Oh What a Circus, Oh What a Show!

The day after I returned from my amazing and indescribable 19 day vacation to Israel and the Baltics (posts and pics coming soon), all I wanted to do was crash and stay close to home while I recovered from jet lag. Of course, instead of spending the evening unpacking, I was handed a pair of tickets to the Britney Spears concert at Madison Square Garden.
Now, I don't care how tired you are... if you are handed free tickets to what will surely be the biggest spectacle in town- YOU GO.
Carlos and I joined every trashy teenager from Jersey and Staten Island and thoroughly enjoyed watching Ms. Spears give a solid 30% for two hours.
I have to admit, while her 'showmanship' was lacking- the production was spectacular!

There's No Place Like Home

It is no secret that the older I get the fonder my affection grows for my lovely home town of Rexburg, Idaho.
Imagine my surprise and ecstasy when I walked in to Five Guys Burger in midtown Manhattan and saw this sign.

A Harlem Reunion of Childhood besties

I had the loveliest of lovely lunches yesterday.
My dear childhood friend Amy came to visit me near my office in Harlem.
It has been close to eight years since we have last seen each other, but honestly, once we saw each other and started talking, it was like no time had passed at all.
There are no words for how much I adore this girl.

Our families were best friends for nearly my entire childhood and adolescence. Our families shared nearly every holiday meal for 15 years, her parents were my 'emergency contact' every year at school, I knew her house almost as well as I knew my own. The Bice family will always hold a very very special place in my heart.
Amy dear, thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being so extraordinary. Thank you for being so much like a sister (I think one main thing that bonds siblings is their mutual understanding of the parental dynamic). We have that.
BTW, I totally support the idea of a Mann/Bice reunion (Russ, Nancy, Amy, Molly, Nathan, Taylor, Chris, Barbara, Kymberly, Kyle... if you are reading this... let's make it happen!).

Ohhh Oh, I'm Halfway There...

Yesterday marked my last day of my first year of grad school.
One down... one to go.

To celebrate, I decided to treat myself to a little vacation.
Naturally, by 'little' vacation I mean a 20 day extravaganza adventure to Israel, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany, and Russia.

I figure I won't be going anywhere for another year, so I might as well make the most of the free time when I have it.

Bonjour! Aug Weidersehen! Vi ses! Shalom! Do svi-dan-niye!