through all 5 of NYC's boroughs (Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx & Manhattan - all connected by bridges). So the GW Bridge gave me some great practice this weekend.

The view of the Hudson River & Manhattan from the GW Bridge is pretty breathtaking. Of course this photo doesn't do it justice. We enjoyed running in new territory & were happy to have a shorter distance to cover on this run. And with just a couple wrong turns, our little plan worked out pretty swimmingly. We made it safe & sound (not to mention sweaty & smelly) to the rental car agency.

(Don't worry, we drove back to Manhattan & showered before the reception)

To gear up for next week's long run, I'm watching this video for inspiration...

If that inspires you, CLICK RIGHT HERE to support my marathon and help Robin Hood help impoverished New Yorkers.

Guys, I Love Running

2010-09-24T15:37:00.007-04:00

I'm pretty deep into my training for the

NYC Marathon

And I am truly enjoying it.

Though, tomorrow I'm relieved to only have to run 13 miles.

My marathon schedule dictates a reduction in miles every 3rd week.

(thank goodness)

But, PEOPLE, have I told you how amazing my husband is?

He is doing every single training run with me...and he isn't even running the marathon!

That means:

- I don't have to run alone in the dark in the morning

- I have someone to talk to the whole time

- And that my training doesn't take away from quality time spent together as a couple...

I know, mushy, but totally true.

Each morning we get up around 5am, get into our running gear, and run along the Hudson River.

We discuss Jed's screenpaly ideas & film production plans and I vent about stress at work.

Sometimes Jed gives me tips for race-day strategy,

and sometimes we just listen to the rythm of our steps and the lapping of the river along the shore.

I regularly proclaim my love of running to Jed before, during, and at the end of these runs.

And more importantly, I regularly proclaim my gratitude for him running with me.

I LOVE IT

I also love that every mile I run is for a good and worthy cause.

Every run is dedicated to making someone's life better.

If you want to donate to my marathon cause & help Robin Hood fight poverty in NYC,

CLICK RIGHT HERE

100% of your money will help impoverished people living in this amazing but tough city we love so much.

And don't even hesitate if your donation is a small one. Even $10 can make a difference!

THANK YOU to those of you who have already made a donation!

I will think of each and every one of you as I run that race.

I am not even kidding.

And if you haven't yet donated, go ahead, CLICK!

ARUBA

2010-09-20T17:50:00.001-04:00

Over Labor Day we took a little trip to Aruba.

Not the typical location for people like Jed and I, but I wanted an escape from the busy chaos of the city. A calm, relaxing vacation - one that wouldn't create that feeling of needing a 2nd vacation the minute we'd return home.

Know what I'm talking about?

Aruba turned out to be exactly what we were looking for. Proof in photos below...

Our pretty little hotel

Our upgraded room (from a studio to a 2 bedroom suite!)...

...with a patio and a bright sunny view of the ocean

About 2 minutes after checking in, I was ready for the beach!
And I was not disappointed
Neither was this guy
While we were there we did lots of reading
I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett & I highly recommend it.
We checked out the high-rise & downtown areas
We witnessed a Baptist baptism in the beautiful ocean waters
We found a little bit of NYC at an Aruban sports bar & grille
We made friends at the local LDS branch
Since Aruba was settled by the Dutch, we were thrilled to find Stroopwafels in abundance (I first proclaimed my love for them in this post)
Pretty much my version of paradise
And I know you're sitting there wondering, "what ever did the Cowleys do during the BYU vs. UW game???"
Well, I did a little bit of this...
...while Jed resourcefully found a way to watch the game in our hotel room on his laptop. Fortunately, the Cougars won & Jed was able to happily enjoy the rest of our trip.

We enjoyed a romantic dinner right on the beach

And witnessed lots of beautiful sunsets
Some other things we enjoyed in Aruba but didn't photograph...
A relaxing Swedish couples' massage
Some scenic training runs along Aruba's coast
Making friends with the LDS hotel gardener
A delicious feast at a Brazilian churrascaria
Jet skiing in the Atlantic
And a thrilling timeshare sales presentation (we came this close to buying one) (not really) (ok, sorta) (it was a reeeeeally good deal)

We feel pretty lucky to have had such a great vacation. Hopefully the relaxation we stocked up lasts us till the next one.

Why I'm Running

2010-09-17T12:10:00.010-04:00

As you know from my previous post, on November 7th 2010

I am running the NYC marathon

along with some co-workers for Team Robin Hood.

Through my work, I've been able to volunteer with Robin Hood and have come to know their foundation quite closely. There is no doubt that they have made a difference in New York City.

There are countless charities in NYC, but I chose to run for Robin Hood.

This is why...

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

No amount is too small to make a difference.

And Mitzi, yes, if you donate I promise to blog about race day!!

p.s. Anyone know how to fix my video so it doesn't overflow onto my sidebar?

A Little Photo Message For Ya...

2010-09-08T09:08:00.008-04:00

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Grandma Allgood

2010-08-27T12:45:00.014-04:00

My apologies if you've been coming here regularly, hoping for a new post. So much has been going on, and a lot of it blog-worthy, but finding the time has been a real challenge.

Sometimes living life has to come before blogging about it...know what I mean?

My Grandma Allgood recently passed away. And I guess that's part of why I've been a bit removed from the blog world.

Since she passed away, I've had the desire to tell everyone I know all about her - what an inspiring individual she was. I hope you don't mind if I use this post do a little bit of that.

Since Grandma was (and is) such a cheerful, positive person, I'll try to keep this post that way...

She was a beautiful woman - inside and out.

See???My grandpa says this was how my grandma looked when she walked into the bank where they first met. "So you can see why I asked her out," he recently told me.

I had the rare opportunity to visit her in California just days before her passing, and will certainly treasure that time I got to spend with her.

Though her Leukemia was catching up with her, though she was suffering from infections and other ailments, though she had already been in the hospital for days and days, my grandma was determined to laugh and have fun. She thanked every nurse and doctor that came and went, and asked for her lipstick so she could look her best.

We caught up on my work and on my haircut (much better now that my bangs don't hide my eyebrows...they're a very important part of your face, you know).

While in the hospital we also played charades and took an imaginary (yet very fun) trip to NYC.

This ability to stay positive even through the negative, was always one of her token characteristics. I never heard my grandma say a negative thing about anyone.

And I am not exaggerating.

If others were talking negatively about someone, Grandma would chime in, pointing out some redeeming quality they had. "Well, he has a very nice nose," was one of the things she said during her last days in the hospital (in reference to an actor we were watching on the T.V. who, as I had pointed out, was not very good-looking).

That kindness, and ability to find the positive, are traits of hers that will always inspire me.

She had an unassuming way about her - never judging and absolutely without guile.
There are few people in this world who are worthy of that term. I really wish I were one of them.

Her 62-year, love-filled, exemplary marriage to my amazing grandpa is also something to aspire to. The joy they found in serving and being with one another, after so many years, is a standard I hope to achieve in my own marriage.

The legacy she leaves behind includes things like charity, compassion, humility, love of singing & music, innocence, tolerance, kindness...and her delicious "2 Minute Fudge" - all things I'd like to possess more of.

Grandma, though you're sorely missed, we're glad you're free from the physical strains of this life. I love you and look forward to seeing you again someday.

Celebrity Sighting

2010-08-17T09:18:00.004-04:00

On Jed's Vespa ride to church last Sunday he drove through the movie set of "Premium Rush" (coming out next year). We've seen this set a few times on the roads of Manhattan - it's about a bike messenger who apparently has to ride the full length of the island to deliver a package. It's a pretty interesting production to watch since it involves creating their own traffic on a road that already has a lot of traffic.

As Jed drove through the set on Sunday he saw someone who looked like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but wasn't sure. Then he saw another man dressed identically and realized he was Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The first one must have been his stunt double.

New York Philharmonic In Central Park

2010-07-15T16:14:00.007-04:00

Every summer in NYC the city offers fun events in Central Park.

Usually these events are so busy and crowded that we don't take advantage of them.

But this year, an awesome friend was willing to stake out an area on The Great Lawn in Central Park so a group of 25 (or so) of us could enjoy the New York & Shanghai Philharmonic concert in the park

Maybe you can't tell, but our seats were AMAZING

Diane & Lauri (and little Moe) Diane is the gem that held our seats from 6am till 4pm...in a torrential downpour! She is 100% hardcore and earned a round of applause from our entire group.

A couple missionaries, Marlon, Dana, & Barbara
Dana was signed up to feed the missionaries that night, so she invited them to the concert for a picnic. Lucky guys!

More of our group

Andrea & Slade (with a few friends pulling faces in the background)

Marlon and Dana

Cassidy and I went stag that night so we decided to be each others' dates.

Nighttime view of the stage

Pretty skyline from The Great Lawn that night
Can you guess which building I work in? Can you spot the blurry Chrysler building? Do you see NBC Studios?

Thanks to Diane we all had an amazing time! It was one of those nights that gave me goosebumps - reminding me how lucky we are to live in this crazy, incredible city.

The Bandit Strikes Again!

2010-07-01T13:06:00.009-04:00

The Moustache Bandit has made his or her way all over this city...

And I'm pretty sure there is a copycat that hit the ads in the Times Square station. If they're still there on my commute today, I'll show you.

I don't know why, but I secretly wish I was the Moustache Bandit. Who is this person? When do they do this? How do they decide which ads to mark and which to leave alone? And, what does that curly little moustache mean????

Celebrity Sighting

2010-06-14T13:53:00.003-04:00

I was talking on the phone to my awesome grandpa, Mr. Smith, while walking home from work, when I spotted Regis Philbin and some older lady walking south on Broadway around 63rd St. I was surprised he wasn't surrounded by an entourage of any sort, and it seemed only 1 or 2 other people on the street realized who he was. He was smiling a giant smile...just walking along, happy as a clam.

The Moustache Bandit

2010-05-28T18:21:00.003-04:00

This is pretty much your typical ad in an NYC Subway station. But wait, look a little closer...

Katherine Heigl has apparently gotten a new tattoo

I guess it's the latest trend in permanent body ink...

because this Ann Taylor model has the same one

I know, I know, seriously, Kate? THIS is your blog update after a major hiatus??

I'm sorry, I just had to wait for the right material to inspire me.

Celebrity Sighting

2010-04-23T12:44:00.003-04:00

Don't get mad that I haven't posted in forever and this is all you get...if you are even still checking my blog...

On my way to do some visiting teaching the other day, I walked past Robert Sean Leonard. He was walking south on Broadway between 93rd St. & 94th St., and I was walking north. We made eye contact. Twice. If you didn't know he was Robert Sean Leonard, you woulda thought he was just some middle-aged dude chillin' on the Upper West Side. But I DID know he was Robert Sean Leonard. You know, from Dead Poet's Society, Swing Kids, Much Ado About Nothing...oh, and I guess House, too. It was cool. My visiting teaching companion was sufficiently impressed when I reported the sighting upon arrival.

Amsterdam

2010-03-25T10:38:00.012-04:00

Yes, it's been forever, sorry 'bout that, been busy and blah, blah blah...

One time, forever ago, we spent about 20 hours in Amsterdam. Here are some pics...

The quaint little street of our hotel

The Bilderberg Jan Luyken Hotel...home to the best bacon we have ever tasted
Hotel doorman
Decided to take a canal tour
Loved the gorgeous Dutch houses
Lots of black brick
Interesting architecture More black brick

They're all about cycling in Amsterdam - bicycle parking garage Walked around in Dam Square

Jed tells me not to smile for pictures sometimes

Together in Dam SquareHappened upon this delightful bakery Took awhile to make our selections

We both opted for sugary, waffley goodness

Mmmmm

Explored a bit in the evening (the light rings are bicycle wheels)

Sat and people watched

On the plane home too soon We couldn't take photos at the Van Gogh Museum or the Anne Frank House, but both of those were major highlights of our trip.

Another MAJOR highlight was enjoying the incredible Stroopwafels. If you know where to find them in NYC, PLEASE tell me. I am in love with them...thin, crisp waffles glued together with a delicious honey/syrup-like layer.

They look like this...

We loved Amsterdam and would definitely go back for another 20 hours any day!

Long Overdue Romania Report Part II

2010-01-13T15:16:00.015-05:00

As promised, I am (finally) back to finish telling you about where the rest of your donations went for my sweet, Romanian children.

One of the places Jed and I are sure to visit each time is the Brasov Children's Hospital. We were not entirely shocked to find that it looked pretty much exactly as it had in this photo from 2001.

I am never sure which doctors or play therapists will be there when I go back. And, as I approach the hospital I am always a little nervous whether or not the gate attendant will let me in. Will the doctors and play therapists remember me?

Fortunately, the same man has been working the gate on the hospital drive since 2001. Though we couldn't exactly communicate verbally, he gave me a look as if to say, "You're back?!" and kindly let Jed and me pass without question.

Walking the halls of the hospital was strange after all this time. I had hoped it would look and feel different, but everything was essentially the same as it had been in 2001. The same crumbling stairs, rickety doors, and the same, stale smell.

Luciana and Maria were both still there and were thrilled and surprised to see us again. As always, they gave us a very hospitable welcome with hugs, drinks, and a comfortable place to wait for them out on the hospital balcony.Luciana, Me, Maria

Bright orange is not an uncommon hair color for middle-aged women in Romanian. Just so you know.

Their pretty view of Brasov
The doctors still have our photo collages (left with them in 2001) posted on their office walls

We were also very happy to reunite with Dana, a dedicated recreational therapist at the hospital. I spent almost every morning working with her in the summer of 2001. She is truly an insiring person --always putting the children before everything else with little or no support from the hospital staff.

It was wonderful to visit with her for a few hours and get an update on many of the children I had worked with 8 years ago.

Dana and I in her playroom
Since Dana has worked for years and years with not nearly enough financial support for the children, we decided the play therapy department would be a worthy recipient of the 2nd half of the money we had raised.

When we told Dana that we'd like to make a donation she was overjoyed! She thought about it for a moment and then quickly said, "I know exactly what I am going to do with the money. I will use it to provide Christmas for the children." The thought of having something special for the hospitalized children for Christmas brought a giant smile to her face...something we don't see in her nearly enough.

So, once again, thank you so much for your kind donations! I wish each of you could have been there to feel the sincere gratitude and happiness they generated.

Harry Connick Jr.

2009-11-17T15:06:00.002-05:00

On my way into work this morning I walked past Harry Connick Jr. and the CBS Early Show crowd outside my office. He's a pretty handsome dude...a little shorter in person than I had expected, but still handsome.

Romania Report

2009-11-09T16:13:00.007-05:00

Buna ziua!

I'm back from Romania and have finally found some time (and energy) to tell you all about it!

First of all, we had an amazing trip. It was so wonderful to reconnect with a number of my kids and also to see the gorgeous city of Brasov again. As you can see, it is a picturesque, medieval town. This was my first time seeing it in the autumn and I much preferred it to the sticky humidity of summertime.

Here I am in the main square (Piata Sfatului) just after it had snowed on Mount Tampa

The gorgeous staircase I used regularly in 2002 & 2006

Piata Sfatului - compare to THIS PHOTO from 2001 Pretty Park

Brasov has its own Hollywood-style sign on Mount Tampa

See why I love Brasov so much???

But enough about that. Let's talk about visiting Rebeca and my kids!

With our visit being only a week, Jed and I did not have time to evaluate the needs at Rebeca's house and then go out shopping for items, as was my original plan. Instead, we opted to deliver a gift of cash for Rebeca to use for the boys at her discretion.

One of my boys from the foundation (Vlad) who lives on his own now, was kind enough to take Jed and I on the bus ride from Brasov to Codlea to see Rebeca. When we arrived, everything looked exactly as it had during our 2006 visit...except for the boys! I couldn't believe how much they had grown up!! The youngest is 16 and the oldest is now 20. These boys (now men *cringe*) are still as sweet as ever.

Top row: Vali, Rasvan, Rebeca, Vio. Bottom row: Gigi, Kate, Alex

The younger boys are working hard in school, while the older ones are completing vocational training to become construction workers, barbers, butchers, etc. Once they have finished this training, they will have the skills to find work and will be able to live independently. If it not for Rebeca's kindess, these kids would not have finished high school, would not have received job training, and would most likely be living back on the streets.

It was so wonderful to see how happy and well-adjusted these boys are. Because they get to experience normal family life they can interact with one another as brothers and best friends. I loved seeing how close they have grown to each other.

As you can see, Gigi is a bit of a joker. He stole Jed's glasses and gave me his best impersonation
During our first summer we taught the boys a game where you try to knock your opponent off balance by slapping one another's hands. We end up playing it again each time I visit.
Jed and VioSince our last visit, the boys were given a set of drums. Vio was excited to show us his skills!

Reconnecting and playing with the boys brought back so many happy memories from that first summer. I wish we could have stayed all night! But the boys needed to go to bed, and we needed to be on our way.

At the end of our visit, we gave each of my "kids" a hug and made sure they knew how much we love and care for them. Rebeca drove us home and before we got out, we surprised her with the money we had collected for the boys. She was extremely touched and experssed her gratitude for the help and support from so many American strangers. She could think of a million worthy uses for the money and assured me it would not go to waste.

Thank you, once again, to each of you who made a donation! You have made a difference in the lives of each of these kids and I cannot express how much that means to me.

And guess what....that was just HALF the money we raised!! That's right, we were able to raise enough to make another, generous donation!! I'll tell you all about that in my next post, so stay tuned!

You Guessed Right...

2009-11-02T15:31:00.002-05:00

...well, some of you did.

One day I came home from work and decided to put on the clothes that Jed left lying around the apt. After completing the look with his glasses, I decided I should dress up as Jed for Halloween. BUT, we were traveling, so I figured posting a photo would have to suffice.

I can see where you got the Wayne's World thing, though.

I'll be back as soon as I recover from jetlag to report on my bittersweet trip to Romania.

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

I'm in Amsterdam right now...not so much doing the Halloween thing. BUT, if I were going to a Halloween party, this is what I would go as...

Any guesses???

Brasov

2009-10-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

I'm off to Brasov, Romania and will return hopefully with happy news on my sweet kids and how your donations were able to help them!

Piata Sfatalui - Brasov's picturesque town square

See you back here in about a week! Ai grija!! (Take care!)

Marin

2009-10-23T14:45:00.003-04:00

Marin (pronounced like 'marine') was another one of my sweet little babies. I met him in the children's hospital. He was there the entire summer in 2001. Since no one came to visit him in that time, I assume he was an orphan.

I love this picture...if you look closely, you can see that his big toe is wrapped around the bar of the crib

His adorable little face quickly won me over. When we first began volunteering at the hospital, Marin was emotionless like most of the other babies. However, we saw him gradually develop the ability to cry, smile and even laugh!! We taught Marin to make fishy lips and mimic us in other ways. It was adorable! Now and then he would fall asleep in my arms and like Costica, felt like a son to me.

Marin was another one that I seriously contemplated stashing in my backpack to bring home. I genuinely thought about how I could possibly sneak him through customs. Leaving him was unbearable. I had no idea what was in store for him...would he live in a hospital forever? Did he have a family? Was he destined for an orphanage? Would he end up on the streets??

After coming home, Marin regularly made appearances in my dreams. Sometimes as a baby, and other times as a 5-year-old. In every dream, he was happy and healthy. I hope and pray that those dreams have come true!

I leave to go back to Romania tonight (!), so now is your last chance to donate to kids like Marin. To read more about my project, read this post or scroll down to my most recent posts. To donate, click on the PayPal link in the upper right corner of my blog.

Ne vedem mai tarziu!! (See ya later!)

Why Leaving Romania Broke My Heart

2009-10-21T10:02:00.009-04:00

I met Costica on one of my first days at the orphanage. He was an adorably sweet little boy. When I'd come into the room he would run straight to me. He loved to have me sit on the floor while he stood behind me and played with my hair. He also loved when I would hold him up to look out the window and we'd point out all the cars we could see. When I'd leave the orphanage for the day, he would always blow me kisses and say, "Pa pa! Ne vedem maine!" ("Bye bye! See you tomorrow!")

Costica and I

A couple days or weeks before we left Romania that first summer, I walked into the children's hospital to find that Costica had been admitted. He was very scared to be in an unknown place and was crying when I found him. I quickly took him out of his crib and held him to calm him down. I spent all of my time with Costica during those days he spent in the hospital. If I put him back in his crib he would cry and cry. This was unusual for the children we usually worked with in the hospital. They were so used to being left in their cribs for hours, even days. No one came to hold them or play with them. Since no one would answer when they'd cry, they learned there was no point to it. This left the halls of the hospital eerily silent. When a child would learn to cry again, we saw it as a sign of progression and emotional health. This meant they had actually developed an expectation or trust that someone would come to their aid.

Though it was painful to hear Costica cry, I was happy that he had the emotional well-being to express himself and to develop an attachment to me.

He wasn't the only one--I felt like he had become my own child.
I've told a lot of people that leaving Romania that first summer was the most difficult day of my life. Saying goodbye to Costica was one of the biggest reasons for that.

He had returned to the orphanage (we still don't know why he was in the hospital), but was staying in the "quarantine" area (all children spent a few days there after returning from the hospital, as a precautionary measure). He was still scared since this was also an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar orphanage workers. The workers told me he was constantly crying and they couldn't find any way to soothe him. I went into the room and pulled him from his crib and quickly calmed him down. I held him for as long as I could and lamented the fact that I couldn't just put him in my backpack and smuggle him home.

Knowing that we had to leave the orphanage by a certain time, I tearfully gave Costica one last hug and kiss and had to put him back in his crib. As expected, the moment I put him down, he burst into tears and began reaching for me through the bars. I have no idea how I turned around and walked away from him, both of us sobbing. My heart broke.

When I returned to Romania with Brooke the following summer, we went back to the orphanage and found Costica. He had grown a bit since the year before and seemed to know a few more words. I'm not sure how much he recognized me, but he quickly returned to his routine of playing with my hair and looking out the window for cars. He blew me kisses and said the usual, "ne vedem maine!" when I left for the day.

When Jed and I visited Romania in 2006, we discovered that the orphanage had closed. In a new attempt to take care of it's children, the Romanian government had arranged to have as many orphans as possible placed with foster families. While I was sad I wouldn't see Costica again, this gave me hope that he might spend the rest of his growing up years with a caring, Romanian family. I pray that this is the case.

On Friday, Jed and I are returning, yet again, to Romania. We can't wait to track down some of the kids I worked with there and see how they're doing. We're especially excited to visit Rebeca and the children she has taken into her home. If you'd like to make a donation to help Rebeca care for these kids, click on the PayPal link in the upper right corner of my blog. If want to know more about what Rebeca does, see this previous post.

Costin & Viorel

2009-10-13T13:00:00.004-04:00

I'm leaving for Romania soon! Here's why....

During the first summer I spent in Romania (in 2001), I met two brothers at the foundation for street children whose story I will never forget.

Costin and Viorel were about 17 & 15 when I first met them. Costin immediately struck me as a big brother & role model to all the other foundation kids. His English was impressive, and his leadership skills were obvious. All of the boys looked up to him. He and Vio both had a brightness in their eyes that showed their kindness and strength of character.

Costin on the left, with younger boys, Robert and Mihai

Viorel (on the right) arm wrestling Lucian
After witnessing Costin & Viorel's cheerfulness, you might never guess what these boys have been through. Communism fell in Romania around the time Costin was 5 or 6 and Viorel was 3 or 4. Shortly thereafter, their father lost his job and began drinking--that's when he started physically abusing the boys and their mother. Both Costin and Vio remembered the day their mother attempted to get a divorce. Their father locked the family inside the house and threw a smoke bomb inside. Fortunately, they were able to escape that day, but avoiding the abuse and harassment from their father became impossible. That's when Costin decided to take his little brother and run away.

Costin and Vio spent the next several years living on the streets. They sought shelter in train stations in the summertime and spent their winters in the sewers. They would beg, steal, and dig through garbage for food. They even began huffing paint --a common, inexpensive drug used by street children to cope with hunger pangs.

When Costin was about 12 years old, he and Viorel met some kind people handing out sandwiches to the street children at the train station. They were later invited by these people to live at their foundation. They offered the boys shelter, food, clothing, an education, and the chance at a safe, happy adolescence surrounded by people who cared about them.

The foundation is where Costin and Viorel spent the rest of their childhood. They formed brotherly bonds with the other children and developed the skills necessary to become contributing members of society. Since Costin and Viorel were two of the first children to live at the foundation, they took it upon themselves to take care of and watch out for the younger kids.

Vio (left) with Gigi (hooded) making some newer additions to the foundation feel welcome

The summer I spent getting to know these boys and watching them interact with the others was the most memorable, inspiring summer of my life. Their friendliness and senses of humor made me smile and laugh regularly.

Vio had found this shirt one of the foundation girls made for me and decided to model it for us.

Costin (left) and Florin (right) help an edlerly woman cross the street (could these boys be any sweeter?!) Vio, me, Costin, and Vlad, hanging out at the foundation

I feel so fortunate that I was able to meet these boys and get to know the good people they had become, despite their circumstances. And that is thanks to the kind volunteers at the foundation who gave these boys the closest thing to family they could.

In 2006, Jed and I went back and were able to track down Costin. He and Viorel had reunited with their mother and sister. Vio now lives in Germany with them, while Costin and his girlfriend now live in his hometown of Bacau. He works in a kiosk in a local marketplace and last I heard, was excitedly expecting his first child.

Costin at his Kiosk

Costin and I at a coffee shop in Bacau (now that he's an adult, he has to look serious in pictures)
Reconnecting with Costin and seeing that he was independent and happy was a great experience. No doubt, it is thanks to the foundation that Costin and Viorel are well-adjusted, independent adults today.

Costin and Viorel's story is one of the reasons I want to offer Rebeca as much help as possible. The four boys she continues to care for have a chance at a future like Costin and Viorel's because of her willingness to take care of them. But, she needs help. If you'd like to contribute, you can make a donation by following the PayPal link in the upper right corner of my blog (if you're lost, check out my previous posts). And a HUGE thank you to the many people who have already contributed! Your donations will go a long way and will absolutely make a difference in the lives of Rebeca's children!

If you're not in a position to donate right now, maybe you can find another way to help someone else in need...even just by smiling or holding the door for a stranger. These boys know how to to show kindness, and I bet you do too.

How it All Started...

2009-10-06T10:12:00.016-04:00

In the summer of 2001 I went to Romania through an organization that matched college age volunteers with international service opportunities. I was placed in Brasov, Romania with a group of 4 other American girls. These girls became like sisters to me during our summer of humanitarian work.

Ashlee, Me, Angie, Lori, Alyssa, with Cristina

Not picutred here, is Brooke who joined us a little later.

We were signed up to work 4 hours every morning in the recreational therapy department of the city of Brasov's children's hospital.

Spitalul De Copii (The Children's Hospital)

Me and a sad little boy at the hospital - we tried and tried but could not get him to smile.
Me with some hospital kids - the baby (Sorina) had childhood Leukemia.
Me and Maria

Working with the children and babies in this hospital was very fulilling work, but 4 hours a day was not enough for us. We had gone to Romania with the intent to spend most of our time volunteering. This led us to pursue opportunities to work at a local orphanage and a foundation for street children.

At first the directors of these institutions were wary of American volunteers and would not give us permission to work there. They knew of the bad press Romanian orphanages had received in America and did not want a group like ours to come in and bring terrible stories back with us. However, with a lot of persistance (mulitiple visits with the directors involving flowers, chocolates, letters of recommendation from the hospital staff, and lots of prayers), we were finally given permission to work 2 hours a day at the orphanage, and 4-6 hours a day at the foundation for street children.

Costin, Robert, and Mihai at the foundation
Viorel, Me, Costin, Vlad, Brooke, and Adrian at the foundation
Adding our work at the orphanage and foundation changed each of our lives forever. We learned about the importance of family, friendship, trust, and unconditional love. We saw the effects on children when these things are lacking, and the incredible difference that can be made when they are restored. We developed bonds with the kids we served that truly made us feel like they were our own children or siblings.

Larisa and I at the foundation These bonds are what have sent me back to Romania twice already, and now for the third time. Each time I return I hope to track down as many of my kids as I can, and I hope even further that I will find them to be happy, healthy, and living with a roof over their heads.

Whether or not I find them in this state, for many of these kids, depends entirely upon the kindness of others. That is why Rebeca's work is so important to me, and that is why I'm asking my friends and family to donate what they can. If you'd like to help out, just click on the PayPal button toward the upper right corner of my blog. If you want to know a little more about my fundraising project, check out THIS POST below.

In the next few weeks before we leave for our trip, I hope to be able to share a few stories with you about my Romanian kids and show you just why they are so special to me. If donating is not something you can do right now, please feel free to simply read along!

Romania Donations!!!

2009-10-02T11:32:00.004-04:00

Thanks to all who have already made a donation for my Romanian Kids! You people are fabulous! (Read the previous post if you are lost)

The PayPal system is up and running, so click on that button on the right side-bar if you'd like to contribute. No amount is too small to make a difference for these boys (your money can go a long way in Romania). Tell your friends and family if they are looking for a cause -- I'm telling you, even $5 will help!

FYI, if you pay via credit card, a small percentage (around 2.9%) of your donation will be deducted by PayPal for a processing fee. If you pay using your bank account or PayPal account, your entire donation will go to the kids.

Thank you so much for your generosity!!!

ROMANIA!

2009-09-30T14:48:00.011-04:00

In 2001 I spent the summer volunteering in Romania. I worked in a children's hospital, orphanage, and a foundation for street children every day. I fell in love with the kids I worked with and have been back to see them a couple times since.

Fundatia Nu Ma Uita - The Foundation for Street Children The summer of 2006 was the last time I was there. I took Jed with me to introduce him to as many of my kids as we could track down. He instantly fell in love with them too and learned why these children (now mostly teenagers and adults) have influenced my life permanently.

Vlad and I visiting Ionut at work

Robert, Claudiu, me and Beni in Piata Sfatalui

Claudiu (silly as always) with Jed and Ionut in Piata Sfatalui Jed and I are going back for a week at the end of October and we can't wait!! While there, we will visit what is left of the foundation for street children. It's actually not a foundation at all anymore. Rather, one of the foundation volunteers (Rebeca) offered to share her family's home with the remaining children once the foundation closed down due to lack of funding. Rebeca and her husband are now the sole providers for their own children and four additional "foundation boys." Thanks to Rebeca's kindness, these boys have shelter, warm beds, food, clothing, and the chance at a family life that they would not have had otherwise. These are some lucky boys...

Upsidedown Vali playing at the school

Gigi and Jed outside the house
Alex, Marian, and Vio
Alex, Vali, Vio, and Gigi teaching us a Romanian game

I spoke with Rebeca over the phone this morning and asked her what we could bring for the boys. She answered, "Clothes! Food! Everything!" We want to do everything we can to help her take care of these kids. Rather than purchase things here and lug them all the way to Romania, I figure, maybe my family, friends, and I could contribute some money for purchasing the needed items in Romania.

I've set up a PayPal account to collect donations - you can see the button near the upper right hand corner of my blog. If you'd like to help Rebeca help these kids, go ahead and click to donate whatever amount you can! When Jed and I visit, we'll document where and how the donations are helping, and we'll report to you right back here.
Multumesc! (that's Romanian for 'thank you!')

Wall Street With Dane & Marlon

2009-09-22T16:25:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, Dane, Marlon & I headed down to Wall St. for a little sight-seeing.

The NY Stock Exchange

Dana & Marlon outside the NYSE

They were shooting a commercial on Wall St. So we stood around and watched for a little bit. For the shoot they had a bunch of mannequins in weird poses. We were trying to figure out the storyline but couldn't make sense of it.

Dane & I being dorks with a mannequin on the set

I just love having these kids here in the city!

My First 5k Race

2009-09-15T17:26:00.001-04:00

Lots of people hate running, but I'm lucky enough to really enjoy it. I LOVE it even. Not sure why, since I've never been particularly fast. There is just something about pushing yourself to keep running when you feel like quitting. And the endorphins afterward make me feel like I could do anything.

Since the beginning of the Biggest Loser competition, I've been running 6 days a week. Because I've been so dedicated to my running regimen as of late, a co-worker of mine suggested I run a low-key 5k race that was coming up. I had never run in an organized race before, so I wasn't sure about it. BUT, I wouldn't have to do anything out of my daily routine to train for this race and it was taking place just a few blocks away, along my usual running course in Riverside Park. PLUS, it was for a good cause (Melanoma research). So I figured, hey, why not?

On Race Day, Jed and I headed down to the park and after signing in and doing some stretching, I made my way to the starting line. My focus was to just finish...doing so with a decent time would be a plus. I had no idea what to expect. Two days prior I ran 5k in about 28 minutes, so I figured I should shoot for something like that. I wasn't wearing a watch though, and they weren't providing split clocks, so I was just going to blindly try my best and see how it went.

At the starting line, getting in the zone

When the starting gun went off, I was not prepared for the spike in adrenaline I experienced. I had a surprising, immediate desire to pass everyone in front of me. I knew I needed to be careful not to start out too fast, but I couldn't help it! At seeing my starting pace, Jed thought I would almost certainly lose gas toward the end. I worried about this too, but my long-dormant competitive side came out --every time I passed someone I felt a little rush of pride (especially when it was a man) and it would motivate me to run even faster. At each mile marker I tried to up my pace even more, and somehow, the adrenaline carried me all the way

I made it to the finish line!

(Don't worry, I didn't carry that bag during the race)

I was shocked to see the clock as I crossed the finish line - 22 minutes and 34 seconds. More than 5 minutes faster than my regular pace! I didn't believe it at first, so I went to see the print-out for confirmation...that's when I discovered I was the 19th out of 180 runners...ok, that's respectable. What pleased me even more was that I was the 2nd female overall.

And then, upon further inspection of the results, I discovered I was FIRST in my division! I was the first female between 25 and 40 years old! I couldn't believe it! For being first in my division I got all sorts of loot...a new yoga mat, a free pair of crocs, a high-tech water bottle, an NYC running guide, and a $50 American Express gift card. Score!

"Winning" my first 5k has strengthened my addiciton to running and inspired me to enter more races. I've since run another 5k (didn't even come close to winning that one), and am training for my first half marathon in October. I'm so glad my coworker encouraged me to give racing a try. I love it!!

Celebrity Alert

2009-09-13T16:34:00.003-04:00

David Archuleta (from American Idol) sat a couple rows behind us in church today. We listened really hard during the hymns to see if we could pick out his beautiful singing voice, but no luck.

Littlest Biggest Loser Contest

2009-09-10T10:30:00.006-04:00

Several months ago, my coworkers and I had been trying half-heartedly to lose some weight. Since we weren't getting the results we wanted, we decided to hold our own Biggest Loser competition. There were 4 of us. We weighed in on day one, and then again three months later. We each put $100 in the pot (kept by a non-competing referee) and the person who lost the highest percentage of their weight would get the whole pot.

I used to be able to run a few days a week and eat whatever I wanted and not have to worry about a thing. Not so much the case these days. 5 years after my wedding day, I had gained 25lbs. Not cool.

I needed to get a handle on this (Before)

$100 is a lot of money to lose, and $300 is a lot of money to gain, so I decided if I was going to participate, I was going to LOSE bigtime!

I had a strategy. I wanted to weigh as much as possible to start off. So the week leading up to our initial weigh-in, I went hog wild (pun totally intended) and consumed as much junk food as I could, like...
I weighed in and was shocked at the number on the scale...definitely the highest I have EVER weighed.
From the very start I kept a daily log of calories and started a rigorous workout routine. I would get up early, exercise for about 90 minutes, eat super healthy all day long, and go to bed early. I decided I would apply simple math --burn more calories than I consumed. I focused on making the calories I did eat really count. This meant whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and as little trans fat and sugar as possible.

In my downtime I would read articles about healthy eating, exercising, and weightloss. I used a couple websites to look up nutrition information, calculate my recommended daily caloric intake, and chart my progress.

I was absolutely dedicated. I'd allow myself a treat now and then so as not to drive myself to a complete binge at the end, but mostly I was pretty hardcore.

The day finally came to find out the results. We each took our turns weighing in with our referee. After returning to our desks, the referee sent out an email announcing the winner. It was.....

...the new and improved me! (After)

Let's see that again....

Before............................After

(Ok, so maybe full-body before and after photos would be better, but the actual taking of those photos is what has been holding up this post for so long!)

Anyway, I was thrilled, 25lbs lighter, and 300 dollars richer!

It has been about 4 months since our little Biggest Loser contest, and I am proud to say that I have held onto the healthy habits I developed during the competition and I plan to keep at it!

What did I do with the money, you ask? Well, losing some weight forces you to do a little wardrobe makeover...so some was spent on that. And the leftovers are going toward an upcoming trip back to Romania (!)

The Perfect Day in Central Park

2009-08-19T16:09:00.000-04:00

One of the best days we've had this summer included a fun breakfast with friends, a visit to Strawberry Fields, the Bethesda Fountain, and a rowboating adventure on the Lake in Central Park.

The weather was perfect that day! If you come and visit us next year after it is frigidly cold and before it is unbearably humid, we might try to reproduce such a fun day just for you!

Kelly and Jonathan at the John Lennon Memorial in CP

Dane & Marlon at Bethesda Fountain

The Girls' BoatThe Boys' BoatJed rowing the Boys' Boat with the Girls' Boat close behind

My favorite part was basking in the sun while the other ladies took to the oars.

Don't worry, Barrington resisted the urge to jump in After boating, we played wiffle ball in the park. This adorable little kid joined in and he knew more about how to play than the rest of us. Sorry, no photos! I was too busy trying to steal 2nd.

Kale

2009-08-11T13:40:00.000-04:00

So, he's been around for a little while now, but I just had to share photos of my first visit with Kale. He is Jed's youngest brother's baby and was born conveniently while I was in Utah for Ryan's graduation. I was thrilled that I got to meet him during my short trip. My brother & Jed's brother were roommates at BYU, so Ryan joined me for the visit.

Kale's mama - Megan, Me w/ the little squirt, and Jed's mama, Ann

My little brother, Ryan holding his sister's husband's brother's baby.
I was trying to wake him up with my bright, toothy grin...
But he just kept sleeping and sleeping
What a cute kid.

My Little Brother Graduated from College!!

2009-08-04T13:55:00.000-04:00

So I jumped at the excuse for some time with the fam!

Ryan, the Middle Eastern Studies graduate

Talking to Uncle Jed in NYC
3 Cute Sisters
At Tucanos
Jon, Kennedy, and Ryan at Cedars of Lebanon
Ryan and Dad
Rebecca, Jon, & Taylor
Taylor and I after our delicious Middle Eastern lunch
Kennedy and I being super silly
Rebecca being ADORABLE
Macey being ADORBALE
Dad with Mace-Face
Rebecca checking out my ears with her flashlight
Taylor's turn with the doctor

It's always great to see family! We miss you guys!

Jed's Parents' Homecoming

2009-07-22T19:41:00.000-04:00

For the past year and a half, Jed's parents have been serving a mission for our church in Oakland, California. Their assignment was in the Oakland Temple visitor's center. When their mission was complete, most of Jed's brothers and their families traveled to Oregon for their parents' homecoming. We didn't get many photos on this trip for some reason, but here's what we did get...

Jed's fashion-forward snow apparel

Sitting in the car, eating an orange, thrilled to be having my picture taken

Jed with two of our adorable nieces

The grandkids wearing their new outfits from people in Jed's parents' mission

We had lots of fun playing in the snow and spending time with Jed's family!

Palmyra

2009-07-14T18:48:00.006-04:00

Back in April we took a trip to Palmyra for our church's annual Stake Youth Conference. It was a very short trip for Jed & I. They were short on cars to transport kids and their gear back to the city, so Jed, our friend Marlon, and I left NYC around 3am in a rental van, drove the 6 hours to Palmyra, spent about 2 hours there, then turned around and drove back with Dana and a few of the youth. It turned out to be a really fun experience! We had some great bonding time with Marlon & Dana, got to see some of the Church's historical landmarks, and got to enjoy a very inspiring testimony meeting in the Sacred Grove.

The Smith family home

Jed reading the Smith's family Bible

Pointing to one of the bedrooms in this little home

The Sacred Grove

We visited the Sacred Grove around the same time of year that Joseph Smith had the First Vision. Usually artistic renditions of this vision depict the grove as very green with the trees covered in leaves. However, it is more probable that the grove looked like the above picture. It was interesting to see that it looked much different than I had pictured it all these years.

The Sacred Grove is where Joseph Smith received an answer to prayer which, eventually led to his being called as the first prophet since the time of Christ's ministry. Through Joseph Smith, the gospel as it was taught & practiced in the time of Christ, was restored. Joseph had many special experiences in the area we visited, making it a travel destination for many LDS people.

We enjoyed our visit and will especially remember the feeling we had as the youth shared their testimonies of the gospel in the Sacred Grove. We have an impressive group of young people in Manhattan and I feel very privileged to work with them!

Last Freebie at Madison Square Garden

2009-07-14T18:26:00.006-04:00

Just in time for new NYC arrivals, Dana & Marlon, my company offered me 4 tickets to our last event at Madison Square Garden. We no longer have access to the amazing suite that we've been enjoying for the past year and a half (so sad, I know!) so we were happy to get one last, amazing suite experience.

The final event was the Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus, and surprisingly enough (I thought it would be super boring & cheesy), we enjoyed it immensely!! It was so much fun! There were performing dogs, elephants, tigers, horses, clowns, acrobats, dancers, and a ring master that kept encouraging the audience to chant, "ZIM! ZAM! ZOOM!" We played along like little kids and enjoyed the suite, circus-themed food.

Dane & Marlon in the box

Marlon, Dana, Kate, Jed with the circus behind us
(what do you think of Jed's new glasses??)

We had a great time and will really miss going to Madison Square Garden events. We have been very spoiled the past couple years! But we're glad Dana and Marlon got to experience the Garden suite with us at least once!

Special Announcement: The Gold Star Game

2009-07-07T13:20:00.007-04:00

We have a slight interruption from our usual uber-delayed posts to make this special announcement...
My Sister in law came up with a great idea for a motivational game to work towards a healthier lifestyle. Here's her description of it:

"Well, here we are. I am not selling anything, I am not asking you to sign a petition or send this to a million people before 12am. But I would love it if you would check out this blog address (link below) and let me know if you are interested.

Basically, we are a group of friends and family who have a common interest in health. We pay $20.00 to join and that money goes into the prize pot. At the end of 16 weeks, whoever has the most points wins. It is like the gold stars that elementary school teachers of old used to humiliate the slackers or praise the over-achievers. Whoever had the most gold stars at the end of the week---won.

SO, follow the link. And if you know some people who may be interested, send them the link- the more the merrier. I'd like to start Monday July 13th"

If you need some extra motivation to make those changes you have been meaning to get around to, follow this link and see if the Gold Star Game is for you! You have until 7/13 to make up your mind!
THE GOLD STAR GAME BLOG

Let's Pretend it's Not July...

2009-07-02T13:49:00.011-04:00

...so we can talk about Easter '09 at our place.

We had some friends over and did a little potluck-style Easter dinner. I'm really intimidated by cooking, so I did all sorts of research beforehand to find the easiest slash most Eastery recipes I could. All my research paid off because I found a fool-proof ham recipe. It was...ready for this? A ham and 2 cups of brown sugar in the crockpot on low for 8 hours. Now that is my style. It also ended up being (in my absolutely humble opinion) the BEST HAM I HAVE EVER HAD (and I'm not crazy about ham. Or bragging). Try it. So easy.

Jed and I posing with the juicy ham

(why do we hunch our shoulders when being photographed?)

Josh and Marlon in the buffet line

In the above photo you might also notice the roasted garlic brussels sprouts (also super easy), the funeral potatoes provided by Dana and Marlon (soooooo cheesy and creamy and delicious), and near Josh, in the green bowl, was the frog eye salad (I canNOT be the only person who had never heard of this before). It's a fruity, cottage-cheese-like, sweet salad that is apparently very prominent in the LDS culture. Josh and Megan brought it, and it was scrumptious. And it doesn't really look like frog eyes...I mean, I've never seen a bowl full of them, so I could be wrong.

Jed made some amazing deviled eggs. He takes deviled-egg making verrry seriously.

Jed, Marlon, Dana, Megan, Josh, my cousin Bill, and Jonathan

For dessert I got a little creative (not my usual thing) and made a ridiculous-looking carrot cake. Since finding cream cheese frosting is not the easiest thing in NYC, I ended up doing a layer of lemon frosting in the center. This cake also had pineapple and toasted coconut in it. Flavor overload? Ok, sorta.

Ok, now we can go back to it being July...until my next incredibly overdue post.

Kelly's Birthday

2009-06-28T18:20:00.001-04:00

Our good friend Kelly had a birthday a couple months ago and we made sure to celebrate it right. We stretched the celebrating over a couple days which included the following...

Playing with the puppets at FAO Schwartz

Hanging with Batman
(he's made out of legos!)

Looking like complete dorks on the giant piano from the movie, Big
Having the birthday girl pose in front of a building from the TV show, "Will & Grace"
Eating an amazing meal at one of the few good Mexican restaurants in the city

Surprising Jonathan by snapping a shot while he serves up the delicious cheese dip at dinner
(look at that guac!)
Watching Dana attack a monstrous chimichanga

Throwing an 8th-grade-style dance party in our living room
(the camping chair cut in with Jed, so I waited by the punch hoping to get asked to dance)

Having a cookie party & watching Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Blowing out candles on a birthday Fig Newton
(works great when you don't have a proper cake)

Thanks, Kelly, for giving us an excuse to celebrate! We loved it!

Where My Girls At?

2009-06-14T18:01:00.001-04:00

A couple months ago I had the fabulous pleasure of reuniting with 3 of my closest friends - Hannah, Anne, and Dana. I met each of these girls at different points in my life, but we all happened to convene in NYC on the same, fateful day!

I've had so many amazing memories with these girls...

Hannah and I in our Junior High DaysOn Hawaiian day during a high school spirit week...
(Anne is the adorable blonde in the middle)
Dana (on the left) with our friend Kristy and me in our college days...

Dana and her husband Marlon recently moved to NYC which, has basically made my year. Since Dane moved out here, Hannah decided to make the trip up from DC to spend the weekend with us. It just so happened that Anne was going to be in town that very same weekend, so we made a little reunion of it.

Dane & Marlon at the Natural History Museum
(Look at the crazy dino skeleton...that tiny dot at the top is its head!)

Hannah, me, and Dana
(we've grown up a bit from our early days together)

Anne, Hannah, me, and Dana in Washington Square Park

Anne, Hannah, and Dana, it was a blast spending a day with the three of you! If only you could all be as wise as Dana, and come here to STAY!

This Morning...Seriously.

2009-06-04T13:45:00.004-04:00

(Street names have been changed to protect their innocent inhabitants)

I left my apartment at 5am in my sweats with workout clothes underneath, determined to make it on time to the train. Since it was raining I wore my squeaky, black boots with my pantlegs tucked in and was carrying an oversized blue & white umbrella bearing my hedge fund's logo. I had my gym bag and large black purse gathered in my arms in front of me and struggled to keep them dry.

As I turned the corner from Sepulveda onto Ayamante, I looked down the dark, deserted street. The branches of the trees were hanging lower than usual --weighed down by the rain-- and they brushed against the top of my umbrella as I passed underneath. Though it was still dark out, I noticed how green the leaves of the trees were and thought, when had spring filled these branches to overflowing? It seems ages since these trees had been entirely barren through the winter, but also like yesterday.

About at that moment, the thought entered my mind that I should be focusing more on my personal safety than on staring in wonder at the trees. The security guard on Sepulveda had suggested I make use of the university's security escort service during my early morning commute. Ayamonte was the only street on my path not being watched by a guard or doorman.

Yes, I will be more alert and walk with obvious purpose.

That's exactly when I heard it-- a high-pitched squeal to my right. It came from the pile of garbage bags on the curb!

Immediately following the squeal, a large, brown rat that I see almost daily, came scurrying out of the garbage pile toward the apartment building on my left, moving with much more speed than usual.

I was situated between the bags and the building, exactly on the rat's urgent course. I instantly recognized I would have to jump so as not to make contact with the dirty rodent. With oversized umbrella, gym bag, and purse in hand, on a wet, dark, abandoned street in the early morning, wearing rubber rain boots with sweatpants as knickers, I used my adrenaline-induced reflexes and made a hurdle of the squealing, New York City rat.

It felt like slow-motion as I cleared the moving obstacle and landed safely on the other side.

My heart pounded.

Without pausing even slightly, we both continued on our paths. The rat raced to his destination as I walked (alert and with obvious purpose) down the hill, turned onto Madison, and made my way to the escalator for the subway station. Both rat and commuter proceeded as if nothing had happened.

Once I was on the platform and knew I would not miss my train, I laughed to myself that such a scene had just occured without a single witness. No one knew about what had transpired but the scavenging rat and myself. I felt a kinship to him--he and I had simultaneously experienced identical emotions - fear of an approaching stranger, a rush of fight-or-flight-adrenaline, then relief at escaping unscathed.

I wondered if, at that very moment, he too was looking back and laughing at the hilarity of our exchange.

I like to think that he was.

Westminster Dog Show

2009-05-31T16:41:00.007-04:00

Okay, yes, this was forever ago...
I went with some co-workers to our Madison Square Garden suite for the Westminster Dog Show.

This is what it looked like as they were getting ready for the final round...

The dog show part was cool, but not nearly as entertaining as what you see behind the scenes in the kennels...

People are really into their dogs...

I saw lots of Puppy-primping...

Puppy-potties...

Puppy Pep-talks

Puppy Bling...

Puppy Cradles...

Puppy Diapers...

And Puppy Evening Wear

Unfortunately, I failed to snap a photo of my favorite sight of all...one dog owner had crawled completely into his dog's kennel and closed himself and the dog inside. He was curled up with the dog, preparing for their time on stage. So sad I didn't get a photo.

Like I said, some people are really into their dogs.

Oh! And I almost forgot...this post comes along with some celebrity sightings. As we were making our way to our suite, we spotted the hosts of the Today Show (Ann Curry, Matt Lauer, Al Roker, and Meredith Vieira) doing a little shoot in the upper lobby of Madison Square Garden. They each had a dog on a leash and were being instructed on how to lead the dogs through the judging process. We watched as a giant Bull Mastiff completely knocked Ann Curry to the ground. Sorry, didn't get a photo of that, but here's a web one in case you're not sure who I'm talking about...

I Know, I Know...

2009-04-21T16:01:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's been forever since I've posted. I am still alive and well and happily adventuring around NYC. One of these days I will find a few minutes to update you on all the fun happenings. Until then, stay tuned for reports on....

The Westminster Dog Show at MSG
One of my best friend's arrival in NYC
A reunion with a couple highschool GF's
Kelly's 48 hour birthday extravaganza
How to host Easter in NYC
Our last suite experience at MSG
Youth Conference in Palmyra
My own version of the Biggest Loser
And if you're lucky, maybe another celebrity sighting or two...

Do you see why I have been too busy to post?! Ok, now I'm off to get a manicure (the last of my '08 assistant's day spa gift) and then to pack for my little brother's BYU graduation!! I'll be back though, I promise!

Jed's B-day Treats

2009-03-19T14:30:00.000-04:00

Jed's Birthday was in January, and though it's 2 months later, I just had to show you a couple of the treats he enjoyed.

Our friends, Kelly and Jonathan gave him a giant chocolate bar, complete with a hammer to break off bite-size pieces. He's still chipping away at it.

We also made one of Jed's favorite desserts, strawberry shortcake. It was delicious!

For Jed's birthday I got us tickets to see Ben Kweller and it was an AMAZING show!! Another highlight was getting a whiffle ball set from my parents. Even though it's still freezing cold outside, Jed and I have already gone out and hit a few balls. We are just itching for summer to start!

Some More Stuff About What I Believe

2009-03-13T12:33:00.003-04:00

A lot of people have been asking me about our temples lately...this video discusses the importance they hold in our religion. CLICK HERE.

Some Stuff About What I Believe

2009-03-04T14:39:00.002-05:00

Clicke Here to watch an LDS (Mormon) Harvard student articulately answer some questions about our religion. In my opinion, she did a great job.

La Rondine

2009-02-26T17:13:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, my kind & generous uncle Doug gave me tickets to the Metropolitan Opera. Jed and I were thrilled for the special evening and even went to a fancy dinner beforehand to make a full evening of it.

The Entrance to the Metropolitan Opera

Ready to begin my first Met experience!

Just inside the entrance to the Met - I fell in love with the gorgeous chandeliers.

The photo below is taken looking down from the top of the entrance - on the level just below us you may notice the restaurant set-up. You can eat at this restaurant just before the opera begins and then pre-order your dessert to be enjoyed during intermission. When the 15 minute intermission begins, you exit the theater, go to your table, and the dessert you ordered before the show is now all set and waiting for you at your table. The bill is there, ready for you to sign, so you can leisurely enjoy your dessert before the show resumes.

As you can see, the theater is just breathtaking, and there is absolutely not a bad seat in the house!We saw the opera, La Rondine and thoroughly enjoyed it. What made the night even better was that the man we were seated next to reminded both Jed and I of my uncle Doug. It was as if he were there enjoying it with us. Thanks, Uncle Doug!!

The Only Trailer Park In Manhattan

2009-02-16T12:57:00.004-05:00

My friend and coworker, Stephanie had a birthday recently and she demanded we celebrate it at the only trailer park in Manhattan where sloppy joe's and tater-tots abound. We had a great time!

The entrance to the Trailer Park

Stephanie - the birthday girl and the Elvis collage Eddie gave her

The upscale atmosphere of the Trailer Park

Durham prepping his sloppy joe

C-Song, Noelle, and Mo having a good time

We didn't recognize Eddie at first since he came dressed as a redneck - he might not look that crazy to most of you, but baseball caps and flannel shirts are certainly not part of Eddie's regular wardrobe.

A group shot that Jed must have ducked out of at the last minute.

If you're ever in NYC, the Trailer Park is a must-see! (Okay, maybe after the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Metropolitan Opera, the Empire State Building, 30 Rock, every single Broadway show, Central Park, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, Columbus Circle, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History, Bryant Park, Grand Central Station...)

New Year's Day at Grand Central

2009-02-08T19:49:00.009-05:00

Over New Year's, our friend Paul came to visit. Sadly he was sick during part of it, but we managed to have a good time anyway. We had a little outing on New Year's Day and took some photos at Grand Central's main terminal. It's a really cool space, but hard to really capture it in photos. My favorite part of the main terminal is the beautiful artwork on the giant ceiling. Here's a kinda boring video, but you get a bit more of a feel for the space...

We also ventured out to the Museum of the Moving Image since Jed and Paul are filmmakers and such. I didn't take many pictures at all, but one of our favorite parts was recording our own ADR (automated dialogue replacement) for a couple scenes in The Wizard of Oz and Babe. We would watch the scene, memorize the lines of our assigned characters, and then record our own version of the lines. The scene would then be played with our vocal performance. It was a very fun exhibit. Here's a shot of Jed recording his lines as Dorothy...

Okay, Just One Last Thing About Christmas

2009-02-08T19:41:00.004-05:00

My adorable niece, Rebecca fell in love with the dog that my parents are taking care of. Scooter is a very sweet dog and did a wonderful job with the little ones following him around during the holidays.
As mentioned in a previous post, Rebecca decided to call him "Sha-Puppy" instead of Scooter and would constantly ask us where he was. When she heard him bark in the garage once, I cupped my hand to my ear and asked, "can you hear the puppy?" She immediately copied me and said "Sha-Puppy?!" We made it a point to get her to perform this little, adorable ritual over and over during the rest of our visit. See how cute it is??
Okay, even though I still have more photos to share, I will just stop with the whole Christmas 2008 talk, with it being mid-February and all.

New Year's Eve at Madison Square Garden

2009-01-23T20:52:00.000-05:00

Yes, clearly I am still playing catch up...bear with me....
We were lucky enough to spend New Year's Eve in my CEO's box suite at Madison Square Garden for an awesome concert by My Morning Jacket. We had a fabulous time!

Jed and I getting ready for the show to start

Despite the height difference, Jed and Durham ended up being twins (wearing the exact same sweater...Durham recommended I get it for Jed for Christmas, so I did)

We were able to bring our friend Jonathan along...sadly his wife was at home sick, and same with our friend Paul. We missed having them there :(I think the show's starting!!!!Yay, I was right!!

Erin, Steph and I had a blast!At midnight they released tons of ballons and confetti from the ceiling while My Morning Jacket played "Celebrate Good Times" (is that the actual title of the song?)

And instead of grossing you out with a shot of our midnight smooch, I'll leave you with this more conservative picture.

Happy New Year!!!

Our Magical, White Christmas in Washington

2009-01-17T20:12:00.000-05:00

So, obviously I am still playing catch-up from the holidays...hope you don't mind, but I just have to tell you about our great Christmas...
It was pretty much picture-perfect. We woke up Christmas morning to the beautiful, snowy blizzard continuing outside (snowed for 8 days straight), and somehow, the girls slept in till 8am.

Here's a shot of our 2nd Christmas tree of the season (longish story) surrounded by presents just waiting to be opened.To my mother's dismay, Jed and I accidentally left our traditional stockings (which match the rest of the family's) in NYC. Fortunately my mom had these as backup. Phew!!

Jed somehow ended up with the lucky job of "playing Santa"

Rebecca and Uncle Santa hanging out, waiting to open presentsI got to help Rebecca dig through her stocking. As you can see, she was thrilled about the Snicker's Santa and Lifesavers she found!

But all of her presents didn't win her affection nearly as Strongly as Scooter did. She followed him around calling him "Sha Puppy" during our entire visit. It was adorable!

After opening presents, the blizzard stopped just in time for us to head outside and play in the snow.

Kim and Kennedy ready to take off

Jed and I posing near the beginnings of our snowman

Jared and his family (minus napping Rebecca)

Cute couple and gorgeous scenery

Macey and Grandma Stephanie posing with their almost-finished product.

Taylor and Jared ready to launch Kennedy down the hill as Uncle Jed looks on

Take off!

Jed trusting Macey in the driver's seat

And finally, the beautiful snowlady; eyelashes, earrings, bouquet, skirt and all!

We ended the perfect day by playing around in the gym.

Jed and Jared enjoyed challenging each other to ping pong and basketball matches throughout our visit. I'm not sure, but I think Jared ended up winning overall.

We threw all the Christmas wrapping paper on the ground and had a blast playing with it - who needs new toys when you have a bunch of garbage?

Grandma Stephanie made a hat out of the wrapping paper and when Macey tried it on she said, "Aunt Kate, how do you like my garbage hat?"

Rebecca loved playing with the huge exercise ball

When Kennedy got exhausted from running around, she rigged up this relaxing set-up all by herself.

And here is where our story tragically ends when, on Christmas night, Jed and I had to catch a redeye flight back to NYC so I could work the next day. That was the only hitch to our picture-perfect, very memorable Christmas.

Family Picture Day

2009-01-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

We had to take advantage of having all of the Allgood family members together at once, so we went to have a family portrait taken. Below are a couple of the silly shots we got and some photos I snapped along the way...

You may notice that Taylor's head is floating in this picture...he stepped out to get a coffee while we were taking this shot and nobody noticed we were missing a family member till we looked through all the photos afterward.

Macey just loved trying on Uncle Jed's glasses.

Jed would smile for this picture......but not for this one...
Rebecca loves her Uncle TaylorAnd her Uncle Jon

The girls played with the feather boas while the adults reviewed all the photos so I decided to snap a few glamour shots...aren't they cuties?!

I just love hangin' with these girls!

Unsupervised Sibling Party Hosted by Jon

2009-01-12T19:49:00.001-05:00

During our Christmas visit to Washington, my oldest brother Jon invited us over to his awesome apartment in Seattle and took us to a delicious dinner. Siblings only, no parents allowed!

Jon, looking a bit intimidated by the camera, sitting at his sweet desk set up

Taylor and Ryan enjoying the delicious, organic lemon lime soda on Jon's unique, stylin' chairs

Jed making an extremely attractive face, probably because he's thrilled that I'm taking his picture.
Taylor and I were totally excited about Dea's thoughtfully provided hot cocoa

Kim and Jared...clearly the normal ones of the bunch

Dea and Jon in front of a huge, awesome print of one of my favorite NYC landmarks, the Flatiron building

Thanks Jon, Dea, and sibs for an enjoyable, memorable night. It made me wish we all lived closer to one another.

Christmas Blizzard in Washington

2009-01-10T18:46:00.000-05:00

We got to spend the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas with my family in Redmond, Washington. We arrived just in time for a record-breaking blizzard (it rarely snows even an inch there). These are some shots around the pretty, snow-covered ranch my parents are "house-sitting" for 3 years...

Dea, her mom, and my brother Jon had to hike the long driveway to reach us on Christmas morning to avoid getting their car stuck.

My parents are pretty fortunate to be surrounded by this beauty all the time. Being back in Washington was extremely relaxing and refreshing. I was slightly homesick for NYC, but there is just nothing like being back in my hometown. Stay tuned for a more thorough post of our incredible Christmas...

Rockband Party

2009-01-06T21:14:00.001-05:00

We got to spend the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas in my hometown in Washington. While we were there, one of my high school friends decided to host a Rockband jam session. Jordan demanded that everyone dress in some sort of musical genre attire...

I went as an old school country star and Jed was shooting for the 1970's Elton John lookThis was my first time playing Rockband, so I had to really focus on my guitar skills

Jordan's mom, Sandy and I having a good time as always

Madonna and Billy Idol

Nothing brings a family together like playing Rockband - the entire Johnson clan rocked so hard that we blew a fuse and had to shut down some of the Christmas lights in order to keep jamming.

Nicole and Jordan Bayly as ravers

Jed workin' the guitar

How can you not love these people? - Mother and son finding common ground in '90's hip hop

Thanks Jordan and Johnson family for the great time! I only wish the record-breaking blizzard hadn't prevented me from stopping by for another visit!

Christmas Cooking Assistants

2009-01-03T08:31:00.009-05:00

To celebrate Christmas this year, my supervisor took all of the executive assistants from my office to the Institute of Culinary Education for a cooking party. We had a fabulous time!

The admin team

Megan, Chelsea, Erica and Jen - some of my adorable coworkers

Team 3 working on our delicious dessert

Team 2 working on our appetizer

My supervisor being supervised

Poor Megan had to chop all the onions

The onions' effects spread across the entire kitchen

Jen working on our yummy appetizer

Eddie and Durham - my entertainment day in and day out at the office

Some of my work buddies

Megan was trying to show off the appetizer (made by Team 1), but the angle of the plate was a bit too severe and she lost it! Looking at this photo made us laugh all night.

Our delectable main course by my team (Team 2) - potato gruyere soufflé, roasted brussels sprouts, and a delicious tenderloin roast.

Durham, Erica, and Chelsea at the end of the table

Here I am sporting my 2 prizes from my "popper." Our supervisor, Maura, is from Ireland and shared an Irish Christmas tradition with us -- a "popper" for each person containing a paper crown, a little prize (a fan in my case), and a cheesey joke to share with the group.

Our amazing dessert by team 3 - cinnamon sugar beniets with ganache and mocha ice cream.

To remember the evening we were each given a heat-resistant, red spatula.

It was definitely a fun and memorable night!

How to Host Thanksgiving in NYC

2008-12-19T14:06:00.000-05:00

1. Start off by inviting 12 people for the BIG day to your NOT SO BIG, studio apartmet.
2. Assign each of those people several side dishes so you are only left with making the main attractions (turkey, mashed poatoes, and pies).
3. Enlist the help of your culinary-graduate friend in preparing the totally intimidating turkey.
4. Sorta, semi-try to follow Alton Brown's turkey recipe (if you have access to normal grocery stores that carry the normal range of ingedients, you can follow the recipe exactly. If you live in NYC, you are just going to have to improvise).

Rinse the bird & remove those nasty, nasty "giblets" (or have your culinary friend do the dirty work if you are too grossed out...thank you, Natalie). Mix the brine (it helps if you mix it with a really enthusiastic expression on your face so your excitment, love, and energy get thrown in there with the other ingredients).
Poor the brine into a GIANT zip-loc bag inside your cooler (Natalie, I forgot to ask you, where did you ever find such a humongous bag?!).

Poor a bunch of ice in with that to keep your bird nice and cold. Throw the bird in and zip up the bag, close the cooler and leave it there over night (turning the bird over once about halfway through the brining process).

5. Sleep in and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with friends. Around the time that's wrapping up, throw the turkey in the oven.

6. During the National Dog Show, have your guests peel hundreds of potatoes (in my opinion, mashed potatoes are the best part of the whole meal).

Sidenote: posing with said potatoes helps them feel important, which most certainly adds to the flavor and overall taste of the finished product.

7. Have your guests make their favorite Thanksgiving dish to add to the feast (in this case, green beans with bacon seasoned to perfection with black pepper...mmm!)

8. Show off the perfectly browned, totally moist turkey you made (and this was my first time ever!)

9. Let your husband do the stereotypical man's job in Thanksgiving prep: carving the perfectly browned bird.

10. Sit down with your friends and family and feast away!!!

11. Once the feast has slowed down and settled slightly, feast again on the DELICIOUS pies your husband made FROM SCRATCH!

Strawberry Rhubarb

My favorite - Peach

And Juicy Blackberry

12. Take your visitors out on the town and show them the wonders of NYC. Make sure you get a shot of your husband and his younger brother.

13. Definitely show your brother and sister-in-law Times Square

14. If it happens to be one of your visitor's birthday, make sure they (or their wife) win tickets to see Wicked from the front row.
15. If your other visitors are big Rangers fans, make sure your employer gives you tickets to a game at their box suite at Madison Square Garden.

16. Don't forget to pose in at least one picture with your friend - if you're the only one taking pictures, you'll forget that you were even there!
17. And last but not least, throw in at least one celebrity sighting.

We spotted Tony Shalhoub (from Monk and Wings) shopping at H&M

And THAT'S how you host Thanksgiving in New York City.

Quick Visit With Brooke

2008-12-17T14:26:00.006-05:00

Probably a month or so ago, my dear friend, Brooke came to NYC to rekindle some of her nanny-duties of the past for a couple weeks.

Brooke and I have a fabulous history. First of all, we met in the train station in Bucharest, Romania (or did we meet briefly at BYU before we took off for Romania?). We shared a horribly uncomfortable bed for a couple months in a terrible apartment in Brasov. And though that bed was a bit crowded, I'm glad she was there since for some reason the bed bugs (or whatever they were), were more attracted to Brooke's ankles than mine. We spent every waking (and non-waking) moment together during my first & second adventures to Romania and fell in love with all the same sweet kids. We've been shouted at by gypsies, swindled by cab drivers, and forced to perform in strange religious skits. We've gone showerless for days and have seen each other at our best and at our worst. What will always connect us, though we have and will spend years apart, is the fact that we share a deep passion and dedicated love for the orphaned and ailing children of Romania and just happen to be kindred spirits of some sort.

So, of course I was thrilled when she came up to NYC for a bit to help out the family for whom she used to nanny. She had a couple free hours in Manhattan, so I jumped at the chance to meet up with her and reminisce about our sweet children.

Spending time with Brooke reminded me of the things that really matter to me. It's scary how quickly one's priorities shift when surrounded by glittering materialism. This city is a gem in so many ways, but it certainly requires you to work hard to keep the proper perspective. My passion (or should I say compassion) was reawakened when I walked through the city with Brooke discussing which of our street kids I reconnected with on my most recent trip to Romania.

Hopefully our visit will kick-start my heart into some action more meaningful than the executive assisting of hedge fund managers. Thank goodness for the means by which our bills get paid, but maybe I can sacrifice a bit of my precious and rare spare time to a greater cause.

I always love seeing you, Brooke. Come back soon!!

So sorry...

2008-12-16T17:13:00.002-05:00

...that you've had to look at the same boring post for an entire month! The last month has been a total blur with Thanksgiving and holiday parties and trying to get ready to take off early for Christmas. I have some posts a-brewin' so fear not, there will be updates soon with reports on our latest adventures. Just know that right now I am relaxing with my family in my homeland of Washington. And I am loving every minute of it!