Catching Up Again I Know...

Day 22: Phi Sigma Sigma is always a memory I think about. With not keeping in touch with many people from high school, every time I come back to Southern California I make a point to see Phi Sigs that live in the area. This time I was fortunate as always to see Mandy and Brittany who have been living here for the past few years. This year I am also fortunate to my little sister Samy as well as Allie. I can't wait for a Phi Sig mini reunion at downtown Disney. I can't believe it's been over two years since I left San Francisco and the amazing women I call friends. Also, I was able to meet up with my big brother Alex from Alpha Epsilon Pi and his wife Lori who I met through Greek organizations. It has been awesome. Pictures to come!

Day 23: Christmas Eve is always a wonderful memory that varies per year. Every Christmas Eve we gather at my aunt's house (mom's side) with family, boyfriend and friends who may not have their own Christmas to celebrate. After pictures, stories and a wonderful dinner, we gather around the tree to sing a Hungarian Christmas song and then have our white elephant game. Years past have included, singing the 12 Days of Christmas with wine glasses, stories about the family, tons of pictures, singing and tons of memories to come.

Day 24: Merry Christmas! On Christmas Day we celebrate with my dad's side of the family either here in Chino or out in Pasadena at my grandparents house. Christmas is always a wonderful time to see my family after the crazy year that has been 2012. Memories included opening presents, the English tradition of Christmas crackers with colored paper hats/free toys/jokes and plenty of delicious food.

Day 25: After having to put down both of my dogs in Chino this year, I have definitely looked towards others who have dogs to fill my having a dog desire. Ann Marie has to Pomeranian's, Kabuki and Jeter, who are adorably furry, loud and energetic. Although not my favorite type of dog they can be the most playful and fun loving creatures. Diego, Tom's Cocker Spaniel who he adopted from the pound, is so well mannered, quiet and just a joy to be around. He always puts a smile on my face, even when he stole the last half of my muffin. I can't wait to see them all again.

Time Flies...

Day 19: Memories involving my friends that I have met through trivia in NYCSSC are definitely the most that have occurred throughout the year as they have become my close circle of friends. At the end of June NYCSSC hosted a "back to high school" party during a break in seasons. It was a blast to see all of my friends, trivia, kickball, etc. Many made an appearance and it was a great way to offically kick-start the summer seasons of sports.

Day 20: As this is a memories list, the New Year is always a memory to never forget. I spent ringing in the New Year at Tom's on Roosevelt Island with a small but fun group of friends. Tom cooked dinner, we brought the games and drinks, and just had a blast spending the night together. Once it came closer to the official countdown, Ann Marie and some of her friends joined us just in time to celebrate. After movie watching, watching the ball drop and stuffing ourselves with delicious steaks and dessert it was ofifically 2012.

Day 21: A item on my New York to do list and I would even say life bucket list was to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade live. I was fortunate enough to get access to the parade in our work area with much appreciated help from my boss. After a bit of a headache and many people I was able to meet up with my boss and enjoy the parade live near the beginning of the route. All in all it was a great parade, although to me the only thing special about this parade is the giant balloons. Check!

Memories

Day 18: This is going to be a brief list of memories with friends.

Ann Marie - our endless dinner date nights have been the best stress relievers we always need.

Kevin - even though I haven't seen you much lately, those times you and I chat in the car as you drop me off are some of the most entertaining conversations we have and learn about each other.

Tom - I think going with you and Feeny to Mets games top the list of summer memories. We always have a blast and catch up.

Janssen - I think the funniest memory I have had with you is when you made the pumpkin cheesecake muffins for Tom's one day and Diego was so in love with them that he stole my remaining muffin right off the table.

Christie and Nicki - the most fun and ridiculous times we have had together this year has definitely been at kickball games as well as before and after. I'll never forget those times.

Blissful Birthdays

Day 17: With my birthday being within the first month of moving here in 2011, I didn't have a stable group of friends to celebrate my birthday. I ended up leaving on my birthday to a training in upstate NY in Schenectady (outside of Albany). Although leaving on my birthday, my boss and colleagues were kind enough to order me a birthday cake to celebrate before leaving for the next few days. After a goregous drive upstate through green hills, I spent the next few days in a training. This year was definitely memorable and a blast. On the day of some friends and I went to happy hour after work to kick off my birthday celebration weekend, even though my birthday was on a Wednesday. My friend Christie is two days younger than me so we planned a birthday celebration together at Central Bar. A group of amazing friends, dancing and laughter was all I needed to make up for the first birthday I had in New York. Here's to the next birthday that will probably be celebrate in Ithaca the weekend of Josh and Michelle's wedding.

Sickly Weekend = Catching Up

Since I was sick all weekend, here is me catching up:

Day 14: This year was definitely an emotional one. I was lucky enough to see my dog Sadie the week before she was put down. Sadie had been fighting a tumor in her bladder and eventually my parents thought it was best to put her out of her misery and pain. I remember the day I ran across the street to Walnut Park from my junior high and saw my mom with Sadie and Lucy in the car. I was thrilled for my new puppy. RIP Sadie - April 28, 2012. You were my lovable, wonderful furball of joy who loved to run and eat with delight. I will always miss you.

Day 15: 4 months after Sadie was laid to rest peacefully, Lucy my sister's dog in Chino was laid to rest as well. Lucy, a lot older and wiser, was a great joy in my life as well. After trying to solve her troubles with arthritis and hearing with medication, my parents eventually saw that she wasn't doing much better and eating as well. I can still remember the day we got her from the Avila's in front of my elementary school and brought her home. RIP Lucy - August 18, 2012.

Day 16: Libation has been a crazy, wonderful, fun-filled place of memories this past year. Starting off as our temporary place for trivia on Tuesdays, Libation then transitioned over to the post-bar for kickball. Between dance parties to meeting TONS of fellow kickballers and now friends, anytime the Lower East Side is mentioned my mind automatically thinks of Libation. Even though sometimes I may get sick of the place and not want to go, I know going to Libation will always be a good time no matter who I am with. Here's to the many more times I will be there and additional memories to come.

New Babies and New Engagements

Day 13: This is two wonderful memories in one since they occurred on the same day. My friend Jacob who I met through trivia and his wife Tanya had their baby shower on Roosevelt Island and I was honored to be invited. It was an afternoon full of laughter, games and a warm time spent celebrating the soon to be birth of their daughter. A few months later in May, they welcomed baby Leah into the world after returning home from watching hockey at Tom's house. Congratulations again to you both on an adorable baby girl. That night after the baby shower, Josh (another friend I met in trivia) and Michelle celebrated their recent engagement at a bar in Brooklyn near the neighborhood where they live together. We spent the rest of the night celebrating with friends and the two friends who are happy to be sharing their lives together. I can't wait for their wedding in Ithaca next June. It will be a wondeful wedding that I am excited to attend.

Memory Lane and Then Some..

Day 11: My trip to Florida was definitely a highlight of this year. I was going to Orlando for a work trip with 3 other colleagues and was excited to be back to Florida since I hadn't been there since my family vacation in 2001. Although it was a work trip, I was excited when we got to walk around Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We worked, ate delicious food and had gorgeous weather overall. We even managed to squeeze in a spring training baseball game in the trip since the Braves training camp was near Orlando. Well worth the trip and had great company to cheer me up before going to Hungary for my grandmother's funeral immediately after, RIP Nagymama.

Day 12: Today was 12/12/12 so instead of one memory for this day I thought I would write a list of 12 things that I love about living in New York:
1. Public transportation - I will admit I like the freedom of driving but I don't miss traffic.
2. Being in a big city - Although Chino is where I grew up, I am definitely a big city girl (well at least while I'm still young).
3. Street food - it's good here.
4. Four seasons - the weather not the hotel.
5. Pizza - I will admit New York pizza is the best.
6. Cabs - I never truly appreciated cabs until I moved to New York.
7. Dunkin Donuts - I've become a fan of their coffee.
8. Working in midtown and truly appreciating all my surroundings.
9. The ability to visit more than one state within two hours outside of New York City
10. Bars that are open really late and every day of the year. 
11. My colleagues - such a wonderful and well educated group of people
12. My neighborhood - I've grown to love Astoria

Treasured Ten

Day 10: One of the most important memories I remember from this year was the last time I spent with my nagymama (grandmother), RIP. Last Christmas she was in California for a bit over a month to celebrate with the whole family and spend some time seeing everyone she knows in the Southern California area. It was such a great time to spend with her while I was home for a week with the entire family. After returning back to New York, work informed me of a project that I would be working on that involved me working with a few other colleagues. This project required the team to meet together a few times over this past year so I was lucky enough to be heading back to Los Angeles at the end of January/beginning of February. Since the beginning of February is also my mom's birthday, my parents, nagymama, my dad's parents and my uncle came up to CityWalk for dinner at Bubba Gumps. It was such a wonderful night that also ended up being the last time I would see my nagymama. RIP Marta Tarnok February 29, 2012.

Catching Up

Day 7: My best friend Raquel and her (now) husband Jose got married this past August. It's crazy that my best friend is already married but I am so grateful I was able to be there to share in their special day. Raquel is one of few people who I still regularly see since high school. We've managed to visit each other whenever I was home in California or her coming to see me while I was living in San Francisco. I really hope she comes to visit me in New York one day soon so I can show her what an amazing city it is. When I was home last I was able to see her new apartment (finally not living at home) and catch up on life now that she is married, finishing college and looking forward to the next steps in her life. Congrats again! I can't wait to see you both when I am home for Christmas in 10 days.

Day 8: Another wedding that has topped my list of favorite this past year was my cousin Marika's wedding to Jeff about a month ago in Austin. After having met while we all lived in the Bay Area, I was thrilled to finally see them get married. Jeff is such an awesome guy and I'm glad to now call him family. The wedding was gorgeous and I am glad I was able to make it on time for all the festivities despite Hurricane Sandy coming through a few days before. Austin was warm and filled with family and friends, some who I hadn't seen in years. I can't wait to go back and visit again. Have an amazing honeymoon in Thailand Marika and Jeff, I will see you when you're both back and settled in after the New Year.

Day 9: Once I moved to New York City, I realized how close states are around here. Living in California it takes at least 4-5 hours to get to another bordering state depending on which one you are going to. Living in NYC, there are so many states accessible to me within 1-4 hours. Not having been to many states on the East Coast/Tri-State area, going to new cities/states has been on my list of things to do. Since moving here I have added Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and South Carolina to my list of states. My friends Kevin, Ilana, Janssen and I randomly took a 48 hour trip to Philadelphia this past February. Kevin's cousin was kind enough to let us crash in a condo that he uses/rents out. I was excited as I had never been to Philadelphia so I was thrilled to be able to check out the Liberty Bell, Constituational Hall and all the other various historical sites. Such an awesome city, glad I was able to check it out. Next up, maybe Massachusettes or Rhode Island?

Kickball Memories

Day 7: Kickball with NYCSSC has definitely been a big part of my life and this past year. Three different teams, 20+ new friends and a whole lot of fun. Whether it was sweating to death during the summer or freezing finishing up this past fall season, there was always fun to be had. Despite even almost spraining my wrist horribly, I always get into the game whether it's pitching or cheering on our team from the sidelines as we were up to bat. I have made so many great friends from this league and I can't wait for the many more friends to come. In addition to meeting new people on my teams I met numerous people at post game parties at Libation as well as making friends with quite a few refs and game coordinators. Who never know who you'll meet or re-meet after playing for over a year.

Favorite 5 (and 6)

Day 5: Not being born and raised here, let alone not visiting New York that many times before moving here, many of my favorite memories are those of being a tourist. After Tom's Labor Day weekend kickoff party I decided that instead of sitting at home all weekend that I wanted to finally visit Coney Island. My friends Tiffany and Dwiddy joined me on my visit after hearing that I had never been and having grown up near the area. Coney Island was just what I had pictured it to be. Old school rides, fair/pier games, music acts playing along the boardwalk and typical boardwalk food. Although a lot smaller than what I thought, we had a blast and even got free entry to the Brooklyn Cyclones vs Staten Island Yankees minor league baseball game. All in all it was a great trip that I will never forget, especially after Hurricane Sandy came through and completely destroyed the area and the historical/iconic items that Coney Island is known for.




Day 6: My first cruise, enough said. After hearing about the many cruises my parents have gone on, we (my immediate family) finally took a cruise together this year. As a birthday/belated graduation from college present, I was excited to experience my first cruise. Between lazy days on the ship taking in the sun to wonderful sit down dinners and exploring the Bahamas, I was exhausted after 5 days. After the roller coaster of a ride the first half of this year it was nice to see my family on a happy occasion and not work or death related. 5 days was just enough of a vacation with my family before going our separate ways across the US. I appreciate the times my family and I spend together since we don't have the opportunity often these days.

Fourth Favorite

Day 4: Another favorite memory of mine is a recent one; bowling with NYCSSC. Ever since I moved here I have participated in a NYCSSC sport; trivia, kickball, cornhole and now bowling. I have met many great friends throughout the seasons and the same can be said for bowling. Tiffany and I briefly went to the kickoff party for bowling since it was at Libation before our kickball/dodgeball games. Although there weren't too many people there we met everyone and got along great with Gregg and Josh, two guys from Long Island City.

The following week was our first game at Brooklyn Bowl. The bowling alley was gorgeous with rustic touches like leather tufted couches, old fair games on display and a large dance floor/stage for concerts they have on a weekly basis. After a slow start to the first week with bowling (hadn't bowled in like a year), meeting up with Gregg and Josh again, and making new friends, I was ready for the remaining 6 weeks. By the second week with the concerts going on, many of us realized that Brooklyn Bowl wasn't the best "post game bar" as we couldn't hear each other. Off a recommendation we started going to Whiskey Brooklyn around the corner. A great little bar with TVs, shuffleboard and other games, we spent the remaining weeks at this bar. Last night was the last week of games and we successfully made it to playoffs and didn't end up in last place. Go Rolling on Shabbos! And congrats to my friends on Up Your Alley for winning first place, you guys definitely deserved it.

Threee

Day 3: Definitely a memory that I'll never forget is running my first official 5k. I would usually run about a 5K while at the gym every since I've started going back in college so I though I should finally run an official one.  The Color Run wasn't a heavily timed race, it was more of a fun run. At every "K" volunteers would throw colored corn starch at you. Thus when you completed the race you would be covered in head to toe color that would be a splatter work of art/color. Held in August in NYC, it was a bit warm but my friends Ann Marie and Kerri and I did our best to run as much of the race as we could. Running it at Aviator Sports complex in Brooklyn was such a change of scenery from being in the city. The complex had luscious green fields and many trees. Luckily though, the race was ran on asphalt and not a dirt path, although that would have made it for an even messier run. Despite the heat and strain on my asthma we completed the 5K in just under 40 minutes. All in all it was such a fun 5K and I definitely plan on running it again next year; maybe even another/different city. This year the run is scheduled for March which will be freezing but who knows maybe that will be better for me while I run. A month later I even ran my 2nd 5K this year!

31 Memories of 2012

I've decided (a day late) that I wanted to blog about a memory from 2012 for every day in December. So here's Day 1 & 2.

Day 1: The amazing friends I have made through trivia. Without NYCSSC and the friendships I have formed, I would not have the close knit group of friends that I yearned for in NYC. Everyone knows it's hard to make friends in a new city, so I am thankful for them. Then have been there for me always and I especially thank my friends for taking me out to distract me and console me when I found out my grandmother passed away (RIP). Going straight from a work trip in Florida back to sit in an airport for 5 hours to then leave for Hungary made me gone for a little over two weeks and my friends were there for me. We spent the night enjoying each other's company and getting my mind off of things. Thank you everyone!

Day 2: Mets opening day was definitely a fun memory with all my Mets fan friends. I went to a few opening days while I lived in San Francisco since they were affordable and this year when my friends offered an invite to me for Mets opening day I jumped on the chance. It was a goregous day out and the start of many Mets games this season. I love the atmosphere of a baseball game; friends, food, music and cheering on the home team. After joining Tom and Kevin at so many Mets games, not only has my love of baseball grown but I have met many Mets fans and people to now call friends. I can remember the many Friday and misc nights watching games live in Citi Field being entertained by Feeny, watching Johan's first no-hitts game, winning a few homerpool games and the many laughs that occurred. Here's to the next opening day and many more Mets games to come!

Spontaneity!

"Spontaneity - The quality or condition of being spontaneous. Spontaneous - Arising from a momentary impulse."

After talking with my sister tonight about things going on in our lives, Christmas present ideas and her running adventures, I on a whim was going to fly home to support her for her first marathon in California which happened to also fall on the weekend of our mom's birthday. She was all for the idea depending on costs but that it would be fun since The Color Run would be held in LA that weekend too that I mentioned to her. Right before we hung up, she randomly threw out the idea of coming to visit her in Georgia the weekend she was running the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k in Atlanta in January since I had also asked when it would be a good time to visit her.

An hour later, I have booked a weekend trip to see my sister in Georgia! This is a new state for me and I'm exicted to finally see Athens (where she lives) and UGA (where she works). Also can't wait to see her favorite fur-ball Molly. I live my "having a dog in NYC" fantasies through Molly and it's been too long since I've seen her.





Not only have I booked a spontaneous trip to visit my sister in Georgia but I have also agreed to sign up for the 5k run while she did the 15k. I laughed when she said there was both, I am not as avid/consistent of a runner like she is. A 5k in cold(er) weather than my first 5k in sweatlering heat in August in NYC will be a challenge. I guess it's time to start running outside/in colder temperatures! Here's to another 5k but I'm especially excited for this one since I will be able to share this experience with my sister after all the stories she shares with me/the family about her running adventures. And a free sweater/goodie bag to boot, why not!

Check out my sister's blog to read more about the run. Let's kick off 2013 with a bang!





Giving Thanks

This is a little late due to the busy fun holiday weekend I had but I wanted to give thanks to things/people in my life:

My family: I love my family and miss them dearly but so thankful for the times we've spent together this past year. Although this year was a roller coaster of a ride with the unexpected death of my nagymama (RIP) as well as my parents having to put down both of the family dogs, I appreciate my family and all that they have been there for. Between visiting for work and personal matters I have managed to see my parents 8 out of the 11 months so far this year and have enjoyed every minute being able to spend with them. Even with my sister in Atlanta, I have managed to see her 6 out of the 11 months so far. I am truly grateful for the time spent with my family even with being so sprawled across the United States. I can't wait to see them again 4 weeks for Christmas.



Ann Marie, Janssen and I

My friends: I can't believe it's been over a year and a half that I have now been living in New York. Time has flown by but the friendships I have made are stronger than ever. I have made such an amazing group of friends through trivia, kickball, friends of friends and all of the other various things I have participated in here in the city. A special thank you to Tom, Ann Marie and Janssen. Without you all in my life and helping me out when I was in need/disarray I am not sure I would have made it through with a sane mind.

Tom and I

Tom- without you I don't think I would feel as grounded and sometimes sane as I do. You calm me when I need it, and also make me let loose and have fun instead of feeling stressed and always planning. Thank you.

Ann Marie- you're my second half and are my closest girl friend here. You and I have such a great and solid friendship. Here's to many years to come. 

Janssen- you and I have become closer over the past year and I am truly grateful. We've had great conversations and fun times together. I am glad we've formed this friendship.

My boss/work: I am truly grateful for given the opportunity to work in New York and still do every day. I am lucky to be not one who is unemployed during these tough economic times. I thank my lucky stars every day that I work with such an amazing EHS team here at 30 Rock as well as working for a boss who is there for his employees. Without any family here to lean on in case of an emergency or in times of trouble, I appreciate the fact that I can reach out to my boss as we have established a solid friendship and work relationship. Here's to EHS and working with smart and dedicated people.

My health and financial stability: Even after moving to New York and adjusting to new climates, humidity, and crazy allergies, I am greatful that I have maintained my health and haven't had any major health issues over the past year (knock on wood). With all the traveling and crazy schedules I have had, I cherish the time I can hit the gym or walk for blocks enjoying the outdoors. Relying on walking and public transportation like I did back when I first moved to San Francisco for college, makes me realize how much I enjoy the outdoors and how I should cherish those moments as much as I can. My new found finanical stability has definitely made me thankful this year. After moving and costs associated with moving to New York, I had some moments where I thought being finanically stable would be impossible. With good budgeting skills, a small raise and moving to a more affordable neighborhood, I have managed to become almost debt free (including the many of plane tickets I've had to buy this year)! My goal is to have zero debt starting in 2013 and to buy all Christmas presents with cash.

Dear Monday

It's been a few weeks since I posted last, I feel like November has flown by.

Dear November, please stick around, I can't believe you're already half over.

Dear Janssen, I hope you had an awesome birthday celebration Friday night. It was good to celebrate with friends.

Dear Trevor, hope you survived Saturday. Brunch was awesome and you're friends were great fun.

Dear family, I'm sad I won't be there to celebrate Thanksgiving together but seeing you at Marika and Jeff's wedding was amazing. See you in a month!

Dear friends, can't wait for another BDHOF Friend's Thanksgiving on Friday.

Dear Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, I can't wait to watch it again and maybe even live this year!

Dear Jeff, thanks for the invite Friday. You're team was super fun and congrats on 2nd place!

Dear Christmas shopping, please be good to me this year. I need to start now and get everything accomplished soon.

Dear roommate, sorry I couldn't make it Saturday but I hope you did awesome and I'll see you after Thanksgiving weekend.

Dear work, I'm glad you're busy and keeping me busy.

Dear winter, I'm glad you're a bit more prominent this year and I'm ready for some more snow.

Love in Austin

First off: CONGRATULATIONS Jeff and Marika!!

After a 2 hour trip to the airport on Thursday afternoon, I successfully made it to Austin, Texas for the wedding of my cousin Marika and her now husband Jeff. With everything going on post-Hurricane Sandy I was feeling a bit relieved to be leaving the city for a few days to not think about things going on. I was fortunate to have not lost power, water or heat during the storm so I would have been OK had I stayed in New York.

Thursday those of us who arrived early all met up for drinks with the bride and groom at Peche, a fancy bar known for it's gin/whiskey/absinthe drinks. Few hours later after meeting the best man, few groomsmen and other friends in town, we headed back to the Sheraton to get some sleep before the busy days began.

Friday morning, most of the bridesmaids and Marika met to get our nails done and have some quiet time to enjoy each others company and catch up. After we got our nails done (by the way awesome nail salon!), we went to lunch with all the bridesmaids. Hillside Farmacy was a cute little old house turned restaurant with delicious food; I recommend it if you make it to Austin. After lunch some of us grabbed Amy's Ice Cream on South Congress before heading over to Green Pastures, the wedding venue.

The venue was GORGEOUS! It is a historical old mansion set in the middle of a neighborhood with luscious green trees, grass and peacocks wondering the property. After finally meeting the rest of Jeff's groomsmen, we began the rehearsal with their Reverend, Vikki. Being there with everyone made me even more excited to be a part of my cousin and Jeff's special day. Friday finished off with a rehearsal dinner with close family and friends, speeches galore and a power point presentation my mom made of Jeff and Marika.

Saturday was wedding day!! Bright and early the bridesmaids, Marika and I gathered together in a conference room set aside at the Sheraton to begin getting our hair and makeup done. I loved how my hair turned out based similarly to a picture of Katherine Heigl. Once we arrived at the wedding venue, got Marika dressed, took photos and prepared for the start of the wedding, was it then I began to have so much joy and excitement for the bride and groom.

The wedding was sentimental and well put together by Jeff and Marika. The rest of the wedding night was filled with family, friends, great speeches by the maid of honor Julia (Marika's sister) and Sam (Jeff's best friend he's known since childhood), drinks, delicious food and PLENTY of dancing with the live band.

After the wedding was over, many of the "young ones" as my mother called us, went down to 6th Street (which is the downtown bar scene) and continued to celebrate the night away. We even got to continue for an extra hour since the time changed that night!

Overall, I had an amazingly exhausting weekend that will be one for the books. This was definitely the best wedding I have been to so far. Let's see how the next ones match up!

Friendship

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” C.S. Lewis

Oktoberfest 2012 - Dear Monday

Dear Oktoberfest, you were such a blast up at Bear Mountain. The ferry ride up the Hudson was gorgeous, glad I went last minute. "Moose finding", delicious food and of course beer tasting made it an awesome day.

Dear Gregg, Danielle and Kurt, you guys are such a blast and made the day well worth it. I hope to hang with you whenever either of you are in town.

Dear Marika and Jeff, I can not wait for your wedding in 3 weeks!

Dear work, please don't stress me out too much between now and Christmas tree lighting.

Dear bowling, I am glad I signed up to play. It's was a great first week and ready for the 2nd tonight.

Dear Laura, you looked amazing on your wedding day and I'm sorry I couldn't be there to celebrate but I promise to make it up to you when I am back in California again.

Rolling on Shabbos

Didn't have time for a dear Monday post but despite it being Columbus Day most of us still have to work. It was a quiet day overall which was nice and made me even more excited and eager to start the singles bowling league with NYCSSC.

The league is held at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, a cute area off the L train just over the Brooklyn border. The bowling alley is awesome inside, wooden beams, leather seats, etc. It has 16 lanes, a stage, large dance area, bar and restaurant inside.

Despite having heavily bruised my wrist at kickball last Thursday I was hopeful that my wrist would hold up to bowl. For not having bowled in a year I didnt do as horrible as a thought; I even got a strike in after starting off horribly. Here's to next week!

Happy October!

Happy October everyone! Man I can't believe it's already October, I feel like September didn't exist after the first week and a half of the month. September flew by in the blink of an eye between Labor Day weekend, my cousin's bridal shower back home and attending the beta testing of our new internal audit program for work conducted in New Jersey. Biggest highlight of September was definitely ending the month by running in the Stephen Siller Tunnels to Towers 5k.

After waking up before the sun even came up to get picked up and meet at Tom's on Roosevelt Island to get our bibs, shirts and meet the rest of the bunch, we headed down to Pier 11 near Wall Street to grab the NY Water Taxi over to Ikea in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It was such a gorgeous morning that I didn't mind having to wake up super early. Once we landed at the Ikea in Brooklyn, we met up with our remaining friends and headed to the start line.

Anticipating the start of the race, we waited around while they sang the National Anthem, cheered on the wounded soldiers as they started the race and heard many other supporting events going on. Finally we slowly started moving towards the actual start line which we ended up at around 9:50am after passing the Fire House of Stephen Siller on our way. As my friends had informed me, the portion outside before the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel was the shortest portion of the race. Turned one corner and by the next we were running into the tunnel. The tunnel was the majority of the course, being about 2 miles long. I had no clue how the tunnel portion would turn out as there were so many people that I knew it would be tough to run consistently. My friend Beth and I were each other's running partners/support team as she was on her 1st 5k and I was only on my 2nd.

Once we reached the end of the tunnel there were so many firefighters, police officers and other groups standing on the sides cheering us on to the finish line that ended up near the base of the World Trade Center site. Feeling a bit emotional and beyond exhausted from running and my asthma/allergies completely kicking in and wiping me out, I was ready for brunch and to watch football the rest of the day.

Happy Monday and a great big Happy Birthday to my sister. Wish I could be there to celebrate with you but I'll see you in a month.

Hello Fall!

Goodbye summer hello fall! I can't believe it's already fall again but so ready for it. I love the chilly weather, wearing layers and wrapping up in blankets to keep warm. I wanted to officially end summer with a bang so I went to the Mets vs Marlins game Friday night. Not only did the Mets win (a big deal lately) but I won $12 at the homerpool game my friends play at Mets games. After a great game, I met up with Ann Marie at Social to catch up and say hi to our friend Frankie who was working that night and hadn't seen in ages.

Saturday Courtney, Tiffany and I went to the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy during the day to avoid the crazy crowds that would show up that night being it was the last weekend of the festival. After a delicious Italian lunch we walked through the festival ogling at all the wonderful smelling foods and desserts. We finally grabbed cannolis and kept walking. Courtney and I randomly bought some new fall jackets from a small store that was having a sample sale during the festival, score! After a goregous first day of fall I headed to watch Footloose with Ann Marie.

Spent Sunday Funday with friends watching the Jets game at Tom's house. After an overload of football, I think I am finally getting the hang of all the rules they have. I've got the rest of the season ahead of me to finally understand what they are talking about but don't think I'll have an offical NY team to root for yet. Here's to the start of fall and my 2nd 5k this weekend running the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Run/Walk.

Throwback Thursday: Phi Sigma Sigma

I left my heart with the Delta Gamma Chapter of Phi Sigma Sigma <3

I won't name all the new sisters I initiated into the pyramid, but I love them with all my heart and will cherish all the wonderful memories I had with them during their new member process. I also LOVE every single sister I have had the pleasure of meeting and knowing since being initiated in the Spring of 2007. LITP

Dear Monday

Dear Monday, why can't it be Sunday again. Yesterday was such a much needed relaxing day.

Dear September, why are you already half over? I can't believe it.

Dear sister, good luck at the Ragnar Relay this weekend!

Dear gym, I am glad you are reopened finally after the construction projects above.

Dear Homeland, I can't believe I stopped watching you. So glad you're back on in a few weeks.

Dear Astoria Park, I should go to you more often. Such goregous views and a relaxing place.

Dear self, so proud of you to be almost debt free although just bought my Christmas plane ticket home.

Dear Janssen, delicious pumpkin cream cheese muffins you made. Despite Diego eating half of one I really enjoyed them.

It's the Little Things

This past week has made me realize how often I don't stop and "smell the roses" as they say. There are so many people and things I appreciate in my life and I never take the time to truly appreciate them.

Little things I appreciate:

1. Running into friends out in the city, at a bar, etc. and get a big smile knowing that I have some great friends.

2. The amazing group of colleagues I have here in NYC and in my department as a whole. There are some intelligent and wonderful people who I work with and look up to as mentors.

3. Being able to live in New York and being able to afford to take risk and adventures.

4. The 24 hour running subway (well minus construction), I don't know how people drive in this city.

5. Having a great group of friends who surround me with love and friendship that I am going to cherish for the rest of my life no matter where I live.

6. The ability to travel so many times this year and being able to be there for friends and family when they need it most during times of sadness but also joy.

7. The endless possibilities of food choices (this is the foodie part of me talking).

8. Having an understanding roommate and boss because without them I would be going insane sometimes.

What little things do you appreciate in life?

Labor Day Weekend

After what seemed like a never ending stressful week I was ready for the holiday weekend. Friday was finally a slow day at work so I was able to leave early and get ready for the night's festivities. My friend Tiffany from trivia was having her birthday in Herald Square so I went to join her for a bit before heading to Tom's rooftop Labor Day/end of summer party. It was so nice to relax and hang out with friends after the long week. Weather wasn't too warm either which made it for a nice night.

Saturday was spent relaxing at home doing a whole lot of nothing since many friends were gone for the weekend or doing the same thing I was. My kickball teammate Mili was having her birthday in Kips Bay and after finding out some other kickball friends I know were going I decided to get out of the house for a bit. A bit turned into a great night full of friends, laughter, pictures and celebrating a wonderful last year in her 20's. Ended up at bars I had never been to before in Kips Bay and West Village, always a great time in my book checking out new places.

After finding out that I had never been to Coney Island, Tiffany and I made an impromptu trip Sunday. An hour subway ride later, we made it. Grabbing some boardwalk food we wandered our way around the two theme parks, rode the swings and people watched all those there. After we met up with our friend Dwiddy who lives in the area. We sat and chatted for a bit, catching up on the weekend and then made our way to grab some dinner. While outside eating dinner and listening to a local band play we received free tickets to the Brooklyn Cyclones vs Staten Island Yankees minor league game, score! Game was interesting especially being in a minor league stadium but fun none the less. After another long ride home I spent Monday running errands and grabbing dinner with friends. Not too bad of a weekend that I originally thought would be boring since many friends were out of town.

The Color Run - New York

So this was the first time I ran an officially organized 5K, not just running on my own. Let me tell you when I first signed up for this run after the suggestion from my sister and seeing her post about her run in Atlanta, I was so excited. Flash forward almost three months later to the Friday morning before the race, I got nervous. I had been training for this run but definitely not as serious as I was hoping to. After what seemed like a crazy summer the day was finally here.


Pre-Race/Color

After celebrating NYCSSC's birthday Saturday afternoon/evening, all I wanted to do was get my stuff and sleep at Ann Marie's house. Although I did not sleep as well as I hoped, I was excited for the race. Waking up a little too early (3am) I tried to go back to sleep until we were suppose to get up and leave around 6am. Kerri, Ann Marie and I made our way to grab a quick breakfast and head out to Aviator Sports Complex near the Far Rockaways in Brooklyn. Note: wish the race was a bit closer to Manhattan but with all the color and clean up involved and after seeing the location they choose, it just made sense. The run was located in the middle of a National Recreation Area which I thought would be a bit more dirt roads/greenery. Turned out we were running on blacktop which actually helped me out a bit more since that is what I am used to running on. Beautiful building in the background and greenery on either side made it for a nice run although a bit warm when the sun poked through towards the end.

Parked, decked out in our Color Run shirts, headbands, temporary tattoos and fanny packs, we proceeded to the starting area. After a few pre-race pictures, getting sunglasses and dropping off our bag, we walked over to the starting area. I'd rather call this a corral because that's how it made me feel lol. We lucked out and ended up being at the front of group 6 to let into the run. There were so many people, I think they ended up letting off at least 12 different groups. Music going and hearts pumping, we took off.

Zone 1: yellow. Awesome color throwers although you had to pace yourself to run by to get enough color on you.

Yellow

Zone 2: orange. Definitely better by this point as people started to pace themselves, walk or run ahead. By this point Kerri, Ann Marie and I had a jog going and would go just slow enough to get covered in orange, although not the best.

Orange

Zone 3: blue. After a quick stop at the water station, we made it our point to attempt to walk though the blue zone as to get as much color on us without getting run into/yelled at for walking. I'd say it was a success and probably the most color zone.

If you couldn't tell it's blue

Zone 4: pink. Last zone and definitely the easiest to get through between all the people. We even double backed to get splashed with more pink and parts of yellow as the yellow zone was near the pink zone. See the map of the race in last Monday's post. With satisfaction of the race, we ran through the finish line and stopped for finish line photos. We did it!



I finished!

 All in all was an amazing time with friends, color and for being my first 5K not bad time although it wasn't officially recorded because I was having too much fun. Once we got blown clean by lawn blowers after an hour in the midst of the color festival with DJ's, free color packets to throw and just a blast dancing, it was time to see the color-ific damage that was done. With a bit of a detour home through parts of Brooklyn I've never seen, the three of us heading to get a much needed brunch and laugh/talk about what an amazing time we had and the goals for next years' run.  Here's to next year New York!