Monday.

Quinn has been sick for the past week, which meant that I started my day off with a screaming little boy. I'd be screaming too if I woke up covered in green boogies. So sad. I called mom-expert Suzi & asked her what I should do, then called the pediatrician as soon as they opened at 8am & made an appointment for later in the afternoon. In the meantime, I gave him bananas & toast with jam for breakfast - most of which he threw on the floor. I followed this up with half of my Cheerios (honey nut), because these are a sure thing with him these days.

We read stories on the couch, pulled out his blocks, sang silly songs & sprinted around the living room to get a smile back on his face.

My dad called at 8:30am, just like he does most mornings on his way to work. I love this.

We ran to the dry cleaners around 9am, because Mike had suits & shirts that had to be dropped off before 10am so that they could be back tomorrow - just in time for him to get home from a few days of traveling & head out again.

(Sigh.)

We stopped by the gas station to fill up my front right tire with some air. It's leaky, & I need to get that checked, but the last time I was at the tire shop I was there for almost 3 hours. With a toddler. I'm putting our next visit off for as long as I can, & in the meantime I'm just proud of myself for being able to use a tire pressure gauge all by myself (city girl).

I swung by the new Trader Joe's to see if I could find any clues on their opening date. I cannot even explain how incredibly happy it will make me to have this store back in my life. So happy! And perfect timing for a new baby, too - because I know I won't be cooking anything from September - December, & their frozen + prepared foods make me so happy. They already have the familiar red grocery carts inside, the chalkboard displays are up, & there were a dozen+ people working away inside of the massive store. Progress! Even better, there's a giant parking lot in front! For cars! I won't have to buy only as much as I can carry with my own two arms, or break into a sweat lugging it all onto the curb & into a cab.

#suburbsforthewin

We got home in time to meet my kind housecleaners who arrived at 10:30 (they come twice a month, & it saves my sanity). Q is in love with Eva & her crew - & probably now understands as much Spanish as he does English.

¿Dónde está tu mamá?

And he points to me. It's great.

A few minutes later, a really nice Puerto Rican man showed up to tune & clean our new piano. He loves New York, & we had fun chatting about it. I don't meet many Puerto Ricans in Texas, & I always have fun when I meet another. It makes me feel at home.

My house was full of Spanish, vacuums & the piano for the next several hours.

Meanwhile, Q followed Eva around wherever she went, because that's what he does when she's here (he's obsessed with her - she's so sweet). A mini-break for me meant that I pulled the sheets off of my bed, the rugs & towels from our bathroom, & got started on the laundry (my Monday morning ritual). I organized the kitchen drawers that were driving me crazy, picked up Q's toys from the living room floor, ordered a new baby gift for a friend (that I had originally found in New York last week - the bag was left at our gate in Newark - along with a box of Ladurée macaroons!), took advantage of Amazon Prime & ordered a few sippy cups (since they keep flying away lately), made an appointment for my 10,000 mile maintenance appointment for my car (have we lived here that long?!), tried to fix my iPhone (which isn't getting email - annoying), wiped Q's nose for the 100th time & ordered a new pair of shoes for him. His feet have suddenly started growing like little weeds.

I talked to my mom a few times today, per usual. I'm not sure when, or about what, but that's our happy normal.

I talked to my sister Elizabeth a few times, too. Mike was in Salt Lake City today for a client meeting & zipped down to Provo to meet my two newest nieces - Sloane & Grace. I'm jealous.

Anyway. Q was hungry, & needing an early nap so I made him a quick lunch - sliced grapes (which he'll suck on, but never actually swallow), & a quesadilla with grilled chicken & cheese. I knew he was finished when he emptied half of the contents of his tray onto the floor, so I scooped him up & we raced up the stairs for pre-nap stories. He's getting really fast on his hands & knees.

We curled up in his big chair in his room with our books. He really loves When the World is Ready For Bed, The Napping House & any Sandra Boynton book (especially Moo, Baa, La, La, La - if you ask me What do the sheep say? he responds with La! La! La! We'll straighten him out at some point). I think we read four stories, two of them twice. So. Six stories, a song, & he was immediately asleep.

I raced downstairs, anxious to take advantage of my productive time of the day (when I should always be sleeping myself, really). I spent a solid half-hour organizing my closet (& pulling out some maternity things, eek!), folding & putting away laundry, cleaning up from lunch, re-scheduling Q's doctor's appointment since there was no way my piano tuner would be done in time to make the original, went through some emails, & watered my front porch plants which I'm already killing. Again. For the FOURTH time.

I checked on my friend Missy who finished the Boston Marathon today - in blazing heat & humidity - in approximately 15 minutes. Amazing.

Quinn woke up for his nap about two minutes before we had to leave for his doctor's appointment. We got in the car & he poo'd as soon as I'd strapped him in. Perfect! I changed him in the car, took him to his appointment (double ear infection! this explains so very much), went to the gas station to fill up (since I was approximately 4 miles away from being stranded by the side of the road, oops!), drove to the grocery store to pick up his prescription & did some grocery shopping while I was at it. I bought salt & vinegar chips (an entire bag!!) because they've been so good to me this pregnancy. I was smiling by the time I left the store. Q was happy, everyone was telling me how happy he was (double ear infection!!), & about a thousand people helped me while I was there - helping Q get strapped into the cart (while I refused to get off of my phone with friend Jill), helping me find things, helping me unload my cart onto the belt, & a nice Walmart-greeter-esque man standing at the door telling everyone to Have a great day!

I really love Texas some days.

We got home just in time for dinner. I fed Quinn his tamale (you know he loves Mexican food) & beans for dinner, while I ate a California Roll (which absolutely does not count as real sushi, despite the fact that it was made at the sushi bar in our grocery store by people who speak Japanese) while doing a speed-session catch up with friend Amy on the phone. Quinn finished his dinner, & then immediately faceplanted on the kitchen floor while running full speed.

I scooped him up in my arms, blotted away the blood & confirmed that his lip wasn't entirely split open & in need of stitches. But his front tooth - chipped. I took a photo, texted it to my dad, called him, & confirmed that it wasn't that bad & that everything would be okay. And that he only looked kind of homeless. The perfectionist tendencies in me still want to scream, because hey, his new tooth will show up in about 6 years. 

Sigh.

It drizzled on & off most of the day.

Q was in the bath by 6:30, with jammies, stories & prayers done by 7. I talked to almost-sister-in-law Kylie on the phone about bridesmaid dresses (help! 5+ months pregnant in the perfect shade of mustary-yellow is tricky!), opened a package that had come in the mail (new shoes that I'd intended to wear in the family photos we had taken on Saturday - they got delayed by a day, boo), & ate two gingersnap cookies. I need to go to bed within the next half hour*, because my Unisom will kick in (it's part of all-day-sickness cocktail that I'm still dependent on - Zofran, B6 & Unisom - none of which are all that effective) & I'll become a total zombie barely unable to drag my nauseous self into bed if I wait too long.

I forgot to eat lunch. Oops.

More laundry. Always more laundry. 

I feel like I had a productive day. I've done a lot of things**. Except shower! And throw up (hooray - the second consecutive day!). And I suppose I didn't talk about the really great but sort of bittersweet trip I had to New York last week, or about our Easter festivities, or about the day we went to the splash park the other week & Q absolutely did not want to leave (enter an epic tantrum).

Tomorrow.

But first,  a shower. And sleep.

*I did not go to bed within the next half hour.
**I did not admit to driving 10 minutes out of my way this morning to get a sausage / cheese / egg biscuit sandwich + Coke at Chik-fil-A. It was that kind of morning. 

Friday.

8am at the north end of the reservoir 

I went on a 7:30am walk all around the park with friend Reghan. It was a spectacular morning! And the few miles we walked felt nice. I'm making it a thrice-weekly routine, I think. Morning walks in the park, especially around the reservoir, especially when I'm trying to get this baby out sooner rather than later. Lovely. 

I was struck this morning with the reality that my little brother is getting married today (!!), which is so, so happy! But I'm not there. Which is so, so sad. It just feels off. All of my siblings are together. My nieces & nephews. My parents. My mom was making fresh huckleberry pies this morning. Boo. I'm actually sort of heartbroken about it all, but almost-37 weeks pregnant + a 3,000 mile cross-country flight do not mix very well, so I'm trying to just not dwell on it. But, of course, I'm currently dwelling, & just a teensy bit sad.

I'm really, really missing taking lots & lots of photos. Maybe it's just being tired, maybe it's the ease & simplicity of the iPhone, but I just haven't had my camera with me as often over the past few weeks, & I'm starting to miss it so very much. I'm taking some portraits for a friend next week & I'm so, so excited to be behind the lens again in a semi-formal setting. Giddy, almost. 

I've made Kelsey's Greek Pita's three times this week (we're not opposed to repeats if we have lots of ingredients to use up, obviously). I'm wanting to make her grandmother's cookies soon, too. I'd love her even if she wasn't a fabulous cook, but still - it's a nice perk to have such a great foodie friend who passes along so many amazing recipes. And her show! It has a premiere date of November 6th on The Cooking Channel. Hooray! It's going to be amazing. So proud of this girl. 

(Side note: Our Throwdown episode re-airs tomorrow night. I still haven't seen it, so I'm excited.)

I bought a new pair of Uggs this week. Winter is coming, winter is coming! It kind of reminds me of the lake when a huge storm is approaching & we have to run around to secure everything on the dock & make sure that the boat is all sealed up. Winter in NYC is sort of like that, except you have to ensure that you have a great supply of down coats, furry boots & other frigid-weather gear, because those days when it's 20 degrees & bitter cold - they're rough.

My beauty editor friend Sarah passed along a truly fabulous bag of cosmetic goodies to me the other week (one of the nicer things anyone has ever done for me), including the new scent from Tocca that just came out. It's heaven. I'm picky about most things, but perfume - I'm especially picky. I'm obsessed with Colette. Perfectly subtle, & as an added perk, the packaging happens to be beautiful. I'm wanting Cleopatra, too. 

30 days until Baby Boy arrives. Or 15 days. Or maybe 35 days. Who knows. Either way, it's coming up. I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday & everything was normal, normal, normal. His head still isn't quite down, but we're working on that this week & they'll check things out next week to make sure he's gearing up for his big exit. My belly has grown a tiny bit (1 cm), I haven't gained any weight in a month & nothing has swelled up yet (thank goodness). No major complaints, except total insomnia at this point. And really, the only major difference since my last appointment 2 weeks ago: I can no longer see the cup that I'm required to pee in every visit, which made for a tricky situation where I was forced to go blind. Oh dear. 

Counting.

From Central Park on Sunday. Kelsey & Kylie. Love these sisters. 

8 more shots in my last roll of Polaroid film (then I'm taking a break from the $2+ per photo until prices come down)

4 more mornings of 6:30am Seminary

7 days until we move into our new apartment

11 days until we're on a beach in the middle of the Caribbean

34 days until I'm at Priest Lake 

36 days until Mike is there with me

129 days (+/-) until Baby Boy is done cooking

Other things.

Thank you, thank you friends. Really! Your nice comments are like hugs to me! From old friends + new friends + virtual friends, they were all just fun. We're excited that you're excited, & all of your congrats made us so happy. Really, thank you. It feels kind of funny to have our little secret out in the open, but with my waistline soon to be expanding I'm sure, we figured we may as well take the leap before people started to grow concerned about my seemingly excessive Shake Shack intake. In the meantime, I'm now the lucky recipient of emails (from What to Expect & the like) with subject lines like Your Changing Vaginal Discharge (this morning) & Quick Fixes for Constipation (last week). Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but seriously! They just don't tell you everything in high school sex ed. I think we'd see a huge decrease in teen pregnancy if they told them that they'd have their face in the toilet for 8+ weeks & be so tired that the days of staying up past 7:30pm are quickly referred to as the glory days. But things are on the upswing! I haven't thrown up in 5 days 5 minutes [post edit, boo]. My days of subway-platform puking are hopefully over (that was an especially sad day). And I finally got some brand new happy pills from my doctor this past week & I think they're mostly working. And I'm feeling just a little bit better.

Oh - & our little video below. I forgot to give Mike well deserved & proper credit. See, he's kind of the king of the iPhone. And while our Nazi ultrasound tech wouldn't let him take photos, he was sleuth (& quick thinking) enough to record the audio of the heart beat. We'd never heard it before (!!) & it kind of shocked us both to hear it. I'm so, so glad that he got it. Really just amazing, & gives me shivers every time I listen to it. And I'm thinking that someday, I'm going to do really cool things with iMovie instead of just putting audio with a photo.

Randomly:

It rained so hard Saturday that after running out in the morning for some quick shopping & a trip to Trader Joe's, I didn't leave my apartment for the rest of the day. And that was fine by me. See paragraph above re: excessive fatigue. The wind + rain was really extreme. Mike's parent's didn't fare so well out in New Canaan. They lost power, & a massive tree fell down in their yard, missing their home by just a few feet. Phew. 

Headband headaches make me sad.

We're eating a lot of Trader Joe's pizzas lately. Well, using the pizza dough to make homemade pizza. Our favorite is BBQ Chicken - we had it for lunch yesterday. Perfect. Fresh dough + a rotisserie chicken (so cheap & easy) + the smoky BBQ sauce from Trader Joe's + fresh mozzarella cheese + red onions + lots & lots of fresh cilantro. Yum. I don't think we'd ever made homemade pizza until the Bowen's had us over a few years ago (?!) & introduced us to it. We love them for that.

Speaking of cooking - I made the yummiest dinner Saturday night. Couscous & Parsley Crusted Fish. Better than eating out, especially on such a rainy, gross day. It really was delicious - kind of like gourmet fish sticks. 

The warmer temperatures lately mean that we've been sleeping with our window open. I love that. I love  feeling the wind at night (& listening to the rain, lately), & hearing the birds first thing in the morning make me feel like we're on a tropical vacation. There are so many birds in our "backyard". And our owl? He's back! He wakes us up (early) every morning with his hoo, hoo. It's amazing! Our own little New York City owl. 

Mike bought a massive umbrella on Saturday. Massive! I saw it & immediately told him that I hate people who carry those umbrellas! They take up the entire sidewalk, & I think that's just rude on crowded streets! But he loves it, & it kept both of us dry on the way home from church yesterday, so I'll stop making fun of him. But really. I seethe with anger when I see people with massive umbrellas on rainy days. 

We're going to Amsterdam on Friday. Mike has a meeting with a client on Tuesday, so we're making a long weekend adventure out of it. Neither of us have been, but we're excited. Suggestions, internet? So far on my list: The Anne Frank house, lots of bikes & lots of eating. It's a good place to start, I suppose. 

Happy on a Wednesday.

Plans made & hotel booked for the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC

Regina Spektor booking a last-minute benefit concert for Doctors without Borders on March 23rd at The Fillmore - & getting tickets (!!)

Mike working from home today + leftovers for lunch from our dinner last night

Taking a hip hop dance class tonight with friends, even though I haven't really danced since I was a member of the exclusive Sweet Peas at Dance Emporium (I was 10)

The St. Louis Butter Cake that friend Jill & I made yesterday (amazing) + her lovely / so typical NYC spotting today

Why I love New York, Trader Joe's & Mike.

Why I love New York: 

Because yesterday, on my first day back in the city: I had lunch with Kelsey at what will surely now be a favorite spot on the Upper West Side. Recipe is small, the ingredients are incredibly fresh, the flavors are spectacular & the menu is truly gourmet. Loved it. Then - I ran errands. I walked to a stationary store. I walked down a few blocks to the post office. From there, I went to the grocery store & carried my bags home, then to the bank, & then a bagel shop with Jill. All on my own two little feet (minus the bus to & from the Upper West Side). I like that my city is a foot city. Cars are totally overrated. It felt good to really walk again. 

Why I love Trader Joes: 

Our dinner tonight, after a late-afternoon run to Union Square today: Pork carnitas (fully cooked - just needed to be warmed up), homemade flour tortillas, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, cilantro salad dressing (not unlike the Cafe Rio green sauce), & fresh guacamole. Yum. All from Trader Joes, & put together in about 10 easy minutes, perfect on a night when the last thing I wanted to do was cook or leave the apartment. Other things I love about TJ's that ended up in my shopping cart - Monterrey Jack cheese, blueberries, basil, fresh mozzarella, fresh pizza dough, frozen edamame, frozen turkey meatballs, de-veined / uncooked / frozen shrimp, a BBQ chicken pizza, salsa verde, a mango, a few limes, turkey chili, bean burritos & cinnamon raisin bread. Among other things (I took a cab home, obviously).

Why I love Mike: 

He gave me a bag of all-green M&M's today for a little post-Valentine's Day gift. You know what they say about green M&Ms (I actually had no idea that they said such things until presented with a fully-green bag). And - he did all the dishes last night. A true gem. Love him.

That's just the way it goes sometimes.

I shaved my legs today for the first time in, oh, about a week. Mike is so lucky to have me. Especially since he left this afternoon for a head start on next week's Utah trip & I won't see him until probably Monday night. Sorry.

And this week? Yeah, it's just sort of been a bit of a wash. I never quite actually made dinner. Mike was a sport & did a couple of times. Or we went out. Or grabbed takeout (hence the bag & the extent of my photographic creativity this week). Or ate cereal. Again - lucky to have me. Really.

We're getting a snowstorm this weekend. Not to the extent that DC is I'm sure, but I'm hoping that my flight out on Sunday is still okay. The cab ride alone to JFK makes me anxious. Mike left our apartment in a car this afternoon & called me 45 (FORTY FIVE!) minutes later to let me know that he was still in Manhattan. At 125th Street & 1st Avenue, roughly 2 miles away from our apartment. That's not awesome. Luckily, he just called & he'll make his flight. Barely. But still. Anxious. 

Did I mention that he's going to be away from New York for basically the next two weeks? This weekend + next week while we're in Utah (where we'll be together, sort of, I guess) + the entire week following spent with clients in California. I think I should officially designate myself as his client so that I can book some time on his calendar. 

Randomly: 

Have I ever mentioned that I'm needy? I am (surprise!!).

Sister Joanna is getting married a week from tomorrow. I'm so happy for her. 

I need someone to teach me how to turn regular jeans into skinny jeans.

I love my friends. They're so nice to me. Lots of love to you. 

I interviewed for my dream job this week. They loved me (they said so). I'm going back. We'll see. 

I fully intend on going to bed by 8pm 9pm tonight. 

I thought Pink's performance at the Grammy's (old news) was so beautiful. Even if she was naked.

I always want to be genuine. It's one of my very favorite qualities in other people, & the lack of such a trait is always my biggest turnoff.

I'm maybe too much of a cynic, I think. Someone told me that last week. That I was a cynic. Sad?

I'd like to travel to Spain this year.

I worry when I see "[insert name of certain friend] is now a fan of Sarah Palin" on Facebook. Where is the dislike button?

Happy weekend. 

Tidbits.

• This site? It's all ampersands. An ampersand a day. I'm a big fan of ampersands, & I love this.
• I had a coffee meeting this morning. We met at Fika on 58th Street & I ordered the hot chocolate & a peach muffin. It's the best muffin I've ever had. I know I spew extreme statements like that fairly frequently, but it really was. Sort of like peach cobbler, in muffin form. Someone please schedule a casual meeting with me again soon so that I can go back. 
• Mike & I went to dinner with Maribeth & Scott last night. Due. I ordered gnocchi (my favorite - this was a green variety [spinach], with asparagus & lots of lemon, which I loved). I drank club soda & cranberry juice, because I've been really loving that lately (& Suzi's concoction of ginerale + cranberry juice, too - that's yummy). On our way home though? PORN!! Strewn all across the sidewalk! I screamed, & Mike yelled (something very funny that is not for the www), & we both walked very quickly until we could cross the street. It was disgusting. And shocking. And sort of funny really, because you have those talks in Sunday school growing up about how you should sing a hymn when you see something on the sidewalk that you shouldn't, & you think that would just never happen in real life. Oh yes. It really does. (To be fair to New York, this is the first time anything remotely close to this has ever, ever happened - except I guess when I was walking down our street the other day right after the junior high kids from across the street were let out & this boy decided that walking down the street with his pants around his ankles was a good idea.)
• I finally went to the post office today after having it on my to-do list for, oh, 5 weeks. I love, love the satisfaction of checking things off of my to-do list. Next up: Organize my external hard drives with all of my photos. It's an intimidating to-do for some reason, probably because I'm way behind on it. Like, a year behind, but I might scream if my computer moves any slower. The 15,000 21-megapixel photos in my iPhoto are likely to blame.
• An interview with Myrna. She's in my ward & she's one of the more inspiring people I've ever met in my life (thanks, Mary). Seriously. She has the strongest testimony, & she just GLOWS. Read her story.
• I've been busy. I'm doing some part time organizational work a few hours a week for a family on the Upper East Side. Photography. The dentist. The doctor. My constant job search. Meetings. Friends having babies. Visiting teaching. Laundry (30 pounds on Monday!! I dropped it off & let someone else do it). Birthdays. Travel plans. Seminary. I seem to be busy most days, & that's good.
• I bought a Diana lens (+ an adaptor) for my SLR. I'm excited to try something different, something plastic. 
• I switched back to Bare Minerals. I don't know how I feel about it though. In the past year, I've gone from tinted moisturizer (Aveda - best in the summer I think, & I tried Laura Mercier & didn't like it) to Dior, to Stila, to MAC. I guess I'm impossible to please. I'm back to Bare Minerals as of yesterday. I hate stuff on my face, but I'm not one of those girls who can wear bronzer & mascara & be set. Nope. 

Frothy face wash, tweezers, Christmas lights, running shoes & Mexican food all make for a nice Tuesday.

I should start off by saying that it is currently 16˚ ("feels like -1"). 20mph winds & 40% humidity made the weather today pretty awesome. This is definitely a city of extremes, & days like today make me want to climb into my bed with my ugliest, warmest pajamas on & never come out.

But!

I had a successful day. A good one, actually, despite my 10am exit from my nice & warm bed (oops).

See, good things happened today. For starters - I had a coupon at Origins (I like Origins & their frequent & generous coupon-sending). I trekked down to Grand Central &  bought my favorite face wash in an extra-giant (i.e. promotional) size for $10! Instead of $23. That made me happy.

And then I got my eyebrows done, because it's been a few months & I just can't do it myself. I can maintain for a few weeks, & then I get really nice terrible, straight eyebrows. Ick. I've already said this, but getting my brows done make me feel like a new woman.

My appointment was on 5th, & since Anthropologie was spitting distance away, I had to go in. Just to browse (I'm not a window shopper & I hate browsing). Plus, Jen said that everything in the store was on sale. She wasn't kidding (thanks, Jen). I'm glad that I succumbed to the temptation, because all of their Christmas trim is 75% off (75%!!). I had already purchased the ornament pictured above a few weeks ago, but I found some really, really lovely strings of colored replica-vintage Christmas lights. I fell in love with old, glass lights when Erin & I were in DC & saw them in Cara's neighborhood & in Georgetown. They're beautiful. Fragile, but beautiful. I came home & told Mike that I bought us an early Christmas present (Late? he said). I can't wait to decorate for next year. Nor am I willing to take down anything from this year quite yet. Maybe next week.

And - I'm trying to be a better runner again, just like how I'm trying to be a better reader, too. Getting back to my roots you know, to the simple things that I love & used to do often. Well, I decided the other day at the gym that my running shoes have lost their cush, so I went to our local UES running store where they analyzed my stride (on a treadmill, with a video camera that they replayed it in slow motion) & I found a new pair of shoes that I l-o-v-e. Mizunos. The brand I wore when Mike & I were dating (We've come full circle! he said - it's been 5 years of Nike's for me since then). Anyway. Their gift to me? 10% off! Forever! On anything I buy in the store, for ever & ever. No idea why. Just because, they said. Because today was just a good day. I like this store.

We went to Harlem with friends tonight & ate cemitas again, even though it is freezing today.

Mike & I are going to curl up & watch a movie. It's just a nice, relaxing week. A nice end to a (mostly) nice year.

Okay, twist my arm.

Don't yell at me.

What fun is life is we take ourselves so seriously? For the record, I'm guilty of about 67% of the below. I have bangs, I love Anthropologie, I have TWO metal letters in my living room alone, I crafted just today, I could have a 20 minute conversation with you about cupcakes in New York (& Washington DC), & I've been blogging since 2006. Etc. etc. But I consider myself an independent, unique, well-rounded, open-minded person. I'm not a clone by any means. So, like I said, don't yell. You know, like those people who get all offended when they read Seriously So Blessed because they think the author is real & is being serious, or they're somehow otherwise offended? Yeah, those people need to lighten up. This is all in good, clean, lighthearted fun. 

Stuff Mormon Girls Like
(Compiled by me + Erin + Corinne + SJB + other various contributors. Smart & funny girls.)

Vampire Books
Anthropologie ("Anthro")
Etsy shops
Typing in all lowercase letters
Digital SLR's & starting mediocre photography businesses
The word lovely
American Idol
Husband (the word + it's massive over use)
Cupcakes
Big girl's weekends to big cities (DC, New York, LA - depending on geography)
Shade shirts with spaghetti strap dresses / tops over them
Shade clothing
Tankinis
Scrapbooking
Digiscrapbooking
Book clubbing + small food
Baking
Crafting
Mechanical bull riding for parties, birthdays, etc.
Natural birth
Divine family planning (i.e. we'll have children when HF thinks we're ready / need more)
Josh Groban
Game night / board games (Settlers of Catan, Bunko)
JCrew
Banana Republic dresses
Silhouettes
Running half marathons
Bangs
Diet Coke addictions
The Pioneer Woman
Headbands with flowers
Headbands with massive flowers on babies
Dwell
The movie Mean Girls
Throw pillows
Handmade throw pillows
Vinyl lettering with inspirational phrases
Stampin' Up
Homemade Cafe Rio
Dashboard Confessional
Designer jeans
Victorias secret underwear (pre-marriage)
Frozen yogurt
Mild cuss words
Decorating with a giant letter (last name initial, etc.)
Giant bridal / wedding pictures on a prominent wall
DIY projects
Blogging!! (This could be a separate post in & of itself)
Design blog-blogging
Highlights
Photoshop (& overuse of photoshop)
Wicked the musical
Red lipstick, whether flattering or not

Listography.

(Notebook + miscellaneous reading materials. Yay for the bulkhead exit row.)

Friend Erin got me the perfect birthday gift in October. Listography. She clearly knows me well.

I am a list person.

I am also self aware enough to realize that this (something obsessive) list making is often therapeutic, although sometimes maybe a little detrimental to my mental health.

On the plane from Puerto Vallerta to Mexico City yesterday, I filled my notebook full of lists. A list of my family (27 of us for now on the Hudson side - I'm calling it the Hudson Family Census). A list of my nieces & nephews, lest I forget how many I have (13). A list of who I'd send Christmas cards to if sending them didn't give me such massive anxiety - the planning & creating parts, that is. A list of my friends (duplicative of my Facebook efforts, perhaps). I thought about breaking it down into tiers, but realized that might be taking it a bit too far.

A to-do list. Two pages long. I didn't make any lists while I was in Mexico. I didn't really even pick up a pen. But this week? I need to go to the temple. Buy new underwear. Hang the curtains I bought (a desk! a printer! curtains! We're growing up). Call a friend I've been missing. Back up photos on my external drive. Schedule some photos. Grocery shopping. Book plane tickets. Call our insurance company. Find a perfect album to put my polaroids in.

I made a list of Christmas gift ideas.

Oh. I lied about not making any lists in Mexico. I did. Well, we did. We woke up early on Thanksgiving morning & before we were even half awake we talked about what we're grateful for. Each other. The gospel. Our families. Rice & beans (Mike). Guacamole (me). Teaching seminary (us). Mexican doctors who were really, really kind to me when I had to visit them several times (e.g. a doctor who actually put me in the back of his own car & drove me to another clinic to see another doctor - amazing). Friends who feel like family.

(etc.)

I put the list in my BlackBerry so I wouldn't lose it.

I made a list of the places I've traveled this year (Salt Lake, Portland, Costa Rica, Arizona, Mexico, Priest Lake, Washington DC, Florida, Los Angeles).

Then I couldn't think of any more lists I wanted to make, so I put my notebook away.

I've always felt like lists are a way for me to maintain order & control amid chaos. I think that's an okay thing. But I need to go buy another notebook now.

Good vs. Bad.

Good news: We attended the DTRF Gala last night. It was amazing, & I sat by a really inspiring woman. Photos & stories later.

Bad news: I should be in San Francisco running my first marathon this weekend. I'm not.

Good news: We're in New Canaan this weekend. It's beautiful. Steve & Jeanne are out of town all weekend, but we'll enjoy the space in the house, a car & time with friends.

Bad news: A forecast of rain. All weekend. I brought my wellies (which I guess is technically good news, because I really love my wellies).

Good news: I gave myself a salon-quality blowout yesterday.

Bad news: Such an effort on a rainy day is always, always a bad idea. Hair was in a bun by 4pm (I showered at 2pm - welcome to my life).

Good news: I finally cleaned out under my bed & took out all of my winter clothes, & accessories , giving up last hope that there would actually be one balmy shorts-appropriate day left. I found two pairs of (great) pants I forgot I owned, & my first pair of fancy designer jeans from 2003 that I can't seem to give a way. They still fit. Phew.

Bad news: Our tiny little apartment has only three tiny little closets (for which I should be grateful), & we just don't have enough room to store bulky winter coats, etc. And under-bed dust bunnies are sort of horrifying sometimes.

Good news: Made lots of extra room in our hallway closet.

Bad news: Still job searching, & made extra room by finally deciding that my 13+ pairs of slacks & half-dozen or so suits can be stored under the bed until their use is required again. Anyone in need of a really great business casual wardrobe in a size 4? Sigh.

Good news: Loved going to our Relief Society kickoff "meeting" Wednesday night & having really good conversations with new friends + old ones, too.

Bad news: Hated giving my introduction at the "meeting". After a few dozen Hi, I have X number of beautiful, perfect children  or This amazing job that I love, I got to stand up & share my impressive stats of 0-0. Awesome. (Yes, I know  I maybe have a little bit of a self-imposed complex on this one, but still. I feel different.)

Good news: The food at the event was really good. Kristi Lynn, we need the cake recipe!! Yum.

Bad news: The combination of said closet / under-bed organization activity + previously described introduction exercise kind of made me a little depressed, & maybe I almost cried. But didn't.

Good news: I texted my dad all through Ted Kennedy Jr's speech last night, & he actually  successfully texted me back (the last text message my dad sent me was his only - during my BYU graduation, where we were both horrifically bored).

Bad news: I went about 100 minutes and 250 texts over my plan last month resulting in a teensy (read: huge) bit of overage charges. That's what I get for being friendly with the YW in our ward. I now have an unlimited plan.

Hmm.

I just looked through my calendar & realized that we don't have a totally free weekend until December (!!). I have no idea how this happened.

I saw Whip It (love Ellen Page with all her angst) last night with only girls, & then ate Waffles & Dinges afterwards. For dinner. I vote for a Waffles tradition every Wednesday night (I'm not kidding). They even gave us free drinks while we ate our waffles with whipped cream & chocolate on top. Love the Waffles & Dinges truck. Almost as good as the Portabello Road Market, although let's be honest - not quite.

Speaking of London. Lindsey, I think I need to come visit you.

I'd like to make this Turkey Chili soon.

We're approaching our 4 1/2 year anniversary, our 4 1/2 year mark in New York. I love this place (+ my husband) more & more every day, especially during the past several months of my lady of leisure status. It's been such a blessing. And those random moments, like coming upon a massive pool of cranberries at Rockefeller Center yesterday - some sort of marketing scheme - it's just fun. And always interesting, & different.

We're going to a West Point football game this weekend. I think it's going to be amazing (see some slightly embarrassingly bad photos from two years ago here, but they show West Point & make the point - New England in the fall is just ridiculous).

I've been listening to Sufjan Stevens all morning. Thanks, Maribeth. I haven't listened to him since college. I stumbled across one of his songs this morning that I remember repeating over & over again during a somewhat deep & dark period of depression. Luckily, I'm a bit happier these days. This being said, his music soothes me.

I threw away a pair of shoes yesterday. In the garbage. A pair of what used to be really cute gold flats. It made me love New York even more. I should actually take a photo of them. They're evidence of my lifestyle, how much I walk, all of the places I've traveled by my own power in this city. They're trashed, & beautiful. In the garbage though, yes.

I do really random things when Mike is gone. Like last night, I organized all of my tights, folding them carefully & arranging them in ascending color order before putting them in a box to store in my closet (my sock drawer is full, full, full - even though I hardly ever wear socks). I felt better afterwards.

I just bought new 1000 thread count white sheets for our bed (replacing the porcelain blue, of which I've grown quite tired). From overstock.com, which made them happily reasonable. They're amazing. The sad news is that for years growing up, my mom tried to teach me how to do "nurses corners" on the bed, a technique that produced a military-perfect result. My OCD tendencies make me quite regretful that I never really paid attention due to my mild rebellion against anything potentially domestic or "conformist" (i.e. the idea that of course I would grow up & be a perfect Mormon wife & mother). Another tutorial is on the agenda for her visit in November.

I decided this morning that I'm not really a nickname person. Like with other people. I have hard time calling anyone anything except what their name is. It just doesn't feel genuine when I do it. Like I'm trying too hard to be cool or comfortable, even if I'm quite comfortable already. I come from a family of formal names, & we all go by those. Kathryn. Elizabeth. Christopher. Andrew. Etc, etc. Although I guess sometimes I'm just "k", & that's perfectly fine of course. But I don't have to call myself that. Hmm.

Let's recap the happenings of the week so far.

A few things.

Today is the first day of fall. Awesome.

This photo, it's a little random (& a little fuzzy, thanks to a moving subway). But Will hanging on to the subway pole while sitting in his stroller the other day? It was just kind of cute. Pretty soon he'll be hailing his own cab. Oh, & I sort of don't love posts that don't have a photo.

I'm two-for-two for my dinner so far this week. Tonight's Crispy Yogurt Chicken was ridiculous. So good. I made it with a mushroom rice pilaf & a spinach salad. I felt so domestic. And Missy's squash chicken on Monday was yummy, too. What do I do with my leftover squash & zucchini though? Hmm. And I'm sort of obsessed with grape tomatoes right now. I mean, I've always liked them, but i didn't really appreciate them until recently. Friend Kelsey & I made guacamole during the BYU slaughter last Saturday night & her method of using grape tomatoes vs. regular tomatoes made the best difference (she taught me that smaller vegetables have more flavor). I really love guacamole, by the way. Especially with a good kick of jalapeño & a nice fistful of fresh cilantro.

I was gone from 9am until 5:30pm today. Sort of like having a job, actually (but better!). I wore a black skirt, a pink top, a black cardigan & black flats (boring). I had a meeting regarding a potential job that might just be exciting, but there have been a lot of great potential jobs floating around for a long time. I took a great class on starting a photography business (because it's something I'm actually passionate about). I logged in a few hours of visiting teaching. I got home, made dinner, realized halfway through that I didn't have tinfoil & ran out of my apartment & around the corner to grab some at the store (where it took me approximately 17 minutes to find it, grr). I love that everything is so close.

Oh, & I may have promised Mike that I wouldn't buy any new clothes for the rest of the year. !&@*#&$%@!?. My thoughts exactly. Except a dress for Joanna's wedding. And maybe new underoos, should the need arise. This is significant, because I'm sort of a frequent shopper. But it's a dare (I made it into one). Because I got an early birthday (+ Christmas) gift, & sacrifices should be made. It will be fun, right?! A dare!! I can do it, right?! RIGHT?!!

(Gulp. I might have to start drinking Diet Coke again.)

I'll be on Martha tomorrow. Well, I'll in the studio audience, anyway. The rules ask that I wear wearing something solid, yet trendy, but not black or white, because they don't film well. That doesn't leave me with a lot of options, but keep your eyes peeled for me. Hopefully the guest is someone wonderful. 

My new favorite thing is waking up at like 2am. EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. It's awesome. I went through this phase a year or so ago, & now it's back. And I have these really, really bizarre dreams right before I wake up, & then I sit there thinking, Kathryn, you are CRAZY for dreaming dreams like this. Anyway. Thanks for the late-night emails I sometimes get, friends. It gives me something to read on my BlackBerry while Mike is sound asleep & I'm wide awake.

Speaking of being on national television, I'm really, really desperate for a hair cut + color. I'm holding out a little bit longer.

Katie's subway post makes me happy.

Today (or, some days just aren't that exciting).

I:

• Woke up with a massive headache, for about the 9th day in a row. I think I either have a brain tumor, or I need to stop sleeping with the fan blowing directly at my head. 
• Drank a lot of water & took my vitamins, hoping to ease said headache. 
• Read your blog. Updated my Facebook profile photo. Checked my email.
• Cleaned the kitchen. 
• Unloaded the dishwasher. 
• Washed linens from weekend guests' visit.
• Dropped off (more) laundry & dry cleaning at the cleaners next door. Bless those good people, even if I am paying them money.
• Drank a Trader Joe's apple juice box (to help with my blood sugar issues). It was probably the best apple juice I've ever had. Seriously. 
• Speaking of Trader Joe's - knocked our Trader Joe's peanut butter cups off the counter & behind the fridge, into a cavern that is basically totally inaccessible. Craved a peanut butter cup all day long, but couldn't reach down into the cavern (my arm is too short) & couldn't move the fridge (my muscles are too small). Had to wait for Mike to get home from work to move out the entire (old + heavy) fridge to retrieve the peanut butter cups, which happened to be sitting on top of roach & mouse traps (luckily empty). Gross. Tossed the container.
• Wished I was at Priest Lake last weekend with the family + Joanna's new family-to-be.
• Met father-in-law Steve on Lexington for a nice sidewalk chat. 
• Got hit by a closing subway door. It really hurt & I'm thinking I'll have a pretty bruise tomorrow. 
• Saw an undercover police car (flashing lights & siren). A taxi! Go figure. 
• Spotted a very normal looking man on the subway wearing a comb-style headband (a la the plastic ones from JCrew?) for no particular reason. Strange. 
• Attended a two hour photography workshop on Exposure & Histograms. It was amazing. 
• Went fancy dress shopping. Everything is two inches too short. EVERYTHING. Except this little number that I love. One down, one more to go. Keep your eyes peeled for me, fashionista friends. 
• Met Mike for Moroccan food for dinner, followed up by a seminary meeting.
• Took a cab home & felt sick. Long cab rides make me queasy. 
• Didn't take a single photo. But loved the new polaroids on my fridge from this past weekend.

On Monday.

Wyatt.

• Spent a few hours polishing three different versions of my resume. Three. I'm tired of looking at my resume.
• Was craving a cheese + bread sandwich, so that's what I had for lunch (sharp cheddar, should you care to know). Bread + cheese = yum.
• Met friend Jill (+ Wyatt) for ice cream/sorbet/gelato at Eli's on 2nd Avenue, & saw two other friends while we sat & chatted. It was nice.
• Was introduced to Conversation With a Cupcake & now have aspirations of making EVERY. SINGLE. THING. Thanks, NieNie (+ Tara).
• Finally returned a small shelf to The Container Store that has been sitting in my living room for 2 weeks (it doesn't fit). I think they know my name now.
• Browsed through Williams Sonoma & Pottery Barn on 59th Street, trying to find something to buy with a gift card I have. Indecisiveness got the best of me, & I walked out empty handed.
• Did not walk out empty-handed from Crate & Barrel on Madison. I love Crate & Barrel. Walked out with this ruffled pedestal, a jelli board in bright orange that is fun, & some lidded bowls that make me want to picnic at the park very, very soon.
• Visited Anastasia's for some eyebrow pampering.
• Got caught in a rainstorm without the umbrella that I've had in my purse every day for the past 2 weeks. EXCEPT TODAY.
• Almost slipped & fell down the subway stairs (as a result of said rainstorm). Barely caught myself, but ankle hurts.
• Bought some skinny jeans for $10. Pants that cheap (on sale) make me happy.
• Wished sister Tara a happy, happy birthday. I love my sister.

Just a few things.

I'm sore from packing yesterday. Actually sore. My legs. My back. My neck. I got my first battle wound on the inside of my elbow picking up a box. I'm tired. How am I supposed to run 13.1 miles on Saturday after packing / moving all week? Oh - & I haven't gone on a run since Thursday. I've just been exhausted. Not good.

I thought The Bachelorette was really stupid last night. Most of the guys are gross, especially the serial killer with the foot fetish. He terrifies me. And Jillian really needs to stop acting like one of the boys if she doesn't want to get the friend card pulled on her again. And stop saying awesome! so much. And giving high-fives. Just saying. But - I want to look like her in a bikini. She's rockin' it, & I'm jealous. 

I had breakfast with Ruth at Bagel Bob's this morning. I love Bagel Bob's. It's on 1st Avenue @ 86th Street, just a few blocks from our (current) apartment. Sometimes a bagel is just so good. My very favorite is the everything bagel with bacon + scallion cream cheese at Bruegger's Bagels in New Canaan, but you can't find that cream cheese anywhere else (disappointing). This morning I went for the cinnamon & raisin bagel with strawberry cream cheese. Toasted, of course.

It's really hard introducing myself to new people lately, especially when confronted with the What do you do? question. I still feel like a total slacker some days, especially when I consider that summer is coming. I do. I always describe the momentum of the last few months like slamming into a brick wall while going 85mph, except my brick wall is full of New York City explorations & cupcakes, which clearly makes things a little bit easier (& I'm grateful). But still - I need to remind myself of how I felt when I wrote this post every so often - & then how I felt when these came in the mail from my sweet friend Caitlin -  because it's easy to forget that simple truth when I'm acutely aware of the fact that I don't have children, I don't have a job & some days I don't get dressed until 1pm. But I'm happy with my life right now, 99.8% of the time. I am.

My parents were at Priest Lake all weekend & I was jealous. August. Can't wait. 

Dear Internet.

Today, I 

• Woke up with a headache. I'm really good at giving myself tension headaches. It's not fun. I need to relax, every so often. 
• Took some Alieve & felt a bit better.
• Walked in the rain ALL. DAY. LONG. It wouldn't stop. I'm grateful for wellies. If it were necessary to have two pairs, I'd buy a pair of Tretorns. I can't even make the argument to myself. Maybe next year.
• Carried my trusty umbrella with me (a gift from Mike 4 years ago). JCrew just makes the best umbrellas. Mine refuses to bow down to the often-fierce wind gusts of Manhattan. It's an added bonus that they're pretty, too. 
• Met Mike for lunch at Peace & Love Cafe on Greenwich Street. It was nice, to steal him away in the middle of his work day. Stopped by Tribeca Treats on my way home. You know, because it was on the way.
• Was amazed, once again, that people with babies, physical handicaps, & / or  poor cardiovascular health can function in this city. Subway stairs just sometimes kill me. I've been known to take the local train from Grand Central to 86th Street just so I can avoid the extra set of stairs. 
• Bought more than I could carry from The Container Store (one of my very favorite places) & took a cab home. Cleaned & organized under the kitchen sink. It feels wonderful to know that my cleaning supplies are now in order. Tomorrow - under the bed. 
• Made a huge pile of things to donate. I love getting ready to move. I love to detox. 
• Got caught up on Grey's & 30 Rock. Tried to watch The Office, but I'm sort of over it. Which is sort of sad. 
• Went to Anthropologie & loved that their soundtrack featured Adele. We're excited for her concert tomorrow night. 
• Shopped at Trader Joe's before noon & loved avoiding the crowds. Bought Blueberry Shortbread Bites & fell in love. My new favorite snag from TJ's. 
• Talked to brother Patrick. Can't wait to go to Colorado on Wednesday & to meet baby Reese. 
• Perused my B&H catalogue that came in the mail & began to covet. Excessively. 
• Skipped the hair dryer & wore my hair in a low bun thanks to today's 99.9% - 100% humidity. Welcome to my life for the next 5 months. 
• Ate dumplings with Mike for dinner. Had a Warm Chocolate Shanghai Soup dumpling for dessert. Black sesame crusted mochi wrapper bursting with hot melting Callebaut chocolate. The perfect salty + sweet treat. So unique.
• Accomplished 17/24 things on my seemingly never ending to do list. Slowly but surely.
• Set a bedtime of 10pm. It's 11:04pm. Oops. 
• Didn't run. 
• Played phone tag with friends. Let's try again tomorrow.
• Walked down the street feeling very good about where my life is. 
• Loved my city. Loved that I walked so much. Loved the rows of umbrellas sitting inside of the doors of shops (& love that people don't steal them). Loved hopping through puddles while others tiptoed. 

On various topics.

• Anyone want to go to Shake Shack for lunch today? This photo makes me hungry. Mike & I went last night & shared a Pineapple Upside Down Cake frozen custard on a bench (yum + nice). I told him that Shake Shack - at night during the summer - is my happy place & that we should make a tradition of going on Saturday nights at 10pm (to avoid the line). I love seeing the groups of friends hanging out, the relaxed atmosphere, the babies, the dogs, the lights. It's lovely. Oh - & last night? It was 85 degrees & 26% humidity when we were walking around Soho (I bought the squishiest of flip flops, Mike bought a tshirt). IT. WAS. PERFECT. I'm not looking forward to the days of 85 degrees + 98% humidity. Please stay spring for just a little bit, New York. I love you.
• I don't remember the last day I wore black. I really don't. I've been really into white lately, which I never used to wear because I don't love obvious lines under my clothes. But I really love a good white tshirt these days. 
• I'd really love to be the kind of person who never inappropriately uses the words "um" or "like". I'm trying, with my dad as my constant companion in the back of my head. My dad is the king of all things grammar. 
• I just put in seven (7!) loads of laundry. SEVEN. We are a family of dos. 3.5 loads per person sort of seems like a lot. It's been a busy week. I'm trying to pretend that it's all going to magically fold itself.
• I need more running tunes. I've been running a lot, which means I listen to the same 58 songs a lot. Should I do another giveaway? 
• Oh - & I forgot to mention that I have a chin-zit right now the size of your average Manhattan studio apartment. Mike keeps asking if I'm okay. Why do things like this happen to me at the ripe age of 26 (1/2, tomorrow)? Thanks to all of my nice friends who have withheld laughing & pointing at me in public.

Today's Mileage: We could call it 3 1/2 , but really it was 2 1/2 (1 mile walking to the park, 1 lap around the reservoir, 1 mile run home). 

Details: I walked to the park, desperately waiting for my muscles to loosen up. They never really did. I got to the reservoir. I stretched. For a long time. Still tight. I ran the reservoir (a little over 1 1/2 miles). My legs felt like bricks - lots & lots of bricks. I never got the happy running feeling I was hoping for. I never caught my stride. I was running too fast, & then too slowly. I was exhausted, but not even close to being out of breath. I was hoping to to do 5 1/2 miles today, but just before I finished lap #1, a bug flew in my eye. I couldn't get it out. It made me mad. So I ran home. 

Feelings: Why am I so bad at running this week? Everything just feels off. 

Observations not directly related to running: The park is so beautiful. There are NEW blossoms around the reservoir. Goodbye cherry blossoms, hello big & fluffy purplish blossoms. I'm going to walk back tomorrow, with my camera. 

Various topics.

I'm wearing leggings. On a semi-regular basis these days, actually. I'm sort of embarrassed about this, given how anti-leggings I've been in the past. I mean, really, they're not even real pants. They're  basically just sweatpants, but tighter, so we call them leggings, but really, they're still sweatpants. But I like them. And I like (love.) this routine of not having to wear slacks + heels every day, but I still need to get dressed & be respectable every day - even if it happens at a later hour than it used to. Anyway. I really love yoga pants, & I really love PJ bottoms, but I like (need) to get dressed. So I wear my leggings, with a cute top + boots or sandals. I just bought two more pairs last week, cropped. Brown & black. It's a happy medium right now.

Speaking of leggings. I'm running my little heart out these days, really just out of sheer terror for October I think. I'm mixing it up with Power90, weights & 8 Minute Abs. It feels good, to be moving every day, to be walking around the city a lot. My muscles feel good. Overall, I just feel so much better balanced. And the days when I end up running on the treadmill vs. at the park - I'm really okay with that, too. I look out over the East River & get to see people running along on the path (or there are times like last week when I watched a man get arrested on the corner), & it's just interesting. I love people watching. On Monday I watched a man do Tai-Chi for 45 minutes. I can pretty much guarantee that he was having more fun than I was. 

Mike's birthday is on Friday. We'll be at a wedding in Arizona this weekend, so we'll be at the resort doing rehearsal dinner things & such that night. I feel sort of bad that the attention will be on Kevin & Claire (go figure) & not on Mike's 28th. This being said, we're celebrating in Williamsburg tonight instead. Mike picked his new favorite restaurant & I'm excited to give him his gift. He's a tough one to buy for, but I think I did okay this year. 

Speaking of wanting to be in Arizona right this very second, it snowed this morning in NYC. SNOWED! Naturally, I took my frustrations to Facebook & posted the following: 

Um, excuse me. IT'S SNOWING. Not happy. 

My darling friend Diane posted the following response & it sort of made my day + made me love New York a little bit more with all of it's quirks:

horrible! no good! very bad! at first i thought it was little particles of trash (i was on the m60 in Harlem this a.m.) and then realized it was, gasp! snow...lame!

Only in New York would we easily misconstrue snow for trash. This made me happy. 

I watched The Hills' season premiere on Monday. I think Spencer Pratt is one of the least useful human beings on the planet. Is that mean of me to say? That show is so, so stupid. I can't wait until next week.

The Tribeca Film Festival starts at the end of this month. We're hoping to snag tickets to a few good films. 

I'm off to get a pedicure. And then go to Yogurt Land with friends. And then to MAC, because I really love how I give them my empty containers & they give me a free lipgloss or shadow in return (it's so green of me, right?). And then on a date with my husband. Fun.