Cheerful Message

Sometime between the last time I looked at our fridge (yesterday afternoon) and this morning, a very pleasant message appeared! It made me feel happy and I thought it should be shared with the world :)

We heart you back Collin!

Empire State Building

When the perfect moment presents itself . . . you just have to play tourist!

*Photo courtesy of David Kiren (thanks Dave!)

A Bit Early

They put up the Christmas tree on Wall Street and also strung the lights on the side of the NYSE - - - which is one of my favorite holiday decorations in all of NYC.

Disney Princesses

I saw this quiz on Ash's blog . . .

Brenda is Snow White!

Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.
Which Disney Princess Are You?

I don't think the test results are very accurate :)

Baking = Happiness (For Me!)

One of my most favorite things to do happens to be cooking, any kind really, so I take advantage of every possible opportunity to prepare food. When I heard about the upcoming Luau (was on Saturday*), I begged Jenn to let me help. Since she knows I love to bake, she let me make the cakes. Friday evening was maybe one of the most relaxing evenings I've ever had and so much fun!!! I just hung out in my kitchen and made cakes all night. (It would have been a perfect night if I hadn't had to do my laundry on the side.) I made Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Pina Colada Cake, and based on the amount consumed, I believe they both turned out well.

Before After

The finished product

I love baking!!!

*Note: the Luau was fantastic, many thanks to everyone!

Veteran's Day

Today there was a parade on 5th Avenue in honor of Veteran's Day! I had to run an errand for my work and so was able to walk down 5th for 10 blocks and watch the parade as I went. My favorite part was hearing the bagpipes as the men played ". . . God bless America, my home sweet home . . . "

Here are a few quick snapshots.
Bagpipers

For all the Veteran's who were unable to walk in the parade, buses were provided to convey them over the parade route.

Soldiers marching

Army trucks

I'm so grateful for all those who have and continue to sacrifice so much for our freedom. God bless America - - - I love this land and am so grateful to be an American!

Another Walk

Sunday afternoon stroll . . . sometimes I get so caught up in the day-to-day that I forget I live so close to the Statue of Liberty. Its about a 15 minute walk from my apartment to where I was standing for this photo (click on the photo for a magnified view).

I'm so grateful for freedom.

A Walk in the Park

I took a walk through the park on my way to work this morning and enjoyed the lovely weather. I'm not exactly certain when it happened, but the leaves have changed color and begun to fall.

Election 2008

VOTE.

Halloween Fun: Gilligan's Island

I have always LOVED the old TV show Gilligan's Island so of course I said YES when Ash asked if I wanted to be Ginger for Halloween!!! A Saturday shopping trip to the fashion district for fabric and a pattern (which was nearly impossible to find), and a needle and thread (sadly my sewing machine resides in Oregon so I was reduced to sewing it by hand!) and lots of help from Ash, and an evening gown was produced!

A few of our other friends joined in on the fun. Here is a group shot with the crew in Union Square - - -

Maryanne (Ash), Gilligan (JT), Ginger (me), and the Skipper (Kyle)

We went to the annual NYC Halloween Parade. Talk about a crowd! It's rumored that two million people attend and an additional million watch it on TV. It was pretty impressive. Unfortunately my camera didn't like the lighting so I didn't get any great pictures, but here is one high-lighting the theme for the year. It was the 35th Anniversary and the theme was Ghosts.

Ash, Lyndee and me at the parade.

Hair shots. I made my dress and did my hair up to try to mimic these pictures - - -

Some degree of success, I think.

It was a fun Halloween! I'm thinking that Ash will post about it in detail soon, so go here for more photos!