New York, Baby!

So a few weeks ago Seth and I were thinking of moving to New York (for a few months, and then moving to L.A.) so we decided to take a trip up there to check it out. Mid-week, we decided that we couldn't afford to live in NYC, so we almost cancelled the trip. Then I realized if we were moving, we wouldn't be able to see Ryan and Lauren for a long long long time and we wouldn't have our last little weekend trip to New York (closure to the east coast living). So we took the bus up and spent an awesome weekend with Ryan and Lauren.

Okay, timeout. Seth and I are STILL talking about how amazing Ryan and Lauren's house is. To see pictures, you can go to their blog: http://woodyoureadthis.blogspot.com/2008/06/real-estate-express.html
It's AMAZING. And HUGE for New York. We are still just amazed at it.

Time in. So we took the bus up, and got into Washington Heights at about 1 AM. We sat around and talked for a bit, then rested up for our big day on Saturday!! Instead of hitting the normal stops, we decided to go down to ground zero and battery park and see the Stanton Island Ferry and the Statue of Liberty. It was so fun to see a different part of NYC! We ate lunch at this amazing place that had the most AWESOME onion strings ever. Who ever thought that onion rings would be better than onion STRINGS? I submit we should revolutionize the world and provide these onion strings in every restaurant in the world. Mmmmm. I can't even find a picture to do these justice. Mmmmmmm.

Lauren and I really really really wanted to go to Serendipity, and I think it was "Serendipitous" that we went down there, even when we ended up not eating there. Sigh. See, as we were on our way, we passed "American Kennels", a famous dog and cat store. We looked in the window and saw the cutest little mini Yorkie, which I temporarily declared I wanted. We then walked in the store. Lauren said "ohhh look at her!" and I turned and saw.....the MOST adorable little mini toy white adorable chihuahua in the world. I'm not one to use "Cute" and "Chihuahua" in the same sentence, but if you would have seen this doll, you would have said the same. She looked at me, turned her head to the side, and kind of spit her tongue out a little. I was in love.

Lauren is braver than I am, so she asked if she could hold her. Once I saw her holding (okay, Ryan named her LuLu) LuLu, I couldn't take it. I had to hold her. Lauren handed her over and little 3 lb LuLu cuddled up on my chest and fell fast asleep. I teared up. I REALLY had to have her. I turned to Seth with my puppy dog eyes and asked if we could get her. Seth is so cute, of course he said "Yes Janey, if you really want her we can get her!" (he's so nice!) so I turned to the man at the desk and asked how much......

$2300. It was devastating. I mean, how can you say "oh, i won't buy the only dog i've ever loved who totally loves me and cuddles with me and makes my heart sing with joy, because she's just too darn expensive" HELLO!!!! One CANNOT equate love and money. I was so torn. We held her and debated forever (sorry Ryan and Lauren!) and finally left the store to "think about it". We debated for hours, and finally decided not to.

Suffice it to say that for the next week I was talking non stop about LuLu, crying at night and dreaming about her and how much I wanted her. And I called the store three times to see if she was still there. She was every time, but they wouldn't come down on the price nor be nice on the phone, and poor customer service is the biggest turnoff to me. So....then we decided to move to LA anyway, and seriously, how in the world could we move with a little 3 month old (potty trained, i might add, LuLu was just perfect) puppy across the country when we hardly knew how to move ourselves? Sigh....so I hope LuLu went to an awesome upper-east side billionaire family who loves her and feeds her thousand dollar dog food and holds her all day long. She'll be happy there.

Okay, so back to New York. The four of us FINALLY got a picture together!!!



YAY! This is in central park on a pretty bridge. Right after our husbands bought us THIS:



That's right. Cotton Candy. How could a day get better?

Ohhh, let me TELL YOU how a day can get better!!!! Actually, let me SHOW YOU:



YUMMY CUPCAKES!!! That's an oreo and a raspberry swirl. They were DELICIOUS.

After cupcakes, Lauren had to go work (boo) so we went back to the apartment and the guys played Mario Cart:



And Ryan IMed with Lauren on their iPhones (because they've got 3Gs!) Ryan works for the Apple Store on 5th Ave, so he gots the hookups. They were the first two people in new york to have the new iPhones, cool huh?



Ohhh, also on Saturday we WENT to 5th Avenue to Window shop. We went to Tiffany & Co. and saw the coolest thing...it's a PURE gold SCARF...made out of gold chain link meshy stuff...



It seriously feels like silk, but is totally heavy. It's so cool, and also the most odd thing ever. Lauren tried it on, and it actually looked cool on. We stood and gawked at it for a good 15 minutes. Lauren, just wait for Christmas, you might have a surprise under the tree, haha!

Mmmm So this post is getting long, sorry!

Anyway, so then on Sunday morning we went to Ryan and Lauren's ward. It was so funny, while we were in the foyer, Brian Gee walked past!! We ran around to the other side of the church to talk to him. He's getting married pretty soon to a totally cute girl who is also an actress! Fun times, having three people from Sugar City standing in a chapel on the Upper West Side in New York City. Ahhh the directions life takes us.

After church and yummy turkey Sandwiches, Seth and I took off for DC again. It was SUCH a fun trip. New York is definitely one of my favorite busy cities, and hopefully we'll go back soon!! Thanks for fun couples trip Ryan and Lauren!!!

The Democratic National Convention

I feel like I'm posting backwards because I have so much to catch up on, but I just have to post things as they're coming to be because...well because life is crazy and it's one of the few times in my life where I've felt more disorganized than ever (but still holding it together, thank goodness!). SO bear with me...or just don't read...this one is kind of silly.

Right now I'm at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO. It's INTENSE man. We got here Saturday night, and we're here until Friday. It's been a growing experience for me. I am still surprised at the things I've faced, but it's been good for me personally and professionally.

A few highlights. Sunday Night we got to go to the NDI Opening Reception and hear Howard Dean, Madeline Albright, Nancy Pelosi, Ken Wollack, & Mr. Stanford speak. Also, Sunday was quite possibly the most stressful day of my life. LOST IT at the end of the day and called my sweet husband to wake him up at 2 AM his time to cry to him. I love that guy.

Monday was relatively stress free. Still worked super duper hard, just knew more what to expect. Went to some panels, listened to some great speakers. My favorite was Katty Kay. She's just so cute. (BBC News Correspondent). I think my other favorite quote had to do with the public not supporting a VP nomination for Hillary for fear of having three presidents in the white house, and America can hardly handle one. Haha, funny News Man.

Also, on Monday, while running an errand, I saw this:


That would be the riot cavalry. Most of the riot police ride on trucks around the city all day, just waiting to surround protesters. These guys were coming in AFTER the riot police to clear out the crowds that stopped, trying to figure out who was protesting what, and why the riot police had their sticks out like there was a war to be fought. Ahhh, the safety precations we take for free speechers. :)

Mmmm which brings us to today. This morning I got to see Bill Clinton speak on a panel with the former presidents of 10 other countries, introduced by Jack Staley and Madeline Albright. It was quite an amazing experience. Here, I was about 20 feet away from former Pres. Clinton. Later, I was 5 feet away.



Then comes the best part. Went to pick up some credentials, which happened to be inside the Pepsi Center. And since I was there to pick up the credentials, I got to run down with one of the passes just to get a glimpse of it all.

Ironic, the words on the stage at the time of picture taking. (Seth pointed that out....he loves it and said he's pasting it to my checkbook). But Seriously, like 20 feet from the podium? Kind of crazy and unreal! (I can honestly say I NEVER once thought in my life that I would set foot inside a convention, but it was still awesome)

Mmmm so then I walked past the CNN booth and Wolf Blitzer looked at me. Seriously, we made eye contact. He wears a lot of makeup for TV. But so does Anderson Cooper, and on TV they both look normal, so I'm not going to complain.

SOOOOOOOO, anyone who made it through this post deserves a prize...a little random, I know. But hey, that's what blogs are for, right?? Can everyone pray that I make it until Friday??

Beverly Hills, that's where we want to be!!

Drumroll.....

So this sign is going to become a permanent fixture in the window of our new apartment!! That's right friends, Seth and I are moving to Los Angeles, CA!!!!

Just a few minutes ago, we confirmed (thank you Luke!) our housing in a little neighborhood right between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. Aparently the neighborhood is fantastic, safe, and full California fun.

I just started writing about all the great things that have come from us living in DC, but I need to save it for another post because there's far too much to write AND I just started tearing up, and I've GOT to hold it together, haha. (yeah, right, i'm really good at that!).

Hugh's Retirement Party

So a few months ago, my boss, Hugh Feehan, unexpectedly retired! While it was a shock to all of us, it was a decision that Hugh made and I think all in all it's been good for him--I mean who WOULDN'T enjoy retired life!!! (I'm considering it in the next few months...errr...years) :) I really miss him--he's the nicest man. When I first met him I called dad and told him that he reminded me of a mixture of Santa Clause and Roy Rogers. He's just so friendly and fun and thoughtful. I'm glad I had the chance to work with him and begin to gain an understanding of the Investment world. (mixture of friendships, relationships, politics, and playing your cards right...)

The best part about it all is that SGC threw him a retirement party that was fantastic!!!! I wish I could have taken pictures of all the food--from a Crabcake bar, to a create your own ceasar salad, to seth's favorite ever jumbo cajun shrimp, the empanadas, the beef tenderloin, the grilled veggies...mmmm mmmm mmm.

Here we are with Hugh!
And Hugh's Speech:
Note the globe next to him. His retirement gift that said "May all your circumnavigations end at home"
Heidi, party planner extraordinaire, giving her speech
And Ed Garlich, the founder of WRG and one of my favorite people ever!
And this is seth's impression of my fake smile. He does a good impression! :)

Haircut!!!

My Hairs are all Cut and I think I lost 4 pounds! (um seriously)

Just a little background....

Oh about two years ago my hair stylist Meredith helped me make the decision to grow my hair out. I was nervous but excited with the thought--and in the back of my mind thought it would be so fun to have long hair for the wedding. Well, my hair got SUPER long in two years time, and when Seth and I got engaged I was so excited to be able to have uber long hair for our wedding. About a month later I got so excited that AFTER the wedding I could cut it! AND, bonus, it was long enough that I could donate it!

At this point, I had started getting my hair cut by my long time friend from high school, DJ Miller (Now he goes by Del). He's the head stylist at the Aveda Salon on Pentagon Row. It's so fun every time I go in because we get to catch up on all the Sugar City life, and we can talk about our lives now! It's like a blast from the past every time i go in, i love it.

Okay, so last night I asked Seth to take a picture of my long hair one more time....


And then today I brought him in to tape Del cutting it off. We cut off about 8 inches, and still had plenty for the style! Here's the video!


And the finished product! (Okay so i had just woken up from a little nap, so my bangs are a little slicked back...normally they fall just like the picture...)
Couple Shot!

And Another!


Me with my Julies, who came to dinner tonight. She's on a medical BRAT diet (Banana, Rice, Applesauce, & Toast) so we had a dinner of RICE BALLS with BANANAS in the Middle with some APPLESAUCE drizzle. It was tasty, thanks for coming over Julies!!! :)

Pretending to be seductive, hee hee.

What about Bob

This is how my hair looks today:


And this is how it should look tomorrow:


And this is why:


For More Information, Click Here

Oh...two more!

Mommy just sent me some pictures from the Arizona reception and i just HAD to post a few.....they're so cute!

After the Wedding

I promise to post about the wedding, I just want to wait until I get all the pictures from the shower and my official wedding pictures (they're in the mail on a dvd!)

I just can't help but write tonight about how GRATEFUL I am for FAMILY and FRIENDS and the tremendous support from EVERYONE!!!! I feel so lucky to be surrounded by people that I love so much.

When I think of the wedding, I can't help but just have flashes of all the "DETAILS" that went into everything. As I was wandering around being a bride, I took in all the DETAILS that I've been processing still for the past two weeks. The organizing, the stepping in to help, the "going out of the way to-do-a-task that janey would love" the little hugs, the helping hands, the smallest details in the reception that made everything perfect, the wink or smile or nudge, the sighs of relief, the nod of understanding from afar......in my dreams at night and during my daydreams, I just see these little flashes in my head of all the people and things that went in to making our Wedding so special.

I don't know how I can ever really express all of my "Thank You's" adequately to Mom & Dad, to Gina & Curt, to our Siblings who traveled from everywhere and ALL took the time to help at every opportunity, the aunts, uncles, & cousins (who also traveled from everywhere!), friends, and loved ones who made the sacrifices to come and be with us on our special day. We are SO GRATEFUL and SO HAPPY that we were able to spend time with everyone and be together in Celebration!!!! We are also grateful for our "Friends and Family" from afar who weren't able to make it. We know of your support and love and appreciate you all so much!

Most of all, I'm FILLED with gratitude for my amazing husband, Seth. These past 15 days have just been a dream! I don't know why I'm still surprised (but happy) to see that Seth is so caring, understanding, sweet, fun, adventurous, humorous, and overall just as close to perfect as they come (Gina was right, he is the perfect boy!) We had a perfect honeymoon in Hawaii filled with fun, adventure, and sweet surprises (not to mention Haupia Ice Cream...mmm). After our honeymoon we got to spend another week in Arizona with the Johnsons. I don't think Seth and I left each other's sides for more than an hour or two throughout the past two weeks--it has been blissful. I have a feeling that our marriage will be one of bliss for quite some time--I just am enjoying every moment and basking in the knowledge that we have each other forever. FOREVER! Yay!

Wedding Candids

So much to catch up on, so little time!!!

While you're waiting (I'll post more next week) here are some candids from the sisters blogs & a few others.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043419&l=1e331&id=21204440

If you have pictures from the wedding, it would be AWESOME if you could upload them into a Picasa Webalbum (the biggest size AKA longest upload) I'd love to start my collection! Please send them my way!

I'll post more about this later, but the wedding was LOVELY. Many thanks to friends and family who bent over backwards to make things perfect, it really turned out PERFECT. I couldn't be happier about how everything turned out, and I LOVE being married to that amazing Seth Johnson. Sigh. Off to go pick some mangos for breakfast!

Update! Thanks to CJ we have some of the in-laws!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/willowquest/SethJaneSWeddingWeekend

Golf Tourney!

The company I work for is one of the sponsors for the AT&T National Tiger Woods Tournament, so we got to go for work on their Practice Round Day! It just happens that our cute intern, Ali, has all the hookups, as her dad runs the Tiger Woods foundation. We got to eat lunch in the Players lunch area! (Not that I know who any of these players ARE, but it was still SUPER cool :)

Coworker Lauren Showing us the Golf Course:



At one of the Tee-Off places:



At our Tent: (Jane, Ali, Lauren, Heidi, Patrick)



So FUN!