My New Years Eve(s)

This is my first New Years Eve in New York since... wow...  since 2006, I had just turned 24 and I went to a Jamaican house Party with my man of the time and a friend that lived up the block from me named Jimmy Fingers, lol. Since then I've spent NYE in France visiting my friend, Canada with my guy of the time, and Spain, twice, the first time with my amigas, and my BEST friend and the second time with my Spanish friends and fiance (before he proposed)!! This year is going to top them all! Just watch! Heading to the club right now! New Years Eve in Manhattan with live music, dancing, drinking and food! CAN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT!

xo
more soon.
Happy New Year!!

mini NYS vacay

We are going on a mini family vacation to the mountains. Cant wait, be back soon!

nice.

My spirit is feeling generous, free and loving today! :D

Beautiful Blizzard

This morning I saw the most beautiful, twinkling, snow in the world. 

Although it was complete chaos in the street, abandoned cars and buses, unplowed snow, there was something so beautiful about seeing my city transformed. It was a uniting experience. Everyone was happy and playing!

I'd like to see a snow storm like this at least twice a month! How fun and beautiful!

Our snow blob, Mr Rainbow

The wind was so strong!

Simply gorgeous! Look at my cute neighborhood!

 Spanish guy & I bought snow gear this summer and we're so happy we got to use it so soon!
Smart move on our part!

 I sunk!

 Walking up my block, beautiful!

 Spanish guys first snowfall in NYC!

The 2010 Boxing Day Blizzard.

After living in Northern Ireland for a year, I'm familiar with Boxing Day, but many Americans aren't. Boxing day is December 26th and is celebrated in the United Kingdom. Its an official bank holiday where people relax, eat and watch sports.

Spanish guy and I jumped at the opportunity to celebrate. We went to a local bar had some Guinness and ate free mashed potatoes (They had meat too, but we don't eat that nastiness). It was nice. We watched English soccer and made friends with the locals.

Then we made our way to Prospect Park. The park I grew up in! Every winter for my whole life me and my family or friends went up there to sled, and this year I had the honor of showing my fiance from Spain what I've done over the past 29 years. It was so special. He loved it. I was so tired by the time we were done, but he wanted to keep on going.

I guess its because hes from a beach, so it was interesting for him to be in the snow. He's never experienced it like today before. It was a blizzard out there! We couldn't even see!

Christmas (and eve) 2010

Christmas Eve:
Spanish guy and I went to my dads house where his new girlfriend and her family were. It was kind of weird to spend the holiday with people I don't even know, which I should consider family, but I like people, so it was okay.
Then we went to Spanish Harlem to my friends house to continue the Eve celebration. They made vegetarian food for us and we danced all night.


Christmas Day:
We woke up late, opened presents and ate breakfast. 
Then we went for a walk around the neighborhood
Spanish guy and I cooked and then went to my moms house to eat with the family, then we pulled out the whip to drive around Brooklyn to see the spectacular christmas decorations in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights.


It was my first NYC Christmas with Spanish guy and it was great. Now we are home watching basketball and digesting all the food we ate. We're feeling pretty lazy but still have to get together with some friends tonight.


I wonder what Spanish guy thinks about Christmas in NYC... wait, I'll ask him right now...


He said, "wow, nice. Theres so much to do, we went to three boroughs in the same day and. (my phone rang and interrupted him)" 


here you have it. LOL.
(Oh yeah, and Santi came to visit me this morning! hehe)

 Christmas 2010, New York City: Brooklyn, Queens  & Manhattan.

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HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

MERI CRIMA a todos.

I wish everyone a very fabulous Christmas, filled with love, good health, great food and even better company.

May the joy of the season make everyone treat each other with love, respect and kindness.

I'm off to get extravagantly dressed and cook now.

ho ho ho.

my new baby

I bought myself the best christmas present ever!

A new laptop! A Mac of course.

It's my new baby gadget.

wedding songs for our parents

My fiance and I are up late picking out wedding songs for me and my dad and he and his mom to dance to at our wedding. It's a very emotional experience. It made us think about a lot of things...

wow.

running frozen

Just because its cold doesn't mean that I don't go running outside. Quite the contrary.

Ever since the jingle bell jog, the fire in my heart reignited.

I've been running a few times per week. Today I went, in the dark, in the freezing cold, I bundled up, but not too much, and I hit the pavement. My fiance came with me. He wasn't too happy though. He thought it was too cold to run but he came anyway.

When we came back, the steam was saliendo from our mouths, our body was warm and we felt good (or at least I did). 

I'm going to build up my mileage again, little by little.

run mendoza run.

ice cream and a sexy mall

Thats my kind of morning @ the Limelight Market, NYC.

MY NYC birthday: 29 was mighty fine

I celebrated the beginning of the last year of my 20's. 

As a Sagittarius, I naturally enjoy being around people, I like adventures, and I get bored easily, which is why I choose to do a million things in one night!

My friends and I met up at Johnny Utahs in Manhattan, which I have to say is the coolest place in the world. Its a restaurant/bar with an electronic bull in the center. We all rode the bull and it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life! I was non stop laughing, it was so enjoyable! I stayed on about 40 seconds and I flew off onto the bouncy area around it. 

I recommend this to EVERYONE IN THE WORLD! It was great, really. 

Then we had reservations to Havana Central, a Cuban restaurant in Times Square. I wanted to incorporate a bit of my culture into the mix. Being in Spain for the last few years, I missed out on variety, everything was Spanish. Anyway, we all had dinner, then danced salsa to the live Cuban band that was playing there.

During the last four hours of the night, until the place closed, we did karaoke!

All in all it was a great night with great company! I wish I could do it every weekend! But I would definitely break the bank (not to mention my stomach and liver, haha)

The following day was my actual birthday. After having breakfast with my family, I decided to be by myself and reflect on the past year and everything that I am grateful for. This lasted about two hours. My phone kept on blowing up and I eventually gave in... my friends scooped me up and off we went, upstate to do some shopping! Then back to my house to cut the cake... homemade by my mom. :)

Happy birthday to me! 

29

One of my presents from my fiance, a flip cam, FINALLY! I've wanted one for so long!

sorry bloggy.

woo boy.

I've been so busy and neglecting my darling blog.

Time to show her some love.

jingle bell jog 2011

The Jingle Bell Jog was a success. The weather was perfect and so was the company. 

Although it was what runners call a "fun run", my friend and I really took it seriously. We didn't train at all and ran 10 minute miles. During college I ran six and a half to seven and a half minute miles, so its a lot slower than I'm used to, but a great time considering that we haven't ran at all for months.

I had such an amazing sensation while running. To me its such a happy place to take myself. The feelings that I get while running and pushing my body... its just perfect.

Here is one pre and one post picture of me and one of my best friends ever!

in the house on a Friday night.

Its 10:45pm right now and this is the first Friday that I haven't gone out in... I would sincerely say... about eight months. Now I know that may sound unbelievable, but I calculated it. I usually live it up on the weekends starting with Friday. It doesn't have to be anything crazy, maybe a dinner, or drinks, or out to a friends house, something, but I am definitely out of the house! I don't know how ANYONE can stay in the house on a weekend after working all week! Especially a young professional with no kids! Don't people get the itch to go out?

Well, tonight, I broke an eight month streak, because I have a race tomorrow morning at 9am--a four-mile race to be exact. I know its not long, but its my first race since my half marathon in Spain. I'm super excited about it.

This special event tomorrow has brought me to the decision to call it an early night. I ate baked ziti and a salad earlier, surfed the web (ha) and now, here I am, writing the closing blog of December 10th.

Nighty-night. This runner has got to rest up.

Ph.D. application

I just finished the first draft of my letter of intent to apply as a Ph.D. candidate. Phew... I spent the last 10 hours on my application, including updating my resume, gathering my transcripts and contacting recommenders. I really hope I get into this program. The deadline is fast approaching. I want to write a few more drafts of my letter of intent before I upload it. I really need to stand out as the unique individual that I am, especially among other Ph.D. candidates.

Getting into this program would mean the world to me. To be honest, I'm so grateful that I even arrived at this point in my life.

Updates will continue to arrive as the deadline draws nearer. 

Christmas decorating

There once was a girl that lived outside of her natural land for years and years. She met the man of her dreams and got engaged. She had a fulfilling and beautiful life but she missed her family every year during the holiday season and sent them gifts, cards and messages when December came around. But it wasn't the same. She wished and wished that one year she would be with her family again.

And one day her dream came true. Her and her fiance returned to her land and organized a christmas decoration extravaganza at her home. Her family was there and so was her fiance.

It was magical.

buahahhahaa

This is what happens if you mess with me, you get squooshed by a million pillows! 

and what!!???!? If ya dont know, now ya know.

a lot going on

I have a busy week coming up:

My students have a twenty minute documentary to edit in only 2 days, which really is 6 hours of our class time. Lets see if we can pull it off. 

I have faith in them!

Then I have my dance classes and fight club classes like always, I have to finish my letter of intent for my PHD application and I have to take Spanish guy to the airport, he's taking a little trip! 

I have to get my wedding dress hemmed and buy accessories.

Not to mention, on top of all this I have to train, I have a 4 mile race on Saturday morning!

boy-oh-boy this week is going to fly by because I'll be so busy. 

tis the season

Its that time of year again. When New Yorkers and tourtists alike glide along ice.

Its outdoor ice skating time!

A few of my friends gathered together after a fabulous night out in DUMBO and headed to Bryant Park for FREE ice skating! It was magical. The air was perfectly crisp, the skaters were jolly and the hot chocolate was deliciously rich.

A perfect Sunday in NYC.