Truly, Madly, Deeply

Why hello there. You're looking rather foxy tonight. I know, I know. It's been a while. It might seem like I'm doing this to merely get attention from you simply because it's Valentine's Day, but I assure you that's not the case.* I'm here hoping to re-kindle that old flame we once had--that flame that burned bright and white hot. But let's not rush into anything...

First things first--how have you been? No, I know you've been fine. How are you REALLY?
Things here are pretty fantastic.** I'm well-situated into my routine, which is a nice place for me to be. I'm big on routine, almost to a fault. I do get chances to break that routine and I try to take them as often as possible, because that's the only way I ever get anything done.
Since today IS the day of love and warm fuzzies and massacres, here are a few things that I've been crushing on as of late. (Minus the massacres.)

Books
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Nerdiest book ever, you guys. The whole thing is jam-packed with pop culture references. I couldn't get enough of it.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
One of the things that I meant to blog about was my experience attending the Nerdfighter tour. I met John Green and high-fived Hank Green. Oh, and John's book really is that good.

Music
 "Settle Down" by Kimbra
Obsessed.

"All Will Be Well" by The Gabe Dixon Band
They used this at the end of a Parks & Rec episode and the idea of "practicing my purpose" has become something of a mantra for me.

TV
Downton Abbey
Do I even need to talk about this? You know what I mean.
Raising Hope
This show is so wonderful in so many ways.

Currently Enjoying...
Color blocking, going to see The Vow with some of my favorite girls tonight (such a cheese-fest! The only thing better would have been a literal cheese-fest.), and making homemade pasta

Looking Forward To...
Taking archery lessons, traveling to SoCal next month for a mission companion's wedding, and having Sister Julie Beck of the Relief Society General Presidency coming to visit Austin this weekend

So that's the status of my life. See you around?***

*Lies!
**Thank you for asking.
***The sooner the better, as far as I'm concerned.

We all want to change the world.

These were my 2011 "goals to be better." Not resolutions. Ahem. The original post is here.

1. Equal amounts of input and output, input being everything I take in and output being everything I give back. I'm still not perfect at this, but I got an awful lot better. Here's to more improvement in 2012.
2. Catch up at my own pace. Yep. This made my life so much easier.
3. Love Austin. Done a million times over.
4. Don't buy unnecessary things. Maybe? A little? I made a conscious effort, but I don't know if it helped.
5. Watch more Doctor Who. Totally. I still need to watch the David Tennant seasons, which should give me something to do while I wait for the series to come back next fall.
6. Take more photos. Done. Having an iPhone has been great for this, but I'd still like to learn how to better use my DSLR.
7. Take an interior design class. This didn't pan out. I did get lots of real-life experience with my apartment. Someday!
8. OR take a sewing class. Nope. Chuck Testa.
9. Have fun with Goodreads. I had so much fun with goodreads. My usual goal is to read 50 books a year. By the end of 2011, I should hit 45 or maybe 46. Good enough for me.
10. Spend more energy focused on building relationships. I'd like to think I accomplished this. I've made some incredible friends here in Texas. They have shaped my experience here in so many wonderful ways.
11. Make a conscious, daily effort to be grateful. Yes, but this doesn't end with 2011. Onward and upward!

Christmas Expectations

It's amazing that I didn't end up with some serious misconceptions about Santa Claus thanks to this photo.

My parents get in town today for five days worth of a Texan Christmas Adventure. When we were ironing out details, my dad reminded me of something that my mom did when Phil and I were younger. At the beginning of December, we'd sit down and make a list of our "Christmas Expectations." Ranked in order of importance, we would say what we wanted to happen during the month. There was some room for dreaming large (ride the Polar Express!) as well as learning to curb our impulses. (Make gingersnaps AND lemon bars AND mincemeat pie? Pick two out of three.)

From my mom's standpoint, it must have been a godsend to know how to make your kids happy at Christmastime, when stress runs high and oustide temperatures run low. My expectations usually included "going to see the lights," "visiting Santa at the mall," and "setting up the Nativity." Phillip would want to watch Home Alone, a movie that inspired a notebook filled with ideas on how to infiltrate my room. When I found the notebook in the summer, I was so charmed that I couldn't possibly begin to be mad at him.

When Dad asked me this year, I laughed at the memory of our planning sessions, the result of which we'd leave taped up as a to-do list. My wishes have mellowed out a little. This year I'm hoping to watch The Adventures of Tintin at the Drafthouse and see the Nutcracker with my mom. But as I grow up, my Christmas Expectations lie more in the small festive moments. I've listened to Judy Garland's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" more times than I can count. I sang in the church choir. I've punctured the skin of clementine oranges with my thumb, giving way to sweet segments of fruit. I haven't seen a single snowflake and I'm perfectly okay with that. I've thought about the Savior and his birth and sacrifice. So all in all, I'd say that my Christmas Expectations have been met and wildly exceeded.

Six-month-old Gretchen could hardly handle the excitement of Christmas.

A very happy Christmas to you and yours!

The City So Nice They Named It Twice

"Its other name is Manhattan." -Michael Scott

Well, I think while most people would agree that I wasn't a perfect NaBloPoMo poster (I mean, who forgets to blog on the LAST DAY?), I hope you'd also agree that this was a fun little project. Enjoy a random sampling of some other pictures that didn't get posted. 

Dear New York City, 

I think you're simply grand. Until we meet again?

Hugs and kisses, 

Gretchen

Let All Of Oz Be Agreed

One of the major highlights of the trip was finally getting to see Wicked. I've waited eight long years for that moment and watched family members and friends get there long before I did. (Bitter about this? Me? No...)

Because of the wait and the excessive playing of my soundtrack, it took me a while to get settled in to the musical. Elphaba and G(a)linda weren't exactly the Elphaba and Glinda that I was accustomed to hearing. Around the second half I finally got adjusted and was able to have a marvelous time. One thing that surprised me was that the sets and costumes were heavily Steampunk-influenced. Lots of cogs and corsets, so I loved that. Glinda ended up being a delightful Good Witch and the Wizard was wonderful, as he should be. Our Nessa Rose was the very same Nessa from the original production. 

The traveling production is coming to Austin at the end of January and I'm ready to see it again!

Taking A Bite Out Of The Big Apple

Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for that post title. As you might expect from me, I made a point to eat some pretty incredible things during my trip.

One night we ate dinner at this teensy Italian place in Hell's Kitchen (Cara  Mia, I think?) and these little tomato caper crostini bits were hands down the best part of the meal. And they were FREE.

Brunch at Sylvia's in Harlem. Crazy wait, but the soul food was worth it. I was so hungry that I started to eat before taking pictures, which I try to avoid. (There, that's me at my most insufferably blog-esque.) Hash browns, eggs over easy, fried chicken--all drenched in Sylvia's special hot sauce.

The last night of the trip, I was still full from Magnolia's. But as I was standing right next to Village Pizza while I waited for my mom to get a New York Times from the bodega next door, I realized that this was my one shot to get a New York slice. As you can see, the crust was crisp and thin and the ratio of cheese to sauce was perfect.

There's a little bakery/deli next to the Manhattan Temple called the EuroPan Cafe, although it's jokingly referred to as the temple cafeteria. My Italian panini boasted fresh mozzarella, artichoke heats, and three kinds of cured meat. When my dad asked for a bite, I'm pretty sure I just glared him down. No way was I going to share this little beauty.

Georgia On My Mind

I love Georgia O'Keeffe because she loves New Mexico in the same way that I love New Mexico. It's a love that is reckless and brazen and without abandon. Of course, her museum in Santa Fe is a much greater collection of her work, but I was thrilled that she got wall space in the Met's temporary Alfred Steiglitz exhibit.

Impressionist

Definitely my favorite exhibit...

Modernity

From the Met's modern wing...
(My favorites were the paintings by Josef Albers. I was so in love with them that I completely forgot to take pictures. True story. Another favorite was Shimmer Bright by Barnett Newman.)

I love watching people watch art. I'd like to do a project based on that.

The picture above is the only one where I remembered to write down a source. It's Ellsworth Kelly's Spectrum V.

I think the one on the left is called Sunflowers. It was stunning in person. I also got to see my second Piet Mondrian. He's the guy responsible for the blocks of color, usually in black, white, yellow, blue, and red. A few years ago I saw one at the U of U's art museum and it blew me away. The brush strokes were so delicate and meticulous. Having been raised on art, my appreciation for modern work has grown tremendously over the years.

The Great Goddess

Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Diana

More scenes from Zuccotti Park

Next week is museum/art week! I'm rather excited.

#Occupy

That Sunday we happened to be in the same neighborhood as Zuccotti Park--all politics aside, it made for the best people-watching of the weekend.

New York Fashion, Day Three

There's this running joke in my family (possible word play?) about how my day is incapable of taking photos that include your feet. However, I like the angle of this shot. Thanks, Dad!

New York Fashion, Day Two

New York Fashion, Day One