It's official...

So today I am exactly twenty-two years and four months old. Unimportant I know, but I'm "studying" for my last final EVER and procrastination is a given at this point.

XOXO

I'm Famous!

Okay, so maybe you've heard of the hit movie twilight. (If you haven't, you live under a rock) Well a couple of witty New Yorkers decided to spoof it--Mormon style. I was lucky enough to be called on for my acting expertise, or maybe just because I have blonde hair. (no lie) Click here to see it in all its glory.

Twilight Years from Tom on Vimeo.

BTW-In case you are wondering, I do have a line. I'm the girl on the bleachers who says "That's Edward. Don't bother." Obviously a line of HUGE importance to the movie.

Enjoy!

Best Bike Shop in NYC!

Today I slept in until 11AM. It felt wonderful :) Before you go thinking I'm crazy. lazy, and otherwise useless let me tell you that I am officially in my last semester of college (woo-hoo!), volleyball is now over (we took second in the region... go tigers!), and it's so close to Thanksgiving that I can almost taste the turkey. Mmmm! So after getting up, eating a delicious honeycrisp apple and doing the rest of my obligatory morning activities like brushing my teeth and checking my email, I went on a bike ride. I rode up the west side path and ran into my friend John around 50th street then kept on trucking to my final destination: the park! After trading the safe pavement of the path for the streets my rear derailleur started giving me some issues. Ugghhh... I tried to fix it myself but with no luck. (What can I say, I'm a novice) So I pulled out my iphone to see if there was a bike shop nearby. Luckily, one was less than a 2 blocks away. The guy was a bike GENIUS. He fixed my bike in no time. And by fixed I mean cleaned and lubed my gears, fixed my derailleur, made the shifting wire shorter, and tweaked a bunch of other stuff so fast I didn't even know what he was doing. My bike feels better than it did when it was new. Check it out yourself here! Happy riding!

xoxo

Guilty Pleasure...

I'm watching Gossip Girl right now. The scandalous lives of New York's elite never disappoint. Love it!

Retired Glamour Shot...

Ocean's never saw two gals more enthused for 80's night!

Fellow lovers of GG...

Folks,

Many of you probably know that Gossip Girl is one of my favorite shows(Blaire and I could rule the world with our collection of headbands). Really though, it's the only show I make time to watch these days. My friends Rae and Jam introduced me to this witty column written every Tuesday by writers from New York Magazine's online edition that assigns point values to different parts of the previous nights episode. It's sarcastic and funny and commends things true to New York and rips apart the unrealistic pieces of the plot. An entertaining read... if I do say so myself. You can find it here. Enjoy!

XOXO
WM

Snow!?!

I got a text from a friend back in the UT earlier this week who shares my love of precipitation in the form of snow. He just wanted to tell me that the mountains got their first light dusting of the season. Could it be true? Yes, don't worry I checked. Now let's cross our fingers that there's a lot more to come because I want to ski over Thanksgiving Break!

Thank You Utah... (and my Mom)

I am a member of the Snow Club at FIT. Granted, they could have come up with a better name but the club is legit. We go on a week long trip to Colorado every year and then take two East Coast weekend trips as well. Needless to say, it's loads of fun. A large portion of the costs are covered by the schools student association but we do have to raise some money too. Our preferred method of fund raising is through bake sales. Coming from Utah, I never thought these things would really make money because you could just go home and your mom probably had something delicious waiting at home. Not the case in NY. The students and faculty at FIT can't get enough. No lie. Especially if the goods are home made.

Every bake sale I make something to contribute. This time around I went with this fab Snickerdoodle recipe from Allrecipes.com. People LOVED them. I made enough to bring to the volleyball girls too and they got devoured in no time. Every time people are shocked that they are made from scratch and that they aren't deformed, burned, or otherwise unappealing. I contribute my ability to cook/bake to growing up in Utah(and my mom) where you were always making something to bring to school or a church activity and items made from a box or bought from the store just weren't acceptable.

Now if only I could make money off of this skill....

xoxo

Empire State of Mind...

California was GREAT this summer so making the move back to NYC for another semester was less than thrilling. But leave it to New York (and all my friends in NY) to pull out all the stops and make me never want to leave again!*

First weekend back I went to New Hampshire with 43 of my closest friends... okay so maybe I didn't know all of them before the trip but we totally bonded. May I say New Hampshire is beautiful? We even took a little drive into Maine which did not disappoint.

Those of us that took the day trip to Kennebunkport, Maine. The seafood there was to die for!

Sean, Dave, David, Sara, and I doing a little skit for the Talent, a.k.a. No Talent show.

Carly took me to a Yankees game for my birthday. Don't worry, we were definitely in handicap designated seats. Best mistake ever made. The seats are cushy and you have loads of leg room. That night D. Jeter tied Lou Gehrig for number of hits as a Yankee, the crowd went WILD! The best part was the two middle-aged men from Connecticut that were sitting next to us and would answer all of our baseball questions and tell us trivia.

The matchy-matchiness of our outfits was NOT planned. Guess that just means we both have great taste :)

I swear, the big screen at the Stadium puts HD to shame. Makes you want to watch the whole game on the screen rather than what's right in front of you on the field.

Went to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs the other night (midnight showing... it's how we roll) and it was so cute. Love the 3D glasses, thank you Disney.


Had a piece of Banana cake for Teenie's 24th birthday. New York bakeries really are delicious (nutritious, not so much)


Have been riding my bike around NY. So far, Central Park is my favorite place. (No cars=less chance of me getting mangled... it's a win win)

I'm playing volleyball at FIT again this year. Although it takes up most nights and weekends it is so worth it. The girls are AMAZING and fun, we are currently undefeated, and I get to play my favorite sport. I love it!

Thank you NY!

BTW-If you didn't catch it already, the title of my posts is from one of Jay-Z's new songs (featuring Alicia Keys) from his album the Blueprint 3. I view it as the unofficial anthem of New York. You should check it out here.

*Tori, I know you are going to read this and be bummed... not to worry, CA still holds a fond place in my heart as well.

Ride For The Cause...

Dear readers,

Recently I decided to participate in Bike MS New York City. This race funds research to find a cure for multiple sclerosis. Riding a bike seemed a simple enough way for me to contribute to the common cause so I jumped at the chance. All participants are required to raise 100 dollars in donations. If you'd like to help by making a donation on my behalf please visit http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/NYNBikeEvents?px=7031839&pg=personal&fr_id=11030&et=xJJfov59Lx0rwPeetfkC7w..&s_tafId=106134 .

I will be riding with the Goldman Sachs team with my sisters Carly and Hayley. Feel free to track our progress on race day!

Thank you!

P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from Bike MS are used, or the other ways you can get involved please visit msnyc.org.

A Bike to Call My Own...

I bought a road bike. Life couldn't get any better... seriously. (unless there was some way I could forgo the whole getting used to the bike saddle)

Here's the beauty...
I've already taken her on some significant spins around Weber County so now she's being boxed and shipped to NY. Bring on the city streets!

xoxo

BTW-I always wear a helmet... don't you worry

Deron v. Floyd...

Lately, I've taken up an interest in cycling. In fact, by the end of this week I may even have a skinny-tired ride to call my own. This new interest has lead me to use my free time (which I've had a lot of lately) to research and read up on anything and everything bike related. This lead me to stumble on the gem of a blog Bike Snob NYC. One of the more recent posts highlighted a publicity event for the upcoming Tour of Utah race held at Utah's own Miller Sports Park earlier this August. The event was a challenge between Floyd Landis, winner of the Tour de France (controversially), and the Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams.

The contest consisted of a 2.2 mile bike race followed by a three-point shooting contest. Williams beat Landis in both events. Here's Williams in his classy Utah Jazz spandex get-up.
Hands down Williams wins the challenge. He makes bikers look hard core with all of his tatoos and facial hair, he didn't get caught doping, and he beat a pro cycler as a mere novice. Oh wait, did I mention Williams was given a one minute head start? My bad....

xoxo

Summer Times...

So I'm not gonna lie, I've had a FABULOUS summer! It has been so good that I haven't even had time to post for... well, forever. I've spent considerable time on a beach, on a bike, with Miss Tori, eating frozen yogurt, 80's dancing, singing at the top of my lungs to my favorite Beyonce songs, interning at Volcom, eating dollar taco's on the balboa penninsula, and much more. Here are a few photos chronicling my favorite days of summer!

Miss Tori herself!
(Yes Tori, I stole this from your blog... we have virtually no pictures of
ourselves in normal (read: non-80's) attire)

At the US Surf Open in Huntington Beach.
Sun, surfers, and good company. It doesn't get much better.

With the Volcom folks at Taco Tuesday. Do yourself a favor
and hit up Great Mex next time you are in Newport.

Interns on the beach!

I loved living in California! Cross your fingers and I may move back come January...

xoxo

Retired Glamour Shot...

Love this girl! We always have a good time together... escalators and all :)

Ew!

Yesterday I was in Times Square. I usually avoid that location like the plague due to the large amount of tourists and people that were apparently not taught how to walk correctly. However, yesterday was an exception because I decided to try and win lottery tickets to one of the Broadway shows, West Side Story.  Whilst figuring out my plan of action I moved out of the way of previously mentioned tourists and inept walkers and unknowingly placed myself right under a pigeon nest. Shortly after, (as I'm sure you could've guessed by now) I was pooped on. That may have been one of the most disgusting things I have ever experienced. No lie, it was warm, it dried fast, and it was directly on my skin. 

Nasty, disgusting pigeons.

In the Heights...

This one will be short and sweet folks...

I saw the Broadway Musical "In the Heights" last weekend and it was amazing! I have seen a ton of Broadway shows in my day and this one takes the cake. The music was original and fresh (there's even some melodic rap as narration), the dancing was really athletic and energetic, and you were definitely never bored sitting in your seat. 

Put this one on your must see list!

Awesomely Out of Control...

So my dear friend H.P. sent me a message the other day saying that she had a special gift for me. Given that it is not even close to my birthday, Christmas, or any other gift-giving holidays I was surprised to say the least. When I went to her apartment later that night this gem was sitting on her shelf waiting for me...

Amazing, right? I seriously want to know what marketing company thought of putting Edward Cullen on a box of Forbidden Fruit Sweethearts. So ridiculous. And for all of you special edition Sweetheart collectors there are two more Twilight versions available. Best of all, the hearts say things like, Bite Me, I love E.C., Dazzle, Lamb, and Live 4 Ever. Classic. 

BTW-I suggest you throw out all of the purple passion fruit flavored hearts, they taste like medicine. Ick!

Retired Glamour Shot...

Straight up gangsta. Holla!

It's always sunny in California...

Exciting news, I got a summer internship!

I'll be working for Volcom in Costa Mesa California as part of their Pre-Production team. This means I'll be assisting patternmakers and those 

in the design and production departments, attending fit sessions, and learning about garment construction and design software, and how measure and spec garments.

Please come visit!

xoxo

Whoops!

So for the three of you that actually read my blog, I sincerely apologize for not writing in ages. My only excuse is that I was having far too much fun! Here's a quick recap:

• Went skiing at Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont. This led me to conclude that all things west are most definitely best.
  
• Went to a David Archuleta concert in the Dirrrty Jerrrsssey. Said concert was in the boonies... thank goodness for ZipCar!
• Had a rendezvous with my parentals in the windy city. (FYI - that's Chicago for those of you not well versed in city nick names. If you don't know that I live in the big apple, well then you have no hope). For the record I love Chi-town and would move there in a heartbeat for a man, a job, or any other good offers :) 
• Traveled back west of the Mississippi for a trip with FIT's AATCC club. Ten points for anyone who knows, without googling, what those acronyms mean. We visited loads of companies including Adidas, Nau, Icebreaker, Pendelton, and my personal favorite Nike.
• Went to Latino night at the Knicks game courtesy of my friend John. Don't worry, my loyalties still lie with the Jazz.
• Met the madre in Baltimore. Boy is that place seedy. Let me just say I love NYC public transportation. On the good side Balitmore has an awesome national aquarium and some legit crabcakes... MMMMmmm!!!
• Bought tickets to amateur night at the Apollo. 125th street makes me feel like such a minority.
• Flew down to North Carolina with my Textile Project Development class, all on Cotton Incorporated's bill. We had a private tour of the facilities and met some students from FIDM in CA.
• Bought the movie Twilight. xoxo Robert Pattinson... ha ha ha ha
• Visited Boulder, Colorado. The current place of residence of my middle sister Hayley. There was even some new snow while we were there so we hit the slopes at Copper Mountain resort. So much fun! (BTW - That means I have skied in four states at six different resorts this winter... how am I going to top that next year?)
• Learned how to long board while back in my great home state. Next challenge: surfing.

Well folks, I'm sure I'm missing a few things but this pretty much covers it. 

Until next time!

xoxo

Quotable Quotes...

Earlier this week I was at Whole Foods for lunch. On my way back to F.I.T. I was targeted by one of those Green Peace-type organization workers who always are petitioning for things and asking for money. Normally, I just walk by without acknowledging them but this guy had obviously had some practice at finding effective ways to get someone's attention. This is what he said to me:

"Hello there fellow planeteer. I see you are thinking about whales, me too. Let's compare notes."

So random. This is why I love New York.

xoxo

Quotable Quotes...

"I want to look at a real case, that actually happened."

- My Microeconomics professor in reference to a demand graph

Football...

In light of today's upcoming super bowl game I feel it is appropriate to talk football. First let me clear up some items of business: 

1) I love the game, but TV just doesn't do it justice. 

2) I am not obsessed with Tom Brady. Let me repeat, I am NOT obsessed with Tom Brady.

3) If only watching football games on TV were as fun as watching a new episode of Friday Night Lights... well, if only. 

4) College football beats the NFL any day.

Moving on... I hope you all enjoy your Super Bowl/Fast Sunday. That being said, Go Cardinals! 

xoxo

BTW- There's no shame in getting a little bored during the third quarter, it happens to the best of us :)