COUSIN!!! (And an aunt!!)

The month my parents introduced me to my baby brother, I also got a brand-new cousin - one who has shared countless happy childhood memories with me. I knew I couldn't get married without her being in my wedding party, and was thrilled when she asked me to be the maid of honor in hers.


So it killed me that after Breanne told me she was planning her first visit to NYC, I had to count down more than three months until she actually got here!


But the day finally came when she and her mom, my Aunt Liza, flew in to spend a long weekend with Brent and I, and we had an absolute blast - though I'm pretty sure I would have had more fun had I not had to work. Among the stuff they did while I was serving coffee was being in the audience on the David Letterman show the day Will Smith was on promoting his new movie, Seven Pounds, and getting onto two segments of Good Morning America.


But when I was around, I made sure to take them to see the holiday lights on 5th Avenue, the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, Chinatown and Little Italy, Wall Street, Times Square, and the Statue of Liberty.


And I got my monthly Broadway fix the day they arrived because we scored tickets for Grease. The following day, we thought it would be great to just chill in the evening, so we went the chick flick route and took in the surprisingly hilarious Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.


Thursday night, I took them to my favorite Mexican restaurant, Rosa Mexicana, where we ordered two of their famous $14 guacamole appetizers and just sat and talked over dinner and margaritas for nearly three hours.


So it came as no surprise that we were exhaused after a day out in the rain and snow on Friday, where a trip to the Statue of Liberty could have been better had we had any type of view from Liberty Island. All we saw was snow and all I felt was hail and coldness! After drying off, we ate dinner at the Italian restaurant on the opposite corner of my apartment building and spent a night playing a fun, but endless game of Trivial Pursuit.


And what I've found is that it's amazing that you think you know someone until you spend every waking minute with them for even a short period of time. You might know what a friend prefers to order at a particular restaurant, but that's because you're with them at the time. What you don't know is everything leading up to that fact - how many outfits she tried on before heading out or what songs she listened to on the car ride on the way over.


But when you are with a person from the moment they wake up until the two of you say goodnight before going to sleep, you learn a whole lot that you didn't know that you didn't know. Because I grew up with Breanne, my Aunt Liza was always around, and we'd usually talk about this or that, but I didn't realize how much quality time I was missing with her.


So amid the catching up during the five days my cousin and aunt were in town, I relished the fact that we could not only catch up, but I could get to know them on a whole different level - all while having a blast in the city!

Wow - I wonder what he has in store at the year mark!

This month marks a small, but significant milestone in my very young marriage. As of Dec. 14, Brent and have been married for six months.

Let me backtrack a bit and say that with the exception of our one-month anniversary on July 14, the 14th day of the other months have been - understandably - quite unexceptional. If I happened to notice that it was, for example, Oct. 14, I might give Brent a, "By the way... happy four-month anniversary hubby!" kind of remark, but other than that, I didn't expect to celebrate anything until the big ONE YEAR! (Fingers are still crossed very likely in vain for a very unlikely surprise trip to Hawaii!)

So it wasn't a surprise to me that I didn't put 2-and-2 together when Brent asked me if I had any plans for yesterday night - a Sunday. Now I know I've only been married for six months, but I do know my husband. Therefore, I know that it's like pulling teeth to get him out of the house on Sunday nights - he would much rather relax in front of a football game and get mentally prepared for the work week ahead. So when he mentioned a surprise on Sunday night, I immediately became suspicious, yet didn't register the date.

He told me to dress nice, so I put on a dress and high heels and off we went down 57th Street so I could see my favorite NYC Christmas decoration - the giant star that hangs over 57th Street and 5th Avenue.

But then he cut over to 58th Street an led me into this restaurant called Tao. I had never heard of it before, but I later found out that it's a trendy place popular with celebrities that's also the largest and most popular Asian restaurant in New York City.

Apparently, it's designed to indulge all the senses. To that extent, it's relatively dark so you can't see what you're eating as much as you can smell and taste it. Also, they spin their own music inside the restaurant, which looks much like someone decided to turn a big, empty warehouse with a high ceiling into an Asian retreat.

After sharing a warm edamame appetiser, I dug into my fillet mignon over spicy noodles and veggies and he nibbled on his salmon. Then, we were given the dessert menu. Normally, Brent doesn't even glance at it, but this time, he asked me what I wanted for dessert. Again - I was very suspicious. So we ordered a pot of green tea and decided to go with the over-sized fortune cookie that was filled with white chocolate mousse on one side and chocolate mousse on the other and surrounded by fresh fruit.

A few minutes later, the waitress brought us our dessert - complete with two lit candles and the words "Happy Anniversary" spelled out in chocolate sauce on the plate.

"How did you..." I began to ask Brent, who had never left my side the entire time we were at the restaurant, so I know he couldn't have let them know it was our anniversary that evening.

"I can't let you in on all my secrets," he replied with that impish smile. But he did tell me that he had to make our reservations at the restaurant at least a month in advance. So while I was or was not noticing it was our five-month anniversary, he was already planning something special for our six-month anniversary. You gotta love the guy!

And of course we each got a fortune with our cookie. Mine said "Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it that you can," which was appropriate for me as I attempt to be a painter in my art class.

But Brent's was absolutely perfect for a couple in love celebrating their anniversary. It said "Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best." What's more romantic than that?

One of the most fun family visits ever!

Since we've lived in New York, Brent and I have had many visitors of all different types - from parents to sons of former bosses.

Though all those visits have been fun in their own unique way, I must say that I had an absolute blast when my cousins, sisters Gillian and Alexis, came to visit.

I grew up with these girls, who are now both in college back in Ohio, but have never spent more than a few hours at a time with either of them. Now that they have spent four entire days with me, I realized how much more I have in common with both of them.

Take Alexis, for example. She and I both have an unconditional love for travel, musicals, plays, and all things Broadway. So I was thrilled that she was just as excited as me to see The Little Mermaid, which was - by far - the most amazing show I've ever seen on Broadway. It might have something to do with the fact that The Little Mermaid was my favorite movie as a kid, but as far as the show, the special effects were nothing short of phenomenal. I mean there was a thunderstorm and shipwreck ON THE STAGE! The costumes were big and colorful, tentacles came out from the stage at the audience when Ursula was onstage, and all the sea creatures wore those shoes with skates on the ends of them so they could glide as if they were swimming.

And since going to a show is a great excuse to dress up, the two girls thought it would be just the time to give me a makeover. I wore Alexis' dress and used Gillian's purse and jewelry. Alexis told me how to do my makeup, and Gillian attacked my hair with a hair straightener. The photo I included here is the result of their hard work.

As far as Gillian is concerned, I found out that our personalities jive more than I initially thought. We seem to have similar views on relationships - and have been through some similar situations - and the same type of thirst for chilling out at bars and just having a good time. Although, I have to admit that the college girl's thirst for going to bars is a bit more extensive than my married one!

What I liked most about the girls' visit was that I got to spend time with both of them together and each of them individually. Together, the three of us walked through Central Park, went up the Statue of Liberty, discovered the deliciousness of rice pudding, marveled at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and the lights on 5th Avenue, and went on an hours-long, old-fashioned bar crawl. The three of us also spent time with Brent as well at some dinners - including one I made in my fondue pot on Sunday night before we all played games - and at the dive bar we live above - which became Gillian's favorite.

Individually, I went to the bar downstairs with Gillian one night when Alexis wasn't feeling well and spent hours at The Little Mermaid with Alexis. It worked well that when I was with one sister, Brent usually was with the other, so we both got individual time with each of them just to chat and catch up.

My favorite activity that the three of us did together, however, was the bar crawl we did on Sunday night - the last night they were going to be in New York City. The three of us donned our cutest red shoes and off we went down 9th Avenue stopping everywhere from a classy wine bar to a dirty college bar. The only reason we headed home around 2 a.m. (bars close at 4 a.m. in NYC) was that none of their kitchens were open and we were STARVING. Though it was literally freezing outside and we were all wearing dresses and high heels and I actually took a little spill mostly from the ice, but probably also because of the inebriation, it was fun as hell. Just like their entire visit! Miss you girls!

Thankful for family

Thanksgiving has always been a time for family, and I was thankful that this year, Brent and I were able to spend it back in Michigan and Ohio with our families.

Brent's family tradition has always been to spend Thanksgiving at his grandmother's house - his mom's mom - and I am thankful that I had been able to experience that tradition with him in the past. But his beloved grandmother, who I loved dearly, passed away earlier this year. So though we couldn't be with her, his family took some of the traditions they had there and transported them to his parent's house. Though it of course wasn't the same, it was still so great to spend that time with family.

Not so great was the morning after, when we decided that it was a good idea to participate in Black Friday. Now I know it's supposedly so-named because stores bank on that date as the starting point to get their books back in the black, but I think it's quite appropriate because it can then be in the same category of the Black Plague and other such horrific terms.

Brent and I started our morning at 4:45 a.m. in the line at Target. Normally, we would have gotten in line at Best Buy or Circuit City, but since I told him he wasn't allowed to buy the 50-some-inch plasma TV he wanted, there was nothing else at either of the stores we were dying to get on sale this year. So, we ended up at Target so Brent could look for a Nintendo DS to give me for Christmas, we could get a few new DVDs to enjoy all winter, and we could find some toys on sale for his nieces.

But unbeknown to us at first, when we got up to the doors, we accidentally got in line toward the front (it snaked around a few times and around to the other side of the building). But since no one called us out on it, I quietly convinced Brent to stay where we were. Sure, sure, it wasn't quite ethical, but it was Black Friday, so rules go out the window! Besides, everyone got in - we just got in more toward the front, and even with the madhouse of people who are grabbing everything in sight, we actually ran into Brent's mom and aunt, who had gotten up an hour earlier to make it to Kohls at 4 a.m. So the four of us tag-teamed the rest of the way, which was necessary among the madness.

But I will hand it to the stores. Though it was Black Friday, they were surprisingly well organized. Signs were posted, areas were roped off, and shopping carts were lined up facing the electronics so people could grab them as they ran!

The sales were great this year, and after going to Best Buy - AFTER the early rush - Petco, Bath & Body Works, Kohls, Old Navy, and Bed, Bath & Beyond, all before 8 a.m. we ended up getting all of our Christmas shopping done. And on Nov. 28. SCORE!

The rest of the day was spent with my family - including my Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom - at my parents' house, where we had a blast playing Taboo and just hanging out together.

And since my parents were heading on vacation on Saturday morning, the rest of the weekend and Monday morning were spent with Brent's family, which is great because we got to spend time with our nieces, who are growing up too darned fast.

Gotta love the holidays!

But I've only been married for FIVE MONTHS!!!

Without even knowing it or consciously planning on it, I've become a stereotypical housewife.

Since September, I've been enrolled in a three-hour watercolor art class on Tuesday nights. There's very little actual instruction, several demonstrations, and then some one-on-one time with the instructor as us students work on our own projects. The photo I've included is of the very first painting I've ever done. I painted from a photo I took of a little island near the shores of Lake Tahoe. Not too bad for a first try!
For two hours on every Monday night in November, I head to a knitting class, where we'll be taught how to make a scarf and hat.


Once a month on a Monday or Wednesday night, I'll head to the monthly meeting of the Upper East Side Book Club, the members of whom were kind enough to welcome me even though I live on the west side of Manhattan.


Other Wednesday nights are spent at the Abs, Back, and Butt class at the gym with Janine, my gym buddy, and Thursday nights we go to the gym's rebounding class.


Occasionally, I'll volunteer at the United States Humane Society and will soon be starting to play basketball in the winter league I joined last week.

Apparently, this is what happens when you have very few friends, no kids, a husband who works ridiculous hours, and only a part-time job with lots of free time on your hands!

It was supposed to be a hat, I swear!

As I mentioned before, a friend and I enrolled in a knitting class because both of us have always wanted to know how to do it. I took a single class about a year ago with my mom, but it wasn't enough instruction for me, so I decided to give it another try for a longer period of time.

I knew at the beginning of the class that we'd be taught how to make a scarf and a hat. What I didn't know was that I'd be taught by a very flamboyantly homosexual male knitting instructor, which was a pleasantly fun surprise! He has 20 years of knitting experience - he picked it up to have something to do while on the road when he was a dancer - so he has been quick to say "STOP" when I do something wrong.

We started with the scarf, which he taught us how to do, but the majority of the work was supposed to be done at home. This week, we finished up the hat.

I ended up with a multi-colored, knitted condom.

When I finished it in class, my instructor was the one who pointed out that fact to me. Not that he really had to.

Not that it would fit anyone's head, but the instructor told me to do a smaller version of the hat we were supposed to make because I knew I wouldn't be able to finish the entire human head hat in just a week.

So while I was admiring my first knitted something, I announced to the class that it would be a nice Christmas gift for my husband. I'm sure he'll love it!

Where else but NYC would you...

... be sitting in a bar with its windows open on a random Thursday evening and hear bagpipes being played before watching the guy in a kilt playing the instrument calmly walk by alone on his way to God knows where.