Preparing the supplies

I think that this blog has now pretty much turned into a picture blog with my whole week summed up by a simple title.

We are married! It feels great to be able to start a new chapter in life with a wonderful woman who I am so happy to spend time with. I am not sure what most "newlyweds" do with their time but we have decided to start a business! Starting tomorrow morning we are movers. We have a truck for hire business and within 24 hours of starting it have 3 jobs lined up. It may not seem like much to most people but I am excited to see what we can do with this in the month we have remaining here in New York. It should be a great way to spend time together, see the city and raise enough cash to get our butts to Utah.

I love my woman!

Us!

Temple Trip

The Village

I have developed a pattern of putting up a picture and taking a few days to write about it. Life is just too much fun to write all about it.
This past Tuesday, and I went into the city for the afternoon and it was a perfect Spring day. We started off in Chinatown and then worked our way up to the village and had some sausage bread..... it was soooooo good. That is something that I will miss when I am back in Utah but it is a fair trade. We got some ice cream right after that at an upscale overpriced ice cream shop, of course this is actually really good ice cream and worth every penny.
We are coming up to the final 2 weeks of engaged life and as much as I enjoy it, I am so excited to get married!

Saturday in the city

On Saturday, I met up with a couple friends in Manhattan and did the standard running around that I have grown to love. There is something fun about being able to walk the streets that so many people plan vacations to on a daily basis. Of course so much exposure has helped me realize that my most favorite thing to do is just sitting back and enjoying the sounds and people... and take a lot of pictures of myself.
One bit of exciting news, I saw the orange mime and he is now silver!!! I am so proud of him and how he was able to grow and really stretch his character into something larger than himself.

Thanks Megan!

Megan!!!! The gift card was great, I bet you miss that chocolate don't you?!

Itialian Thick Dark Hot Chocolate!

My fiance had some errands in the city this morning so I met up with her and we stopped by Max Brenner's to get some of the good stuff... This hot chocolate is the reason why I am able to smile! Nothing like a cup of pure goodness in the morning to clear away some stress. They have really good breakfast food as well and I was lucky enough to finish off what my little butterfly couldn't. I had a promising job interview yesterday and I am looking forward to hearing from them.
Tonight is the Queens dance for YSA and although it is fun to go and I always enjoy myself there I have to admit that I just love spending time with the woman I love.

Dano-man

I was going through the pictures on my phone and saw this one again... I miss those kids a ton and it maks me want to move back to Utah even sooner. I am just reminding myself that the longer I stay out here, the more great stories I will have to share with them down the road.

LGA

Alright, so I know that it has been a very long time since I have typed up any new information about life here in NYC and I am very sorry for that.

Let's start with the picture. This is Megan in the front with me and her sister Merideth is in the back. They came out a couple of weeks ago and had a fun time here in New York. I have to admit that I like having the company here with me ad it is fun to have some people to cook for. and I took them to our favorite spot for hot chocolate, Max Brener's. I really really love that place and need to figure out how to make it like they do so I can move to Utah and make a ton of money with the stuff.

We have a marrige license. I don't have a job yet but at least we have the license. It wasn't too painful because when I got really bored, let me type morse code on her nose. I had to stop making the beeping sound but at least she let me type away to pass the time. There is nothing like City Hall here in Queens... No one understands anything but they want you to pay lose attention and not have your cell phones on.

As far as wedding planning goes, we are plugging away at it. Actually I should say that she is plugging away at it, I try to get involved but I have the attention span of a turkey sandwich. I am good a getting take out food and driving although my driving involves a lot of horn honking and yelling at people that can't hear me.

Other than that I have to be honest and say that my life is pretty great! I have good friends, family and an incredible woman that wants to be my wife. I never thought that life could work so well in my favor.

Lunch at Luigi's

mom had a layover at JFK on her way to Spain and I was the lucky one to spend 7 hours with her. Its not a bad way to meet the mother of one's future spouse, it forced us to talk to each other and get a lot of awkwardness out of the way really fast.
Still on the job search. I am hoping that I can find something soon that I will enjoy. Maybe I am being too picky with that last statement but it would be nice to have a job that I enjoy going to again.
My friend Megan is coming to town this week and it will be fun to have her around just so I have an excuse to eat a lot of pizza and cookies.

One box at a time

Since we will both be having jobs in the near future we decided to get some of the heavier things moved now while there is plenty of time. I got David this morning and we went to apartment to get some furniture loaded up in my truck. After we did some moving we went to a Columbian place for lunch in Jersey that I really like. The food is good but my favorite part is that it is cheap!
My dad and stepmom along with the royals are flying into the city this coming Wednesday and it will be fun to have them around and meet this awesome woman in my life. I think that Katie and Tayson will have a lot of fun and I plan on feeding them a lot of pizza. We will see how many different places we can get pizza at in just a few days. We will take them to get some hot chocolate as well. Mmmmmmmm, it has been a few weeks since I have gotten some and I am feeling the urge to get some more.
Working with the young men is going well. They are good kids and other than being teens, there isn't much bad about them. I do a lot of driving and that is getting a little annoying but that is what it takes to get everyone together out here. I even did some pushups with them.... That is a sign that I like them, I don't do pushups for anyone including myself!

Family

I met my future sister-in-law last week. and I drove up to Dartmouth to meet her sister Mirelle. She's awesome!

Ballet

Saturday afternoon we met up with Camille and Hailee for a nice time at the New York Ballet. It was interesting... A couple of the dances they did were odd but there were a couple of really good ones.
We went uptown and had dinner with a friend of at a great mexican place that was a little steep but very tasty. It was great to have a little spice in my food again.

Great friends

Our friends Lisa and Veronica threw a small engagement party for us last night and it was great. I loved the cake and here is the picture, Lisa said that there wasn't enough room to get the whole word on it... She cracks me up.
I have to thank the many people who are supportive and encouraging to us. Whether it be words of wisdom or hugs and kisses, we are very blessed to be surrounded with good people.

A great dessert

Sometimes we just need some ice cream to make things feel better. Lucky for me that I have ice cream and an amazing woman to eat it with. Notice only one spoon! Who would have thought that I would share my food!!! She is some kind of wonderful!

It's official!!!!!!!

Well here it is! I have only known her for a short time but want to spend eternity with her. May 19th is the day that it will begin!
I love her.

Hello Kitty Valentines!

For the first time, I had a valentines to remember. I got a diary to keep track of events. A bank to save for the events, and a ring to use until the event.
Life tends to throw a few curve balls our way and every now and then we get to hit a home run!

He's blue!

A picture of Ed, Joni and myslef with the blue m&m at times square. It was great having friends in town and showing them all the things and people that I have come to love out here in the East. I am very tired and am now in the proccess of finding a job. I am kind of thinking that it might be nice just to work at Wendy's for a few months just so I can get out of any stressful job situations, plus get a discount on some food.

I have to say thanks to friends and family for their kind words and to David for the time he spends listening and telling me the truth no matter what may happen.

They're here!

Joni and Kathy made it into town this morning at 5:30am and now we will be running around the city and showing them the greatest place to play!

On a personal note, the fox that I have been chasing has caught me! its a great feeling, it makes me wonder how I got through without her.

Kiddles

Becky sent me a few pictures of Dano and Moo and I think this one is my favorite. I have to admit that I miss those kids like crazy!

Alright, well something has been in the works for some time now and I don't want anyone to worry about me. I quit my job today. My boss is a great guy and he wants to head in a direction that I do not want to follow in. He is being more than kind and giving me a nice package to leave with. I am kind of sad about it because I like the people that I worl with but at the same time, this is the right move right now. I am not sure what to do next but I have been very fortunate in life to have things work out in the end and that is what I am hoping for now. I really don't want to talk about it too much right now so i will leave it it like that.

Other than that, things are great over here. I am more smitten by my fox every day as she slowly lets me into her life. I am a lucky man.

Now I just get to start the job search again but it shouldn't be too bad... At least I hope. Oh and if anyone wants to send some cookies, I always eat them.
Here's my home address for those who don't have it.
7804 76th st
Glendale NY 11385

What a good looking group!

From left to right we have Amber, Camille, myself, Josh and Hailee. They are a great group to hang out with and I love these girls... At least I loved them until they stole all my Hello Kitty items from my apartment on Sunday. I have to be proud because they did it right under my nose but still, they took all my Hello Kitty! I came home from church in Manhattan with them and my apartment just felt empty. They all came over late Saturday night for a sleep-over and we had a great time. Of course now they are in hot water and it will take some serious cooking for me to like them again.

I have to say that this was a great week and weekend, on Friday we met up with the NY singles group and played at this place up in Times Square called Dave and Busters. It is a fun arcade and they have food and all sorts of things to do, and it's free which in the city is hard to come by. After that we went to a diner and hung out for a couple hours just enjoying some fun conversation and I pigged out on fries and onion rings. David even made it out for the night and he crashed at my place friday night which was great because he was able to help me move some storage for a friend of ours Saturday morning. Nothing like a little service for a little pick-me-up!

The only thing that I can't get out of my mind is this girl that I am chasing... I have to admit that she is one clever fox. I know what I want to do about the whole thing but I am holding back for the time being out of respect for some other people. It really is driving me insane but the best I can hope for is to let time work things out. Part of me would love to be the caveman and beat my chest and show her what I have to offer and the smarter side of me says that it is best to hold back a little and let her figure things out on her own. One thing I know is that she is worth every second of pursuit. Now if only I could focus on anything other than her for 30 seconds my life would be much easier. Drama.

This week should be another fun one. My friends Joni and Kathy come into town Thursday and we will be running around like crazy people trying to see everything before they go home on Monday. I am glad to have more people come out because moving out here has really changed my life in a positive way and I want people back in Utah to see that.

A really bad haircut

Alright, I don't think that I have complained too much since I have moved out here. I have accepted the changes as they come and make the best of them but this, this has gone on too far! I can not get a decent haircut in this city!!! Every-time I have the need for a trim I try a new place just hoping that they will be a little better than the last but all I find are more idiots with razors.

Anyhow... I am over it. Really though, I just miss my Armenian barber in Utah. Greg knew how to do it just right. In a couple weeks it will be grown out enough to be bearable... I guess this is what happens when a person prays for some humility...

Now I am really over it. As far as life goes out here, this past week has been a blast. There hasn't been too much time for sleep but that just makes everything more enjoyable. I don't think that I am getting too old for sleep-overs, at least I hope I'm not.

David has had an injury the last few weeks so he has been coming to the Morristown class with Frank and I and that makes the night much more fun. There is nothing quite as funny as when David is able to throw out a great insult to someone in class who is a little too assuming. We just got back from eating at Cosimo's. The big boss hooked us up with some good meatballs. I have never been a big fan but these were really good. That place has to be my favorite pizza too.... Listen to me. All I talk about is pizza! Some things never change.

WOW!

So there isn't a picture today or much to write right now considering my brain is not working. Just want to say that I had the best night that I have had in a very very long time. Not super exciting, or way cool just the best night. I may be foolish but one thing I know is that people of great value are hard to find and when they come along, we need to absorb every second. I know this sounds vauge but once I can see straight I will explain everything. It's going to be a very good day!

Sleepover

Here's Hailee and Amber sleeping away Sunday morning. They slept over on Saturday night and I drug them with me to the singles ward up in Inwood... Mostly I went there to see a certain female but I only had a couple minutes with her so I am really kicking myself. I hate to admit it but I am smitten. I hate when this happens to me to because I turn into such an idiot. I know that I can play the part without any problems but that is always just for fun, now I can't help it. Oh well, it was good to have some female support though so I had some feedback on how stupid I looked.

I did have a great weekend though. It involved sleeping and dancing and eating. What could be more fun? Friday night there was another dance here in Queens and afterwards a group of us went into Manhattan for some food. I got a giant cookie that was freshly baked topped with ice cream, it was very good. After in the street they talked me into doing my Buttons dance and I did it. I felt ashamed but that is a daily occurance with me. I got home around 4 Saturday morning and spent most of the morning and afternoon in a strange haze that I didn't snap out of until I made plans to meet up with this girl in the city. Nothing like a strong case of the butterflies to get me out of the house and putting on the fancy clothes.

Work is going well and I love my apartment. I can really say that right now my life is starting to show some fruits from the last 6 months of my labors. I can relax and really enjoy some quality time with great people. It is strange to think that if I had not moved out here that I would not have met the people in my life. To some extent I miss Utah and everyone there but now this is my life and I couldn't imagine not being here and really having great people to spend time with. Not that I want to sound too preachy but I feel truly blessed. I must be getting sick to start feeling this emotional but it's just the way I feel.

Big snowflake

I have come to realize that most every picture up on this blog is of me or has me in it. I guess I don't need to justify my vanity seeing how this is my own blog and I am the only one who reads this anyway... Not really but i suppose this could be considered a journal of some kind except that I don't put any of the secret stuff in here, I have to keep mom proud.

Life has been great out here. Work has it's hurdles but I am not working 12 hour days any more and I am able to get out of the office and get the audits done so it just feels good to be outside. The weather here has been amazing. We had 70 degrees in the city on Saturday. I slept most of the morning and then got on a train for Manhattan jsut to get some air and stretch my legs. That sounds funny now that I have said I went to Manhattan to get some air... i have been here too long already.

On Sunday I attended a different singles ward and found them to be friendly and fun. This was the Inwood ward and they meet up in Spanish Harlem, not the greatest neighborhood but a good place all the same. Right when I walked through the door someone introduced themselves to me and said he was Josh, the bishop! That cracked me up. I liked that he was so unassuming to just be himself first and realize that being a bishop is more than a title. They had a break the fast pot luck after church as well so I hung around for that and spent time making a few more friends.

Last night we had FHE for the singles in my branch at my friend Lisa's house. It was great even though i was the youngest one and the oldest was in his 50's. I really liked hanging out with them and we laughed our heads off. My gut still hurts from all the laughing last night. We played Balderdash and there were some very very funny answers.

Other than that, I have just been enjoying the quiet moments. I have some friends coming out this month and some more next month so it will be great to have the company and see some sights.

We're heeeere!

I know that I posted this picture over the weekend and it is now Wednesday of the following week but I just haven't had the right time to get this typed. I also know that I might catch some grief for not doing anything "amazing" for the New Year. Here I live in NYC and have one of the biggest parties going on just a matter of miles from my home and I didn't join. All I have to say about that is there is no way that I could be talked into be a sardine for 10 hours in Times Square just to see a flashing ball drop. This may sound cynical but after being stuck in crowds on just a normal evening there is no way that this sounded fun.

Friday night I went to a dane up in Inwood. Fun dance, good people. After the dance Amber Hailee Rob and I crammed into my little work truck and made our way down to the Path station so the girls coule get back to Jersey. Hailee and Rob wanted a little alone time so Amber and I found some food and waited for them to find us.

Sunday was a church day after a lot of sleeping, then I split my time between Jersey at the Ortiz home and in Queens at Lisa's house. I slpet through most of monday and spent the rest of the time in my PJ's at lisa's place.

Now I am back to work and just getting through one day at a time. I really wonder what goes through my technicians'heads when I see the things they do at a customers home. A funny note this morning I was going over some customers with one of my guys and I remarked how it would suck to have this man's name. He asked which one and I said Henry Kissinger. He told me it was him... I said THE Henry... He said yes and that he gets to go through Secret Service everytime. Who would of thought that the Orkin man had such connections!?!

Orange and me

Behind me you can see the Orange Mime. I have to say that he impresses me even though he isn't that good at what he does. It is fun to see where he pops up over the city though and to see how the crowds react to him. Becky told me I should get a show of my own and have been giving it some thought. I think maybe W.W.W.D. What Would Willie Do? I could play some Willie Nelson music and have people sing along then sell some bracelets for a couple of dollars... It would give me something to do on the weekends at least.

Christmas was great. My family was able to send me some great gifts and I spent the day in Jersey with friends. Christmas Eve, I dressed as Santa and went to a friend's home and did a routine for her son that is 4. It was funny because this kid never stops talking but when he came in and saw me he shocked. I left through the back door and changed into normal clothes and rang the front door bell. He saw me and was still quiet and his mom said that he just had a visit from Santa, so I asked him what he talked to Sant about and he said "I didn't know what to say!". He is a funny kid so it was fun hanging out with him. After that we all went to midnight mass at the local Catholic church. That was interesting but I liked it.

Christmas Day i went to the Ellis home hoping to hang out with David for a few hours but he had alternate plans that involved an attractive Brazilian. I can't say I blame him for it considering I spent part of my Christmas in similar circumstances. When I got home that night I slept like a baby, after eating Chinese food of course. That is my new tradition, Chinese food on Christmas!

I had Tuesday off so i spent the morning cleaning my apartment and getting some groceries then just hanging out with friends the rest of the afternoon. Just add sleeping and working and that was the rest of my week as well. There is a YSA dance tonight up in Harlem that sounds like will get a big turnout so I am looking forward to that especially because the Jersey crowd is planning on coming over for it.

my thought for the day is that I am really getting settled in my life... The thought of actually having kids of my own really scares me! I don't know how people do it, it must just be one of those things you like after it's all done.

PC in NYC!

I got to do a little bit of off road driving yesterday in Brooklyn. We set up 36 rat boxes around a vacant lot that is about to undergo some work. Since this is a big overgrown space and everyone is concerned about rodent migrating to the surrounding areas we were called to set up a defense system. That is the proper way of saying it, I just had fun driving my truck through the hills and grass all over this place. I will admit though that it was in a scary part of town that I wouldn't want to be in late at night, actually i don't want to be there anytime. It was underneath the belt parkway not far from Coney Island but right by the subway depot so it was a dead spot where anything could happen and no one would know.

I am glad that it is Friday and i will have a four day weekend until i return to work and then i will only be working 3 days! It will be a great time to get some reading done and catch up on some sleep. I got some cold from my workers here, it is like having kids, when they get sick, I get sick... It was just a few days of being sore and stuffed up and hopefully I won't get it again for a few months.

I found a great place for Chinese food around the corner from my apartment. I did make the mistake of saying extra spicy because it came out without any spice at all. I should have known better then to confuse them, next time I will just point to the picture and say "1, to go" just to keep it simple. Next I need to try the pizza place that is a couple blocks further. I love having so many things close by to where I live. I might gain 100 pounds but at least it will be close to my house so I won't have to walk far to get fatter.

For the holidays, I am planning on sleeping in and then speding some nice quiet time at home then heading to the Ellis home for the evening. I am actually looking forward to some quiet days of doing nothing. If the weather is nice I might head into manhattan to see what is cooking but other than that no plans and that is a good thing.

Having fun in chinatown!

Steve, my boss, said that I was heartless and crazy for letting my sister navigate her way around the city by herself so he gave me the day off. Of course I had already worked 3 hours and had most of my work done and now I owe him one, but it was nice of him. Becky and I drove into the city and eventually parked at a lot near the Holland tunnel which made for a nice escape. We worked our way accross Canal street where she bought some women purses things for a pretty good price. It was one of those places that we had to follow a little chinese chick a few blocks up and into the basement of a little shopping mart. In the basement it was behind another locked door and it was a paradise for her.

After the collection of her loot, we walked through Chinatown for a little bit and sat in a park down there just to people watch and enjoy the language. It is a fun place to sit and see all the old men shuffle around and play checkers. There was even a bit of music there that made me feel like I was watching a martial arts movie.

We went up to little Italy after that and got some cannollis from Ferrara's. They were good and I want more but I don't want to have a heart attack this year so I might wait a few weeks before I go back.

We went into Jersey and hung out with the Ellis family for a bit and then got some of the good pizza over in Westfield... It really is good there. We made it out to Morristown for institute and then crawled back home to get a few hours rest before heading out this morning. As I type, she is walking around one of the museums in Manhattan and I am hoping to get out of here soon so we can get some food and figure out what the plan is for tonight. I just want some sleep.

Columbus Circle

Becky is in town and I am tired already. I worked a few hours in the morning and then we hit the streets. Not too far from me, there is a town in Queens called Forest Hills. This is a great little community, there is a ton of money there so it is hard to find parking on a street that is public... But we found some and went into town. They have great shops and pizza places and a Tasti D Lite! We grabbed a couple slices from some places then went into Manhattan. There is an express train there so it makes for a fast commute.

We went just about everywhere. From Times Square to Columbus Circle then through Central Park and the Zoo. After that we made our way down to Rockefeller Center to check out the tree and the magic snowflake building. Back in Queens we got some good spaggetti from my man at Luigi's then went back to my place for dinner and Elf.

I slept like a baby. Today is another day and I think we will be heading into Jersey later for some more pizza!

Bryant Park

It was another fun weekend out here on the East Coast. There was another dance in Queens that was kind of a let down, mostly because the Stake President was there in the corner monitoring the social movements of the singles. After the dance I was able to get a few friends back to my apartment and have a sleepover! It was great just haveing people around to talk and laugh with, for a little bit I actually felt like I was back in my old apartment in Utah. I slept for a long time on Saturday to make up for the night before and then went to Manhattan for a few hours.

One downside to my place is that there isn't easy access to the subway so I have to drive a little ways to get near one and then try to find parking. When I was in the city, Cesar and I decided to head to NJ for a sleepover with the same group as Friday. We did that then on Sunday drove to Long Island to attend the singles branch out there. They are a fun group and i think that with a few more visits I might actually want to hang out with them... I am a snob sometimes!

This past week overall has been nice, with Vinny back I was able to get off of work at a decent hour and get some fun in the evenings. I walked over to the mall on night and saw Deja Vu, it was a fun movie, stupid but fun.

This week should be fun and busy. Becky is getting into town tommorrow night and I will be picking her up and then showing her around. juggle that in with work and a budding social life and it will be fun to keep moving. Right now, i am just tired and really can't wait to get home and get some sleep...

Where to start? Firs off, I am now in my own apartment in Queens and I am so happy that I could just sit at home for the next week and not be bored at all!!!

This has been a very fun, busy and stressfull week. On Monday we had an auditor come in to look at some of the commercial accounts that we handle here in the office. He is a nice guy but it gets very tiring putting forward the top game for 3 days straight. I did eat some good food with him though, we did Famous Daves one day for lunch and then had some good mexican food from Cozymels. One day we ate at Applebees but that was because the pizza hut we were going to eat at was infested with roaches so we went accross the street to somewhere safe. I learned a lot of little things that will help make my job a bit easier.

A few nights this past week I met up with some of the Jersey girls to run around the city. This led to some moments where I was led into temptaion to dance and sing "Loosen up my buttons" on the streets of NY and this may have been filmed and posted on myspace accounts of these girls... I really wonder why I do such stupid things but then I realize that I will do just about anything to make a cute girl laugh even if it means throwing my dignity out the window.

The weather here has been very nice this past week and made for some fun trips into the city and to Jersey. I walked the Brooklyn Bridge twice and have ridden a ton of subways and seen some really funny people. On Saturday, I was with Alexis and we both had a good laugh about this man sitting accross from us. It looked like he had purchased some used textbooks and was reading them, the funny part was that he was reading them like they were the funniest things he had ever seen! Thumbing through a high school math book and laughing at it... He is one that I will remember!

David was nice enough to give up his Friday and help me clear out my storage locker and get the last of my junk over here. It took a little longer than I had planned because we were in a commercial vehicle and couldn't drive on certain roads so we had to go the long way to get places. I was able to get him some food from the place I like around the corner from my office so that made it worth it, at least I think it did.

The people that I am renting from are super cool and I look forward getting to know them better. Which brings up an interesting conversation that I have been having a lot lately... Trust. I am not going to start talking deep or anything but I have really been learning that maybe I don't trust people enough, oh well. I doubt that can change, all I am worried about right now is finding a Hello Kitty shower curtain for my bathroom and getting the smoke smell out of the apartment.

Brooklyn Bridge

It has been a nice weekend. I am in the office just to goof around on the computer before I go to church today and i can say that I am actually well rested and relaxed! With just a few more days left until I move into my own place, it seems to me that my life is starting to come together in a way that I am pleased with.

Friday night, I met up with some girls for another run through Manhattan. I got my Tasti D Lite and they were able to skate at Rockerfeller canter. They tried to talk me into it but really, there comes a point in a man's life where he just knows that he will not put on ice skates and look like a 300 pound fool slipping on the ice.

Saturday I slept in and then enjoyed a beautiful afternoon in the city. I went to Canal street but couldn't find anything worth buying so I strolled through Little Italy and Chinatown making my way to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a perfect day to just get some air and see the city. It was also good for me to get some alone time. I had been on friend overload and was starting to get cranky.

This week at work will be a bit stressful, there is another auditor coming in and I will be the one showing him around. If I had more time to get out in the field for some of my own audits I wouldn't be stressing it but since that hasn't happened, I am just praying that things will go smooth and that I won't get yelled at too much. Lucky for me I still fall under the new guy category so I might be safe.

The highlight of the weekend would have to be the Orange Mime that we danced with Saturday night. Really, it takes guts to do that and I have to give the man props, I really don't think that I would dress in orange and athen hit the streets of new york performing but that is just me. I could see my cousin Dave doing that though... I will have to talk him into it.

Chillin with Morgan

So I saw Morgan Freeman and had to get a picture with him! Of course this was outside the wax museum and he really is just a statue but still, I saw Morgan Freeman!!!

Wednesday night I had some time on my hands, the group that I was going to be meeting decided to take a bit longer in getting to the city so I got bored of waiting and went for a stroll on up to 81st st where they were inflating the Macy's parade balloons. It was cool to see them but at the same time it was weird becasue on TV these things look huge and cool. Up close they are just painted garbage bags... It was fun becasue there was a ton of people and it is just fun to listen in on the many different conversations, especially the people from Jersey. I met up with the group at the balloons and we did another round of Dora, Big Bird and Snoopy... We grabbed some pizza and then I got some more Tasti D Lite, it was really good, I even got chocolate sprinkles instead of rainbow. Talk about living life in the fast lane.

Yesterday for Thanksgiving, I was invited to the Ellis home and was able to visit and eat with them and and eclectic group of guests. last night, David and I took off to a friend's house and stayed there until around 2 this morning. I wanted to stay as late as possible to avoid traffic coming back into NY. It was fun, we just messed around and did the usual flirting yelling and teasing that we do best. Some of it was caught on film and when we watched it later that night, I had to ask myself why I do such stupid things? At the time it seems funny but when i watch it later.... i really am an idiot! It is a wonder that I have friends at all with the way I behave.

1 more week and I will be living in my own apartment! Just want to remind everyone of that because I am truly excited to be a lone wolf again.

I am at work today but I am hoping that I won't have to do much work at all but just goof around until I can go home and back to sleep. It sucks being the low man on the totem pole but Steve takes care of me so I will do what I got to do to keep him happy.

A home away from home

Well this is the place that I spend most of my time. It hasn't changed much other than the new furniture which gives me some more working space... Horray! Other than a couple failed attempts to get my motorcycle to the bike shop in Jersey and a couple of activities, i have been tied to this desk and it is starting to get to my head.

This past week was fun overall, even if I was in a pissy mood for most of it. The highlight would probably be Saturday night in NJ. There was a multi-stake activity for the YSA and they had some food talents and dancing and of course, the best part was having a lot of cute girls to flirt with. I will admit that there is one that has got my attention but who knows how long that will last... I saw the new Santa Clause movie that afternoon as well. I was hoping to see Stranger than Fiction but I didn't want to wait an hour for it so i got the next show. It was 2 hours of my life that I will never get back and I can't believe I watched the whole thing! I was able to find some very tasty donuts in Manhattan on Saturday morning though. Across from the temple there was a mini farmers market and they had these apple cinnamon sugar type donuts that were way too good.

Went to church yesterday and listened to our ecentric stake president somewhow tie the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland to being a member of the church. I am sure that he is a great guy underneath but it is might painful to hear and watch him at the pulpit. He likes to fling his arms a lot and pull strange metaphors out of thin air. I met up with Lisa last night and we chatted for a little while and thn played a game of scrabble. She was thumbing through the dictionary at one point nad stopped and said "Stand of fish! that isn't a word!" Then when trying to read the definition, she realized the word was standoffish... We had a good laugh over that one. She won the game, I had some creative words but she was bale to get most of the doulble and triple word scores. i would like to say that I let her win but I didn't. She is going to Utah in a couple of weeks and I told her to look Becky up at the Zoo and I hope she does because they would get along great.

Today will be another day at the grindstone but I need to get out of here early for real today so i can get this bike fixed. I was all ready to do it last week but I realized that I had left my key for the motorcycle at the apartment... I was right next to staten island so i had to double back and that took about an hour so by the time I got to Jersey we tried to get to the shop but couldn't do it in time. Today I have to get it done. Among everything else that is going on I want my motorcycle back and in good repair.

Well, i am being swarmed by the guys so I need to get back to work.

Godiva at Grand Central

Another week complete. I know that soon enough I will be able to stop the madness and start smelling roses but for now, i will just keep plugging away. In some ways it was really routine, Morristown on Thursday, Queens dance on Friday, Manhattan on Saturday, but really this place has become my home. I don't know how to explain it other than to say that this is a great place to be. Whether driving on the NJ turnpike or riding the A train through Brooklyn, or eating some great Godiva dark chocolate in Grand Central Station, I feel at home.

Morristonw on theursady wasn't too bad because the snobby girls didn't show up in full force. it is fun to see how quickly the mean girls will be nice to everyone as soon as they are alone... They have some great strength... Anyways, there is a new nanny in the class, wink, and she seems really nice, wink...

Friday night was the Queens dance and it wasn't fun this time around. For some reason the party never got started and so many people would show up, walk in and then walk right out. The music was a little too heavy on the latin side, even for some of the Latinos. Afterwards though David and I went to a Diner with some of the Jersey girls he brought with him and we were there for a couple of hours eating ice cream and french fries. That was a ton of fun and made the whole night worth it. i worked a few hours on Saturday morning, long enough to get mad at most of the guys working. I really don't understand what is going on in the minds of these men and why they need a babysitter to do their jobs but that is what I do, all day long. The nice thing about it though is that I am really getting past the learning curve now and I am able to do some proper followup with the guys to let them know I am watching.

Saturday night I met up with some friends and we went to a comedy club, the improv on 59th street. It was fun, other than the 2 drink minimum. i don't mind buying overpriced drinks but it would be nice if they were at least tasty. oh well. The comedy was really funny and they made fun of a cowboy from Montana most of the night that sat at the front. After that, we did the usual thing of wondering around Manhattan until we found our way back to Grand Central. I still had a bit of energy so instead of taking the shuttle cross town I walked to my train and it was a nice night so it was a great stroll. Of course by the time I got home I was tired as all get out but I really enjoyed it.

He's busy...

This is just a funny picture. i tried calling Danny the other day and I got his voicemail... well I guess he was too busy to answer his phone but he had some time to take a picture of him in the bathroom! I laughed for a good 10 minutes when I got this one.

We had a regional manager in the office yesterday and he did a follow-up audit to the one that we failed in August. I have been worried about this for some time now just because the termite portion falls onto my shoulders and I didn't want to let anyone down. We passed everything without problems, well other than missing a couple of signatures on some paperwork but that is fixed by driving to the customers house and getting them to sign it. Problem solved and now I am almost stress free.

After seeing Wicked, i decided tht I should read the book. From what people have told me I was prepared to hate the book but I am really into it right now. Sean, my florist in Utah, loves the book and it is one of his favorites to read and I agree with him. It is much darker than the musical and it delves deep into the politics and religion of Oz. Really, it is just a great commentary on our society and very honest with matters of race religion and class. Mostly it feels good just to be reading again. I didn't realize how much i missed sitting back and enjoying a great novel until now. Winter is a great time to read anyways with it getting dark at night.

Tonight I think that I might head out and catch a movie. Not sure yet, maybe the prestige or I just might get some chinese food and stay home. So many tough choices to make. Plans for Friday are going to be fun. There is another Stake dance in Queens. I am hoping that given as much fun as the last one was that there will be a lot more people there this weekend.

On Sunday I forgot it was stake conference and pulled up to a locked church parking lot. I made my way out to the singles ward on long island... They are nice there but kind of nutty too. A perfect combination. I even made it out to Morrstown that night for the CES broadcast and that was really fun. None of the snotty people showed so it was a great group to hang out with for a few hours.

I am hungry so i am thinking chinese food. But some pasta sounds good too.

Naughty Moo

Lacy sent me this picture of Amelia and I love it so I am putting it everywhere i can.

I wish that I had something happy to say right now but I really don't. The last few days at work have been a bear mostly because I haven't been able to get out of the office all that much and do some field work. i know some people might love working in an office but I am going crazy. Yesterday, I went to my truck in the morning and it was raining and I had a flat tire! Changing a flat really isn't that hard to do but it is much nicer when it is warm and dry outisde.

I have become disenchanted with the morristown institute class. To make a long story short, I am sick of meddling girls who have nothing better to do than point out the falws in everyone else around instead of trying to build others up. I know that I am not always nice, but I have reasons. it was nice last night though because I dropped off Frank and David was in the process of making hamburgers and that was some good comfort food. Of course I stayed late because it is always fun talking with David, especially late at night when we are even more goofy than normal. I really don't know how many hours of sleep I am missing but at this point I just figure that it doesn't make that much of difference anymore.

For the weekend, I want to find a good diner in the city. I was there the other night and we ate a place that was worse than the night of Wicked. It was more fun though because now we all have a nasty manhattan food story. At this point I just want to sleep through Saturday but if I do that, work will really suck on Monday so i am going to force myself to find something fun.

One plan that I am looking forward to is on thankgiving eve, I am going to Central Park to watch them inflate the balloons for the big parade. I don't think that I will watch the parade the next day but seeing them the night before will be good enough for me.

Look who's cool?

I took this picture last week after I got a decent haircut by some rapping russians.
So, last night, I met up with Kate and Tanya for dinner and a show. The dinner was crap but the show was incredible. Wicked was everything I was hoping it to be! I even got goosbumps... No tears were shed but I loved the entire thing and I will be going back many times I'm sure. My only complaint is that I couldn't hit the back button and listen to a song again like I can on a CD. Next time around though I will do some more research and find a good place for dinner that not only serves tasty food but a lot of it. i don't mind paying 20 bucks for a plate of spagetti but at that price I would expect it to fill me up at least. It was some funky pasta too that was shaped like aball and had the texture of cheese. oh well, i will chalk that one up in the learning experience catagory.

Work has been busy the last few days and most likely won't be letting up for the next few weeks either. The one good thing to that is that even though there are some 10 or 12 hour days, they go by fast. I need to do something fun in the city this weekend. i am not sure what but if the weather holds nice like this i would be stupid to spend the day at home.

He's single

Here's David!!! I had a fun weekend and I can thank David for that. There was a singles dance Saturday night in the Caldwell stake and he was a hit with a few of the ladies. I really don't know how he pulls it off but he does and that is all that matters. After the dance, we found a diner where we just ate for awhile and talked until 1 or so in the morning. I can't get too specific on the time because it was the end of daylight savings and there is the whole spring ahead fall back thing to figure out and that just gets too complicated.

On my way out to Jersey, I drove through canal street to pick up a couple more watches. I was driving down the street until I saw a guy standing alone with bulging pockets. As soon as I went 4 steps on the street I had another guy ask me if I wanted a watch! I love that place. I haggled for about 20 minutes until I got a couple good watches at a good price. By the time I was done, there were a couple of tourists watching the whole thing and wanting to learn the art of yelling. One guy wanted to know if it was real and I told him most likely not but for 20 bucks, who cares!

Yesterday, I decided to go to a singles branch that I had heard about out on long island. Yesterday was also the day the singles branch decided to go to DC! There were about 10 people there so I stayed for sacrament but took off right after, the people that were there seemed really nice so I will give it a try in a couple weeks. Of course, I am still heading to Jersey a lot but I figure that even though these people are far away at least they are in NY.

I am excited for Tuesday, that is when we are heading to see Wicked. There will be a lot going on with work this week so i am hoping that I will be able to get out of work early enough to get into the city. Of course, every week there is a lot going on with work... there is always something that pops up and makes me wonder why i left Utah in the first place but the wierd thing is that I am really glad i amde the move out here, go figure.

Moo still cuddles!

Spikes

Nick

What a weekend! Time went by too fast and there were far too many people to see to get it all in just a few days. Long story made short, I saw friends family and ate a lot of food. I got a chance to catch up with Nick Saturday morning and just like old times, he slept in and I had to pound on his window and call his house a few times to wake him up. I can't tease him too much about it because I still have a hard time waking up.

Do I miss Utah? Yes. Am I glad to be back in New York? Yes. Going back was great just to see people and enjoy some good compnay. It also reminded me of how clean the state is and how little traffic is on the roads. I forgot that there isn't a stop light on every corner and it doesn't take an hour to go a few miles. Of course I am glad to be abck home here in Queens; loud neighbors, traffic at 6:20 this morning, working with the team here at Orkin... Now it is just a matter of getting all my Utah friends to come out here and see my new way of life.

What am I missing most about Utah? Daniel, Amelia and Samuel. those are some cute kids and I am glad that they haven't completely forgotten me. The singles scene is much more active in Utah but that goes without saying. While home, I recieved a tip about some fun singles out on Long Island so i am thinking about giving it a try. All in all, it was a great time and I am very very tired and want to go to sleep early tonight just so I can start to catch up from my social marathon last week.

My New Buddy

I have arrived in Utah and I am tired. I woke up around four in the morning so I could finish packing and get to the airport with enough time to do the whole securoty thing. I don't know how some people are able to sleep on the plane but they can and i hate them for it. I saw the family yesterday and it was great, I just wsh that I would have been more awake so I could have been more talkative.

This is a picture of little Samuel, he is a calm baby. When he gets fussy he doesn't even cry that loud, of course that is compared to Moo who can be heard across the valley. He is just a small little package that likes to be held...

I jumped on the motorcycle yesterday and made the rounds to visit a few people, I forgot my sunglasses in NY so I dropped be a store to pick up a pair and bought some bue ones by mistake.... This does not make me gay. At least I don't think that it does. I didn't even realize they were blue until a few hours later. I should buy some new ones but I am hoping that noone will notice and I can get by with them until I go home then I will just throw them away.

There are a ton of things to do now that I am here andI don't know if I have enough time to get to them all but I will try.

$20 special on Canal Street

So here's my latest purchase on the streets of Manhattan. My boss really like it so when I come back from Utah, I will schedule an audit close to Canal street that I can take him with. I like the idea of buying from the guys hiding their goods. It is as close to buying drugs as I will ever get so I am enjoying the rush.

On a work issue Vinny, the other Service Manager, had a heart attack on Sunday and is very sick. He won't be back to work for about 6 weeks depending on how another surgery goes. I have cancelled my next training class in Atlanta but my vacation to Utah is still on. I am glad that he will be alright, in a way this will be good for me to juggle most of the responsibilities because when he comes back I will hopefully have this whole learning curve thing behind me.

It has been a rainy day here in NY and I have spent most of it driving from Brooklyn to Long Island... There are some really rich people that live out there. Nice house nice cars and deep pockets. It makes me realize that I am in the wrong business but this is what I am best at so why change now? Besides, this is a great learning experience for when I am ready to start my next big adventure.

Tonight, I really should go to the gym but I think that it will be chinese food and a couple movies for me. Tomorrow is going to be another long day and I just want to get it over with so I can take a nice little vacation.

Dancin' fools

Here is a picture from the dance here in Queens Friday night. I was happy to see my Jersey friends show up even though I was pretty much out of energy the whole night. I have to admit that even though i was tired, it was a very fun dance. The DJ kept things going and going and had a ton of good songs to keep the floor moving. I even met Erica... She is the girl between David and I and she is not only cute but nice!! Which as we all know is a hard combo to find here in NY. Of course, she is from brazil and lives in Jersey so i guess that explains it. David did have an interesting night driving everyone over and back home but that is his story to share and for me to laugh at. Once I am in my apartment, I can have everyone sleep over so they don't have to drive home too late, especially through Brooklyn.

Saturday I worked a few hours in the morning here in the office and hated every second of it. There is something about office work that I really hate. I got out and met up with a couple girls in Manhattan and did a little of everything. We went through Chinatown the shipyard the financial district, across canal street(where I bought a watch I really will never wear just because I talked the guy down to a price I thought he would never go for) Then we went up to central park and hung out there just to get some energy back. I did have a ny moment though because there was a man selling poems. After listening to his story I decided that it would be worth helping him out. He goes by Willie G., the poet of NY. He was homeless but now lives in a mens shelter and by day he writes poems and then sells them. They are not the greatest prose ever written but if and when i see him again, I will buy a few more.

I went to bed early last night and watched a little of Sleepless in Seattle... I am a nerd but it is a cute movie. I am not sure what is happening today yet. I am giving a talk in church later but with the weather staying like this i might ditch the rest and head back into the city for another afternoon in the park.

Central Park

I had to meet up with a technician in Manhattan last night and he was running a few minutes late so I went for a walk around Central Park. I was close to the Met and went up to the resivior there and got this picture. It was a cold day but great for a stroll.

Now I am here at work being swarmed.... Work is just a party

Long overdue

Considering for the last few days I have been a total slob and done nothing but lay in bed wearing my cowboy pjs and watching episodes of NYPD Blue, I started a gym membership. I went to the one around the corner from my office and I got it for one month just to see how I would like it. They don't have everything that I am used to but the have some good cardio equipment and that is the most important for me. I startd with some weights just to get loosened up again and then got on an eliptical for about 30 minutes. I am used to doing 45 to an hour but since it has been a long time 30 minutes was enough to kick my butt. It feels good though and I am hoping that I can get back to going 6 days a week just to cut a few more pounds. On the scale I was still under 285 but that mostly means that i ahve lost some muscle mass. I will check will David to get his agreement. Long story made short, it's time to stop being lazy.

I was given a church talk assignment last Sunday for the 15th, it should be fun. I like how they do it in this branch. A guy walks around church handing out letters. We read the letters and confirm our availability. It kind of feels like Mission Impossible so I feel all stealth. I am thinking that I won't sit on the stand but hide somewhere until it is my turn then drop from the ceiling or something.

I also checked out an apartment that is looking very promising. It is in Glendale which is a nice quiet neighborhood. It is not the greatest place but it is a good size and they only want 850 a month. They are keeping it cheap so that they can get someone that they like and trust to live there. It should be available in about 1 month then I can move in and start getting furniture and having some friends over for movie nights. It will be fun to have a social pad again.

Morning in Manhattan

This morning, I met up with one of my technicians to do an audit of his work. The appointment was on 71st street between Lexington and 3rd ave. It's a nice part of the city and I got lucky and found an open parking spot right near the building. Too bad for Orkin, by the time we finished up I had recieved a parking ticket for not moving before the sweepers came in.

The last few days have been crazy but I am getting used to it. Now after work i go home and eat some dinner than fall asleep. It feels nice to get caught up on all my rest.

Two words.... Sausage Bread!! I had never heard of the stuff before but it is the best thing next to pizza and mexican food. Its a loaf of bread stuffed with sausage peperoni and ham. The bread is really soft too and taste like a crescent. I loved it, good bread and meat... I need to find some more places that sell it, I got this stuff from a place down the street from the office so there are bound to be better Italian bakeries somewhere that will have it.

No big plans for me other than running around the city again this Saturday and I am thinking that I want to see the central park zoo. Just counting the days until I get back to Utah for a visit and to see those kids.

A quick hello

I can say that this was the best weekend that I have had since moving to NYC. Apart from finding the Rotel tomatoes, I had a great time running around and seeing some family.

Saturday, I worked a few hours in the morning by driving out to Riverhead which is out on Long Island and I was able to go early enough to not have to deal with any traffic. For the afternoon, I met up with my friend Shawnee and ran around manhattan with her. Mostly being the nice man and waiting while she did some shopping. We had some good thai food for lunch at Yum Thai Food. Catchy name. It was in Midtown, then we made our way down to Canal street and worked through the crowds and vendors to reach Chinatown. We ended up down on broadway by battery park to get a picture with the bull but it was pretty crowded there so we sat at a park for a while and just hung out in NYC. That has to be my favorte thing to do here. With all the parks they have, it's hard to choose just one.

Sunday, I was getting ready to head into NJ for the afternoon and I got a call from my parent's, they had a few hours with a layover at JFK so I ran over and picked them up. I showed them my apartment and office then took them for a drive around Queens. I think that my driving style scared them a little but hey, it's New York. I even got a couple souveniers from their trip to Europe, lucky me. I got them back to the airport and made my way to Jersey. i stopped in on the Ellis family for a little bit then went to the Ortiz's. Lucky for me Liz was there and David and I were able to ruffle her feathers a little. i really enjoy acting like a 12 year old kid. I guess because it comes so naturally.

Work today is a killer but it will be over soon enough. it is just tough to get back to work after having such a good weekend. This week shouldn't be too bad, I just need to think of something to look forward to.... Maybe more dip.

Eureka!

I know this doesn't seem that great to some people but I have found Rotel in NJ!!! After looking in just about every grocery store in NJ and NY and not finding it, I tried to make my favorite dip using Del Monte tomatoes... It was horrible. When i was in NJ friday night I stopped and some stupid grocery store to get some candy and went to check the tomato aisle to see if they had it and they did, I was shocked and bought 4 cans. Saturday night I bought the velveeta and had myself some great chips and dip. It was great. Enough said.