"One"Jamming in the Subway

He was the happiest man ever! Just jamming away! When I asked him if I could take a picutre he said only if you keep it because it's going to be worth a ton when he get famous. He shouted for me to remember his name, "One", as I got on the subway and waved goodbye. 

28/365 Coaching Columbia Cheer

I have been cheering for a good portion of my life and was so sad when I finished my last year at BYU. I decided I didn't want that to be the end of cheer for me so I've moved on to coaching!  I got so lucky to be with a team as great as Columbia University's. This is a picture of my first game with the team (some are missing). We played Harvard and lost by one point... but the cheerleaders looked great!

27/365 Jimmer's Got the Ball

I know I posted this a day late but I couldn't help but share this classic picture I caught of Bryan right before Jimmer scored. It says it all ( I just wish I caught the reaction right after he did). There are a few things that he says he loves ALMOST as much as me... and that's the Jazz, BYU sports and more specifically Jimmer Fredette. To much of Bryan's dismay, we don't get the Mountain TV channel so we don't get to watch the BYU games. But that doesn't keep Bry from listening to them on the radio.  GO COUGS!

26/365 Visit From Uncle Don

I had one of the best days ever because my Uncle Don ( who has played a much bigger role in my life than just my uncle) was here on a layover and took Bryan and I out to our favorite Thai restaurant for lunch. Bryan was only able to pop in for a little bit but we were glad to all be together. We love our Uncle Don!

25/365 The Fog Before the Snow

It's easy to know that the city is about to be hit with snow when you look up and see this fog! I took this picture a few blocks from my house. That glowing building is where Bry and I meet up half way to sometimes eat dinner together. I think the silhouette of the man carrying the umbrella says it all. 

24/365 Happy Little Rose

These were on the table at my friends house and the little rose in the middles caught my eye immediately. It was perfectly open and looked like it was saying, "Here I am world!" I am going to try and face everyday just like this little rose with an excited attitude to wake up and just LIVE!

23/365 Chocolate Filled Crepes

We were invited to our friends' birthday party, so I made these chocolate dessert crepes to take over. Bryan ended up having Stake meetings last longer than planned so we didn't end up getting to go... but we still got to eat the yummy crepes!

22/365 Grand Central Station

I was on my way home from grocery shopping and was about to hop back on the subway but had to pause and capture a picture of what I get to see as I run around doing my simple everyday errands. Life in NYC is amazing!

21/365 A Night at the Opera

Bryan and I went to an Opera at the Lincoln Center. The theater was stunning with a touch of vintage and old Hollywood glam (not to mention the most stunning chandelier I've ever seen). We had fun dressing up for it! We saw the Opera "Tosca", a beautiful romance ending in a tragedy.  Bryan says he's tired of everything always ending so sadly and that shows need more happy endings. (He wasn't too fond of the Broadway "West Side Story" for the same reason.) Luckily, we can make our own story a happy ending.

20/365 Baby It's Cold Outside

Today was officially one of the coldest days ever! Just when you thought you were getting used to it, you'd turn onto a new block only to be met by a big gush of racing wind. I was so grateful I had this nice fur hood to block me from some of it. Funny story: When I was serving a mission for my church in DC last year, I didn't bring a winter coat to protect me from the massive snow storms. So, I got to wear one that was left by some other Sister probably ten years ago for the entire winter. It was a down coat that went to my ankles, five sizes to large and just about the ugliest thing you've ever seen. I told myself that after the mission I'd never touch a down coat again! That was until I moved to NYC. 

19/365 Piano Lessons

This is James, one of my piano students. He is so great and talented. I remember when I was his age having to get up and practice 30 mins in the morning and 30 mins after school before I could play. At the time I saw it as the cruelest form of torture a parent could possible do to their child. Now, I look back and couldn't be more grateful. So many people say they wish their parents wouldn't have given into them as children and let them stop taking piano lessons. So to all you parents, they'll thank you one day. And to my mom, Thank you.

18/365 Made With Love

 Most days I try and make us a sack lunch to take into work to be more economical, but some days I'm running too late. Yesterday, I was having one of those "five minutes to get ready" days obviously not having time to make a lunch. Bryan had the day off due to the holiday and showed up to work with a homemade sack lunch labeled:

                                                     "DANIELLE"

He was so cute to come all the way to my work and eat with me...He even grilled the sandwich ha ha. I realized I couldn't just post pictures I took yesterday on today's post so I took a picture of the sandwich I made Bryan today. It's one of his favorites... Peanut butter and bananas. Nothing special but it was made with love.

17/365 The Inviting Bench

I pass this bench often as I go about my day. But it wasn't until I started this 365 challenge that I noticed the beauty of it. I feel like I've been looking at the world and the everyday life experiences through a new vista now. I've noticed that I have rarely seen a single soul sitting on this bench. There is a constant flow of people rushing by to get to where they are going, missing out on what this bench has to offer. It's a good constant reminder to me now to slow down and take a moment to rest and contemplate on the beauty around me. President Uchtdorf said in the last General Conference: 
"If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most." 

So my challenge is to not get lost in the rush of the crowd but to sometimes take a moment to sit on your own "inviting bench" to contemplate what really matters.

16/365 You Are My Sunshine

One of the first things I noticed about Bryan when I started to get to know him was how happy he was all the time. I had never met someone that smiled as much as he did or who was so optimistic. Bryan hasn't changed a bit since we've been married. He always has a smile on his face even when he comes home from a super long day/night in the office! A day doesn't go by without hearing him sing his goofy songs of joy... even when he is helping wash dishes in the sink. His sunshine is contagious to everyone around him and because of him I know it will be easy to be a happy person for the rest of my life. I love my husband so much. He is my sunshine. 

15/365 Finding Fashion Forms

Michelle serves in Nursery with me at our church. She is a talented fashion designer. She has her own clothing line and is going to fashion school right now to enhance her talents. She hopes to create a high fashion yet modest clothing line. We were out shopping together and she got a call from a friend who said she saw a guy put out a few "forms" out on the curb to be taken away as trash somewhere between 89th and 91st. We ran to go get them but couldn't find them anywhere. We even split up to look for them because we knew they were a hot item and someone was bound to swipe them quickly. After a long search we found them (check out the vintage one)  and carried them to her apartment. I felt so bad because I was carrying one over my shoulder and turned slightly to look to the left and whacked some lady walking in the opposite direction to the right of me. She was so nice though and said she was just fine.Oops! With all the said, I can't wait to what comes of Michelle and her fashion career and hope these forms help! 

14/365 Night Out

This is a picture of us at a work party with Bryan's coworkers.  These are some other analysts and their dates. Bryan and I aren't used to this NYC formal party thing yet so we came a little under dressed. The party was in some fancy restaurant  the bank had rented out.  Since we don't drink we didn't hang out by the open bar but the entire lower level was full of gourmet fabulous food.  People were walking around with trays offering us Hors d'oeuvres. I felt like I was in a movie.

13/365 Go Knicks Go!

Bryan and I went to our first Knicks game! Madison Square Garden is only a few blocks from our apartment so it was nice not having to travel much to get there. We got tickets from my work and they were actually really nice seats! We went with two other people I worked with, Paul and Christine. We love the Knicks but when playing the Jazz we stay true to our roots.

12/365 If You're Happy And You Know It...

Okay isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen? I've been watching Baby Izzy here and there since she was 3 months old. She is the happiest baby ever. I love it when she gets really happy because she crinkles her nose and  squints one of her eyes.

11/365 Lady Liberty

Bryan had Saturday off so instead of letting it come and go we decided to hop on the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. The Staten Island Ferry is free and gives you just as good as a view as any tour boat you pay big bucks to ride. It was freezing outside but we had so much fun and we were even able to take the "oh so classic Titanic- Jack & Rose" picture... or at least the best one we could in our given space. On our way back to Manhattan it was Dusk and the lights were all starting to turn on. STUNNING!   I leaned over to Bry and told him it's kinda sad to see all those lights on in each building because each one means someone is working and not with their families on Saturday night... it made me chuckle,not because of other people working but because I realized that I'm officially an investment banker's wife when I start thinking like that ha ha.

10/365 Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Bryan works literally two blocks from our house but we still like to meet up at the Atrium to have lunch or dinner together. It is smack dab in the middle so it's where we meet half way. The Atrium is full of tables and chairs where anyone can bring their own lunch to eat. My favorite part about it is the live music. Each day of the week has someone different. My favorite is Thursdays' musicians, so I took this picture of them. One time I I saw a sweet lady walk up to them and request "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."  Although they usually just stick to their own genre of music they smiled at each and said to her they would do their best to wing it. It was amazing! That's true talent, being able to play a song as a trio you've never played before. 

9/365 Little Blessed Moment

I stepped outside of my apartment and saw the sun peeking between two skyscrapers, illuminating this beautiful tree. In the city you can look up and enjoy the blue sky but it's pretty rare to get direct sunlight. For those of you that know me, you know I LOVE LOVE LOVE the sunshine. I love to play in it, sleep in it and love the feel of it on my face. So now, anytime I turn a corner and notice a patch of direct sunshine beaming between two buildings I take a moment to pause, regardless of the NYC hustle and bustle around me, to let my face soak in what I see as a little blessed moment. 

8/365 Track and Field

I work at The Track and Field Store. It's a Brazilian company that sells everything from yoga mats to outrageous running shoes. There are 42 stores in Brazil but our little store on Madison Ave. is the first in the US.  I work with the funnest people and my manager is super rad! This is a picture of our sweet shoes we sell and my manager.

7/365 Ogres are like onions

I bought this onion at a street market in Spanish Harlem. No one there spoke English and I threw off a few people when I spoke to them in Spanish. I thought it was so pretty every time I opened my fridge. 

A wise man once said, "Life is like an onion, you peel it off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep." Although I'd like to say something profound about that, I have to admit onions always remind me of Shrek.( Shrek: Ogres are like onions. Donkey: They both smell? Shrek: NO! They have LAYERS. There's more to us underneath.)

6/365 My Best Friends

I couldn't help but take a picture of the pair of shoes that accompany me almost everywhere. Bryan and I got to design our own Nike shoes for a wedding gift. You can see we have our initials and the date we got married on the back of them. I get to wear work out apparel at work so I wear these bad boys everyday! My   Nike Frees are also helping train for my half marathon. You can tell by the picture they are definitely used and loved.

5/365 Sax In The City

I am obsessed with street and subway performers. My first week here I wanted to give money to all of them but I quickly realized I would be broke within a month. This man was so talented! After I took his picture       (with his permission) he gave me his cute card and asked me to email them to him. There truly is so many talented singers and dancers that perform in the subways I almost feel like I'm in a live Broadway everyday!

4/365 Subway

I took this on my way home from work. I remember my first week here, and how hard the subways were for me. I got lost a million times a day. I remember trying to get Downtown and ended up off the Island of Manhattan in the opposite direction. What a mess! People were so nice and helpful however. I had one man get off his own train to walk me to the right one because he could tell how desperately lost I was.  Now, although I may miss my stop because I'm too absorbed in my book or because I've dozed off, I feel like I know the subways like the back of my hand. I love being able to help the person with the big subway maps and lost look find their way in the crazy NYC subways!

3/365 Lights on Park Ave.

This was taken on Park Ave. right outside of Bryan's  work building. There usually are beautiful water fountains that light up at night. When it was warmer Bryan and I would meet up to eat dinner in front of them and enjoy the city lights. Now that it is colder, they've put up a pretty cluster of Christmas trees on top of the water. I love how the lights reflect in the water.

2/365 Home Sweet Home

This is a picture of our apartment from the outside. It's lodged between skyscrapers and smack dab in the city! I took this picture on my way out on a beautiful sunny day right after the big snow storm.

1/365 Goodbye Christmas, Hello New Year

I know it is January and Christmas is over so I took this picture as my goodbye until December to my Christmas Tree. Decorating for Christmas is my absolute favorite so Bryan agreed to let me decorate on my birthday (Nov. 5). I'd say I've had my fair share of my Christmas tree, but it will be missed. :(