NYC for the Holidays!

Sometimes great things come from "we're still single" pity parties, like trips to NYC! Aiming to seize the day, my friend Emily and I spent a long weekend in NYC, soaking in the city and its holiday embellishments. Boy did we cram in the fun! Some of the highlights included Wall Street, riding the Staten Island Ferry, the 9/11 Memorial, seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, ice skating in Rockefeller Center, drinks at a few pubs, staying in a real NYC apartment, decorated store fronts, Mass at St. Patrick's, Central Park, views from the top of the Empire State Building, the public library, Grand Central Station, a tour of the Tiffany Suite at the St. Regis, pizza in the Upper West Side, and shaking Al Roker's hand at the Today show!!! Here are a few pictures (of the almost 500 that I took), and there are even more on Facebook! Happy Holidays!!!

A Hint of Fun to Come...

It's my personal policy to not post online when I'm leaving town, however I figured I could drop a hint to my faithful followers (all 4 of you) :-). Take a look at these pics, and be sure to check the blog next week!

Dancing and Disneyland!

In brief due to exhaustion...

This weekend was full of excitement! Saturday night I headed south with my friends Debbie and Emily to San Diego for a young adult Christmas gala. The event was wonderful and we had a great time tearing up the dance floor! I even got to see a couple of old friends, so that was a welcomed bonus.

Sunday was no less exciting because my Mom and I committed to a year of fun together by getting Disneyland passes! We were told that Edward from Twilight was in the park today, but our celebrity-hunting stroll through California Adventure was unsuccessful :-).

Tis the Season!

Despite the 80-degree weather, I am diving right into the holiday season. My tree is trimmed and December will be packed with holiday fun. I've spent much of this Thanksgiving weekend working on my Christmas cards, so watch your mailboxes :-). That's all for now, but stay tuned for some exciting December adventures!

Angry Birds and a Happy Halloween

October has come and gone, and that means another Halloween at The Capital Group! This year our fixed income team dressed up as Angry Birds, the popular Apple game. I must note that all of the bird costumes were handmade...truly an accomplishment, I think. For added effect we had people in pig shirts, buildings and even a slingshot! Unfortunately first-prize in our department competition alluded us once again, but we were awarded third place in the company-wide group competition. Hooray! Happy harvest everyone!

P.S. - A little F.Y.I. - The blue bird pictured with me is Laura, my China travelling companion :-).

Midwestern Getaway!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Minnesota for the first time! All week I have been asked, "Why Minnesota?", which is a very natural and reasonable question. Well, a visit to MN has been on my radar ever since Dominic and Margaret, dear CPSLO friends of mine, moved to St. Louis Park last year, although I didn't expect to make the trip until 2012. Then Dan and Erin, post-college SoCal friends of mine, invited me to go with them to the Twin Cities area when they headed to Erin's hometown for a wedding. It all worked out perfectly and I was able to spend time with Dominic and Margaret while they attended the wedding. Dan and Erin planned tons of other activities for the rest of the weekend and I was shown Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding areas by true locals. After arriving on Friday we met some of Erin's friends at restaurant/bar called Cowboy Jack's (I was in Heaven), where I seized the day and rode the mechanical bull (no, I was not drunk). On Saturday I headed over to Dominic and Margaret's darling 1940's home, where there was fresh bread baking when I arrived. We walked around Lake Calhoun, played with Patrick, helped Margaret prepare for Sunday school teaching and chatted the day away. After attending Mass on Sunday with Dominic and Margaret, I teamed back up with Dan and Erin and we headed to Minnetonka Orchards for apple picking, hay rides and a corn maze. We also visited Excelsior, a charming small town on Lake Minnetonka, where Dan and Erin had their first date. That evening, Erin's mom treated us to "Hairspray" at the local Chanhassen dinner theater (again - me in Heaven). Before flying home on Monday evening we walked around Minneapolis and St. Paul. Overall it was a fantastic weekend! I loved the homegrown feel of the Midwest, although stories about negative 40 degree weather were probably enough to keep me in SoCal for the time being :-). Here are some pics from our amazing weekend...

Haircut!

After finding myself becoming increasingly hair-lazy I decided that less might be more...