Looking Back on 2008!

When I started thinking about what to write, I was a little discouraged and thought that there wasn't anything too exciting. I did come up with a list of things that I will remember.

• Went Skydiving
  
• Visited Texas
• Moved for the third time since coming to NY.
• Seen 40 plays/musicals (counting the firsts)
  
• One concert
• Was a bridesmaid
• Went to California
• Saw Harry Potters wand
• Got insurance
• Met Clay Aiken
• Went to the Museum of Natural History
• Went to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
• Got a new ipod and computer
• Ordered my first pair of Nike iDs
• Bought my first wig
• New cell phone
• Went to IKEA
  
• Went to Shake Shack (several times)
• Watched my mom sleep through the Nutcracker.
  
• Saw Miley Cyrus on the side walk

Broadway: What the Shrek

So, like i mentioned before, I went to see Shrek with Mom and Kari. I really don't know where to start. I really enjoy the movie and they did do a great job of keeping a lot of the jokes in the show. I laughed a lot. My favorite part is when the Princess Fiona (younger, teenager, and adult) sing "I know it's today." I just love that song and it was so amazing to see it performed live. My second favorite part is when Lord Farquaad (he was perfect) gives a little taste of 'Wicked.' I think I laughed the hardest at that point. Words can't describe how perfect that moment is.

This show has some really great moments and then some really lame moments. It really isn't a consistently good show. Funny...with good acting.....just not.....all there. I will have to confess that I love Sutton Foster, but I just wasn't feeling her in this role. The weakest part of the whole show was a song she sings while they are escaping from the dragon. I know it's not her fault that the song isn't very good, but she really wasn't at her best.

Well, all in all...I'm glad i went to see it. Kari and Mom both liked it and it was a good laugh.

Home Alone!

I'm living it!
I will post more pics about mom and Kari when I get a free second. Main goal now is to get Kari out of bed and on a plane. Wish me luck!

Day 4 of the Days of Mom and Kari

Today, Mom and I got up and went to the Museum of Natural History. Kari was suppose to go too, but just couldn't get out of bed. This museum is right down the street from my house, so it was a great activity where we didn't have spend lots of time out in the cold.

This was my first time to the Museum where my sole purpose was to actually look at the exhibits. My first time went something like this... (click here). I was really excited to go back and actually look at some of the exhibits. I only really wanted to see the dinosaurs. Luckily Mom didn't really care what we looked at, so we spent most of our time with the dinosaurs. I loved it. I kept trying to get Mom to pose with some of the old bones, but she really struggled with it. I did get a few good shots of her.We then met up with Kari to go to the Nutcracker. I have really fallen in love with the ballet and I really love the Nutcracker. Kari really liked it too. Mom liked half of it (she slept through the other half).We then went out to dinner and to see Hairspray. I have now seen this show four times and still love it. Harvey Fierstein is back playing Edna Turnblad (not only did he originate the role, but he won his fourth Tony for it). He was absolutely amazing. I'm so glad I got to see it one more time before it closes next month. Mom really really liked it to. It was her favorite show we saw. Good times.

Day 3 of the Days of Mom and Kari

Wow, what a day. It started snowing this morning and didn't really stop all day. Due to the weather we had to change our plans several times, but we still had a good time.









First, we headed down to Rice to Riches for a little treat. Rice to Riches is one of my favorite places in the city, and my sister and mom have become addicted to it too. We then walked down Mulberry street to a nice little Italian restaurant. It was nice to get out of the cold for bit, and Little Italy is still one of my favorite places to eat in the city.



































After a short break at home, we headed to the MoMA for the free Friday admission. Unfortunately, it was very crowded so we decided to go shopping on Fifth instead. We only really went to the Disney store. I don't know why, but my family is drawn to this store. We always end up here. Of course we had to get our picture taken with Minnie and Goofy. Now the New York trip is officially complete!























We then went to dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner. I have been wanting to go here for some time now, so I was so excited when Mom and Kari said they were ok with going. It was soooo much fun. The waiters sing as they serve. Here's a little video of some of the waiters. The second guy singing was my favorite. He really hammed it up. The food was pretty good too (a plus).
































One of the reasons why I thought the Stardust Diner would be perfect for dinner is because it's only a block away from the Shrek theater. Yes, that's right...we went to see Shrek the Musical. I have quite a few opinions of it, but I'm going to save them for another post (since this one is getting long). Mom and Kari both really really liked it.

Day 2 of the Days of Mom and Kari

So I got off work early to spend some quality time with Mom and Kari. They met me at Sandwich Planet near my work. I know it sounds lame, but this is one of my favorite places to eat in the city.

We then went back to my place to drop of a few thins before heading to the Met. Unfortunately we discovered that the Met closed early on weekdays, so we headed down to Time Square to fix the whole ticket fiasco. We found out he that the show we were going to see on Saturday had closed, so we scurried to get tickets to another show. We were able to get tickets to Hairspray. Mom really wanted to see it and it's currently my favorite show, so I was down for seeing it again.

We then had three hours to waste before White Christmas, so we did the whole Time Square thing. We went to the Charmin bathroom. This is the best kind of advertising. We got our picture taken with the Charmin bear, in Santa's sleigh, and on the Charmin swing. They even gave you a picture of you in the sleigh for free. It really was fun. Especially when mom got up close and personal with the Charminn bear.

After the long bathroom break we went to Toys 'R' Us for candy. This is a tradition Sarah and I started a long time ago. No show is complete with out our little bag of candy from Toys 'R' Us.

We then headed over to White Christmas. It was the perfect show to see during the Christmas season. While some of the leads were kind of weak, the guy who played "Phil" totally made up for it. He was amazing and totally channeling Danny Kaye! Judy was pretty good too, but no Vera Ellen. Betty was weak the whole show but totally stepped it up for "You Didn't Do Right By Me." "I love the Piano" was my favorite song. It was perfect. It's a very old-school production with a a lot of tap numbers, but times.it is one to remember. Good times!

Day 1 of the Days of Mom and Kari

Mom and Kari have arrived in safety! They made it to my house at about 10:30pm last night with more luggage then I think was necessary for a six day trip. They're so cute. I have a big project that I'm working on at work, so I haven't been able to spend much time with them. I only have a half day tomorrow and I'm off on Friday, so I hope I can make it up to them.

What did they do while I was at work? Well, they slept in. I'm sooo jealous. Then they went to the post office for me. I mailed a letter about a week ago and it just keeps coming back. Kari waited in line for me to ask why. The person at the post office has no idea why the letter keeps coming back. If it comes back one more time I'm going to freak out! Sorry...I got side tracked. They also went to Rockefeller Center and the NBC store. I ended up joining them with my friend Christine after work.

They are now at Boeing-Boeing. I can't wait to hear what they have to say about it. It's one of my favorite shows.

O Christmas Tree!

In an attempt to have a more festive apartment, Ashley and I went to go get a Christmas tree on Thursday night. We were looking for something small and cheap. After visiting four Christmas tree stands, we finally found the perfect tree. Well, I thought it was perfect, but Ashley decided it was more fun to be difficult and insisted on looking at all the Christmas trees at that stand (before committing). I humored her and briskly walked to the end of the block scanning the trees. I felt confident in the first one, so we went back and bought it. He's a little guy but he fits perfectly in our cozy apartment. There happen to be a bag of Christmas lights in the closet that we used to decorate. (We were so surprised that all of the strands crammed in the bag actually worked. What luck!) Other exciting news: Mom and Kari come on Tuesday! I can't wait.

Dear Santa,

I don't believe I thanked you for my presents last year…well, thank you. I loved them! I can't believe another year has come and gone. Time sure flies when you're having fun. I hope you had a nice vacation with Mrs. Clause.

While I haven't been perfect over the past year, you know what I mean; I have tried really hard to be a good girl. Therefore, I feel like I deserve most of the things on my list. Don't feel bad if everything I ask for doesn't fit in your sleigh. You can send whatever you miss next year!

Season 4 of Lost!

First class plane ticket (to anywhere…I'm not picky)

A trip to Europe

A planned weekend getaway upstate

World peace

A hot Italian man that loves to cook – heck any many that loves to cook – who am I kidding any man would be great (I know I have asked for this several times. This is the year SANTA!)

Scrapbooking supplies – I need letters. You can never have enough.

A purse – Something black that can be worn on the shoulder.

A year supply of Light Soy Milk – plain please!

A dress – I'm looking for something fun to wear to church.

Tights – cute ones with a pattern, not the little girl kind I have.

A knight in shining armor – armor is optional – A prince will do too

Tickets to Billy Eliot, 9 to 5, and West Side Story

Some cute pumps (black with a short heel)

Workout shorts/pants

"New York Minute" – I haven't seen it, but I love Mary-Kate and Ashley

Jewelry – something fun. I'm thinking earrings. I really need some cute ones

Socks - I'm a girl that loves socks.

Something cute to decorate my room with.

A $1,000 gift card to Rice to Riches.

Mad cooking skills. You know that's a need and not a want

Well, how does that sound? I know there are some repeats from last year, but let that just be a way of saying I really really want it. You didn't eat the cookies I left out last year. I wasn't offended, just concerned. Please let me know what you prefer.

Merry Christmas,

erika

Todays lecture topic will be, Scrapbooking, Option or obsession? Part II

Many of you may remember my post regarding my frustration with the lack of scrapbook stores in Manhattan. While I have never quite given up on my quest, I haven't been very pro active over the past year. An old roommate of mine recommended a store a few months a go called Paper Presentation. I haven't really had to the time or need to go look into it until this week. Well, I'm working on some Christmas cards and decided that this may be a good time to check out the store. Paper Presentation is amazing! While it's scrapbooking paper selection is limited (ironic), it has a whole lot of things the other stores in the city don't have. It reminded me of some of the stores in Utah. It was great! Thanks for the tip Leah. I'm only missing ribbon for my cards, but I was told about an amazing ribbon store in midtown. That's tomorrows project. I'm so excited.

A Southern Style Thanksgiving...Maybe?

Ashley was kind enough to invite me to her "Southern" Thanksgiving dinner. Ashley and her two friends (Sarah and Leigh) do not care for turkey, so they decided to go a little non-traditional. After the parade we came back and started cooking. Ashley did almost all of the cooking, while the rest of us served as prep-chefs. It was really fun.

The Menu: Grits (plain and cheesy), Gouda Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole (with a butter pecan streusel), and Low Country Shrimp.
It was absolutely delicious.

From the Other Side of the Street!

I wasn't planning on hitting up the Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, since I had gone last year and waking up early didn’t sound overly appealing. Well, Ashley and her friends that are visiting invited me to go with them last night, and I decided to go. We got up early to try and get a spot. I left at 6:30am hoping to find a somewhat decent spot.

Well, that just didn't happen. I walked all the way down Central Park West and couldn't believe that it was packed so early. I don’t remember it being so crowded so early. I walked back up Central Park West to try and find Ashley and her friends, but couldn't get to them. It was absolutely packed and there was no walk way at all. Before I gave up finding them I decided to try and get to them the back way. I was cut off by a barricade the block right above where they were. I asked one of the personal if I could just get around to find a friend.

He said I couldn't get to my friends, but I could go sit on the bleachers if I wanted. I informed him that I didn't have a ticket, but he said they weren’t checking at the spot I was at, so I could totally sneak in. I was contemplating going back home and watching the parade from the warmth of my home, but decided that I would probably never have a chance to sit on the bleachers again and stayed. I waved to Ashley and her friends as I walked with the mass of people down the center of the street to a place on the bleachers. Let me say that this is the only way to watch the parade. I just wish Ashley and her friends could have been there too.

Sorry for the pathetic pictures. I realized once I sat down that I had forgotten my camera (that is after setting it out so I wouldn't forget it). I'm still a little mad at myself. Oh, well. Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. The Bishop called in the middle of the parade and asked me to talk in church on Sunday. The parade wasn't as enjoyable after that. Oh, well.