Can it be?? A post?!

Oh friends...I wish I could say, "For all of you who still check my blog with some frequency (because you haven't discovered Google Reader yet), I'm going to reward you with a juicy post full of exciting adventures!"

Yep. I *wish* I could say that.

So, here's the latest: It's almost April. The last time I posted was in November. Early-November. Yikes. I think it is high time I catch you all up on the adventures of a Bostonian-in-the-making.

Shortly after my last post in November, I took a position working for Fidelity Investments in their Real Estate division. I am [sigh] a peon. I work for the Design and Architecture group and it seemed kinda cushy and easy.

Until recently.

I am now working a TON, always busy, and slowly going crazy. I guess in a good way...if that's possible! I work with nice people and am busy. Though I feel that I am smarter than my job, it pays the bills and there are definitely opportunities to progress within Fidelity if I so choose. That is a nice thought.

Throughout the past 6 months, I have made a number of fabulous friends. It's difficult to put into words how incredible the people are here. I have met genuine friends who are wonderful, fun, down-to-Earth and really exceptional. And probably more amazing is that I continue to meet stellar people on a weekly basis! Just this weekend I have gotten to know more fantastic friends and I couldn't feel more blessed. I don't mean to offend Mom and Dad, but I haven't been homesick for even a moment here in Boston.

The holidays were very fun. My fantastic sister and brother-in-law, Jen and Mike, drove from Detroit, MI to Boston with my adorable niece, Taryn to spend Thanksgiving with me. My dear friend, Neal, came in from Washington DC, too. It was a blast to have family and close friends to share my *first* Thanksgiving dinner! It was a real rite of passage for me. I cooked the turkey and everything! My dear mother coached me through every step and made sure to have her phone on her at all times should any turkey-crisis arise.

December was spent surviving the cold in Boston and then off to Utah for a very short (I had no vacation time accrued yet) and very sick (we all got the stomach flu) Christmas holiday. It was absolutely miserable to travel from Boston to Utah and back. I was so happy to be with my family, but next year, I'm going to Bermuda!

The New Year came in with a bang! I had a visit from my good friend, Luke, and started 2008 off right by celebrating my birthday with so many of my amazing friends! 27 is looking to be an extremely good year.

A week later, off to NYC for a weekend adventure with my amazing and forever-friend, Tiffany! Friends since high school, folks! And still going strong! She was wonderful and did a number of "touristy" things with me, fed me, let me sleep in her roommates bed (don't tell the roommate!) and introduced me to a number of her good friends! This woman is definitely the hostess with the mostess! I adore her.

I still have so much to say. Considering the frequency with which I post, however, you can expect that one to come sometime around 2010.

I'm not dead yet...

Due to my inability to regularly blog, few people even know I'm on the North American continent. SO, this is for all of you who have checked my blog within the last six months and been annoyed that there is nothing new!

When I returned to Kansas City from my fantastic trip to Chile and Peru (April 2007), I went back to my recruiting job in Overland Park. I was living with Mom and Dad--ultra-comfortable--and trying, desperately, to figure out where I wanted to be. I was too comfortable. And if you ever get to the point where you're too comfortable and it's starting to bug you, you know you need to seriously shake up your life.

I worked through the summer and tried to avoid being offered a permanent job as a recruiter. I worked with nice people, however, 50-60 hours a week recruiting and interviewing and doing all that jazz really got old fast. I was planning on moving somewhere but wanted to keep my job until the moving actually was a reality. So, I worked hard and a lot of hours, but did my best to avoid any talk about hiring me on permanently.

The plan all along had been to move to Washington DC. I know people there, love the city, and just needed to be around other young professionals. I was tired of feeling "old" in my social circles. I am, for the record, not old and was getting tired of the wide-eyed looks I occasionally received from the 20 and under crowd when I told them that not only had I graduated from college, but I'd also served a mission and worked for over two years!! With those quick high school math skills they hadn't had time to lose, they realized very fast that all that means Amy=old.

So, plunging myself into a young professionals atmosphere seemed like the right thing! Of course, being an adept waffler, I wasn't sure what to do. Jen put a little bug in my ear for Boston. I remember saying, "Sure, Jen. Right!" But, as I thought more and more on it, I thought why not. I definitely knew fewer people in Boston and was excited for an opportunity to spread my wings a little further. There's safety and comfort in going where you know people. I needed to get uncomfortable!

As I thought more on Boston, it seemed like a good option. And I am SO glad that I chose it! It has been one of the best changes of my life. Growing up, I hated changed. Loathed it. Now, I kind of relish it! I love meeting new people and having new experiences. I will try to be better about posting and let you know how my adventures in Boston go. Again, most of you know me...and well, let's just say "Don't hold your breath." :)

She's alive!!!

Hello friends and family...anyone who still looks at this blog every now and then. I'm so sorry that I haven't done a good job of posting. I can't guarantee that I will be better in the future, but maybe when thing settle down a bit...just maybe.

Well, the latest news. I'm a Bostonian! Toward the latter half of August, I packed up my car with all my belongings (all that would fit in a Camry, at least) and headed East. It was an adventure!! I love a good adventure!

Along the way I got to visit some wonderful friends and family. I stopped in on Becky Jo to see how she was doing. She had brain surgery (!) recently and I am SO happy to see that she's doing better!

Years and miles may pass, but things never really change with your best friend, huh? :)

This is a picture with Becky, her husband, Brett, and their latest addition, Spencer.



Unfortunately, it was a short visit. I made a quick trip into Omaha to see my friend, Sheri. She was approximately 10 months pregnant at the time. However, I was unable to get any photos of her and Bryce, her little boy, because my batteries were dead. I'm not sure she would have let me take a picture of her anyway!

I drove across Iowa...dark and stormy-like. It was an overcast day and the drive was long. But it was beautiful. My friend, Jenny, was so sweet to put me up for the evening. It was fun to see my "nieces," Addy and Brinley. They're adorable!

I arrived in Detroit the next night to the open arms of my sister, Jenn. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to leave Detroit, really. The roads were awful and it was pretty hot and humid, but it was so much fun to spend time with Jenn and Taryn. Poor Mike had to work some pretty ridiculous hours which meant that Jenn and I had lots of time together. Taryn was the funnest. Yes, the funnest. She is such a doll.

I know this post is seriously lacking in substance and charm but it is after 2 a.m. Please forgive me and I hope to do some more updating soon-ish. Stay tuned!

Philadelphia...the cat's pajamas?? Jan 12-15

Actor George Dzundza (I'll save you from having to look him up. He's been on Law & Order and Grey's Anatomy...both of which are shows I don't watch. It's no use commenting that I should watch them...if you know me, then you know I don't watch much TV.) once said:

I love Philadelphia. I was shocked at what a great city this is. For me, it is the cat's pajamas. I love everything about it. I love where I live. I love the people. I have been met with such kindness and affection here.

I think there are too few people who use the term "cat's pajamas" these days. But, Philadelphia is IT!

On Friday, January 12, I took the Chinatown bus from Washington DC to Philadelphia, PA. The trip went fairly quickly for me...mostly because of Matt, my seatmate. He's from England, living in DC, on his way to visit his girlfriend of 2 1/2 years who lives in Philadelphia. He was a great conversationalist, so the time passed quickly for me. Not to mention, I could listen to a good-looking British boy with nice teeth for hours :)

I quickly found the train station in Philadelphia...just not the elevators down to the tracks. So, I lugged my 2-ton bags down a few flights of stairs. I'm sure, when I come home, I will look a bit like a linebacker...huge shoulders, lats, etc. Not exactly the look I was going for, though.

I took the train to Norristown, about 50 minutes outside of Philadelphia, where my fabulous friend, Jessy, lives. She picked me up and asked what I wanted to do. Honestly, I just wanted to eat dinner and hang out with her, but she wanted to go to a bonfire being put on by her singles' branch. All right. So, we went and I'm glad we did. I met so many nice people. Jess had to work ALL day the next day, so I met some nice girls who were going into Philly to do the touristy stuff and decided to tag along with them.

The next morning, Saturday, I went to work with Jessy. She manages an ice cream shop and is resigning. So, in order to make it easier on the next manager, we decided to document everything on opening the store in the mornings. I suppose, if I never find my calling in life, I could always do "how to" manuals. :) She made me a nutritious breakfast: a delicious Belgian waffle dripping with ice cream, hot fudge, caramel and whipped cream. Mmmm!!!

Naomi, her brother, Raleigh, Ashley, Heather, Wayne and I (all new people to me) headed into Philadelphia. We had a blast that day! We saw the Liberty Bell, ate a Philly cheese steak sandwich (I chickened and got it without Cheez Whiz...I guess that's how the locals eat it), went to Independence Hall--where Jen joined us, and ran up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art just like Rocky did.

It was a fun day...and I definitely liked Philly. We headed back to the ice cream shop where I got to meet Jen's cool friend, Russ and one of Jessy's cool friends, Becca. We all had ice cream and then, FINALLY, Jess was free to hang out. So, Becca, Jess, and I went to Jess's and watched Red Eye with Chris, a guy from Jess's ward. Chris left pretty soon after the movie and Jess, Becca, and I stayed up pretty late laughing and talking.

The next day Jess and I woke up at 11 a.m. completely exhausted. Church was good...I got to participate more than I thought most investigators should :) But, it drives me nuts when no one offers/participates at church. There was a munch and mingle afterwards and then we went home and figured out how and when I would go to NYC the next day.

Short trip, but definitely the cat's pajamas.

A week in Washington DC: Jan 6-12

Ahhh...isn't Old Glory beautiful?? Maybe I've been away too long. So, in an effort to keep up on my blog (which I haven't done), I'm going to write up my week in DC. I'll try to lace it with lots of pictures, too!

My friends, Sheri and Derek, were going to be there for a class that Derek was doing through his MBA program at the University of Texas. Sheri, not wanting to be forced to see all the sights alone while Derek was in class all day, invited me along! I had a blast!

I arrived on Saturday, January 6 and met up with my friend, Rachel. We hadn't seen each other since before our missions (circa BYU days) and it was great to catch up! The weather that day had been a balmy 70 degrees...had me thinking that Baltimore is insanely beautiful and that yes, I think I could be an East coast girl.

I was able to get in touch with some of my old friends and went to church with Marissa, my amazingly talented, piano performance-majoring roommate who now lives in Ashburn--if anyone needs a great piano teacher. We saw Holly there, another incredibly fun roommate who is a workin' woman in DC.

I got in touch with old friend, Nikki Buckmiller, too. She and I had been on the ballroom team together. She's doing her PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Maryland. I met her extremely nice husband of 2 weeks, Ben Jones. They have a cute little apartment where they invited me to dinner and showed me all the fun photos of their wedding that they'd just had! It was great to catch up!

That night, they dropped me off at the Residence Inn, where Sheri and Derek had a room with a hide-away couch. I slept well the whole week (Sheri assured me that my bed was probably more comfortable than theirs :)

So, the next day, Derek headed off to class and Sheri and I attacked the DC sights with vigor. We went to the National Gallery (I LOVED it!), the National History Museum to see the Hope Diamond and the dinosaurs, and the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress was amazing! What an incredible building. And free tours are always appreciated!


Tuesday was the walking day from Hades. We walked and walked and walked and walked. Ouch. It made for a LONG day we started out by going to Arlington National Cemetary, saw the changing of the guard, JFK's tomb with the eternal flame, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Very impressive and somber sight. We headed over to the Iwo Jima statue that is outside Arlington (which is a HUGE cemetary). That afternoon, we went to the National Portrait gallery and American Art Museum. Sheri was nice enough to not complain as I dragged her through room after room. She DID say that she liked the Portrait Gallery. We met up with Derek that evening and chose to see the monuments by night. More walking. We went from the Lincoln to the Vietnam to the WWII, to the Washington...which doesn't sound like much, but it was exhausting! However, the highlight of the whole day: at the Residence Inn, they have a "social hour" where they have food and all the guests can socialize in the evening. Well, I had the privilege of seeing the funniest sight of the week. Seated at a table was a man in his late 40's...a professional-looking type. He had on a business-blue button up shirt, khaki pants, and (here's the kicker) BLACK FISHNET STOCKINGS and RED, PATENT-LEATHER, OPEN-TOED 4" STACKED HIGH HEELS!!!!! Not kidding. I saw it as I was walking past...in the corner of my eye. But, upon further inspection (yes, I made Sheri and Derek walk past, too), he was sitting there by himself, calm as a summer morn...with his ankles daintily crossed. Derek wanted to ask if he'd lost a bet...I thought that would be more appropriate than telling him I loved his shoes and asking where he got them from! Hilarious!

Wednesday, January 10, was my 26th birthday! Happy Birthday to me!!! That morning, Sheri and I braved the cold (brrrrrr!! We were frozen) and went to the White House Visitor's Center and the National Archives. After lunch, we were tempted to go get gelato (in spite of the cold) to celebrate my birthday, but decided that we didn't have time before our Senate/Capitol building tour. We searched and searched for the Senate building in the freezing cold...and got there about 5 minutes late. Oops. The tour was very interesting and we got to see the inside of the Capitol building which I found fascinating.

That evening, I got together with old best friend from middle school, Erin Wilcox Jensen. Her very nice husband, Nathan, picked me up from the metro station and drove me to their nice townhome in Ashburn. Erin made a great dinner, I met her adorable kids, and we spent the next few hours catching up on the last 5 years of our lives. It was wonderful...so fun! Finally, around midnight, we decided to call it a night. Erin braved the winding roads (thank goodness for On-Star...we got turned around once or twice) and took me back to the hotel. It was great to see her! Happy Birthday, indeed!

Thursday, Sheri and I went to the National Zoo to see the pandas. They were adorable. We were lucky to see them while they were awake. The mama panda was busy polishing off a large stack of bamboo while the baby was laying spread-eagle on his belly, asleep in the grass. It was a cool, crisp day...but perfect to see the zoo. Sheri and I stopped at a sandwich shop not too far away and had the best sandwiches ever! That completed the whole trip to the zoo!

Derek didn't have class that afternoon, so we decided to see the Smithsonian museum that day. Sheri and I popped into the Freer Gallery while we waited to meet up with him and saw some gorgeous art. Whistler's Peacock Room is recreated in there and it was amazing! We met Derek at the Washington Monument, took the elevator up and saw DC from 500 feet above. Back down, we hoofed it over to the Smithsonian's Air and Space museum where we wandered around. The American History museum is being renovated, so they had a mini-exhibit there which showed some of the most famous American items (Dorothy's Ruby Red slippers and the droids R2-D2 and C3PO from Star Wars).

That night, I met up with Marissa and Holly for dinner in Alexandria. We went to a great little Italian place and laughed and talked just like we used to in roommate-days. Ahhh...I miss those girls! We walked around the area...very cute with cobble-stone streets and small brick shops. Cold, but great fun with friends.

Friday was the last day for DC. Sheri and I got up early and went to our tour of the White House. It was fun to see the East Wing and the State room and the "official" stuff. I lost track of the time and was late meeting up with Nancy Godfrey, another great friend from BYU days! Nancy made things easy on me by driving from Baltimore with her two adorable daughters to meet me near the Washington DC temple. We sat in the visitor's center and talked about life and what we were doing to keep busy. Her two daughters were busy little girls and kept us BOTH busy :) It was great to see her, though...and I'm looking forward to visitng her in San Diego (hint, hint Nanc!).

And then I had to say goodbye to the capitol city. I took the Chinatown bus from DC to Philadelphia to continue my East Coast Tour. The Philly chapter is coming!