3 Years Later...

We packed up the apartment on Saturday 

and hit the corner bar for one last horaah!

Confession: 
There was a moment, while doing the leap frog over 40 of the best people I've ever come by, when the alcohol had absolutely nothing to do with the sheer bliss in my smile :)

Living in Zoo York has been my greatest adventure yet.
These past 3 years have been more like a book than a chapter
(or maybe just one big blog  - no need for dramatics ;)
but I know we're only getting started with the good stuff!

The poor men sitting next to me on the plane ride home must have thought I was manic... sitting there for 2 full hours with tears in my eyes, a Heineken in one hand, and a Kleenex in the other. But all felt right in the world when I came across this article on Jimmy Fallon in New York magazine:

After talking about all his ups and downs with comedy,
the writer concluded with this: 

After his taping, still flushed and exhausted, Fallon recalls the story of a personal turning point, during a rehearsal on SNL. "I was in a bear suit; trying to do comedy. And I was thinking, this is lame. This is a waste. They can't even see my face. Then I looked over at Will Ferrell and he had metal clamps on his nipples and he was getting water thrown on him. And he was just doing it. No complaints. For me, that was a clicking moment. That this is all a lot easier if you just go with it." He jacked his eyebrow slightly and smiled, "It's not: I've got to wear a bear suit.
It's: I get to wear a bear suit."

I get to come home to Chicago :)
It's not an obligation, it's an opportunity
and a whole new adventure!

SnOw Pretty

Grateful

The other night at Book Club the majority of my 

girlfriends vented about how much they hate their jobs :( 

I didn't have much to share on the topic because

although my career isn't the sexiest gig out there,

(understatement of the year)

I love the people I work with -- 

they truly make it all worthwhile :)

I'm sure the CHI office will be all that and a bag o' chips,
but I'll miss this New York bunch so very much!

Bear...Down :(

What a bust of a game

but at least I was in GREAT company :)

From Bears Pack Showdown

Friday Night (High)Lights

Haaaaappy birthday, Ben!

I kinda wish it were your special day every weekend :)

From Bens Surprise Party & The Candles

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Hope you have a rockin weekend :)

Genius

Full Circle

Last night I finished packing the boxes of
everything I won't be needing for these last ~10 days.
And as I was labeling a full box of "Gnome Shit"
(repeat: a WHOLE box)
I received the one millionth text asking me
if I'd seen the trailers for: 

Although it will forever irk me that I didn't write this screenplay, 

it makes me smile that for whatever reason, 

my little gnome "friends" helped provide a warm welcome 

to New York (see post below) and are ever present 

for my transition back to Chicago ;)

Kinda fun when life comes full circle...

Meant to be :)

( 2/9/2008)

Admittedly, I am not a very religious person … I’ve never “seen God” or been “kissed by an angel” in the middle of the night.

But I do believe in spirits and especially in signs … signs that subtly show up in life and provide affirmation that you are in fact, on the “right track”.

Some may call them “chance”, “coincidence”, “a twist of fate”, or just “luck” … but I call them signs.

I had MANY doubts about leaving Chicago … until I walked down my new street this afternoon only to discover this mural:

I really am home ;)

****

Is it Sunday yet?!?? BEARS!!!

I want to go to there :)

One for the record books!

Happy 30th Birthday, Liz :)

I know I said this during the toasts on Saturday but thought I'd put it in writing as well now that the wine has worn off somewhat ;) 
There's an old proverb that says, "Good soup gathers chairs". Well that is what you are, Diz... you're good soup. Which is why it's no surprise that 20 people gathered from all across the country to be in New York to celebrate your big day. Thank you for organizing such an incredible evening at Maialino...the food was absolutely incredible but the company was even better. I truly couldn't have had more fun this weekend if I tried. You're one in a million! xoxo

Diz's 30th

Just what the doctor ordered...

I met Kate in the 5th grade and 20 years later, she remains one of the best people I've ever come across :)

SO happy she's visiting this weekend from Denver.

Between my upcoming move, new job stuffs,
(and the logistics between the two)
this little pee brain could use a serious dose of laughter,
mental nothingness, and the chance to just check-out for a few days with a wonderful friend. 

HAPPY FRIDAY!! 

The Greatest New York Ever

New York magazine featured an absolutely
outstanding cover story in this week's issue

that brought me to tears tonight on the subway

{insert bittersweet emoticon here}

Granted, I didn't have the best day at work 

(and my chest feels like that of another)

but I literally had to fight back the waterworks 

digesting how perfectly this piece was written:

2011
Because We Never Rest

By Michael Cunningham

Be it my uncooperative hormones, or the fact that I admittedly bopped into a dive bar after work to have a beer by my lonesome to wipe away the embarrassment from giving a piss-poor presentation (Fail!) before heading home for dinner,
but sitting there on the F train, wedged between the greasy guy that smelled like a cigarette and a rail thin model that actually resembled one, the ending of this article sure got me good...

"What’s truly great about New York is its capacity to rise and rise again out of the rubble of whatever it used to be. Every day, new people arrive, in burkas or full-body tattoos, or in polo shirts and Dockers, and for them, this New York is the quintessential New York. This one, the same one those of us who’ve been here a while tend to complain about. This New York, for the new arrivals, is fabulous even though, at the moment, it’s not paved with gold. Even though jobs are scarcer than cabs in rainstorms.
This New York shines proudly and brilliantly through all its troubles. It’s the city the newbies will be tempted to reminisce about as they grow older.

Reminiscence, however, is never a good idea here. If you don’t welcome the new, you miss the point of New York. It’s always young and nubile and full of dreams. It’s always inventing itself. What’s not to love?"

LOVE

My brother and soon to be sister-in-law took the world's cutest engagement pix -- thought they might make you smile as well :)

 Oh me oh my oh me, I'm so excited for the wedding!

Photo credits: Avant Images

Awesomeness

Congratulations Clinton & Mel

Not just on your engagement (woohoo!)
but on the incredible passion, creativity, and dedication
that you bring to your work that continues to pay off! 
Your love and success are truly admirable -- I feel so very lucky to have made such amazingly talented and genuine friends in this wild "little" city :)

 

Psyched!

"How To"

At work this week we are all taking the Patrick Henry sales training course.  As a fun mock-work prepper, we were each tasked to give a 5 minute presentation that would teach our office something new. They said it could be anything, and since my co-workers are hysterical, I chose to teach  everyone
HOW TO HOLLOW MAN!

I'm still cracking up from all the speakers :)

Have a great day!

Oh, Baby!

Confession: 

Even though I'm slightly afraid I wasn't born with a biological clock (or maybe one that just doesn't know how to tick yet)
I really do love shopping for baby gifts :)

This weekend we celebrated the arrival of baby girl Bowman and let me tell ya, if this little lucky one enters the world even a fraction as cute as her Momma, she'll be set for life!

So I came across quite possibly the
cutest newborn present on the planet

 and was thrilled when she loved it just as much!

I mean I'm just speculating,
but if the babe-to-be wasn't arriving in a cold month,
I personally think she'd sport it home from the hospital...
I know I would ;)

Such a nice shower for such a wonderful mom!

Happy Friday!

Thought I'd share some likable 

sights I snapped this week :)

I like that this is still up in the L.E.S

and that not one d-bag has graffiti'ed over it.
Happy Holidays, indeed!

And I really like it that these neighbors on 2nd St still have their lights up & that they got together to do this in the first place :)

I like passing street art and seeing that random peeps only continue to add to it. Admittedly I've now one less silly band, 

but it was totally worth sharing ;)

And I very much like the view from our office window when the Bryant Park Zamboni does his/her thing to clean the ice. 

Kinda makes me wanna go skating over lunch except that knowing me, after a few successful laps I'd get all confident and try to
"shoot the duck", then proceed to fall several times, and would have to spend the rest of the work day with swamp-ass... 

DISLIKE

Chasing Violet

My friends Nick Howard & Rachel Platten 

have teamed up to create some of the best new tunes I've heard since my recent obsession with Mumford & Sons... 

LOVE

Since their EP isn't out yet, 

check out these GREAT new tunes on Facebook

Way to go you two!

NY Bucket List

Doesn't seem possible I'll have lived in the Zoo for 3 full years

{insert crazy time machine noise here}

So with under a month remaining, I fully intend to make the absolute most of the next 25 days :)

Thankfully, I know I'll be coming back lots for work, so my list isn't terribly long or extravagant. But it goes a lil' somethin' like this...

Find a way to see 

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

now that it's off Broadway

See Black Swan at the East Village Cinema

Take yoga at the Laughing Lotus

Do lunch at the Russian Tea Room

Enjoy one more yummy din at Freemans

Drink lots with friends at 

and of course, Donnybrook :)