It's Christmas Time in the City

I swear, one of these days, I'm going to actually get into a blogging routine. Until then, I'm just going to have to post here and there. For those of y'all that still read, thanks for being patient!

It's Christmas time in the city - the best part of the year to me. The first time I ever visited NYC was in 5th grade during Christmas, so this season is particularly special to me.

One of my favorite things to do is go down to Columbus Circle to the outdoor Christmas shops.

Photo from NYMag.com

I warn those of you who don't like crowds, don't go. But, for those of y'all who don't mind, it's a fun place to shop for gifts, eat at amazing food stands and enjoy the holiday spirit. It's also right beside the Time Warner Center, so if you get cold, you can always go warm up inside at the bar and watch the light show - which is what we did just last weekend. If you're not close to The Upper West Side, don't worry - The Christmas Villages (as I like to call them) are all over the city.
Last week, I also put up the tree and decorated the apartment. Nothing better than sitting back and enjoying a Christmas tree. Supposedly, the tree is from NC. It was sold to me by a very heavily-accented Brooklyn man, which made it particularly funny. (I like to think that everything from NC is the best quality).
Despite not really having a "front door" I got a wreath anyway and made a big bow out of cute ribbon that my mom bought me a while back. I love that it's not traditional red and green. It's more my kind of colors. I feel like our neighbors enjoy looking at it as they wait for the elevator. If anything, it makes the hall smell good.
'Tis the season y'all!

I'm bacccck!

After a ten day jaunt around the British Virgin Islands, the number one most important thing I learned is that nutmeg makes any rum punch or painkiller drink better. Hands-down.

I just got back from a 10 day sailing adventure on this little thing
The weather was really horrible
And, it was cold

When I got back to Manhattan, the city was sweltering and the sun was out. I was so glad it didn't feel like winter in the city.

I'm still adjusting to the weather and the season and will post more pictures from the trip soon.

By the way, Christmas just threw up all over NYC and it's not even December yet. I'm sorry, but I can't put up a tree or start the cheer until at least...at least...December 1. I love Christmas as much as the next elf, but it's a little early for me.

Lots to be thankful this year and hope y'all had a great Turkey Day!

The Rockaways

I've been wanting to write this post all weekend and week but just haven't found the words to. I'm not quite sure I even have now, but I'm here to share.

Last Friday I decided to volunteer out in Rockaway beach, about an hour bus ride from Manhattan. As I mentioned, we were barely affected (other than not having to work for a week) during Hurricane Sandy and I was feeling like I needed to give back somehow. I woke up early, got on a bus and by 10 a.m. was standing wide eyed and heavy-hearted on the beach. Just a few months ago, my colleagues and I had taken a trip out to the Rockaways and it couldn't have been more different than last Friday.
We had shovels, trash bags, gloves, masks and brooms. The clean-up crew gave us an address and off we went. From the outside, the first house seemed okay. Then, the owner took us to the basement where her two sons lived. Completely destroyed and soaked through - nothing was salvageable. I threw away photos, golf clubs, a fish tank, beer cans (they must be teenager boys), and shampoo, not to mention more dirt and drywall than I'd like to remember. The water went to the top of the ceiling, leaving dirt and sand everywhere. Here it is on the sink.
And, speaking of sand, the streets were covered. The sand was thrown from the beach to the sidewalks, miles and miles back.
At the second house, we spent nearly two hours shoveling sand from the yard to the street because the sanitation department wouldn't pick it up unless it was three feet from the curb. The owner of the house was in the hospital and her daughter had tried to shovel it herself but there was just too much to do. When we spoke to her, she just seemed lost.
After the second house, we walked down the next street and saw that house after house was burned to the ground. If you watched 60 Minutes on Sunday, then you may recognize my iPhone photos. It was bad. So bad. I don't think you can quite grasp how horrible this area is unless you go. We all teared up. This town (and street) has seen it's fair share of heartache. Just watch the 60 Minutes clip and you'll see.
With only an hour left, we decided to go back to the church and help unload supplies. Towels, toothpaste, trash bags, clothing, blankets, etc. filled the gym walls. It's great to see so many give supplies. But, what these people really need is volunteers to help clean up. I only visited three houses and it took an entire day to clean up and we only touched the surface of the issues. I can't imagine how many houses haven't even been helped yet. It's not something that will be fixed soon.
If you are interested in volunteering, here is the organization that I went through. Say prayers people. These folks need them.

Hurricane Sandy

It's been one week since Hurricane Sandy showed her ugly face. I know many of y'all up and down the coast were affected, but it was particularly bad to us New Yorkers and our friends in New Jersey. Thanks to everyone who sent texts and messages asking how we fared. To say last week was surreal is quite an understatement.

On Sunday night and Monday morning, I stocked the fridge, made sure there were candles, matches and flashlights at close proximity and walked Miss Bailey a few extra times in preparation for the storm of the century, as the media called it.

Then I waited, and waited and waited. The windows shook, but only for a little bit. It rained, but not anything that I hadn't seen before. I thought to myself, "This is it?" When I got into bed on Monday night, I could hear the sounds of ambulances (and lots of them) and I thought "It's bad somewhere, but where??" And I was right. Then, came the morning.

Though the upper parts of Manhattan were relatively unscathed, lower Manhattan and the outer boroughs were not. I felt a little guilty even, walking down the street on 86th and Columbus, you would have never known there was a storm the night before. Then, I walked towards Central Park and saw this.
Look at this piece of plywood that flew into the tree
But, it was much much worse downtown.

Many of my friends lost power downtown, so we took in Lower East Siders and West Villagers who wanted to watch the news, recharge their phones and take a hot shower. News came each day that our offices were closed - no work today, no work today, no work today. That lasted a full week.

But, just as quickly as the storm came in, so did New Yorkers who wanted to help. In my elevator I saw this
Then I walked outside and saw strangers loading trucks full of supplies to those in Rockaway Beach and NJ. People helping people. It feels so good to see.
Hopefully y'all fared well too and things are getting back to normal for you. If you are interested in donating to the relief efforts, check out these organizations:
Feeding America
Baptist on Mission
Red Cross
Humane Society

Stay safe!

Year of the Weddings

Between all my friends, 2012 has been the year of weddings and celebrations and this past weekend, we celebrated the last one of the year with Allie and Bradley in Charlotte, NC. I've know A&B since before they were A&B. Like many couples I've described before, they are like a sock and shoe - just go so well together. I love them so.

I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have the most amazing friends. I know that everyone says they have the best friends - but I really do. When I'm around them, I feel whole and have been so fortunate to spend so much of my year with them.

We spent the weekend dancing, talking, toasting, crying, laughing, smiling and rejoicing. The one thing I hate about weddings weekends is the fact that they go by so quickly. I didn't take as many photos this time, but here are a few favorites. Rehearsal dinner was at Duke Mansion. It was a gorgeous setting, so pretty in fact that Homeland was filming at the same time!
We gave toasts...
and played games...
And acted silly...
Allie looked absolutely beautiful and was one of the calmest brides I've seen. She didn't tell us what her dress looked like until the wedding day and revealed it to us right before she walked down the aisle. Here it is on camera:

And then they were married...
And we celebrated...
Hard! My parents came to the wedding and said they couldn't keep up with the "young" kids.
Come Sunday, all we could do was this
Here's to another great wedding and marriage celebration! Lo, you're up!