Jamaica!

Took a trip to the island with Rachel and Tiff for some much much needed R&R... Here's a glimpse of our vacation...

First day - Straight to the beach!  

The first couple days were gloomy and we hardly got any sun, but then it brightened up!! And thennn...I was roasted, and constantly slathered on the spf 55. eep!

hehe

I love that "snack time" at the resort consisted of big burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches. That's how I likey!  All-inclusive is the way to go.

Dunn's River Falls. We climbed it!

Reading on the hammocks, it was lovely!

"Quite so."

Quiet nights of feasting, live music, and strolling around outside.

We ate so much jerk chicken, delicious!!! All the meats/fish were amazing in Jamaica...mmm... Seriously all we did was go to the beach, and have marvelous feasts of meat and desserts. That's it. Perrrrfect.

"Holy macaroni and spaghetttii!!"

Doctor's Cave Beach in Montego Bay. Beautiful.

My dear arrarrchii and lychee...love you girls!!

Our last night! Did I mention I love these girls?  

Ahh. The hot sand...the cool water...the hot sun...the warm breeze....the sound of the ocean...two great girlfirends...beach, eat, beach, eat...it couldn't have been any better.   !

Of course, while thoroughly enjoying myself on the beach, my cell phone rings, and as I'm snapped back to reality  I shriek and wait for voicemail to pick up - my admin at work called to let me know I had an early meeting the next day.  Oh well, it was so nice while it lasted! Just going through some beach/jerk chicken/lychee/arrarrchii withdrawal...

Yah mon! No problem mon!!   Thanks for a fabulous vacay girls!

Jamaica we have a bobsled team.

It is 1pm on a Wednesday and I am still in my pj's watching Days of Our Lives in bed at home!!  Why, you ask?? There was a FIRE at work yesterday!!!  I was having a meeting with my boss and all of a sudden all the lights started flickering and the computers shut off...so we had to walk down 33 flights of stairs which took forever because there were so many people trying to get out.  This pregnant lady behind me was crying and freaking out and that made me freak out!  I could smell the smoke too while we were in the stairwell...not so fun.   Made it out...not sure if there were any injuries for anyone, so I will assume not. And there will be no work today and tomorrow.  

Here's one pic of me and Janis's weekend in Chicago...

Tiff, Janis, me, and Rachel in front of the Art Institute.  The lion sculptures were wearing Bears helmets!! So cute. 

Chicago was soooo cold, we continually heard "You picked the wrong weekend to come here!!" Arctic freeeze!!!  Poor Janis and I had to massage our frozen feet for fear of frostbite.  I had such a fun time though, thank you to everyone who made efforts to see me!!  Ahh so many precious memories...party time with fun people...museum frolicking...yummy Giordano's in Evanston...huge cinnamon rolls and yummy brunch at Ann Sather's...gawking over Rachel/Tiff's huge apartment...feeding the animals (aka Kelvin and Diana)...and of course, our theme song for the weekend!  Love you Chicago, and all you wonderful people there!!!

I'm too lazy to put the rest of my many fabulous pics on xanga...would take years! Take a look on facebook.

 I had visitors!!!

awwwww!! Dinner with these two...

My turn with each

Hmm this is a nice and awkward pic of us having drinks at the Hyatt.

Pre-gaming before a night out!

The ladies at Hiro!

Christmas chaos...ohhh myyyy 

Hmm she shmattacked me!!  Ohhhh Em...I love yooouuu  Thanks for visiting!!!

Another girls' pic =)

Lunch with lychee and arrarrchii at Alice's Tea Cup!

hehe that was my view of Rachel the whole lunch

ha haaa randomly ran into Ron at Branch...we've never been out together before, weird and funny.

Two people who love Queemeeee

Wiiiillllll you hog!  arf.

*sigh* the beautiful shiba inu i will have soon...shmunie got me this calendar because i'm so obsessed.

Random pic of me and Paul on a date a couple weekends ago. 

Went to the Suns/Knicks game last night....I love the Suns!!!

Nash and Stoudemire!!!

Shooting around

Getting ready to jump...

Look at our view....sweeeet seats!!!

Good job boys.  Even though they didn't play as well as they usually do, still was a fun game!

Thanks Ron for taking me to the game!!! So lucky to have an older brother who spoils me.

So happy I got to see some special NUers here...will be seeing more next weekend cuz I'm a comin' to town, woohoo!!  Evanstonians/Chicagoans, call me and I will see you. 

Happy New Year!!

Went back home to Arizona for the holidays...

Sunnyyyy my babyyyy! Took ten billion pics of him but I'll limit myself to just this one...

My family and I took a weekend trip to Vegas while I was at home!

Shopping in Caesars Palace with Annie!

Annie and Andrew before watching Ka. Bizarre but interesting show.

Will and Charles in Vegas too! Grabbing some drinks here and catching up

Post drinks  I was with these guys til 5am, and later learned that they went to go gamble after I left even though they said they wouldn't.  Crazy!!

Aw.  

Family pic before leaving!

The ladies

Shmina with Sunny! This was before she and I went to watch the Holiday and had a feast at the movie theater....just like old times of laughing and sickening amounts of junk food 

Haha okay just one more of my pooochiiieee . He doesn't look quite as happy as me...

Ajo Al's with Shinny, Shmina, and Vicki (who popped in for a drink!) I liikeyyy Mexican food.

Ahhh the Shin...only had one day with my seeester but it was glorious.  Love you!!

Back in NYC...a crraazyyy weekend of 3 parties in 3 nights...two staying out til 5am oh my!!

And so it begins. Janis and I my bday eve at 3rd floor. Silly girls!

Noraebang to complete the night!! Yay I got two bday celebrations

My actul bday! Dinner at Dos Caminos...

Jon, Brandie, and I

Ye was in town! Glad she and Amy came out

Aww Queeemeeeee. My one true love in this city. 

Charles and Will! Got to spend lots of time with these two, from Vegas to 3 nights of partying in nyc.

Missing a pic of Jackie and Henry who came out too...boo hoo

Party moved onto Maru...the fun continues!

And then again to another lounge, with many others.  Thanks for celebrating my bday with me everyone! It was fabulous!! I am happily 22.

Kelly took me out to a belated bday dinner at Jasmine, mm!!

New Years Eve at T-NY...

Audrey, me, Paul, Danny!

Ohhh the chaos of this night....

Go NU!  Charles I'm glad you got to come visit, I've missed you! And Will, I'm glad you're here with me in this city. =)

Errrmmm this was at the end of the night...I have no idea what happened to my face, baleeeeted.  Tooo much fun....

I said I would stay in this past weekend, but got bored and stayed out til 5am again.  But just one night this time!!  I certainly surprised myself, I've become such a grandma but managed to hang in there!

Ellie, Jen, and I at Cellar bar

Dan, me, Will, Paul =)

Now I'm done. Back to grandma status.

And I just had to add this...

Funny random pic of Ron and Gheorghe Muresan while Ron was at a Wizards game.  hahaha!!! What a beast!!

Okay byebye.

68 degrees...and tomorrow is December 1st?? Oh the joy!!  I hear it's snowing/about to snow in Chicago, heh heh heh.

Peeeectuuuuures...........

A lovely reunion with Brandie, an old friend from AZ who just moved out here.  Lunch at Agave...the southwestern style made us feel at home.

Making s'mores at Jackie's place!! She had a brand new s'mores kit, but we decided to go ghetto style...

Hahaa her roomie's poochie! That little thing wouldn't leave my side, it was cute...until he kept throwing his very soggy chew toy onto my lap.

Reunion with Stan! Finally saw him after all this time being out here. =)

LIVE concert!! In Atlantic City, it was gooot.

The band at the end of the show.  The concert was really long because it was the end of their tour, but quite entertaining!

My second cousin Alex, me, and Ron! We played blackjack after the concert, I won myself a little moo-lah...

The rest of the crowd, minus Shan who was getting the car! It was a 3 hour drive to get to AC because it took us forever to get out of the city.  Funny thing is everyone was more hyper on the ride home...(at 5am)...only took 2 hours on the way back, but both rides were filled with the vocal stylings of Celine, Hilary, Kelly, Ashlee...very much enjoyed by the guys...

Out at Frederick's with Brandie!

Aww, Jon and Brandie =)

Christmassss treeee!!! I reeaaallyyy wanted to buy one, in memory of this little white tree I used to have in my room when I was little, I adored it.  So Paul and I went to K-mart and got me a little tree! Here he is fluffing out the fake tree, and me with it decorated.  I love it!

Ohhh the joy of Christmas...makes me happy!  

And to my glorious surprise...a couple days ago there was a box labeled "LIVE PLANT" waiting for me when I got home...verrryyyy curiously I opened it up...and inside was a REAL christmas tree!!!  My dear Shmunie sent it to me.  And it came with cute little lights and ornaments, a scarf-wearing bear, and a box of truffles!!! The tree (and chocolates) smell great too! What a wonderful friend, thanks so much girl...I loooove it.

It's Christmas in my home!!

So cute!!

And finally, a late-night hot chocolate and dessert date with Tiff at Serendipity!! Glad she pops into NY here and there for work, can't go too long without seeing my arrrarrchii...

Festive decorations!  The rest of the city is decorated too, so beautiful!!

Good luck with finals to the NUers...work hard, vacation is soon!!