Merry Christmas!

I found this video earlier this week and decided to wait and share it on Christmas Eve. It's so sweet. I can't decide if I like the Australian children narrators and their childlike way of describing the Nativity story, or if I like to see their cute faces as they act it out. Just really cute. 

(The sheep might be my favorite.)

Christmas in New York

Things are slow at work this week. And that translates to another blog post for you! So, here's the NYC recap.

I have only gone to New York with friends once, and that was last October. Yeah, October 2009. So it was definitely a different trip than I've done in the past, and a good different. Lisa, Debbie, Laney and I caught the bus up to New York after work on Friday. Most things on the itinerary were not accomplished. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a success.

Highlights include: brunch at Community Food and Juice (maybe a new favorite); taking pictures on the subway ride out to Brooklyn; Anthropologie shopping at Rockefeller Square; dinner with Liz and Mark at Lombardi's; Debbie experiencing "Banana Heaven"* for the first time; Carly; playing a late night game of "What If"; Sunday lunch at Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem; and making the bus when I didn't think we were going to. (I'm sure I'm forgetting something else.)

Lombardi's with the Weinbergs. Why is my face so red?! We were laughing loud, and hard. That's it. I think...

Dinosaur BBQ

Before food.

After food.

Rockefeller Square. Man, I'm such a picture poser.

Anthropologie. We all walked away with something. Great sale!

*Banana Heaven would be Magnolia's Banana Pudding. And it really is Banana Heaven.

And, all pictures by the lovely and wonderful hostess, Carly. (I WAS going to link to her blog here but she NEVER updates so it's really pointless.)

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good:
Yesterday morning was a struggle to get up since we got home so late from New York and then I remembered I had to write missionary sister Emma before going to bed. So, when I got up I was moving slow and everything seemed to take extra long. We had already missed our express bus so we fixed ourselves lunch and cut a piece of the Cinnamon Raisin bread that our neighbor brought over, and walked leisurely to the bus stop to wait for the next bus. But, as we were about half way there, we saw the bus drive by and knew we wouldn't even be able to sprint and make it! I stopped in the middle of the street, shoulders slumped dejectedly as I knew we just barely missed it. (There's something about just barely missing something that's way tougher to handle than missing by 10 minutes or something.) Then we saw the bus slow down, and stop about 100 feet from our bus stop. And then we started running. And, best part? We made it to work on time! What a nice bus driver. Made my Monday morning.

The Bad:
Today at work is our Holiday Party. I walked out the door, to run to the giant refrigerator in the hall for more food, and there were two people who needed some directions. When I offered to help, somehow my earring got caught on my dress and I couldn't move my shoulder without jeopardizing my ear. I had to stop and ask the woman who was asking for directions to help me out. A total stranger touched my ear and unhooked my shirt. How awkward for her! And kind of awkward for me. I told her we were now Insta-Friends.

The Ugly:
Lisa talked me into going to the Step Aerobics class at the gym. I thought I was coordinated. I thought I was a good dancer. I thought I could pick up moves pretty fast. Step Aerobics has taught me otherwise. Every time the class was doing some spin move and they ended up facing the back of the room, I was still facing front and looking back at everyone looking at me. Every time we were supposed to hop from one side to the other I couldn't make it across the step in time. Every time I finally picked up a step combination the class had already moved to the next combo, in perfect unison I might add! I can't tell you if I'm going to do it again, because it was slightly painful. I was so horrible I couldn't even do the moves a few times because then I was laughing too hard. I wouldn't say the class was fun, but I would say that it was fun-NEY.

The Bus Ride

I'm on the bus back to DC from NYC. More pictures to follow, but first, the cutest:

me, Liz, Carly. Photo by Liz's husband, the fabulous Mark Weinberg

and second, our bus experience of the night:
  
7:02- We finally catch a cab at 93rd and Columbus. We're cutting it close.
7:12- We're in our cab making our way down to our bus. Still cutting it close. Bus leaves at 7:30.
7:18- Another cab cuts us off and our cab driver proceeds to yell at him out the window and call him a Puerto Rican and a Mexican. (Not sure which one our driver thought was worse.)
7:22- I'm getting really stress I can't breathe.
7:23- "I can't deal with this right now!" (I say as I try to get the sound to turn off on the tv and it won't work.)
7:25- I decide if we make it, I'm throwing a 20 through the window and letting the driver keep the change. Laney's trying to lighten the situation.
7:27- We arrive at 33rd St and 7th Av.
7:28- We sprint across the street and run to the bus.
7:29- We are unfortunate enough to find the only four seats together are on the back two rows, right next to the bathroom.

* * *

8:20- Lisa and I turn around looking for the food we think Debbie and Laney have gotten out.
8:35- The bus pulls over.
8:37- The bus driver and a woman appear to be cleaning something up. We speculate barf. That would explain the overwhelming garlic smell.
8:40- A guy covering his nose with his sweatshirt walks towards us in the back and explains that indeed someone ralphed their Italian dinner. (Must have had the garlic knots we all think.)
8:53- We pull into a rest stop for a 20 minute break.
8:54- We realize how happy we are we're as far away from the puke seat as possible and happy we were late for the bus, because we probably would have been sitting near it...

 More NYC pictures to follow!

Resolutions

Yesterday while gchatting my friend asked me what some of my New Year's Resolutions were going to be. And, I thought of how my friend Catherine decided a few years ago that she was going to learn to yodel. I thought, you know, I should have a fun resolution I want to do.

And you know what? I thought of two.

Resolution #1: I will learn to draw. I bought a drawing book a few months ago, and I have yet to crack it open to begin the lessons. Oops! January will be a perfect time to start. Everything is good to start in January.

Resolution #2: I will be able to do the splits. I used to be a dancer. Well, I guess I'm still a dancer, I can't stop my body from moving when I hear Black Eyed Peas or something with a good solid bass. But, I used to be a ballet dancer. Whenever we would do things on the barre, I would always have to be on the lower bar because my legs would go that high. And usually we'd have to try and do the splits in the middle of the floor too. Yeah, my showing was pathetic. So, by 2012, I will be able to do the splits on the right and left side (hopefully). I'll learn how to do it. And I'll get flexible. And, there are lots of demonstrations online.

One of these is semi useful (drawing) one is probably not really useful. But, I'll amaze people with my high kick and my new found flexibility (maybe).

Chicken

After work, before the gym, Lisa and I walk through the mall food court. It's on our way from the metro to the gym, but it has an added bonus: a couple times a week we walk past the restaurants that give chicken samples. Bourbon, BBQ and Teriyaki. Bourbon is the best.

We'd do it everyday if we didn't worry they'd figure out we were the same girls who come by around 5:30 every afternoon but don't buy anything.

Someday maybe I'll buy a plate of chicken and rice. But until then, samples are all I need.

Rebecca

Last weekend after the Scottish Christmas parade, my photographer roommate Rebecca and I took a stroll through Old Town Alexandria and took pictures. Yeah, pretty much I'm a model. I'll be on ANTM Season 17. Look for me.

Check out the whole post dedicated to ME on her blog: Rebecca Reed Photography

Rebecca is really fabulous, easy to work with and has a good eye for pretty things. (cough, cough, like me) She currently works with and assists DC photographer Kate Headley as a video-ographer and second shooter here in DC. And she has my dream volunteer job as an information desk worker at the American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery her in DC. (Seriously, makes me jealous all the time.) She was even featured on the Smithsonian blog with some of her work she did for an event. And, if you've heard of the blog Rockstar Diaries, she took the pictures for the writer's headband shop. Pretty much Rebecca is fantastic, and she gets to do cool things: like be a photographer for a non profit children's group and meeting Barak.

And now, the good news, for anyone interested in getting pictures taken over the holidays, Rebecca will be in Utah from December 15-January 5. She's offering special holiday rates for portraits: teen, children, adult, engagement and family. If you're even a little bit interested, you should contact her for more information and pricing at rebeccareedphotography@gmail.com.

PS. She even Photoshopped out the zit I had on my cheek. Now that's true roommate love there.