serenity now

For those times when New York City becomes too city, you can walk away from it to the heart of Central Park.


But sometimes, in order to find a sanctuary, you need to walk into a session in the heart of the Upper West Side.


Which is what we did this afternoon after leaving Garrett at home with the babysitters (thanks again, guys!).

Beautiful. In so many ways . . . beautiful.

cooties

I never thought third grade diseases could infect me with such a horribly hilarious fit of giggles:

my day in history

January 23, 1983 - 1st birthday. And what's a first birthday without the opportunity to feed yourself some chocolate cake?


January 23, 1984 - 2nd birthday. I got a Showbiz Pizza party and, according to my baby book, loved watching the animals singin' and riding on my favorite ride, the little ark with the steering wheel and hooter.

January 23, 1985 - 3rd birthday.

January 23, 1986 - 4th birthday. Me and a few friends got to take our favorite dollies to visit the McCurdy Doll Museum.













January 23, 1987 - 5th birthday

January 23, 1988 - 6th birthday (no photo available). My memory's spotty on this one, but I'm pretty sure it involved cupcakes in my Kindergarten classroom.

January 23, 1989 - 7th birthday. When it came time to blow out my birthday cake candles, I wished really, super hard that my pregnant mother would finally give me a sister. My brothers were great fun and all, but I desperately needed a female ally. Three months later my wish was granted.


January 23, 1990 - 8th birthday. It was my year for a friends party and one of the few friends parties I remember. It was spectacular, and included not only a handful of my favorite buddies, but also a rousing game of "push the Tootsie Roll across the living room floor with your nose."


January 23, 1991 - 9th birthday.
January 23, 1992 - 10th birthday. Ten years old! What a perfect age! I mean, come on -- TWO whole hands! I remember wishing I could stay 10 forever. Obviously that one didn't come true.

January 23, 1993 - 11th birthday. Making the most of being two whole hands PLUS a big toe. Yeah...awkward, isn't it? My year again for a friends party and for it I planned a small slumber party. Unfortunately I was sick with a cold and spent the whole time blowing my way through an entire box of Kleenex.

January 23, 1994 - 12th birthday. I was sick sick sick and was also scheduled to sing in the choir at the Tabernacle on Temple Square for an evening broadcast. Both were reasons that I missed my first day in Young Womens (at last I could end my days as that freakishly tall Primary kid!). My sister, Chelsea, who was born ten days earlier, was, like the granting of my 7th birthday wish, probably my best present. This family photo was snapped somewhere amidst cake and presents, a stomach flu-induced trip to the bathroom, and the drive to Salt Lake City to sing for the broadcast.

January 23, 1995 - 13th birthday (no photo available). Whenever anyone asked me what I wanted that year as a gift, I told them I wanted a box of crayons. Consequently I ended up that year with a lifetime supply of Crayolas. And thus began several long years of teenage awkwardness.

January 23, 1996 - 14th birthday (no photo available). Went sledding in the canyon with my friend, Lyndsie. Got soaking wet. Had a blast. Also attempted to drive up the road to Sundance to see the film festival, but got stuck part way up. I don't blame her mother for turning the car around...at one point it was nothing but deep snow and an icy ledge.

January 23, 1997 - 15th birthday (no photo available). Because our lives were busy and it was incredibly hard to find even just five minutes that we could spend together as a family to celebrate, we all got up extra early and celebrated before school. Mom woke up even earlier than the rest of us and made me my favorite food, quiche lorraine, for breakfast. I spent the evening at my weekly volunteer shift at the hospital where my supervisor, Sandra (who was also born on January 23rd), and I celebrated both of our birthdays by scarfing down famous Snack Bar milkshakes.

January 23, 1998 - 16th birthday (no photo available). Was spent at an ice skating lesson, eating cake with my family, and trying hard not to be sad that I wasn't invited to the first boy's choice high school dance, held that night, that I was "legally" old enough to attend.

January 23, 1999 - 17th birthday (no photo available). Aside from the traditional evening family party, I got to spend an enjoyable afternoon with my dad at the theater parked in front of "You've Got Mail." Also had lovely conversations with both parents about the cold, snowy day I gave them that title.

January 23, 2000 - 18th birthday (no photo available). Spent a nice, quiet day at home with my family.

January 23, 2001 - 19th birthday. This was a particularly sad birthday. Three days earlier my grandpa died, so this day was spent on several small planes traveling from Rexburg, Idaho to St. George, Utah. Instead of cake and ice cream, I went to his viewing. The funeral was the next day. When I got back to Ricks on the 25th, my roommates surprised me with a small party in the dorm lounge.

January 23, 2002 - 20th birthday (no photo available). I had just transferred from Ricks down to BYU and didn't yet feel like I fit it - with my roommates, in my ward, etc. I wasn't living at home, so my birthday was pretty quiet. Was given a small TV/VCR combo to help fill the silence in my lonely apartment.

January 23, 2003 - 21st birthday (no photo available). I woke up to an apartment decorated by my lovely, lovely roommates. They also made me a cake.

January 23, 2004 - 22nd birthday (no photo available). Woke up to a sweet happy birthday message from my room-roommate written in dry erase marker on my mirror. Mom and Dad took me to lunch at Osaka. Was also given a thoughtful little party in the evening by my roommates, which included tacos made by Heather.

January 23, 2005 - 23rd birthday (no photo available). My golden year! (And what a golden year it turned out to be...23 years old and set to be married on the 23rd of the following April.) My fabulous fiance, Blake, gave me a lovely copy of Pablo Neruda's poetry, took me to dinner at a little Italian restaurant in downtown Provo and then for a drive up beautiful, snowy Provo Canyon.

January 23, 2006 - 24th birthday. Blake attempted to make me a 2-layer cake. Actually turned out to be pile of cherry chips and chocolate frosting. Still delicious, though.

January 23, 2007 - 25th birthday. Thanks to Blake, I enjoyed a very nice day. He whisked me away to an Indiana version of France and filled the day with one surprise after another. Got over the morning sickness in the nick of time. This year the cake turned out...less messy.


January 23, 2008 - 26th birthday. A pleasant day so far. I've been spending it at home with Garrett, who's been in an adorably pleasant mood. It's cold but sunny outside, so an afternoon walk will probably happen. Blake made me a cake last night which we will eat this evening when he gets home. Thanks, everyone, for the birthday wishes you've been sending my way!!
[Update: The day's been fantastic. Garrett was a happy, playful Angel Baby, even when we went for a walk with the new carrier (we chose the blue one, by the way), and Blake worked it so he could leave work an hour early. Honestly, those were the two best presents I could have received (though the three books Blake gave me were pretty fabulous, too). I now know that chocolate fudge brownie milkshakes + dark chocolate fudge birthday cake = too much. But it WAS pretty cute to watch Garrett taste the milkshakes and freak out when we turned on the blender to make them. Thanks again, all, for a great 26th birthday!]

young love

Apparently the trend starts early:

Garrett and his new friend, Sophia.

Sophia: Gosh, that hand looks sumptuous. I sure wish he'd let me hold it.
Garrett: Sophia? Who's Sophia?

Sophia: Ha! I got him! Now he's mine, all mine! Mwah-ha-ha!
Garrett: Did someone just touch me?

Sophia: I love you, Garrett, I love you! Don't you hear me? I love you!

Garrett: [Oblivious to her flirtatious advances]

Sophia: Garrett?...Garrett?
Garrett: Oooh, video games!

grocery shopping hurdles and how we hopped them

For Rachel

I live .15 miles away from one grocery store and .7 miles away from another and yet, despite the closeness of these two options, when we first moved to Brooklyn, they might as well have been an eternity away. We had sold our car before we arrived and had a two-month-old infant who, obviously, couldn't be left at home alone while I bought groceries. We could only purchase what we could carry home and were increasingly more and more tempted to just scrap our tight budget and eat out every meal at any one of the hundred sumptuous smelling restaurants within arms length because heck, on the surface actual groceries seemed too expensive anyway. So there were, you might say, a few hurdles we had to hop over in order to successfully stock our cupboards. Here's a quick look at how we trained:

Hurdles 1 and 2: No car and the restriction of only buying what can be physically carried home.
How we hopped them: We bought a cart. It's been great. It comes with me on every grocery shopping trip and gets wheeled around the store as I fill it with food items from the shelf. Once everything is paid for and bagged, it's loaded up again and wheeled home. If buying a cart isn't up your alley, you can also look into getting your groceries delivered. Some stores deliver either for free (not including the tip) or for a small charge, so all you'd have to do is shop and pay for your groceries, tell the cashier where you live, and walk home empty-handed (or nearly empty-handed, in the event that you have a few perishable items that need to be taken home right away). Some stores will even do the shopping for you: all you have to do is fill your cart online or make a phone order and wait for your goods to be dropped off at your home. This luxury, though, is usually a bit pricey.

Hurdle 3: Shopping with the baby
How we hopped it: It's not practical for me to do my grocery shopping with Garrett in the stroller for several reasons: 1) it's hard to maneuver the teeny tiny aisles with a stroller, 2) I can't pile in a week's worth of groceries into the storage basket underneath the stroller which is why I 3) bring the above-mentioned cart with me. So, with the stroller option out, I am left with a dependency on my infant carrier. It is my lifesaver (for grocery shopping and laundry alike).

Hurdles 4 and 5: My groceries cost me an arm and a leg so it's no wonder New Yorkers have the "must eat all my meals out" mentality.
How we hopped them: Yeah, they weren't kidding when they said the cost of living in New York City was higher than most places. Sheesh! If you're not careful you can break the bank with just the necessities. Still, though, with a little extra homework and patience, it really is is cheaper to feed a family at home rather than at a restaurant (tempting though they are). Before I do my weekly shopping trip, I first look through the supermarket circulars (one store's I pick up on any one of the numerous occasions I walk by, and the other gets sent to my email inbox). Then I plan my meals around what's on sale. I also keep my food storage in mind when I thumb through the ads and will sometimes buy several of one item to keep on hand. I think most budget-minded grocery shoppers around the country also do this, but for me here in the city it is extra important. Also, like anywhere, make a shopping list and stick to it like glue.

A Few Other Hurdle-Hopping Training Tips

• Oddly enough, Brooklyn has a Costco, and happily enough, I have a few friends with memberships. There's no getting around the fact that some items (baby formula, anyone?) are just cheaper there. So when I'm given the chance to tag along with someone, I jump at it.
• Speaking of babies....Babies require diapers. Diapers come in large (expensive) packages. Which is why I buy mine from diapers.com. I wrote a post awhile back where I totally sang their praises and also gave away my $5-off-your-first-purchase code (LIAN6247) if you're interested in reading more about them.
• Because I have a baby with me, I plan my trips for times when I know the grocery stores will be the least crowded. For me that means earlier is better.
• I plan ahead when I need to buy bigger items. If, say, I needed bag of potatoes, a gallon of milk, or a package of toilet paper and just didn't have the manpower to get those, plus all my other groceries, up the stairs to my apartment, I'll have Blake swing by the store on his way home from work to pick them up for me. Husbands are great like that.

So, turns out the hurdles really aren't that daunting. They just take a little extra creative thinking. And now, is anyone else feeling a little bit like it's lunchtime?

i have a dream

The clock radio woke me up this morning with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's well-known "I have a dream" speech. Have you ever listened to it in its entirety? It's beautiful and thrillingly powerful. It certainly gives this history loving girl goosebumps every time she hears it. I thought you might also enjoy some goosebumps today as well. Happy Civil Rights Day!

keepin' the 'hood alive

Watching Saturday Night Fever (the PG version, of course) is, by its very nature, a very trippy experience. Being able to pick out landmarks, which are, essentially, just around the corner from where you live, while you watch it is even trippier. So come with me while I give you a tour of my neighborhood sponsored by John Travolta and a bit of disco fever.

The opening credits features a walk in a business district a few blocks from where we go to church:



The disco club, 2001 Odyssey, where Tony danced his Saturday nights feverishly away, operated as a neighborhood dance/disco club for many years. After later being transformed into the Spectrum, a club for, you guessed it, those of a different orientation, it was razed about two or three years ago:



The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, where Bobby falls to his death at the end of the movie, is a beloved neighborhood landmark:




Even though the internet doesn't have a picture to prove it (though, maybe, if it's not too cold, Garrett and I will take a walk later to snap our own), the Manero residence is, literally, down the block and around the corner from where I'm sitting at my computer.

Update! We just got back from a pleasant little stroll to find the Manero House. Find it we did. The facade has changed in the last 30 years, but my sources and own calculations tell me that it's the right place:



The hardware store where Tony works was called Six Brothers Hardware and Paints, and was located two blocks away on another busy business district street. It was owned by the Albergo family: Giuseppe and his six sons, Joseph, Domenic, Marco, Peter, Angelo, and Ralph. After the movie's release the little shop became somewhat of a tourist trap, but even so, the family has since sold the business:



Fugetaboutit, youse guys, because I can't, obviously, provide you with photographic proof, so you'll have to take my word for it when I tell you that the Brooklyn accents employed by the actors in the film are undeniably and incredibly real.

So there you have it. Hollywood (and the Bee Gees) has done its part to keep my neighborhood alive:

words we write

Because I think I need a little more motivation and accountability to accomplish my "write pieces with the intent to publish" goal, and because, too, I think it would be a lot of fun, and also because, let's face it, I've always wanted to belong to one, I've decided to start an online writing group. The idea has been tickling me for some time now and, in conjunction with my "just do it" goal, decided that I should go ahead and put the feelers out here to see if any of you had any interest in joining me in this endeavor.

This is what I'm envisioning:

It would be operated in blog format, which would be private so as to encourage heightened bravery about posting your work. Members would post their work, participate in themed writings (as suggested by group members on a rotating basis), and check in frequently to give constructive feedback, by way of the comments section, to other's work. The group would give its members the opportunity to not only expand their preferred writing style portfolio, but would also allow them to attempt new writing styles and genres. It would be a place for people who were sincerely interested in honing in their writing skills and who would be willing to help others hone theirs. (All of the details of my writing group vision are not yet completely focused and clear, so I'm open to suggestions on the organization and management of such a group.)

Any takers out there?

Before you give me a yes, no, or maybe, let me tell you a few of my expectations for this writing group.

I would want this to be a place for people who are serious about writing. (Notice that I didn't necessarily say brilliant at writing...this would be a group for writers at all levels, so long as they enjoyed writing enough to take membership in the group seriously.) I would expect members to be brave enough and committed enough to post their work actively and consistently, whether it be a part of a themed writing or just something wanting feedback. I would also expect members to check in frequently to read and give kind-but-constructive comments on work that has been posted. Active participation would be key because without it we'd have no group.

So again I ask: anyone interested?

where 2007 took me

Just saw this on another blog and thought I'd be a little copy-cat. And so now I will list for you all of the places I spent at least one night at in the year 2007:

• Muncie, Indiana
• Mascoutah, Illinois
• a rest stop outside Des Moines, Iowa
• Provo, Utah
• Mascoutah, Illinois - again.
  
• Nauvoo, Illinois/Fort Madison, Iowa
• a rest stop outside Wheeling, West Virginia
• Brooklyn, New York
• Pittsfield, Massachusetts
• Pittsfield, Massachusetts - again
  
• Provo, Utah - again
  

I think this list attests to the facts that 1) we did a lot of cross-country driving/flying/train riding; and 2) we are too cheap to pay for a hotel and so only spend nights in places where we live, have relatives living, or feel safe parking our car/moving truck for a bit of much needed shut-eye.

If all goes according to plan, 2008 will hopefully include places such as

• Brooklyn, New York, because I'm not in the mood to move again this year;
• Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to cling to the only branch of family we have in these parts;
• Rockaway Beach, Oregon, for a family reunion;
• Issaquah, Washington, to see Blake's grandparents while we're in the Northwest;
• Washington, D.C. and/or Boston, Massachusetts, if we're feeling brave enough for the Chinatown bus;

We're keeping our fingers crossed for places like San Antonio, Texas and Provo, Utah, too, for some aunt-/uncle-/grandparent-Garrett bonding time, but I consider ourselves lucky to be visiting anywhere beyond the bounds of our front door, let alone across the country.

So now, for the sake of the conversation I could use a bit of this quiet, cloudy day, what was YOUR 2007 like and/or where do you anticipate 2008 will take you?

rules to write by

I was pretty (pretty? no make that extremely) flattered when the other day I clicked to read one of my favorite blogs and discovered that she considers me one "of the best writers out there" and consequently nominated me for a ROAR for Powerful Words award. Wow! What an honor! I don't know what ROAR stands for, but my understanding of what being a recipient of the award means is that I get to share with you three of my writing rules and then pick three more writers whose mad writing skills (or is that skillz?) also deserve to be recognized. So here we go.

1. Choose your words, punctuation, grammar, and the construction of your sentences wisely and to your advantage. It's amazing how much more you can say, and with an extra umph of power, if you spend the time to sculpt your writing.

2. Be creative. Instead of the same old boring format, try to find new ways to tell your story.

3. Come full circle. All of my English teachers (and yours, too) weren't kidding when they taught the importance of referring back to your introduction in your conclusion. But at the same time, don't restrict yourself to rigid five-paragraph essay format. You can come full circle and be clever about it, too.

And since I apparently can't stick to just three rules, here's two more...

4. Keep your audience in mind and use the relationship you've worked hard to establish to your advantage.

5. Revise, proofread, edit, and tweak. You'll be glad you did.

Anyway, thanks again, Hollywood! Your compliments made my day!

And now, the passing of the torch. Would

• Michelle at These Are Words that Go Together Well,
• Lizardbreath McGee at Random Meanderings, and
• Mommy of Three at I Capture the Chaos*
  

please step up to accept your awards and share with us your own rules for writing. These three writers possess the amazing talent to make you think you're sitting right next to them having a pleasant conversation as you read what they've written. As for the rest of you, I'm just as eager to hear what rules you write by, so feel free to dish out some of your own in the comments section.

*Sorry, her blog is private, so a lot of you out there don't get to read her clever writing. Maybe, Kimberlie, you could post your rules in the comments section here as well as on your blog so that those outside your blog circle can learn from your genius?