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.

The Beginning of the End

Among the most highly anticipated events that occurred over my aforementioned bloggy hiatus has to be something that I've been waiting about 11 years for -- ever since I finally gave in to my Grandmom's persistence and begrudgingly opened the cover of a "silly children's book" one summer at Bethany Beach -- the beginning of the end...

Yep, that's right: The first installment of the last movie in the Harry Potter series... The Deathly Hallows.

I couldn't have been more excited. Or more prepared... I dressed up as Hermione last Halloween. I re-read books 6 and 7 over the summer. I intently watched as sneak peeks were featured throughout several Harry Potter Marathon Weekends on ABC Family (even though I own all but two of the DVD's...). I eagerly awaited every single new trailer release, and replayed it until no details were left unnoticed. I spent a recent Friday night (ok, two actually) watching the 6th movie, The Half-Blood Prince, with friends. I purchased tickets to the first midnight showing of HP7.1. I nerded out with some of my favorite fellow wizard-wannabes and stood in line with all of the other crazies for over an hour on a Thursday night. And then...

I laughed. I screamed. I hid my eyes. I cried. I woke up the next morning after 3 1/2 hours of magical dreams and was quite disappointed when my thoughts of "Accio Starbucks!!" went unanswered... In short: I loved it.

Sure, some purists are upset with slight deviations from the novel. But as a loyal fan for over a decade, I think that overall the movie did JK Rowling proud. And now I'm left to find ways to get my wizarding world fix until HP7.2 is released in July 2011...

Luckily, little gems like the following keep popping up. It probably comes as no surprise that Daniel Radcliffe has been among my Top 5 celeb crushes for quite some time... and this giggle-inducing video may have just edged him closer to the #1 spot (watch out, Henry Cavill...):

I Am Harry Potter from Daniel Radcliffe

Sigh. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If loving a teenage wizard is wrong, then I don't want to be right.

Just Call Me Sporty Spice

Some people have dared to suggest that the recent rise in my "sportiness" is only in response to the Frogs' BCS-smashing success (12-0!! MWC Champs!! Wooo wooo!!). Well, while I do get particularly passionate for all things Purple, those claims are just plain silly. Take the last week, for instance:

Last Sunday, I went to my first NFL game ever! About 10 of us from work headed out to the Meadowlands to root on the Giants from some pretty fantastic seats in the 8th row. Not only did I love watching as the Giants beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime, but I even tossed a football at the tailgate. At least 6 times. That whole spiral thing is kind of tricky, but I think I was really starting to get the hang of it.

Representing the Froggies at Giants Stadium, of course.

Go Blue!

Then today... ooooh, today! Only the Sportiest. Day. Ever. First, I returned to the Meadowlands bright and early for the second Sunday in a row. But this time it was to cheer on the Carolina Panthers while they played Jets. It takes a lot to get me to root against the home team, and the Panthers' precious outstanding long snapper, JJ Jansen, is just the ticket. I guess I might be a tad bit partial... I mean, his cutie wife has been one of my closest friends for the last 4 or 5 years, and his new sister-in-law is just plain fabulous... But even if the Panthers didn't quite win this one, I quite enjoyed every minute of the game - especially the company of the Bliss sisters :). 

JJ (#44) looking back at his Cheering Section... or so we told ourselves.

Pretty Bliss Faces

xoxo.  (... and apparently we made a new friend in the back...??)

After the game wound down, I was headed back to Penn Station and up the stairs to Madison Square Garden for the Knicks game! To say the courtside seats I won from work were "unbelievable" would be an understatement - Tracey and I couldn't have had a better view unless we'd been playing right alongside Nate Robinson and Danilo Gallinari ourselves. The only problem that we saw with sitting just a few rows behind Spike Lee and Mary J. Blige for our very first Knicks game is that it really doesn't leave us with a whole lot of room for improvement. :) No worries though, the waffle fries were delicious enough to keep us coming back regardless of the seats. Oh, and how could I stay away from David Lee after the obvious sparks that were flying between us all night?? Sigh... swoony swoon swooooon.

Date Night with Tracey at the Knicks!

The "Zoo-perstars" i.e. the most confusing Halftime Show ever

Best. Seats. EVER... and #42, my future boyfriend.

So after this action packed week, with nearly 12 straight hours of NFL and NBA games today alone, I think it's about time for this sporty little girl to finish catching up on my dvr and then get some beauty sleep. Even the very sportiest of us need a little balance in life, after all.

Psalm 100

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you! I hope your days are filled with much love and laughter.

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks. 

 ¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

 ² Worship the LORD with gladness; 
       come before him with joyful songs.

 ³ Know that the LORD is God. 
       It is he who made us, and we are his ; 
       we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving 
       and his courts with praise; 
       give thanks to him and praise his name.

 ⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 
       his faithfulness continues through all generations.

I am truly blessed.

Reuniiiited...

... and it feels sooo good! This weekend brings not one, but TWO of my dear friends to NYC - how's that for something to be thankful for?! I can't even begin to explain how giddy I am to be reunited with these two ladies over the next few days:

Riley's plane just landed and I'm about to head to Kate's to begin our lovely weekend of giggles, brunching, and Dark Chocolate M&M's. Maybe we'll even stop by Max Brenner in our matching tees - I hear it's close... but wasn't it closed..?!

Then Miss Bliss Mrs. Laura Jansen will be here with her cutie sister Carolyn. There's been much talk of snuggling, frolicking, and cupcake eating... and then of course watching Mr. Jansen and his fellow Panthers take down the Jets this Sunday!

It hasn't even started yet, and I think I'm in love with this weekend already. xoxo

I Spy... CHRISTMAS!

Goodness gracious, I can't believe it's almost December! When did that happen?? My cab driver took me home down 5th Avenue the other night, and I had to pinch myself to make sure I hadn't dozed off when I looked up to see so many of the stores were already covered in lights and Christmas cheer!

Then I found this delightful and helpful Time Out NY list of when all of the NYC window displays will be up for the holiday season. Something tells me that this Thanksgiving weekend might be perfect for a cup of hot chocolate and a little stroll up to Central Park to see the windows that are already up... Yes, I think that would be the perfect way to welcome the holidays to Manhattan. Who loves Christmastime in the city?? THIS girl sure does! Yay!

True Story

Oh cardis! You really are the best.

(Thanks for the cute find, Melissa!)

Happy Halloweekend!

I l.o.v.e. Halloween (more fondly known as "Halloweekend" ever since my days as a TCU sorority girl... but that's quite another story, I suppose). I guess my love for this holiday should come as no surprise - I mean, who am I to pass on a chance to play a lovely game of Dress-Up and Make Believe??

As much as I would love to kick off Halloweekend by wearing my costumes to the office, I'm just not sure Rosalie (circa '08... oh yes. Yes, I did.) or Hermione (coming '09.... oh yes. Yes, I am.) would be welcome in the working mortal/Muggle world of NYC. Next best thing though?? Year Two of J's and my trusty Target Sparkly Pumpkin shirts from our moms, of course!

I don't think I could sum up our silliness much better than Jamie just did, so with that, I give you PTTP's first Guest Bloggy feature (and really, I wouldn't have it any other way than for the first edition to be from my dear LulledByTheTrain :) ):

Happy Halloween

“Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story.”

-Mason Cooley

(Not sure if sparkly pumpkin Target shirts from moms fall under "clothing" or "costume," but B and I are clearly making a statement and telling a story. A really riveting, childlike story involving Harry Potter, Theta Mix, awkwardness, WeeMees, blogs and pumpkin spice lattes.)

(*Please note: My curly-ish hair situation is in preparation for Hermione's first appearance tonight. xoxo)

For the Birthday Girl

I'd like to wish the very happiest of birthdays to one of the most loving, selfless, gracious, strong women I know...

... my mom :)

A few weeks ago, the birthday girl came to NYC and was my very first visitor in our brand new apartment - nothing like having your mother stay with you for a few days to get a few of those "finishing touches" in place! Mom and I had a beautifully New Yorky Fall weekend of playing around the city. We roamed everywhere from Central Park to Brooklyn, giggling the entire way... 

Strolling along the High Line

Empire State Building from the High Line

West 14th Street from the High Line 

The High Line's old railroad tracks

Indian Summer

Central Park = Love

One of the year's first sightings of the leaves changing in the Park!

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

My mom and my city... i.e. happiness

Piglet sidled up next to Pooh from behind. 

"Pooh," he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"

"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you."

-A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner

Happy Birthday, Mommy! I'll love you forever.

Seriously, Universe?!

As though I needed any other reason to love:

A. Harry Potter/Daniel Radcliffe, or

B. The West Village...

... Now Dan goes and buys a drool-worthy place in one of my dream neighborhoods??! Yes, it's true - read all about it here. I mean, doesn't it seem pretty clear that the Universe is trying its hardest to bring us together?

Call me Professor Trelawney, but I think I foresee my Autumn to be filled with maybe a few more strolls through the colorful tree-lined streets of the Village this year than in the past...

Kites, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

As many of you might recall, NYC lost a couple of its really good ones this past Spring. I pretty much started a countdown to Kristen and/or Alyssa's return the second their planes took off.

So when Alyssa told me a couple months ago that she: A. got a great new job (wee!), and B. wanted one of her first big splurges to be a trip back to the City, well, let's just say there was much skipping and squealing down Third Avenue that day. And the best part? She was coming in for the weekend of Megan's Half Marathon in Philly! This clearly meant only one thing, two syllables:

Road. Trip.

By the time our double decker bus rolled out of Penn Station at 9:15 the Saturday morning before last, Meg had an entourage of 8 of us girls. We were ready for a touristy-and-fun-filled trip to the City of Brotherly Love, armed with Pumpkin Spice Starbucks and maybe just a bit too much luggage for an overnight trip. As we flipped through our NY Mag's, Glamour's, and In Style Weddings' (ok, I guess that was just Amy...) we tallied up our collective goals for the trip:

• Carbing up with Megan Cheering Megan on, obviously!
• Pictures. Lots. Of. Pictures.
• The Liberty Bell (more specifically, "Kiting" it with Tracey and/or Amy, my fellow Thetas on the trip. Kidding. But not.)
• Reid Rosenthal (See him? Hug him? Marry him? All of the above him?)
• Running up the Rocky steps, even though I'm pretty sure none of us have seen any of the movies... meh.
• Philly Cheesesteaks? For sure. Cheez Whiz? Undecided.
• Avoiding any and all people dressed in costumes
• Brunchy brunch brunch

I'm happy to report that in our 29 or so hours in Philadelphia, we successfully checked just about everything off our lists, and then some. These photos can't possibly do all of the giggles and delicious calories justice, but here's a peek at one of the best weekends ever:

Oh, well hello there, Reid. Thanks for welcoming us to Philly... Alyssa and I will now fight for your affections.

Despite our best efforts, we hadn't been wandering historical Philly for more than 20 minutes when we ran into our first Costume Situation. Sorry Meg. We tried.

Oh yes. Yes, we did. Theta Love.

I really do love history.

"Hey guys. Give me your best Patriotic Pose..."

I may or may not have Googled "Chick-fil-A, Philadelphia" within 10 minutes of checking-in to our hotel... NYC doesn't know what it's missing.

Cheers to Meg! Sure, she may have been in bed at this point, but it's the thought that counts.

Check out those pink (Meg) and blue (Stephanie) shorts go!

The Cheering Section

Theta Love for Megan! (p.s. two Kites in one trip?! Oh, I'm a happy girl.)

Meow (Video to come... Get excited.)

xoxo

Ta-Daaah!

After receiving my own new Fall-inspired look this weekend (more/pictures to come on that major life event... :) ), I decided that my bloggy might just be craving a little change too. So if you're one of my loyal Google Reader subscribers, A. Thank you!!, and B. Try clicking through to check the site out...

What do you think? It's obviously nothing too drastic - I'm trying out this fun template from The Cutest Blog on the Block for now. I didn't get as much time to play around with it on Sunday as I wanted, so there will probably be some tweaks here and there in the next week or so. Hopefully this will tide me over until I finally make up my indecisive mind about what exactly I want for a customized design... Speaking of which, anyone have any reco's of good bloggy designers that I should check out??

Hope y'all are having a Happy Monday!