"Feels like I'm in Grand Central Sta-tion" - Beyonce

So, I went to New York this past week...for 9 days. That's right - 9 whole days. Like I said before, this was the first time I had traveled back since I left over a year ago. I was both excited and apprehensive at the thought of going back to my old stomping ground. A lot of change happened while I lived there and a lot has happened since I left – all good things. It should come as no surprise that my bag came in just under 50 lbs, and that was before I left. I’m not proud...I never am.

Anyway, my hosts were absolutely wonderful – letting me come and go as I pleased. I forget what it is like to live in a vacation destination. For all of the fun it brings, it also comes with a few added inconveniences when you’re dealing with a 20-something and her loaded rolling bag. NYC ordered the perfect weather for my vacation and I’d like to think that I returned the favor in food consumption and general merriment. Let it be said that I took more pictures in this trip alone than I probably took in the entire time I lived there*. Even better news, I’m going to throw some at you today.

You had to know these were coming. I tried to condense and even still, this is what I came up with...

Breakdown: wedded bliss, random City pics, day Yankees game, The Oprah Show, the cutest dog (in a bag) on the street, U-s-h-e-r, rooftop party, Bleecker street flea market, and Carrie's apartment from S&TC.

*In my defense, how many times in your life do you get to attend a live Oprah show? Every illegal picture was worth it. Worth.it.

And the Oscar goes to...

This has to be one of my all-time favorite duos.

Meryl Streep & Stanley Tucci - love em.

More than likely the answer will be Avatar, but I am hoping that it won't be a sweep this year and we'll actually get a few surprises in there. (I'm pulling for Sandra B!) I have watched the Oscars for as long as I can remember. Looking back through the years, I remember the days when Billy Crystal and Whoopi were the hosts, the fateful night that the Queen won for Best Supporting Actress, and who could forget all of those memorable (and not-so-memorable) outfits? There's always the good, the bad and the ugly on Oscar night, which makes for one entertaining evening.

I proposed making a bracket for this year's event, but apparently there's some other March event that requires a bracket. Whatever that means...

(just kidding)

Mambo this.

You know those times in your life when you sit still, look around you and realize that you are perfectly happy? Those rarely happen, and not because I do not feel the joy, but rarely do I take the time to just sit back and enjoy it.

This week I dodged the Jesse Spano freak-out bullet and turned 25. Something about the way that rolls of the tongue...it just hits me. I know that most of you will think to yourself, "good Lord, what a baby. Just wait til you're 30...40...50," and the truth is, age doesn't scare me. I'm all about the "only young as you feel" mantra, it's more of just the symbolism. I look back at this quarter century of my life and think of the usual "life" question - am I happy with who I've become? If I were my younger self, looking at my life today, would I be proud? I know, I know...it's a heaping question, one that I'm certainly not ready to face, however, the abundant love I have felt over the past few days proves that something is going right for me. For whatever reason, God allowed the most amazing family and friends to be a part of my story and I just couldn't be happier. So this past Tuesday my sweet friends braved the rainy and freezing temperatures to get together and celebrate. As we talked, drank and laughed, I sat there and realized that this is what it's all about. What joy to be surrounded by some of the most wonderful and funny people around...how lucky am I?

I was fortunate enough to have a few celebratory meals, so I thought I would share some pictures from the festivities. To all of you that made me feel so special, thank you. What a year its been. I'm marching right into twenty-five with the kind of hope that only a new year can bring, and to that I say - let's do this.

First up, brunch with the fam* at Abel's on the lake:


Second, a Monday (mall food court) lunch date with my Tinies. (and an early bday gift!)

Birthday Dinner at Mi Cocina with some of my favorite people*!

(2 Mambo Taxi's in...one Oprah you tube...and some cool h'whip - Heaven help us.)

Sweet Robbie
*so bummed that there was no group pic!

Also note, Owen Wilson managed to sneak into the restaurant mid-meal...and in true entitled birthday girl / over-confident fashion, I asked for a photo, only to get de-nied! I don't remember the specifics, but I believe that I said something to the effect of, "I will never watch Wedding Crashers again." - there's nothing like a scorned bday girl!

Long Live The Queen

One thing you need to know about my friends is that they’re loyal. I could give you hundreds of examples of how we’ve come through for each other over the years, but I will spare you and tell you only the relevant ones that brought me to Tifah.

Before I continue on with my explanation, I will tell you that the days of friendship wishes have happened for some time now. Starting in New York, Robbie came to visit one chilly February weekend (during his birthday, no less) and expressed his only wish for the weekend, tickets to Saturday Night Live. Not that we were opposed to the admittedly stellar Tina Fey/Carrie Underwood program, we just weren’t sure how to go about this. After many discussions and several avenues of research, we discovered that you can opt for the “stand by” line beginning the night before, only to get a ticket at 7 AM that morning with a designated number that may or may not get you into the actual program. In going with the theme of idiotic, cheap fun, we set out for the task by going to bed for three hours, waking up (in the snow!) at 4:30 AM and waiting in line with the eclectic midnight crowd. Some of the people around us were prepared with various survival mechanisms for intermittent rain/snow, while others came straight from the bar with smeared make-up and 6-packs in hand. Because really, it takes all kinds. We decided to switch off coffee breaks by pairing off in two’s and thawing only to switch off every thirty minutes. You begin to realize just how close you are with people when you’re in that situation. Eventually you stop talking, humor is lost, but you all know that when you eventually taste glory it was a relay effort and your memory becomes erased as to the misery it took to get you there. My friends, I am happy to tell you that we swallowed glory on that fateful Saturday. We were 4 of the last guests shuffled (read: blazed) through the doors of the famed 30 Rock studio, only to sit down with little time to catch our breath and realize that “Live from New York, It’s Saturday Night!”

The next story, of the similar variety, occurred last summer (also) in New York. Again, Robbie, Alyssa and I, set out for the John Mayer concert at Jones Beach that had been decided for us months in advance. Our dearest Alyssa is quite possibly the biggest JM fan (read: fanatic) and has all but drug us down with her in her attempts to chase him at the nearest venue each season that he tours. This time was no different. We knew that New Jersey Transit would be necessary in our travels as was the after-work madness that accompanies this blessed form of transportation. I think that I have described it to you before, but it is truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen. People are so anxious to flee the City on their evening commute that they’ll practically taste blood to achieve a spot on their desired train. So we set out. We threw our heels off after work, changed into some comfy clothes, and set sail for the forecasted rainy evening at the beach side venue. Two of us remembered to sneak in umbrellas, one of us didn’t...I will let you go ahead and make your assumptions now. Anyway, we finally got to our seats with our over-priced dinner in hand when quess.what.happens? The bottom fell out, that’s what happened. There we were, soaked to the bone and hours/miles away from home. It’s like taking the Log Ride at Six Flags and then just sitting in 60-degree weather for several hours = not our finest. However, I will say that all was not lost because the venue was absolutely amazing and in many ways the rain only accentuated how nice it is to just sit back, listen to good music, and let a close friend obsess.

Now, on to my request. For those of you wondering, “who’s Tifah?!” I will say that I am glad that you asked and do my best to offer a brief explanation. ‘Tifah’ is the shortened reference to Queen Latifah, the world famous triple-threat sensation that hails from Newark, NJ. Queen got her start as a rap artist and has risen to fame through the ranks of Hollywood through television, film, music and modeling. I don’t know when my excitement over her and her talent began but I do know that she has continued to surprise me with her “can do” attitude and continual optimism. Anyway, Queen was in town promoting her new album and decided to make a stop by our popular music station. Her scheduled appearance was set for 7:15 AM, which was perfect for those of us that were dying to see her only to then rush off to work with the high that only a celeb sighting can offer. True to form, Alyssa, Robbie, and I, set out at 6:40 with coffee in hand and with the hope of seeing one of our favorites in person. Not even a 5-car pileup that happened on the way to the studio could disrupt our mission...sheer determination. The result? A hug from the Queen and one happy girl. Thanks, Friends!

Cop Out

Please excuse today's post. It's not that it's won't be FULL of highly entertaining and stimulating information, it's just that I woke up very early this morning to meet my friends and head over to Las Colinas (home to our popular radio show) to see one of my very favorite actresses in person, Queen Latifah.

Yep, you got it right. I won't even apologize for loving her, in fact, she responsible for being in some seriously quality movies - Chicago, Hairspray, Secret Life of Bees, all the while maintaining her class and sass. Anyway, I will provide more pictures later.

For now, I will leave you with a few of my favorites from J. Crew's new arrivals. I will note, out of fear of sounding completely materialistic, that being visual is a hobby of mine and consequently, a job description. So please enjoy my personal picks from a recent work project:

Polka dots!
I wish I had a reason to buy this...
Leopard is a neutral.
And for the inner-bride in all of us...