It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's official- Christmas is coming!
This last week I welcomed in the holiday season by seeing two fabulous Christmas shows.
There is nothing to get you in the holiday spirit like the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Thanks to Kevin for the tickets- it was great to see him on stage kicking up his heels!

I also saw the new Broadway show "Elf." So charming. So funny. So great to have such talented friends!!!

Halloween Weekend!

I have never been big on Halloween. Ever since I have been too old for trick-or-treating, there does not seem to be that much to celebrate about October 31st.
However, this year I had something to celebrate. My old college friend Lee came to town to visit. Yahoo!!!
We had a blast seeing mutual friends, celebrating Jen Dahl's bday, dressing up and hitting a haunted house, Halloween parties in the village, brunching with friends Josh and Jeff, and generally just enjoying NYC in the fall.
Come back and visit again soon Lee!

Lee getting into his "Sexy welder" costume

John pre-gaming in the hotel room

Brunch with Josh, Jeff, Lee, and Karyn

Day Trip to Princeton

New York winters are worse than Idaho winters. New York summers are miserable, smelly, crowded, and gross. New York springs last for about 5 minutes. However, New York fall... ohhh.... beautiful glorious fall. How I love you.
Last weekend Seth and I decided to take a road trip out to Princeton, New Jersey to brunch, wander, and enjoy the fall colors, ivy draped buildings, and cute collegiate coeds.
This campus is GORGEOUS! Ivy covered stone buildings, multi-colored fall foliage, anxious students in sweatpants and backpacks... it was the epitome of university life.








After our day of traditional Americana, we hit the other end of the spectrum and went to the Cirque du Soleil show Draglion. It was the perfect day (and the perfect company) enjoying both long established convention, and the modern ridiculous.

Where Did Everybody Go?

It is going to be a strange holiday season. Several of my usual gang will be gone.
Carlos is heading to Florida for two months doing a show. Joey is leaving on tour doing the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Paul is still in Cali/Hawaii for three more weeks. Joe is in Guatemala. Wade is cruising in Hawaii until February. Adam is doing a holiday show until January out of state.
Before Joey and Carlos left, we had a final night with the remaining few. As always, we gathered at Nobu. Sad goodbyes are always made better when taken with high end sushi and pina martinis.

You can ALWAYS go Home again

(Yeah, this is where I am from. Your town can suck it!).

After a fun filled week in Cali with Paul, I flew to SLC where I was able to spend time with my grandma, cousin Jared, other family members, and ultimately made my way to my hometown of Rexburg, ID to see the fam. I love being home. I am sure my family thinks I am the laziest person alive as whenever I go home I am asleep by 10pm, sleep in, lounge around in jammies, and make no effort to do anything productive. My daily routine is: play with my niece and nephews (the greatest kids ever), eat, sleep, repeat.
There is no place like home.

San Francisco Baby!

The culmination of day 4 of our West coast road trip was arriving in San Francisco (during rush hour- kill me- I am SO glad I was only navigating and not driving). Not only did we get to spend a night in one of my favorite cities, but our good NYC friend Josh happened to be in town for a few weeks working on a new show. We picked up Josh and drove across the Golden Gate to the San Fran headlands, and then to Tiburon and Sausalito for dinner.
Great city, fabulous company, lifetime memories.

The West Coast Road Trip Continues: Day 4

Day 4: Cambria
There is nothing like waking up, walking outside your door, and stepping onto the beach and smelling the ocean air. Oh Cambria, why are you so spectacular? This is the first thing I want to see every morning.






After leaving Cambria (reluctantly), we began our drive through Big Sur and some of the most spectacularly gorgeous sights this country has to offer. Windy roads through Pine tree covered mountains on one side, and cliffs overlooking ocean waves crashing on the other. Stunning. Of course, it is made even better when the weather is perfect and tunes are blaring out of the convertible car speakers.
Along the way, we stopped in a couple spots for impromptu hikes. Always a surprise. Each stop better than the last.









Nepenthe:
As we made our way (eating and drinking our way up the coast), I was excited to visit Nepenthe- voted one of the most scenic dining locations in the country (and I had been hearing about it for years from Paul). I was not disappointed. There are no words- only these. If you are ever driving through Big Sur, make it a priority to stop here. Breathtaking! And the food wasn't bad either!





Carmel:
After Nepenthe, we headed up to Carmel to spend some time on the beach and walking around town. Sorry you weren't with us mom- I know you would have LOVED this day!