I see skies of bluuuuue!

Look what I did today!!!! 

Wooooeeee! It was seriously the best thing ever. A group of us bought discount tickets to Coney Island a while ago and we decided to make the trek out there today. And guess what - it was a perfect summer's day! So good for the soul. Even better than chicken soup. 

Here's the group: Abby, Matthew, Carolyn, Brendan, Nicole, Melanie and Jon... and Dalton joined us later. After a little sun time on the beach, we grabbed some hot dogs, chicken fingers and fish 'n chips... naturally. THEN, we rode some cray cray rides. Seriously, though. Some of them were cray to the cray and I have the bruises to prove it. But it was still a party and a half! I'm so glad we did it.

Do you know what is also good for the soul? Road trips.

 Brendan took Ross (a long-time BFF) and me upstate to his mom's house for Memorial Day weekend! I loved it. So good to just get in a car every once in awhile and go! 

And Costco muffins add to the fun as well.

Brendan and Ross golfed with David, Brendan's big bro, on Memorial Day and I was the designated golf-cart driver. Don't drink and drive.

I had never been golfing before, so it was fun to see how it all works. Absolutely thrilling, really.

 Get it. 

 On the way home from golf, we were stopped so the local parade could pass through. This is Bainbridge, New York, people... So this is basically the whole parade. But it was totes worth stopping 2 lanes of traffic for... ;) 

 The young men and women programs in the Manhattan Stake put on a street fair a couple weeks ago and it was so fun! Lots of live music, carnival games and my favorite: baked goods for only a dollar! The weather was supposed to be rainy all day and I was told that the young men and women in the stake had been praying that the weather would hold off long enough for the street fair to finish. And guess what... miracles happen. It was definitely overcast all day, but the rain didn't hit till 3:55 pm and the fair ended at 4. It was crazy, though, cuz when the rain hit, it hit HARD! There were a bunch of flash flood warnings beforehand, so luckily everyone pitched in and we were able to get the fair cleaned up just in the knick of time! My journey home that day involved wading through knee-high water... just to catch the bus. 

We had a little girls night and watched Bunheads. Cute show! I love my girl nights... it definitely gives me something to look forward to during the week. Here's Abby, Melanie and Myriam and Amber, who are both subletters! That means they are only my roomies for a few weeks.

This is my first time having a TV in NYC and it's been great! And it was free... it came with the apartment, which is pretty great too! Ugh. My life is so hard.

 And another sneak peek of the new diggy digs... what you've all been waiting for, I'm sure. It's hard to capture everything in a picture, but this might give you a little idea of how small the space is. I call it my shoebox. But it's a lovely shoebox, if I do say so myself! And here's a little shout-out to Skylar and Amanda on my wall... 1 week from today!!! Can't wait!

April showers bring May... showers? Woof.

Seriously. Where's all the May flowers?!? We have had a few teaser days of spring/summer, but for the most part it has been super rainy and a little bit chilly here. So over it. It has been about a 7 month winter and this Vegas girl ain't happy 'bout it.

However, I have managed to do a few fun things over the last little while despite the cray cray weather...

 Janae and Dane came to visit!!! It was SO fun to have them here for a couple days... they even stayed at my apartment! I love them both dearly and can't wait to meet Debzi Jr. in just about a month!

 Brendan and I accompanied Janae and Dane to the 9/11 Memorial one afternoon. Notice the winter coats. Not okay.

And we also accompanied them on a mini walk on the Brooklyn Bridge!

 And what's a trip to the NYC without a Shake Shack run?! I think they had a good time. :) They were a little scared of Harlem and we had a few interesting rides on the subway, but they got to see Newsies and experience a little bit of city life! 

 Oh ya know, just enjoying some time in Central Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon... oh wait. It was FREEZING! But nothin' keeps Melanie and Abby and I away from a mormon potluck! 

And here is Melanie holding the one thing that might possibly be the death of me here in the citay. Magnolia Bakery banana pudding. Sounds kinda gross, right? Banana pudding? Who really likes that? But I tell you what. This stuff is goooooood. You'll have to try it to believe it. Melanie moved here in February and has been my treat buddy BUT also my workout buddy...

Melanie got a group of us to commit to crossfit workouts every morning at 8. Wooooeeee! It has been an adventure so far. In other words... it is kickin' my trashy trash.

 
Girl time at a rooftop party a few weeks ago. Don't let the smile and the light jean jacket fool you... it was a poor choice of wardrobe... I was freezing my patootie off!!! 

And did you know that the Spice Girls are back?!?! Well they are. And they are spicier than ever. This is what we did in between Sunday's general conference sessions. Abby = Scary Spice. Brooke = Ginger Spice. Nicole = Sporty Spice. Melanie = Baby Spice. Me = Posh Spice. Does life get any better???

 And this was my hot date at the Kinky Boots opening night party! Because the boyf is a big deal and works real hard at his job, we get to go to things like this sometimes. In fact... if the little sis weren't getting married on June 7th, we'd be at the Tony's on June 9th! ... thanks for that, Amanda. ;) We'll just have to settle for a post-wedding Tony's party at the Weed's residence in Henderson. Doesn't sound so bad, really! Can we roll out the red carpet just for kicks, mom and dad?

 A Kinky Boots cake. What up.

 There was one gorgeous day a few weeks ago. So Brendan and I went to the Central Park Zoo! It's a little small, but it's a fun little couple hour outing. The sea lions were definitely the highlight.

 And after the zoo, we shared some dippin' dots on a park bench. Like ya do. 

 The four of us here went on an adventure down to China Town one afternoon. Jon, Matthew and Melanie. Good company, good snacks and good weather, believe it or not.

 This is a thing. Buy it now at your local Harlem market!!

 Chad and Carolyn are our favorite date buddies. It's always a good time with them. Bren and Chad are both from New Jersey, so they took us ladies out on the town to a Jersey diner and bowling after... where-in-which I took SECOND place. Yep. Don't ask me how that happened. I am the worst at bowling.

And now it's time for a few celebrity sightings: 

 This picture is really great quality, I know. Neil Patrick Harris is on the right. He came to Pippin one night while I was working!

 And you'll need a microscope for this one, but that's Aaron Tveit... you know... they guy who played Enjolras in the Les Mis movie! Brendan plays in the broadway softball league and he played against this guy's team one afternoon. I was a little star struck.

 Jon came for a visit! He was in Crazy For You with Nicole and I last summer so we had a fun little reunion at Levain Bakery. Delish.

 I surprised Brendan one night and took him to see The Last Five Years, which is off-broadway right now. I even managed to get his work shift covered without him knowing! I was pretty impressed with myself. But the show was pretty good! It was fun to see it live after listening to just the music for so many years... maybe like... the last five.

This is everything I own. Well...at least in New York. And I guess I've added a few things since the move to my new apartment. Like... a bed! And a dresser! I actually wheeled and dealed to get the bed. It's a great story. Basically, I talked the sales guy WAY down and when all was said and done he wasn't too happy with me. All he could say was, "You smart lady. You smart lady." Thanks, Ismael!!! I love the new bed! And those cookies I promised are on their way...

 Just a sneak peek at part of the new room. I'm really growing quite accustomed to it. And I LOVE the new location of the apartment. So many fun restaurants and shops nearby!

 My cousins, Kimball and Kira, came for a few days! It was SO fun to see them and explore the city with them. They are two very talented and fun people. Here we are at Washington Square!

And Aunt Jan drove us all out to my cousin Tyra's house one Saturday afternoon. Tyra's family lives in Jersey, just about an hour away. It was so wonderful to be with family and to get out of the crazy city for a bit. Here's Kira, Kimball, JJ and Abby. Weed be jammin'! Literally.

Brendan took me to Serendipity and I experienced my first frozen hot chocolate! It's definitely a must. This picture has a story. We were just sitting there, minding our own business, and the ladies sitting across from us said, "Oh my gosh! You HAVE to get a picture of this! You two are adorable! This would be the best picture ever!" So... we complied... and here we are. 

And that's the latest and greatest, folks! Hey - guess what... I get to see these people in just 2 weeks ....

Wooooeeeeee!!!! Can't wait to party hardy at the June weddin'! Oh - and you better believe there will be lots of this...

No winter coat needed. Take that, NYC.

Change...

There's been quite a bit of change in my life as of late, yo. For example:

• No more nanny job
• New apartment and roomies
• New ward
• And that's about it

So... Nikki, my friend from BYU, asked me about a month ago if I needed a place to live. I wasn't necessarily looking to move, but then she proceeded to tell me about the washer/dryer that is IN her new apartment and that it is located one block away from Central Park on the Upper West Side... and I just couldn't resist. So I have spent the last week of my life moving my stuff and getting settled into a new home! No mo' Hawlum for me! Harlem treated me well and I'm so grateful for the experiences I had there, but it's so nice to be closer to everything now. My room is TINY.  Seriously, Harry Potter had it good compared to me, but I felt so right about making this move. I have 3 roomies and they are all wonderful girls!

Initially, I was 'posed to stay in the same ward with this move, but they re-aligned the ward boundaries last week and now I'm in a completely new ward! But guess what... my Uncle Paul is my bishop now, so that's fun! I went for the first time today to the Lincoln Square Ward and met a lot of great people.

And the nanny job is no more. I put in my two weeks about three weeks ago because I realized that I wasn't auditioning as much as I wanted to be. I got too wrapped up in the nanny life and decided I needed to do somethin about it. I'm gonna miss spending time with that cute little sass-a-frass, but I know it was the right thing to do. So... here's to being a poor, starving artist! Woooooeeeeee.

Change is good. It's how we grow and progress in life. I'm grateful for that. I've been getting quite accustomed to change over the last few years and have learned to just deal with whatever life throws my way. It's not so bad, really. I've learned many valuable lessons that I wouldn't have learned any other way. And the one comforting thing about it all is that I know for a fact that my Heavenly Father has been aware of me every minute of every day. He has given me many blessings and tender mercies over the years as I have continued to fumble my way through the dark. Pretty amazing.

So... today marks the anniversary of a life event for me. It wasn't an event of celebration... just an event of change. And as difficult and traumatizing as that change was, I know that I am becoming a stronger and better person because of it. I know that we can get through ANYTHING in this cold and scary world because of our loving Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. There is so much hope and happiness out there! :) Do me a favor and never ever forget that. And don't let me forget it either!

I'm full of gratitude today for everything I have in my life right now. People, places, things... all of the above. Life is good, yo, life is good.

P.S. Happy Cinco de Mayo! I'm about to head to Aunt Jan's house and help her whip up some homemade Cafe Rio! Brendan has heard so much about it... can't wait for him to experience the goodness! :)

And just for fun... perhaps to lighten the mood a little bit... here's an old gem that I came across on my computer the other day... 

Eight years ago, THIS happened. Freshman year, FHE ice skating activity, best night of my life. And by best... I mean worst. I sported this pretty little shiner around campus for a good month or so. :) Sure wasn't funny at the time, but now I get a kick out of it. 

And with that, I say adieu!