Marcel the Shell with shoes on

Dear Marcel the Shell with shoes on,

Where have you been all my life?

Love,

me

Part 1:

Part 2:

"Guess why I smile a lot... Uh. Cause it's worth it."

-Marcel the Shell with shoes on

And That's Love.

Well, isn't this just lovely?

A few excerpts from the Modern Love column "When the Words Don't Fit" are below, but really, you'll want to just go ahead and read the whole thing. I promise it will leave your heart smiling.

When the Words Don't Fit

by Sarah Healy

... He walked me to my car, and we kissed in the parking garage, under orblike yellow lights. It was a still kiss, a postcard kiss, a Disney princess kiss, the kind of kiss that makes blue cartoon birds chirp and swirl in the sky, their beaks holding garlands.

And this is exactly where the story should end. It should cut to credits, and the music should be triumphant but soft. Your last image should be of the young girl and the handsome poetry-writing boy frozen in a movie kiss. You should brush the popcorn off your lap and leave the theater smiling because everything worked out the way you knew it would. You can leave remembering that time when you were young and lovely, and things like that could happen.

Because it’s boring to say that things don’t work out like they do in the movies. Everyone knows that. Even 21-year-olds. But it’s hard to resist a great story. If we had lasted, we would have had one hell of a story.

[...]

“You have to believe that the Lord put you together in the first place.” That’s what my father said in his toast. That was his advice to my husband and me, his way of saying that what we had was preordained, that it was divine. And really, it was as good an explanation as any for love.

[...]

So, I suppose that’s the point: Love chooses us.

My husband and I don’t have a great “meeting” story. We met in a conventional way and had a conventional wedding. And in some sense, we lead a conventional life.

But my husband has seen me at my worst, at my most vile. And he has seen me at my best. He knows the things I don’t tell anyone, and the lies that I tell everyone but him. I have made sacrifices for him and been angry about it. Sometimes his flaws are so egregious, so blatant, they are all I see. And sometimes his kindness is so stunning that I am humbled.

And that’s love. Big, epic, fairy-tale love. The kind of love people write about. The kind of love that could inspire a poem.

Make yourself a New Yorker

"Make yourself a New Yorker, declare yourself a New Yorker, and New York accepts you, and is glad to have you, and is the more glad the more you are worth the having."

Robert Shackleton, The Book of New York

Totally need to do this this weekend

Seriously. It's been almost 7 weeks since I moved (and, you know, a few more than that since I've blogged... but who's counting?). And my beautifully large closet is still in a total disarray. That will all change this weekend though. No traveling. No holy matrimonies. No out of town guests.

Just me. And my closet.

Heaven, help me.

Some days...

Some days, you just need to see a fluffy dog catching a ride on top of a turtle...

Today is one of those days. Happy Friday!

And now... The Epic Conclusion.

10 years in cinematic making, and it all comes down to this... Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Less than 7 hours until I'm sitting in Lincoln Square Cinemas for my very last midnight showing of this amazing series. I'm joining the thousands of die-hard fans tonight, along with my Potter-loving BFF and BF... and let's be honest, my new winged friend will likely be in attendance as well. :)

Thanks to Derek for this Look Back over the last 7 films... get ready for 5 minutes and 14 seconds of pure magical delight!

6 hours, 39 minutes and counting...

Mellow Yellow

Nothing brightens a summer day quite like sunshiney yellow nails and a delicious lemony treat.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Work/Real Friends

When you start introducing someone as "my friend... who I met at work... but we're, like, real friends. Not just work friends. Real friends," you know you've crossed that unspoken line between professionalism and personal life -- and there's no turning back.

Today marks LJ's last day of working in NYC... the last 3 years and 10.5 months of which have been spent with yours truly.

Yes, it's true -- my co-worker-turned-BFFAEAEAE is making the big move back to Texas to start a brand new adventure in Dallas!

And while I'm so very excited for what's in store for her... to say I'm "an emotional mess" would be a gross understatement.

I'm trying to hold off on anymore tears for now, because I still have 4 whole days of twirly, winky-faced fun before she hops on that one-way flight to DFW. But that doesn't make today any easier... Honestly, the thought of coming to the office tomorrow and not having one of my best friends right down the hall is really... sad. And scary. And... unfathomable.

Who will join me for DDP breaks? And who will send me walrus wakeup texts to make sure I'm up after a near-sleepless Thursday night on the town? And who will I eat a romantic sushi and wine Valentine's Day dinner with after working until 10pm on a Monday... again? And whose office door will I slam closed when I just need to giggle... or, occasionally, cry?

There's a lot to say... and I will. Just... later. Because nearly 4 years of BFFAEAEAE-ship can't be summed up in the 45 minutes that I have left before we head to LJ's Farewell Happy Hour. So instead, I'll just leave you with some happy memories... of the day that we were reunited, along with Jamie, our third musketeer, here at our current agency. It literally seems like just last week and a lifetime ago... all at once:

Sweet Southern Comfort

March 18th, 2009

If you've had a conversation or two with me since I moved to NYC, you've probably heard at least a few of the many tales of adventure/awkward with my co-workers-turned-friends. Since my first day at my first "real" job, I had a feeling I would soon be thanking God for putting Jamie and Lauren in my life. And it wasn't just because they both hailed from below the Mason-Dixon Line (Atlanta and Dallas, respectively). The three of us, well, we just... clicked.

It would take quite a bit of rambling (yes, even more than usual) to recount all of the reasons these girls have helped to make my life in New York as simply fabulous as it is today (and as you'll see, many of the stories have already been detailed for your enjoyment on Lulled and La La La anyways). From Spy Adventures to Wee Mee's to Karaoke to countless hours spent discussing celebs and recapping the previous night's must-see tv, our work days were anything but mundane. (Disclaimer: While we were right on point with our green circled predictions, Jason No Longer = Muffin. GROWL. But that's another rant for another post.)

Needless to say, when the time eventually came for the Showtime Girls to part professional ways (technically for the second time, but we won't speak of The Dark Ages otherwise known as LJ's Eight Month Hiatus...), it could only be summed up as "bittersweet." I know that I for one was anxious to see what the future held, but the idea of not working with two of my best friends every single day?! Two words: womp wooomp.

So it will come as no surprise that my excitement for tomorrow is reminiscent of all those Christmas Eves I counted down the hours until Santa and his reindeer finally landed on my roof. In a strange, wonderful turn of events, tomorrow will mark the day that all three of us are back where we belong - embracing our media nerdiness together. In the same agency.

Love. It.

I have no doubt that our friendship would've easily stood the test of Midtown Separation - Goodness knows we'll always have Brunch Story Worthy Nights - but I am just oh-SO-happy for a return to the days of quarter collecting and puppets.

L.O.V.E.

Love you, LJ... more than any HR Department should allow. Here's to showing the Dallas Media World how we do it in a little place called New York City :)

Who's with me?

via kate spade ny

Happy 5 Years, LJ!

Happy Happy 5 Year New York Anniversary to my beautiful BFFAEAEAEEEEE!

Cheers, my love! So very blessed to have been a part of the last 3 years and 10 or so months of it :)

xoxo

A Special Delivery

When I got a message that I had a package waiting for me in our mail room on Monday, I immediately tried to remember what impulse purchase I'd forgotten about over the past couple of weeks... Surely not another pretty handbag -- the kate spade sample sale did a great job of filling that void in my life. Or perhaps some new summery sandals? But no, even I have finally admitted that my overflowing closet is in need of an intervention...

So imagine my delight when it wasn't a FedEx box of bangles or baubles at all, but instead... a feathery messenger who you had better be may be familiar with...

Yes, it seems that Hedwig had been tasked with tracking me down at my office in SoHo to deliver a mysterious message.

But where did she come from? What a silly question -- all the way from Hogwarts, of course! Look, there's even an official 'H' seal and everything:

And what was so incredibly important that it required the attention of such a trustworthy owl? It seems that a certain sweet someone was hoping that I might be able to reserve time this weekend for a bit of magical fun...

It probably won't come as any great surprise that I gladly accepted the 'Harry Potter Day' invitation (especially given my handsome and oh-so-creative escort for the day)... but unfortunately Hedwig's wings were a bit too tired to make another journey all the way up town to deliver my response. Luckily, that sample sale I mentioned earlier came in handy -- who knew that kate spade made the very chicest of owl carriers?

Dandelions & Lollipops

I heart NY. More specifically, I heart SoHo on this sunshiny spring day.

File under: True Things

via Gayana's Etsy

Snuggles

Dear CuteRoulette.com,

Where have you been all my life?

xoxo,

me

p.s. Happy Almost Easter!

Happy Wednesday Things

Just a few things that are making this rainy Wednesday morning a little less dreary:

1. A "happy wednesday" email from my sister at 6:52 a.m. that contained nothing more than the following fluffy face:

2. The Civil Wars and a 5-shot Venti Americano with a dash of cinnamon. (No judging, please. Sometimes 5 shots of espresso are just necessary.)

3. Sharing a blueberry Special K bar with my new cubemate/bus buddy, Smam.

4. A new pair of cutie cute flats paired with a sunshine yellow cardi, because I refuse to accept that Spring isn't here to stay.

5. A sweet little card from my sweet little BFFAEAEAE.

6. Finally checking off the box on this pesky little Post-it that's been haunting me for the past few weeks:

7. And lastly (and really, the most happy of all these things), a notification from American Airlines telling me that I am now eligible to check-in for my flight to Austin tomorrow! Which means that I'm just a day away from celebrating the marriage of two of my very dear friends, Katie and Bri Bri Brian!! After watching these two lovebirds grow together for the past 6 years, this is sure to be a weekend filled with plenty of love, laughter, Theta Kites and champagne -- can. not. wait.

Love y'all! See you so soon :)

One day

One day, I will spell "enviornment" "environment" correctly. On the first try. Without the aid of that pesky red squiggly line, taunting me and rubbing salt in my grammatical wounds.

Today was not that day.

Is it noon already?

Well. What can I say? This is just the sort of conversation that happens on a Monday when you can yell to talk in a professional volume to your BFFAE through the wall that joins your neighboring offices...

B (upon receiving some extra stressy work-related news): Aaagghhh! Laaaaurennnn! Do you have any tequiiiilla?

LJ: Ohmygosh! Is it noon already?

{{Long, Confused Pause}}

B: Umm. Did you really just hear me?

LJ: Did you just ask for tequilla?!

Magic Warms My Heart

Love this. I guess a little magic can go a long way...

Rep. Gabrielle Gifford Healing with 'Harry Potter'

"We also know that [Rep. Gifford's] husband has gotten large-print pages of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first book in the J.K. Rowling series, 'for her to hold and read.' In a CNN story filled with reasons to tear up, for me, that was one of them... The series doesn’t sugarcoat what Harry faces to protect what he believes in. It’s about him standing up for himself and those he fights for, and overcoming the obstacles (and man) who would stop him.

Happy reading, Rep. Giffords. If this is your first trip to Hogwarts, here’s a spoiler: Harry’s a Gryffindor. So are you."

Let's Save This Cute Puppy Today

For whatever (oh so very) loyal readers I have left, I'm joining gothamist's efforts to Save This Cute Puppy Today. Such a sad story (she was found tied to the Williamsburg Bridge's walkway during the snowstorm... I can practically hear my heart wrenching in two), but hopefully someone can offer this sweet girl a loving home!

See ScoutingNY for more information about this precious little pup.