Farewell New York

It's Moving Day Eve, and before this laptop gets packed away, I just wanted to give a last farewell to my New York friends. I didn't get a chance to hug each one of you, so I hope you know how much you mean to me. A girl couldn't ask for better friends and I will remember every one of you forever. Literally - I have a great memory for names and faces. Below is just a few of the memories that we share and that I will always be grateful for.

- Girls' Nights!
- All the meals and support when Charlotte was born
- Laughing and chatting (never complaining;) at work
- The 24 Crew
- Moms of babies born in '06-'07 - endless talks about poops and naps
- Serendipity mornings in the freezing cold
- Breadwinner wives - we rule!
- Card club gals - one night a month to count on
- Many funny sunbeam moments
- Help getting the stroller up and down stairs from many wonderful strangers
- Bad jobs (and bosses) and how they made me appreciate the good ones
- Student Tower friends - just a button away
- Roof BBQs
- Baby showers
- Rides to Target, Costco and IKEA
- Exploring the city
- Out of town guests' touristy trips
- Everyone's teeny, crammed apartments and craigslist furniture
- Bus rides to DC and Boston
- Amazing conversations and friendships with smart, understanding people
- Surviving the big city and becoming a better person because of it

I know we'll run into each other again and I can't wait for that to happen. Until then, I'll be reading your blogs. A sincere good luck with all you pursue and PLEASE stop by if you are ever in Dallas (or move here if you get the chance!).

Graduation Day!

Dr. Erickson

The day finally came! Congratulations H! Four years ago we moved to New York as wide-eyed newlyweds and it seemed like it would take forever to reach this point. He collected the Research Excellence Award and the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology Horace Wells Award in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Luckily it didn't rain on the parade of graduates but rather turned out to be a beautiful day for the outdoor ceremony.

To celebrate, later that night we went to see "Wicked" the Broadway show, which was great! Many thanks to my team of babysitters for the day - Malesa, Linda, and Andrea! Charlotte loved them all.

Now on to the business of actually moving! Wow, is it a lot of work or what?!

Napping on the job

FOR SALE

Class dinner on a midtown roof

So is it just me, or do when people become 300x more flaky than usual when they decide to buy stuff, sell stuff or even just give stuff away on Craigslist?? Obviously Craigslist is a test of character to see how you behave when the person dealing with you doesn't know you and you have zero recorded or public accountability. Recent experiences suggest that a disappointing number of people fail this test all the time. I wonder if Craigslist will ever set up a feedback mechanism like eBay's - I think it could really help the site as I'm sure many get so frustrated with it they bag it completely and look elsewhere for cheap stuff.

Anyway, for you local readers, here are some items for sale that we are trying to get rid of before we leave:

IKEA Poang Chair/Ottoman - $75
Area Rug - $30
Rice Cooker - $5
George Foreman Grill - $10
Low Bookshelf (30" x 57")- $20
Tall Shelves (2 ft x 5 ft)- $20
Computer desk - $15
Corner computer desk - $40
IKEA dimmer lamps (3) - $15 each
Barstools (2) - $5 each
Magazine rack - $5
Entertainment Center - $15

Email me if you want to see any pictures. If you help us move on May 26 there is a good chance you'll be able to walk away with some of this stuff for free, but no guarantees!

I really can't believe we are leaving!!

Happy Rebate Day

For a couple months Charlotte has been emptying this shelf, and every time I've cleaned it up. Finally I just packed it up and our lives are much better.

In my very brief and ill-conceived corporate recruiting career here in the city I was instrumental (by handling the logistics of the extensive interview process) in getting Bob Evans his job as CEO of Churchill Downs. So... Helaman and I watched our first Kentucky Derby last week and I was rooting for Eight Belles to be the next filly to win it. How tragic that she gave it her all, came in second and then died right there on the track after breaking both ankles. How depressing!!

Helaman finally gave me a checkup and cleaning yesterday since I hadn't had one in a couple years since finishing the Invisalign. I'm happy to report 28 years = no cavities!

Keep the change, ya filthy animal

18 Days until Helaman's graduation. He passed his licensing exam and is ready for another round of fees and applications to get licensed in Texas. 23 days until we move. As I booked my flight out of here, I thought how crazy it was that it would be the last time we'd be flying out of New York. Right at this moment I am incredibly anxious to leave, due to Columbia's shutting off our heat even though the temperature is still in the 50s during the day, much lower at night and our 30-year old windows' insulation capabilities are non-existent. Thank you so much Jess for the space heater! Thankfully Charlotte's nose has ceased to run.

The other night was another gal-pal night out at the dessert place Cafe Lalo. We all wish we had been doing this all year instead of just the last couple months we'll all be here! These girls are amazing and I am so, so lucky to have had them and many others just as wonderful to call friends the last few years. I'm glad we all have blogs so we can keep up with each other.