2010 New Year's Resolutions

1. I will learn something new (I would really like to learn how to dance)
2. I will see an Opera
3. I will travel outside the country
4. I will buy a big girl bed! I'm done with this twin. I also will buy new furniture for my room and redecorate
5. I will take the GMAT and do better than expected
6. I will read on the train whenever my trip is longer than 30 min
7. I will go to the gym at least three times a week
8. I will eat more fruits and vegetables
9. I will always try to look for the good in people
10. I will not behave sluttishly around the apartment, but instead image that other people are watching :)

Friday Favorites: Favorite Events of 2009

Favorite events of 2009!

• Seeing Billy Elliot (Broadway Musical)- It's still one of my favorite shows of all time!
• Promotion to Senior Analyst!
• Elizabeth coming to play in NYC
• Seeing David Duchovny on the bus.
• Sarah coming to play times 2! - She came in April and November! Can't get enough Sarah!
• Going to Disney World with the family
• Hike with Selki
• Going to the Visa Signature Tony Awards Season Celebration
• Seeing Next to Normal (Broadway Musical)
• Seeing Rock of Ages
• Backpacking with Dad and Kari - I can't wait until next summer!
• Seeing The Norman Conquest (Broadway Play) - I would pay good money to see all three plays again
• Several Cooking with Ashley sessions - I hope there are many more next year.
• Dad, Kari, and Aunt Susan coming to play
• 25th Birthday! - I can't believe i'm so old!
• Going to Tavern on the Green for my Birthday
• Surprise Birthday party
• Going to a Yankee game and witnessing Jeter breaking the Yankee hits record
• Going to the US Open!
• Going Pumpkin picking with the girls
• Going to Utah to visit Elizabeth
• Hiking the Y

• Seeing A Steady Rain and Hamlet
• Spending Thanksgiving in Texas
• Going to the UT football game
• Meeting David :)
• Going home to play with the family for Christmas!

I hope 2010 is as memorable!

Christmas in the Northwest

It's been a long day, but a good one!

Presents in the morning! Dad got a PlayStation 3 (He's such a big kid) and Kari got Rock Band. Mom got lots of stuff (precious moments Nativity Scene, dvd recorder, lots of books, and a lot of hair stuff). I got a backpacking tent and cooking utensils. Santa was very good to us this year!


We then headed down to Grandma and Grandpas for dinner with the family. Tiffany and Zack were there with their two-year-old daughter Emma. She's so cute and provided hours of entertainment. It was really nice having a kid around for Christmas! Note the hot Christmas vest! It's a new tradition to wear tacky chrismats attire to Christmas dinner. Good times!


We then ended back home to play with our new toys. We ended the evening with a nice little "Beetles" jam sessions. It was a good day with the family!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays,
'Cause no matter how far away you roam,
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze,
For the holidays, you cant beat home, sweet home.

(even if you are going home to sleep on an air-mattress because your mom turned your room into her craft room)

Friday Favorites: Christmas Movies and Songs

Friday Favorites are back for at least two weeks. January is going to be another busy month, so I'm not sure how many Friday Favorites I will be able to complete.

I love Christmas! It's one of my favorite times of year. I especially love the music and the movies. Here are a few of my favorites.

My favorite Christmas songs:
Baby, It's Cold Outside
Santa Baby
Ave Maria
Little Saint Nick
Do You Hear What I Hear
Little Drummer Boy
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The First Noel
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
Breath Of Heaven (Mary’s Song)
Where Are You Christmas
O Holy Night
Ave Maria

Favorite Christmas Movies (in no particular order)

(Dear Santa) PS....

Hey Santa,

Sorry, I have a few extra items to add to my list.

A new umbrella: I realized on my way to get lunch in the rain that my umbrella is really old and kind of broken. A new one would be great!

North Face Coat (black or blue): It's so cold! I really need one of those down coats from North Face (not too puffy). I'm looking for something that's mid thigh or knee length. I'm freezing Santa! Help a girl out.
A new apartment: I would greatly appreciate it if a beautiful four bedroom apartment on the upper west side would open in January! It would really start my year off with a bang. I really just need a bigger room. I want to sleep on a big girl bed (anything larger than a twin!). I feel like I have slept on a twin long enough. Please help!
An arranged marriage (well, maybe a coupon for one): So, I just heard that someone asked for an arranged marriage for Christmas. I didn't know you could ask for this! I would have asked years ago! Well, I don't know if I need an arranged marriage, but I would love to have it as a fall back plan. So, maybe a coupon or something would work. Let me know.

So, I know some of these things are kind of bigger, but if you could give me two out of the four, I would be a very happy and promise to be good girl for the rest of my life!

“You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas” (Davy Crockett)

On my last day in Texas, Sarah took me to see the Alamo. We started at the Rivercenter Mall and walked down the riverwalk to the Alamo. I love the riverwalk. I wish we could have stopped for dinner, but the Salt Lick was calling our names.


I really enjoyed the Alamo. We did an audio guided tour, so we learned a lot. I'm glad we did, because I didn't really remember a whole lot of what happened at the Alamo (except that we lost).


We then went to the Salt Lick Bar-B-Que for dinner. This is one of my favorite places in Texas! It's the best!

I really love Texas. I love visiting with Sarah and her family. I always have such an amazing time.

Just Around the Riverbend...

Day two in Texas Sarah and I went to the lake for a little time on the water. I'm not sure what this is called, but basically we paddled around on surf boards. It was a lot of fun. The man renting them told us that the fall-in rate was very high, so plan on getting wet. I'm proud to announce, that we both didn't fall in! It was really cold, but it was a lot of fun.


We then went shopping while we waited to meet Sarah's parents for dinner. Sarah was kind enough to take me to one of the Tiffany's in Austin. I got a toy soldier Christmas ornament.


We also went to see the bats. Supposedly there are a lot of bats that live under a bridge near downtown Austin. At twilight they all fly out in a line. It's supposed to be very impressive. Unfortunately, the bats had all flown south for the winter, so we didn't see much. I'm hoping to go back in the summer to see these infamous bats.


Sarah surprised me after dinner by taking me to see Esther's Follies. It was hilarious! It's a musical/comedy/magic show. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.