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

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?

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 :)

Happy Heart = Happy Dance

Sooo much Christmas cheer the past couple of weeks! And our office holiday party is tonight! And I just checked into my flight home to Texas in the morning! Aaand I'm already packed!

(Holy exclamation points, Batman...)

All this to say: I'm so giddy inside, I might just burst out into a spontaneous happy dance... or perhaps I just did in LJ's office... and perhaps it happened twice... and perhaps it looked a liiittle something like this (Oh, do be sure your speakers are on. Trust me.):

A special thanks to Liz for this little otter's stellar moves. There was really no better way to convey just how happy my heart is at this very moment... Wee!

Now. Go ahead and watch it again. You know you want to.

A Loved One at Their Sides

Well, if this news doesn't make for a Happy Friday, I don't know what does...

Excerpts from The New York Times article "Obama Widens Medical Rights for Gay Partners" are below, and read the whole thing here.

“'Every day, all across America, patients are denied the kindness and caring of a loved one at their sides,'Mr. Obama said in the [April 15th] memorandum, adding that the rules [aimed at granting hospital visiting rights to same-sex partners] could also help widows and widowers who rely on friends and members of religious orders who care for one another. But he says gay men and lesbians are 'uniquely affected' because they are often barred from visiting partners with whom they have spent decades.

Richard Socarides, who advised President Bill Clinton on gay rights issues, said that while the memorandum on its own did not grant any new rights, it did 'draw attention to the very real and tragic situations many gays and lesbians face when a partner is hospitalized.'

[...]

In some instances in the past, hospitals have barred bedside visits by the person who held the medical power of attorney for a patient.

Gay rights advocates said the rules change was inspired by one of those cases involving a same-sex couple, Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond, who were profiled in The New York Times last year. After Ms. Pond was stricken with a fatal brain aneurysm, Ms. Langbehn was denied visiting rights in 2007 by a Florida hospital. Although Ms. Langbehn had power of attorney and she and Ms. Pond were parents to four children they had adopted, the hospital refused for eight hours to allow her and the children to see Ms. Pond, her partner for 18 years. Ms. Pond died as Ms. Langbehn tried in vain to get to her side.

Ms. Langbehn, represented by Lambda Legal, a legal advocacy organization, brought suit against the hospital, Jackson Memorial in Miami, but lost. On Thursday night, Mr. Obama called her from Air Force One to say that he had been moved by her case.

'I was so humbled that he would know Lisa’s name and know our story,' Ms. Langbehn said in a telephone interview. 'He apologized for how we were treated. For the last three years, that’s what I’ve been asking the hospital to do. Even now, three years later, they still refuse to apologize to the children and I for the fact that Lisa died alone.'

[...]

The memorandum is intended to 'help ensure that patients will be able to face difficult times in hospitals with compassion, dignity and respect,' a White House spokesman, Shin Inouye, said Thursday night. 'By taking these steps, we can better protect the interests and needs of patients that are gay or lesbian, widows and widowers with no children, members of religious orders, or others for whom their loved ones are not always immediate relatives. Because all Americans should be able to have loved ones there for them in their time of need.'"

In case you need me in the middle of the night...

... there's a good chance I'll be on E. 37th Street between Second and Third Aves from 11:30pm until 2:00am.

What's that? Why, pray tell, would I not be snuggled safe in my bed? What could possibly get me to wander the corners of Murray Hill during the wee hours of a Monday evening?? Well, I'm glad you asked... because I have a very logical explanation for my questionable nocturnal behavior:

Elephants.

Elephants walking through Manhattan.

That's right, friends! The circus is coming to town - my town! And cute little elephants, ponies, heffalumps, and the whole gang will be on parade from the Queens-Midtown Tunnel right on across 34th Street to MSG.

Sometimes I shudder at how much I hear this overused phrase in this crazy city, but in this case, I think I'm allowed to make an exception: Only. In. New York.

Happy Belated, Bloggy!

Ohmygoodness! I'm a horrible bloggy parent... Yesterday was PTTP's very first birthday and I didn't have a chance to write anything! 112 posts in the last year, and then yesterday of all days just completely slipped by me... Sigh. I do hope she forgives me for this sad, sad oversight.

My spaciness aside, I like to think that if this little blog had gone out to celebrate last night, she would have woken up this morning to a scene that looked a little something like the below... because, if you ask me, nothing screams of a fabulous evening quite like a killer pair of heels abandoned on your apartment floor, surrounded by the balloons you trailed in behind you the night before...

Audrey Hepburn Complex

Here's to another year of painting this crazy beautiful town the prettiest shades of pink! xoxo

Oh hello, Outlook Reminders...

Thanks so much for filling my morning with sunshine:

After buying our tickets a month and a half ago, the Texas Independence Day concert is finally just around the corner! Only 5 days until a fab night with all of my Texas/NYC Loves (in case you hadn't noticed, there are quite a few of us)... Featuring pretty much my dream TX Country lineup: Reckless Kelly, Pat Green, Eli Young Band and Roger Creager!! Between those performances, and the many, many cowboys who are sure to dust off their very best boots and Levi's for the occasion, I'd say we're in for a pretty swoon-filled evening.

And "ATLANTA with the girls!!! Weeeeeee!!"... well, that pretty much speaks for itself. Just 10 short days - approximately 240 hours - until LJ, Angie and I are reunited with Miss Jamie in the ATL. There are no words to even pseudo-describe how happy the anticipation for this trip makes my heart. Can. Not. Wait.

Oh, and that silly Time Sheet reminder, you ask? Please just disregard. It's raining on my parade. And the particularly nasty "4 hours overdue" note...? We'll just go ahead and chalk it up as a tribute to the aforementioned trip to see Jamie, Queen of Overdue Time Sheets. :)

Happy Birthday Noodle!

A very happiest of birthdays to my lovely and lawyer-ly sister Stephanie, i.e. Noodle (don't ask why that's the nickname that stuck... Goodness only knows where we come up with some of our silliness)!! It's good to see we (or our hairstyles, at least :) ) have come so far over the years...

Since I sadly can't be there to bake you some delicious Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip Cupcakes and frolic around singing songs from Mama Mia! while we are in search of stationary stores, I figured this little diddy would be the next best thing... Please be sure to keep practicing so that we will be ready to grant our mother's wishes and perform it in a Talent Show one day. (True story.) However, I think that you should be adorned in purple feathers. I, obviously, will be in head-to-toe pink:

"Many men have tried to split us up but no one can

Lord help the mister

Who comes between me and my sister

And Lord help the sister

Who comes between me and my man" :)

Happy Happy Birthday, Sister!! I love you and can't wait until our next cross-country play date. xoxo.

You May Say I'm a Dreamer

Riley, Kate and I just finished watching this week's episode of Glee, and it was even more fabulous than usual (and not just because we were polishing off the leftover Jell-O Pretzel Salad from Thanksgiving... meep.). Even after watching the cast's performance of "Imagine" seven or so times in the last couple hours, it's still giving me goosebumps! L.O.V.E.

Side note/Lesser known fact about me: I took American Sign Language for a few years in high school and really, really loved it. I often catch myself wishing that I'd kept up with it, and now I'm wondering if I might need to look into taking some classes again... Hmmm... More on that to come, perhaps.

"Unless the debate is about whether or not it's ever too late for a second chance, I'm not interested."

Not all friendships have to suffer when it comes to talking politics. No, many agree to sometimes disagree on certain issues. Others find common ground through intelligent and respectful discussion. Then there are those who take it a few steps further... say, by making cute puppets of candidates. Or maybe, I don't know... bonding over the reenactment of a particularly hilarious clip on a late night satirical political pundit tv show... in their cubicles... at work... Just a couple of possibilities, I suppose.

After I watched Stephen Colbert call for the suspension of the Presidential Debate right before the Election last year, I came into work the next day still in a fit of giggles. Much to my excitement, Jamie found Colbert's reasoning just as silly and fabulous as I did. After replaying the below clip many, many times, Jamie took to her chair and did the most perfect impersonation of what happens around 02:52...

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
"Nights in Rodanthe" Premiere
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

I won't ever hear Gavin Rossdale crooning "Love Remains the Same" again without picturing Jamie gleefully spinning around on her office chair, with her head thrown back, arms open wide, exclaiming "Ohhh... Oh! I LOVE LOVING!!" Yes, my readers. That is the picture of true friendship.

And tomorrow night, be sure to set your DVRs, because J and I have VIP tickets to the taping of The Colbert Report! I can pretty much guarantee you'll be able to pick our uncontrollable and constant laughter out of the crowd. I really can't think of a more perfect way to commemorate her last week in NYC...

... Oh and that song! Jimmy Jamie, that theme song! Give me another taste!!

Happy Friday

It isn't very fall-ish, but my goodness, this picture makes me smile...

from flickr

Hope y'all have a very happy weekend!

I'm in a glass case of emotion.

My heart is very very happy for a dear friend of mine right now.

It really is.

Girl Scout's Promise and all that.

But maybe, just maybe, I'm the teensy tinsiest bit sad.

Just a bit though.

Ok, I suppose it's a rather big bit...

You know, as far as bits go.

But even still, it doesn't outweigh the happiness I have for her.

Honestly, I would really like to lock my friend up and throw away the key...

But I won't.

Because of that whole very happy heart thing.

Also, I suppose it's illegal.

Le sigh.

A Soul Awake

(via Blissful Self... and p.s. J. Mart: This one made me think of your pretty face, in particular. xoxo)

It's Heeeere!!

Can you believe it?? After all these days, it's finally here! Happy 'Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Premieres at Midnight' Day!!!

Astonishingly enough, I'm somehow managing to wait and see the movie with my parents when I'm in Seattle later this week (!!!!). But in lieu of joining my friends in the traditional Hogwarts-shirt-wearing, wand-and-owl-carrying fun in Times Square tonight, I thought that an appearance by the Potter Puppet Pals was the perfect way to celebrate this momentous day... Enjoy! :)

"Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."

-Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

10(ish) Happy Things

There's a super cute blogger, Naomi of rockstar diaries, who collects her readers' "10 Things That Make Me Terribly Happy" lists. Then Kristen wrote one a little over a month ago, and I immediately started babbling about what would soon be on mine. Problem was that once I started spouting things off, the list became a bit more than 10. Darn my indecisive nature...

So after much painstaking editing, here goes! My 10 (of many, many) Things That Make Me Terribly Happy:

1. By grace, through faith.
2. Wandering around the city, and "accidentally realizing" that we're just around the corner from a delicious pink Magnolia cupcake
3. Gerber Daisies
4. Decorating the Christmas tree with my family, while the smell of my mom's caramel corn pours out of the oven
5. New Yorky Sundays (Well New Yorky any day, really. But there's just something about Sundays...)
6. Hearing a song that makes me relive a vivid memory, or sometimes just imagine one that hasn't actually happened yet
7. Mr. Sketch markers (especially the red ones. yum.)
8. Ending a long summer day at my beach with a trip to the Rehoboth Boardwalk for a hot fudge brownie sundae at The Royal Treat
9. Getting caught in the rain without an umbrella when I don't have anywhere to be
10. First (and second) kisses

... Well, shoot. I suppose that's technically 11, now isn't it? Sigh, I'm impossible. But let's be honest -- this post has "To be continued" written all over it anyways. :)

And y'all be sure to share your own -- after all, here's to happiness!

"Her heart glowed with a degree of happy assurance."

My mom first started sending me these super cute cards a few years ago "just because" (she's pretty fantastic like that :) ). They never fail to make me smile! These are a few of my favorites - they just fill me with all sorts of deliciously happy thoughts... Enjoy!





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