Upper West Side Snow

It's Still Snowing.

Friends. Wherever you are, I hope there is sunshine streaming through the window and a hot steaming beverage nearby. I hope your feet are wrapped in cozy, thick-knit socks and your ears are toasty with warmth. But I mostly hope that winter is on its way out the door for you, no matter what that asinine groundhog says. Please, dear God, let this winter come to an end. Please. PLEASE!!!

I don't mean to sound desperately over the weather. But I am. I've done the New England winters for two previous years, but this New York winter has thrown me for a loop. I'm not sure why. Is it the howling winds? Is it the teasingly warm weekends (you know, in the 40's),  followed by painful "highs in the LOW teens" weeks? This winter has got to end. I hear you laughing. Yes, I know that I have a minimum of 8-10 weeks left of this mess. This MESS. Yellow snow. Icy sidewalks. Windburn smacking me in the face as I attempt to walk (and not slip on ice AGAIN) down the stairs into the subway. The dark cover of night arriving at 4pm. It's so dark, you guys.

Ways I've been managing in the cold?

- Whining.

- Journaling my whines. Sometime they're really clever. 

- Netflix.

- Going to museums. (Okay, we've only gone to one so far... but we aspire to visit more.)

- Cooking and baking. Ugh my waistline.

- Thinking about exercising. I'll let you know when I am ACTUALLY in a state to exercise again.

- Watching HGTV. I have a major crush on the Property Brothers. Stevie's response to that? "Yeah, I always knew it took two men to replace me."

- Incessantly calling my mom and sisters. I think they might be screening my calls at this point.

- Begging people to come visit me.

- Dreaming of warm vacations.

In the meantime, the snow around my neighborhood and the park is rather pretty. Let's just focus on that and pretend that Spring is just around the corner, k?

// Central Park //

// Central Park West //

// A bench. A snow-covered bench. //

// Aren't those people walking cute? I thought it was cute. //

// Who says we don't have woods? //

// In the summer, this garden is PACKED with exotic flowers. //

// Don't walk. //

// View outside my window. The progression of snow covering the wilt-y tree. //

Happy Friday.

We are expecting more snow this weekend. So my wish for you... I hope your weekend is warm and fun and WARM.

Love love love.

Our Next Adventure.

An Adventuresome Timeline.

Stevie and I have been on a LOT of adventures since we've been together. When I think back over all the trips and moves we made together, my head swims through a messy wonderful kaleidoscope of memories. As we look forward to what is coming next, I can't help but smile at our milestones:

2006:

- Moved across the country in a hippie-ish caravan of our brothers, sisters, cousins and friends. We saw penguins in Tennessee, marveled at the Grand Canyon, bathed in the Colorado River (epic mistake), mountain biked in Moab and finally found our way into the city of Redding, Ca.

- Encountered Jesus in a whole new way during our time in ministry school. Life changer.

- Got engaged at Christmastime in Atlanta's Centennial Park.

- Trekked to Kenya together. We watched Nacho Libre with the Masai in the middle of the Masai Mara National Reserve. Not to mention, we saw some crazy big animals.

2007:

- Got married on a sunny southern plantation in the wonderful month of June.

- Went to Ecuador. Fell in love with the Andes.

- Went garage sale-ing on the weekends. Cuz that's a wild Saturday while living in Redding.

2008:

- Attempted to uproot the Redwoods and take them with us when we journeyed back across the country a year later. Moved back to Atlanta.

- Stevie got a job.

- I went to college.

- We made the best friends of our life.

2010:

- Had the pleasure of creating sweet music with some of our favorite people.

- Ate a lot of family dinners. Because, you know, we could. (Hi Mom!)

2011:

- Stevie got accepted into Harvard Business School

. Whoa. He's so smart.

- I figured out a way to work and go to school in Atlanta. While living in Cambridge. (Someone please pound a sarcastic "That was easy" Staples button)

- Made more best friends.

2012:

- Stevie went to India with his classmates to play with multi-million dollar diamonds. "For school purposes". I whined the entire time he was gone. LIKE THE GIRL I AM.

- Discovered the glory of Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod and all things Maine.

- Surfed in Puerto Rico. Where I performed mild surgery on my husband because he stepped on an urchin.

- I graduated! Go Owls!

2013:

- Stevie graduated! Go...Crimson??

- We took off to Europe for a month and had the trip of our life.

- Moved to New York City.

And now? Well...

Oh Baby.

Here we go... and we are thrilled! Bring on this next adventure!

Surviving the Polar Vortex.

The Polar Vortex.

It sounds like something out of a science fiction film: the polar vortex. Can you believe that is a real term to describe weather?! I feel like it should be one of the chapters in the next Hunger Games. Let me explain what it felt like, because these photos are doing a really prissy job of showcasing the corrupt weather. You're not really able to tell how bitter the air felt. It was like a nastier version of the winter blues. Walking outside was like being slapped across the face. With an ice whip. It was an eerie, mean kind of cold... and it was almost mocking me, because the sun was out! The cold was defying the glory of the sun! And the howling winds somehow sounded like an evil chuckle, coming from... somewhere? The park, perhaps? I'm not being overly dramatic here. I'm not.

// Our hood. //

We survived the polar vortex, thankfully, by staying inside and eating beef stew for days and days. And watching a lot of Netflix. We're really into White Collar these days (although I truly miss Burn Notice). I am really glad we pulled through - it was touch and go there for a while.

I'm afraid to say it. But! There are predictions that we will encounter another vortex later on this month. Some say that we will experience temperatures 20-30 degrees below normal averages (!) for this time of year! People - pray for me. Dear, kind, warm, thoughtful prayers, k?

Anyone else counting down to spring?

Ladies in the Snow

Ladies Weekend.

You can't deny the power of a girls weekend. It's the circled dates on the calendar that you look forward to for months. It's the light at the end of a frazzled holiday season. It's the relief, due in part to that glass of wine, but mostly due to just having those heartfelt girls near to you. You can see the warmth in their eyes, hear the music in their laughter, feel their sweet empathy and let go of all worries. You don't have to talk about work. Who wants to talk about that? You can just laugh. Let loose. Be free. For those 48 hours, it's all about fun... probably with a few tears thrown in there for good measure. I mean, we are women, right??

I had some of my best girl friends in town this past weekend, and... well, they just wowed my socks off. Mostly with their wit. But also with their humility, perspective, grace and vulnerability. These girls. They are the lifeline, the lively, the lifers. Isn't it wonderful to know who will be by your side forever? These treasured women flew in from all corners of the earth - Mobile, Al., West Palm, Fl. and NICARAGUA - all to stay in my tiny abode here in New York. What blessed souls. I'm sure they returned home with a new-found appreciation for space. Though I already miss them, I am most thankful for our times together. It's the best Christmas gift. I hope everyone has friends like these.

We traipsed all over this town, even in the midst of the heavy snow that fell upon us all day on Saturday. Hence the wet socks and the necessary trip into Urban Outfitters to buy more. All photos are taken by these sweet ladies: Natalie at Fresh Life Findings, Alex at The Wonder List and Erica at This Side Photo.

//

Washington Square Park

//

// It was Santacon in West Village // The big tree in Midtown //

//Central Park //

// Cafe Lalo (remember this from You Got Mail?) //

// Cafe Lalo treats //

// Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree (really tricky to capture) // Radio City Music Hall //

// Fig & Olive, Meatpacking //

// Greenwich Village //

// On the stoop of Kathleen Kelly's apartment (We might have a slight You Got Mail obsession, yes.) //

// Art on my windowsill. //

These girls just made this cold weather a little bit sunnier. I hope you're having a wonderful week, counting down to Christmas!

The Time I Met Emily Mortimer on the Subway.

The Other Night.

I was at the 86th street subway stop on the Upper West Side. I was annoyed, the train was running late, and the waiting area was filling up with equally impatient people. I was on my way to a commercial print acting seminar. The dim waiting area was quiet but teeming with a nervous energy. New Yorkers like to keep moving, like to keep on their own internal clock's timetable. As long as they're go-go-going, they're quiet. But they tend to get particularly nervous when deprived of where and when they want to go. If you mess with that, well, then... that's when there is an antsy, aggressive New Yorker on your hands. Don't look directly in their eyes. They might spook.

I have quickly adopted this rude and selfish behavior. Sorry. I started pacing under the wan light, scanning the crowd for no particular reason, other than to people watch. It's part of keeping my "acting eyes" open; my acting coach told me to always watch people because it's a great way to learn about humanity, blah blah blah. You know how acting teachers are. So in touch with emotions. But seriously wonderful.

So there I was, keeping my eyes way open, when someone caught my eye. It was a tall woman, wearing no makeup, her hair frayed across her forehead and slumped in a wooden subway waiting chair. There was nothing about her that would draw anyone's eyes - she wasn't dressed in flashy clothes or giving off that "I'm-an-actress-stare-at-me" vibe. She was just, so, normal. But I knew I had seen her before. And I knew where. But I decided to move a little closer, just to be sure. So I crept within about 10 feet of her (and everyone else sitting on that wooden bench.) High cheekbones, milky-white skin, totally British. This has got to be her.

Then, thankfully, the subway lights illuminated the tunnel. Everyone stood up, ready to flood the doors as soon as they opened. I inched a bit closer and stepped into the same car as she did, and as she walked past me, I knew for CERTAIN that this was Emily Mortimer. For sure. No questions. "How cool is this," I thought, and found my way to a subway seat. She lingered by the subway map just inside the door, then casually came and sat down right in front of me. Facing me.

So of course, I'm just staring at her. At Emily Mortimer. Actress in so many great things. Thank goodness she wasn't even slightly aware of my stalker-ish gaze. The subway lurched forward. As the quiet contentment of New Yorkers filled the subway car, something occurred to me. I will probably never EVER see this woman again. What are the chances? But the last time I saw a famous person, I was so star struck I just stood there. I decided, why not just say something to her? I know there's a code in this town about not making a big deal about celebrities, but, I can play it cool and not gush over her, right? I leaned forward. I took a deep breath. And then, I obviously hissed at her (because I clearly make good decisions when I'm star struck.)

"Pssst."

Nothing.

"Psssssssssstt?"

She glanced my way. This was my chance. To stop hissing at her. And maybe start using my words.

"Hey, you're an actor aren't you?" I said across the two feet expanse between us.

Her stoic face broke into a sweet grin. "Yeah," she said. So British. Best accent ever.

"You're really good, " I said meekly. "You were so great in that movie a few years ago, the one with Ryan Gosling. That was a great movie." DUMB. I couldn't even remember the title.

"Oh, why thank you." She smiled at me. "Are you an actor?" she asked.

"Yeah," I answered. "I'm on my way to a seminar about commercial print right now." Then I realized how lame that sounded to a REAL actress. They don't do commercial print unless there are at least 5 zeroes attached to the buyout. Ughhhh.

She responded with fond kindness, "Oh good for you. Well keep at it. Just keep going for it. It's a terrible time to be in any industry, so you might as well be an actor and just go for it." She laughed a little. Emily Mortimer. Laughing at the prospect of me going for it. Omigahhhh.

"Thank you! That's a good way to look at it." I said. We both smiled and then kind of just looked away. It was a nice conversation, and now it was over.

Oh no it wasn't.

Because I remembered.

"Oh, and in 30 Rock! You had the brittle bones! Man, you were so funny, my husband and I really got a kick out of that," I said.

She laughed again. "Oh thank you." She shifted in her seat.

Then it was over.

My husband and I got a kick out of it?? What the-?! Man, I am so done talking to celebrities.

The subway pulled into 59th. She and I both got off, and parted ways into the night. Oh Emily Mortimer.  That wily British minx. She is everything you would think; so polite and with an unexpected warmth that makes you feel, well, like you can say things to her like, "I got a kick out of that." However, you probably shouldn't. BECAUSE SHE'S EMILY MORTIMER.