It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's insanely freezing out, like that painful-why-do-I-live-on-the-east-coast bitterness but it's still magical. Maybe I'm getting used to it. Or maybe I am learning to dress properly for the winter. Regardless of the icy chaos, greens and reds have begun to dust the streets. I see sparkling lights and glittery snowflakes and I am reminded how wholesome the holiday season feels. It's the final wrap up of the year and always a time to reflect. The cold weather brings us inside and gives excuses for endless chats by the fire or long dinners over steaming drinks.
The holidays always means family for me. It's traditions and pranks, roasts and toasts and devouring delicious goods. I am always reminded how thankful I am that this is what my holiday means. I know it could be different. I feel so beyond fortunate to have a family that is together through thick and thin. We've been through it all, we've fought and refused to talk to each other, we've thrown fits and mocked each other till it hurts but no matter what has happened, we've stayed together. No one gives up. No one jumps ship. I don't know how my parents did it. How they instilled this union in us all. So natural and no one is forced but we all come together. I sadly have to admit that I am the black sheep sibling this year when it comes to Thanksgiving as I will be on the east coast with my future-in-laws. Of course, this is a wonderful treat and my east coast family is truly dear to my heart. They even let me incorporate some of my west coast family traditions because in the end, well in 286 days, we will all be family.
So let's face the bitter cold, go on a long morning run, eat an extra slice of pie and switch on Home Alone because it's truly the most wonderful, magical time of the year. No matter what coast you spend it on.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Sunday, July 7, 2013
And Then He Kissed Me
I suppose this is the one time I get to be mushy, lovey dovey, excessive and perhaps a little too much. This is the time I get to tell you a story, in even more detail, about the man I am going to marry and the journey that got us to the most romantic engagement.
A little over 3 years ago, I met Kevin Eugene Anglin. In a well-fitted Celtics jersey, the show off was working the crowd at a pick up volleyball game on the first night at Mountain Camp. I remember thinking, "that boy is so annoying and just wants attention!!" and even though I was right, I really had no idea that the stud cracking jokes was destined to be my best friend and the man who put this gorgeous, breathtaking diamond on my left hand.
The story continues as girl asks boy the score of the basketball game (Celtics were in the championship, girl always wanted to live in Boston and therefore felt she could engage in conversation (or show that she cared) about the team). Boy sees girl teaching sailing lessons in a neon green hat and tells himself, "I'm gonna make that girl smile". Boy and girl get put on the daunting task of 'Work Crew' and girl desperately tries to get out of it. (No dice) and so girl and boy spend a night in South Lake Tahoe and there the spark is lit. A first kiss, a real connection. The following weeks were a little more dramatic because the girl was 22 and in what the boy calls her "insane phase" but on June 29, 2010, the boy and girl, at picnic tables before the girl headed down to the lake, decided that they would start this for real. The following weeks were filled with love letters, secret notes and songs, stolen kisses and late night walks. Talks of the future and meeting families and actions to make those talks real. And on a midnight passed morning, the boy and girl finally declared their true love.
Camp ends and yet the boy and girl continue. Girl moves to Boston, boy and girl discover the romance of the east, they spend their first Christmas together, New Years and on their one year anniversary they share a dance among a Boston fountain and dine with the endless sea. Girl moves in with boy, they devise a plan to move to NYC so the boy can follow his well-deserved dream to be a comedy writer. They pack up and move into a lovely shoe box- the site where this boy and girl would spend lazy Sundays curled up together, early mornings with chocolate pancakes and one day on a living room picnic where the boy would ask the girl for her hand in marriage.
Year two starts off with a Ferris wheel ride in Astoria Park and a blazing hot summer. The year continues with boy and girl falling deeper and deeper in love. A love so strong it hurts, so precious and vulnerable and yet it's the most powerful connection the boy and girl have ever felt. And so boy and girl spend the year planning their future, girl tells boy what kind of ring she would one day want, in January, on a romantical Philadelphia trip, the boy asks the girl her ring size and the girl never finds out because she thinks the ring is rather far away. But the boy is smarter than that. On a typical May Sunday, the girl goes out with a friend and the boy heads out to a local jeweler and finds the girl her dream ring. Knowing the girl frantically and religiously cleans the apartment, the boy hides the ring at a friend's house so the girl will be utterly surprised. The boy then spends the following weeks, what he says "messing with her psyche" so that she will be even more thrown off. With their 3 year anniversary approaching, the couple plan a picnic and a nice dinner to celebrate the magic. The girl does wonder if the boy would ever propose but the boy has been so adamant about not popping the question she spends her time telling herself to not get her hopes up and just continue living in this love-filled moment.
The 3 year anniversary arrives. The week proceeding was truly fabulous- the boy had one of his best comedy shows to date and the girl ceased work at one job to follow her big promotion at another. Boy and girl wake up on the 29th and head to a couple's massage- the girl's gift. Calmed and relaxed, they head to the grocer for some perfect picnic snacks. NYC weather had been a little iffy- randomly opening up pouring skies of dark, terrible rain and so the boy and girl decide to move their Central Park picnic into their living room. The boy was calmly making chocolate chip pancakes, the girl set up the picnic and around 1:00pm it began. The boy said he had a little present for the girl- nothing big but still something and he wanted to do a card trick (which was normal because the boy has done this for the girl before). Pick a card, any card and the girl picks the Ace of Hearts. The card is put back in the deck, generously shuffled and the boy pulls the Jack of Clubs and asks, "Is this your card?" Of course, it is not and the boy looks baffled- he suggest the girl looks in 'The Book' for her card. The Book- a picture and memory keeper the boy and girl had been creating over the past 3 years, was sitting on the picnic blanket. The girl had wanted to look at it again on this special day and remember the last 3 years- the boy had other plans for it. He opens the book and tells the girl to turn to a specific page. The girl, still having no idea what is going on, opens the book and sees on the left page it says "Happy Anniversary! 3 years! That's crazy!" and her Ace of Hearts taped inside. "I made a 'to do' list for next year -->" The girl scans her eyes to the next page and sees a lovely kissy photo of the two and a list: To Do: GET ENGAGED (with a big check mark). Now the girl is rather confused. Is this the boy saying he will propose in the next year? The girl puts down the book and there the boy is- with a ring box opened holding the most beautiful, unreal, exquisite diamond ring she has ever seen. Even better than the pictures she had once swooned over, the ring was there with the boy's hands nearly shaking over it.
The girl is now crying and asking what?! She even asked the boy if he was sure, he said yes and so she said yes, yes, I do. And the boy so kindly reminded her that he had not asked her anything (yet). And so the boy, asks the 4 little words ever girl dreams of- Will You Marry Me?
So there on a perfect Saturday, 3 years since the picnic table, 3 years since they started over, the boy and girl officially decided to spend forever together.
A little over 3 years ago, I met Kevin Eugene Anglin. In a well-fitted Celtics jersey, the show off was working the crowd at a pick up volleyball game on the first night at Mountain Camp. I remember thinking, "that boy is so annoying and just wants attention!!" and even though I was right, I really had no idea that the stud cracking jokes was destined to be my best friend and the man who put this gorgeous, breathtaking diamond on my left hand.
The story continues as girl asks boy the score of the basketball game (Celtics were in the championship, girl always wanted to live in Boston and therefore felt she could engage in conversation (or show that she cared) about the team). Boy sees girl teaching sailing lessons in a neon green hat and tells himself, "I'm gonna make that girl smile". Boy and girl get put on the daunting task of 'Work Crew' and girl desperately tries to get out of it. (No dice) and so girl and boy spend a night in South Lake Tahoe and there the spark is lit. A first kiss, a real connection. The following weeks were a little more dramatic because the girl was 22 and in what the boy calls her "insane phase" but on June 29, 2010, the boy and girl, at picnic tables before the girl headed down to the lake, decided that they would start this for real. The following weeks were filled with love letters, secret notes and songs, stolen kisses and late night walks. Talks of the future and meeting families and actions to make those talks real. And on a midnight passed morning, the boy and girl finally declared their true love.
Camp ends and yet the boy and girl continue. Girl moves to Boston, boy and girl discover the romance of the east, they spend their first Christmas together, New Years and on their one year anniversary they share a dance among a Boston fountain and dine with the endless sea. Girl moves in with boy, they devise a plan to move to NYC so the boy can follow his well-deserved dream to be a comedy writer. They pack up and move into a lovely shoe box- the site where this boy and girl would spend lazy Sundays curled up together, early mornings with chocolate pancakes and one day on a living room picnic where the boy would ask the girl for her hand in marriage.
Year two starts off with a Ferris wheel ride in Astoria Park and a blazing hot summer. The year continues with boy and girl falling deeper and deeper in love. A love so strong it hurts, so precious and vulnerable and yet it's the most powerful connection the boy and girl have ever felt. And so boy and girl spend the year planning their future, girl tells boy what kind of ring she would one day want, in January, on a romantical Philadelphia trip, the boy asks the girl her ring size and the girl never finds out because she thinks the ring is rather far away. But the boy is smarter than that. On a typical May Sunday, the girl goes out with a friend and the boy heads out to a local jeweler and finds the girl her dream ring. Knowing the girl frantically and religiously cleans the apartment, the boy hides the ring at a friend's house so the girl will be utterly surprised. The boy then spends the following weeks, what he says "messing with her psyche" so that she will be even more thrown off. With their 3 year anniversary approaching, the couple plan a picnic and a nice dinner to celebrate the magic. The girl does wonder if the boy would ever propose but the boy has been so adamant about not popping the question she spends her time telling herself to not get her hopes up and just continue living in this love-filled moment.
The 3 year anniversary arrives. The week proceeding was truly fabulous- the boy had one of his best comedy shows to date and the girl ceased work at one job to follow her big promotion at another. Boy and girl wake up on the 29th and head to a couple's massage- the girl's gift. Calmed and relaxed, they head to the grocer for some perfect picnic snacks. NYC weather had been a little iffy- randomly opening up pouring skies of dark, terrible rain and so the boy and girl decide to move their Central Park picnic into their living room. The boy was calmly making chocolate chip pancakes, the girl set up the picnic and around 1:00pm it began. The boy said he had a little present for the girl- nothing big but still something and he wanted to do a card trick (which was normal because the boy has done this for the girl before). Pick a card, any card and the girl picks the Ace of Hearts. The card is put back in the deck, generously shuffled and the boy pulls the Jack of Clubs and asks, "Is this your card?" Of course, it is not and the boy looks baffled- he suggest the girl looks in 'The Book' for her card. The Book- a picture and memory keeper the boy and girl had been creating over the past 3 years, was sitting on the picnic blanket. The girl had wanted to look at it again on this special day and remember the last 3 years- the boy had other plans for it. He opens the book and tells the girl to turn to a specific page. The girl, still having no idea what is going on, opens the book and sees on the left page it says "Happy Anniversary! 3 years! That's crazy!" and her Ace of Hearts taped inside. "I made a 'to do' list for next year -->" The girl scans her eyes to the next page and sees a lovely kissy photo of the two and a list: To Do: GET ENGAGED (with a big check mark). Now the girl is rather confused. Is this the boy saying he will propose in the next year? The girl puts down the book and there the boy is- with a ring box opened holding the most beautiful, unreal, exquisite diamond ring she has ever seen. Even better than the pictures she had once swooned over, the ring was there with the boy's hands nearly shaking over it.
The girl is now crying and asking what?! She even asked the boy if he was sure, he said yes and so she said yes, yes, I do. And the boy so kindly reminded her that he had not asked her anything (yet). And so the boy, asks the 4 little words ever girl dreams of- Will You Marry Me?
So there on a perfect Saturday, 3 years since the picnic table, 3 years since they started over, the boy and girl officially decided to spend forever together.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
One Year & a Quarter of Life
Happy One Year New York City! Is there any other city where people actually celebrate their anniversary of moving to it? Maybe it's because NYC residents are in this long race to officially become real New Yorkers (and it's what 7 years so I'm not even close??) Maybe I am not a real New Yorker but I've passed the first year and I even have a NY State driver license so really that should bump me up another year or two.
To say it was a year of ups and downs would be an understatement. Fortunately those downs have passed and if you need a refresher just go back to May/June 2012. It's hard to think that twelve months ago I was still at the bank, Kevin was jobless, there were bugs, there were tears and there were endless questions of sanity. Today I sit, far from those days, on our comfy couch, hard cider in hand with sore limbs resting from a 7 mile run- it's finally warm out (like actually warm and not 40* where we are desperately trying to say it's not so bad in our winter coats that we've been wearing for 4 months straight). It seems that we have actually turned the corner into spring and from where I sit everything seems to be in its place.
Coming right on schedule, my quarter life crisis has begun. Bold sentence but let me decipher. And I suppose it's not a crisis- crisis implies fire and insanity and danger. In reality, it's just an odd phase where my life seems to be turned upside down. I should have written a couple of days ago when I was actually started this phase but I've had some time to really think about it and dare I say I'm on the other side of it. Not the other side of the "crisis" but of the 'omg-what is happening' shock of it all. Since publicly announcing it on Facebook, I've had some pretty special people reach out to me and not only agree that this is all natural but they've offered guidance. That's something I just love about life- that no matter where you are and what you're feeling, someone else has been down that road and they'll show you the way out. Perhaps they'll even show you a shortcut.
So here I am- a year into New York and days into my quarter life thing (it's actually early by a month and a half but I've always seen myself as more mature for my age so go figure). I'm spending nearly all my time running (which has factored into the crisis because really what is the point of half marathons!!!) but on the bright side I'm developing that runner's high I've heard and dreamed about. I'm sure there's a point in it all and maybe I'll find it somewhere in those long, dreadful 13.1 miles.
To say it was a year of ups and downs would be an understatement. Fortunately those downs have passed and if you need a refresher just go back to May/June 2012. It's hard to think that twelve months ago I was still at the bank, Kevin was jobless, there were bugs, there were tears and there were endless questions of sanity. Today I sit, far from those days, on our comfy couch, hard cider in hand with sore limbs resting from a 7 mile run- it's finally warm out (like actually warm and not 40* where we are desperately trying to say it's not so bad in our winter coats that we've been wearing for 4 months straight). It seems that we have actually turned the corner into spring and from where I sit everything seems to be in its place.
Coming right on schedule, my quarter life crisis has begun. Bold sentence but let me decipher. And I suppose it's not a crisis- crisis implies fire and insanity and danger. In reality, it's just an odd phase where my life seems to be turned upside down. I should have written a couple of days ago when I was actually started this phase but I've had some time to really think about it and dare I say I'm on the other side of it. Not the other side of the "crisis" but of the 'omg-what is happening' shock of it all. Since publicly announcing it on Facebook, I've had some pretty special people reach out to me and not only agree that this is all natural but they've offered guidance. That's something I just love about life- that no matter where you are and what you're feeling, someone else has been down that road and they'll show you the way out. Perhaps they'll even show you a shortcut.
So here I am- a year into New York and days into my quarter life thing (it's actually early by a month and a half but I've always seen myself as more mature for my age so go figure). I'm spending nearly all my time running (which has factored into the crisis because really what is the point of half marathons!!!) but on the bright side I'm developing that runner's high I've heard and dreamed about. I'm sure there's a point in it all and maybe I'll find it somewhere in those long, dreadful 13.1 miles.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Turning Thirteen
Two thousand and thirteen. Still sounds futuristic and odd to say but maybe I feel this every year and then some how just get used to the phrase and suddenly this odd feeling becomes what I will miss the following year.
I love new years (not to be confused with the New Year extravaganza eve) but rather the start of something new, the chance to make goals, revisit the past to enhance your future and make a list, written or spoken, to hold oneself accountable of current promises. I personally love making lists and crossing items off and so my new year goals are thoughtfully planned out and marked with much anticipation. They are not necessarily resolutions or things I need to do better. They are just simply paths I'd like to take and roads I'd like to continue traveling on. I am eager to cross them off, eager to see where I stand in another year and reflect back to now and this moment. But, of course, I'll patiently wait and explore all the wonder this year provides.
1. Fully attempt yoga
2. Love your body every.day. Nourish it with exercise and health
3. Continue to always be reading a good book
4. Save money and don't spend earnings on silly, frivolous things
5. But when you do spend money, enjoy it. Every penny. You only live once
6. Further develop my career and ask for compensation to match my growth
7. Do at least one NYC activity a month (ice skate in Central Park, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, ect)
8. Go to the doctor
9. Stretch out all 24 hours in the day. Make 24 hours enough
10. Continue my 366 photo project with Jenna
11. Be the best partner for Kevin and explore, adventure, grow and give our love everything I have because it's the best part of my life
Cheers to thirteen. Cheers to possibility. Cheers to you and yours.
I love new years (not to be confused with the New Year extravaganza eve) but rather the start of something new, the chance to make goals, revisit the past to enhance your future and make a list, written or spoken, to hold oneself accountable of current promises. I personally love making lists and crossing items off and so my new year goals are thoughtfully planned out and marked with much anticipation. They are not necessarily resolutions or things I need to do better. They are just simply paths I'd like to take and roads I'd like to continue traveling on. I am eager to cross them off, eager to see where I stand in another year and reflect back to now and this moment. But, of course, I'll patiently wait and explore all the wonder this year provides.
1. Fully attempt yoga
2. Love your body every.day. Nourish it with exercise and health
3. Continue to always be reading a good book
4. Save money and don't spend earnings on silly, frivolous things
5. But when you do spend money, enjoy it. Every penny. You only live once
6. Further develop my career and ask for compensation to match my growth
7. Do at least one NYC activity a month (ice skate in Central Park, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, ect)
8. Go to the doctor
9. Stretch out all 24 hours in the day. Make 24 hours enough
10. Continue my 366 photo project with Jenna
11. Be the best partner for Kevin and explore, adventure, grow and give our love everything I have because it's the best part of my life
Cheers to thirteen. Cheers to possibility. Cheers to you and yours.
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