...and a Happy New Year.

Well, blogging-wise, this year is going out not with a bang, but a whimper.

I promise there were some cool things that happened during the second half of 2012. For example, my sister got married and it was a super fun party and my mom danced to Gangnam Style (not pictured, unfortunately).   

  And I got to go on a really awesome trip to Greece and Turkey with my roommate/BFF Melissa and we made friends with a spice merchant named Selim and ate our weight in bread.  

  Overall, this year was a pretty interesting one for me.  I predicted last January that 2012 would be a year of change, and it has certainly been that, with probably more to come soon.  There have been a lot of ups and downs, but I've learned a lot and I'm excited for what's to come.  And despite the fact that I'll be ringing in the new year on a red-eye flight back to New York City, 2012 and I are saying farewell on pretty dang good terms.  

  Happy New Year!

Back.

So, Peru was incredible. I have approximately 700 pictures to post (roughly 65% of which are of beautiful valleys, so get excited for that), but that will happen later. For now it feels great to be back in my bed with indoor plumbing. We flew into JFK after midnight and I got to see the always beautiful New York skyline with the Freedom Tower lit up in red, white and blue.

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One of the best things about this trip was experiencing such a different culture, being reminded of how different my lifestyle is from so many others, and of how much I have to be thankful for. And as much as I absolutely love traveling, there's still something wonderfully comforting about coming back to the States and having the customs agent smile and say, "Welcome home."

Planner.

It probably won't come as a shock to most people that I love to plan. It's a trait that comes from my dad and is one that I've adopted with a somewhat manic enthusiasm. At the end of my freshman year of college when I picked my major, I charted out all of my classes (pre-reqs, GEs, major electives, etc.) and credits for the rest of my college career. I also had alternate charts for scenarios including Study Abroad and getting a minor in Management (both of which I did). I love schedules of any kind. I like any excuse to make spreadsheets or add things to my calendar. I check my budgets daily on Mint.com. I get immense satisfaction from making lists. It is probably a great travesty that I have never pursued a career in event planning.

What I love more than anything is talking about my plans with other people. So here are a few things that are currently bringing me great enjoyment:

Making preparations for this year's Warrior Dash, including a 10-person cabin in the Poconos.

Researching every aspect of our trip to Peru, obviously.

Adding to a shared "Summer Bucket List" on Google Docs. As oppressively hot and humid as Summer is in the city, it's also REALLY fun.

Crafting my training schedule for the New York Marathon.

Bookmarking places to eat when Becca and Krissy come to town in July.

And my favorite hobby at the moment: checking and double-checking my flight itinerary for my trip home to California and seeing 3 days until departure in the little box.

Won't you take me to... Quakertown?

Last weekend, a few friends and I went to a cabin outside of Quakertown, Pennsylvania for a little mid-winter getaway. Due to a few people having plans change at the last minute, we ended up with 7 girls and one guy, so it wasn't so much a co-ed weekend as a woodsy version of The Bachelor. Still, it was really fun and it's always nice to get out of the city and relax with friends.

We drove up late on Friday night and the car I was in had a few GPS issues along the way (thanks in part to a bridge across the Delaware River that was closed since it was covered in ice). At one point, we were driving along a dark and kind of creepy highway through the forest and we missed a turn-off. The GPS recalculated the route and instructed us to "turn right on Dark Hollow Road." We were not so into possibly getting murdered in the back woods of Pennsylvania (Katie actually shouted "NOPE!" at the GPS lady), so we opted to make a U-turn instead and made it to the cabin unscathed.


Anyway, I had the amazing foresight to bring my Saved By The Bell DVDs. After Megan made us some delicious pancakes (and, unfortunately, turkey bacon) on Saturday morning, we spent a few hours lying around in our pajamas and enjoying Bayside High shenanigans. The rest of the day, we alternated between watching more episodes and:



Eating lots.



Walking out to the frozen lake (and not falling in, despite my Little Women flashbacks).



Going into town for more snacks (including Girl Scout cookies, miracle of miracles).



Making ice sculptures.



Exploring.


It was fun. My friends are fun.

Fall foliage.

You guys, I love Fall so much. It's always been my favorite season, but I think living in New York has given me an even greater appreciation for it. And while there are many great things about summer in the city, I am only too happy to say goodbye to sweating in the subway, the smell of hot garbage, and people blasting music on the sidewalk at 3am. Now is the time of gorgeous colors in the park, boots, salted caramel hot chocolate, and baking every treat I can find that is even vaguely pumpkin-related.


Recently, a few friends and I decided to take a weekend trip to Boston. I'd never been, and I really loved it. But can we be honest? Boston is not a real city. I mean, it's beautiful and I would totally live there, but come on. It reminded me a lot of the touristy parts of DC--lots of brick buildings and wide streets. At one point, we decided to walk through Boston Common for a bit. After like 10 minutes of walking, we came out the other side, and kind of looked around, puzzled. "That's it?" Heh. I guess I've been desensitized a bit by New York?


Harvard was also very nice. I totally should have gone there. Here you see the first stop we made after dropping our stuff off at the hotel--an ice cream place across from Harvard yard. (That sentence kind of makes it sounds like our hotel was the ice cream place, which is something I can only dream about.) Pumpkin and chocolate chip ice creams in a cone? Yes, I'll have that.


We did all the obligatory tourist stuff--Italian food, the Freedom Trail, clam chowder. Aside from our bus driver almost making us miss the season finale of Mad Men, it was a delightful trip.


The next Saturday involved a day trip with some other friends to Sleepy Hollow, about 30 minutes north of Manhattan (which I refrain from calling "upstate" thanks to Noelle). We frolicked in the cemetery (who doesn't?) and visited the Headless Horseman bridge (pictured above). I would really be interested to know the amount of revenue that town sees in October compared to the rest of the year.

I'm actually excited to pull out the coats from under my bed, and to have a use for all my scarves other than preventing frostbite at my office. And while I know that come January, the tears will freeze to my cheeks as I cry over the arctic temperatures--for now, I'm in heaven.