My NYU Law Grad!

Well, folks, he did it!!!

I CAN OFFICIALLY CALL MY HUSBAND AN NYU LAW GRAD!!!

My heart's all a flutter with joy for him!

 

The journey to his J.D. began back in August 2008.  We had just moved to Manhattan {into a 340 square foot apartment}, eagerly anticipating this new venture ahead of us.

I took the following pictures of NYU Law during Admitted Students' weekend in April 2008.

NYU Law sits directly across from the beautiful Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.

  Fast forward three years -- and, as usual, the anxiety, the stresses and the unknowns seem like they may have all been worth it.  

As a wife, I could not be more proud of him.  He took a huge risk: He left a career, worked tirelessly to pursue his goal, landed in a top five law school, and handed me my dream of living in New York City.  Wow.

So, last week, he finally received well-deserved honors -- with a handful of fans in tow!  Both our families traveled here to celebrate!

The graduation ceremony took place at the Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side.  And, while the venue was quite beautiful, the weather outside certainly was not.  As the students filed out of the theatre, the streets became chaotic and the army of umbrellas became difficult to dodge, making it nearly impossible to get any good pictures. :-(  At least I got a couple, I guess.  It looks like we might be ordering some of the professional ones. ;-)

Picture drama aside, it really is hard to believe he's finished with school.  Now, he just has two more months of studying.  Yep, folks, I sure can call my hubs an NYU Law grad, but that dang BAR exam ... geez ... looks like it's gonna consume his life 'til the end of July! {It's always something.} Wish him luck!  :-) 

Excuse Me?!

So, usually I workout with my gym-partner-in-crime {a.k.a. my hubs}, but tonight I went solo and the following scenario took place:

I'm in the free weight area.

I casually walk over to pick up a 35 lb. weight so I can begin my warm-up set of bicep curls.

Some dude walks over at the same time and motions for me to go ahead and get the weight bar I was going to use.

Me {politely asking}:

Which weight do you need?

Dude {rudely snickering}:

Oh ... ha ... I'm getting the 55.

Me {thinking in my head}: 

What?  You don't think I can lift as much as you, huh?  Excuse me?!  Rude.  And unnecessary.

Annoyed, I do my warm-up set.  Dude does his set {with bad form, I might add} and puts back the 55 lb. weight bar.

What do I do next? 

Walk over, pick up the 55 lb. weight bar and proceed to do my bicep curls ... the correct way.

In your face, sir.

Don't question this girl's biceps or else they'll show you what's up.  Just sayin' ... ;-)

Tail Wagging {Tootsie Roll} Tuesday!

It's Tootsie Roll time, and today, I'm linking up with CMae for my first ever Tail Wagging Tuesday!

CMae wants us to show off our pet's BLING {a.k.a. what Tootsie wears around her neck}!

Well, don't you know, sometimes Toots can't hold back her love for dolla signs.  So, she decides she wants to go all ghetto on me and sport her favorite bling-blingy ...



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Haha ... JUUUUUST KIDDING!!!

Toots is way too prissy for that.

Here's what she really wears:

When she's traveling in her bag, she only wears a collar {not her harness} 'cause that's all she needs.  The pink collar on the right was the very first collar we bought for her.



Here she is wearing it, although you can hardly see it!  Really, I just LOVE this picture of her!!! :-)

When she goes on walks, she wears her black and white {with a bow} harness.

We got her name and other important information engraved on this pink and silver heart:

And, sometimes, we accessorize her harness with these pretty pink bows!



Tootsie wearing her harness in Central Park!

Hope you all have had a great Tuesday! :-)

What I'm Loving Wednesday! {The NYC Edition}

Hey friends! :-)

It's Wednesday{!} and, thanks to Jamie {and her weekly link-up party}, my blog has relieved itself from hibernation mode. ;-)

So, without further ado, here we go ...

I'm LOVING that I gave myself a swift kick in the rear for being a bad blogger.  Although, we have had a lot going on around here {wah wah ... I know}.  We've been dealing with car woes {another flat tire, which brings the total to three in one-and-a-half months}, washing machine woes {don't get me started}, and several other woes {of which I'll spare you the details}.  Plus, I had a major practical exam for school {no worries ... I passed!}. 

Oh ... and we had visitors, which, hands down, prompted an extra special WILW.  So, from this point forward, let's forget the aforementioned woes and move on! 

Ladies and gents: I present to you ... WILW {The NYC edition}!!!

I'm LOVING that my mom, sister and sister-in-law traveled to the northeast to spend the April 1st weekend with us! {Thanks, Megan, for all the pics!}

I'm LOVING that we relaxed a bit on what was a rainy, dreary Friday afternoon after I got home from school.  We watched Tangled before venturing to French Roast for dinner, followed by the Metropolitan Opera House for Capriccio.  The Opera House was nothing short of eye candy and stepping inside of it was an experience in itself.  Capriccio, however, was, well, not my favorite.  It was a German opera and so very loooooong and unnecessarily drawn out.  Shoo ... I thought it would never end and I may have taken a little nap in the middle.  Anywho, I hope to see one of the more famous Italian operas at some point, so as to change my perspective of operas in general.  Like I said, it was an experience, nonetheless.

I'm LOVING that my sister-in-law, Megan, joined us on what was a sunny Saturday morning.  We headed to the city and walked, walked, then walked some more, making some tourist-y stops along the way, including Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral.  We attempted to go to Serendipity for a frozen hot chocolate, but the wait was 1.5 hours.  No thanks.  So, instead we stumbled upon Crumbs, another NYC sweet spot, which has ta die for cupcakes.  Yum.

I'm LOVING that, after walking three times our weight in calories, we ate dinner at a lovely little joint near Times Square called Maison. This eatery also sat right next to our Broadway theatre destination for the night.  We chatted over what was a delicious meal and eagerly anticipated singing nuns!  After finishing dinner, we hopped, skipped and jumped on over to see Sister Act!  WOW.  This show did not disappoint and comes highly recommended by me.  It was phenomenal!  PHENOMENAL.

I'm LOVING that the sun shined brightly again on Sunday as we headed to one of my favorite boutiques, Purdy Girl, located in Greenwich Village.  My sis fell in love, too, and left with lots.  We all, however, left with a new pair of chic shades.  Okay, to be fair, my mom's wearing mine.  ;-)

We followed our shopping escapade with lunch at Ciao, a quaint Italian restaurant near our old apartment.  And, as if that weren't enough, we then stopped for Pinkberry yogurt because, honestly, no NYC trip is complete without Pinkberry. :-)

I'm LOVING that, later that night, after two days of searching for one, my mom found a PINK purse.  In typical NYC fashion, she spotted it at a street vendor's setup for a mere $10!  What a steal!  My sister got a tan purse and my mom got me a bright GREEN one.  We've lived here for nearly three years and this was my first street vendor purse experience!  Can you tell she's OVERJOYED, THRILLED about her purse?  Hahaha ... hehehe!!! :-D

I'm LOVING that we ended the night with dinner at Ritz Asia {also in the Village} for some succulent sushi! {And hubs finally made it into a picture ;-}

Finally, I'm LOVING that Megan, my sweet sister-in-law got us bagels Monday morning, before everyone headed home.  Of course, I didn't want them to leave, but I'm glad they all made it home safely.  Now, I can wait in anticipation for the next time!  Cheers, ladies {and Derek}, for an unforgettable, exhilarating, calorie-burnin' {and consumin'} weekend in the Big Apple!  Thank you so much for visiting!!!

Happy happy happy NYC Wednesday!

My First Blog Award!

This bloggie world has just been overwhelmingly nice, and Elizabeth from The Life of David, Elizabeth & Peyton is yet another example of why!

My friend of the same name gave me my very first blog award!  How exciting! She is too sweet!!!  Do yourself a favor and go check out her blog.  Her little fur-child is way more than just cute!

This award says I'm supposed to list seven random facts about me.  I'm sure I'll think of better stuff as soon as I hit publish, but anywho, here goes:

{1}

In May of 1999, Nick Lachey pulled me up onstage at a 98 Degrees concert and danced with me.  Jeff then got down on one knee and sang me a song.  Then ... do you know what I did??  My mind was in such a state of shock (remember ... I was a crazy fan) that when he got up I thought it was a good idea to pop a smooch on his cheek!  Oh my heavens ... he probably thought I was so weird.  But, he did have a lipstick mark on his cheek for the rest of the concert. ;-)  At the time, I called it "the highlight of my life."  Well, needless to say, the "highlight of my life" actually took place on May 28, 2005. :-)

{2}

My fingers are "double-jointed" and I can do some crazy moves with them.  In fact, I have to try REALLY hard to make my ring fingers straight.  They hyperextend just naturally. 

{3}

I was a gymnast for five years and a cheerleader for seven.  I still walk on my hands occasionally. ;-)

{4}

I used to want to be the next Katie Couric.  Well, obviously my aspirations changed.  I got the New York City part of it, but instead of Katie Couric, I just want to be a darn good dentist.  :-)

{5}

Unlike the rest of the planet, I have never seen Star Wars or Pretty Woman.  Apparently, I'm missing out?  Guess I'll have to put it on my summer to-do list.

{6}

I was the commencement speaker for my high school graduation.

{7}

My parent's house (the house where I grew up) is a red schoolhouse from the 1800s.  You can still ring the bell on the roof and, if you were to peel off the wallpaper, you would still see chalkboards on the walls.  I could go on forever about all its charm.  I LOVE that house and I always look forward to going home!

I'm thrilled to be able to pass this award to ...

Megan at Two Dogs and a Baby

Jamie at This Kind of Love

Kari at The Adventures of One Crazy Lady

Gabriella at Two Peeps and a Pooch

Pink Julep at Pink Julep Abroad

Thanks again, Elizabeth!!

How 'Bout Them Cats?!

After an exciting game last night, my alma mater {for undergrad} has moved on to the Elite 8!

Here's to hoping they can pull off another win tomorrow night!

GOOOOOO CATS!!!!!!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

It's that time of week again -- a time to reflect on all the positives in life, even if it is just the small stuff! :-)

Thanks, Jamie, for another What I'm Loving Wednesday link up party!

I'M LOVING this little decorative setup I made in our bathroom!  It's simple, makes a statement, and goes well with the decor theme.  I found the Eiffel Tower in the dollar section at Target{!} and painted it black.  The votive candle and holder cost about two bucks.  The cake stand was a wedding gift.  The rose picture came from Picasa, and its frame was a cheap Pier 1 find.  Smiles for spending little moolah! :-D

I'M LOVING that we were actually able to get Sister Act Broadway tickets for when my mom, sis and sis-in-law are here {in a week-a-and-half}!  They really wanted to see it, so I'm glad we could find a decent discount. {Huge thanks, mom!!!}  This means I'll see the show two weekends in a row!  Yay!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Broadway shows.  LOVE.

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I'M LOVING Satsuma scent from The Body Shop.  This scent has stayed at the top of my favorites list for quite some time.  It always brings fond memories of Springtime {even though we got SNOW today ... yuck}.

www.thebodyshop-usa.com

I'M LOVING this picture of my adorable niece, Gracie, and my bro and sis-in-law's dog, Riley.  It just melts my heart.  Ohmyword ... she is quite possibly the cutest little baby ever.

I'M LOVING this new Kellogg's cereal.  I MUST eat cereal {or oatmeal} every morning, and this really just seems to hit the spot.  The roasted nut and honey is my favorite.  Go try yourself some ... mmmmmm!

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Finally, I'M LOVING my hubby!  Even when I'm irritable, stressed and at my worst, he still loves and puts up with me!  I'm so grateful for him!!!

I'm also LOVING this little darling ...

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!