Dreams Do Come True!!

Of ALL the people, in ALL of the world...including singers, rockstars, movie stars, sports players, etc...the person I wanted to meet most, above all else, was 

Augusten Burroughs.

And tonight, folks, that happened!!!!!!!!!

I can barely contain my excitement. Augusten is my all-time favorite author. He wrote Running With Scissors, Dry, A Wolf at the Table, Sellevision, Magical Thinking, A Christmas Story, oh and the list goes on! He inspires me to write more than any author ever. 

Every book tour he's ever had never came to the city I was living in at the time. But a few months ago, I found out he was writing another book - which means, another book tour, and now that I live in NYC, my city was first on his tour!!!!! The excitement I felt when I learned this was unmatchable. 

So tonight, I leave work & went directly to the book signing. I didn't really know what to expect or if I'd even get to catch a glimpse of him. So I showed up at the venue, Barnes and Nobles, purchased his book that came out today, and they told me because I bought the book I got to hang out in the roped off area.

This made me happy.

At 7pm he came on stage, did an amazing shpeal about life in general, then had a Q&A session with us in the audience. THEN, afterwards, he said he'd sign everyone's book!!!! It was this moment when I realized I may get to conversate with my idol. 

I waited in line for a good 45 minutes before it was my turn (worth every second). When my turn arrived, I walked onto the stage, told him he's my favorite author of all time, and miles above any other author that I enjoy reading, and he thanked me very sincerely and told me it meant a lot to him. I assumed he heard this all the time, but his gratitude was still anything but transparent. :) 

I was spontaneously prompted by curiosity to know who HIS favorite author is, so I asked. He said maybe Elizabeth Bird, maybe other people,  stumbled over it for a few more seconds, and then concluded that he couldn't think at the moment to give me a concrete answer. He laughed, and said I caught him off guard. Jokingly, I told him he could just go ahead and say himself :) he laughed and said "Gawd no! Not me!" 

What an endearing fellow. 

I then asked if we could take a picture together, and he obliged, which lead to the documentation of my best day ever :)

I can't believe I really met the man whose books inspire me to write more than anything else.

What a good day!!

#Thankful

:)

FOOD in the City

SO it's been a while since I blogged...apparently New York City has been keeping me busy! But now that we're actually all settled in, I'm hoping to find more time to drop some blogs :) Keep reading to hear about the deliciousness that is New York Ciy!

FOOD

One of my favorite things about the city, (if not THE favorite thing), is the food here. Seriously. Anything you want, any time of day... If you can think it, you can have it. I'll hit you with my top 5 spots so far!


1) 16 Handles - self-serve frozen yogurt: It's absolutely delicious and I've been there like 7 times already. Their flavors are perfect and include, but are not limited to, Chocolate, Dulce De Leche, Red Velvet, Birthday Cake, Greek Honey, Coconut, and Peanut Butter. I tend to mix all of the aforementioned flavors together for the ultimate tastebud party...you're welcome, t-buds. THEN, the toppings...oh the toppings! The freshest fruit, chocolate covered prezels,granola, sprinkles, mochi, and more! I can't even begin to give the toppings selection justice. Do yourself a favor, if you're ever in NYC, frequent this joint :)


A little scoop of heaven is pictured below:

2)Yakiniku West - Asian: This place is a real gem in the East Village if you're looking for a fun and unique dining experience. When you walk in the door, you have to take off your shoes; once barefoot, you're lead to a low-sitting table to where you can choose to sit indian style if you wish. The food choices are vast and everything is served to you raw - you cook it on the grill in front of you. My Aunt Missy drove out from Long Island to take Ale, my cousin (Nadine - she lives in Brooklyn), and I to eat here! We dined on chicken, steak, sushi, and cow tongue. Feast your eyes on this feast:

3) Del Frisco's Grille - Steakhouse: So my roommate from college who I haven't seen in 2 YEARS came to visit me!! It was such a great night. We went to Del Frisco's in Rockefeller center. She works at one in Philly, so she knows the GM who hooked.us.up!! We ate everything from lamb burger sliders, to tuna tacos, to philly cheesesteak eggrolls (yes eggrolls...so delicious!). I ordered the Tuna Salad as my entree and I would certainly recommend it. Everything about the meal was notable - including the martinis ("VIP" - pineapple infused martini..beyond refreshing and delicious!) Then DESSERT - nutella bread pudding and coconut creme pie (both pictured below) were the perfect way to finish such a meal. Great service!!

4) East Japanese - Sushi: This was one of the coolest sushi restaurants I've ever been too. The sushi comes around on a conveyer belt that loops around the tables throughout the whole restaurant. You just take off a plate when you see one you like! Tedy, Ale, Ale's sister (who was here visiting this week) and I all got our sushi fix during this meal! It was very reasonably priced with a great atmosphere!! I highly suggest it!!

5) BRUNCH: Everywhere in NYC: Since being in the city, I've grown a whole new appreciation for the art of brunch. I've always been a fan, but I've never had so many options! I LOVE Huevos Rancheros and try to get that wherever I go to brunch! There are so many different variations of it depending on the restaurant, so it's hard to get bored with it! See pictures below - 1st pic was at Turning Point right over the river in Hobokem, and the second is Huevos Rancheros form this morning's brunch at Spoon! SO GOOD!!

FYI:

The fruit should also not go unmentioned when talking about food. The fruit bowls are absolutely delicious and fresh everywhere you order them in the city. AND the fruit man on the site of the road by my apt has great produce for very cheap! I've become a frequent customer of his :) Enjoy!!

Workin and walkin!

Walking through Madison square park on my way to work...Hanson in my headphones.This makes me think of and miss Annat314!! Xoxo

Ps. Many more updates to come once I finally have Internet again!!

Evening Stroll Through Hoboken!

Today was a really low-key day. We woke up, hung out on the patio for a while at Lindsey & Dan's, in Hoboken then went to a late brunch at Elysian Cafe. --Eggs Benedict-- mmm mmm mmm! It was delectable!

Afterwards, I got a new iPhone case for my new iPhone! Yay. Now this baby is never leaving my sight (which may or may not be a healthy habit going forward).

This evening I got a little cabin fever and went for a 3-4 mile walk down the Hoboken trail that follows the Hudson river. So many people were out & about-it's such a beautiful day! The highlight of my walk was the lil duck family I saw!! Aren't they absolutely presh?  (second picture below) Fuzzy little things <3

Here are a couple more shots from my walk-enjoy!

My Abrupt New York Welcoming...

I moved to NYC, and it's only the second day...and my iPhone was already stolen. 

Worst. Feeling. Ever.

Yesterday was actually a great day overall. Our broker told us that we qualified for the apartment we really wanted (we'll be living in Murray Hill in Manhattan!). It's the PERFECT location and I can even walk to work! Added bonus! Also, Ale got his verbal job offer from Wells which was REALLY exciting - so we went out with a group of friends to celebrate everything.

And that's when the night took a wrong turn. At the bar during our celebration last night, I set my iPhone down for literally only a few seconds. I didn't walk away, didn't leave it unattended, but I obviously didn't watch it as intently as I should have during those few seconds, because a moment later it was gone. I noticed immediately, and tried to use the "Find my iPhone" app on Ale's phone to see where it went but no location data was available. I called my phone from Ale's, and it went straight to voicemail (despite my 90% battery charge) - so whoever took it knew what they were doing and knew how to be untraceable. My heart sank.

The kicker of this story is that when we got to the bar, I saw a girls wallet laying on the bar floor with cash falling out of it. I immediately pick it up, return the cash into the wallet, and turned it into an employee at the bar. And hours later my iPhone was stolen.

What they hey, karma???

So today, Ale and I went to the Apple store in Grand Central Station (despite my devastation from losing my phone, running an errand in Grand Central Station was pretty awesome). I told the Apple employee what happened, and he said "You're the 3rd person in 10 minutes to tell me that your phone was stolen last night'....crazy right? But $706 later, I replaced my stolen phone and reconnected with the world.

Yes, you heard me. $706. With that said, I advise anyone and everyone against purchasing AppleCare as your insurance for the iPhone. Yes, it's only $50 to replace it if you break or damage it somehow, but gives you ZERO coverage against lost or stolen phones. Verizon actually has a much better insurance gig.

But hey, I'm a firm believer in balance, and with all the things going smoothly so far, I would expect a hiccup somewhere. But you better believe I'll never take my eyes off my iPhone again!!!!!! Lesson learned - always have to be aware of EVERYTHING.

Welcome to New York! 

Officially New Yorkers Today!!

WE OFFICIALLY LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY!

Now all we need is an address :) We're staying with friends in Hoboken until we have an apartment of our own - hopefully soon! We spent the entire day yesterday (literally...like 7 hours) with a broker who showed us what felt like every apartment in Manhattan. Our hearts are set on one located at 34th & Lex. We find out today if we get it!!!!! Fingers crossed.

When we arrived in the city, it was absolutely gorgeous. I didn't sleep the entire night before because I was so excited - then we had to get up at 3:50AM to catch our flight. SPEAKING OF OUR FLIGHT -  Please look at the plane that we flew to NYC on!!!!! If THAT'S not a sign, then I don't know what is....

GO STEELERS!!!!

Also,  It was Josie's very first flight!!!! We tried to give her Benadryl but she started foaming at the mouth in rebellion...so I don't think much made it into her system. Needless to say, our 6:15AM flight was packed with people who got to listen to Josie's soundtrack the whole way. Bless her lil sweet soul.

It was weird bringing her on the plane though, because I actually had to carry her through the metal ditector/x-ray machine...so I was praying she wouldn't get spooked and jump free from my grasp. Luckily she didnt...as I walked towards the TSA worker, he looked down at my feet and giggled. Yes, I had on socks with little cats printed all over them as I was carrying my cat through the metal detector. What. A. Cliche. Here are some photos of Josie on and after her first flight!

LOL she looks like she aged about 5 years in this picture...poor lil thing was all stressed out. Luckily, she's calm again :)

 Once we landed  we headed to Hoboken to stay with Lindsey and Dan until we find a place to live! Hoboken is gorgeous - We were greeted by Cherry Blossoms and sunshine. The food there is DELICIOUS too. I've eaten 4 meals in NY so far, and all have been extremely delectable. MMM mmmm mmmmmm!!

Our first Hoboken moments captured below!

Cherry Blossoms!

 Huevos Rancheros.....YUMMMMM

 The view of Manhattan from Hoboken!

 Our first pic since being New Yorkers!

Not a bad view for our first cup of coffee!

After all is said and done, it's a strange feeling buying a one-way ticket, landing, and knowing you're not going back to where you came from. Totally exhilarating. 

It's time to chase some dreams!

Packing Day!

PACKING DAY!

Tuesday, April 10th 2012 was the day the movers came! They packed up our whole life in a matter of hours and by the end of the day, we were absolutely exhausted, as expected.  Below are some snapshots!

 I thought our life would take up more space, but it actually only took up a teeny tiny bit of the truck. I guess that's a good thing...since we're most likely moving into a teeny tiny Manhattan apartment! :)

Ale modeling the last item in the empty condo! 

EXHAUSTION. Laying on our mattress on the floor, staring at the empty condo with my love and our kitty. 

Relaxing. 

This was the first time I relaxed in 3 whole weeks. Exhale..........

PS. Ale is quite the looker in this pic hahah :)