February Celebrations

It is only the 20th and I’ve already done my fair share of celebrating and/or partying this month. First a Super Bowl watch party, then a Luau office party, then my 1-year NY anniversary celebration, then my and Alex’s 7 months together and then to top it all off, Valentine’s Day!

First was the Super Bowl party on Feb 6. Alex and I went to his brother’s house to watch the Steelers take on the Packers. Of course my Kansas City Chiefs nor either NY football team was in it so the game itself was pretty pointless to me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love football and knew it would be a good game, but it’s just not the same when you don’t have a team to cheer for. So what did I do? I chose a team. I decided to root for Pittsburgh because I have a few co-worker friends who are fans and I wanted them to get a victory. Alex of course decided to go against me and root for Green Bay. It ended up being a pretty good game, even though “my team” didn’t win. Of course Alex knows I hate to lose, as I am competitive by nature, so he did his fair share of rubbing it in that “his team” won, but it was all fun and games. I enjoyed the game, the food, the company and of course, the commercials. I wasn’t as impressed as past years, but there were a few ads that made me laugh or think, “good marketing strategy.” One example of a chuckle ad was the child Darth Vader using his mind power to start the car while his Dad was inside the house pushing the keyless-entry remote starter button (I will talk more about Darth later, weird I know, but you’ll see why). A good example of the latter was the Faith Hill Teleflora ad, where she tells a guy to “write what’s in his heart” as he’s struggling with what to say on a personal note he’s going to send with the flowers he’s sending his girlfriend for Valentine’s Day. He then writes, “Dear Kim, your rack is unreal.” I literally thought, “Funny, reaching the target audience, timely as Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, overall, good strategic planning on this one!” This was one of many ads that I made marketing strategy remarks on and eventually, Alex stopped me and said something like, “Lisa, you’re ruining this for me because I have no idea what you’re talking about.” LOL, I laughed and said “Sorry, I can’t help that my mind works like that, don’t blame me, blame KU’s J-School!” :-)

With NY experiencing a pretty harsh winter, it’s easy to start experiencing a slight case of Seasonal Affective Disorder. That being said, Patch decided to have a Luau at the office! What better to fight the winter blues than a Hawaiian Luau? Because I have the pleasure of planning events as part of my job at Patch, I was lucky enough to help plan and participate in a really great office happy hour fully equipped with decorations, food and drinks! The piña coladas were delicious and let’s just say I left the office this particular Friday feeling pretty good, which worked out nicely as I left work and headed to Arriba Arriba to celebrate my 1-year NY anniversary with my Tio Marty, Alex and friends.

Piña colada, yum!

Alex and I really enjoyed catching up with my Tio, Teddy and Jixxy (2 friends I met through my Tio right after I moved to NY) while eating delicious Mexican food and drinking the best margs in the city! My first time to Arriba Arriba was during my first trip to NYC when I was 18 and underage drinking (sorry Mom). I ended up getting so drunk off just 2 margaritas that I ended the night throwing up in my uncle’s toilet and sleeping on the bathroom floor. During another visit to NYC with 2 of my college roommates, we enjoyed 2 pitchers of margaritas at Arriba during our meal with both Martin and Jim. Then I moved to NY and have been frequenting the restaurant ever since. So when my Tio suggested Arriba Arriba as the venue for my anniversary celebration, I couldn’t think of a better place. During dinner I thought about everything that has taken place in the last year and it definitely put a smile on my face. Like I mentioned in my last post, it truly has been an amazing year and I’m so thankful for all the opportunities I’ve been given and proud of my accomplishments over the past 365 days. It will definitely be a year I will never forget!

Tio Martin, Teddy & Jixxy at Arriba Arriba

Alex and me at Arriba

As of February 9, Alex and I have been together for 7 months. It’s crazy to think how quickly the time went by. Sometimes it feels like just the other day I was crushing on the mailman trying to make small talk and forcing myself to “put myself out there.” I’m typically not a shy person, but when it came to meeting guys, I wasn’t very confident and definitely didn’t ever let guys know I was interested in them. After multiple chats with my sisters and friends about this “Alex guy” I had a crush on, I received enough encouragement to “hit on” him. I’m so glad my flirtatiousness lead to the exchange of numbers and soon after, a first date. Going out on a limb turned out to be totally worth it and Alex and I have been on some amazing dates and continue to really enjoy spending time together. Recently, we’ve been spending our time watching classic movies. It started because Alex would quote movies and I had no idea what he was talking about. I mean I love movies and watch them all the time, but mostly chick flicks and new stuff. You want to quote How to Lost a Guy in 10 days? Be my guest, I bet I’ll beat you to the next line, but if recite dialogue from Scarface, I’m at a loss, or should I say, I was at a loss when Alex did in fact quote Scarface. Other times we’d be flipping through the movie channels on cable and he’d ask me, “Have you seen this, have you seen that” and most of my answers were, “No.” Which would then follow with a, “You’ve never seen (fill in the movie title here)? Are you kidding me? Babe, it’s a classic. How have you never seen it?” I would usually say something smart aleck like, “Babe, I’m not as old as you, this movie was WAY before my time!” LOL, some of the movies were before his time as well, but he of course, had still seen them all. So all this lead to our new thing, watching classic movies together. We started out with Scarface which led to others like the entire Star Wars collection, Indiana Jones movies, Casino, Cleopatra, and the list goes on. To my surprise, I really liked these movies, especially Star Wars. Now I understand what all the hype is about. This type of movie typically doesn’t interest me, but I really enjoyed all 6 movies. Alex is obsessed with Darth Vador (see, told you I would mention good ‘ol Darth again) and his face would seriously light up when his character came on screen. He thinks he is one of the greatest villains of all time and “an all around bad ass.” You know how they say every couple should have a hobby or something they really enjoy doing together? Well, we found our thing, classic movie watching! Needless to say, I’m super thankful to have met such an amazing man and am grateful for the past 7 months!

Last weekend Alex and I celebrated Valentine’s Day on the Sunday before, February 13. I started the day off by going to the gym and then got a much needed manicure and pedicure. Then I headed to the hair salon to get my hair cut and styled. I love getting my hair cut in NYC because a blow out and style is included in the price of the cut. A blow out for those of you who don’t know is when they take a special brush and blow dryer and blow-dry your hair nice and straight. I love when the stylist does this because it only takes about 30 minutes to get my crazy curls from super curly to sleek and straight. I told my stylist I had a Val date that night so she did something a little extra and barrel-curled my straight locks, the outcome was awesome!

It is so rare for my hair to be straight, but when it is, I love it!

Alex picked me up about 5:00pm and was pleasantly surprised to see my new do. He said I looked beautiful and gave me red roses (smart man, lol! ;-) We headed to Benihana, a Japanese Steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan, for our dinner reservation at 5:30pm. Alex had been before and said it was delicious and he was right, it was great. We followed dinner with some ice cream for dessert and then headed to the Empire State Building. Being a New Yorker, Alex had been to the ESB twice before, but it was my first time so I was more than excited to experience one of the world’s most iconic buildings. Considering it was about 9:00pm on a Sunday night and a little windy outside, there wasn’t a line at all. We walked right in and were sent straight to the elevators. When we got to the observation deck and walked out the door, I was breath-taken (I don’t think this is a real word, but you know what I mean). Partly because the wind was twice as intense that high up in the air, but mostly because it was amazing! Everyone knows that the New York City lights are incredible, but seeing them from this point of view was unbelievable. I could see all 5 boroughs, all the famous bridges, Times Square, the Chrysler Building and just about everything else there is to see in this city. It only took me 4 visits and 1 year as a permanent resident of New York to visit the Empire State Building and I’m so glad that when I finally did, it was with Alex. It was an amazing experience and something I will never forget!

Our chef made a rice heart for Valentine's Day

Alex and I at Benihana

Empire State Building entrance

Alex and I riding the elevator up, up and higher up!

Amazing view of the city

New York City baby!

Alex and me on top of the ESB! :-)

I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day last week and a good President’s Day this week. Sorry for those of you who don’t get the day off, I’ll be thinking about you when I’m sleeping in and enjoying my Monday at home! ;-)

2011 So Far

A New Year brings the inevitable - New Year’s resolutions. I have made three resolutions for myself this year. The first, and most important to me is what I like to call Project Get Fit. I started this project in 2010, but plan to really stick with it in 2011. My overall goals are to lose some pounds, tone up, and improve my overall health. So far it has been going well and I can definitely tell I’m gaining muscle mass from all the weights I’ve been lifting. Now I just have to work on the cardio side of things so I can hopefully shed a few pounds. Unfortunately, losing weight is not easy and something I have been struggling with for a few years now and quite frankly, I am sick of it. I am sick of being self conscious about what I wear and how I look. I am sick of looking at pictures of myself and thinking, “Who is that? Do I really look like that?” I am sick of feeling uncomfortable in my own skin so in addition to the 3-4 times a week workouts, I have been dieting. Nothing too drastic like a no carb diet (because I need my energy!), but instead a low cal diet. I track the calories I intake on a daily basis and try to keep it under 1700. I’m hoping once by body adjusts to this, I can drop it again to about 1500 a day. I’m hoping the exercise in conjunction with the eating healthier will help me reach my Project Get Fit goals. So far I have lost 3 lbs, which isn't a lot, but you have to start somewhere, right?

My second resolution is to learn how to cook. I know how to make a few dishes, but I’m trying to widen my knowledge in order to make a wider variety of foods. This resolution goes hand in hand with Project Get Fit as I’ve been making healthy meals I find online. I have tried a few weight watchers recipes and a few from the healthy choice options on the Food Network. My goal is to cook a healthy meal for myself (and usually Alex) one time a week and I’ve kept with it throughout all of January. Some weeks I’ve even cooked twice in one week, which is quite the accomplishment for someone who is used to eating ramon noodles, macaroni & cheese, and peanut butter sandwiches.

My third resolution is to read more. I have never been a huge reader unless it was my college text books or a good gossip magazine. I think this is partly because I never had a whole lot of spare time on my hands and I am not a super fast reader, but I’m not in school anymore and other than work and working out, I have nothing else to do so I’ve taken up reading. At the end of 2010 I read a Nora Roberts novel, Vision in White, the first book in the Bride Quartet, and I loved it. I guess what they say is true, if you find a good book that interests you, you will love reading. I partly owe this new found entertainment to my sisters and Val. They are all book worms and have all encouraged me to read several books that they really enjoyed. I finally did what they said and opened a book and they were right, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks guys, you were right! In 2011 I plan on reading the remaining 3 novels in the Bride Quartet as well as any other titles that sound interesting.

Other than resolutions, January has brought A LOT of severe winter weather. We are talking exponential amounts of snow, sleet, ice and freezing cold temperatures. I have worked from home three days in one month due to the crazy winter storms. At first I thought it was lovely, the pretty white snow outside and all, but now, I am so over it. I am tired of trudging my way through the slushy mess, freezing my buns off, and almost slipping and falling on the way to the subway station. I am hoping Mother Nature will be a little friendlier to NYC during the month of February.

Outside my kitchen window

Trudging through the snow on my way to work one morning

Lots of snow!

Resolutions, snow, January really has brought a lot to the table, but more importantly, yet regrettably, it has taken something very valuable to me, Val. Returning home from my 11-day vacation in KS was odd this time because when I arrived in NY, Val was missing. Ok, so she wasn’t really missing, as in lost, she was just plain gone. The first few days going to and coming home from work were so weird because I usually made the commute with my BFF and co-worker. I will admit, doing this alone was quite the adjustment, but that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst part was not having anyone to eat dinner with and talk to at night. My roommate Katy works late hours so by the time she gets home from work, I am already headed to my room to read, relax and go to bed. When Val was my roomie, we always had nice chats, sometimes about important things other times about nothing at all, but nevertheless, she was there to talk to me. I’m slowly getting used to coming home to an empty house, and working out in the evenings has helped fill the void, but still, Val is missed. I’m just grateful that she got to spend 4 months in New York with me. We were already close, but I think being roomies in a big, brand new city brought us even closer. We talk on the phone and skype in order to keep in touch and as long as we continue to do so, all will be well.

January came and went in the blink of en eye and before I knew it, February was upon me. Thursday, February 3 was especially notable as it was my one-year anniversary in New York City. I moved to the city on Feb 3, 2010 and I can’t believe an entire year has gone by already. Although the year went by so quickly, I feel like it was a really important year for me. It was my first year out of school. It was the year I worked at my first real job. It was the first year I was living in the real world, paying bills and being a responsible adult. And of course, it was the first year living in one of the biggest and most exciting cities in the world. There were definitely trying times and feelings of fear and uncertainty, but getting through that brought feelings of excitement and accomplishment. Sometimes I still look back and think, what the heck was I thinking? How did I bring myself to pack up and move away from my family, friends and everything familiar to me to live in a place where everything was unknown? I honestly don’t know how (or sometimes even why), but I’m so glad I did. I have learned so much from the experience and it’s definitely one I will never forget and always cherish. I can’t even begin to describe all the things I’ve gained in just one short year, but one that I must mention is the better understanding of myself. I feel like the harder you push yourself and the bigger chance you take, the more you learn about yourself. You know what they say, the bigger the risk, the greater the reward and let me just attempt to say this without sounding conceited; I’m very proud of myself for what I have accomplished in my professional and personal life over the past year. My Tio Martin is proud too so we're going out to celebrate my 1-year NY anniversary next Friday! ;-)

February 9 is Alex and my 7th month together and February 14 is of course Valentine’s Day so needless to say, February should be a good month. This will be my first Valentine’s Day in YEARS that I have had a Valentine so I’m super grateful to have someone as great as Alex to spend it with. In the few short months we have been together I have been so happy and it’s so nice to be reminded how wonderful relationships can be when you’re with a great person. After so many years of being single, I slowly forgot what it felt like to be loved and appreciated. Don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot from being single and I don’t regret at all spending all those years by myself because I think it taught me a lot about myself and how to be independent. It also allowed me to grow and understand myself better which in turn made me realize what I want in life and what I want and need out of a relationship and I’m happy to say that Alex fits the mold. Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone, I hope everyone gets the love they deserve on the 14th and every day of the year! ;-)

Then till Now

Wow, I can’t believe my last update was December 16, over a month and a half ago. Just when I was starting to get good about posting more often, I fell off the wagon. Sorry to all of my loyal readers. Just think of it as I gave you a LONG holiday vacation from reading. Now that we are a month into the New Year, it’s time that I get back on the saddle, so here I go. Giddy up!

As always, the holidays were crazy, fun and busy. Some of the highlights were:

It was the first year that I sent out my own holiday cards. I typically am included in my parents’ card, but since I’m on my own this year, I decided to go ahead and send everyone a card from NYC. I also received quite a few cards from family and friends which was really great because I love getting mail (other than bills!)

I went Christmas shopping in the city, which was quite the experience. I know shopping around the holidays is crazy no matter where you are, but shopping in the city was insane. I felt so overwhelmed and claustrophobic so I went in, got what I needed to get and got the heck out!

I watched the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting on TV and then Alex took me (and his daughter and his daughter’s friend) to see the tree a few days later. It was spectacular. I know it looks big on TV, but let me tell you, that tree is huge. It was a really fun night that started out by going to Rock Center, eating street vendor honey roasted peanuts, then was proceeded by touring the famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral and driving to Pelham Parkway to see amazing Christmas light displays.

Alex & me in front of the Rock Center Christmas Tree

The most elaborate Christmas light display I've ever seen

Nativity Scene portion of the light display

Katy and I threw a little Going Away/Holiday Party the weekend before Val left. We had snacks and drinks at the house and then headed to a local bar for a few going away shots. It was super sad to see Val go, but I’m so glad I got to spend 4 awesome months with one of my best friends in NYC. Our roomie experience is something I will never forget.

Val's Going Away / Holiday Party

Val is basically a hunk magnet! ;-)

Going Away Shot (#2 I think)

My friends Irina was in town from Switzerland!

My company holiday party, Patch the Halls, was the Tuesday before I left for holiday vacation and turned out to be a fun night. I was on the planning committee so I was doing a bit of behind the scenes stuff, but I still managed to have a good time.

Patch the Halls Holiday Party

The morning after the holiday party, we all (Blake, DJ, Val & I) woke up at 6:00am to embark on our journey back to Kansas. We met up with my Tio Martin in Jersey then headed west. This was my first ever road trip and let me tell you, after approximately 22 hours on the road, it might be my last. My Tio and I took turns driving so it honestly wasn’t too bad. I was so excited to arrive at my parents’ house, but considering it was around 3:30 in the morning, all I really wanted to do was hit the sack.

I spent my first full day back in Kansas by partaking in holiday traditions. I baked Banana Nut Bread with my mom, wrapped Christmas presents, and spent time with my family – my absolute favorite thing to do in the world!

Before I knew it, Christmas Eve was upon us and as always, the Zarate clan celebrated with brunch and opening gifts. Sitting around the table, then the fire with my Grandma, parents, sisters, brother-in-laws, niece and nephews was more special to me this year than any other year. The pics tell the story.

Jaxson & Adurina at Christmas Eve brunch

Carson rocking his new KU hat and chair

Jax & Aunt Wesa

Drina & Mina Sesa

Carson & Auntie Lisa

3 of my favorite people in the world!

I went to Christmas Eve mass with my family then we all headed to my Abuela’s. As always, we ate, drank, played games, chatted and stayed up until midnight waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. Once he did, we began opening gifts and sharing memories until the wee hours of the morning.

Cousinly love on Christmas Eve

Because my mom’s family does the Starks Holiday Party – a celebration of Thanksgiving and Christmas in early December – we no longer have Christmas Day on my mom’s side of the family, which is why my Christmas day was spent resting and relaxing. I stayed home with my mom and dad watching Christmas movies and let me tell you, it was lovely. I, of course, am sad that I had to miss the Starks Holiday Party and I can’t wait to see my mom’s side of the family again in 2011.

I spent the few days after Christmas and before New Years spending time with my family and friends. I, of course, soaked up Jaxson, Audrina and Carson as much as I possibly could. I just couldn’t get enough of them so I took hundreds of pictures, proof below!

Lovable Jaxson

Princess Audrina

Sweet baby Carson

The next thing I knew, Alex was on a plane to Kansas City. I was so excited for him to meet my family and get to know more about where I come from. He was only in town for 4 full days, but let me tell you, it was go, go, go the entire time. I wanted him to see as many people and places as he possibly could in such a short time frame. He got to spend New Year’s Eve at the annual Zarate NYE bash. We had fun talking, dancing, drinking, chatting, and playing beer pong with family and friends.

Alex & I at Allen Field House - A Kansas trip must see!

Alex & I on New Year's Eve

My parents dancing on NYE - aren't they so cute!

On New Year’s Day Alex and I ate a delicious barbeque lunch with my mom. I just couldn’t have Alex leave Kansas without tasting some delicious KC BBQ. That night we met up with my girlfriends and their boyfriend’s for dinner on the plaza and then went double date bowling with Blake and Val. Although I’m sure Val is going to hate me for pointing this out, but Alex and I won both games of bowling! ;-)

After almost 2 weeks in Kansas, the first Sunday in January came and it was time for Alex and I to hop on a plane back to New York. It is always hard to say goodbye, but this time was really difficult. I think it was a combination of a couple of different things. 1) I visited for so long this time and got used to being home that leaving was harder. 2) As the kids get older, it is harder and harder to leave them because they understand that I’m not coming back for a while. 3) I know the longer I live in NY, the more my sisters and parents find it difficult to be without me and it breaks my heart. The good news is, I am very good about visiting so I fight the tears with the thoughts that I will be home again soon. And it’s true, my flight is already booked for a trip home in April for Easter! Having a concrete date in my mind of when I will be home again makes being gone easier for both my family and me. I am already looking forward to Spring!

Well that brings me into the New Year and I have a great feeling about what 2011 has in store. I will catch you up on January in my next post, and I promise it won’t be months from now! ;-)