A New Dawn, A New Day

Every year, I write out an extensive list of New Year's Resolutions. Sometimes, I even write them for new school years or the Jewish new year. Usually this laundry list has a theme, like "unity" or "balance" or "strength". And every year, I print out this list and tell myself I will look at it frequently and monitor my progress. And every year, I do that sometimes... but most of the time, I just keep on keeping on.

Lately I've been thinking. There are a lot of things in my life that I'm unsatisfied with, and a lot of things in my life that are better than they've ever been. If I were to type out a list of measurable action items a la marketing plan, it would be about 15 pages long. And I can really only see as far as May. After that, who can say? My roles change every year. Who can anticipate where an entire year will go?

Maybe that's why we're meant to make A new year's resolution, not SEVERAL new year's resolutions. Maybe for some people making one resolution is easy; maybe some people don't change roles as often as a graduate student or entry level worker or newlywed. But as far down the line as I can see, I'm going to be in this crazy dynamic lifestyle where I'm juggling the student hat, the teacher hat, the girlfriend hat, the daughter hat, the sister hat and the friend hat, all while trying not to lose sight of the ME hat. How do you sum up all of the directions you want all of those people to go in one sentence?

In 2011, I will be the best me I can be.

In every role, in every way, I will do my damnedest. I will learn my limits for each individual task and when I am approaching them. I will balance all of them with poise and grace. I will never forget that among all of these, I need to find time for being a better ME for the sake of ME and doing the things that I love selfishly - yoga on Fridays, baking cupcakes, and looking in the mirror and actually liking what I see.

Be Our Guest!

For those who are not extensive stalkers, my sister blogs as Miss Lioness on one of my favorite websites of all time, Weddingbee. I had the great honor of guest blogging about shower planning! Check out my post here.

It's Christmas Time in the City

Christmas in NYC is legendary. I must admit, I was a little worried it wouldn't live up to its hype. I was even MORE worried I wouldn't have time to see anything because I'd be hauled up in a library for the entire Thanksgiving to Christmas interim. But I found some time to explore, and here is what I saw (All photos mine unless otherwise noted):

Central Park Skating

One of my best friends from undergrad came to visit the weekend after Thanksgiving, and her family took on me on my first tour of NYC Christmas. We started at the Wollman Ice Skating Rink in Central Park. It was so picturesque!

Please play the Charlie Brown song in your head

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of US skating, but you can see how many people were down there! After we were done, we walked through Midtown and ate at an Irish Pub near Madison Square Garden. I then met some friends for some more holiday/birthday cheer. It was a great day!

Rockefeller Christmas Tree

Some of you may know that I saw the tree as it was en route to Rockefeller - on an 18 wheeler driving down Amsterdam with a police cavalcade at 11:00 at night! A few days later on my way to watch a Gators game, I saw the tree with all of its scaffolding at the Rock but no lights. I watched the lighting on TV and counted down the minutes until I could see it. We walked near it on our previously-mentioned adventure through Midtown - I could tell by the crowds - but we didn't get close enough to see it.

So on my fake solo Christmas, I left a little early to see Elf on Broadway and took the D train to Rockefeller Center. After I got lost in the concourse, I ended up coming out of the door I've seen a million times on my favorite show.

What do we want? To bring you sandwiches!

When do we want it? Whenever would be convenient for you!

(Source - Mind Grapes Vineyard)

I turned to my left and there it was, right behind the two-block-long line for PaulFest on SNL - the treeeeee!

Now I'm sure y'all have seen pictures of it before; maybe you've seen it on TV. But unless you have seen this 75-foot beauty in person, you can't even imagine its splendor. It's just magnificent. They even switched out the 30 Rock flags for the festivities!

Elf the Musical

After seeing the tree, I made my way over to Times Square to see the limited engagement of Elf on Broadway! Now, Elf is my favorite Christmas movie. Period.

I'm singing! I'm on your blog and I'm singing!

(Source - Halloween Landing Zone)

So needless to say, I was a little worried about the Broadway adaptation. But with its resume, I was reassured: Directed and choreographed by the man who brought us the Drowsy Chaperone and the Highland fling of Spamalot, gorgeous sets by the man who designed a million buildings and the sets for Legally Blonde and Hairspray, music and lyrics by the team responsible for The Wedding Singer, and costumes by a man with both Broadway (Legally Blonde, Drowsy Chaperone) and Christmas (Radio City Christmas Spectacular) experience. Alright! I will see it. By myself because no one else wanted to go. And you know what I thought?

This critic was spot on. It was ridiculous and nonsensical. The lead, Sebastian Arcelus, didn't try to be Will Ferrell - he was his own endearingly goofy Buddy the Elf. Every cast member was brilliant. The sets, costumes and music were fabulous. I loved the use of technology. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. But it was great fun. I loved every minute of it. Perfect for kids of all ages!

We're singing! Concrete Jane liked us on Broadway and now we're singing!

(Source - Elle Girl)

(And yes, that IS Norm from Cheers as Santa up there. WIN!)

Snow on College Walk

The minute I finished my final final, it started to snow. And not just flurry, but actually snow. Not enough that it obstructed anything, and it didn't even last very long. But the important thing was, I ended my holiday celebration in NYC by frolicking in the snow with my roommate (let's call her Roomie V).

Our romantic walk down College Walk

Low Library all lit up and snowy!

Frolicking! Roomie V says I look like a gingerbread man

Overall, I was happy to have checked so many things off my holiday to-do list. There are still so many things to do in the next few years, including the Rockette Christmas show and some kind of public Hanukkah ceremony. For my first year, I think I did pretty darn well - especially considering I aced all of my finals in the midst of this (Thanks, finals survival team!).

Does your neighborhood do anything special for the holidays? Have you added any new location-based traditions this year?

All I Want For Christmas Is...

My only wish all month has been for finals to be over and for me to come out without dying. Now I can think a little broader. These are COMPLETELY unrealistic and I do not expect any of these, nor would I be able to USE half of them (and some don't exist). But if I could have anything in the world for Christmas - besides the obvious world peace, goodwill towards men, stuff - I would like:

Cupcake Recipes from everyone I know, whenever I want them, that will always turn out perfectly.

Hermione's Time Turner from HP 5

A humidifier that makes me feel better about NYC winter without making me feel worse about mold (appearance is a perk)

A Mrs. Potts teapot

A cupcake carrier that collapses.

I don't mean just kind of collapses. I want it to fold FLAT.

At least two more pairs of TOMS

An Anthropologie shopping spree

A laundry lady that would remember to do my laundry when I forgot and always wash everything perfectly.

That spell Hermione uses in HP7.1 to make her bag infinitely large

Lots and lots of scarves

A KitchenAid Stand Mixer

(all I've ever wanted for every major holiday and now I have nowhere to put it)

What's on the top of your unrealistic materialistic optimistic Christmas list?

When the Dog Bites, When the Bee Stings

Things That Are Keeping Me Sane During Finals:

The Vince Guaraldi Trio Charlie Brown Christmas Album

Aria Women's Protein Shakes

Five Minute Facebook Stalking Breaks

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Inventing the Twitter Hashtag #gradschoolproblems

Red Starbucks Cups

Comfy Pants

GChat

The amazing battery life on my MacBook

My FB picture being Tanya from Fievel Goes West

Talking about other people in the library in ASL

Instant Netflix at the end of a very long day

Apologies for not sourcing my images. No time! What's keeping YOU sane in this busy time of year?

The Clever North Wind Had Other Plans

Tomorrow, I am leaving NYC for the first time since I got here (with the exception of a day in Long Island, but that hardly counts). Looking back, this is the longest I've really ever stayed in one place without leaving, if only for a day.

Ridiculous, huh? But in undergrad, I had my boyfriend 2 hours away, my mom 4 hours away, my sister 5 hours away, a beach 1.5 hours away, Disney World 2 hours away... and me and my car just peaced out whenever we could. It's not that I don't like where I live. It's just that I get restless and bored in one place for too long of a time. I think it's genetic.

The first time I saw Chocolat, I knew I had found an explanation for this gene. I think I'll call it the North Wind Gene. For those of you who haven't seen the film, Vianne comes from a long line of drifters. They stay in one place until the clever north wind blows in and tells them to go elsewhere.

Her daughter, Anouk, hates this. But she reluctantly follows her mother wherever she goes. My mom has the North Wind Gene. I don't think my dad has it, but his job certainly wants him to. I lived in 5 houses before I was 8. I was used to home being a state of mind instead of a physical location, but I still felt Anouk's resistance to our constant moving.

But once we moved to Florida and stayed for 10 years, I grew restless. You can fight nature, but it'll come back eventually. I couldn't wait to get to Gainesville. Once I was there for 4 years, I couldn't wait to get to NYC. I was seriously done with the entire state of Florida. I should also point out that even though we were in that same house for 10 years, my dad has since moved 3 times and my mom has moved twice. Again, you can fight nature, but it'll catch up.

I know I'll be living in NYC for a while, but that doesn't mean the North Wind doesn't want me getting out of town every once in a while. The stress of school and the excitement of seeing loved ones only adds to the need for a vacation! In general, I'm looking forward to the things I miss about the South: warmer weather, sweet tea, southern hospitality, Publix subs and Chick-fil-A nuggets. But this Thanksgiving, what I'm really looking forward to is starting some new traditions with my family.

This is the first Thanksgiving we'll be having in my sister's apartment, and it's the first Thanksgiving out of the awkward-transition stage that all families go through when the north wind stirs the pot a little. I'm sad that my mom won't be there, but I'm really looking forward to cooking all day with my sister. The menu has some changes that stray away from the traditional Thanksgiving we had while I was growing up, but my all-time favorites are there: my famous green beans, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, and frozen chocolate mousse pie. I really don't care what else happens as long as I have those three dishes and my family by my side.

Apart from Thanksgiving, I'll be spending a weekend in New Orleans with my sister and her fiance before we head to Atlanta to start the holiday. I've never been, and I'm really looking forward to a REAL vacation with absolutely no responsibilities.

Safe travels to everyone out there going away for Turkey Day! Hopefully I'll find some time to blog while I'm away, but in case I don't, Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

(All images from Fanpop)

Put Some New Shoes On

also known as An Ode to TOMS Shoes

My friend B wrote a post about her fashion observations when she first moved to Boston, and I told her then that I had noticed a lot of similarities in NYC. One of the big things we both agreed upon was that women (and men) in walking cities like ours have turned to comfortable, socially-conscious TOMS Shoes as a solution to their walking woes. I realized after only a few weeks in NYC that I needed to join the movement. I'm officially hooked.

I first heard about TOMS in this AT&T commercial that I'm sure many of you have seen (sorry for the quality, it's the best I could find). A few months later, one of my fellow TAs came into class one day showing off her new orange TOMS. I started noticing them everywhere, mostly among my most save-the-world-y friends (Hi Kelci!).

As with most people, the first thing that drew me to TOMS was the premise behind them. This philosophy is such an essential part of the company's mission that it's printed on the sole of every shoe.

Another thing I love: the little animals inside the Classics!

(Personal Photo of my TOMS)

Founder Blake Mycoskie had the idea for this company after visiting Argentina and seeing the widespread affects of soil-transfered diseases on children without shoes. As of September 2010, TOMS has given over 1 million pairs of shoes to children in 24 countries from Armenia to Zimbabwe. They also give shoes to underprivileged children here in America, which just warms my future-public-school-teacher heart. In addition to giving shoes, they also provide some health education for their shoe recipients. And for $40 a pair (a little more for the specialty collections), it's not bad when you consider you're really buying two $20 pairs of shoes!

Founder Blake with some children in Argentina

Aren't their matching red TOMS just precious?

(Source - TOMS Blog)

Alright, I wanted a pair. I have to admit, at first I thought the shoes were ugly. I mean, they're blocky canvas covering your entire foot. But then I started thinking about it - whenever I saw someone in a pair of TOMS, I wasn't thinking "man, who would wear shoes like that?", I was thinking "cool, some kid in Africa has shoes because that guy does."

More Argentinian TOMS
I wish they would sell some of these patterns to us!

(Source - TOMS Shoes via US Embassy in Caracas, Venezula)

After a while, they start to grow on you. They have everything from the plain, unassuming classics to the bright and flashy. Heck, they even have wedges and boots.

(Source - TOMS Shoes)

It was decided. I would get some solid colored classics. I ran frantically around NYC looking for a pair to try on (I despise blind buying shoes), to no avail. I gave up and asked my TA friend for sizing help. She gave me a brilliant piece of advice: Since they're made of canvas, they stretch. I recommend going a half size down. If you're between sizes, go with the smaller size. Awesome. I'm between a 7.5 - 8 usually, so I went with the 7.5. I was debating between navy and black and at the last minute, I decided on gray.

Hello lover.

(Personal Photo)

I had heard these shoes were comfy. I did not know they were going to be THIS comfy. I have owned many comfortable, faddish shoes - Crocs, Birkenstocks, Sperrys, Rainbows. They all have one thing in common: they're great once you break them in, but getting them to that point is a beast. I am being 100% honest with you here: TOMS require absolutely NO breaking in. But they do mold to your feet after a while, as I'm sure you can see in the above photo of mine. $40 for comfy shoes with no breaking in and a charitable act involved? I need more of these. I think I've picked my next pair:

Black Glitters!

(Source - TOMS Shoes)

As I've probably mentioned a billion times, there's only one other girl in my program, and we have established a pattern of being the exact same person. Before I bought my TOMS, Miss M and I talked briefly about how we needed them for all of the reasons stated above. We never discussed what colors we planned on getting or when we planned on getting them. During our meeting before our first day of teaching, we were met with a pleasant surprise.

Matchy Matchy TOMS!

(Personal Photo)

Since we taught every Tuesday, we invented a new tradition: TOMS Tuesday. Every week, we would wear our TOMS on the way to class and then change into heels once we were at school. Wearing comfy shoes and toting your stilettos! How NYC is that? We would always giggle whenever someone on the subway was unknowingly participating in TOMS Tuesday. Now that our stint at the community college is over (for now), TOMS Tuesday lives on - and has seeped its way into other parts of the week. Pretty much any time we're both wearing our TOMS becomes a TOMS ___day. I am bound and determined for this to catch on. So tribe, if you've got TOMS (or maybe if I've convinced you to get a pair?), bust them out every Tuesday!

 Our final TOMS Tuesday, we changed a little early and let our students see our matchiness

(Personal Photo)

Last but not least, what I love about TOMS is the sense of community. Every time I see someone on the street, around TC or on the subway wearing TOMS, I feel connected to them. Most importantly, I feel connected to the kids we're helping. I know, I know it sounds cheesy. But these shoes have developed quite a following. My personal favorite aspect of the TOMS Community?

TOMS Weddings!

(Source - TOMS Wedding Collection via Signature Weddings)

Oh yeah. That's right. TOMS for your wedding party. TOMS for the bride. TOMS for the groom. Tiny TOMS for your flower girl and ring bearer! They have some great pointers about incorporating TOMS into your wedding on their website. Some are a little much for me, like forgoing gifts and asking guests to buy TOMS or giving away TOMS as invitations or party favors. Some I can definitely see how the die-hard TOMS-wearing couple could work into a wedding, like signing a pair of TOMS as your guestbook or throwing TOMS instead of a tossing bouquet (I'd fight to catch that).

Now I've recently gotten very into wedding planning (gee I wonder why?). I love the idea of giving TOMS as wedding party gifts - it reminds me of my cousin's husband who had his groomsmen design their own Converse! Okay boyfriend and parents, take a deep breath: being the MOH in your sister's wedding naturally comes with thinking about your own wedding, no matter how far in the future it may be. While I can't see myself as the type of die-hard TOMS aficionado who could pull of wearing them for the entire ceremony, I think I might have my heart set on some reception shoes.

Obsessed.

(Source - TOMS Shoes)

So to sum it all up:Five Things I Love About TOMS Shoes

1. The movement

2. The style

3. The comfort

4. TOMS Tuesday

5. The community (and TOMS Weddings!)

Happy TOMS Tuesday everyone :)