Guess whose 1!!

Today I am making the 4 + hour drive back down to Northern Virginia to celebrate my favorite One year old!



Grace enjoying her birthday cake!

My best friend Heather had a beautiful baby girl, Grace Evelyn, on Tuesday, September 21, 2010. She and her husband moved to Louisiana right after she got married (like literally the next day) where her husband is stationed with the Army. From there they started a brand new life including a dog, a new baby and eventually another dog (I think she regrets the latter decision!). Although she is far away, she always does her best to make it back up to NOVA to celebrate all her families’ milestones, including Graces first birthday. To make it even easier she has a fabulous blog (and she is the reason I have mine!) where she constantly keeps us updated on what’s going on in their lives.


Proud momma and daughter. Love them! (stolen from H's blog!)

Needless to say I am a very proud Aunt Samma, and love watching this little girl grow up. I literally show anyone who will look her picture and she has been the background of my phone and computer since the day she was born! Unfortunately now that I no longer live in Virginia, I’ve sadly missed her quick visits but do everything in my power to make it down for the big deals. I am very much looking forward to her moving up to Georgia in December and making a visit down to her much more doable!

Not only will I be celebrating Grace, but I'm looking forward to spending the weekend at one of my best friend, Becca's house, seeing some friends I haven’t seen in over a year, and stopping in Maryland to see my cousin and his fiancé on the way back! Thank god next weekend is Columbus Day and I have 3 days off because I have a feeling I’m going to be exhausted after this really quick 2 day trip.

I hope everyone else enjoys their weekends!

P.S. – LET’S GO YANKEES!!!!! Today kicks off our Postseason quest for World Series title #28! I will be listening  to the game on the radio on my ride down!



My future husband....



My Maiden Voyage

There is always a lot of pressure when starting a new job. Primarily this pressure comes from the need to prove to those that hired you that they did indeed make the right choice. I think, at least in my experience, that there is always that first “test”. The first thing you do that will actually show your talents and can either make or break you. At my job, this test came early and in a BIG way. The moment I started my job, I was told that a month and one week from my start date would be my first event. At first this wasn’t too bad, especially since I’m the type that likes to just jump in and go. That is until I found out my first event was a Fashion Show and Luncheon with the luxury brand Chanel.  

As I’ve mentioned before, I work for a nonprofit organization so you may be wondering how the hell these two things, Chanel and Nonprofit, are found in the same sentence. My organization is very lucky to have the support of New York City’s finest socialites. Some of these fabulous women even sit on our Board of Directors. One woman in particular on our Board works at Chanel and has been trying to find away for them to support us, thus, the Fashion Show and Luncheon idea was born. Chanel agreed to finance the entire event, as well as give a very generous donation to our organization. The luncheon consisted of a cocktail hour, seated lunch and a showing of Chanel’s 2011/2012 Resort Collection.

The Friday before our Monday event, it was time to do the seating char. And this my friends is when my experience with Chanel really begins!

Now, I am not what one would call fashionable or fashion forward. I like timeless pieces that will last me season after season, year after year. Almost all my clothes are Banana Republic with a few Ann Taylor Loft and Gap pieces thrown in there. The only high fashion brands I own are a few pairs of Michael Kors shoes… that were purchased at TJ Maxx at an EXTREME discount. I had already struggled with finding the perfect outfit for the day of the event (a simple black dress by Calvin Klein) but now I had to find a another outfit that didn’t look like I was trying to hard, even though I was. Our meeting was scheduled for 9:30 AM so my boss and I were meeting at the Chanel offices. I had originally planned on taking the subway from Port Authority but once I got down there and realized that I had definitely written down the wrong train I aborted my idea and ran outside to find a cab. Of course I’m sweating, because I always sweat, but also because I had just been standing in the hot subway and now I was outside in the humidity. When I finally get a cab I’m relieved to finally have some cool air. NOT. The cab driver has all the windows down because the AC is not working. Now, when we are moving, this is no problem. But…as my luck would have it’s the end of UN week and there is traffic…everywhere. By the time we get to 57^th street (where Chanel’s boutique/offices are located) we are at a dead stop. We crawl our way to right past 7^th avenue when the Cab driver instructs me that if I’m running late I may want to get out and walk. I’m about 1 ½ avenues away, and of course, running late. I decide to take his advice and jump out. My hopes of arriving at my meeting looking dry were now completely out the window. By the time I arrive I’m a hot mess and now dreading even more meeting these fabulous women. Mother Nature – 1, Samantha – 0.

After my meeting at Chanel, and seeing how well dressed these women were, I decided I needed to spice up my outfit for the event by adding some sassy shoes. I ended up with these amazing shoes that I of course purchased at Banana Republic.



Aren't they perfect!



The morning of the event I got to work early, sans makeup and event outfit to avoid any pre sweating and melting off of makeup. I got dressed at work, showed off my fabulous shoes and was on my way to the Chanel with my colleague.  Once we get there we head up to the 3^rd floor of the boutique where the event is taking place. It is completely transformed and buzzing with people. The caterers are setting up, the waiters (struggling male actors and models) were getting ready and the models were practicing walking the runway. Note – after seeing these models I first decided A.) I’m never eating again as they were all Triple Zeros and then B.) That actually I’d rather be fat then have no boobs, only nipples, and constantly look miserable because all I want is a cheeseburger.

I jump right into getting things done, changing seating assignments, when all of a sudden I feel something get caught. My heel felt like it had been stuck in the carpet some how. I look down and all seems fine. I walk over to the next table and feel a little uneasy on my feet. I look down again and to my lovely surprise, the heel on my BRAND NEW shoe has completely broken off! I calmly limp over to my colleauge and tell her what happened. I told her that I had a pair of black pumps under my desk at work and she needed to get them to me asap. Our CEO and my boss had just been dropped of by a driver so it was decided that the easiest thing to do was to send him back to the office to grab my shoes and bring them back. Cute Leopard Shoes – 1, Samantha – 0.

I will be getting a new pair of shoes AND my money back...

The rest of the event went off without a hitch. The guests were beautiful, the room was beautiful, the clothes were amazing and most of all, my bosses were thrilled. I had schmoozed my way through my first event, even rubbed shoulders with Emily Mortimer and some other NYC “it” girls, and was able to walk on real shoes before the guests arrived. My CEO informed me that if this was my Maiden Voyage, she couldn’t wait to see what else was left to come! Not too shabby right? We even ended up being featured in Women's Wear Daily! Kicking ass at 1^st Event = Samantha – 1, Cute Leopard Shoes ruining my day – 0.

I finally make it back to the office, exhausted, but feeling a little lighter now that the event is over. I sit down for the first time in 5 hours and finally eat something.  As a parting gift, I stole the Chanel pen that I used for registration. While meeting with my boss later in the afternoon I am using said pen, until it decides to explode ALL OVER ME. I have black ink all over my hands, on my face and my boss’s desk. Apparently both Banana Republic and Chanel, two very reputable brands, have decided they are too good for me. Chanel Pen – 1, Samantha – 0.

So at the end of the day, I only ended up with 1 point out of 4 BUT, it was the most important point. Now onto the next event!

I Spy...week of 9/20

I Spy with my little eye...

• YANKEE STADIUM!! After way too long, I finally made it to Yankee Stadium. I bought tickets for two games this year. The first game was for what we had HOPED would be the game where Derek Jeter would get his 3,000 hit. We bought them the day of and grossly over paid, but we knew it would be worth it....until it rained, and as we walked out of the subway we saw the giant screen on the stadium reading "Game Postponed". HUGE bummer. He of course got the record the following day. I was not there. I'm still bitter, can you tell? Game 2 was for mid-august. Unfortunately I later found out my uncle was getting married that weekend. Major buzz kill. Thankfully, for me at least, the game got rained out and rescheduled for later on. SO last week I attended BOTH of my re-scheduled games since they were both against Tampa Bay they were scheduled back to back.
• AL EAST CHAMPIONS! Going off my first eye spy item, the Yankees clinched the American League East championship on Wednesday night. Although I missed my future husband hitting his 3,000 hit (on a home run no less) I did get to celebrate with my team as they won their 20th AL East title!

Obviously we didn't have the closet seats but still pretty fabulous!

• While leaving the game on Wednesday night we were serenaded by Spider-Man playing the saxophone. I know it's tough to make it as a musician these days... but a Spider-Man costume really? Not sure how much money he made, but there was definitely a line to take pictures!

Sorry for the quality. I desperately need an iPhone!

•  While on the subject of characters, apparently Elmo isn't alone in Times Square, Spongebob Squarepants keeps him company! He has a striking similar body build to Elmo, from what I can tell from behind those costumes. There's got to be a better way to swindle money from tourists than dressing up like children's characters! This economy better get better asap before the Telletubbies join the party!

• My roommate and I went into the city on Saturday night. After waiting for the Path train for 30 minutes and then being shoved in like sardines because there were delays that caused all of Hoboken/Jersey City to get on the same train, we were greeted with absolutely no cabs when we got back to Hoboken. Although we don't live terribly far from the Path, after a late night we usually prefer to cab it home at 2AM instead of walking. But with the lack of cabs and a line of 50+ people waiting for cabs we began the long treck home, Thankfully, Hoboken did not disappoint us and made our walk worth it. On our walk we found a guy who I'm assuming was drunk passed out on what I hope was his front stoop. If not, someone was pretty surprised Sunday morning when going out for their paper! 
• Celebrity Sighting # 2: Today at my first event (more on that later) Emily Mortimer, who was just in My Idiot Brother, was one of our hosts. She was extremely down to earth and gracious. On top of that she is a wonderful advocate for our organization, so who could ask for more!

I Spy...week of 9/12

I know I’m a day late…so sue me. Because of that I’m including sightings  from yesterday and today.

I spy with my little eye....  

• An adult sized man (or woman I suppose) dressed in a life like ELMO costume chilling in Times Square. I have seen “it” multiple days. One would assume that they were promoting something, but I can’t quite pinpoint what that would be. Last I checked Elmo was not part of the Disney brand so wouldn’t be promoting the Disney store and it’s REALLY creepy if it’s promoting the Hard Rock café or Forever 21…Apparently he makes people pay him to take pictures of him. Below is an actual picture of him i found on the internet! God i love google.

Thank you google for finding a picture of the actual Elmo!

• Ok, so not to be a judgy wudgy butttttt….the other day I saw a woman walking down the street wearing an outfit that should have had her completely mortified. She was a larger woman wearing TIGHT, TIGHT pants and this tiny little shirt. The kicker with the shirt is that it had her large (and not like cute large) boobs covered and then had a huge cut out that left her stomach bare. And by stomach I mean her really LARGE stomach that should have been pregnant, but wasn’t. I guess good for her as she was working it like she thought she was the hottest thing since sliced bread, but….I couldn’t help but gasp. Call me shallow, I don’t care 
•   Continuing on the topic of clothing, last Thursday was the first cooler day we have had in awhile and by cooler I mean it was like 68.! People were bundled up like it was about to storm! My favorite was this old lady who was wearing her large puffy coat with fur around the hood AND mittens. Meanwhile I had on sandals (for my commute) and no jacket. Yes I’m aware that I tend to run at a warmer temperature than normal people, but this was a tad bit extreme 
• This week is UN week in NYC. This means that not only are there tonsssss of cops and military (again) but now they have their police dogs with them! I’ve seen about 10 dogs… they are the cutest German Sheppard’s, but I’m pretty positive I can’t pet them… boo 
•   This was not on my walk to work, but equally entertaining. On Saturday night while walking down Washington St. in Hoboken there was a large pile of SNOW! Yes that’s right SNOW, in September! Ok... maybe it wasn’t really snow, but it sure looked like it. It probably was just a bunch of shaved ice someone dumped out, but it was right around a parking meter and looked just like a small pile of snow left over from a storm... SOOOO naturally, I made a snowball, or two. Sorry Erika for making you my target J It was the wine’s fault… I take no responsibility
•  Reality TV Star Sighting! I know my mom will shake her head in disappointment as she reads this, but she already knows I have semi-terrible taste in tv sometimes. Today while walking to lunch I saw AMES from Ashley’s season of Bachelorette and was on Bachelor Pad. He was much taller in person that I expected and much more attractive. I was unfortunately walking with one of my co-workers who is A. a man and B. like 50 so he did not share in my excitement. So I of course came back to my desk and emailed both of my roommates instead.

One.

Exactly one year ago today on 9.19.10, I packed up my uhaul and hit the road back up north to my homeland. It’s crazy how much can happen in one year and how your life can completely change.  Since leaving Virginia I have lived with my parents, moved to Hoboken and have had TWO different jobs and fulfilled my childhood dream of working in New York City. Sometimes while I walk through Times Square in the morning on my way to work, while looking around at all the craziness of the city I just stop and catch myself smiling. It’s in those random moments that I realize how lucky I am. Now don’t get me wrong, although it’s been a really quick year, it hasn’t been easy breezy. I feel like it has been a constant year of transitioning. Having two jobs in 12 months is exhausting. A new job is scary to begin with, and doing it twice is just insane. Thankfully though it was a good insane. As I’ve said before I was completely unhappy at my first job and there was no way that I could continue. I feel truly relieved that I absolutely love my new job. It is an atmosphere of encouragement and pride in the work that we do. It really does not get any better than that.  

Not only has my job changed a couple times in the last year but so have many relationships. I’ve made new friends, re-connected with old friends, got back to daily visits with best friends, held on to close friends I moved miles away from and sadly lost touch with some friends. Although it’s sad to see friendships change, I try to remember that all friendships are different. Some are meant to last forever, and some are just for right now and there really isn’t anything wrong with that. My mom once told me that all friendships serve their purpose and it’s important to recognize what that purpose is and what kind of friend they are. I hate to say it, but most times… moms are right, at least my mom is. But, for every friendship lost a new friendship has blossomed, and so is the cycle of life. 

The best part of coming back up to Jersey is getting to be a quick drive away from my parents and around some of my best friends in the world.  I love getting to see my parents and friends whenever I want. Whether it’s going home for a weekend or having them to Hoboken for dinner, just knowing they are right here gives me comfort. My parents are my heroes and I love having them and my friends back in my everyday life. They have all supported me for as long as I can remember and although we’ve been miles apart for years it’s like nothing has changed at all. The absolute best part is being back with my other half, my partner in crime and my sister, Carrie. For 13 years we lived one mile from each other and never realized how lucky we were. After spending 7 years apart and now being back to being within blocks from each other I think I can speak for both of us by saying that living far away from each other is no longer an option. This past spring faced us with one of the biggest challenges of our friendship but we got through it like we get through everything… side by side. I think everything happens for a reason and me being back in Jersey and living down the street again was no coincidence. It was meant to be because someone knew we’d need each other. From the laughing to the crying that this past year has brought us we know now more than ever that when we have each other everything will be ok. 

And now after that long novel… here’s a quick look at my “new” life! (sorry they aren't in order...get over it.)

My wonderful Roommates, Kate and Christa

My room

And again...

And again....

Apartment Living Room

Kitchen

 

St. Patrick's Day

Me and my sister Carrie at my Bday Celebration

Trip to Austin with mom to see Zach

Visit from Annie 4th of July weekend

Reunion of KSS

Halloween '10

My best friend Heather had a baby, Grace (whose 1 this week!)

Reunion of cousins at my uncles wedding

Reunion in NYC with some favorite VA friends

At the end of the day it boils down to this. I’m happy. It took awhile to get here but it was all worth it. That knot in my stomach that felt like part of me was missing is gone, and you can’t ask for anything more. One of my closest friends Annie said it best, "Sometimes the bumpiest roads give us the best views.”


Here's to year TWO! 

I Spy...week of 9/5

I spy with my little eye:

• A “photographer” in the middle of 45^th street taking pictures of a “model” in a horrendous looking ensemble. I use these terms loosely as it looked very amateur, but more than just some tourists being ridiculous and they chose to take the pictures right in front of construction??? Nice backdrop buddy. 
• While waiting in line for the bus one afternoon a blind man was trying to find his way to the bus line with the assistance of a cane. When he reached his line and bumped into someone, he asked if it was the correct line. The jerk he asked informed him that yes it was the right line but it started allllllll the way behind them and he needed to get to the end of it. (it was a crazy day at the terminal and the line was insane). Thankfully a nice woman in front of him said he could cut her so that he didn’t have to find the back. Hope karma bites that guy in the you know what. 
• Lots and LOTS of police and military men. As NYC, especially Times Square, was on high alert these past few days, the city has been crawling with them. Lots of big guns! This also included police on horseback! 
• On my way into the city on Friday, I saw police searching a white van right before it entered the Lincoln tunnel… comforting?! Yes and no.

Small Victories

Today was the first day since I began my new job in the city that I was able to walk alllll the way to my office (3 blocks and 2 ½ avenues) WITHOUT HAVING TO PUT MY HAIR UP. Why is this so monumental you may ask? Well as most of my friends know, I unfortunately tend to sweat like a whore in church. Sorry for the profanity but it’s the best visual I can give. The minute I hit any sort of heat… and for me heat is anything above 75 degrees the sweats begin. Add any sort of additional physical activity and I am el screwed. So today, I made it my goal to make it all the way to my office without having to stop to put my hair into a quick and bumpy pony tail in order to finish my voyage. I think have the residual drop in temperature from the rain and a brisk breeze are to thank for my accomplishment this morning, but I’ll take it!

Now, I did need to turn my desk fan on the moment I got to my desk…but I still made it! Fall, PLEASE hurry up! I’d like my co-workers to see that I really do put time into my hair in the morning!

So, for all the sweaty girls out there, this small victory is for you!

I Spy

Let’s play a game called I Spy.  

I have come to have a pretty interesting morning commute. Previously, my commute consisted of me spending 45 – 60 minutes in the car while supposedly driving “against” traffic. This was a big fat lie as I was stuck in traffic more than I was not; my favorite day was when I sat in the same spot for 60 minutes before being able to move an inch. Then there was the fun task of driving back to Hoboken, towards NYC, on a Friday night along with the rest of the world. Thankfully this is no longer my world.

Now, I spend a total of 30-40 minutes, door to door, to get into the city. I get on a bus 2 blocks from my apartment, take a nice little nap while driving through the Lincoln tunnel and get deposited out at Port Authority on 8^th avenue. I then have a brisk 10 -15 minute walk, depending on how determined I am to get to work or how sweaty I feel like being, to get to my little cubicle.  I have found both my bus ride and my walk to work to be VERY fascinating. The bus is always fun because people are in numerous stages of being awake. My walk to my office is a completely different story. From the minute I get dropped off at Port Authority it is a complete circus. More days than I would like, the terminal is flanked with police officers and military men clutching onto their large guns. Now, I’m not an expert when it comes to guns so I can’t tell you what they are but they are very BIG and make you wonder if you have missed something. On one hand you are comforted by their presence and protection. On the other, you are trying to figure out what you need protection from.

My chariot

Times Square, aka Tourist Meca

The moment I step out of the terminal doors there is chaos everywhere. Not only are people trying to get to work but tourists are all around you trying to figure out where they are and what they should be looking at. My walk continues by taking me through Broadway and by many of the Broadway Theatres and right through Times Square, which no matter what time of the day it is, is always bustling.

As you can tell on both legs of my morning commute I see lots of very bizarre things. So, I have decided to play a weekly game of I Spy. Every Monday I am going to give a report on things that I have seen that week on my commute to work. So without further Adieu….

I Spy with my little eye…

-          A very short man walking down the street carrying what seems to be a very large pair of stilts

-          A very attractive man who is sight seeing with his girlfriend, picking his nose and eating it as she turns around to look at a vendors cart

-          Not one, but TWO naked Cowboys

-          Another man, a little bit taller, at the same intersection, walking with another pair of stilts on a different day…

-          A guy sitting next to me on the bus who is playing with his iPad. Because I’m nosy and HAVE to look, I swiftly look over at him through my sunglasses to see what he is doing. He is not only reading posts on a what seems to be Dungeons and Dragons forum but the background of his home page is a picture of his four cats cuddled up on his bed… I guess there aren’t just Cat Ladies…

-          A guy selling “Obama Condoms”

-          And my favorite, a sign being sold by a street vendor that reads:

I may or may not have a few people that feel this way about me :)

Check in next Monday for more I Spy!

Angels Kisses

So let’s be honest, I’ve never been mistaken for being much older than I am. I have your typical girl next door features, freckles and all. I’m the girl everyone is convinced they have met before or think I look like their cousins neighbors babysitter.  Although I don’t hate my freckles, they have never been my favorite feature. When I was little my grandma would tell me that they were kisses from the angels and that I was so sweet that they couldn’t stop kissing me. However, nothing soothed me more than, “Don’t worry dear; you’ll grow out of them when you are older”. I am 26. Still have freckles. They keep getting WORSE. So although I’m used to being mistaken for being younger (most people think my brother is older than I am; he’s 2 years my junior), recently the confusion over my age is getting a tad bit ridiculous.



Another lie someones grandma told them...

A few weeks ago I went up to EastJesusNowhere New York for my uncle’s wedding. It was the first time that almost everyone from my mom’s side of the family was at the same event in almost 8 years. I have quite a few cousins as my mom is one of 6. My brother and I are on the younger end of the age spectrum so I think sometimes it makes it more difficult for my cousins to remember how old I am. They are aware, for the most part, that I am old enough to drink, but after that they are pretty clueless.

Throughout the course of the evening we all caught up, laughed, drank and enjoyed each others company. I was talking to one of my cousins girlfriends and we realized that we were just a year apart; she was 25 and I 26.

The next morning as we are driving back to my uncle’s house for breakfast, my cousins girlfriend turns to me in the car and says the following:

“So I need to be honest with you, last night when I first met you quickly I thought you were 16. Then, as we started talking a little more and I saw you closer up, I figured that you were at least 21. Then after more conversation, I decided, ok, maybe she’s 24. But when you told me you were 26, and older than me. I was shocked.”

My end of the conversation was just me, staring at her, offended and with my jaw to the floor. Mind you, I thought she looked younger as well, but decided to be the bigger person and not mention to her I thought she was a child. Instead, when I was introduced to someone else later in the morning I snapped and said, “Quick, how old do you think I am!” At least they said something closer…like 24.

So just as I am getting over the sting of being mistaken for a 16 year old, I start a new job. Being the new person, most people just stare at you trying to figure out who you are and where you came from before they realize that in fact, maybe you are the new girl that the email was sent out about. Well, currently there are 3 new girls at my office and we have all started within a few days of each other. So, as one of these gentlemen who had stared quizzically at me earlier was introducing himself to us all, he turned to me and said, “Oh, I saw you walking around the office earlier and thought you were someone’s daughter.”…..

I’m pretty sure this was his way of saying, “Wow! I thought it was take your daughter to work day and I didn’t get the memo!”

No. Not only am I not some kid touring the office, I am actually a new Manager, but thanks for the warm welcome!

Someone PLEASE tell me how to get rid of these freckles because they clearly are not helping my case. I know people say I’ll appreciate looking young when I’m older, but for now, it is just an evil joke.  And someone...please tell those angels to stop kissing me!