Starting a Happiness Project!

Photo Credit: SuccessforSolopreneurs.Com

So I just finished reading "The Happiness Project" which illustrates how our choices, thoughts and patterns of behavior contribute to or take away from our happiness. It's a really interesting read. It makes you think about how you spend time (or waste time), how you manage life stresses, etc. So I'm trying to apply some of lessons to my own happiness! Let's start with: things you do in your spare time - just for fun.

Things I'm good at & enjoy spending time on:
-Keeping up with friends (I love to send letters, have phone dates, etc.)
-Taking - and posting - pictures.
-Traveling (it's a lifestyle, and a top priority)
-Planning events (just ask my friends who have gotten married!)
-Being organized (binders, to-do lists, etc.)
-Reading for fun
-Exercising

Things I'd LIKE to be good at/spend time on:
-Cooking
-French (have not touched Rosetta Stone in a year, it's bad)
-Photography (while I love taking photos, I'd like to really learn how cameras work)
-Seeing more of NYC (I stay in a lot)
-Singing (I miss it)

Things I wish I would spend time on, but probably will not:
-Doing the dishes (sorry. they will sit there until I need one)
-Taking exercise classes (I just don't like being told what to do)
-Playing piano (Nate and I both used to play but we don't have one)

Rather than view is as a resolution, I'm going to try to spend more time on these things I know I'd like to spend time on, but don't allocate enough time or resources to making it happen. Stay tuned!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, growing up it was full of Vettel-family traditions - a big breakfast, mom cooking all day (lol, poor mom, we appreciate her!) while Jenni and I started Christmas decorations, and a big Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner we would watch The Santa Clause, one of our family's favorite Christmas movies (it's the sarcasm). However the last 7-8 years, my family hasn't spent Thanksgiving together. It started with my sister on a band trip my junior year of college (her junior year of high school). The next year, my dad was in Hawaii for work. The year after that, I was in Italy. The year after that, my mom and I went to NYC with Jenni (dad had to work in Florida). In 2009 I went home, but my dad was in NY for work and celebrated with Jenni (I celebrated with my mom, grandmother, and my mom's best friend Gamin). Last year, Nate and I celebrated in Brooklyn and Jenni came for dessert. This year Jenni was home with mom and dad - but Nate and I stayed in New York. So we've created our own traditions - some great ones at that.

After Nate and I got home from the parade we made a "Jenni recipe" - cranberry brie bites (crescent dough in mini muffin pans stuffed with brie and cranberry jelly. Yes, they are amazing. See the picture above!). We also enjoyed seasonal lattes - I had pumpkin spice and Nate had peppermint mocha - thanks to his mom for the sweet Starbucks gift cards! We started cooking up a storm after that. Last year we had TOO many leftovers, so this year we stuck to one turkey, two casseroles, and baked sweet potatoes and pumpkin bread. The casseroles took the most work - one is another "Jenni recipe" - baked macaroni casserole which is out-of-this-world good (ingredients: pasta, cheese, butter, cream, bread crumbs. It's practically fat-free... NOT!).



Nate and I were BOTH helpful in the kitchen (yes me too, to all you who might be skeptical). I'm actually less helpful day-to-day, but for big cooking events, like parties and holidays, I happen to be a lot more useful! Not sure why this is... lol.





We had an amazing dinner, and it just reminds me to be thankful for the abundance of food on the table, how it's not something I have to worry or stress about having - just about preparing it right. It's crazy, but 1 in 7 billion people went to bed hungry when I went to bed stuffed with turkey, green beans, and macaroni. And there's nothing wrong with enjoying the holidays... it just reminds me to be thankful and not to stress the details - the food was amazing, but more than that, it is such a blessing not to have to worry about where my next meal will come from.



I'm also thankful for my job, which reminds me every day to be thankful for the things that I have. I'm so lucky - at my age 5 out of my 6 grandparents are still alive, my parents are in excellent health, I have a great relationship with my little sister, I have the best friends anyone could ask for, and I have the sweetest love, my boyfriend Nate who I share all these adventures with - and we get to travel around the world, which is an amazing opportunity. I'm really lucky in life and lucky in love, I feel thankful today and try to remind myself to feel thankful EVERY day - that's what Thanksgiving should really remind us to do.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

One of the many perks of living on the Upper West Side is that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade route is right in our neighborhood! Thanksgiving morning we got up at 6am and walked just two blocks to Central Park West to watch the parade. We had good spots too! My first time watching the parade was in 2008 and I went with my mom and sister Jenni. Here's a then & now picture spread:

Mom, Jenni & Me - November 2008

Me & Nate - November 2011

The parade always starts with the Turkey float, which is animatronic (spell check that). I like it because the parade starts with the Turkey, and ends with Santa:



Every year there are amazing floats and balloons, but the balloons are the most impressive things to see in person - they are larger than life and as tall as the buildings lining Central Park! My personal favorites are Snoopy and Kermit the frog:





And of course, the parade ends with Santa. He was really jovial, a great end to the parade and a fantastic morning!

Lovely Fall

It has been a lovely fall in New York City! We've spent a lot of time in Central Park photographing the trees :). That's one of the things I love about living up north - getting to see all the seasons! Of course, in NYC that means 3 months of seemingly endless winter misery, from January to March. That, I could live without. By March I'd just assume it be spring with flowers and sunshine - but last year it snowed on April 1st (not an April Fools joke, though it seemed like one!). That time of year, I really miss Florida. But one of the best things is fall, where all the leaves change. I love the colors - the yellow, orange and red. You don't get leaves like that in Florida - they tend to just turn brown. It's a tradeoff, with fall and spring as the upside to winter (in my opinions!) Anyway, we have some really lovely pictures of the leaves below:







We were also excited to celebrate the engagement of our good friends Josh and Melissa! They both went to college with Nate - Josh was Nate's college roommate, and Melissa is also from Gainesville like us! It was awesome to celebrate with them (at a yummy Mexican restaurant!).

Josh, Melissa, Me, & Nate at Dos Caminos

Beach Weekend

Beginning of November Nate and I were lucky to be able to join his family in Saint Augustine for a relaxing beach weekend. It was perfect as we were both recovering from being sick and just wanted to spend quality time with family. His parents came up from Gainesville and his sister, her husband, and baby Tanner came from Colorado. I brough him an Elmo hat - which I think he likes (even if I'm being somewhat pushy about it, haha!). We got to see them this summer in Colorado, but even in the short amount of time since then Tanner had changed so much! Talking more, already taller and so much more mobile than when we saw him in May.

We got cool but nice weather our first day, and spent a lot of time walking the beach. It was so nice just to be out under clear skies and wide open spaces - nothing like New York! Plus we both spent a lot of time at St Augustine Beach/Crescent Beach growing up, so it is a place filled with lots of happy memories :)

Nate & I at St. Augustine Beach

Nate, Me, Angie, & Ryan at St. Augustine Beach

We were also lucky that my family was able to join us, and my parents and sister Jenni were able to meet Angie, Ryan and Tanner. Jenni and Tanner in particular hit it off. You can see her reading to him and they both get excited at the same part of the book:



It was great to have our families together! And it was a super relaxing and fun weekend. Hope we get to do it again soon!

Both families: Quenta, Larry, Jenni, Allan, Eadie, Me, Angie, & Nate

Breakfast Club Reunion: The Return to Tally!

At the end of October I brought Nate to Tallahassee for a true FSU football weekend! We are both from Gainesville but he went to school at UCF, so he's never been an FSU fan... but all that changed this weekend! I think it helped that FSU was playing NC State, a UCF rival, but I'll take what I can get! He even wore garnet :). I was also reunited with my best friend Courtney, who like me grew up in Gainesville but went to FSU, and the rest of the Breakfast Club - our group of friends from Lady Spirithunters. Lady Spirithunters was the first club I joined at FSU and it changed my college experience. Without it I wouldn't have met these amazing women, and it helped me truly feel at home at FSU. I still remember seeing the FSView with my name as a new Spirithunter... and the way I felt a year later when I saw my best friend's name in the paper (I may or may not have delivered a paper to her that morning at 6am... haha!)

Our first night in Tally we returned to an FSU favorite - MASA Japanese restaurant. Great sushi! After that we headed to Finnegan's Irish Pub - I went there first when I was in town for Mallory's wedding. It has a really cool vibe. And I got to see Anna, one of my friends from when I was an intern in Rome! She is from Tallahassee and lives here now! It was so great to see her.



The next morning we were up EARLY (noon kickoff, thus an early tailgate). But we made the best of it! We were reunited with Laura, Kelly and Natalie for our early morning tailgate. We had Sam Adams Octoberfest, seven layer dip, free sandwiches thanks to Jimmy Johns, Publix subs, and more chocolate chip cookies than we could count! We had GREAT seats at the game thanks to Natalie, and it was a clear and beautiful gameday. It was the perfect day!

The Breakfast Club Girls: Melissa, Courtney, Me, Natalie, Laura, & Kelly

Me & Nate in Doak Cambell Stadium

After the game we walked campus for an hour, everywhere from Courtney's ADK house to the PiPhi house, and the College of Ed and the College of Social Science. And of course, we had to take a picture at Westcott. We even returned to Bullwinkles! It was an amazing weekend!

Me & Nate at Westcott

Catching Up on October

Ahhhhh.

Okay. I admit it.

I've been a bad blogger as of late.

I have this terrible habit of being really good about blogging, falling behind, and then some two months later I update on the past couple months. It drags on because (of course) I'm a perfectionist about my posts and I never want to skip anything. So without further delay, let's catch up on October!

It was a nice and relaxing first half of the month. We spent a disproportionate amount of time on the weekends walking Central Park. Honestly I can't get enough. And we're starting to really learn the park - remember where favorite spots are, where trails lead to. I've also gone running a bit. We really enjoy it. We miss Prospect Park at times, but it's so nice to be the same distance in Manhattan from a large park. You can forget you're in the city!



We also discovered Pier One, which is a new favorite for the warm weather months.You have to take a staircase from Riverside Drive down by the Hudson River, and then the Pier goes out into the river a ways and you get a beautiful view of the Upper West Side.



We also had a great visit from my parents halfway through the month. My parents are New Yorkers at heart, and fly up to visit as much as they can. This visit I was able to give my parents a tour of the United Nations headquarters, including the General Assembly Hall and the Security Council Chambers. I have a great picture of my dad and I in the Security Council:



They also treated us to a new restaurant experience - Nobu - an incredible Japanese restaurant in Tribeca. It's been on my want-to-go-to list for at least 10 years, and it didn't disappoint. Lobster in spicy sauce, tuna with jalapeno, and so many more amazing dishes. We also tried an Italian Salumeria in our neighborhood that had great salami and cheeses and wines. And we returned to Dizzy's Jazz Club in Columbus Circle for live jazz, it's my parents' new favorite (and I get credit, thanks to a friend who introduced me to the place!). All in all it was a GREAT weekend!



More posts to come! Stay tuned!

Weddings Vs. Marriage

So, like everyone else in the US that pays attention to/is amused by pop culture, I had a minor shock Monday when it was announced that Kim Kardashian was filing for divorce after 72 days of marriage. Now, to say I am deeply invested in her decision is not accurate. But it prompted me to think about some very serious issues surrounding weddings and marriage in our culture.

As a 26 year old woman in a serious, committed relationship bordering on 2 years, conversation inevitably turns to marriage. And I'm as guilty as anyone for bringing it up - it's definitely exciting to talk about when you feel like you've met the right person. However, this announcement yesterday got me thinking about what marriage means, especially marriage versus a wedding. A commitment versus a party.

A Wedding is Just a Party.

Now my close friends will laugh, knowing I've already thought through many details of the type of party - WEDDING - that I want to have. Guilty as charged! I know the details will be fun to plan.

But I started thinking about Kim Kardashian's story. Last fall, in 2010, her face was on the cover of People magazine with the caption "I thought I'd be married by now." I remembered thinking, how sad. Marriage is not a finish line... it's a benchmark, one of many in life. And it's not the only one that defines you. Then she started her whirlwind romance and wound up engaged 6 months later. I remember reading the article on her engagement... and thinking, this is all about the ring - this giant, over-the-top 20 carat diamond ring. It was all about her - her reaction, her surprise and shock, and her family celebrating her. The guy was just background filler - could have been anyone, really, as you were reading the article. Finally, her wedding magazine cover featured solely her - not her new husband - on the cover. It was all about the day, the dress, the jewels, the money spent on the party. Her bridesmaids got more coverage than the groom.

What's missing? Why am I so interested? Why do I even care to flip casually through these magazines, I wondered? And I yesterday when she announced her divorce, I was as guilty as anyone in reading articles on the demise, comment boards filled with "who cares?" and "no surprise!" messages.

Yet the same people watched her wedding special. Purchased the magazines featuring her on the cover. I was one of those people after all, I liked reading about the details and seeing the pictures too. So what's the problem? The thing is, society rewards this kind of behavior. It rewards the glamour and materialistic aspects of marriage. It focuses on the party, the amount of money spent, the size of the ring. And when things turn to divorce, no one acts surprised. Why buy into it in the first place? And why do we allow ourselves to feel like we should have the biggest of everything, as if that will make or break the union? To spend a fortune on a ring that you can't take with you. I'll admit there have been times I've worried about everything looking perfect. But I realized, just because something sounds perfect doesn't mean it is perfect. I already know a dozen people my age who are divorced.

I had a lightbulb moment (aha!) when I came to the realization that everyone should ask themselves before getting married: If getting married means no wedding, would I do it? No celebration, no white dress, no toasts, no flowers, no photographer. If it means signing a piece of paper down at City Hall and then going off and building a life together without any fanfare, just hard work. When you can say yes, I think you've found the right person.

My grandparents were married in a quiet ceremony, no diamonds, no glamour. And they were happily married for the rest of their lives, over 50 years, until my grandfather passed away. Those vows meant something to them, and I'm not saying they don't to everyone. But it's really, really tough. Good times and bad means after the photos are framed and the honeymoon ends and you're stuck with a mortgage and kids and not enough sleep and more than enough work to do, that you can look at each other and smile and still be best friends, still have that sparkle when you think about how you built your life together. That's what I saw in my grandparents. And that's what I want. And from this point forward, I resolve when the time comes, to keep perspective.

I'm not the expert - I'm not even married after all. But I see it everywhere, in all the bridal magazines and in coverage of pop culture events, that the obsession with weddings over marriage is the problem. And it's increasingly evident with high profile engagements, weddings, and divorces such as Kim Kardashian's. I'm not saying Kim Kardashian is blameless, nor am I saying she's a bad person, after all we all make our own choices and only we have to live with them. I'm also not saying that when the time comes, I won't be excited to plan all the details of my wedding and have one hell of a party. There's nothing wrong with envisioning a dream wedding and being excited to plan it. But the union is more important than the celebration.

A wedding is just a party.

Top 5 Friday: Favorite Italy Moments, Part 2

Part 2! There are what seems like infinite favorite Italy moments - so here's part 2 of my post - moments 6-10 :)

#10: Photo Shoot in Faro with Rachel

To know Rachel and I is to know that we are a little crazy, definitely NOT conventional, and we'll find ways to have fun pretty much anywhere. But one of my favorite moments in Italy was when we went to Capri together (following my first trip in June) and did something different from my first trip - took a bus to Faro, the point of the island. An impromptu photo shoot ensued, with each of us taking pictures of the other. Lots of silliness. Then we discovered the self timer on Rachel's camera, and got my favorite picture of us of all time:


August 2007

I still have this picture framed, it was such a fun moment and very special that Rachel flew over to visit me that August!

#9: My first weekend - trip to the countryside

I arrived in Italy in a whirlwind, and promptly crashed an intern's birthday party (thanks Alison!). I was also invited to a weekend day trip to the Roman countryside, which just goes to show how amazing the intern culture was at WFP. I found myself in a beautiful country house with a pool in the backyard, two tables full of Italian food and groceries, cooking up a storm in the kitchen with my now dear friend Cristiana. I'm not much of a chef now, but this gave me the confidence I could cook for myself and Italy, and more importantly, that I wasn't going to be lonely while I was there. Over 4 years later, we're still friends, and this is a memory that never fails to make me smile.


June 2007

#8: I bought my first painting.

I'd had my eye on the beautiful paintings in Piazza Navona the entire 7 months I lived in Italy. Finally, the week before I was heading home, I broke down and spent the last bit of my savings on a gorgeous original painting. I fell in love with it immediately and successfully bartered the price from 400 to 180 euros. It took an hour and a half. I am terrible at bartering, but I literally could only give the painter the money I had. It turns out when you literally have no more money, you turn from a pitiful barterer to an excellent one. This was such an important moment because it was my first painting, and unlike any of my other purchases (boots, bags, etc) this was one that will be in my home for the rest of my life. And it started the trend of collecting original artwork, which now fills my home with color and happy memories :)


December 2007

#7: I found my apartment

This happened just days before memory 9, but it was a very important day! I had seen an apartment the day before that I really didn't love - and couldn't see myself staying at despite the very nice roommate. I heard about an apartment I'd seen on a listserve and had really no idea where it was, so I gave myself 2 hours to find it. And yes, it took the entire 2 hours wandering around the Marconi neighborhood to find the teeny tiny Via Giuseppe Zamboni street where this apartment was. But instantly, I loved it. Bright blue walls, posters of Marilyn Monroe, and 5 closets - yes this would be home for the next 7 months! I had a very nice landlord and a door to the terrace, and just a short walk from the train station to work. I was clueless but I didn't give up - and I found an apartment I absolutely loved living in :)


June 2007

#6: crashing grandma's 80th birthday party with Courtney

If anyone could find trouble in Italy, it would be my partner in crime Courtney and me. We took a two day trip to Orvieto, Italy and went to a restaurant recommended by my mom's best friend, Gamin. It was called Il Funaro, and it was a restaurant built into a cave with excellent food and wine.


April 2010

After dinner, we heard music coming from downstairs and ventured down to take a peak. It was an old woman's birthday and she was surrounded by her family and a piano player. We turned to go back upstairs but with Courtney's broken understanding of Italian we learned we were invited to stay. We couldn't speak the language but we could drink and dance, which is all that counted. For almost 2 hours we danced and laughed - and Courtney got hit on in Italian by the woman's son who was still way too old for her! And we had a blast. To me, this epitomizes Italy and everything I love about it. And we had fun dancing, too ;)

Top 5 Friday: Favorite Italy Moments, Part 1

I seem to be missing Italy a lot this week, so it seemed appropriate to have a two-part Top 5 Friday: favorite Italy moments. For anyone who knows me, Italy has a special place in my heart and has been pivotal in shaping my life. I first traveled to Italy in 2005 when I was living in London, and my life was forever changed. Then in 2007, at only 21 years old, I packed 3 suitcases and moved to Italy for 7 months. I returned in 2009, 2010 and again in 2011.

The following are the top 5, as hard as it was to narrow down. Part II will have some other special moments, but these are my favorites:

#5: The four cheese gnocchi at La Bottega del Cafe

I first discovered this dish in June 2007 when I went to La Bottega with a group of interns because Alison had heard about it. I gravitated to that dish and to this day, I've never had anything else at this restaurant as my main course. It is my favorite pasta dish I've EVER had. Done to perfection. Simple. Rich. I've had it at least 20 times that I can recall. And I return every trip to Italy - and I have this dish.


June 2007

#4: Siena with my mom.

My mom didn't have a lot of vacation time when she flew to Italy in September 2007 for my 22nd birthday. It also took a fair amount of convincing for us to go to Siena and not Florence, as I'd been to Florence and told her since she isn't that big into museums she probably wouldn't love it. Siena was magical. It was crisp and cool weather, sunny and clear skies. We stayed at an upscale bed and breakfast with a balcony view of the Siena skyline.


September 2007

Our first morning sporting plush bathrobes, we drank the most perfect cappuccinos and enjoyed a delicious breakfast spread as we dined on the terrace. We did some sightseeing for sure, but this is the moment I remember the most. The other from Siena is walking the fortezza, with a view of Siena on one side and the Tuscan countryside to the other.


September 2007

All in all, it was the most wonderful way to turn 22.

#3: The top of Capri


June 2007

For this one, the picture comes first although it pales in comparison to the experience. It was like heaven, floating above the blue green Mediterranean Ocean with the Amalfi coast misty in the background, the landscape of capri falling behind us. It was the moment I remember thinking this just can't be real, it's better than reality. Capri was like a fantasy, and I hope one day to return.

#2: Taking Nate to Villa Borghese

I spent a lot of time in Villa Borghese during my March 2009 trip, but it was my picnic lunch with Nate that was the perfect day. It started in Campo d'Fiore at 10am, purchasing bread, cheese, meat, croissants, olives, strawberries, and more cheese, followed by a short ride on the 116 bus to the park. Villa Borghese is the largest park in Rome and it's missed by so many tourists. It's absolutely lovely, with picturesque trees and lush grasses.


March 2009

Of course, nothing compares to taking the person that you love, who is on his first trip out of the United States, to this place. We laid on the blanket after eating all the delicious Italian food, just looking at the trees and enjoying the moment. It was cool and sunny, the perfect weather, with the perfect person, relaxing and loving life. Oh, and eating strawberries ;)


April 2011

#1: My first glimpse of the Colosseum.

What could beat my perfect picnic in the park? My first moment in Italy takes the prize. I was 19, summer of 2005, living in London and liking it - not loving it. I'd flown into Rome's Ciampino airport, but due to changes in my fellow students' itineraries, this first moment I was alone - which was probably a good thing. My hostel was near Termini so I hopped on the Metro and got off at the best-sounding stop I saw - Colosseo. I took the fortunate exit that spills you out just across the street from the Colosseum. It was literally larger than life. I felt like everything else in life just disappeared. I'd never seen anything like it (no offense to London). I fell in love with Italy in that moment and if not for it, I never would have returned to live there in 2007. I'm a homebody by nature, and even remembering the feeling I had in this moment it was still very hard to get on that flight for 7 months, going to Italy alone. This moment set the rest of it in motion, and for that I will always be grateful and will never forget it.


July 2005

Stay tuned for part 2 - which holds another set of memories from Italy that are near and dear to my heart!

Birthday & Housewarming Party!

After Nate and I moved to our new apartment we tried, very unsuccessfully, to have a housewarming party. Summer was just too crazy there was never enough time! So when I realized my birthday fell on a Saturday, I thought it would be great to have a housewarming/birthday party! So glad we did too - it was such a fun Saturday.



The BEST surprise was when at 9:30am my little sister knocked on the door! I had no idea she was coming and it was such a fun surprise! She helped me and Nate grocery shop and cook all day - we made TONS of appetizers. We had Swedish meatballs in a mushroom cream sauce, cranberry brie bites (Jenni's recipe, so easy and so good!), mini french onion quiches, Italian stuffed mushroom caps (stuffed with fontina, parmasean cheeses, and diced sundried tomatos and celery), homemade pumpkin bread, homemade guacamole, salami prosciutto and mozzarella platter, ranch dip and veggies, and macaroons from a nearby bakery. It was super good:



So much has changed in a year in NYC - we have amazing friends that came by! Josh & Melissa, Nate's best friends from college:



Our friend Etienne, awesome guy and amazing trumpet player!



My piphi friends that I met through the alumni club - Jen and Lauren!



Amanda, a fellow ACR and PiPhi, and her boyfriend Steven:



And lots of friends from work!



I feel so lucky to celebrate with awesome friends and family! It was the perfect day! Thanks to everyone who made it special, especially my sister and sweet boyfriend!