Taylor Freaking Swift

TAYLOR SWIFT

I have had the most amazing past two Saturdays. One was definitely better than the other, but let me explain. I bought tickets to Taylor Swift back in, I don't know, maybe... February? I knew I HAD to see her this year (as one of my new year's resolutions actually), so when my tax returns came back BOOM they were bought. I didn't know who was going to join me, but I had two tickets to see Taylor Swift at the Giant's stadium in NJ just outside of the city. I had invited a friend from upstate, my boyfriend, and my mom and of course mom pulled through, well, so I thought. 

The morning of the concert she called me when she was sitting in her driveway upstate all packed up and ready to go, but she was feeling super uneasy in her stomach and was worried about pushing it (she had been sick all week prior to the show). I told her that health trumps and she should stay home as I was sure I would find someone else... I mean who wouldn't want to go to a Taylor Swift concert for free with me!? Well, turns out finding someone last minute is not as easy as I thought. I made the trek alone. I was super excited and didn't think anything could stop me from having a good night. That was until I went to meet a friend after Ed Sheeran played an opening set just before Taylor took the stage. I met her, grabbed a drink, and went back to my seat. I took my backpack off and opened the flap to grab my camera and well, it wasn't there. I went back to where I purchased the drink, back to the restroom I used while I was up, and went by guest services but found nothing. Somehow in that 10-15 minutes someone must have grabbed it out of my bag, it had fallen out of my bag, I set it on the counter while I was getting my wallet out and never put it back, or SOMETHING, but it's gone... forever. I didn't want it to ruin the show but I couldn't let it go. This was also the first concert I have been to alone and everyone else was with their moms or friends and I think it just sunk me to a new level of low because I called Mom and ended up crying because I was just so upset and lonely and wanted someone to share the experience with. (She might have been playing a slow song too) Talking to mom helped a lot and I was able to cheer up and enjoy the rest of the show and make friends with the girls sitting next to me. I don't have many pictures from that night obviously and my phone is a P.O.S. sooo I only have a few things to look back on from that show.

I went along my week trying to get over the show not being as much as a success as I had envisioned, but was still super bummed all week by not having enjoyed it with my mom. I was really looking forward to sharing that memory with her and seeing her and catching up. Well, the more I talked to mom during the week and realized Taylor was playing again in Philadelphia the more my dream became a reality... we were going to see Taylor Swift, AGAIN! 

We met at my brothers house in Phili and took off from there. On the way to the venue we couldn't find on mom's stub hub account our tickets. We checked her bank account and email and realized um... she never bought the tickets. WHAT?! It was about 5:45 and we were on our way to the 6:30 show with NO tickets! I got on stub hub on our smartphones and hah well, purchased tickets on the floor for cheaper than our original tickets! We scooped in and picked them up and by 6:30 we were seating on the floor of the stadium. It was incredible. 

We watched Ed Sheeran open and he was amazing of course. It was minutes before Taylor was supposed to take the stage and an announcement came over the loud speaker telling everyone to leave their seats and take cover because of severe weather in the area. WHAT!? I thought I was cursed from ever enjoying a T Swift concert. I was so nervous we wouldn't see her and it would get rained out. We spent about an hour under cover and ate a hot dog, had girl talk, watched some killer lighting, cooled off with some rain, then returned to our seats just in time for Taylor to start at 10:30. 

The rest was history. She was and is incredible. She walked right next to where we were standing! What a show. She played everything I wanted. I will never miss another Taylor Swift tour, and hopefully I can catch her twice from now on. 

I'm still floating.

Summer upstate and in the city

Since getting back from Utah I have tried to live up summer in NY as much as possible. It is pretty miserable outside considering it is about 90 degrees plus humidity but I've been trying to make the most of it. I went upstate and saw mom for a long weekend before the forth, which was amazing. It rained I think everyday I was there and I honestly didn't mind. I spent the majority of the time going through my room and reorganizing and getting rid of things I no longer need. Also, mom's garden is exploding because of all of the rain, which made for some pretty BOMB salads and snacks while I was home. MMM!

Me and mom also went and got our necessary mani-pedi at our favorite spot. We decided to go with gel nails in a french mani and I went with red toes, while mom went with purple. 

Worth every penny. 

The only other thing to do in NYC when it is this hot is to bike, run, and go to the beach! (Oh and go on one or two dates with my main man, of course) We are THRILLED they have a huge bike lane connecting Queens and Brooklyn. We have friends in Brooklyn so it makes is very convenient and safe(isn) to get there and back in only 30 minutes. 

 <- My favorite restaurant/date place right now. La Lanterina in Manhattan. Indoor patio which is adorable with divine italian food. As close to the real thing as I've found in NYC.

 <- The family I nanny is in Malaysia for 10 days, hence all  the play and little work I've been doing. I sure do miss this little nugget though. 

 <- There is an awesome and huge cemetary right down the road from the apartment where Zach and I go running. It has been super hot but it still feels cooler running through grass with trees then running on concrete through buildings. 

 <- Rockaway Beach is my new ultimate favorite spot this summer. Oh and Rockaway Tacos is a MUST for anyone that goes. $3.50 fish tacos, and at least a 30 minute wait but are well worth it. (picture to come with next visit, I ate it too fast and realized I missed the photo op)

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Oh I almost forgot, JULY 4th! We kinda celebrated on July 3rd and went to the Mets game. They had student tickets for $9 and had a firework show after! It was AWESOME. The fireworks went all around the top of the stadium, down in the field, and had a crazy light show included all synced to music! I was very pleased with the fireworks we got this year, even though it was a day early. 

On July 4th Zach had to work so I was left home organizing and unpacking from my trip upstate. I texted my friend from elementary school who I've recently gotten in touch with and went and met her on 2nd ave at her friend's apartment. Her friend just happens to dance with ABT (American Ballet Theater), no big deal slash really big deal. I think I talked his ear off about dance and was so excited to meet an actual NYC ABT male ballerina, who happens to be from Mobile, AL (shout out to Mom's birth place) I may have embarrassed myself a little by all the Q&A. Anyway, we spent the evening hanging out on his back porch and made our way to a southern BBQ restaurant where Zach was able to meet us and share some Southern BBQ nachos. Mmm. Three of the friends there were Auburn alumni where Allison and I are Alabama fans so there was the obvious rival of "war eagle" "roll tide" comments all night. They even had a bottle opener that played the Alabama fight song when it was used. Awesome. Oh how I miss the south. 

July 3rd fireworks at Citi Field - July 3rd

Me and Allison (Rollll Tide!) - July 4th

Zach and I at Rockaway Beach - July 5th

Until next time,

Vj

And by next time I mean AFTER the Taylor Swift concert this coming Saturday!
6 Days away! 

Summer so far

I am SO happy to live only 5 hours away from my mom. She came down a few weeks ago to go to a free concert in Brooklyn with me and it was INCREDIBLE. It is safe to say I am a HUGE fan of Patty Griffin now and look forward to choreographing dances to her songs in the future. 

Here is me and mom in Prospect Park at the concert:

It has been a crazy week! My vacation started a little earlier than expected by the passing of my Grandpa Smith. I drove down to Kentucky to attend his funeral on Thursday- Sunday. I was fortunate to be a part of the service and read a poem I wrote for and about him. Although it was hard to say goodbye it is so comforting to know he is back with Heavenly Father and my Grandma.

Back row: Brandon, Ashley, Step-Dave

Front row: Uncle David, Nancy, Uncle Gary, Mom, and me

I drove back from KY on Sunday and pulled back into Queens around 9pm. I woke up Monday morning and caught a flight to SLC then hoped in my Dad's jeep with Seth and Raegan and drove 4 hours to Moab. We camped at Slickrock park, hiked in Arches park, jeeped all over, ate yummy pasta and pizza, and barely slept. No thanks to Dad not knowing how to use his new alarm on his car and waking us all up at 6:30am when he was trying to get his book. We started our day early when that happened. Note to self: When going to Moab buy THE BEST eye drops and allergy medicine around. I was literally in tears after the first night. Ouch.

 

We drove back from Moab on Wednesday afternoon and headed up to Uncle Steve's Cabin in Weber Canyon. Seth and I went for a run my first day and I could barely breathe because of the altitude. We still ran 6.5 miles though, no big deal. We spent time going on nature walks with the kids, playing on the neighbors trampoline, catching snakes with Aunt Jessica, coloring, watching movies, watching Game 7 (Go San Antonio), eat burgers with friends, tandem riding, swimming in Kamas, etc. Seth was also able to bless Kate and Brigham bless Sam, which is always a beautiful thing. On my last night in Utah I decided I should go into town and see some friends. I went to Park City for a few hours and met some friends on Main Street. Although I was at the cabin with no internet, cell phone reception, or even a land line I felt like I had everyone I needed to talk to right there with me. Well, except for mom and Zach. They were worth driving to the gate for reception to make a phone call. Going to Kentucky and seeing family then going to Utah to see even more made it was one of the best vacations I've ever had. 

I love my family and I am one super lucky girl.

Juicy Big Apple & Art

I've really tried to be healthy these past few months. I bought my first juicer and couldn't be happier with it. I found it on amazon and based on the reviews I went with this Juicer. Some of my favorite juices so far that I created are:

Sweet Pink:

5 plump Strawberries

1 Lemon

6 Mint leaves

2 Apples

OJ+:

1 1/2 Oranges

2 Apples

I learned real quick the more veggies does NOT mean the better the juice. I'm pretty sure I ruined a pitcher of mine because I left some juice in there for too long that had beets, ginger, carrots, celery, etc. It was a disaster and I'm still scrubbing to get it clean. I also learned ginger is SPICY. It's a great addition if you want an extra kick, but beware of just how much you add. Also, celery is a great veggie to add if you want lots of juice. Oh, and carrot juice is super yummy.

I've had a lot of extra free time since I quit my retail job. I am about to start nannying full time starting in June for the remainder of the summer until I go back to school. Aside from juicing and cooking I've fallen re-"in love" with pinterest.  That's where I got this photo idea to do with Mr. Dobson. He had no idea what I was trying to do, but he was very supportive and loved the outcome. I'm pretty happy with it too. 

The other day I got an email from my friend Troy telling me he was in NYC! I was so excited I told him to meet up with me right away. We met in Central Park and had a great time catching up, playing frisbee, and enjoying a beautiful sunset in Sheep Meadow, Central Park. If you ever find yourself in Central Park with a bike though, be sure you leave before dusk. They lock the gates around the field, in other words you are left to lift your bike over the fence and jump it yourself. Good thing Troy was there to help! 

Yesterday was Memorial Day. Zach and I had already made plans with his mom and step-dad to go to Storm King Art Center. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun hiking around and looking at art. My favorite was stopping at the ice cream shack a couple of miles outside of the park. Mmm... my sweet tooth never fails. 

My favorite "piece" of art was the rolling hills. Designed by the same artist that did the Vietnam Memorial in DC... so semi Memorial Day event in a round about way. 

Kentucky Derby and more through pictures

I haven't blogged in too long, but 

On our way to Louisville

Churchill Downs- Derby Weekend

Sportsnation live shooting- Times Sq

Confetti surprise at the end

When Evan came to visit NYC from PC

Park in TriBeCa where I walk my nanny families dog, Millie.

Langhorne Slim himself after we watched him play at a sold out show in Louisville...

after a day at the races. 

Sportsnation & some famous football players

Of course I get stuck standing behind the person with the funky hat. 

Go giants!

around 

TriBeCa

My daily walk on the Hudson

Entrance of Churchill

Zach by University of Louisville

New favorite fruit, pomelo.