Manhattan

Saturday night movie in Central Park.

Arguably one of the coolest things I've ever done in this city.

After a full day at the beach, me and Susan got off the LIRR at Penn Station and headed immediately to Central Park to catch the last night of the Central Park Conservancy's free Film Festival. It was a spontaneous decision. One that I am so very glad we made!

It was the loveliest of summer evenings -- warm, but not hot, slightly chilly after the sun went down, very little humidity, a light breeze. Even though we arrived an hour and a half before the sun went down, Sheep's Meadow was already packed with movie-goers. We picked out a spot as close to the screen as we could find, spread out our beach towels. And waited.

Had we planned on attending, we obviously would have packed a movie-watching picnic. It was the perfect atmosphere for a lil wine, some cheese and crackers and fruit. But since we didn't quite plan this activity in advance, we weren't prepared with any of those treats.

Luckily for us, the good people at the Central Park Conservancy provided complimentary snacks. Or perhaps they were provided by the good people at Bloomberg? Regardless, free snacks, win.

Oh. And we had a giant big-as-your-head chocolate chip cookie + lemonade from La Pain Qui...you know, that French bakery I can never pronounce. Yum.


Neither Susan or I had ever seen Woody Allen's Manhattan and weren't quite sure what to except. So we certainly didn't expect to see these opening scenes to Mr. Allen's black and white love letter to this fair city of ours. A fitting and pleasant surprise.


Sitting there under the City lights, muted from the Central Park trees, with a few hundred fellow New Yorkers, watching a black and white movie, appropriately titled Manhattan, about a man who adores and over-romanticizes the same city that I adore and over-romanticize. It was a perfect New York evening. Definitely one to write about.

Guess I do still love you New York.

"Boy, this is really a great city, I don't care what anybody says...it's really a knock-out, you know?"
~Woody Allen, Manhattan

oh you...

this made me giggle last night. so much that i couldn't resist posting it today.

i missed a call from my sis on tuesday night at 12:15am because i was already alseep. which is quiiiite rare for me. i actually woke up wednesday morning and congratulated myself on getting 7 full hours of sleep. and then i realized how sad it was that i thought one night with more than 5 hours of sleep = rested. i am a mess.

but back to the story...

i worked late last night and didn't get a chance to call her back. i know from experience she gets cranky when i don't call her back. she thinks i don't make time for her or something silly like that. always time for you les. always. so i texted her when i got home to see if she was still up.

the results below --

"just chat wanted"
hahaha

"i'm asleeping"
BAHAHAHAHA

l-o-v-e you lil sis.

Deleted Scenes Part 5

Crossing Avenue of America's on my way to work.
Dressed in cute black dress, rocking the new aviators and jamming to Taylor Swift's new single...

Some Guy: Excuse me?
LJ: (turning around, pausing music) Yes?
Some Guy: I'm sorry. I just couldn't help but notice your hair and your dress...you just look really cute!
LJ: Ohhhh, hah...thank you?
Some Guy: Are you on your way to work?
LJ: Um, yes.
Some Guy: Ok. Well. I just wanted to tell you how cute you are.
LJ: hahaha, well thanks....

And then.
HE KISSES ME ON. THE. CHEEK.

Excuse me. In what world is it ok to kiss people you don't know on the cheek?? In broad daylight? At 9am? When they're just walking to work?!?

And when I turned back around, standing there on the corner was the head of my HR department. Laughing at me. Super.

I immediately went into the office to wash my face.

Southampton or Bust

Remember old roommate Julia? She was my sorority sis at UT and my NY roomie for the past 3 years. Remember when she got engaged last August?

Well anyway, she did get engaged. And her wedding is quickly approaching in t-minus 4 weeks! So last weekend we took a lil weekend trip out to the Hamptons for her Bachelorette Bash, New York style!



We rented a house for the weekend. Not on the beach, but just a short drive from the village. Complete with deck, pool, hot tub and enough twin beds to sleep a sorority house. This is how it goes in the Hamptons. It's fascinating actually, the concept of Summer Share Homes. Remind me to tell you my thoughts on it someday.

Day 1 = stroll around the village of Southampton. It was such a lovely day out, we just couldn't resist the swing set at the park! Or the home made ice cream from Sip & Soda. Perfect. (note: swinging. harder than we remember. and how did we ever jump out of those things?!)


And Night 1 = burgers and hot dogs on the grill. (Who says girls can't grill?!) Wine, solo cups and hot tub. Ally's tunes and dance party 2010. Like woah.

How many girls can we fit in a hot tub? At least 9!

Me and the pretty Bride-to-Be!

Sue and J. Future sis-in-law's and besties.

Dance Party 2010. Epic. I wasn't kidding...

"Lauren! It's the perfect song for twirling!" -The Bachelorette to me
when Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me" came on our dance party mix. She knows me well.

Emily and J with their kissy faces.

I think this was my "I dunno what's happening here, but I'm kinda loving it" pic.

Day 2 = Pool time! Sunshine, giggling, 'margarita pool party playlist' and maybe a small nap. Followed by chicken enchiladas and home made queso. Yum.



And Night 2 = Out out out in Southampton! What do you do when 14 pretty ladies walk into a bar where you're finishing up dinner? Stop and stare. Lots. Let dance party part 2 commence.

Happy happy Bachelorette Weekend, Julia!
After our Hamptons style bash, just can't wait for the Texas style wedding. Only 4 weeks to go.

Love!

Disconnected

I hopped onto the subway last Saturday night to meet my friends in SoHo for dinner. Much to my surprise, my not-so-trusty iPhone battery, which I assure you was 100% full when I left my apartment, was now 100% dead. Grrrr.

My first thoughts were....

I have to get off this train! And go back to my apartment to plug in my phone! I'm supposed to meet Susan after dinner and I have no idea what her phone number is! She'll think I bailed on her....Wait, where is Peasant again? Do I know where I'm going? And what if Bethany needs me? Oh no! What if that cute boy I met the other night texts me?! Nooooooooo!

By the time I hopped off the subway at Spring Street, I had talked myself into an iPhone-less panic. What was I going to do?!?

Luckily, I know where Peasant is. (it's delish btw) I didn't need my iPhone Google Map to find it. And I was only a few minutes late, so Andrea wasn't calling to check on me. And once I sat down to dinner and started chatting with my old friends, I completely forgot that my phone wasn't charged and no one could get a hold of me.

A whole night of no texts, no emails, no tweets, no checking the time, no contact with anyone except the people I was with. I'm slightly ashamed to admit that it felt....unnatural.

When I got home at the end of the night, plugged my phone in, responded to the texts I'd received and confirmed that nothing life-changing had happened during my night-night-of-no-connection, I felt immediately better.

File this under: ridiculous things that I can't help.

i left my heart in texas

obviously this post is a bit more delayed than i would have liked. but i guess this is what happens when you take a week vacation in the middle of crazy things happening at work. but i digress.

i spent 9 lovely days in texas with my family 2 weeks ago.


it was hot. i don't remember texas summers being that hot. (surely they weren't?!) so it was necessary for us to spend most of our time lounging at the pool. my pasty white new york skin needed it. and i came back with an excellent tan. success!

there are so many things i love about being back in texas. but these are the things i love the most. and the things that i miss the most.

first. playing with my little niece sloan.
ohmygoodness. isn't she a doll?!

i could get used to waking up to her morning cheeriness. i don't even mind getting up early when she's the one getting me out of bed.

we read lots of books when she spends the night. and sometimes she likes to read to us.

kissy face!!

she's quite observant from her car seat.
"la la, where's he going on that bike? he's going fast."

and we played in the pool. but only for a lil bit.
"i want to go inside, it's hot out here."
smart and pretty.

she is the sweetest, most adorable lil girl ever. i lose it every time she tells me she loves me.

and these are her parents. it's real hard for me to say goodbye to them. always real hard.

second. spending time with my entire family.
they are fantastic. and we have so much fun together. with my uncle and cousins also in town from ohio, it was one busy week of family time. good thing i like them.

these are my uncles. and daddy. the johnson boys. they think they are funny.
sometimes they are.

and these are my cousins.
ashley, milly, miles, les, me, mackenzie and casey.
we're fun too.

keith and les. they're the most fun. and they're pretty.

these are the boys. (outside the suite)

and these are the girls. (inside the suite, naturally)

daddy's girls.

me and les.
and uncle jay? told you these boys think they're funny.

family dinner at matt's el rancho = necessary. we always sit on the top level. plenty of room for ashley and casey's cutie boy colton and miss sloan to run around!

this is my cousin milly.
i think it's been about 9 years since she was last in texas. we welcomed her back with lots of pool time. she was pumped about the tan too.

oh. and this is cousin casey's new tattoo. just in case he forgets his initials.

this is my cousin miles with les.
when these 2 were little, they looked exactly alike. they still kinda do.

oh! and bff lindsey of course! i. miss. her.

and this is my disaster of a room on sunday morning. approximately 3 hours before my flight.
i think i mentioned that i have serious packing and shopping problems. tip: pack a duffel to bring back as a carry-on. life saver.

after a fun-filled, family-packed, relaxing week in the texas sunshine, i had to head back to real life in nyc. and this time, watching texas fade into the distance from the window of my new york bound airplane, i think i left my heart there too.