Creating Karene

Family Calls

2011-06-08T20:36:00.005-04:00

Living across the country from the fam means that we use Skype as much as we can. This last week, Jon introduced us to AIM's new video chat. Up to four people can video chat at once!

It was basically an awkward conference call where everyone kept trying to talk over each other, but not really succeeding. Still fun though!

Dad and Rachel called in from Idaho; Jon, Nicole and Audrey called from UT; Alec from UT and I called from NYC. Below are some of the fun screen grabs I captured. Mostly you will want to look at Audrey, she's the cutest (no offense everyone else):

Audrey is going through Jon's wallet, better get used to that Jon!

Audrey saying hello to us all:

Everyone but Dad is laughing, so we must have been teasing him.

Audrey is so freaking cute!

Dad is chillaxing.

P.S. it was Dad's 55th birthday this past weekend! Happy Birthday Dad! Thanks for not killing us while we were young!

Surprise!

2010-09-16T17:04:00.004-04:00

Another post about my hair....

Yeah, in case you hadn't heard, I went blond. Gotta be honest, ever since I was Super Girl for Halloween, I've wanted to go blond. So when Aubrey called and asked if I would be her model for one of her master classes, I jumped at the chance!

Aubrey is a friend and she is an amazing colorist! She works at a very cool salon called Whittemore House. I love what she can do with my hair. And she loves that I give her free reign. Hey, it's just hair, it can be cut off or grown back out if needed.

After the first round of peroxide:

During the second round:

Just before she added color back in:

Final product:

It is such a huge change, I still don't recognize myself. But I love it! It looks amazing and I have been getting a lot more attention over the past few weeks since I got it done. So not sure yet if I'm having more fun, but I am getting noticed more :)

NYC Will Never Be the Same

2010-09-16T16:35:00.010-04:00

Rachel came and spent two months with me over the summer. Those were two awesome months! It was sooooo depressing to come home and not have her there when she went back. I think she should stay with me always!

While she was here she (and sometimes we): explored Central Park, explored museums, took a photography class 9hence the awesome pictures below, the bad ones are from me), met up with friends who were in town too, hit up opera in the park, philharmonic in the park, caught some movies, saw "In the Heights" with Corbin Bleu, took a trip upstate, and did lots of other exhausting stuff.

"Rear Window" at Brooklyn Bridge

Random pictures and the bus tour

Set of "in the heights"

Beach Trips on the train with friends and eating Korean Food
Val and Tony after a full day at the beach

The hair just gets bigger! Mine too.

Hill Cumorah Pagent and Church History Sites

This Place with Big Waterfalls
A bunch of us from my ward drove up together. It was so much fun!

Love you and miss you Rachel! Have fun at BYUI!

The Worst Idea Ever

2010-08-09T11:28:00.002-04:00

So I signed Rachel and me up for this crazy boot camp gym they have in the city. They have a military grade obstacle course and the classes are all taught by ex Marines. Yeah, exactly, total stupidity in hindsight.

This morning was our first class. Here's how the day has gone so far:

5:00am - Wake up
5:25am - out the door with my work computer and a bag with clothes and stuff to get ready for the day there as it is only three blocks away from my office. Down five flights of stairs.
6:10am - arrive, fill out paperwork. Notice that the instructor is pretty hot. This might not be so bad.
6:30am - start running laps with classmates
6:45am - half way through jumping jacks, I already want to kill myself
7:15am - squats on a wall while holding a huge rubber car tire. I feel like I'm going to puke. Luckily I have an empty stomach and just dry heave once.
7:30am - Class is over, find out that there are only two showers. Decided to run home to get ready for work. Lug all my stuff back uptown.
7:35am - think that the fastest Rachel and I moved all day was getting out of that place!
8:15am - home, climb up five flights of stairs, jump in the shower.
8:45am - hobble out the door to head to work. Down five flights of stairs.
9:10am - two subway stops away from work, I realize that I left my work computer AT HOME!
9:11am - get off subway and catch another uptown one.
9:40am - climb up five flight of stairs. Stop to get a drink of water (did I mention how hot and humid it is right now?), Anne laughs at me.
9:42am - wake Rachel up to let her know that I forgot my bag. I figure she should continue to share my pain.
9:45am - out the door again, down five flights of steps.
10:15am - get to work. Today is going to suck.

Sara had a Birthday

2010-07-16T21:22:00.004-04:00

And we went to an Ethiopian restaurant to celebrate.

Washington D.C.

2010-07-16T21:05:00.004-04:00

Went to DC a while back...think it was February...yeah, I'm behind. I stayed with Kim Mah, who is awesome!

I didn't take enough photos, but here are a few. Went to a basketball game, the Newmuseum and got to catch up with a lot of cool people who are not pictured here because I suck at taking pictures.

Celebrity Sighting

2010-06-28T16:16:00.005-04:00

While walking to meet up with Clients for dinner the other night, Billy and Alexa Ray Joel walked past us. Ok, I was only 50% sure it was Billy as I didn't get a good look at him, but 100% sure it was Alexa.

Billy looked a lot older then I thought he was.

Alexa looked really pretty and was wearing sky-high platform shoes.

Well Helloooooo

2010-05-11T18:53:00.003-04:00

I know I have been basically MIA for the last few months. A lot has been happening, and the sheer load of it all has kept me from blogging about it.

Basically, things are going well, I'm still alive, and I'm gonna start from today with the updating of the blog. The last 6 months will just have to be lost from Blogger memory.

So...today I gave my two-week notice at work. That's right, I am leaving the wonderful world of Publicis and going to...drum roll please...Grey!

They gave me an offer I could not refuse. So I am going there to help launch a new global pharma brand.

Obligatory Office Holiday Party

2009-12-21T17:32:00.009-05:00

My office actually throws some really cool Holiday parties. This year was a bit more low-key then previous years, but it was still fun.

It was held at a club called Avenue and they had fortune tellers there reading people's futures. And in case you were wondering, I will apparently be meeting the love of my live in January, and he's rich. Yeah, no offense fortune-teller-with-huge-eyelashes, but I'm not holding my breath on that one!

Turkey Day 2009

2009-12-21T17:24:00.006-05:00

Totally got out of town again for Thanksgiving. I went to Minneapolis again to spend the holiday with Ben, Laurie and Elliott. As usual, it was AMAZING! Love those guys so much! The food was so amazing. I mean, if I lived by Laurie and Ben, I would be the size of a horse, and I would love it. Here are some pictures of their awesomeness:

Thanksgiving morning...a gift from Belgium! Elliott was so excited.

Drama at the hair salon

Met up with Cassamufrass and Colton! and we all went to Macy's to hang out with Santa:

Minneapolis Zoo is AMAZING!

So sad to leave!

"Dirty Mouth? Clean it up!"

2009-12-21T17:21:00.007-05:00

Halloween 2009 was a bit rainy actually. I knew that it would be difficult to top Supergirl from 2008. I gave it a good try though. I was the Orbit gum lady. You know, the one with the British accent that always says stuff like "Dirty Mouth? Clean it up, with Orbit!" and "Smashing!"

Anyway. It was funny because people had no idea who I was until I would hold up a pack of gum, then they would all laugh. It was a good time.

I insisted on hitting up the parade in SoHo as I have never been. Big mistake in the rain. It was cold, gross and the parade was not very good. Not as many people showed up.

Then hit a party downtown with friends. It was cool.

Can't believe I haven't posted Halloween yet! Oops, don't know how I managed to skip that one.

Two of my Favorite Things: Chocolate and Friends

2009-11-14T15:04:00.009-05:00

Chocolate Tour 2009 was awesome. Despite the rain and people dropping out last minute, it was great. It started out small, with Anne, Jessica and I at Max Brenners.

HugMug Photoshoot:

And let the chocolate tour begin!

Next stop, Voges, where we met up with AnnMarie who was in town for the weekend:

Trying on AnnMarie's butterfly mask:

"Quick, act like a butterfly!" "um..."

Next stop: Maribelle's and Kristin joined our group. Um...not sure why she isn't in any of our pictures until Kee's. Sorry girl.

Jessica told us to pose...did she expect more?

The best stop is always Kee's Chocolate. AMAZING!

That is pure joy in Anne's eyes. Mixes with a little excitement.

Finally, a pic of all of us!

And we ended at Jacques Torres. Always good! As you can see, Anne and Kristin had had a lot of chocolate at this point:

AnnMarie and her AM Quickie. Question: How much does an AM quickie cost? Answer: The bargain price of $3!!

Anne playing in the kids section.

This is what the day was all about...CHOCOLATE!!

Thanks Anne for a great tour!!

Mad Men Party

2009-11-14T14:04:00.009-05:00

The week before Halloween, Jill hosted a Mad Men party for her birthday. It was a blast. Jessica Later agreed to help us get ready. She is amazing, she turned some ducklings into swans:

All dolled up, and somewhere to go!

Profile:

Birthday girl and Kristin.

Jill, Alina and Sara

Past and current roomies:

I don't think that Alina approves of Anne's dance moves...

Kaish came by later and it was all over for the rest of us girls. The boys were all attention!

Enjoin my DC.

Alina and her awesome hairpiece!

Anne and I doing what we do best...eating!

Chillin on the couch

Arranged by height...Anne, Alina, me and Sara

My new friend Sean and I

Hamming it up:

Anne, Christian and Kristin hamming it up:

Alina and Sara

Sean checkin' Sara out for a joke

Way home from the party, stop in Time Square. Anne, Kaisha and I.

Happy Birthday Jill, thanks for having us!!!

Birthday extended

2009-11-14T13:07:00.004-05:00

Got a package at work from Rachel. It was my birthday package, complete with princess crown and scepter. Do I have the coolest sister ever? I.think.so.

Let's not forget the paddle and ball that I am now determined to learn how to use:

Thanks Rachel!!

I have no words

2009-10-20T16:12:00.004-04:00

So I went to a huge birthday bash for four of my friends/coworkers last month. It was a great party and I had a lot of fun. Sadly, no one had a camera!

However I just found out that there was a photographer there from the bar. That's right, just found out that I am now on the site of the bar the party was at. Yeah...the hot blond is my coworker Emily...and there's me in the back.

Seriously, what made me think that would be ok? Great pic Em, you can totally crop me out, I won't be offended. Happy Birthday!

My Birthday and Keith Urban

2009-10-15T09:04:00.005-04:00

I recently had a birthday. Yup, can't avoid them anymore. It was a wonderful day though. My supervisor got me flowers and a group of people at the office got me cupcakes. Val, Jess and Anne got me dinner and we just had a few people over for cupcakes that night. Thanks to everyone that was able to make it. It was a very nice night. Here are some pictures of me being lame:

I have no chin!!

We took some more pictures of everyone that was there, but I am still trying to track those down.

Thursday night, I went to see Keith Urban in concert at MSG. Our seats were cheap, horrible and I had a blast! I went with Chris, Valerie, Jessica Later and Chris's friend.

Me, Chris, the other girl (she is really cool, I just forgot her name, Sorry!), and Val. I have no idea what Chris is doing. He doesn't get much sleep.

Chris really, really wanted some cotton candy. So much so that he paid for a $7.50 bag of it.

Jess and I eating cotton candy.

Jessica is such a hottie!

Keith!!! As you can see, from our seats we could see the backstage better then the front of the stage. It was still amazing. He is so good in concert.

He's a bit closer!

It was a wonderful birthday and week. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and love!

Aubrey's Party - Last Month

2009-10-14T13:54:00.009-04:00

Sorry, this is a late post. But my camera broke last month and I have been at the mercy of other people's cameras and schedules getting me pictures :) So the pictures below are from Jessica Harris, Jessica Later and Jennifer Fernholz's cameras. Thanks girls!

Anyway, last month was my friend Aubrey's 21st birthday. She threw a big party called "Top Hats and Tiaras" formal dress required. Jennifer helped plan and decorate and did an amazing job. Check out some of the pics!

The outdoor party area.

Aubrey and the amazing Party Planner Jennifer

Birthday girl in her beautiful party dress!

Aubrey's mom flew out to surprise her for her birthday, so cute!

Singing to Aubrey

Aubrey and Jessica, so cute!

Anne is hot in a top hat!

Jessica, Jessica, Aubrey, Emily and Valerie:

Chet and Aubrey are both adorable in this picture.

Kristin, Val and Anne bustin' a move...oh, and there's me in the background :)

Rustin and Chet breaking it down

Me, Emily, Jessica, Aubrey, Valerie, Jessica, Anne

Emily, Jessica, Aubrey, Valerie, Jessica, Anne - Hot ladies!

My favorite picture OF THE NIGHT. Valerie rocks!

Strike a pose with the huge Balloons!

Me, Anne and Jessica

Pose!

Awesome party girl after the party

Me and Anne waiting for a cab after the party and helping with the clean up.

Whew, it was a late night, but an amazing party! Happy Birthday Aubrey, Love you!

Nephews (and maybe nieces) Update

2009-10-05T12:17:00.004-04:00

That's right! Both of my amazing sister-in-laws are expecting! I am so excited for them both. Nicole is due at the beginning of March, Laurie is due at the end of March. These little kids coming to our family are freakin lucky to get the best parents ever.

In the meantime, I am checking Baby Gap and other fun places and looking forward to being able to buy them cute little clothes!!!

Here are some pictures of my current adorable nephew, Elliott. He is in Belgium for a few weeks with his mom visiting her family. I think my poor brother is pretty bored without them. But don't worry, I sent him a gift in the mail that should help cure a bit of that boredom!!

Anyway, I can't believe how fast he is growing!

He spent part of the summer in Idaho with my parents and sister. Here he is helping dad mow the lawn:

Helping Rachel practice the piano:

Dad, Ben and Laurie roasting marshmallows on the fire pit in the backyard.

In the kiddie pool.

Just being cute!

Check out more pictures of him at Ben and Laurie's blog here.

Eat Freely!

2009-09-21T10:46:00.004-04:00

Check out our new site for Hot Pockets and join the movement, it's pretty awesome!

We also launched two new TV spots last week. The spots were so much fun to be a part of making. They are pretty funny! Watch them below if you have a moment:

Let me know what you think of them!

"Karene and her hair."

2009-09-21T10:23:00.005-04:00

The last few weeks have been really stressful because we have been finishing some commercials for Hot Pockets. Towards the peak of the stress, I decided I needed a change. I made a hair appointment at this place around the corner called Cabellos and told the stylist, Nekky, to do whatever she wanted.

I then looked down at my BlackBerry and continued to work. She took my hair in a pony tail and cut it all off! I looked up and saw how short it was. My thought was "I might regret this one, guess I will learn how to pull back short hair for the next few months." That's right, she gave me a bob...but I LOVE IT!

She had no idea, but I have always wanted to get a bob. It's probably just because I always thought I couldn't because of the curly hair. She was fantastic and knew all about curly hair and how to cut it well. The cut she gave me is is longer in the front and shorter in the back, which gives it more volume and body whether it's curly or straight.

Here you can see the back in the mirror.

It actually does look cute curly too, but I don't like it as much. Here's Anne and I playing in the fountain at Columbus circle.

Right after I got it done some friends came up from DC. It was rainy that day and my straight hair was already going curly in the picture below. I need to work on that!

Neal, Erik, Anne, Jeremy, Me and Lindsay.

Apparently, when my little sister Rachel showed my dad a picture of me on Facebook, his response was a sigh and "Karene and her hair." Hehehe!

Boston

2009-08-02T20:39:00.011-04:00

A friend Thom invited Anne, Val and I to go with him to Boston for a day. He had a softball tournament to attend all day on Saturday. And I just wanted to finally check out Boston.

Val and Anne on the drive up.

I was out voted and the New Kids on the Block CD was put in.

Saturday morning I dropped Thom off at the park, then the girls had free reign of the city! We started in Cambridge and checked out Harvard. It was beautiful.

Anne chilling at the Coop

Valerie stocking up on her Harvard Gear

So I found this little lens that you can put on your phone camera and it gives you a wide angle view. Here is the picture of Valerie enjoying her ice creme without it.

Here is the ice creme picture with it. Kinda fun.

Then we drove to Boston and parked the car. The rest of the day was spent wandering. I know I am a New Yorker, but by the end, my feet were getting a little sore.

Duck tours! We didn't take one.

PF Changs for lunch. Give us a break ok, they don't have them in Manhattan!

Anne at Boston Common

Just chillin at Boston Common

Valerie at Boston Commons

Anne and her friend from college who met us, Yin. She was very cool

Anne and Valerie absorbing Boston at the harbor

The Boston Harbor

Anne and I at the Harbor

The court house

Sights:

Paul Revere

Paul...still there

Old North Church

We were going to buy hats for everyone, but they were $10. So we just took pictures of Anne with it on.

Valerie's sweet frisbee form

Frisbee form

Anne's Frisbee form

gymnastics while waiting for Thom

Dismount

Thom...tired Thom

We were starving on the way home, but for some reason Thom didn't want to stop anywhere. He kept saying, "next town." Finally at 8pm we led a mutiny and insisted he stop. Of course, we ended up in Hartford where everything was closed because they were having some sort of festival in town.

We ended up at this Italian place that was completely empty. Infact, when we walked in the cook was sitting down drinking wine and seemed startled by us.

Val and I at the Italian place in Hartford

The deserted restaurant we ate at

The food was amazing and the people were very nice. Well worth the random stop.

Good trip! Thanks Thom!

Blood, Sweat and Tears

2009-07-30T17:31:00.006-04:00

Two years...TWO YEARS! Two years of my life have been spent working on a product for our client sanofi-aventis. All the hard work, late nights, stress, drives to New Jersey, hours on the phone, delays from the FDA, hours in meetings etc. have finally paid off.

SculptraAesthetic received approval from the FDA on 7/28. I am so happy to be able to share a little something with you.

Below is a picture of our beautiful website. Go check it out yourself, SculptraAesthetic.com.

I can't wait for the consumer launch in 6 months. The ads we have a beautiful!

Thanks to everyone I have worked with along the way (I mean I did the grunt work, everyone else produced the real magic and strategy). It has been a long process, but totally worth it when I see our beautiful imagery everywhere!

D.C. Invasion

2009-07-29T21:03:00.010-04:00

Last Friday, a few friends...and some of their friends came up from DC. The first night, we had an additional five people staying at our place, then three Saturday night. Pretty sure my roomies hated me for bringing so many people in! But they sure were fun! Sorry Anne and Kris!

Within a few hours of landing...Jeremy was working some magic at the Top of the Rock. The boys were blown away by how many hot women there are in NYC. What can I say? We know how to make em!

Yup, this is what I got, a bunch of sleepy guys who took over my bed the first day they were here:

Jeremy decided that Erik and Will looked a little too comfortable, and jumped in the middle:

Jeremy and Will got up, but Rich followed. (past roomies, do you remember making these teddy bears!??!?!):

Friday night, I randomly sent Thom a text seeing if he had 6 tickets to Saturday's Yankee game. Miracle of miracles, he got them for us! So I took four very excited men, and one female Yankee hater to the Yankee's vs. the A's. We had amazing seats. Thom, you are the bomb!

Erik in the bottom corner, striking a pose before the game.

Dre, Torrey, Will, Me and Jeremy.

This guy really, really wanted Jeremy and Torrey to be husband and wife. And of course they hammed it up for him.

Their eyes, smiles and kick butt figures. D.C. has some hot men and women!

I think I am the only one on the planet who has met both Will Perry and Alec Hoopes...but they are pretty much one and the same person. Seriously. It was so funny spending time with Will. It was like hanging out with a 26 (27?) year old version of Alec. He was so happy, goofy, funny and laid back. Case in point? Will dancing through the stadium below.

Dre was upset about something:

Number 2...hmmm, who was that again? Oh yeah, Derek Jeter!!! HOME RUN!

After the game, we met up with everyone else down in SoHo. Did I mention that it was hot and humid all day? Oh, and although it was already 5pm, we were only halfway through the day!

Some of us girls; Torrey, me and Maria.

Maria and Will hydrating.

Anne came and met us and led everyone through Little Italy to China town for dollar dumplings.

After China Town, we headed back home and got ready for Peter's Farewell party. We went to the party and then a big group of us went to a diner. Below are some of people. Sorry, not all the pictures came out so a few people aren't shown. We went around eleven. Erik and two others review the menu:

Maria and Erik

Valerie and Dre

Dan?, Jeremy and Anne

Maria and Will

Torrey and I hamming it up:

I am still worn out from the weekend. But it was so much fun having them here! I think they should all move up to NYC!!!

Amanda and Tash Rock (in case you were wondering)

2009-07-29T20:25:00.005-04:00

These two cute girls showed up in NY back on the 18th. Look how fresh and energetic they look (aka the before picture):

Amanda Hayes and Natasha Baker stayed with me for five days. It was a blast! And they were super great at navigating the city. Fresh off the plane, I took them to Bryant Park. We also got come amazing cupcakes from crumbs:

While they were here, they hit up everything! They saw Wicked and Lion King on Broadway. They hit up great restaurants, supported the city by shopping till they dropped. And finally had to spend some time just chilling at my place because they were so worn out!

On Friday, the girls decided to walk ALL.OVER.THE.CITY! They walked across the park to the MET, and eventually down to Time Square! They had some sore feet by the end of the day.

They started the day out right at Crepe's on Columbus (one of my fav places).

Cute pic in the park:

Love this crazy girl!

Should I tell Tash that she is standing in front of one of my favorite sculptors; Rodin? This piece is called The Burghers of Calais. Ah-maz-ing.

Halfway up my staircase. I always warn people that it's five flights...they never really get it until they are here though!

The girls infront of my door after going down the dreaded five flights of stairs!

Amanda, Tash and me. I don't even remember what restaurant this was at.

NYC wore them out (the after picture)! But luckily, they still love us!!

Philarmonic in the Park

2009-07-29T20:14:00.003-04:00

So we got stormed out, but the first half of the Philharmonic in the park was a blast!

Vanessa, me and Mike:

Mike and Carolyn:

Vaness and me:

Vanessa, me, Carl, Mike and Carolyn before the heavens opened and dumped on us:

Oh, and don't forget MAKE.THE.LOGO.BIGGER.

Opera in the Park

2009-07-29T19:58:00.004-04:00

Kris got a bunch of tickets to Opera in the Park on the 13th. It was a blast. I had to almost run from work to get there on time. And traffic was so bad! I was supposed to get there to save seats, but almost everyone else made it there before me!

The group; me, Jason, Chris, Sara, Jen, Jill, Kris and Alina.

Jason, Sara, Kristin, Alina and Jen:

Alina...kinda blurry

Singers:

Listening:

While Walking Home

2009-07-08T22:24:00.003-04:00

Wore my 70's cut jeans with 2" wedges today. Somehow ended up walking home in them. During my 1 hour/4mile walk home from work today:

Thoughts in Italics

Mile:
0.0 - Leave work at quarter to 9. Change my status on FB to: "I am surrounded by idiots. Unless you're reading this, if you're reading this you aren't an idiot."

0.2 - Streets lined with film trucks and crew. Did not stop to ask for what film

0.5 - Hit Time Square, slowed down by tourists

1.0 - Saw a woman wearing low-rise jeans and a cut-off shirt that barely covered her chest smoking with friends during intermission for Shrek on Broadway. Maybe she is European? She speaks with an American accent Guess not, gotta love America!

1.5 - Pass a white guy with dred locks wearing jeans and a black duster coat...and no shirt. He really should be wearing a shirt.

2.0 - That's two miles, I wish I had a bike. I can't really afford a bike. Maybe I can find a good one on Craig's List. I will have to look.

2.5 - Not a single M10 bus has passed me the entire time I have been walking. Good thing I wasn't planning on taking the bus!

3.0 - Get a blister on my right foot. I should write a blog entry about this walk.

3.2 - Blister is really bothering me.

3.5 - Wishing I at least had my iPod with me. Where have I left that thing? First M10 going north passes me, it's about time!

3.7 - Blister pops and actually feels much better.

4.0 - Home, It's 10:15. Worn out and wondering when I decided to walk all the way home. Oh my, I now have to climb five flights of stairs. Didn't factor that into the equation. Walking home sure took me a long time. If I had been a pioneer, I don't think I could have done 26 miles in a day. I must be a slow walker. Good thing I wasn't a pioneer! Check FB and already have 4 comments on my status.

Write blog entry. Find another blister. Find out that my roomie is going to Paris for Thanksgiving. Lucky!

Good night.

July 4th 2009

2009-07-05T20:13:00.009-04:00

Happy 4th of July America! Below is my favorite video from the firworks because there was an American flag in the middle of it.

Celebrated with a BBQ on Russ, Eric and Andrew's roof:

Jansen, Greg and Sarah:

Me, Michael and Alina

Russel the grill master.

Me and Andrew using each other for support...

Russ and I enjoying the corn

Me and Russel

I've always wanted to do this...kidding Jansen!

Anne being mature. She excels at that.

The BBQ was followed by a trip to Cup Cake Cafe with Alina and the roomies:

And the cupcakes were followed by a long walk to 54th street and the Hudson Highway. Chillin with friends, and then watching the fireworks.

This guy proposed to his girlfriend after during the fireworks. It was very sweet. Notice the highway signs above their heads. (picture kiffed from Anne's Facebook)

And the rocket's red glare! We watched the Macy's Fireworks on the Hudson river. It was great! (pictures kiffed from Anne's Facebook)

Happy 4th everyone!

Yeah...it's been a few years but...

2009-07-03T14:07:00.002-04:00

I'm a brunette!

NYC Opera in the Park

2009-06-27T18:57:00.004-04:00

Last week I went to see the NYC Opera sing down by Battery Park. I gathered a few friends, we brought food and drinks and made a wonderful evening of it. I love NYC for stuff like this!

They sang a shortened version of the "Magic Flute," and did an excellent job.

Our view. I actually got there early enough that we could have had seats. But come on, most of the fun is lounging on the grass!

Most of the cast

The evil Queen

Sun setting over the Hudson behind us:

Kris and Val

Gabe and Andrea:

Anne:

Kris and I

D.C.

2009-06-19T16:24:00.005-04:00

Last weekend I went to stay with the old roomie, Kim Mah in Alexandra, VA (basically D.C.). I had a wonderful, chill weekend full of good food and great people. Of course, I didn't take any pictures. So I panicked on Sunday and while having dinner at Rich's place, I took a few pictures with my very bad quality phone camera.

But allow me to introduce you to some very cool people (some of them you know from previous trips and Duck Beach):

Rich while cooking our amazing dinner. Rich is a total Renaissance man. He got his degree in accounting, but he has worked as a chef at a 4 star restaurant and now he is with the FBI. Crazy, thanks for the great food Rich!

Mah handing out the coasters. In case you didn't know, she's pretty awesome.

Erik and Rich eating. I had already inhaled my food and was done by now, very polite, I know:

Mah and Danni eating:

Dre on his phone. Dre and Erik are addicted to their phones. The entire universe would implode if they ever lost or broke them!

Dre, Jen and Mah after dinner. Jennifer did not want her picture taken, so instead of a cute one, she gets the blurry one. She is really pretty btw, you can see her in my Duck photos below.

I love D.C. and hanging out with everyone made me really want to move down there! The weather was great and watching fireflys at night was cool. What a beautiful place!

Duck Beach Part 2:

2009-05-31T00:17:00.006-04:00

And the pictures continue. What a fantastic time!

Our house was hot!

The beach behind our house on Tuesday. Eric, Erik and Heather

Kim Day

Ben made a sand doughnut

Heather had to leave to catch her flight :( She went to say goodbye.

So cute, a Mah in the hot tub.

Swimming

Some of us who stayed till Wednesday met up for dinner Tuesday night at the Fat Crab. I had my first Steamer...it was so good!

Wednesday we woke up to dreary weather. Good thing actually, because I was very tempted to stay longer if it had been sunny! But we still got in a few hoops before taking off:

Ok, Kim and I just took pictures...but other people were playing ball!

Bye Sea Spray!

I am still waiting for pictures and videos from Heather and Kim, so there may be even more Duck Beach entries. Sorry if you're bored already, suck it up!

Duck Beach Part 1:

2009-05-30T23:03:00.010-04:00

a.k.a. The Much Needed Vacation

Went to Duck Beach N.C. for Memorial day weekend. I took a few extra days off and stayed through Wednesday. It was wonderful!

Two of my college girls, Kim and Heather, came up and we shared a room. It was ah-mazing! It was wonderful to see them and to meet so many new people. Our house was organized by one of my old roommates, Kim Mah. It was a great house and all the people were great.

PS, below is a gluttony of pictures. Hope you aren't busy:

Our house minus Mike:

Just chillin at the house. Kim and Rich.

Dre, Heather, me and Mike.

Kim always attracts hotties! Dre, Kim and Erik.

Saturday at the beach was madness. Singles everywhere you looked! Mah had organized the volleyball tournament. Heather was recruited to play. Kim Day and Kat catching up on pop culture and soaking up some N.C. rays:

Heather kicking butt at volleyball:

The boys:

Heather meeting Ben:

Where's Heather?

The football line up:

Heather and Lindsay going mono e mono:

Heather focusing on the game:

It was Jennifer's birthday while we were there and Brooksiny made some amazing ice creme cakes!

Birthday girl!

Dinner at another DC house. L to R: Me, Kim Day, Heather, Kim Mah and Danni.

Our house socializing...or just hanging out with each other...

In line for grub

I knew that ketchup tasted funny

Erik and Jennifer infront of the best banana pudding ever:

Kim, Rich, me and Kim

The hammock

It's like a magnet

I can't...stop...

...myself!

Karaoke

Heather rocking it

It was her birthday and she was celebrating with lots of alcohol and mormon boys:

Remember that board game Operation? Well Kim, Heather and I found a version of the game called Operation Brain downstairs. It was basically a bust of the operation guy's head that opened in the top. All the pieces were missing.

We decided that Mr. Operation needed to be put in someone's bed. However, we had no idea who was sleeping in which bed. We explored the boy's room, trying to figure out who slept where. We thought we found Dre's bed and left the head under the covers. Very loud giggling later that night let us know that it was actually Erik's bed. It then became the joke to put Mr. Operation back into Erik's bed whenever we could. By the last day, Mr. Operation was replaced by Shamu.

Shamu being transported to Erik's bed:

I did not participate in this very immature prank...ok, yes I did.

And when Erik found Shamu:

From Duck Beach

Friday Randoms

2009-05-08T14:34:00.002-04:00

I am starting to feel like Sarah Aller with these lists of random things. Sorry Sarah, copying is the highest form of flattery they say...

- In the last two weeks I gained and lost 5lbs. Go figure.

- People actually made this movie? Really?

- If you happen to have a DVD of Pocoyo at your desk, waiting to be mailed to your nephew, it will actually get used several times to entertain the odd employee's kid/s who show up.

- While heading to work, getting off the subway early and walking a few blocks in the sun is a bit like this: Bryant Park, sun!, shade from a building, smoke from the three people getting in their morning cigarette before heading to work, wait at the crosswalk with 50 other NY'ers, cross and play chicken with the people coming towards you, sun!, building shade, cigarette smoke, more cigarette smoke, more crosswalks, bumped by several people, honking cars almost killing people who think they can make it across the street, shade, cigarette smoke, stupid people almost getting hit, shade, cigarette smoke, have to cross walking traffic to get to my building, random people smoking in front of our door, get inside, say hello to the security guy...and be happy I am no longer outside!

- Odd how rude people do not motivate me to work...even when it means I may have to stay late to work later.

- "Over the Rainbow" by Israel 'IZ' Kamakawiwo'ole

- Is it time for Duck Beach yet???

- I have singlehandedly eaten an entire box of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios in two days...mmmmm Apple Cinnamon Cheerios...

- I am probably not an actress because I could never get through scenes like this and keep a straight face.

- But I sure am happy that there are people like this and this, who can!

Have a great weekend!

Pee-wee's Secret Word of the Day is...

2009-04-30T11:21:00.003-04:00

ACERBIC!

Allow me to use it in a sentence: "I get a kick out of Karene; She's funny and sweet, and a little acerbic."

Yeah, Anne got that in an email today and I about died laughing...after I looked up the word on dictionary.com that is. What a perfect word, I should probably work on being less acerbic.

Apparently, I have a death wish...

2009-04-29T15:58:00.004-04:00

So I keep buying and subsequently wearing pants with wide legs, and a few of them are cuffed. Interestingly enough, when you wear any said pants with three inch heels it increases your odds of tripping over yourself by 96.341%. No joke!

This morning while walking to the subway, the heel of my right shoe snagged on the cuff of my left leg and almost sent me sprawling. The funny-when-seeing-someone-else-do-it flailing that followed did keep me from falling down, but somehow caused that right shoe to fly off and land about ten feet ahead of me on the sidewalk. Luckily, there was no one in front of me to be hit with said air-borne shoe. But luckily for the people in the corner restaurant, it landed right in front of their windows. I had to hobble over and pick it up (Yes, my bare foot did touch the NYC sidewalk. Don't worry, my tetanus is up to date). I think I redeemed myself by walking very cooly the rest of the way to the subway.

Since then, I have tried really hard all day to avoid tripping, and have done pretty well so far. I have snagged that cuff a few more times, but was able to recover with an odd sort of mid-walk hop that has caused a few comments from coworkers.

The point is, this happens to me frequently. So I have come to the conclusion that I must have some sort of death or broken limb wish hidden deep within my subconscious, because I keep buying these pants! Either that or I have Moe from Calvin and Hobbs as my guardian angel.

Middle Part

2009-04-25T23:16:00.005-04:00

Yeah, last week, I parted my hair in the middle. I looked so much like my mom! It was awesome. Sadly, I didn't take a picture. I did it again today, and it did not look as good, but you kinda get the idea:

And here is Debbie, circa the amazing 70's. She was rockin it!

Not sure what the middle part did, but I felt awesome! It was kinda like when Kim Day would crimp her hair. For those of you who don't know Kim Day, just know that when she crimped her hair you better watch out!

My Favorite Street Musicians

2009-04-24T23:14:00.003-04:00

Professor Edwardo Alvarado

He is this cute little hunchbacked old man that often plays in my subway station. He is actually really good at the piano. And he is always smiling and waving. The days that he is feeling particularly spry, he brings more of his dancing dolls. I have seen him surrounded by 20 before.

Not sure what this guy's name is. I have only seen him three times. But his shiny black dance pants, crazy hair and electric violin are worth the watch! Once he didn't a few ninja kicks while playing a song. Sadly, I did not have my camera with me at the time. But still, there's a little fancy footwork going on here.

I love New York!

Jersey Shore Relay

2009-04-24T23:00:00.004-04:00

Ran the Jersey Shore Relay. It was awesome, as always. Here's a few pics:

Jeff...what are you doing to Adrienne?

Before I ran four miles:

Our team time:

New York International Car Show

2009-04-24T22:18:00.010-04:00

Yes, I walked down some sketchy streets to get to the Javits Center. Yes, I did so to attend the International Car Show. And yes, I did see some very cool cars!

Bentley:

Sara Haws in the BMW section, we both really liked this area!

A very expensive Mercedes:

Eric and Bumblebee

The VW spokescar hit on me as I walked by.

Fisker

The aaaaamazing BMW Individual:

Honda

Concept car, it was Jetsons style.

Does this Lamborghini make me look hot?

It makes Kevin look hot!

um...a Spyker, obviously

Bond, James Bond

Niiiiice

Small cars:

The Bat 11

And they didn't even let me breathe in the vicinity of this car. I had never heard of it before, shows how much I know about cars!

It was a fun night. And obviously, lots of Cool cars!!!

I Miss Elliott and his Mom and Dad!

2009-04-22T21:15:00.003-04:00

Haven't Posted about this kid recently. The other day a wave of homesickness hit me in the form of missing Elliott! So here are some great pics I nabbed from Ben and Laurie's blog:

It was his birthday at the beginning of the month. I sent him Cookie Monster!

His grandmother and uncle came over from Belgium to see him. I love his little face here!

I want that cake!

Eatin' french fries. Do they dip their fries in their frostys in Belgium too?

He really, reeeeeeealy likes tractors.

Some things that Elliott likes to do?

Brush people's teeth:

Squeeze into small places:

Tear up the living room with his dad:

Watch the super bowl just like dad:

Be a cookie monster!

Walk on the ceiling, walls and even the floor will do when tall fathers are not available.

Play with cars:

And here's the cutie and his parents at the zoo earlier this year:

Snakes everywhere tremble and shake when Elliott comes around. As do their handlers who are very worried about the quick and unpredictable movements of ninja Elliott!

Love you guys!

Random

2009-04-16T10:21:00.002-04:00

- Tried on my first one-piece swimsuit since I was pre-teen. Are other women's torsos really that short? Better stick with bikinis.

- Eating a Push Pop sucker at 10am and really not wanting to work today.

- Sometimes I get the inexplicable urge to walk on my hands, this urge often comes when I am walking down long hallways. Funny thing is, I can't even do a handstand, let alone walk on my hands.

- My friend said that aspartame is made from fire ant butts. I wonder who has the job of getting the butts from the ants?

- Going to a sample sale tonight. I don't really like sample sales.

- My Johnson's "melt away stress body lotion" does not really do what it says.

This Week in Jogging with Karene:

2009-04-08T15:34:00.007-04:00

I got up bright and early to go jogging in the park. Below is my internal thought process while running at a time when I should be in bed:

6:30am -
I will run the upper loop. I think that's almost 3 miles. Yesterday I was running with a friend and totally gave up after a mile. (embarrassing after I made her get up to meet me and she continued on and ran an additional 4 miles) On the upper loop I will really push myself and I won't be able to quit and turn around.

6:45am -
Wow, I have been going pretty fast. Only a few men have passed me! I feel great and the finish is in sight!

6:54am - cool down
Wahoo! I ran almost three miles in record time! I am feeling winded and probably could not have gone much further, but I even ran an extra block! I rock! (yeah, I really thought that)

7:00am - looking up the trail distances in Central Park online
The upper loop...hmmm....how many miles...What?!? It's only 1.15 miles. So I basically ran 1.15 miles in a record SLOW time. Sigh...

3:41pm - writing this blog
On second look, it was 1.42 miles. Still, what was I thinking? I couldn't run three miles in 20 minutes when I was in shape! Stupid morning running endorphins!

Note to self: Check trail distances before leaving in the morning.

NYC Jury Duty

2009-04-06T16:40:00.002-04:00

Jury duty + Passover week + NYC = Being released at 3pm on the first day + never having set foot in front of a judge

(did get some reading done though, and had a good Thai lunch with a very nice woman named Nancy)

Girl's Night Out at Bubby's

2009-04-05T19:09:00.006-04:00

A few Saturdays ago, Val, Jess, Kris, Anne, Alina and I found ourselves in search of a good and affordable dinner. We ended up at Bubby's, which has amazing food, if not so affordable. But a great time was had by all. I didn't think to start taking pictures until after we had eaten.

But we went downstairs and used the photobooth!

Valerie waiting for her photo booth pictures

Anne taking a picture of Kris and Val in the booth.

Kris and Val's legs

A poster I am seriously planning on buying (I knew about it before this, it's on Etsy)

Jessica in the booth all alone

I will upload the actual photo booth photos soon.

Then we decided to catch a movie at Union Square. Of course, on the way, hilarity ensued:

Kristin and Alina on the subway...wondering why they agreed to hang out with us...

Jessica in the subway

Anne climbing the subway pole (gross! dirty!), random confused man in the back (don't worry, Kristin apologized for us).

Jessica: We should climb in that dumpster!
Karene: What???
Valerie: Gross, there are probably dead bodies in there
Jessica pauses halfway into the dumpster
Valerie: and rats
Jessica: Ewwwe!
Anne: Quick, get pictures!

It really was a great night! Shout out to Corbillionaire who introduced Anne to Bubby's. The BEST red velvet cake I have EVER had!

Alina's Birthday!

2009-04-05T18:46:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday girl!

We all met at the Shake Shak for a fantastic dinner. Anne, Alina and I:

Anna:

Afterwards we wandered over to Broadway where the movie "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" was being filmed. They were filming a vase falling with black smoke coming out of it. Not too exciting. I actually did see Nicolas Cage (who is playing the part of the Sorcerer), but I didn't realize it was him until looking at pictures online the next day.

Russ and Anne:

The vase being raised:

The vase falling and me expressing my love for my home teacher (Russ):

Afterwards, everyone else went dancing and I headed downtown to a friend's going away party. Sorry I couldn't go dancing. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALINA!

Crashing the Hat Party and Other Shenanigans

2009-04-05T18:15:00.005-04:00

Last weekend, Anne, Val and I spent a random Saturday together.

After watching a movie, we ended up at a small dinner on 86th and Broadway. The best dinner on 86th and Broadway, I might add. The music was a throwback to high school:

The Blue song:

Ice Ice Baby - Val was singing along and Anne decided it was Hammer time:

Valerie's story of desperation:

Then we crashed the Hat Party on the East side. I inherited a pinata hat:

Best Advice...Ever?

2009-04-02T21:30:00.002-04:00

So the other day, one of our happily-married strategists gave me what may be the best dating advice ever. Allow me to paraphrase:

"I approached dating like I would work. I knew there would be bad dates, ok dates and really good dates. But I also knew it only takes one...I didn't like my husband at first."

The key here is work. You know, I can do this. I have never been one to back down from work (ok, sometimes I slough a little, but that's not the point here). So work it is.

Look out world, I have a new perspective!

Fine Print: Said change in perspective does not guarantee a change in attitude or a lessening of jadedness. Signee still cannot be held responsible for her actions while suffering from PMS. Please consult a professional (preferably a counselor, know a good one in NYC?) before embarking on this or any other life change.

Gotta Love This Place!

2009-03-25T14:08:00.003-04:00

New Yorkers that made me smile/laugh this last week:

- The woman singing, very loudly, random lyrics to her iPod song completely off key. She scared the crap out of me when she came up behind me to pass. All of a sudden there was just this loud burst that sounded like something dying. I think she said "Put a ring on it..." but I am not positive. She calmly passed me and kept right on keepin' on, still shouting random phrases!

- The man utilizing the ole' roll step as he was jogging (in full jogging clothes) up Columbus ave with two coffees and a bag of Shake Shake goodness in his hands.

- The Home Teacher + friend who lugged our Craig's List TV from it's old home, down three flights of stairs, into a cab, up five flights of stairs to its new home in our extra room.

- The Home Teacher who came over a few hours later and did our dishes because he felt bad he wasn't able to help with the TV move.

- The woman jogging through Central Park in running shoes, pants...and a cropped fur coat.

- Speaking of fur, the vegetarian Brooklynite who hates fur, but eats chicken and wears a black fur coat. Wha?? One of us is not understanding the definition of a vegetarian or what it means to not like fur...

- The bartender who gave our happy hour group a free basket of food because he wasn't going to be able to eat it.

- The woman in a dress and four inch heels running for the bus...oh wait...that was me. And I caught it!

Love You Guys!

2009-03-20T14:10:00.003-04:00

So I mentioned in an earlier post that I keep my family picture at my desk at work. Just wanted to let you know that people are always asking me about you all. And I end up telling them more then they want to know, and then taking them to your blogs to show how much Elliott has grown, telling them about Jon's wedding and showing the wedding pictures, etc...

The top comments I get, pretty much in the order I get them in, are:
1. That's your mom? She looks so young! (SERIOUSLY the first comment I ALWAYS get. Once of the Project Managers followed that by, "She's hot!" to which I answered "Yes she is...and happily married for 30 years.")
2. Your nephew is so cute.
3. Which one just got married?
4. And that's your little sister? Awww, she's so cute.
5. What a great picture, is that what Idaho looks like?
6. You have a good-looking family!

And to all of the above I smile as big as I can and say "Yeah, They're great!" Well, really to #3 I answer "That's Jon, his wife is awesome. And they are really happy." and to #5 I answer "In some places, it really is a beautiful state."

This family picture:

Dead Sexy!

2009-03-17T10:06:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I took a much needed mental-health day (basically a day off for no good reason other then I needed a breather). I was able to sleep in, finally finish organizing my room, get my hair done by the one and only Aubrey, go to dinner with Aubrey and work on my taxes.

I will post pictures of the room tomorrow, but here are some hair pictures:

Just wanted to remind myself the importance of smiling. I don't know why, but when I am not smiling people always ask me if I am unhappy. I have an unhappy face!

That's a bit better. Gotta love those crow's feet that are forming around my eyes though. Guess I am not 18 anymore! (thank goodness!!)

Me being "dead sexy," sort of...

I Have a Problem

2009-03-05T09:07:00.003-05:00

I have close to 50 pairs of shoes...and over half of them are heels. I think I have an addiction!

Do I wear all of these you ask? YES! Just not now when there is snow on the ground...

We have a Bellydancer!

2009-03-02T23:10:00.005-05:00

Last night I was lucky enough to go to the premier performance of the next big thing! Alashiya the Bellydancer! Aka, Anne Wright, my roommate! She had her first performance at the Grisly Pear (good food, understaffed). She was amazing and we all had so much fun supporting her and learning more about it ourselves.

One of the dancers pulled me up at one point, so I embarrassed myself by trying to copy her moves and making everyone in the place laugh. It was great. And by great I mean totally awkward!

Jessica, Adam, me, Valarie, Carl, Kris:

Our kick A, bellydancing roommate!

After her part of the show she got to sit with us and watch the other performances. It was a great night!

Tony's 30th B-day Bash!

2009-03-02T22:49:00.005-05:00

So good ole Tony turned 30 recently, and to celebrate had a dinner and a night of karaoke. I was lost in Brooklyn driving a 15 foot van (long story), and missed the dinner. But I did catch some karaoke and it was Awesome!

The Birthday boy

Put a Ring on it:

Anne and Alina bustin a move:

Lots of other awesome people:

And my fav of the night was Rustin. That man can move! And he pretty much did all night long. It was so funny, no matter who was singing, he was there in the background!

And here he caught me taking a picture and was being silly:

Tony, you are freakin awesome! Hope you had a wonderful day!

Oscar Night

2009-03-02T22:26:00.004-05:00

Kristin thought it would be a good idea to have an Oscar party to watch the 81st annual Oscars. We invited a few people, made brownies (provided by Chris) and crepes. We played Oscar bingo (Eric, Kris and Alina each won a game), and had a fun, chill night. We didn't get pictures of everyone (Tim and Eric, sorry!), but below is what we have:

Said Crepes

The Crepe chefs: Rustin, Alina and Kristin.

Hamming it up for the camera during commercial breaks and boring awards:

Chris, me and Kris. And yes, Chris did study and then leave early. I don't think he really got into it.

And the most memorable moments for me were:

Kate's best actress win. Love her!

This great dress!

They are so cute I pretty much hate them

I don't care what the critics say, I actually love Miley's dress.

Question for NYC

2009-02-20T12:49:00.003-05:00

Why is it that all your bathrooms at work (and edit houses, my friend's jobs, basically any corporate building) are locked or coded? What exactly are you trying to keep in? Or out?

$27 Hair Cut

2009-02-19T16:35:00.003-05:00

That's right, got a haircut for $27 down the street from my office...here in NYC! Doesn't it look great?

Just kidding! Ok, here are the real pictures:

Wadda' think?

Choose Your Own Adventure...Joseph Smith Style

2009-02-18T18:18:00.006-05:00

Some of you may have heard about the new book that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released. They compiled all of Joseph Smith's journals. A picture below to jog your memory:

Well, the book sold out the first two presses as soon as it was released. So I have been on a waiting list to get one. A week or so ago, I got it! I was so excited. Because of how big it is, I didn't want to take it with me on the subway to read. And since it is written a lot like a text book, I have only been reading it when I have had time to sit down and really "focus."

At first, I was thinking that it was kinda repetitive, and was not flowing very well. "Oh well," thought I, "I am just out of practice reading text books. Also, I am reading this in short spurts, which is hard. I will get back into the swing of things as I read along."

Last night, I had a few minutes before bed to begin reading again...and things got really confusing. I was reading along in the journals...and suddenly turned the page to a different numbering system. Page 64 went to page xxxiii. Below is my train of thought:

"Back to more 'General Introduction' stuff? Are they going to interrupt the narrative like this to put in their two cents all the time? Ok...maybe we are back into the professor speak...the narrative must continue after this stuff. Hmmmm...but wait, where is the professor speak picking up from? I can't find where the beginning of this sentence is..."

I spent five minutes flipping through the beginning of the book trying to figure out the very advanced numbering system.

"I'm a smart girl...I should be able to figure this out. Maybe it will make more sense if I look for where the narrative picks up again."

I flipped forward a bit and came across another sections titled "Editorial Section."

"Wait, I already passed a section with this title. Ha, they must have known I would skip the first Editorial Section so they are putting in more info on their system. Ole' Brother Bushman is thinking he outsmarted me!"

But as I began reading the second Editorial Section, I realized that I was reading the exact same thing that I had glanced at before. I had the bright idea to check the Table of Contents...and the book was not following it at all.

"Why didn't I look at the Table of contents to begin with?! My book was printed incorrectly!!"

My book is missing the first three sections altogether. And it then repeats the General introduction and the 1830's journals. Yeah...it took me almost 100 pages to realize that.

The fateful page (xxiii) that finally gave me a clue that something was wrong. Man...guess I am not as smart as I think I am!

Alina had a good laugh when I told her what I had done. She pointed out that it is like the old Choose Your Own Adventure books where you have to flip between pages to figure out what is going on. Choose Your Own Adventure...Joseph Smith Style.

Everybody Was KungFu Fighting

2009-02-17T11:18:00.002-05:00

I started the day with an IM from Ben:

I had a funny dream last night where we were on a hijacked train and were all just hanging out (with all the other passengers) on some sandy beach. This guy was using his kung fu to fight everyone for fun and you decided you were going to take him on next. For some reason, you had to fight on these railroad ties and as you worked your way up this series of railroad ties (sometimes you had to jump to reach upper levels and pull yourself up) the guy lost his balance and fell off on his own. Haha. Oh, and you had been practicing kung fu for two weeks; that's what you told him. Haha. When that guy fell off, some other guy jumped on thinking he could dethrone you easily and become the new champion. But you grabbed him with some kung fu grab and did some throw move to throw him off. After that you did a front flip and kept your balance and everything.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you're a kung fu champion in my dreams. :)

Oddly, this reminds me of a story my dad tells of when he took ONE karate class as a teenager. Later that week, he was at an activity and an older kid started picking on him. In swooped his mom to help:

Grandma Paula: "You better be careful, Scottie knows Karate."
Dad thinking: Mom! What are you doing? I only took one class!
Mean kid: "Really Scottie? Do you? come on, hit me!"
Mean kid punches dad in the face. Dad gets a bloody nose and never goes to Karate again.

That is probably more like what would happen to me if I had taken two weeks of KungFu classes!

I Just Need to Post

2009-02-16T12:29:00.004-05:00

So, this may insight angry comments, but I am going to post about it anyway as it's a big part of my life right now.

I am trying to lose weight. Don't hate!

I know that I am a healthy weight and that I don't need to loose anything. But you know that feeling that you just aren't your best and you could be a little better? That you are in the prime of your life, but not in prime shape? Eh? No? You are already perfect? I know, I know, I am just trying to keep up with your perfectness!

Anyway, that's where I am at. I am 27 years old, have a wonderful life, wonderful friends, wonderful family and job, but I don't have time to work out and I feel blah. So it's time to work on developing better eating habits and develop a better relationship with food. i.e. stop eating everything in sight when I am stressed.

Me last November. I know the sunglasses didn't help, but whoa circles! Circle face, circle cheeks, circle nose etc. It was cute as a baby, but I think it's time for a new look.

So I recently started to loose weight. In the first four weeks on the plan I was using, Medifast, I lost almost 15lbs. It was amazing! I felt great.

After losing the first 10lbs. See, still normal looking, not scary skinny (yes, I did hold the camera up higher to get the most flattering angle, thus reducing some of the unavoidable circles, get over it).

Now, for all the naysayers out there: the Medifast plan is doctor recommended, healthy way to lose weight. It is a reduced calorie diet, but I am NOT starving myself. Those of you who know me know that I do not do well without food (as most of you can probably relate to). And my roommates confirmed that there was no obvious increase in bitchiness while I was on the plan. So this is not the angry-because-I-can't-eat plan either.

Anyway, then, I caught the flu that's been going around, ran out of food and went on a business trip over Superbowl weekend (think lots of buffalo wings and fries). Since then, I have not been able to get back on the program and have gained back 7lbs.

Well, I know I can do it. I already did once. However, I did not go through the transition phase to help my body adjust off the plan. So I started the plan again today and I am going to follow through with it. Wahoo!

Yeah, Jumping on the Bandwagon Here

2009-02-13T13:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks Jessica for this great video! I think it's hilarious, and true.

Feel the Love in Our Apartment

2009-02-09T14:36:00.003-05:00

Last night, Kristin went for a walk. Three hours later, it was very dark outside and no sign of Kristin. Anne and I were in the living room, "developing our minds" by reading/surfing on the internet. Below is the ensuing text message conversation that took place:

Karene's cell: Did you get eaten or lost in the park?

Kristin's Cell: I'm at Barns and Nobel! I went on a long walk to whole foods then here and u know I talked on the phone too! Thanks for checking!

Karene's Cell: Just wanted to know if we would have to avenge your death by killing all the raccoons in the city. Happy we don't have to because, lets be honest, Anne would be useless, and I would have to do all the dirty work.

Anne's Cell: Karene's an ass

Kristin's Cell: You both are great!

Karene's Cell: and bored obviously...

Hedda Gabler Premier

2009-01-26T12:42:00.005-05:00

Kristin has this great internship with a theater company and she gets free tickets to different shows. I told her I wanted to see Hedda Gabler and we ended up going to the premier last night! It was a really cool experience.

Hedda and Jorgan. Poor guy, blinded by beauty...

Hedda wickedly offering the reformed Lovborg alcohol.

Hedda's gift to the distraught Lovborg

The judge and Hedda as she descends more into madness

Mary Louise Parker at the curtain call. She played one crazy Hedda!

Michael Cerveris. He played a very lovable Jorgan Tesman who is Hedda's husband. He is also a very nice guy. Kristin has met him a few times at work and says he is just great.

Peter Stormare. He played a very creepy judge Brack. You may remember him from such movies/shows as the Tuxedo (shame on you if you actually saw that one), Prison Break, Minority Report and Chocolat.

Paul Sparks. He was Ejelrt Lovborg. The woman who was with him after the show is also an actress and it is really going to bug me that I can't remember her name...

The more I think about it, the less I like the play actually. The cast is wonderful, but I think they took a lot of liberties with the script and tried "modernize" it. Which basically means they added in sex stuff. It was obvious from the dialogue that some of the people had inappropriate relationships, but I highly doubt that Henrik Ibsen wrote in some of the racy scenes back in 1881. But who knows, I could be wrong, I need to read the full play to really see. Judging from his picture on Wikipedia...I think it's safe to say he didn't write in scenes like that (BTW, $20 to the first on of my friends who can grow a beard like Henrik's!).

Apparently Joan Rivers was at the play, I didn't see her. But we did see:
Liza Minnelli. This picture was taken at the show. She had this gorgeous floor-length fur coat on as you can see. I am pretty against fur, but as Kris pointed out, it's Liza Minnelli and she is all about being ostentatiously fabulous.

and Blythe Danner.

Afterwards, we went to the Premier party at the Hard Rock cafe. It was a really cool atmosphere and everyone was very nice. We got to see the whole cast. I didn't go up and talk to any of them because they were surrounded by other people and I had no idea what I would have said.

Reasons Why Today is a Good Day

2009-01-20T16:22:00.004-05:00

My hair is a new color (a deeper red courtesy of Aubrey)

I am wearing really hot shoes (courtesy of my trip to Philly with Liora)

(yeah, I'm shallow enough that these little things make me happy)

Celebrity Sightings Update

2009-01-20T15:23:00.011-05:00

Liam Nesson was walking by Lincoln Square when I saw him. He was all bundled up, and wearing sunglasses even though it was cloudy. I kinda stared, (sorry for being rude Liam) because I wasn't sure at first if it was him. But I am 93.46% sure it was.

I was out handing our flyer's for the Christmas concert at the church when Lisa walked by. The man she was with was not very nice and kept saying rude things about the church as related to Prop 8. She was visibly shocked by what he was saying, but then he explained that we were part of the Mormon church and I heard her laugh as they walked away. However, I hear that Lisa is tall, and this woman was shorter then me...so maybe it was just her twin, though everyone else I was with swore it was her.

I really don't want to stroke Chet's ego by adding him to my Celebrity Sighting post...but the chances of him actually coming across my blog are slim to none. Yeah, Chet is LDS, and on Real World Brooklyn. He was dating a girl in my ward for a while, so although I have never gone up and spoken to him, he has been at a few of the friend gatherings that took place before the holidays.

Mary Louise Parker. She was in Hedda Gabler, she did a really good job playing crazy. I also saw her at the after party. She looked great, but I did not have the guts to go up and talk to her.

Blythe Danner. I saw her during the intermission at Hedda Gabler. She was dressed very well and kinda reminded me of my mom. I think we would be friends in real life.

Liza Minnelli. This is a woman who is used to attention. I think that she would get board with me if we were friends because I would not cater to her wants.

Peter Stormare. He was in Hedda Gabler. He was so creepy...I don't think we'd be friends in real life.

Kristin's B Day and Fuerzabruta

2009-01-20T14:35:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday we celebrated Kristin's birthday by hitting up Fuerzabruta. It was very cool.

This dim picture is of Kris, loving the show. Happy Birthday girl!

The performance is audience interactive and really a trip to watch. There is acrobatics, swimming, dancing, and other stuff that I don't know how to categorize. Including the walking, running and climbing over the moving treadmill as shown below.

There was also some fun with breaking Styrofoam boards over your neighbor's head...of course, of the 5 people chosen to participate, Kris was one of them. Wish I had gotten a picture!

Towards the end, this huge clear pool thing is lowered to about six feet off the ground. The actresses slide, jump, swim, dance overhead. The audience gets to reach up and touch it right above our heads. It was pretty trippy. I did notice during the end bows, that the poor girls had a lot of bruises on their legs. Guess you gotta sacrifice for art...er whatever.

It was during this pool part that Anne and I found ourselves standing in front of an inebriated, and very annoying man. He was there with his wife, grown son and his girlfriend. They kept telling him to be quiet, but kindly left a wide berth between them and him...which meant that he had enough room to keep falling against me and somehow pulling Anne's hair.

The most annoying thing about inebriated man was that he seemed to think it was really funny to call one of the actresses "vagina." That's right, you read correctly, well groomed white guy in his 60's, drunk and audibly referring to someone as "vagina." Every time that particular actress came by us, he would make some obnoxious comment. So impressed by the maturity. Seriously wife and family, leave him at home next time. Or at least tend to him so he isn't breathing and falling all over innocent bystanders! No, I stick with the first suggestion, leave him at home.

Needless to say, first chance we had, Anne and I scooted as far from him as we could. Only in NYC folks, only in NYC.

Other then obnoxious audience members, the show was very cool. The show turns into a massive dance party at the end with the audience, cast and crew all rocking out together. They play this Euro techno music and turn on some of the sprinklers, so everyone is dancing around as they get "rained" on. Of course, I had straightened my hair that day...that didn't last long! But it was very cool to have everyone, people of all ages and walks of life, dancing around together and interacting in a positive way.

Below are Sara and Anne as they were dancing at the end.

Dance Party at the end

Thanks Kris for being born and for letting us come with you to Fuerzabruta!!

Sleigh Rides and Blind Dates

2009-01-05T22:49:00.006-05:00

Yeah...I go home to Idaho to get set up on blind dates. Correction, I do not go home for that, but I did go on one while I was home.

We went up to Bogus Outfitters and had a sleigh ride to a cabin where we had a great surf and turf dinner.

Our view on the way to the cabin

Douglas Cameron played almost the whole time. He was great.

me and Jared

Ben and Laurie

Laurie and me

Why are people obsessed with taking pictures of me while I am eating, Anne??

The ride back was very cold and we all had a hard time keeping our eyes open long enough for a photo...everyone except for Ben.

It was a lot of fun! Thanks Mom and Dad.

Where Did 2008 Go?

2009-01-02T02:17:00.010-05:00

Does anyone else feel like they finally got used to writing 2008 on things and now it is already over?

Caitlin at dinner on New Years

Ben and Laurie

After dinner I drove across town to visit my cousin and her family. Sarah came up with her little family. Yeah, after watching a few episodes of South Park, we gave in and went to the Institute dance. Yeah...we are pretty pathetic. But we had our own fun! Sorry though, no pictures do document the event.

Later in the week:

Hildie checking out Elliott

The next morning we tried to go to the Origional Pancake House in Eagle, only to find that it has closed...so to Denny's...I mean IHOP, we went

Happy New Year Everyone!

Skiing with Dad

2009-01-02T02:17:00.005-05:00

Apparently Dad is the only one who will go skiing anymore. So we went on Tuesday to Brundage Mounatin. It was a blast and boy am I out of shape!

Dad Skiing:

From christmas 08

Me Skiing Badly...

From christmas 08

Christmas in Idaho

2009-01-02T02:11:00.004-05:00

I was lucky enough to be able to take two weeks off for the Holidays this year. So I flew home to spend those weeks with the fam in Idaho.

It was so amazingly nice to be home and worry free for two weeks. Everyone is doing wonderful. Sadly, Ben, Laurie and Elliott could not fly out until the new year. But we Skyped them in while Elliott was opening gifts. He was adorable!

Rachel looking happy

Dad lost interest and started reading halfway through the gift opening

Mom, Jon and Nicole

The dogs got Jon for Christmas

So in perfect Alec style, Elder Hoopes forgot to call us from Arizona. We had to call him. Turns out that Alec called us from our Home Teacher's brother's house. And our home teacher and his family were also there. So they got to check in on Alec for us, and we said hi on the phone. We got to talk for an hour with Alec. He is doing great and is on fire.

Roomate Christmas

2009-01-02T01:40:00.005-05:00

Roomie Christmas was great this year. Below are the damages:

Anne got:
- a book on new ways to tour NYC from me because that girl has done it all!

Kristin got:
- a Breakfast at Tiffany's face mask from me because she is Audry Hepburn

Alina got:
- a ticket stub diary because that girl goes to lots of things that have tickets!

I got:
- a noodle mug from Anne because I eat noodle soup ALL THE TIME
- a BahumBug and mug from Alina because I am sarcastic
- a handmade book from Kristin because I love to write and she is totally artistic

Kristin is Audrey Hepburn, so I got her an appropriate eye mask

The Phillips Freeze in NYC

2009-01-02T01:13:00.008-05:00

After two days in Philly, we all took the bus up to NYC and Liora, Heber and Taevin stayed at my apt. It was so much fun showing them around the city.

The first morning in NYC was spent trying to find a rain cover for Taevin's stroller as it was snowing profusely. The afternoon and evening were spent taking in the sites:

Lunch at Max Brenners

Time Square

Radio City Music Hall...where we could not afford to go, just got to look

Fountain on Fifth Ave

St. Pats

Another Church

Rock Center, it was beautiful!

Sometimes You Just Have to Lick the Liberty Bell...

2009-01-02T01:11:00.006-05:00

Poor Heber had to fly to Philadelphia to take his DO boards. So Liora decided to tag along and make a vacation of it. So I took a bus from NYC down to Philly to spend some time with then. It was really cool to see them and Philly is a great city.

The video below shows our total ignorance when it comes to very important historical sites...

Liora, Taevin and I.

This was not a happy lady...Heber asked if we could take a picture with her and she looked at us for a full five seconds before she mumbled...yes.

Liberty Hall

Tomb of the unknown soldier

Liora, Heber and Taevin in the room where the Constitution was signed

Heber, and notice Taevin and I in the background, Taevin was chatting up the people next to us. He did that everywhere we went.

Taevin looks a little frightened

Inside the Liberty Hall

Benjamin Franklin's Grave

Liberty Bell

Liberty Bell, Me, Heber and Liora

Incidentally, the title of this post is a reference to an episode of "How I Met Your Mother." And no, I didn't actually lick the liberty bell. I did think about it though...

Nestle Team Bowling

2009-01-02T00:47:00.005-05:00

The director of the Nestle accounts, Leigh, suggested we all go bowling for the annual team-building-holiday activity. I guess they bowled last year so now we are going to make it a tradition.

Those of you who have been bowling with me know that (1)I have never liked it much and (2)I am terrible at it, which may be why I never liked it. But this was one of the most fun bowling trips I have had. I was terrible (not even breaking 50 in the second game), but I almost cried laughing with everyone. Because of schedules, Leigh, Paul, Sara, Lauren and I were the only ones who could attend.

Of course, because Michelle was not able to come, we didn't have a camera. So I used my very bad cell phone camera to try to capture some of the fun. Below are the grainy pictures. Oh, and just so you know, I did break 100 on the first game.

Leigh after a bad bowl, he made a lot of very entertaining facial expressions throughout the night. Too bad my camera was not good enough to catch them.

Sara

Lauren

Sara getting ready

Lauren after a great turn

That's Paul rolling on the ground after bowling the winning strike during the second game.

The final score of the second game. Yeah, I did not do well in this game (that's me at the bottom with a whopping 42), and I didn't think to get a picture of the first game's final results. Rumor is that Paul won both games. Seriously, he was a total shark. All this talk of him being terrible and not having bowled in years. Whatever!

Thanks everyone for a great night and here's to a fantastic 2009!

Publicis Holiday Party

2009-01-02T00:30:00.007-05:00

The Publicis Holiday Party this year was held at a club called "The Box." Those of you in NYC probably know it as the burlesque show club. That's right, my work holiday party was at a burlesque club.

Apparently we got the PG version of the show, and I have no desire to see what the PG-13 or above versions are!

Our MC for the night

He was funny, and didn't like wearing shirts

First acrobat act,

Another guy joined him soon after this

Acrobat from my cell phone camera

Mark being accosted by the singer

The room had the set up of an old time opera theater. It had the main floor with standing room and then tables, and a balcony with private booths. It was really cool. Here is a pic of one section of the balcony, full of coworkers. You can see my arm to the far right.

Tables below

Lauren, Sara and Michelle, who are on the Nestle Team with me

Emily and Joe Talking

Stacey, Emily and me

Me, and that's Jordan behind me

All in all, it was a great night. I was not a fan of the entertainment, but it was a lot of fun to hang out with all my coworkers.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

The Awesome Christmas Tree

2008-12-13T20:29:00.005-05:00

Today Anne and I bought a tree for our apt. It was pretty funny carrying it back to the apt. Our hands were frozen and sap-covered by the time we got in.

But it is such a perfect tree and it smells great. We have named it Mahana, because she cost us $40, and I just want her to know how beautiful she is. Mahana is about 5'2" (we know that because that is how tall Anne is and it's as tall as her). If I recall, the guy said it was a Douglas Fir, which is also awesome because she smells really good!

Anne with the knotted beads. She found the beads at Marshalls and neither of us have ever had a tree with beads, so we got them.

Cutting the top to put on the star

The star

The Star

Me starting the beads once the lights were on

Almost done with the beads

Adding the ball ornaments, Anne did most of the work, but she also took the pictures.

Ta da!

Mahana Decorated

Anne's reflection in the red ball

Mahana's right side

The star that was on Doug last year (the name of our old tree)

With the lights on

Anne hugging the finished Mahana

You are awesome Mahana!!