Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 7

This is what I am grateful for today:

Image found here

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 6

The sixth day of Christmas is here! I am really grateful for the chance that I've had to live in such an awesome place - New York City. There really is nothing else like it. Is it the best for everything? No. It's not. But it's pretty great for so many things. And there's something wonderful about the city during "the holidays" (it's more PC and inclusive to say "the holidays" vs. "Christmastime). Everyone is a little nicer and friendlier. Everything is all decked out, including one very large Christmas tree:

 Courtesy of this blog

So...Happy Holidays! And Merry Christmas!

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 5

I have always had such great friends in my life. Heavenly Father has definitely blessed me in this area. They have always been ones to encourage me to do good things, never trying to get me to go against my values and the gospel principles.

And today I am especially grateful for friends here in New York - you know who you are - who make this feel as close to home as I think I could get. I go to church with them. We make goals and are involved in one another's lives. Tonight, we made dinner, baked cookies, laughed a lot, shared and just loved being with each other. I couldn't have asked for better non-blood-family people to share Sunday with.

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 4

Wow! I have so much to be grateful for. And since I love making lists, I think I'll keep with tradition and make another one:

• Running in Central Park with my friend, Erin
• Old friends
• Daniel at Tekserve who gave me good news about my hard drive (computer issues)
• Late-night phone call with a good friend
• Comparison of my life to episodes of "Friends"
• Catching the buses/subways just right - any of you who've experienced public transportation can surely appreciate this one
• Not falling asleep
• The movie, "The Artist"

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 3

On this third day of Christmas, I am grateful for an answered prayer. Like we always hear, it didn't come when I was expecting it. But it came. And I know Heavenly Father is aware of me (and all of us) and wants me to be happy.

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 2

On the second day of Christmas...I am grateful today for technology. Does this sound a little nerdy? I don't care if it does! I'm grateful that I can get in touch with any of my friends or family in a matter of minutes. I don't know what I would do without a phone, computer, internet, email, g-chat, etc. Because of these things, I am able to stay better involved in people's lives and I feel closer to them.

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 1

I've decided to do the Twelve Days of Christmas this year, each day sharing something that I am grateful for. Today, is music - specifically Christmas music. It helps me keep a good mood at work this time of year. And it puts me in the right spirit, reminding me the true meaning of this season - my Savior's birth. It's hard for me to choose just one to share, but this is definitely one of my favorite hymns/songs. I hope you like it!

"O, Holy Night" sung by Celine Dion

All I Want for Christmas...{Wishlist 2011}

Here it is...my wishlist! Now, I don't expect anyone to go overboard. But if you're feeling really generous this Christmas season, I wouldn't reject any - or all - of the following:

Olympus Camera (found here)

These lovely green earrings, since green does look great with red hair! (found here)

This book (found here)

Beach Mat (found here)

Necklace...Isn't it so fun? (found here)

MacBook Pro (found here)

iPhone or Droid (found here and here...and won't you please pay for my data plan? Pretty please?)

I'd take an iPad 2 (found here)

A new mode of transportation

And if you're still in need of ideas, I'd always take an apartment in Paris! Or you can buy me my own country.  Now that's not too much to ask for, is it? :)

Most images are from searching Google. I apologize if I used your photo without giving you credit!

Craigslist

Craigslist. Oh, that place to sell your unwanted things and to purchase another man's trash to make your treasure. Craigslist has been good to me over my years (years?!?! sheesh time flies...), providing me with couches, dressers, TV, etc.

Well, recently it was my turn to post something to sell. A scooter. Now, you may be asking yourself, "Why would Jane sell her scooter? NYC would be a great place to have a scooter. She could get anywhere so fast and could park anywhere." Yes, all of those things are and were true. Unfortunately, the scooter hasn't been the most reliable. And the time has come for me to part ways with it. So I posted the red beauty of a scooter on Craigslist, hoping someone would want to buy it. The only people who've responded, though, have wanted to trade for it. I'm not sure where they got the idea that I wanted something of theirs. Nope, I just want to sell the scooter. But it has provided for some entertaining moments. Here are some of the things that people have offered to trade (these are copied and pasted straight from the emails, so ignore any grammatical errors).

• I HAVE BRAND N EW NVA USED 15.4 INCH SUPER THIN CAR TRUCK OR ANYTHING 12V TV MONITOR WITH REMOTE BRAND NEW KICKER TS 10 L5 SOLOBARIC BOX THE SQUARES ND A ZX  400.1 WATT KICKER AMP (I have no clue what any of this means...)
• Trade for a tattoo kit?  Brand new never used. How to tattoo cd included. Start a small business. Email back (Why yes, I did want to start a small tattoo business!)

These are all from the same person...Who has all of this stuff?!

• paintball gun
• key chain digital camera 
• Grand father Clock
• air tools, impact hammer, air saw, and drill
• car neons 1, 12in bar 4, 24 in strips, and 12 solid lights balls for under or inside the car all of them are blue
• weider weight bench and weights
• nice kitchen table with 8 chairs
• I have a size 34 police utility belt leather brand new I'm to fat for it lol It's a genuine Jay-Pee Product
• Inside Car cover mint condition
• electric power washer works fine 
• peddle in place setup exercise equip
• ab circle pro
• lund/luna/moon truck visor
• hope chest
• piles of kids toys
• tuff plastic tool box for a small/mid size truck
• snowboard
• tow hitch set up for under truck off of a Chevy 2500
• 2. 6in sub boxes with speakers
• stud finder brand new
• brand new thermostat
• 12lb ebonite bowling ball brand new never drilled emerald green
• harnesses for tree trimming 
• 2 window ac's
• small toyota luna/lund/moon visor 
• car stereo equalizer/booster 

So...What would you pick? Or do you want to buy my scooter? Please say yes!

Mother Nature's Charm

***Note*** This was started on 29 August 2011. I'm just getting around to posting. Enjoy!

This last week was quite an exciting one weather-wise in NYC. First, there was an earthquake. Did I feel it shake my desk, rattling my pens and papers? Nope. Didn't feel a thing! I was actually taking a walk around the neighborhood (it was a particularly lovely, sunny day) during my lunch. When I was coming back inside, I was checking Facebook on my blackberry, and everyone was posting about this unknown-to-me earthquake. But it sure made for a good conversation piece.

The next gift of mother nature was Hurricane Irene. It seriously consumed my thoughts for the better part of Thursday night and Friday. There were FLOODS (pun intended) of emails being sent around from my ward and stake members, informing us all on how to be best prepared. So what did I do? I stocked up on water, granola bars, crackers, fruit, veggies, magazines, books, etc. The roommates and I also brought in everything from our terraces (the hallway looks like a greenhouse at the moment with our plants), so nothing would fly away during the storm.

On Friday afternoon, it was announced that all subways and buses would close at noon on Saturday. This means, if you wanted to get anywhere you'd have to walk. And that there would be no church on Sunday.

Saturday was more stocking up - I wanted to be sure I had plenty of water. You know, just in case. I stayed inside for most of the morning/afternoon. Then our stake sent out an email asking any of us who were able to go to Red Cross to help with evacuees. I wanted to go, but how on earth was I supposed to get to the volunteer center that was so far away? I'd never make it in by the time they wanted people there. Luckily, my roommate was going there with one of our friends who had a car (for work). So she picked us up and off we went! Red Cross sent us out to Queens to an evacuation center. We helped set up cots and distribute hygiene kits and blankets for people who would be staying there. It was really great. One of my favorite parts was seeing the teenage guys (probably about 14-16) help set up all the cots. They just wanted something to do! And I was really impressed by what hard workers they were. After a few hours, they didn't really have anything else for us to do, so we drove back to Manhattan in one crazy rainstorm.

I went to bed Saturday night in anticipation for the worst of the storm, which was supposed to hit Manhattan Sunday morning. When I woke up on Sunday, I had missed the whole storm! I slept right through it. In the afternoon, I met up with some friends (Ashley and Sharon) to take a walk around Central Park. It was kind of crazy to see all the trees down. {But it wasn't as crazy as a storm in 2009 was, which literally uprooted or knocked down hundreds of trees. They're still doing some cleanup/restoration from that one.} Here are some pictures of Central Park post-storm. 

My favorite thing about this photo is the family roaming the park in the background, when it's clearly "closed". 

See those fallen trees?

Can you believe I missed two great natural disasters? Crazy.

This is My Home {for now}

I love this video.


A Year in New York from Andrew Clancy on Vimeo.

This was shot by Andrew Clancy over the course of a year. Isn't it great? And it makes me happy to live where I do.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's finally here! My favorite time of the year. The most wonderful time, in fact. Yep, Fall has officially arrived! And I couldn't be happier. No more hot and sweaty subways/subway platforms. No more figuring out how I can {unsuccessfully} stay cool and dry. Now I just get to decide how to layer lots of sweaters, scarves, boots and jackets. It's not cold enough to pull out the sleeping bag (my winter coat that goes to my ankles), but just crisp and perfect.

Fall 2011 also has meant lots of fun adventures: Apple picking, annual Madsen Le Tour de Vermont, a weekend at a lake house in New Hampshire, the Head of the Charles in Boston, visit from Ashley and Halloween. Now for your viewing pleasure...

 Beth wanted to go to the Ben & Jerry's factory with everyone for her birthday. So that we did. Here are Sarah and Beth. And if you look really closely, you can see Will's little shoes. 

 Beautiful fall colors in Vermont

The annual t-shirt. This year we included all the rides. For those of you who know about The Notch, I did it! In some miraculous way I did it. Thanks to Nate for keep telling me, "The top is just around this corner." (yeah, right.), and Josh for singing all along the way. 

New Hampshire

Halloween - I was Shirley Temple

And we'll wrap it up with a photo of Central Park. This is from the street, so it doesn't do the whole park justice. For some reason, I absolutely fell in love with Central Park in the Fall this year. It was a gorgeous season! I am so lucky to be so close to it. 

Happy Fall everyone!!

Diamonds? Shoes Are My Best Friends!

These are sandals I found this summer. Amazing, right?!

I've always had a love for shoes (or I think I have...hopefully my mom can back me up here!). In fact, I used an analogy between shoes and media planning (that's what I do for work) when I applied for my internship to come to New York. I think it was that different way of looking at things, along with some writing help from some talented friends and family members. Either way, it got me here!

There's just something about a good shoe. Especially a pretty, feminine heel. Or the pair of rain boots or Sorels that save me while trudging through the many rain and snow storms in the city. Or an unusual pair that will make that dress just perfect. Or the 5" yellow sandals that I just adore. Now...don't get me wrong, I could live in Chaco flips - they save my life walking around NYC in the summer! But one shoe-related moment I'll never forget was one day at work was when one of my co-workers said, "Jane always has great shoes!" That seriously made my day. All my hard work (in the shoe-finding department) has paid off.

Some of you might be wondering, "But Jane, how do you walk around in heels all through the city?!" My answer, "I don't." I do what is known as "The Switch". I will wear a pair of flip flops or flats or what have you to  my destination. (One friend has coined these shoes "commuters". Ha!) I then switch into the prettier shoes, typically high heels, when I get to wherever it is I am going. This not only saves my feet a lot of grief - and my friends from hearing a bunch of complaining about my hurting feet - but it also saves my shoes! Think about how often you'd have to replace and repair your shoes if you just frolicked around the city in them all. the. time. And you think that carrying around an extra pair of shoes everyday would get tiring and old, wouldn't you? Not if you keep a few - or 9 - pairs under your desk. 

This post has somehow turned from sharing one of the loves of my life to giving you this piece of advice: If you come visit NYC, please institute "The Switch". You (and your feet) will thank me. 

Sometimes This Just Happens

Well, actually this was a first for me. In some ways, at least.

Last weekend I went down to the Outer Banks, NC, aka Duck Beach. Some of you may have heard of this, and for those of you who haven't shame on you. Just kidding. Every Memorial Day weekend for the last 20+ years, Mormon singles have flocked to these beaches. Why not spend an entire weekend with friends old and new at the beach? Sounds like a fun time to me!

Here was the plan:
- Friday:
1. Leave for airport at 5:15am to make 7:00am flight to Norfolk, VA.
2. Rent car upon landing in Norfolk and drive about two hours to Corolla, NC. A stop at Target would be necessary, naturally.
3. Play on the beach
-Saturday:
1. Go for a run in the morning after sleeping in.
2. Play on the beach.
3. Some sort of BBQ/party.
-Sunday:
1. Church with 800 or so of my closest friends, all filling the chapel/overflow and lining all the halls and classrooms.
2. Eat some good food and just have a relaxing day.
- Monday:
1. More beach time.
2. More BBQs.
-Tuesday:
1. Leave in the middle of the night to drive to Norfolk, VA to catch a plane that will bring me back to NYC in time for work.

Now here's what really happened:
Friday:
1. Slept in until 6:49 am; somehow I never heard my alarms. Yes, multiple alarms.  And yes, my flight left at 7:00am. There goes that! (This was the first time I've ever slept through a flight.)
2. Wait on hold with the airline's customer service for over 1.5 hours. Changing my ticket to a flight later that day would only have set me back about $1,200. Riiiiiiiiight.
3. Start checking out other options. Decide (after much research and freaking out) to take a train, bus and car down to NC.
4. Train for 10 hours to Newport News, VA.
5. Bus for 30 minutes to Norfolk, VA.
6. Car for 2+ hours to Corolla, NC. (Luckily Ashley and her friends flew into Norfolk at the same time I arrived via bus. They were so nice to cram me into their car!!)

The rest of the weekend played out pretty much as planned. But instead of flying back to NYC (my whole ticket was canceled since I missed the first leg of it. I'm still really frustrated by that stipulation.), I drove in a car on Monday. I was just grateful to have had a ride!

All in all, it was a perfect weekend at the beach with my friends! I loved being able to see people I hadn't seen in ages and from all different parts of my life. I've been so lucky to always be surrounded by wonderful people and friends!

But I do have to say, I will be just fine if I never have to do the train/bus/car route again for 13+ hours!

Decisions!

This week has been a hard one for me in the decision-making realm. Not hard because these decisions are life-changing, just hard because I have been incapable of deciding. I just wish someone would decide for me and tell me what to do!

One such decision came in the form of going away for Easter weekend or staying in NYC. I kept going back and forth. Going to see Josh, Jessy and Will is always fun (and a Target run is usually included). But my friends keep planning fun things in NYC for the weekend and holiday: movie night Friday ("Water for Elephants"), Saturday morning temple session and brunch, dying Easter eggs on Saturday night, and a picnic/dinner on Sunday.

Since no one can really decide for me, I enlisted the help of my friend Erin. She was to ask me a series of simple questions - "Do you like blue or red? cookies or cake? summer or winter?" Then I have to answer with the first thing that comes to mind - no hesitating. The last question asked is the things you're trying to decide between. So when it was asked, "NYC or Upstate?" I answered, "Upstate." Yay!!! I decided. But even more perfectly, was that "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash came on my 80s Pandora station (online radio). I couldn't have asked for better timing or a more fitting song.

The sad part is that I actually can no longer go Upstate to spend time with the family. So much for my efforts!

A Little Monday Pick-me-up

http://forgettingdetails.tumblr.com/

Also this little gem:

"Love life, engage in it, give it all you've got... because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it." Maya Angelou (courtesy of Sara)

It's All About the Details

When I was at BYU, I took a calligraphy class one semester. For our final project, we had to write a scripture, using two different fonts and at least one inllumination (the fancy, decorative letters). Here is the final product, one of my favorite scriptures:

Earlier this week I was looking at it, and something just seemed off. Look closely...closer. Do you see it? I totally inverted the chapter and the verse! The reference is supposed to be 3 Nephi 13:21. I wonder if that's why I got an A- instead of an A. How did it take me seven years to figure this out I'll never know...

They Came! They're Here!

I was awoken this morning (much too early for a Sunday) by a phone call from my mom. Annie had her twins! I'm an aunt - again! Twice! She was scheduled to have a C-Section tomorrow morning, but because of pre-eclampsia, the doctor decided to do the C-Section early. Congrats to Annie and Ryan! Here's a picture of them, compliments of Kasey.

Alexander and Nicholas

More of Paris to Love (and NY, too)

I think I'm just in need of a Paris fix. All things Paris have been finding me, like these pictures, this video, a French tutor. Now if only the city could find me (and fly me there libre - free). Here are some great posters - Paris vs. New York. And I love them.

courtesy of Paris versus New York

De Vivre la Langue

I loved, loved, loved this video! Thanks Vanessa for posting it!

All The -lands

A few weeks ago, I had this great idea. Since I love to travel (if this is news to you, you do not know me and we should become better friends), I decided I want to make it a lifelong goal to visit all the countries that end in -land. So I did a little google search, which resulted in this list:

*England (check)

*Poland

*Iceland (check)
*Greenland

*Switzerland (check)

*Finland

*Ireland (check)

*Thailand

*New Zealand

*Scotland

*Netherlands

*Swaziland

I was totally pumped for this until that last one - Swaziland. I'm not sure I really want to go there. Can any of you convince me why I should?

Also, I am hesitant about New Zealand after the earthquake. (I feel so badly for all the people there. I can't even imagine what pain and emotions they're feeling right now. What a shock to have all your necessities, family/friends, etc. taken away from you completely unanticipated. My prayers go out to all of them.)

Who wants to join in on the fun?

Say Wha?!?!

Tonight, after a lovely girls' dinner at Clinton St. Baking Co., I saw a shirt that said this:

"I roll with God, Killas and Drug Dealas."

Awesome. It makes me think, "One of these is not like the other..."

Love is in the Air

I may or may not have signed up for an earring of the month club. It's kind of great. I get a cute pair of earrings every month. Sounds like it's right up my alley, huh? Yep. I love it!

So today, I had a cute pair of red flowers (dainty, very girly and appropriate for Valentine's) sent to me.

Along with those purdy little studs was a sheet with a bunch of quotes about love. I just wanted to share some of them on this day of celebrating love - in all its forms:

* "Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." ~ Mother Teresa

* "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

* "All you need is love." ~ John Lennon & Paul McCartney

* "Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I wish you all love today!

The Mad Family

Lately, I've been feeling especially grateful for my family. A few weeks ago in Sacrament Meeting, we sang "Families Can Be Together Forever", and it just hit me how blessed I really am that my family can be together for eternity. What an amazing blessing!!

Now, I know a lot of you out there claim to have the best family, but I beg to differ. The Madsen family of which I am a part gets the award for "The Best Family". I am so grateful for each of my siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews and parents. We love to be together and always have so much fun! We might get a little crazy when we're all together, but that just adds to the fun. I feel so lucky and blessed not only to have good relationships with each of them, but also that they have them with each other.

Now if only I had a picture in digital format that I could post for all of you to check out their lovely faces. Hmmm...I'll have to work on that.

The Mormon Bachelor!

There's this little thing going on called The Mormon Bachelor. It's ligit. And I'm going to be on it! Here's the basic idea. Rick Buck (aka, The Mormon Bachelor) goes on 22 first dates with 22 different women. (I'm one of them.) Then he chooses eight to go on second dates with, before he chooses the final one to go on a third/final date with and live happily ever after.

In the beginning, I thought this would be something fun to do. And then I quickly remembered that I REALLY do not like being video taped. My affinity for being filmed is about as strong as my affinity for rodents. For those of you who know me, it is very, very low. Anyway, my friend Sara Borg convinced me that it would be fun and something new. So I thought about it, and decided to call my other friend Erin, who is the mastermind behind this whole production (and quite the amazing production it is!). Next thing you know, I'm applying and going on a date with Mr. Buck!

Now, I can't post the details of when I'm going, what we're doing, etc. (Rick is being kept in the dark, and I want to help the cause). But....you can watch this little video that I put together. (I couldn't figure out how to post it directly here.) Feel free to comment!