101 in 1001

I originally wrote something pretty lengthy and heartfelt and a bit revealing about my past, but decided against posting it. I’ve saved it elsewhere so that I have it to look back on, but for the eyes of the internetz, this is all you need to know:

I found him. He’s incredible. He’s LOLarious. He appreciates me. He just…GETS it.

<3

I’ve always loved traveling and exploring new places, and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve been doing my best to travel as often as I can and discover new favorite places or new favorite things about old favorites. New York City will probably always be my #1 favorite city, there’s just so many reasons to love it, and its unlike any other place I have ever been, but I’ve been kind of worn out on NY for awhile and trying to find new places to love.

2-3 years ago I fell in love with Boston. All it took was one weekend trip there and I was absolutely hooked. It quickly became my secret haven for relaxation, thinking, writing, and self-discovery. I connected with Boston on a level I have never connected with a location before, and I have a pretty serious attachment to it. I’ve taken more than a handful of solo trips to Boston and a few trips with companions as well. I’m always itching to get back there whenever possible because I absolutely adore it.

Ever since then, I’ve been hoping that I could fall that hard for a city again and decided that I really wanted to start exploring more. I started with Philadelphia because it was close, I could get there on a bus or a train, and I had only been there as a kid and had no memories of it.

My first trip to Philly was an extremely fun one. I spent it with a group of people who were determined to show me a really good time, and that’s exactly what happened. I didn’t get to explore the city much on my own, and I saw more of the inside of bars than I did of the city itself, but I had a ridiculously fun weekend for the first time in ages and I really, really needed it.
When I left, I was unsure of how I felt about Philly and honestly felt like I didn’t really like it. I reminded myself that I didn’t get to explore as much as I had hoped, and that not every city was going to be an instant love affair like Boston, and promised myself I’d give it another chance.

A few weeks later, I was back for my second trip. 4th of July weekend was jam packed with awesome people, fun times, and lots of laughs. I saw a bit more of the city and started to really appreciate it. I knew I’d be back for more, and I was.

What follows is a story I’ve told many, many times at this point. I don’t know the exact moment that I fell in love with Philadelphia, but I spent every weekend there with the exception of two from July 4th until moving here October 23rd. There were even some random weekday trips. I was addicted. I was in love.

There’s something unique about this city. I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s got this unspoken energy about it. It’s not like New York where the energy is visual, it’s much more understated than that. The people here are passionate. They want to do things. They care about things. They speak up about their opinions and they get things done. There’s a huge geek scene here. For realz. Pretty much everyone I’ve met in Philly is a programmer, designer, blogger, gamer, or nerdy in some way. Everyone here is just completely amazing.

I’m not only in love with Philly, it’s the place that I call home. <3

The Get Up Kids have been one of my favorite bands since high school, but I unfortunately never got the opportunity to see them play back at the height of their career. Seeing the Get Up Kids back during the “Something to Write Home About” era would have probably been an unforgettable experience, but seeing them at all is pretty damn fantastic.

I saw them back in 2004 or 2005 for their final tour at Webster Hall in New York. Having never seen them before, I was completely speechless at how awesome it was to see them live, and was definitely bummed that I had never seen them before and would never be able to see them again. I ended up crying at the show because seeing them perform some of my all time favorite songs and knowing that they were breaking up for what could be for good was super sad.

Ever since then, I’ve always hoped that they’d do a reunion tour, and knew that if they ever did, I’d be there. A few months ago they came through New York and tickets sold out super fast, and then re-sold for over 100 bucks a pop. While I often spend the big bucks to go to a show I truly care about, spending 100 bucks on Get Up Kids tickets seemed a little crazy. Thankfully for me, I didn’t end up dropping hundreds to see them, because they ended up adding lots more dates to the tour.

I ended up getting tickets with Katie and Dana for the November 6th show at the TLA in Philadelphia back in like August. From the moment I purchased the tickets I was excited for this show and seriously could not wait. Finally the day arrived, and it was totally fucking awesome. Katie, Dana, Ferry, Sean, and I all had a blast. Katie and I screamed the lyrics to everything at each other all night. They played pretty much every song you could possibly want to hear.

Being the big fan that I am, I have to hope that they tour again in the future, because they’re one of my favorite bands to see live, for sure.

A few years ago I made this super awesome fishbowl cake for my dad’s luau themed wedding party. It was pretty freakin awesome. Ever since then, I’ve been totally fascinated by cake art. I love watching the cake challenges on the Food Network and just browsing the internet for super awesome cakes. I have’t tried to make another awesome cake since then, but I’ve been wanting to for awhile. Now that I have my very own apartment, I figured it was a good time to start.

My boyfriend is a skateboarder and really into the skate scene here in Philly, so I figured it was only appropriate to make him a skateboard cake. He loved it and I think it came out pretty rad. I made a few mistakes and its a bit messy, but I’m just getting the hang of things and I think I’ll make even cooler cakes in the future. I wonder what’s next?

Ever since I was 4 years old, my dream has never been to get married, have babies, and buy my dream house. My dream has always been to move out of NY, get an apartment by myself, get a puppy, and find a boy who loves me, but that I don’t necessarily have to marry. It’s a little odd for a 4 year old to know exactly what she wants out of life, but it’s something I’ve always dreamed of, and it’s always stuck. I’ve flip flopped on a few aspects over the years, such as settling for living in NY if it meant I could move out on my own or realizing that I’d probably marry someone if I ever actually found someone worth marrying, but I’ve never changed my mind about wanting to live on my own. 

There were points in my life where I was driving myself absolutely crazy because I NEEDED to move out of my dad’s house, I NEEDED the independence, and I could just never afford it. All of my jobs prior to the one I currently have were supermarket jobs. From cashier to customer service, to bookkeeper, I learned the ropes of a few supermarket chains inside and out. But it never paid me enough to pay rent, especially not New York rent. And this drove me absolutely crazy.

After visiting Philadelphia over the summer, and meeting some of the best people I’ve ever met, exploring the city a bit, and seeing how much more affordable rent was in Philly than in NY - I knew that this was where I wanted to be. I spent all but 2 weekends in Philadelphia from the 4th of July until the weekend I moved into my apartment, and it was well worth all the traveling back and forth.

I’ve got a super cute apartment all to myself that I find new reasons to love every single day. I love the way the sun kisses everything in my apartment through my windows that still have no curtains. I love working from home. I love hearing the sounds of the city in the background of whatever I’m doing. I love having my very own kitchen. I love grocery shopping for myself. I love that pretty much anything I could want it a fairly short walk from my place. I love being able to do whatever I want, when I want to. I love cleaning everything up, because I want to, and not because I have to. I love having my very own bed that I paid for. I love cooking and baking in my kitchen. I love stepping out of my shower and wrapping myself in MY towel. I love that everything here is mine. I love the built in shelves in my walls. I love that I’m too short to reach the top shelves. I love that I live one block away from Rittenhouse Square. I love that my best friend lives a 6 minute walk away, my boyfriend a 15 minute walk, and some other awesome people just as close. I love being away from New York. I love the fresh start. I just love EVERYTHING.

I’ve never been this happy, I’ve never felt that a decision I’ve made was this right. It just clicks. It’s perfect. And I can’t wait to fall in love with it even more. :D

I’m not really very good at drawing, but I’ve always loved doing it. I’ll use anything as an excuse to bust out the Sharpies and the crayons because I love drawing silly, ridiculous things. I can’t remember the last time I drew a silly picture for someone, as I had a few creativity killers in my life for awhile. Now that I’ve moved on to bigger and better things and removed unnecessary people from my life, my creativity is flowing once again! :)

Turns out, I totally forgot this was on my list, and in the last few months I drew a few things for people.

1. Fan Art for Ferry
Ferry loves the Phillies. Ferry loves giraffes. Ferry got a picture of him high fiving a giraffe.

2. Ferry’s Birthday Drawing
I was bored at work on Ferry’s birthday, so I made him a drawing of a dino in a party hat eating ice cream!


3. Philly Phanatic for Finn
I got Finn, my fantastic, wonderful, awesome boyfriend tickets to a Phillie’s post season game, and I drew the Phanatic inside the card I made him.

I first heard about Love Park on 4th of July weekend, the weekend that changed the course of my life for the better. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was, or where it was, but I knew I wanted to go there because I love parks, and the word “Love” was in the name. (Yes, I’m that big of a hopeless romantic, don’t judge me.) Eventually I looked it up, and saw that there was a fountain and a cute sculpture that said LOVE, and I was completely sold on the idea. I just HAD to go there, and that’s how it ended up on my list.

A month ago I met a boy who has quickly gone from a boy who’s flirting I was completely oblivious to, to my boyfriend who is taking me on surprise midnight walks to Love Park. That’s right, a boy did something extremely nice for me because he wanted to make me happy. It’s been awhile, and it feels amazing. I could definitely get used to this.

Saturday was an awesome day overall. I woke up next to my brand spankin new boyfriend, went on a double date with my bestest friend to see Toy Story, had wings and beer and nachos with the boys and two other amazing ladies, and to end the night, went on a walk with the boy to Love Park. I didn’t even know where it was, so I had no idea where we were going until we got there and I saw the Love sculpture and practically melted into a gigantic puddle. We sat down by the fountain and snuggled and kissed and made fun of the skateboarders who couldn’t land any tricks. It was completely wonderful and I was super happy. 

There are many days that pass by that I feel like I’m the only person who truly appreciates the little things in life, like the way the light hits a building just right or the way the raindrops splash when they fall into a puddle. It’s something that I pride myself on for sure and it’s definitely one of my best qualities. I tend to get over excited about the smallest things, and while most people don’t really understand it, others find it endearing. Either way, it’s part of who I am, and I wanted to make a list of 101 things that make me happy.

1. Autumn
2. Train platforms
3. My fuzzy little puppy
4. Video Games
5. Shawnimals
6. Hot chocolate
7. Hot chocolate with Bailey’s in it (Sooo good for cuddling!)
8. Wishing on stars
9. My amazing new friends
10. Emails
11. Text messages
12. Doing nice things for people
13. Kissing
14. Cuddling
15. Music
16. Making mixes
17. Doodling
18. Being creative
19. Karaoke
20. Hoodies (especially big, warm ones)
21. Holding Hands
22. Tattoos
23. Singing really loud
24. Dancing at Silk City
25. Thinking of cute date ideas
26. Getting lost in thought
27. The way the sun hits the buildings just right
28. Days that feel so surreal they could be movies
29. Chick flicks
30. Sea creatures
31. Giraffes
32. My “fans” on CDE
33. Pear Cider
34. Cute silly toys
35. Reading
36. Writing
37. Cupcakes
38. Bagels
39. Wings
40. Baseball (Let’s Go Mets!!!!!)
41. Trains
42. Taking trips, usually by myself, but any trips really
43. Ramona iced coffee (A waitress in Atlantic City makes the besttt iced coffee, both with and without alcohol)
44. ROMANCE
45. @ replies (I’m a geek, get over it)
46. Max Brenners
47. Shortness
48. Synesthesia
49. Sunflowers (Honestly they make me smile so much they should be on the list multiple times)
50. Yellow roses with red tips, because they remind me of autumn
51. Nintendo DS
52. Gmail
53. Well designed websites
54. Glasses
53. Relaxing weekends
54. Loving someone
55. Tacos
56. Boston
57. Philadelphia
58. Manhattan
59. Balloons
60. People watching
61. Dinosaurs
62. Robots
63. Tube socks
64. Peel and eat shrimp
65. Crab legs (yummmm)
66. Snickers martinis
67. Learning new things
68. Thunderstorms
69. Listening
70. Polaroids
71. Cooking
72. Amazing lyrics
73. The feeling you get when a song just moves you
74. Skylines
75. Star gazing
76. Rubber duckies
77. Chocolate
78. Macaroni and cheese
79. Blankets
80. Being snuggled up in bed (with or without someone) for hours
81. When a book/movie/song/show can make me cry
82. Comic book stores
83. Sex
84. Hello Kitty
85. Nightmare Before Christmas
86. THE SUPERMARKET
87. Foliage
88. Surprising people with awesome gifts
89. Kelly Noonan
90. Gossiping with Katie before we fall asleep
91. Spontaneous decisions
92. The unexpected
93. Aquariums (I love naming the fish)
94. Fishing
95. Having kids sized feet
96. Going to concerts
97. Making out for hours and hours and hours and hours
98. Coloring in coloring books
99. Rainbows
100. Being Fierycupcake
101. Making other people smile :)

As a resident of New York for 24 years now, you’d think I’d be sick to death of people watching in Central Park. Unfortunately though, Central Park is a place that I haven’t spent very much time, despite completely loving it. People watching is something I enjoy doing, and don’t always get the chance to sit down and do in a relaxing manner. My eyes are always open and I’m always doing it to an extent, but I haven’t been able to just sit down, relax, and enjoy it in quite some time.

This past weekend I had a New York date with Katie, Finn, and Sean and it was seriously one of the best days I’ve ever had. It was filled with laughter, good times, and some of the best people I know. We went to the Central Park Zoo, which unfortunately does not have any giraffes - but was pretty fun anyway. We went to Toys R Us and acted like kids. I made the boys go in Barbie’s House. Finn chased me around the store with his stupid fake grillz. Spiderman saved my life. We wandered midtown like we owned the place. We had a delicious dinner at Room Service. We went to see the Decemberists, which was amazing for so many reasons. We all snuggled up at my house and went to sleep. And the next morning, we woke up, not expecting to see much of each other that day, and ended up spending the afternoon together, drenched in New York city sunlight and perfect autumn air. Sunday had just as many amazing moments as Saturday, if not more. It was just overall a really fabulous weekend.

But that’s not the point.

The point is that we spent at least an hour people watching while sitting up one of the big rocks in Central Park. In our case it was more like people judging, but hey, who’s asking? Every once in awhile you just need to kick back and make fun of someone. And in a group of my favorite people, it was 3x the fun. It was exactly what I needed to clear my mind, and I was able to just relax and act silly with my friends. I don’t get that opportunity very often, so when I do get it, I really, really appreciate it. And because of my weekend clearing my head, I was able to do something on Monday night that was extremely important and had been putting off due to being so stressed out. YAY.

I’ve always liked doing nice things for people, and have always had a “it’s better to give than to receive” type of mentality. I’ve always loved Christmas for this reason, and I absolutely love picking out the perfect gift for someone and seeing their excitement when I give it to them. I love surprising someone with a gift of something they mentioned they wanted when they thought no one was listening. I’ve been known to give some pretty killer gifts, but since last year when I bought the boy I was dating a trip to Disney World, only to have him break up with me for that very reason, I haven’t really been living up to my reputation of doing nice things for people. I’ve held back quite a bit, and that’s the reason I wanted to add “Do Something Nice For Someone” to my list of goals, because I really want to break back in to being that person once again.

A new friend of mine, Sarah, who I actually only know via the internet was kinda down for a few days, and I hated to see her like that. I know I don’t know her very well, but I’m the kind of person that wants everyone to be happy all the time, and do whatever I can to make that happen. I know very little about her, but I knew that I had to do something awesome for her. So I gathered her some super cool shark related stuff since I know she loves sharks, made her a cheesy 80’s mix, drew a really silly cover for it, stuck it in a box, and shipped it her way.

Her reaction to the gift was absolutely hilarious and wonderful, and I happened to be on the train watching her tweet over and over about her awesome gift and lyrics to the songs on the mix. I was really happy to have made her day, and honestly, she made mine too. Having someone react so positively to something nice I did for them definitely gave me the confidence to do it again, and hopefully build up that side of myself stronger than it was before.