Ring out, Wild Bells.

There's a church hymn called, Ring Out, Wild Bells, that we sang yesterday in the family ward I went to. While sitting next to my friend Shaun as the hymn was announced he murmured, "I hate this song." We sang the hymn, closed the books and I turned to him to ask why. He stated the hymn is all about putting the past year behind us because it's negative and there's nothing good about it. While I do feel that there were challenges to 2012, there are challenges to every year and along with challenges also come many wonderful moments.

So, as I sit in reflection of this last year, I'm determined to think of only the amazing moments that have helped mold, shape, and force me to grow.

I was endowed. (For those that read my blog that aren't Mormon, it's the culmination of all things Mormon :) outside of getting married.) My best friend Cait came out for it and it was such an amazing day.

I went to Barcelona, Spain and the South of France where I spent 14 lovely days getting to know amazing people and experiencing a different culture filled with escargots, duck liver, and Salvador Dali.

Had a surprise birthday for my mother in April with all of her friends and a Harley Davidson themed cake. I love surprising people :)

Became the Relief Society president at church. Along with tremendous challenges it has shown me God's love firsthand.

Met the most amazing guy that showed me how to laugh, love, and ultimately learn.

My best friend got pregnant after struggling for quite some time and I absolutely cannot wait to meet my little nephew!

Turned 30! And had an amazingly awesome carnival themed party with lots of friends and family.

Had a super sweet costume for Halloween and was Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast.

My nephew Colton turned 1 and we had a mustache party for him and although he may not realize his level of awesomeness yet, he's the coolest kid in existence.

Painted my first mural on two of my nephew's bedroom walls and found a new talent/hobby that I wouldn't mind developing more.

Went to New York City for a week in December, saw the tree lighting at Rockefeller center, ate lots of amazing food, and spent time with my friend Kat!

Went blonde. I suppose that isn't much of an exciting moment since I always tend to change my hair cut and color but I'll add it.

Bought lots of shoes. Spent countless hours at anthropologie. Listened to loads of music and saw amazing concerts.

I know that life can get the best of us and the negative moments when dwelled upon really can get us down and make us miserable but after making this list of things to be grateful for in 2012, I'm beyond blessed for the experiences, family, friends (new and old) that I've had this past year and I only look forward to becoming a better person, loving Christ a little more, and recognizing the happiness I have within me during 2013.

I wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy New Year and may you challenge yourself to be better, develop your talents, and love more this coming year.

Kisses.

Of all the spots on the bed or in the house my cat always finds it necessary to sit where it is most inconvenient; on my lap or in front of my computer or as noted below, on my chest. Just when I was telling my best friend I wished I had someone to kiss for New Years, Socks whipped out his tongue! I guess my action is with my furry bundle of joy!

Naked.

As payment for watching my friend Heather's dog, she gave me a gift certificate to Burke Williams, a day spa that is here in the area. I thought I would end the year off right and get a nice relaxing massage this morning however after waking up to get my oil change and a phone call from my most favorite missionary that helped with my conversion, I completely lost track of that relaxing massage and missed my appointment. Luckily for me, I was able to reschedule an hour later.

When it comes to walking around naked or changing in front of people I have never really cared but for some reason, seeing old wrinkly people walk around naked while you're trying to get in the mindset of relaxation does quite the contrary. I had about 10 minutes to kill before the massage so I did a mini facial with some mint washcloths provided and made my way into the common area to meet my masseuse. I had chosen a 50 minute hot stone massage because I figured hot stones would be cool. Were they cool? Yes. Would I pay the extra $20.00 to do it again? No.

That said, my massage was great, she hit just the right spots and left me in somewhat of a daze as I made my way back to the locker room and decided to go in the spa. The spa sounded amazing until I realized, I didn't have clothes on under my robe nor would anyone else. You try not to stare at other people but it is natural to look, which makes you even more excited to get naked knowing that all eyes will be on you. The sauna. The steam room. The jacuzzi. All were great to go in however I couldn't help but think of Seinfeld when I went into the steam room.


Then I came home and finished up on some photos. I have known the Castleton's since I was in kindergarden when I proposed to their son Jono. They randomly ended up being the CES Missionaries in the ward I was baptized in so I was reunited with my long lost neighbors and it was so much fun to capture the clan.



and then of course some of my adorable nephew from Christmas in the outfit I bought him!

My brudder and his little buddy

Colton making phone calls

All in all, it was a nice relaxing morning and very productive day. Three more days until this year is over and I am anxiously awaiting 2013.

Dead Hearts.

All for All.

I noticed the power of the mind when I ran my first marathon. At mile 18, or somewhere around there, your body and your mind have a battle and it becomes mind over matter. I've come to realize that it's not just marathons that have this impact on the mind, it's anything in life that forces you to work. There's the wise saying that, nothing worth while is ever easy, and I firmly believe that.

While the mind can make you think many things or lead you to believe misconceptions, there's something inside that is feeding the mind these thoughts. At mile 26 I told myself there was no way I could run .2 miles (a marathon is 26.2 miles) because all too often our mind makes us think we need to give up but our body is capable of much more than we give it credit for.

At the Beckstead's house on Christmas Eve, Sister Beckstead had recommended a talk, The Atonement: All for All. "If we must give all that we have, then our giving only almost everything is not enough. If we almost keep the commandments, we almost receive the blessings."

Giving our all can be difficult but in order to receive all, we must give our all and know that we alone cannot do things but can do all things through Christ that strengths us.

I love You.

And the way you make me smile.
No one compares to you and
Dreaming only gets me so far until...
I realize how much I miss you.


Du bist immer in meinem Herzen.

Bruise.

I have this jaded obsession with pushing bruises. There is something inside of me that enjoys the feeling from gently pressing on a bruise. I've never thought that I was one for pain, but then again when I was in elementary school I used to staple my fingers. I was such an odd child.

This weekend while walking the dog I've been watching, I slipped on a pile of leaves and although I tried to brace my fall I ended up landing directly on my right knee. It was a very graceful fall (all kidding aside) and I was fortunate enough that I didn't rip through my favorite pants. Although I iced my war wound, I was left with a nice multi-colored souvenir; a bruise.

This morning I knelt to pray and hit the exact spot of where I fell, it felt lovely haha nonetheless, while sitting at work I've managed to reach down and push on the bruise multiple times. Perhaps it's the fact that pain helps you realize you're alive, as odd as that may sound.

Merry Jesus Christ mas.

This morning I woke up, got my brother a vanilla latte, and went over to his house to make some chocolate chip waffles. Around 1:00 Chad and I went over to get Colton and have him for the afternoon. I love that kid. Colton can make you smile more than anything and it brings me so much joy to watch him around Chad. Chad is such an amazing father but it breaks my heart to see him sad that on Christmas he can't have his family. Perhaps I am the overprotective sister and get a little too offended and hurt when I watch him hurt but I am only human.

We went to my aunt's house and spent some time with her and then left so that I could drive back up to LA since I have to work tomorrow. What I didn't plan on however was being locked out of my mom's house (where all my clothes, computer, and dog I am dog sitting are at). Mom had to take Goose home and I knew it would be a few hours before she came home so I just headed up to LA and figure I will head down tomorrow night and grab the stuff and the dog.

Here are a few pictures of our day and four generations of love.

The Eve of Christmas.

While children are all snuggled up in their bed awaiting Santa to climb down their chimney, I'm sitting here by the fire reflecting upon the day. My brother has been having a really tough time and it breaks my heart more than anything to see him sad, especially this time of year. I love my brother more than anything, he's such an example to me and if I could take away his pain and bring him happiness, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

I was fortunate enough to spend this Christmas Eve with both of my families. I went over to the Beckstead's around 3pm and spent some time with the most amazing family, my second parents! All their kids were in town so that of course made it even more special. We laughed, we talked, and we ate Sister Beckstead's amazing food! I rushed over to Chad's for quality time where I was able to give him a few of his presents and hang with Colton. We ended the night at Courtney and Jason's house, an annual tradition.

My grandmother's best friend who passed away 3 years ago gave me this amazing Christmas sweater and I wear it every year! I made Chad get in the picture to document this awesome sweater.

As I tucked my brother in his bed tonight I couldn't help but tell him how much I love him. Tomorrow is going to be a wonderful day, aside from all the presents and Santa hoopla, it's the birth of the Savior! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve.

Last night on the eve of Christmas Eve, Chad had a little party. A bunch of his friends were in town and one couple that are recently pregnant so we had some food and holiday cheer. My holiday cheer of course was Colton, I love that kid. While others were getting tanked on homemade eggnog, Colton and I took a walk and looked at Christmas lights.

Yesterday while at church, I went to the ward I was baptized in which brought back some awesome memories, I ran into my old bishop and he invited me over for Christmas Eve tonight! I can't wait to see everyone and shock them with my oh so blonde hair haha!

Dear Joseph.

Happy birthday to the man that changed my life and this dispensation for the better. For showing me that if we ask or want for anything the Lord will answer, that although we are not perfect, we have a purpose and a reason distinctly laid out for us by the Lord. I'm grateful for your birth, for the life, and for the example that you are to me. May the blessings of your life shine through on this Sabbath day!

I Don't Like My Job.

The simple words that were uttered out of my mouth.

Every morning I walk up the escalator and greet the security guy on duty before heading up to the elevators. This morning I wished Chris a Merry Christmas and got caught up in a conversation. We were discussing places to live and he said that Los Angeles was the hub for jobs. I replied, "yes, but I don't like my job;" to which he responded, "who does?"

I believe there are people that love their jobs. Heck, I've even loved jobs before and if you're going to spend at least 8 hours a day at a place (which is more than you spend consecutively with family or friends) you had better love your job or you're going to be one unhappy person. I truly believe that the key is not money. So many people accept a job or do a job because of the salary attached to it and eventually find out that yes, money does NOT buy happiness.

I want to be challenged and in this ever so lazy world, that seems to be less and less of an option within the workforce. I shouldn't be able to blog while at work, or check my Facebook, rather, I should be doing something productive with my brain.

While I am allowed to blog however ;), last night I got to see a pre-screening of Les Miserables and it was amazing. Not as good as the play but that is to be expected. I saw the play in London in 2011 and it was one of the best I've seen. Go see Les Mis, you won't regret it!

Croatia.

So every year since I was 26 I have gone out of the country. My mother always tried to encourage me to travel when I was younger but work or a boyfriend or something stopped me. Had I know what I was missing out on, nothing would have stopped me. When I went to London, Ireland, and Scotland in 2011, I figured that would be my last trip for a while that I probably get married and have wife duties to tend to. Then, in March I went to Spain and the south of France. So, since I'm not married the planning for my next trip has begun and the winner is:

Croatia AND
Bosnia and Herzegovina

I am excited. I'm not excited about the cost of the plane ticket but I've started to browse through things to do and when to go and I can't wait. I'll go in May when the weather is nice but just before PEAK tourist season.

But for the moment I'll go and enjoy the premier of Les Miserables tonight with friends!

One Week.

and it's Christmas.

I love Christmas. Time to spend with family. Time to eat good food. Time to celebrate the birth of the Savior and time to say goodbye to the year. I actually have three, count them, (3) favorite days coming up.

December 23: Joseph Smith's birthday. I am so very grateful for this man, for his diligence to serve the Lord and bring forth the gospel.

December 24: Growing up my father used to always take us to look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve, of course that was what we did in search of Santa. My mother on the other hand (since they got divorced when I was two) had a tradition of allowing us to open one gift on Christmas Eve. (side note: When I was little I used to find all of the presents my mom had bought, unwrap them and wrap them back up. I knew EVERYTHING that I was getting and therefore could choose the right gift on Christmas Eve. I was such a rotten child... perhaps I never grew out of that :)

December 25: The birth of the Savior and the reason that I am able to return back to my Heavenly Father!

I'd say all these things together make this next week a magnificent one! I also just ordered some photos for family and friends that I took. Here are a few:
Chad and Colton (for Chad)

Colton (for my mom)

My good friend Jonell

My friend Kacey and her family

Golden.

It is still going one shade lighter but here you have it. Both photo shoots I did this weekend were on trades! One I get to pick a pair of Nine West shoes as payment and the other was cut and color by the one and only Kacey!

Come to Church with Me.

Is a question I would normally welcome and extend in the right circumstances however this morning was not one of those. I became Mormon four years ago (September 13, 2008) a decision my mother was not keen on. Although she refuses to address her concern with me personally, I hear from many others.

I came down to Orange County this weekend for two family photo shoots and stayed at moms versus normally leaving early Sunday morning.

Mom: Come to church with me
Me: No
Mom: Why?
Me: Why would I go I a church that has anti Mormon classes?
Mom: They don't have anti Mormon classes.
Me: Yes they do
Mom: Well who told you that (as you can tell she knows about them and I for a fact know she has attended them).
Me: It's well known knowledge
Mom: Are they the only church that has them?
me: Yes
Mom: Well maybe they know something you don't know.
Me: That's like saying I know more than a dr knows. Why don't they spend time building up their own faith rather than tear another's down.

I find it quite interesting that people always want to prove the church wrong or get people to leave it. Tell me what is wrong with serving the Lord, respecting your body, dressing modestly, abstaining from drugs and alcohol, tithing, serving others, and loving one another.

I've never gained any form of substantial knowledge by Wikipedia or hearing only one side of a subject matter and I'm continually saddened by the ignorance that occurs when it comes to the church.

I love my mom.

I love the church.

I know what I believe and that's not going to change. I encourage all people regardless of their faith to build their own relationship with God and if you're spending time doing that, you won't be left with any time to tear down another's belief system.

Towed.

Last night I went to go see Passenger play a gig at the Troubadour. Super stoked on seeing this artist since I have been a fan for about 3 years and he never comes to the states. He toured with Ed Sheeran about 6 months ago and blew up so the show sold out fast. I took my friend Diana and we had a night on the town... or West Hollywood. I parked my car on a street that had a sign stating No parking from 7 am to 4 pm- we made a joke that we wouldn't be there until 7 am so we were good. As we were walking back to the car, down the street we had parked on, I looked at her and said, "Weren't we parked right here?"

Two guys were standing outside of a make-shift valet tent when I asked, "If I had parked my car right here, where would it be?"

Dude: "Oh, it was towed. Go call the number over on the meter."

In the pouring rain I made myself over to the meter to see a small sign below the meter stating, :No parking from 6pm to 4am Valet Only- Daily:

Who in their right mind is going to look below the meter for a 12 inch sign when the large posted signs above on both sides of the street notate it is fine to park there. After calling the towing company and learning of the $190 fee to get my car out, I hailed a cab and we made our way to the tow yard. I looked at my friend and said, "Well, at least we are headed in the direction towards home," as I laughed. She commented on how she was surprised I was reacting so lightly for just having my car towed. Well, there are two ways you can handle ANY situation, overreact, or react within your means. The car was already towed, there was nothing I can do at that point. Besides, I had received my yearly bonus just hours prior and we all know when you receive a large sum of money it's like the universe notates that and needs to collect it back :)

Once at the tow yard I paid my hefty fine, hopped in a golf cart and was delivered up to my car only to find a nice white slip on the windshield. Not only did I have to pay the towing company $190, but also had to pay the City of Los Angeles $89 for parking in a spot I wasn't supposed to be parked in.

Oh Los Angeles, you make it so easy to want to leave you. I am going to try and contest the ticket but we all know what happens when you go against the big man. I just keep thinking in my brain how many pairs of shoes that would be! Happy weekend :) I am now off to take photos of one of my bestest buddies, Jonell and her family, and then spend the weekend baking cookies with mom and another photo shoot tomorrow! The holidays are here and it's a busy, busy time.

Disgusted.

I don’t watch the news. In fact, if it wasn’t for Facebook or for the televisions at work, I wouldn’t know anything about the world.

This morning I heard about the mass shooting spree at an elementary school in Connecticut and my heart sunk. Then to hear about another man in China that took a knife to 22 kids at an elementary school. Of course this all reminds me of the man in Norway that killed 80 kids at a camp on an island. I just can’t fathom how a person could kill a child, or anyone for that matter.

Life can get rough and I understand being unhappy with your life or upset at other people but if your life sucks that bad and you want to kill people, just stay home and kill yourself rather than harming innocent bystanders. My best friend is pregnant and of course that is the last thing a pregnant woman wants to hear about. When I think about bringing children into the world it does scare me, but I think that is part of Satan’s master plan, for us to be fearful and not build our families. I look at things like today and past events and realize that the small things in life that seem so big are really nothing in comparison to tragedies like these. My good friend Beca’s sister was in the movie theatre where that idiot decided to dress up like the Joker and kill people. This stuff just hits too close to home and really makes you value the time you have on earth.

I am constantly reminded why I don’t read or watch the news, things sure can get depressing.

Sniffer.

I have been sick as a dog lately and even though I may not currently be as cute as a dog, I sure have the same sniffer! If that sentence wasn’t confusing enough, I will explain. Have you ever noticed that when you are sick your senses are heightened? Well, I was in the small copy room behind my desk scanning some documents when this lovely new employee walked in doused in something I would smell on my grandmother, or perhaps just something that smelled like it had an expiration date of 1923. First and foremost, there should be an unspoken policy about fragrances. I have no problem with people smelling good, but work is not necessarily the environment to bathe in your perfume or cologne. IF you have a scent that is subtle, more power to you, but IF You have a scent that leaves a trace even after you leave a room, there is a problem.

I was so worried that someone would come into the copy room and think that I was the one with poor choice and poor hygiene. I feel as if this office etiquette follows closely with, “Don’t have conversations in the restroom,” “Washing your hands after going to the restroom,”… you know, the usual. On to other news in my exciting life, I bought my fish Godfrey a new tank and had at least a 20 minute discussion with my neighbor about how he didn’t like his new tank, the filter was bothering him and I wasn’t sure the strobe-like lights were to his liking. Joe (my awesome neighbor) informed me that it was nice of me to care about my fish like that but he doesn’t have a brain and doesn’t think. I am pretty sure Godfrey would be offended by that statement.

Despite the rain, I headed out to see Passenger, an awesome singer/songwriter from the UK last night at the Troubadour… or at least I thought I was headed to see him. I bought the tickets 3 months ago and had it in my calendar that he was playing on Wednesday. My friend Josh and I headed to the venue when I decided to check the tickets and had the ahh hah moment, wait, these are for the 14th, Friday. We decided to have an adventure and check out who could have been playing at that venue anyway. JMSN, Meg Myers, and some random band I have never heard of were playing. I must say that the voices that came out of each artist fit nothing like their appearance. Meg Myers, a Kristin Stewart look a like, had a set of deep/harsh/rugged Courtney Love-styled lyrics. She was good and someone I would recommend you check out. The rest of the artists, well, I wouldn’t necessarily write home about.

I May Have Just Did This...

My friend Aubrey was obsessed with the Bachelor and about 2 years ago created the Mormon Bachelorette with herself being the first Bachelorette. Lucky for Aubrey, she found her eternal companion and also found a way to utilize her many talents and continued on with the show. They are now on Season 5 and as I was browsing through their blog last night I text Cait and said, "Should I apply to be on the Mormon Bachelorette?" Without hesitance she said, "we need to get you on that show." Now, I am not one to make a video, and it is quite awkward filming yourself but I did a quick make-shift video last night. I give you permission to laugh.

Chheessee.

The professional pictures are in from my holiday work party. These were so much fun











And of course my ultimate favorite

Hopping.

Laundry is not my favorite thing to do and that is probably because I don’t have a machine in my apartment. Therefore, I usually take the opportunity to go down to my mom’s house in Orange County and wash my clothes. My neighbor jokes that it isn’t worth the cost in gas to go down there but I get to see my family and clean my clothes so it is justified. I drove down early Saturday morning and mom and I decided to go to the movies. I told her if she went to see, Silver Linings Playbook, I would pay. She had wanted to see another movie as well, Playing for Keeps, but I treated so my movie choice won… at least at first.

I remember a time when movies were around $5.00. Now you can’t see anything for less than $15-20, depending on the theatre. My mother has the rationale that they charge you so much for movies you should be able to see more than one. Yes, I, along with my mother, movie hopped. We are such rebels. One show ended and we had 15 minutes to make it to the next, it was as if they wanted us to hop from one movie to the next. I kept joking with my mother that they were going to come in and ask her for her ticket stub, she didn’t care for that joke and got quite scared when a manager came in to count numbers.

When we went in to the theatre it was light outside, when we came out, it was dark. We went for dinner and then came back to her house to finish up laundry and watch Christmas movies on Lifetime (the ultimate chick-flick network). I woke up early Sunday morning to make it back to LA for meetings and church, only to catch a brief encounter with my neighbor, who happened to sneak a glimpse of me while I was shoving a piece of pizza in my mouth.

“Pizza, already?”
“What, it’s breakfast :).”
He continued saying, “You are going to end up looking like your cats.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. My cats are obese. He noticed after the comment left his lips that perhaps that was rude to say to a woman, I knew he was joking, although perhaps I should cut back on pizza… it is just so good! After church I had tithing settlement, which like any meeting with my bishop usually turns into a quick debrief on how all the girls are doing in Relief Society, rather than anything personal to do with me. I have simply come to accept this fact! I packed up all my belongings and headed over to David’s house for a goodbye party. Two members of the ward were moving and we were having a dessert soirée that was oh so magical. This morning I received the sweetest message from this girl Kiera.


She sure knows how to make a girl smile. It’s funny- I never think I am good enough at Relief Society, that I could always do more for the girls, and then someone sends a message like this and makes all the hard work worthwhile. I am also trying to rack my brain at which male at the party could have said such generous things about me :)

Party.

If I learned anything from my mother, it was that you should always take your own car when you go places so you can leave whenever you want, that and the aspect of time. She ingrained it into my head that being late was not acceptable. Last night was our work Christmas party and although I have not been feeling well, I mustered up my strength, put on my hot green dress and red dancing shoes, and made my way to the party.


I went to Heather’s house and picked her up, which at the time was fine, at the end of the night however when I wanted to leave and she didn’t… I had wished I had gone alone. The venue was huge and although it could have easily held 3,000 people, the 300 count for the company did just fine. The bathrooms were overall my favorite!


I randomly knew the photographer, actually a Mormon guy that has asked me to be a second shooter on some weddings but it has never worked out with timing. The guy that operated the photo booth was the brother of one of my good friends. How ironic and random to see them both in Los Angeles at my work Christmas party.

Airports.

Airports are funny, from the overpriced sandwiches you purchase to the incredible people watching opportunities. Although I normally wouldn't have hours of airport time, my 7pm flight was delayed almost two hours.

Let me backtrack.

After showering, packing, and checking out of the hotel, I made my way to Lincoln Center via the subway. While headed to the Manhattan temple, I decided to stop at a quaint little breakfast place called Muffin Cafe and of course had to stop at Magnolia Bakery, a New York favorite, for a gingerbread cupcake. Sadly, Crumbs is still my favorite cupcakes and I have yet to find anything that compares. I arrived at the temple almost an hour before the session and took time to really think and pray about some things. I enjoy going to different temples and although the work is all the same, the Manhattan temple is incredibly small in comparison to others I have been in.

I took the subway downtown to the hotel and enjoyed a conversation with the doorman while waiting on my shuttle. He had mentioned wanting to move to California. I told him I was actually thinking of moving to New York. We came to the conclusion that the grass is always greener. Although I do love New York I think the winner of my relocation may be Boston. I also used to really like Los Angeles prior to moving there, which scares me the same could happen elsewhere. However, I've lived in soo many places and LA is the only place I've truthfully regretted moving to.

Once in the shuttle, I was welcomed by two, shall I say, brilliant ladies from Ireland in my shuttle to the airport. I have to say I enjoy being able to recognize different accents from my travels. One girl was so cute as she claimed I was a free spirit and she admired the way I travel and how I could just pick up and go anywhere. Although that makes me feel under accomplished and somewhat nomadic, I accepted the compliment.

While waiting to check my luggage I saw a girl out of my peripheral vision that strongly resembled Andi's sister so much that I stopped in my tracks and just stared. She stopped at the gate next to mine which was headed to Zurich. These random coincidences surely made my mind think. The brain sure can play games with your head and your heart.

The fog is quite heavy thus my 7pm flight is now leaving at 8:30 which gives me ample time to write this blog. I stopped at a charging station to plug in my phone only for it to ring. It was a New York number so I answered.

"Hello"
"Nicole, this is Alwin, I was your driver tonight..."

I thought he was going to tell me I had left something in the car but instead he wanted to tell me if I'm ever back in New York I can consider him a friend here. It was nice. He was nice. Gee New York, even your drivers are good to me. Unfortunately, I don't feel that will be enough to get me to move here. Decisions, decisions.

A Day of Remembrance.

Twelve years ago almost to the day, I was fortunate enough to come to NY as a babysitter for the CEO of Quicksilver and live quite the high life for an 18-year-old. I saw and experienced things that I will never be able to do again, one being able to eat dinner at the top of the World Trade Center. I remember everything from that night from the food, the ambiance, and my inability to capture the Manhattan skyline with a wind up camera and a flash that inevitably took to the glare and left for a blown-out and overexposed shot. Needless to say, the memories in my head will have to do. The following September, the World Trade Center was attacked, never to have such opportunities again.

Two years ago when my cousin and I were in NY, the Memorial Site was not open, this year however, it was. I walked over this morning and into the admission-free site of remembrance consisting of two reflective pools, the base of each building, with names of all the victims lining the pools. Tears fell from my face as my hands touched the engraved names.

There isn't much to view at the site, it is more of a moment of silence and reflection for those that lost their life during that horrendous day.




I took a picture next to the survivor tree, the only vegetation that somehow survived the attacks.

We ventured out for the "Best Pizza on the Planet," at Lombardi's which claims to be the oldest pizzeria in Manhattan. It was good- but I don't know if it was the best!

After strolling through the streets of Little Italy, we made our way back to the hotel, after buying the hottest dress from Bettie Page which I can't wait to wear! After unloading at the hotel I decided to venture out and walk the Brooklyn Bridge to get some night shots of the city and then head towards Battery Park to capture the Statue of Liberty at night!








Good night New York! You have been good to me and I will miss you dearly. Tomorrow morning I am going to do a session in the Manhattan temple and then head to the airport!