"Do you think we should... meet?"

Dear readers, I have a story to tell. It's a good one, or so I think. It encorporates action, romance, kitchiness and humor, and has a happy ending. So I will share it with you. Hope you enjoy it. :)

Last Saturday night (the 21st), I recieved a request to arrive at a local coffeehouse the next morning at 10am sharp. This is an important place that I had only been to once before. On an evening in April, 2004, I went there to meet a guy I'd been emailing with for about a month. It's a cute little place, kind of funky and easygoing, a good place to get a cup of coffee and read or chat or listen to some music.

Sunday morning, I drove myself to that same coffeeshop again, and found the same guy waiting there, in the same yellow shirt he wore the last time I'd been there. We ordered our drinks, and when the girl handed me my cup, she also handed me a note. It contained a clue... as to where to go next. My traveling companion and I jumped into the Jeep and headed off.

The clue led me to the Kasshau Memorial Bandshell in Ridgewood, where I found another clue. This one prompted me to go a little further afield... to a really yummy lunch at Peanut Butter and Co. (If you love PB and haven't been there yet, you'd better get cracking! The place is incredible!) With my Fluffernutter sandwich (chunky, wheat bread, toasted) came another note. This one said that stories go well with peanut butter sandwiches, and we should go and find some at a place not far away... really, just around the corner.

For those of you who didn't quite get that last bit, it's alluding to one of my favorite movies. We hopped into a cab (which almost hit a tourist on a bike - which is a bad transportation choice in Manhattan, if I say so myself!) and ended up at Books of Wonder. Being the shop that the Shop Around the Corner was modeled after, it is an incredible place... with a Cupcake Cafe!! I was instructed to look for another clue, which I thought was overwhelming, considering the fact that I had to be surrounded by thousands of books! But my guide pointed out the information desk, so I proceeded there and said something rather witty like this....

"...um, hi... I'm looking for something. But I don't know what it is. I was told to come and ask you..." (at which point, my guide prompted me to tell the help-desk-guy my name) And, surprises of surprises, there was a book on reserve for me... with a note stuck in an interesting page. The words on the page, of course, correspond with the words read by Kathleen at the story-time in the film! :) This clue led me to the highest point in Manhattan... The Empire State Building.

It was a beautiful day to see the world from so high... and certainly a popular place to be! While there, I actually received two more notes, since time was starting to run away from us. The first one instructed me to go and play, but since there wasn't a ton of time yet (for what, I did not know!), we proceeded on to a spot where I would receive the next clue... which would be a non-paper clue. We then headed to the whispering gallery in Grand Central Station. As I stood in my corner, I was told it was time to go find a garden. One of my favorites is out of season at the moment, so I was supposed to board a train to go here... but the train mysteriously didn't come!

So, it was time for plan B... and onto the subway we went. The new destination was to be this, but we met with something that makes this story even more interesting. We made it two stops, and then the train stopped, and was cancelled. Read all about the details of why and when and see pictures here. :)

Considering that I was not sure where we were headed, I was simply confused, but my poor guide was rather frazzled. As more people came down into the subway to see the chaos, he suggested we head back accross the river. So, we did.

Dinner ended up being at Cafe Archetypus (again, if you haven't been there... you must go!!) and I was instructed not to have coffee or dessert, despite the very extensive dessert menu offered there. After a good meal it was off to the last stop of the journey, which happens to be the same as the first. We sat and enjoyed some hot drinks and live music, and then I was asked to come outside for a moment....

... and in roughly the same spot that I met him, Matt asked me to marry him.

And I said yes. :)

Four Things

I was tagged by Becky and Peter to do this, so here I go...

4 jobs I've had in my life...
Audiology Assistant
Bank Teller
Music Teacher
Retail Sales Associate

4 movies I could watch over and over
You've Got Mail
Roman Holiday
Pride and Prejudice
Pirates of the Carribbean

4 places I've lived
Brooklyn, NY
River Vale, NJ
Wenham, MA
My Own Little World

4 TV shows I love to watch
Gilmore Girls
Dancing With the Stars
Law and Order (regular and svu, mostly!)
Everyday Italian

4 places I've been on vacation
Germany
Canada
Alaska
London

4 websites I visit daily
prwdot.org
Marisa
ljc fyi
ThreadBared

4 of my favorite foods
Triscuts
chocolate
freshly baked goods
Nutella

4 places I'd rather be right now
some nice, warm, secluded beach
the middle of the ocean
snuggled up under my electric blanket
with Matt :)

4 bloggers I'm tagging(or rather one blog person and one not)
Marisa
Matt
Anyone else who wants to? (if you do it, just let me know!)

Sunday Soliliquy

To be, or not to smell, -- that is the popcorn;
Whether 'tis nobler in the booger to suffer
The slings and pumpkins of tasty fortune,
Or to take sandwiches against a sea of dust bunnies,
And by frolicking end them. To die, -- to tickle, --
No more; and by a tickle to say we end
The bellybutton and the 9327 natural shocks
That flesh is basketweaver to,-- 'tis a lamp
stealthily to be wish'd. To die, --- to tickle,--
To tickle! perchance to drink! ay, there's the chick pea;
For in that tickle of death what boxes may come
When we have objected off this perverted coil,
Must give us toenail....

Smackity smack smack smack

Today is an important day. It is the birthday of one of my favorite people. I've known her since 1998, when first introduced to her as "Beach-going Becky" when we were on the same floor in Evans Hall. We've had some fun times over the years, and in reading the adorable post about her on the Wood's site, I decided to be a copycat and pull out pictures of birthdays past...

to the left, we see Birthday 2000 - candlepin bowling, and the right shows us Birthday 2001 - snow tubing!

Bec - I hope this birthday (and year!) are the best yet. Happiest of Birthdays, smacky! :)

Happy New Year! (and p.o.t.d.!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!

Hope you are all off to a great start in 2006. Have you made any resolutions? I made one, but I am not telling what it is... specifically. I will mention that it is something that falls into the catagory of "random acts of kindness" and that perhaps one/some of you might see it in action at some point. It's not something I want to blurt out or anything, just do it without recognition or fanfare. :) If anyone else's resolutions are share-able, please let me know! I'm always curious to hear what people resolve to do.

As to my celebrations of the last weekend, they were plentiful. Friday night featured a trip to Ikea, where I bought some cool star-shaped lights and other goodies. On Saturday, planning was done for the evening's festivities (including the making of candy sushi!) and then the crew arrived for a boatload of food and fun and good times designed to help ring in the New Year. The next day, the party decided to hit the road and travel... to Belmar. (yes, I realize it is two weekends in a row... but it's fun!) So, we all went down and went to a family party and hung out and ate some more, etc. Monday was kind of rainy, so we only made a quick visit to the Manasquan Environmental Center (must go back there in better weather!) and then headed back for food and a movie before making a rather rainy drive back north. All in all, it was a lot of fun... even with the sad fact that my Jeep, which was spending the weekend up at Matt's, ended up with a nasty flat and ended up needing some rather large amounts of TLC... but it is better now, thanks to two rather handy men! :)

Ah, yes, before I forget... The Picture Of the Day. A towel creation, which greeted me one evening while cruising in Bermuda. Enjoy!