NY style pizza.

What a mouthful. The pizza here in NYC is huge. Just absolutely huge. Slices bigger than your head. Slices that are so big they are practically an entire pizza themselves. And a true New Yorker folds it and eats it like a taco. I ate the whole piece. I did not fold it like a taco. I guess I am not a true New Yorker....yet anyway.

that was....weird...

Yep. That is right. Attempt to read the sign below to find out what I did the other day.

YOGA! I must admit, my experience was everything I ever dreamed that yoga would be. Seriously. I did feel a little "earthy," and a little wierd at times, to be honest. But the ambiance was classic and so typically...well, yoga! I still can't decide what I liked most:

1) our male teacher, dressed in capris, pacing the room and talking in a soothing voice

2) the creaky wooden floors

3) the way the lights in the room gradually got dimmer

4) the way that candles were lit all around us when the lights went out

5) the way we were told to "become one with ourself"

6) biting my lips to stifle my laughter everytime the entire crowd would exhale with loud sighs

7) the 3 loud gongs at the very end of the workout

Hmm. Relaxing? Yes. Workout? Not so much. Empowering? Definitely. Afterall, as they say:

The power is for everyone

Yoga to the People

All bodies rise
Yoga anyone?

i heart valentine's day.

Ahh. Valentine's Day. My day was fabulous...as Kyle was so cute to me. He planned the day perfectly with a million things to make me happy. An early morning bike ride through Central Park, a surprise bouquet of flowers me at the top of Belvedere Castle overlooking the park, a movie-like moment of ice-skating at Wolmann Rink in Central Park, & a brunch of lemon ricotta pancakes with fresh berries at the quaint Sarabeth's.

Later that night, we enjoyed a candlelight fine dining experience that he created himself. Linen tablecloth, fancy linen napkins, new elegant china, long stemmed roses & rose petals, and romantic music serenading us in the background...and all of this by candlelight! The room was definitely transformed into a magical, exquisite night. The ambiance was perfect; and the food was delicious. He made fruit fondue, with the fruit so elegantly arranged on the platter, and an incredible raspberry glazed chicken. He even bought new plates because as he said "the other plates are too dark to see the raspberry sauce." Who does that? Major presentation points for him is all I can say. I definitely am one lucky girl, that is for sure. i kept joking that i felt like a beauty queen walking around Central Park with my big and beautiful bouquet of flowers!

i seriously LOVE Central Park and cannot seem to get enough of this place!




ice-skating in CP...always something I have wanted to do!



Thanks to one certain KP, I had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

weekends...lovely weekends...

Now that I am a full-fledged working girl, I have come to love my weekends probably more than I ever have in my life! One Saturday a few weeks ago, Kyle and I took advantage of the beautiful weather. We went biking through Central Park, past the Grand Plaza hotel (from Home Alone), along the East River, and over the Willimsburg bridge into Brooklyn. I love this place!

us by the East river
me in front of Home Alone's Grand Plaza Hotel

the winter wonderland of Central Park

another Central Park photo opt

home, tiny, but sweet Manhattan home...

the front room/dining area. complete with cute yellow flowers courtesy of kyle. cute boy.

a shot of our room. yes. space is valuable here in the city. seems like we use every nook and cranny.

the kitchen. this is actually a VERY spacious kitchen by NYC standards. small oven though.

shauna's bed and my bed. good thing we get along or it may be miserable to sleep just inches apart.

quite possibly my favorite spot in the apartment. the little bench under the Paris pictures. oh how quaint! (also notice the room for an air mattress to be placed here when you all come to visit!)

finally, here are some pictures of my apartment, just in case you want to see what I now call my Manhattan home.

the corporate world

yes. i recently went on my first business trip as a corporate girl. the place--Atlantic City. Too bad I had envisioned a quaint, touristy beach town with a cute lil' boardwalk. Not so much the case. Turned out to be more of a ghetto, dirty, miniature Las Vegas. We stayed in an incredible hotel the Trump Taj Mahal Towers; my room was on the 77th floor. And yes, I enjoyed being able to sprawl out a little as this room was easily much bigger than my entire Manhattan apartment. The hotel was HUGE and had casinos, clubs, shopping boutiques and stores, and tons of bars & restaurants inside.

most of the days were spent in meetings; the nights were free. except for the night they took all of us to a night club with drinks and dancing. keep in mind most of the other individuals were in their mid-40s. that was slightly wierd. after that, i spent most of my free time doing more productive things...like pulling a "typical Emily" one night upon discovering that a Banana Republic outlet store existed just one measly mile from my hotel. Now how could I pass up that great opportunity? Don't worry I did not spend much. But I figured money spent there was better than in the bar.

All in all, it was fun. I felt so businessy dressed in my crisp collared shirts and cuffed trouser business slacks. And I felt so important. Valet parking. My own suite. Personalized corporate name badge worn around the neck. The only problem...I still have not figured out what my exact role is in this company. Hmmm. Hope I find out soon.

girls weekend!

Alli Clements came to visit. Here is a run-down of what we did.

1. Fffrozen hot chocolate at Serendipity.

2. Walk around Columbus Circle all bundled up.

3. Fabulous Saturday brunch with the roommates at Sarabeth's.

4. Purse shopping on Canal Street.

5. Just hanging out!

classy night out on the town

so Kyle and I have been out in the city together for one month! He surprised me and took me to a extremely sophisticated restaurant "Terrace on the Roof" overlooking the entire city! The meal was very $$$, and the portions were literally bite-sized...but it was such a great evening and so sweet of Kyle. He would much rather go to a diner than to a classy restaurant any night, but he knew how much I would love it, and I did!

whirlwind of a month...

moving into the new place

classic New York photo...feeding the birds!

wintery runs on snow covered paths



central park winter wonderland

times square 2008!

in front of the famous Rockefeller tree









my first day of work

look at all that has happened my first month here....