A New Puppy?

So, my sister's neighbor has puppies that she's giving away. They are black lab/pit bull mixes. Like the one here:


That's not one of the puppies, of course. Just an example. But they're so adorable! And I'm seriously considering getting one. Here are the complications: I'm kinda a busy person, so I don't know if I'll be home often enough to care for the dog. My roommate has a cat that she's extremely attached to, and may freak out if I brought in a dog (I'd of course run it by her before getting the dog). Our place is a little bit small, so there's not a lot of room for the dog to run around.

Regardless of all these reasons, I still want the dog. For purely selfish purposes, I'm sure. The pros to having a dog? Never feeling lonely, someone to play with, an excuse to take walks around my neighborhood... Like I said, all selfish reasons. What do you all think?

Living Downtown=Great Mornings

My favorite thing about living downtown so far? The mornings. I wake up at the same time as I did when I lived at home, which means I have 20 extra minutes every morning. And it's amazing. I get to sit by our front window on our comfy couch (since we lack a table, or even space for one) and eat my breakfast and sip hot chocolate while watching our quiet street. It's perfect. And with yesterday's beautiful snowfall, our street has been painted white.

Cold autumn mornings refresh me and make me so much happier all day. I'm probably crazy, but I love them. And I love that Halloween is in 3 days! I don't have a ton of exciting plans, but Halloween is just fun. Then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, just around the corner! Man, I love the holiday season.

My Place

It's a crap picture, but here's my new place:



I'll get a better picture up soon with more details. But I love it! I'm really getting into the groove of downtown life, and my roommates and I get along well. It's been awesome so far! We'll see if I still feel like it's awesome when I'm writing the next rent check... And when I'm clearing my car of snow every day!

Dear J.L.K.

My New Year's Prediction is quite possibly coming true this week... Dang, we're good at this. We should all become gypsies and tell people their futures.

She left her heart in old Paris... or maybe Cinque Terre.

My trip to Europe... It was fantastic, of course. And I loved every moment. I know a lot of people think it's crazy to drop $2,500 on something as fleeting as a vacation. I mean, when it's all over, all you have left are memories. But, oh, the memories! They are so worth it!

Our first city was Bruges. It's a quaint place, full of charm. It's all about soaking up the atmosphere. And eating the waffles and chocolates. THE WAFFLES!! To die for... Here's Bruges:



This picture was taken on a Saturday morning, just after 9 am. You'd think the place would be bustling by that time, right? But no. Nicole and I went walking for about a half hour that morning, and saw maybe 10 people. At the most. It was the most beautiful, silent morning and we had the place all to ourselves. Awesome.



Our second stop was Florence. I had heard great things about the gelato, and those rumors are true! But Florence is more well known for their beautiful art. And man, is there a lot of it! Among my favorite Florence sights were the Boboli Gardens and Ponte Vecchio. And the Arno River all lit up at night... Not to be missed:



Michelangelo's David was my other favorite thing. Believe me, it sounded slightly lame to me at first too. It's just a statue. How cool can it be, right? But, oh man!! That thing is beautiful! Man at his most ideal! It's probably wrong that I got a little turned on by the slab of marble, right? His body is perfect. And the details, down to the veins in his hands, were just jaw-dropping. So cool.



Next up, Paris! Or, as my Little Sister would say, Pairee! She just could not believe that I was going to Paris. And her sister said, wow, you must be really rich! I explained to her that it took a long time to save up the money.

I was probably most excited about seeing the Versailles gardens in full bloom. And man, was it worth it! So beautiful. That Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV really knew what they were doing...






And, of course, the Eiffel Tower. Such an awesome structure. Seriously. I could stare at it for hours...


Goodbye Paris... Probably for a long while. I can't keep spending good travel money on places I've already seen. But someday, I will return.

Our next stop, and the one I was anticipating the most, was Cinque Terre. And it exceeding my expectations a thousand-fold. It is the most beautiful place I have ever visited. Absolutely perfect. If I had all the money in the world, this is where I would honeymoon. This is where I'd have my yearly vacation home. This is where I'd live as an old woman.

The view from the window of our hostel in Cinque Terre:


Told you it was gorgeous. I just could not get enough of this place. Amazing mountains, check. Ideal beaches, check. Fascinating locals and tourists, check. I loved everything about this place.

The crazy beautiful beach of Monterosso...


Vernazza's beach was even more beautiful (see my blog heading picture for proof), but we didn't get the time to swim there.

Saying goodbye to Cinque Terre was a little soul-rending. Of all the places we visited, this was the only one I was truly disappointed to be leaving. I enjoyed my roommates, it's pretty much the most beautiful place in the world, and we barely even scratched the surface. But leave we did...

Our next, and last, stop was Rome. I enjoyed Rome the first time, but I probably would not have visited it again if it weren't for Nicole's desire to go. But one thing I'll always enjoy:



The Trevi Fountain... SO beautiful! And even more beautiful at night. I know it's a bit cliche to have my favorite place in Rome be the Trevi Fountain... But what can I say? There's a reason it's so iconic! But I was really excited to be able to visit the Mouth of Truth as well while in Rome. I didn't get to see it when I went last year. I was a bit too excited, probably. But Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck have been there!

Overall, the trip to Europe was amazing. How could it not be?! But there's truly no place like home, and I'm happy to be surrounded by family and friends again. And yes, I'm working on planning my next trip.

P.S. I just noticed that all but one of these pictures have some sort of water in it. Well, I guess that was a theme this trip... And that one picture with no water would have had the ocean in it if only the camera was angled just a bit more.

The Perfect Morning?

Going to Banbury Cross donuts before work...

And picking a yummy donut! Today, strawberry...

And being served that yummy donut by the hot donut guy, Ryan...

Then coming into work to find your co-worker has bought you a Banbury Cross donut to celebrate your birthday....


Alright, not exactly the perfect morning

(which would actually consist of going into Banbury Cross,
being swept off my feet by Ryan who has confessed his undying love,
being hand-fed a delicious donut by him,
being carried out the door as we both play hooky from work,
and driving to the beach for a long walk...)

But it does make for a pretty fantastic start of a new day!

Start Spreading the News...

...I'm leaving today

I want to be a part of it - New York, New York.
These vagabond shoes are longing to stray
right through the very heart of it - New York, New York.

So, my trip to New York. It was fun and fantastic, relaxing and exciting, and simply great. We left on our red-eye, got to NYC at 6:30 am, found out our hostel had cancelled our reservation for that morning, and dropped off our luggage to go exploring on literally zero hours of sleep. But you know what? Who wants to sleep on a day like this...

We started in Central Park where it was an absolutely beautiful day (even if a bit too hot and humid...) After a long stroll through the Park, we headed to another park, Battery, to take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Well, once we got there, we weren't about to wait in a half-mile long line. So we took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue from a near distance. I slept through nearly the entire ride because, let me remind you, red-eye flight+zero sleep+walking for miles= ...well, you get it. After checking into our hostel and taking a much needed shower, we headed out for dinner at Mama Mex and a night in Times Square. Here was our view from Top of the Rock:


New York City is just amazing; the energy and the lights and the history... So cool. Here's the group, popping a pose.

In case you're wondering who I'm traveling with, this is Alan, Tyson, Miranda, Sarah, and me. It was a fun group, and we got along very well. No complaints whatsoever! Which, how often does that happen with a random selection of people?


The next morning, the boys took a train to Flushing, and us girls spent the morning at the Museum of Modern Art, one of the better modern art museums I've been to. I've gained a new appreciation for modern art. Sometimes it annoys me because, come on, my 8 year old nephew could have made that! But you know, that's not the point. It's beautiful because it's a one of a kind. It can never be repeated or duplicated by human hand. It represents one point in time in one person's life, caught on canvas. And that is something to marvel at. One human life, one moment in time, one inspired thought or jerk of the hand, and you've made history with a piece of captured space. One of the more popular inspired moments in time...

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. Beautiful.


That night, we hit up Broadway to see 9 to 5. A different kind of art, and a different kind of great. I laughed a lot and loved it. The show will soon be off broadway and on tour, so if it comes to a city near you, I'd recommend it.



Sunday morning, we hopped on the Long Island Rail Road to Long Beach.


I didn't take the best photos in the world at the beach because I was too busy enjoying the sun, sand, and surf. It is such a beautiful beach with the most ideal sand in the world. We spent our time tanning, wading, walking along the surf, and gathering sea shells. If you know me, you know I don't spend my vacations relaxing. So it was such a welcome wake-up call to realize that I could lay for hours on the beach with nothing to do and it was okay! That's a normal vacation for most people! I really appreciated the relaxation time.


That night, we hit the town for Thai food, shopping at H&M, and a bar with live music called Prohibition. The bar/restaurant was a really cute place. The live music that night was a guy called Keith Ward who played the piano, along with a bassist and drummer. They played covers and some of their own chill music, and it was a great evening. Here's me double fistin' at the bar...

Of course, it's all non-alcoholic. Cranberry juice with lime, and Diet Coke with lime. Two of my favorite bar drinks!


The next morning, our last day, we ate at Tom's Diner, made famous by Seinfeld and Suzanne Vega (ya'll know the song Tom's Diner, if not by name then by sound, I promise). Then we saw St. Paul's Cathedral and played cards in Central Park. I had to say goodbye to Sarah (miss you already, my roomie!), and the boys and I took a subway to the Manhattan temple. It was Monday, so it was closed. But it's still so fascinating to see a temple sitting right smack in the middle of a bustling city.

Last order of business in New York? Eating a Gray's Papaya hot dog, of course!!

Now, I'm home again, home again. Loved having the time off, and look forward to Europe in... 22 days!