Fallabulous

This past month has been completely and utterly wonderful. Busy and stressful, but mostly wonderful.

...I had the sincere pleasure & honor of standing next to one of my lifetime girlfriends as she said her I do's to her guy in the most glamorous affair.

...I went to NYC to visit a couple of my fabulous girlfriends from college.

...I moved.

Oh, it should be noted that all of these events transpired within 10 days time. I'm pooped but still relishing in each moment and reliving them through pictures.

The Snellebration.

One of my favorite girlfriends said 'I do' to her guy and became a Snell on 9.10.11. Even though she's been with him for 5 years, it's still a bit surreal to me that it finally happened. When the name change was made official by ways of Facebook (forget the law, FB is really where it really matters, right?), I thought I had accidentally accepted a friend request of some distant classmate from high school as I had a lapse in putting 2 & 2 together. Like I said, it's been a crazy past week & a half.

[right before THE moment in the green room]

Everything was spectacular. She transformed this space at the Gerding Theater into an absolutely gorgeous wedding, which was expected, as she has no limits to the imagination and can create anything. This wedding was made even more special by the fact that most of the wedding party have been friends since childhood. Mrs. Snell, if one day someone is brave enough to enter the bonds of holy matrimony with me, guess who will be called upon to plan it?

[at the rehearsal dinner]

There was dancing.

There was the red velvet cake from heaven.

There was the teaching of the dougie.

And to the couple's surprise/enjoyment/shock, a few of us in the wedding party serenaded the couple with a karaoke sing along of 'Don't Stop Believing.' Yes, you most definitely do want me at your wedding.

The Empire State.

To say that New York is one of my favorite places is an understatement. I absolutely am infatuated with this city. I say infatuation instead of love as I don't think New York loves anyone back in the same way we adore her yet we keep coming back for more. She can be cruel and abrasive to her residents and visitors, but at other times, can be surprisingly kind. Hmm, so maybe in fact it is love after all.

Since I've been to New York a handful of times before this trip (literally a handful-5), I didn't have much tourist ground to cover and wanted to focus on the theater. My friend Carey and I have a shared affinity for musicals and because she loves me so, she even agreed to go see "Spiderman: Turn off the Dark" due to (a) my love for superheroes and (b) my obsession love for the actor portraying Spiderman, Reeve Carney. Note: The picture I've included doesn't quite do justice to him. You must hear his voice and then you'll understand. With my luck he's probably gay. And yes, his sexual preference is obviously the only thing standing between us being together.

[Throwin our webs; Reeve Carney AKA Spidey & me!]

The show did not disappoint. It was Cirque du Soleil meets Broadway. After seeing it, you understand why so many were injured in creating this blissful piece of art. It's intense. At one point, I jumped as the Green Goblin came soaring at me in the audience right before Spiderman jumped on his back and takes the villain down. Spoiler alert. I'm certain Carey has bruises on her forearm from my incessant grabbing and loud whispers of excitement. It was that awesome.

We also spent an evening at the Imperial Theater at "Billy Elliot." If you want to feel as if you have accomplished nothing by your late twenties or whatever age you are currently occupying, go see this show because these nine, ten, and eleven year olds will make you feel inadequate. Or at least will give you that invigorating feeling of fearlessness that allows you to take risks and believe anything is attainable. At their age I was proud to be reading a few grade levels ahead and being semi-good at running around on a field chasing a black and white ball. One of these kids was this adorable actor who played Michael. He must've been about 9 and was already a fantastic actor and tap dancer. We watched as he exited the stage door after the show, waved to a few of his adoring and age-appropriate fans (Carey and I would probably not be included in this category), reached up for his mom's hand and walked anonymously home. It warmed my heart. To be nine and already on Broadway. How fabulous.

We also took a trip to a free fashion exhibit at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) of a collection of Daphne Guinness' (heiress to Guinness) personal pieces, spent a night in the Lower Eastside with co-eds that made us feel much older than we are, celebrated a bachelorette party in SoHo, and enjoyed a Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity. Wondering what Fro-Hot-Choc is? It's a really good Chocolate milkshake with little ice shavings in it, covered in a blanket of homemade whipped cream.

[the menus here were astronomical. I feel like everything about this place was inspired by Lewis Carroll as you were meant to feel a bit small with the portion sizes]

[Gracie & me on the LES]

However, our very first stop of the weekend was an emotional visit to Ground Zero where 3 days earlier we had marked the ten-year anniversary of 9.11. It breaks my heart, but I visit every trip I take to New York. It is indescribably humbling and incredibly sad to walk on this street where so many suffered, but I think it is important to mourn and celebrate these heroes.

[Memorial across the street from Ground Zero & The Freedom Tower]

The move.

I returned from NYC on Monday evening, moved Tuesday morning, and here I sit Wednesday night/Thursday morning writing from my new digs in Wallingford. I've unpacked every box within 24 hours and just have a few more things to place, nail and hang along with a [very] large trip to Goodwill and the recycling bin. It's starting to feel like home.

---

After any big event or vacation, I find myself in a slight funk from being overstimulated and dropping from 150 to zero. In this case, I had been at about a 300. I missed my friends. I missed the city. So yesterday evening I took about 30 minutes to breathe and to allow myself to absorb all of the goodness of this last week and a half. I did this from my new rooftop with a cup of coffee and this breathtaking 360-view of a twilight Seattle. That did it.

And it's now officially fall. Which is my favorite.

The one with all the Thanksgivings....

I used to loathe Thanksgiving. Instead of a happy grumble of excitement in my belly looking forward to the day, I stressed at the thought of it. Because of this I found myself in Reno in 2007 and NYC in 2008. The latter being one of the best days (trip for that matter) of my entire life.

My animosity for the aforementioned holiday did not come from a distaste of any particular Thanksgiving course much like Chandler, the star of the show from which this blog title is stolen from, or the "stomach-is-overcapacity" message that my brain received a turkey-bite too late. I was plagued by the symptoms of any child of divorced parents.

[This is in no way a poor-me, post. In fact, it's quite the opposite.]

With each turn of the pages in my planner closer to our Thursday celebration, a nauseating feeling would rise in my stomach.

I felt slaughtered. Much like the turkeys that many would be feasting upon (except for the lucky SOB that ended up at The White House and was pardoned). Or the way the Natives did after the Pilgrims, well, slaughtered them. Now I'm being dramatic.

Where was I to go? Who was I to spend it with? Running around town sounded like too much work and the thought of leaving one parent for another brought indescribable guilt of picking favorites. After you ate dinner you were supposed to sit. Let the fat absorb and well, get fat. Unbuckle that top button; loosen that belt. Not go to dinner #2.

So I didn't do it. Goodbye Portland. Hello anywhere else.

I had to float away for a little bit to find my way home...and float I did. Just like the giant Shrek I watched fly down that New York street in November 2008. But after this glorious flight, Shrek was deflated into nothing but a glob of green wrinkled plastic without the assistance of helium and his team of people that held his strings down to keep him aloft.

Like the helium in a balloon, these ideas of stress surrounding what should be a happy holiday had blown up to capacity in my head. And I wasn't allowing my special "team" to help me through it.

Enter Thanksgiving Twenty-Ten.

I woke up at my dad's and took my brother his favorite pie that I make annually, no none of that Pumpkin business, Sweet Potato Pie. And then I held her. Miss Olivia.

Her first Thanksgiving. She wouldn't be feasting on Turkey, pie, or gumbo (another family tradition), she'd just be spending time with those who loved her. Eating. Sleeping. And that's all it took was a look in those big dark eyes staring up to me. The importance of my team.

After sufficient cuddling time, I went to dinner #1 at mom's with my grandma and uncle. We watched Charlie Brown [granny and I share a love for Charlie Brown], I slept and then awoke in time to head to my next destination.

To dinner #2 I went with dad, other grandma, my 2 other uncles and cousins. I sang 'The Beatles' while my cousins played back up guitar and drums on Rock band followed by the annual never-ending Domino game. We lost. But we had fun.

I was afforded the luxury of seeing all of my family in a day's time. How lucky I am to not only have the ability to see them all, but to have people that actually care that much about me in my life. It's easy to lose sight when you have these things within your grasp and you forget about those who don't have that love in arm's reach.

We're born within this small group of people out of 6 billion other ones walking upon this Earth, in such a specific moment in time. There's no choice to where you end up. But there is the choice to love.

I'm thankful for my team. This indescribable bond we share that requests nothing in return and I only feel for a very few select people on this Earth. I now realize what a unique experience this is.

What a gift.