2013 new york trip: part one

i had the privilege of spending nine days (seven full days) in new york a couple weeks ago.  i am breaking the trip into two posts and this post is about the first part of my trip.

i went to new york with my parents and my sister (brooke) for my sister (eryn) and her husband's (greg) new york wedding reception.  they got married in august, you can see pictures from their gorgeous colorado wedding here.

friday, september 6th
brooke and i left for the airport at 4am to catch our 6am flight to denver where we had a 3 hour layover and waited for our parents to join us on our flight to new york.

we got in late that afternoon and then met eryn at babbo for dinner.

babbo is one of mario battali's restaurants. i didn't understand half the menu.

after dinner we hit up big gay ice cream.

it was definitely big, definitely gay, and definitely delicious.

saturday, september 7th
on saturday we spent some time in brooklyn - we went to the brooklyn flea and smorgasburg. the brooklyn flea is cool, but i felt like there wasn't really anything different from the last time i went two years ago. we saw emily mortimer there with her family so that was neat.

on our way to smorgasburg we saw this sky writing,  it says "time to shine" and some other stuff that i couldn't read.

smorgasburg is a gathering of food vendors in williamsburg and all the food is really great.  while we were standing in line, adam brody walked by us and all i got was a picture of the back of his head. i had just finished re-watching all the seasons of the oc so this was a real special sighting. on separate occasions we also saw katie holmes (she was meeting a friend at our hotel) and two people from project runway (emilio and fabio).

i love you, seth cohen!

later that night we met up with two of my all time favorite people, my cousin mckenzi and her husband matt, for dinner at lantern. it was real good. then all us girls made my dad and matt see the movie, austenland with us, i think they secretly enjoyed it. if you haven't seen austenland yet, i recommend it.  it was funny!

sunday, september 8th
sunday morning we went to church with mckenzi and matt and then went to a few stores on/around 5th ave - free people, joe fresh, and anthropology.  then we made our way over to brooklyn to meet eryn and greg for brunch.

after brunch i helped eryn and greg set up for the reception. it was at the restaurant that greg manages, hunter's. cute place!

the newlyweds.

i just really felt like i needed to hold onto eryn in this picture.

sisters, sisters.

bein' precious with my dad.

monday, september 9th

on monday we shopped pretty much all day until my parents and brooke flew out in the afternoon. before eryn and i headed out to her apartment in astoria we stopped by the farmer's market in union square to pick up some cucumbers for pickling as well as some corn and heirloom tomatoes for the delicious caprese salad that eryn made that night.

these were the cutest little bell peppers i've ever seen!

once we were back in astoria i just relaxed and hung out with my nephew, bear, until part two of the adventure started on wednesday.

isn't bear to so regal?

the most wonderful time of the year

guess what friends!?  my birthday is two months from today so it's time for the annual anticipation for paige's birthday post.

do you know how old i am going to be on my birthday this year? 

26

what happened to 25?  where did that one go?  how am i already in the second half of my twenties?

26 kind of sounds like the edge of becoming old for a single girl to me.  but maybe that's "prime" single girl time to some people. 

26 sounds like you probably shouldn't be living in a state that you hate 6 months out of the year. 

26 sounds like you should be working in a job that you are passionate or at least care about.

26 sounds like you should have your life together. 

i mean, 26 is the oldest you can be to get the gardasil shots.  every time i go to the doctor and they offer it to me i think "i don't really need that and i've got til i'm 26 to think about it."  well guess what pudge. you're running out of time and now you're probably going to get cancer because you're afraid of getting a shot (three times) that "feels like peanut butter being injected into your arm."  but doesn't that sound terrible?  i really do actually think about this a lot.  (and just to ease your worries, i am not concerned about this because of promiscuity because i'm not. you just never know.)

on a more positive note, i just googled 26 and found this on wikipedia: The Greek Strongs number G26 is "Agape" which means "Love"

i don't know what that means but maybe it means that 26 is going to be the year of love for pudge.  and i think that sounds quite nice.

well, let's see what you've got 26.  (please be good to me.)

luscious

i'm fairly certain that all i've ever wanted in this life is to have luscious hair. and i think i may have figured it out.  keep reading if you want to hear my secrets. (i also have a theory that these aren't really secrets and that everyone else probably knows about this.)

my theory is that having pretty hair comes from a combination of 3 things: regular trims, product, and process.

#1: regular trims

i used to only get my hair cut when i would go home to colorado, like very six months.  yikes!  in my defense, i was a poor college student and my sister, shea, would do my hair for a really great price (free), the only catch was that we didn't live in the same state so i went far too long between cuts.  once i had a job and felt like i could afford it, i started paying to get my hair cut on a more regular basis.  i found a hairstylist that i like (siara @ shep studio in provo) and decided to get my hair trimmed every two months.  i have long hair so i can go a bit longer between cuts.  since i am getting my hair trimmed regularly, the ends don't get as bad and siara just gives me baby trims (she knows how attached i am to my long hair).  i leave the salon happy, with long luscious hair.

#2: product

since i have always had access to professional products, i'm kind of a product snob.  especially when it comes to shampoo and conditioner.  i also color my hair and have a hard time retaining color so i only use certain shampoos and conditioners.  up until a couple months ago i was using enjoy volume shampoo and conditioner and it worked quite nicely.  when i went home for thanksgiving shea suggested i try the guy that created pureology's new line, color proof.  

can i just tell you how amazing this shampoo and conditioner is?  i use the volumizing line and it is seriously awesome and very conditioning - even the shampoo makes my hair feel soft without feeling weighed down.  my color looks great and i also feel like it is enhancing the shine.  i also use a deep conditioner once a week to help strengthen and repair my hair.  i'm still using enjoy's hair mask.  i have tried using the brands they sell at the grocery store and they all left my hair with tons of static, faded color, and super dry ends.  yuck!

up until the past year or so, i didn't really use any styling product in my hair besides a tiny bit of argan oil after styling and occasionally some hairspray. whoops!  apparently it's important to protect your hair!  every time i left siara's chair i felt like my hair just looked so awesome and i just wanted my hair to always look that awesome.  so i studied what she did to style it and tried to replicate it at home.  my hair improved, but i was still having to straighten my hair all the time and it just didn't look as great as when she did it.  it occurred to me that maybe the product she used in my hair had something to do with the results so i took the plunge and bought them.  and boy did they make a difference.

first, i spray bumble and bumble styling lotion all over my hair while it's really wet (right after i get out of the shower).  the bottle says to "saturate" so i try to be generous but it's also not cheap so i try to not waste it.  then i comb out my hair. a bottle lasts me about 2-3 months, i'm sure it lasts longer if your hair is shorter than mine.

next i use bumble and bumble straight blow dry on the first 5-6 inches of my hair.  it is so light that it doesn't make my hair greasy.  i use about a dime size amount rubbed between my hands.  after that i apply 2 pumps of bumble and bumble hairdresser's invisible oil to the bottom 8 inches of my hair. my hair is a little more thirsty in the winter, i didn't need this as much in the summer. sometimes i'll use about 1 pump on my ends after blow drying, but i usually don't need it. both of these products will last me about a year, the oil a little longer.

#3: the process

i have really fine, oil prone hair and have to wash my hair everyday. it's kind of lame. but i just can't stand having greasy hair. my hair is also wavy/curly in places and i used to have to straighten my hair everyday.  well i am happy to report that i haven't even turned on my straightener since june 4, 2012 (is it weird that i know the date?). isn't that crazy?!  i don't need to use it, my hair is straight! here is how.  

after i apply all the products to my hair i blow dry section by section using a brush.  i usually use this paddle brush for straight, everyday hair.  if i want a little more volume or curl on my ends, i'll use my round brush (medium size). since the brush isn't too big i can get really close to the roots and they dry straight.  i use 100% boar hair brushes for blow drying because they make my hair shiny and there are probably other reasons why they're better but i don't know.  i have found that i get the best results when my hair is pretty wet before blow drying - my hair is straighter, has more volume and less frizz. i don't even get flyaways anymore!

my hair is longer, stronger, smoother, straighter, healthier and just overall better because of all the above.  it is kind of expensive and kind of a lot of work (about 15 minutes total) but to me it is totally worth it.  i don't think my hair has ever been able to grow this long because it has never been so healthy.  i feel like my hair looks good almost everyday, i honestly feel like i have beautiful hair and i've never consistently felt that way before!

the results speak for themselves!

okay, this isn't the most amazing picture but you get the idea.

resolve

i resolve in 2013 to be happy.

i resolve to start exercising to be happy.  not to be a certain size or firmness but just to be happy.  you know, endorphins and all that.

i resolve to be more conscientious about the things that i put in my body so that i can be healthy which will in turn make me happy.

i resolve to put my clothes away after i take them off to be happy.  a cluttered house = a cluttered mind. a clean, organized room = happy pudge.

i resolve to wash my face not just in the morning but at night too so that my face will be soft, beautiful, and happy.

i resolve to strengthen my relationship with my God which i know for a fact will make me happy.

i resolve to stand up straight and show the world my happy face.  after all my mom did always tell me that no one would want to marry me if i didn't stand up straight.  turns out she was right!  guess i should have practiced the piano too...

i resolve to figure out who this pudge person is, what the h she wants, and be happy with her.

i resolve to expand my mind and soak in the happiness.

i resolve to stop sitting around waiting and start making things happen, start living all those dreams and be happy.

i resolve to not dwell on the negative and focus more on the all the bright, wonderful, happy things in my life.

i resolve to live in the moment and to live this life with passion and devotion and be happy.

:)

emotionally attached.

we've been together for nearly 18 months.  and 17 of those months have been well, quite wonderful.

i'm in love with my car.  isn't she pretty?

i mean, i even wrote a happy anniversary post to it.  to my car.  if that isn't true love, i don't know what is.

but you see, my love unfortunately isn't blind and i can see her faults.  like the fact that she is at 89,100 miles.  like her price tag when it comes to well, everything.  like that time i opted not to pay $1,500 to fix her water pump (those aren't important, right?) and then she got mad at me and overheated in the mountains 9 months later.  real mature.  that $4,000 (yes, three zeros) repair bill was super fun.  i totally didn't need all that money it took me all those months to save.  but you know, i suppose i kind of brought that one on myself.  note to self - fix things in red on the summary sheet at the car shop.

on that note, i have to get her rear brakes and tires done.  if i do that at bmw (which i'm not going to) it will be over $1,000 for both.  if i go somewhere else, like $400 for the brakes and i have no idea what tires cost, so maybe like $800 total.  when they told me this a few weeks ago i decided it was time to trade her in for a new car.

so i've been looking at other baby suvs.  i haven't test driven that many but every time that i have gotten back into my car at the dealership i just think "man i love my car."  i don't need all these fancy new technology things, except bluetooth.  i can't hold my phone up to my ear anymore.  you just can't come back from that.  i just want my car.  i love the giant sunroof, the perfect thickness of the steering wheel for my hands, the bluetooth, the heated steering wheel, the instant heated seats, the fake wood whatever stuff on the interior, how speedy and good at accelerating she is.  but with at least 40,000 miles less.  and with brand new brakes and tires that i didn't have to pay for.  is this too much to ask?

so pretty much, i have an emotional attachment to my car.  maybe that makes me ridiculous, but this is just where i'm at right now.

my baby jack

my heart just died.  have you heard of the dog, pomsky?  it's pretty much the cutest dog on the planet.  it's a pomeranian/husky and it basically looks like a fluffy husky that stays puppy size forever!  look at these pictures, i'm dying.

i mean, are you kidding me?  is there anything more precious in this world?  i seriously want one so bad.  i just want to name it jack, be best friends, and cuddle forever.

hey! i moved!

okay guys, i get it.  none of you want to be my friend after my last post.  i'm sorry i told you i like a linkin park song.  whatever, it's fine. i don't need you to leave comments on all of my posts in order for me to feel validated or anything.

so... i moved out of my sister's basement and into a different basement!  yeah, i'm like super independent now.  i am very grateful to the milnes for putting me up for a year (yeah, a whole year, can you believe how ridiculous i am?). i mean, was.  how ridiculous i was. because obviously i'm not ridiculous anymore since i've stopped mooching. for the most part.

anyway.  do you want to see my new room?  i'm going to show you right now!  it's kind of adorable...

bed.

 wall.  corner.  rug. outdoor chairs. 'p'. antlers. polka dot curtains. (fyi: painting curtains is irritating.)

 desk. chair. cutest painting in the world made for me by my favorite person in the world. all around cuteness.

 fabric hanging to disguise large amount of crap that you don't need to know about.

beautiful/disgusting/terrifying all at the same time.

freakin walk in closet!!!!

and now some really important details:

fyi: you can't put velcro on a wall without destroying it.  

muchas gracias, previous tenant.

who needs bed skirts?!

this is what my desk really looks like!

so there's my room.

not to be confused with lincoln park.

i kind of really like this song and it makes me hate myself.

i even like the part when that guy talks with rhythm (raps?).

will you still be my friend knowing that i like a linkin park song?  if not, i totally understand.  i don't really want to be my friend either.

rollin', rollin', rollin'

this is the minutes part of my cell phone bill for this month:

you may need to click on it to make it bigger.

i just think that this bill is hilarious.  the minimum plan that you can have at at&t is 450 minutes for like $40 something a month.  included in the plan are unlimited mobile to mobile and 5,000 minutes, plus what you don't use of the 450 rolls over every month.

well THANK GOODNESS for rollover.  because i used 12 of my 450 minutes and i certainly don't want to miss out on the 438 minutes that i didn't use this month so that i can have 4,526 minutes next month because i don't know about you, but i am planning on talking on my cell phone nonstop for the next three years.

because that's what people do with cell phones these days, talk on them.

pudgey-ness

i know.  you've been waiting on the edge of our seat with all of these pudge questions.

well, i'm just going to make your day and answer all those questions right now.

1. did paige survive her tonsillectomy?
i sure did!  i really started to come around a corner after that post.  i can eat and drink whateva the h i want now and it is glorious.

2. how was her 25th birthday? did she get to spend the day with paul walker?
it was pretty darn good.  my birthday fell on a monday this year and i HATE working on mondays.  i seriously want to die every monday so i was not about to spend my birthday feeling that way.  brooke made me breakfast in bed, i got some awesome presents, went to lunch at cheesecake factory at city creek, shopped, went to spanish fork reservoir, and had costa vida for dinner.  here's photographic evidence:

grayson and me at the cheesecake factory

really the best part is that i got to spend the day with people i love. which unfortunately did not include paul walker.  one day paulie, one day.

3. how is paige's summer going?
i'd say it's going pretty well.  june was a difficult month but july is looking pretty good.  for example, the milnes were out of town this weekend and i had some lovely visitors so i cooked some very delicious summer meals and went to seven peaks salt lake. and parked my car in the garage. hollaaa!

4. is she going to move to california?
ehhhhh that's a tricky one.  i just get distracted by the summers here, they're just so pleasant.  so i have given myself until like august/september to figure out my life.  ask me again in a couple months.

5. does she still live in her sister's basement?
yes. i've just been livin' the dream for almost 11 months! high five!

6. is she looking forward to the summer olympics?
no.

7. has she seen the nordstrom anniversary sale catalog yet?  what does she think?
yes.  i have seen a few items that i am very interested in.  i think i just might have to miss work the day that the sale starts.  priorities people.

you're welcome.