The Daily Danni

Sneak peak of La Ville-Lumière

2011-10-27T00:24:00.001-04:00

I've probably got some explaining to do.

I'll post more later :)

Back up and runnin'

2011-10-24T22:55:00.000-04:00

Guess who's back, back again
Danni's back, tell a friend

Sorry for the 6 month hiatus. I'm alive and well and am living in the great state of TEXAS. Can you believe it? Me neither, yall.

I'll back-blog as much as I can to fill in the gaps and try to explain myself. Right now I am sitting on my couch seriously contemplating whether or not I will make it to the gym (that is the 'runnin' part of the title).
Until I give in, I'll share with you a few random pieces of life:
1. Jul-Drink became Jul-White:

My dreams came true; I was finally able to visit my bestie Julia's hometown of Pitman New Jersey for her very own home-town wedding. (This is the setting for all of my favorite Drinkwater stories, I fantasized visiting it for 5 years!) We spent the first few days decorating the chapel, and then traveled to DC for the ceremony (mind you, in the pouring rain). Kate and I were given baby-girl sitting/flowers/hair/makeup duty and we had so much fun! That floral design class at BYU paid for itself that weekend because between the Drinkwater sisters and me I think we made over 100 floral arrangements :) Julia looked completely radiant and beautiful, and her hubby was all smiles. It was incredible. My favorite part was the afterparty-- Jersey-style. I've never danced that much or laughed that hard. Every single person was dancing- Skip Drink (Jul's Dad) taking the lead. It was amazing.

The White Family. I love them!!!

2. My Sissy-lou-hou moved to NYC! When she wasn't forgetting to call me, she worked for this guy:

(I wish). No, she actually worked for this guy:

Even though she never technically met him (I still imagine it that way though). Insert 12-year-old girl-braces- awkward-stage-slumberparty lip sync session here.

3. On this awkward stage topic, while unpacking I finally went through my box of memento clothing. I do not know why I keep clothes like this and I know it's not normal. But fortunately, due to muscle atrophy and a stress-induced loss of appetite, I was able to pry myself into an outfit I loved in 8th grade. Now all I need are braces, Nirvana, and teen spirit.

g2g Junior high style,
-Ddub

Viva

2011-05-13T22:49:00.001-04:00

The title of my blog is a total lie...it's more like the "quarterly Danni" or "once-in-a-while-when-I-get-around-to-it Danni". Sorry for being the worst blogger ever. And thanks for readin'.

Anyway. Nothing new to report of except for my recent trip to Vegas. I had lots of fun and roomed with my girly Carla. We met up with our friends for a quick weekend of fun, food, pools, and parties. It was a very necessary vacation. Enough said.

We stayed @ the Palazzo. Call me easy to please but my favorite part was the TV in the shower. I conditioned my hair twice and was totally late meeting up with everyone because I wanted to finish watching the tv version of Scream 3 in the shower. So awesome.

The group. Carla's bf (not pictured) is very well connected so everywhere we went we could name drop and get a table and vip service. Go Carla, please travel with me everywhere. I may even try dropping his name when I travel without you. Any clue where this is? Me neither.

Our suite. We got such a great deal, again... Carla! The first night we couldn't figure out how to turn the lights out. We had to call the front desk and get directions. How many blondes does it take...?

XS. This is most people's favorite club in Vegas, and even though it may be cheesy and ostentatious I still love it. Best part? Beds in the pool. I want one. If you are in Vegas you should dress up and stop by, it's a lot of fun.

We didn't get pictures of it but this is us before we went to see La Reve at the Wynn Hotel. We thought that we had awesome seats at first, but then realized we were in the "splash zone". Surprise! By the way, has anyone seen this show? It makes no sense at all and the whole time I thought I had missed something major that would have explained the whole thing. I was googling the synopsis on my phone trying to stay with it and I still couldn't follow. What is it about?! So weird.

This is the fountain back @ the P. I didn't know that the Palazzo has the club LAVO inside of it. I didn't get a chance to stop inside, but I used to love LAVO in nyc because they have awesome Italian food and can throw quite a party. Heidi Klum had her halloween party @ LAVO this year, and I love Heidi, therefore I love LAVO too. Anyway, it's another fun place if you haven't been.

We saw Easter flowers and decorations at the Bellagio. I love tulips- the flowers of my people! Now where are my wooden clogs and bonnet? The Bellagio has a butterfly house open now too, which is pretty neat. We waited all weekend to indulge ourselves at the Bellagio buffet. I had no idea how serious our group was going to be about eating. I don't think we even talked at dinner, and we went back for 4 or 5 rounds, even though that sounds gross it was amazing. haaaaaappy tummies.

Southern Livin'

2011-04-24T01:59:00.001-04:00

Howdy y'all. The other weekend I took a quick trip to Atlanta to visit my dear friend Anika. You've probably seen her 'round these parts (blog) and because she doesn't have FACEBOOK let me introduce her to ya. Anika and I met during training at JPM and lived in the same building in NY. We MC'd an event on halloween together (remember THIS?), danced with Irish boys together, spent new years together, and studied our brains out together. Anika is a great friend to me. And she is so bold I feel like any Chuck Norris joke could also be about her. Just meet her and you will see what I am talking about; Anika doesn't sleep, she waits.

Anyway, now that we have both left NY (I am in Denver now, BTW) we figured we needed a reunion. Anika wanted me to come with her to see the Atlanta LDS temple, which is currently open to the public because they just finished remodeling it. Normally only certain members of the LDS faith can attend the temple. I don't even do it. But someday I would like to. Anika is not LDS but wanted to learn more about it after going to church with me in nyc. So it was an exciting event for both of us to take a looksy inside! And let me tell you, it was gorgeous. You can read more about it and see pictures here.

The temple made us feel so warm and fuzzy inside. The purpose of the temple is to remind you that you are a child of God, and you have great purpose. It's nice to be reminded of that sometimes, especially when the world tries to tell us otherwise.

On a more un-holy note, our tour-guide was the most attractive 40+ man I've ever seen. As we were leaving the temple Anika and I were discussing his chiseled features and smooth-as-butter-voice, when suddenly a butter-like-voice chuckled behind us and said "I hope you ladies enjoyed the temple". I died. We are going to hell.

Moving on. This is us at Piedmont Park enjoying the sunshine! I love the cityscape behind us.

We went hiking up Stone Mountain and the view was breathtaking. It is documented on Anika's camera, so instead you will have to see a picture of me in front of the train looking all pasty white. Eeesh. Bet you didn't know that I glow in the dark.

And because Anika also has the pictures of us going out, here is a picture of us afterwards eating omelettes at 2am. Real cute huh. Nom nom nom.

That's it. Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Embarrassing Moments Continued

2011-03-20T03:06:00.002-04:00

Have you ever seen the movie Elf? You know the part where Buddy takes Jovie on a date and Buddy runs around and around and around in the revolving door?

I wish we had doors like that at our office. Instead we have really heavy glass doors that you have to push with all of your might to get through. They are air-tight too, to keep the wind out (and people with no upper-body strength). One day this week I went out with my coworkers to pick up lunch. On our way back we all went in through the revolving door, one at a time, with me last. And wouldn't you know it, right as I enter the revolving door...it got stuck. Trapping me inside. At first I thought maybe it was just me, after all, I haven't been to the gym in a while. But after trying really hard the door wouldn't even budge. Fortunately my lunch group noticed that I didn't make it through and they came back to see what happened. And they all seemed to think it was pretty funny. Blonde girl, yelling "help!" inside revolving door, frantically trying to push it forward. Then, to add to the comedy, a crowd of all the other lunch-goers began to gather around the door on both sides. And everyone, yes everyone, was laughing. I could hear their solutions through the glass: "She is going to run out of air in there!" "At least she has her lunch with her, might be a while till she gets out", "Hey girl trapped inside, did you try pushing the door?", "It's really heavy you know" etc. People were taking turns pulling and pushing on the door to try to get me out...and nothing. I really think some people thought I was just door-challenged. While they tried to help I just sorta chilled inside trying to play it cool but looking extremely awkward...

Anyway, I guess it was just a freak thing. Some bolt inside just decided to bolt itself into the floor and keep me inside. Fortunately I wasn't in there too long, and yes I had my lunch with me (but I was too embarrassed to eat it)....and finally after everyone's effort a big man gave the final push that set me that bolt, and me, free.

I didn't really know how to explain myself when I got back to work...it was something like "I just spent my lunch hour stuck in the front door."

Looking back it was pretty funny. That would happen to me.

Babycakes: Gluten Free in NYC

2011-03-13T23:31:00.001-04:00

I could not be happier about this whole Gluten-free movement. It's everywhere! My two besties from college happen to have Celiac's disease. Living/cooking with them taught me a lot about gluten free living, and how difficult (and expensive!) it can be. Because of this I am always on the lookout for affordable, delicious gluten-free food that we can enjoy eating together. Many of my NY friends are vegan, including the wonderful Molly Anderson, so I am also on the lookout for yummy vegan spots.

So without further ado I want to share with you my top-number-one-vegan-gluten free-favorite-bakery-in-the-whole-world: Babycakes. Mmm! Everything on their menu is vegan, most of it organic and gluten free, made without egg, soy, refined sugar, or dairy. The best part is that you could never taste the difference!

Located in the East Village they are a bit of a walk from the subway, but hey they DELIVER, nation-wide in fact!

After looking at this picture I realized how funny/ironic it is that I wore fur into a vegan bakery...in the East Village nonetheless. Hey, at least I was doing one thing right.

Ready for something sweet?

If you know anyone in your life who is affected by Celiac's, please do them a favor and tell them about babycakes! You could even get them the cookbook below. It is fantastic.

Here's a teaser recipe: Erin McKenna's Favorite Banana Bread. (Pssst: Kate! Julia! Try this!)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (gotta be Bob's, no sub)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup rice milk
2 tablespoons of good quality vanilla
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush your loaf pan with oil and set aside.

In a medium bowl, measure in flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon and whisk. Add oil, agave nectar, rice milk and vanilla and then mix again. Fold in bananas until nicely distributed.

Pour batter into loaf pan (only halway!) and set in the oven. After 20 minutes, check on the loaf and continue baking until it passes the toothpick test. Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes.

Anyway, hope you like it as much as I do! xoxo Danni

Week of Savage Craic in Denver

2011-03-13T00:21:00.000-05:00

Craic (pronounced crack) is a common term used in Ireland to describe fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation with good friends. "Savage" Craic is how Denver does St. Patty's Day (or in this case, week). In searching online for the address of our festivities today I ran across the video above. Yes, it's from last year but you still have to watch it. His comments starting @ 1:39 are my favorite...enjoy!

Denver hosts a huge outdoor festival the week leading up to St. Patrick's day. Today was Parade day and it was a blast! Starting at 7am crazy people dressed in green rushed to the bars for traditional Irish breakfast to start off a day of partying. The rest of the day included 10 hours of live music, Six Nations Rugby, the parade, Irish dancing, an inflatable Irish village, bagpipes, lots of green beer, corned beef and cabbage, and even men in kilts. I'm not really Irish, I don't drink, I'm not a fan of corned beef, and I didn't make it to the bar at 7am, but who cares?! It was fun. Like the man in the video said, today is the day when all cultures come together to acknowledge that the Irish culture is superior to all other cultures. And that, my friends, is the true meaning of St. Patrick's Day.

Tour of Bloomberg: Multi-tasking while on hold with Delta

2011-03-12T05:47:00.002-05:00

This post will be just as long as my hold-time is. I thought I would be semi-productive and post random things that I find awesome.

1. The Bloomberg building. It's worth a visit if you are in the neigh-bo-hood located at Lexington avenue between 58th and 59th (you can't miss it since it takes up a whole block). Yes, I know it's not Christmas anymore but nonetheless I wanted to show you this picture. We are standing in the center of the elliptical shaped atrium where you are absolutely not supposed to park, unless of course you drive a certain blue Maybach and happen to be Beyonce or Jay Z, who live upstairs in One Beacon Court, and were even married in this building.

Nerd alert: Bloomberg is super boring if you are not in finance, so feel free to skip over the next part.

Their main product, the Bloomberg Terminal, is a computer that helps you monitor and analyze real-time financial-market data movements and place trades. Bloomberg TV is pretty awesome too, they have a mini-docu-series called "Game Changers" that is just enough info. to stay informed but short enough to watch while you eat breakfast. You should see the one about Mark Zuckerburg if you want to know what was real and fabricated in the movie The Social Network (and while we're on the subject, see the longer one on CNBC).

But back to the building.

The inside of the office space is equally rad. Each room is unique and artistic. Even the bike rack room is a work of art. Unfortunately they don't let you take pictures inside so I will use google images to try to illustrate my point:

All of the walls in the whole building, excluding those in the restrooms, are transparent.

They pride themselves in having one of the first curved escalators, ever.

They also have pools with real fish, and lots of fishtanks embedded in their walls and columns.

But the best part of Bloomberg that you may not know is that they have open kitchens on every floor for every team, fully stocked with everything you could possibly want to eat. Even when you are just taking a tour they invite you to have breakfast and lunch there. Supposedly feeding employees enhances morale. And probably waistlines.

Wouldn't it be fun to work here? I would spend most of my day glued to the window watching for B to get home...and the rest of the day in the kitchen. :)

I can't believe I just wrote a post about a building...and I can't believe that you read it! Still on hold with Delta... :)

Guess I should cite my sources: Bloomberg 2005, TerraGalleria.com (Photography of QT Luong).

2010 Year in Review

2011-01-08T03:05:00.013-05:00

This year was a major transition in so many ways, and transitions aren't always smooth! But let me tell you, it was fun. I learned a lot, loved a lot, and maybe even grew up a bit (or maybe not). See what made the list as most memorable, the good the bad the somewhat random. Happy New Year!

January:

Attended Sundance film festival in Park City, UT. Had too much fun to actually see any movies.

Switched over from snowboarding to skiing. Took weekly ski classes; did my first black diamond. Fell.down.the.entire.mountain.

Feb:

Sister Sarah came to visit BYU as my Valentine’s date. Convinced her to become a COUGAR. We took the tour of BYU, only 4 years too late for me (you know the one in the covered golf carts? It is fun!)

Had lots of fun at work hosting all sorts of tech and entrepreneurship events. Busy busy but very fun.

March: Got to be a bridesmaid! My bff/old roomie Giselle married a Wright.

Ran the Rex Lee Run in memory of my grandpa who passed away from cancer. Got emotional seeing Grandma cheer me on!

Got senioritis, slept through class, ran, read, chillaxed with my sister Angela. We were neighbors this year! Angela helped me on a consulting project, and as much as she denies it she freaking rocked it.

Got my bicycle, Samantha, all fixed up and had a blast bike riding to Utah lake.

April:

Celebrated my sister’s b-day with a camping trip that she will never forget (almost got hypothermia…oops)

Started played pool with my strategy group. Got better at pool, worse at strategy.

Helped host the Founder’s Conference at BYU. Perks= flower arranging!

Finally got that diploma! Family came to town to celebrate (and help me move!) Said sad goodbyes to my professors, friends, and Provo. Sad to grow up.

May:

Took a break with Angela and my Gma to the Florida Keys to peace-out-on-the-beach-for-as-long-as-possible…also did Disney like it was 1995.

Instead of heading back to Seattle as planned I re-routed to Boston to visit an old friend at Hah-vahhd. Very spur of the moment; fell in love with Cambridge.

Took another quick trip to San Diego for my friend Lyndee's wedding. Met great people, took a drive down the PCH in a 1969 corvette, and listened to the beach boys

June: Back in Seattle for my last time as a resident. Helped my family move out of our house in Seattle. Boated, wake boarded, ran, swam in Beaver lake even though it was still cold, got family portraits done, hiked, reverted back to my childhood with Katy Moran (sleepover!), did Pike-place with my family, and said goodbye to the city I grew up in. Boo hoo.

Ended up back in Utah where I couch-surfed at Kdrink’s house for a whole month. Studied by the pool by day, bonfired by night…karaoke Wednesdays and Thursdays…hiked the Y…helped make a movie…

July:

Spent a few days in Utah, helped unpack my mother’s kitchen with the help of my girlfriends J (Reason for broken dishes!) Celebrated 4^th of July with a long-A bikeride with all my siblings.

Moved to Brooklyn Heights, NY. Started training for JPM, met 209 new friends and reunited with my old friends from NYC. Rooftop parties? Went platinum blonde? Ate out every meal? Yes.

August: Had lots of fun with my new friends from JPM. Went.out.every.day.slept.until.3.on.saturdays. Enjoyed Bagatelle brunch. Went to R bar too often. Somebody threw-up on my shoe.

Passed all of my exams. Reunited with my old NYU friend Molly (we grew up together in Seattle). Lots of heart-to-hearts. Molly became my therapist.

Made friends with Jewish professional poker players. Discovered Williamsburg.

My cousin Brittni went to heaven. Shocked and sad I couldn’t be @ the funeral.

My car got stolen from my place in Utah. Seriously.

September:

Moved back into the financial district in Manhattan (battery park city),

right next to the where the twin towers once stood.

Got court-side seats in a box for the US Open... watched Nadal up close

Traveled with my NY friend Krystal back to

Boston for Labor Day

weekend, then went to New Hampshire to our friend Jeremy’s lake house. It was beauuuuuutiful. Paddle boats! Pine trees! Rope swing!

My car Wanda was recovered by the police! She was totaled, had too much fun off-roading with car thief. Traveled back to UT for an investment conference in my favorite place in the world, BYU Tanner Building. Visited my old work and old friends. My brothers took me on a date

mini-golfing. Had a family sleepover in our new basement.

Family got a new kitten, I love her.

Ran Komen Breast Cancer race with Priya and spent half the time

lost in central park…

Started Gmat prep classes…

October: Ran “Get out on Governors Island” with Priya. Amazing views of Manhattan.

Traveled with Anika to visit our dear friend Laura in Chicago. Breakfast at Ralph Lauren, visiting the “silly” bean statue, country music festival, laughter.

Hung out with Miles Austin :)

My sisters came to visit! Vintage shopping. Yoga, lunch at our favorite

spots (Cafeteria & S’mac) Bike rides in Central Park! Church. Repeat. Rented a car to drive to Halloween pumpkin event up north in Spooky Hallow. Driving in the city is surprisingly fun.

Bomb threat at work ruined our Halloween party but gave extra time off for my birthday party.

Ally Peet came to town and we celebrated my birthday @ a few clubs in Meatpacking. Had a birthday dinner party at Sea Thai with friends from work and Molly. Dressed as little red riding hood on Halloween, saw NYC Halloween parade with Priya, MC’d an event at the Capitale. Stopped going to Gmat prep…

November:

Took a picturesque train ride to go apple-picking with my church group. Apple picking is hard. Saw swans in lakes, rolling hills, and fallen leaves.

You bet I saw Harry Potter with the underground HP fanclub from work.

Mom, Dad, and my not-so-little brothers came to visit for Thanksgiving! Ate Thanksgiving dinner in Little Italy, shopped 5^th Ave on black Friday, watched the Macy’s Day parade and saw them blow up the floats the night before.

Passed the Series 7

Had roasted chestnuts…saw the Rockefeller Center tree…holiday festival at Bryant park…Jazz in

Greenwich village…strolls down 5^th Ave…Holiday shopping…impromptu dinners in east village...

December: Kellee came to visit! Carriage ride through Central park…SNL tour at 30 Rock…lots of nightlife…statue of liberty…touristy stuff…cupcakes…girls night! Best weekend. Ever.

Went back to UT for the holidays. Skied on Christmas day. Snuggled with my kittens. Played poker and lost big time with high-rolling little/big brothers.

Got stuck in the NYC airport shutdown/travel disaster 2010. Was in 5 different states in the span of 2 days. Slept at the airport, ditched my last flight, re-routed to WA DC to take Amtrak back.

On New Years cute boy made romantic dinner & we watched Times Square out the window. Later went to NYE party at LAVO with Anika. Rang in the New Year east-coast style.

Here’s to a new year, new goals, new friends, and new experiences. Welcome 2011!

Kellee Came to Town!

2010-12-21T23:50:00.003-05:00

This post is basically for Kellee and fam. But you can look too. Kellee came to visit me and we had a lot of fun. Here's proof.

1st stop: Chocolate by the Bald Man. Try the pizza. Always great.

Kellee and the Max Brenner quirky tea contraption

I love having visitors because I can act touristy and take pictures of everything :)

Out with our friends Troy and Anika. Apparently we didn't get the business-suit memo...

This is the same spot at Tenjune where we met Miles Austin a month ago...we had no idea who he was! Probably a first for him, so funny.

I love the lights they put up in this building for Christmas!

Noodles for breakfast on my roof

See the progress? Those two squares will be fountains commemorating those who lost their lives on 9/11

Statue of Liberty

Another 9/11 memorial

Kellee begins my kind of tour

St. Paul's Cathedral. This is where the firefighters and volunteers slept at night during 9/11.

You can still see the scratches from their boots on the pews...very moving.

Later we took the NBC tour and saw Paul Rudd on SNL set. This is us and our dorky NBS page. Kellee=obsessed.

NBC Store, we had too much fun here :)

Rockefeller Center!

We had to do Magnolia bakery, of course. Banana pudding is outta this worrrld

Chillaxin w/ cupcakes at home, haha

Then we made a quick stop at Times.

Disney store. We would

Dinner at the Collective, best house music of all time. You will say "this is my favorite!" to every song, I promise.

And then later we met up with Molly and friends. She's the only other Sammamish/EHS alumn in the city, aka my sanity

The next day Kellee did Canal street

And she got some pretty awesome pashminas

And then almost got a puppy

Meet harry our horse. He had a lot of personality.

Romantic ride through Central Park...minus the romantic part. I've always wanted to do this!

Vosgues haut-chocolat in Soho. They mix everything with chocolate- wasabi, green-tea, bacon, pepper, chili, etc. Yum yum yum.

DASH just opened in Soho, it's overrated but they do have amazing jeans.

Meet felix, my new best friend.

To celebrate her last night we went to Buddakan (which resembles Hogwarts dining hall...see above). It's as as good as people say it is. No wonder Carrie Bradshaw had her rehearsal dinner here! If you ever visit don't miss the edamame dumplings.

Aaaaand that's all she wrote. Thanks for visiting Kellee!

I am Thankful

2010-11-27T20:09:00.003-05:00

Today I am thankful for my family, among many other things.

My parents and brothers braved the cold and a cramped red-eye flight to show me some love this holiday season. Mission accomplished, I was one pampered big-sis. My brothers loved nyc and we had so much fun together. Turns out that the Wrights are quite the city-slickers! Alex can now navigate the subway on his own, my dad can make it to JFK in 18 minutes flat, my mom knows the best corners for gyros, and Ben can make friends with rats.

We had Thanksgiving in a very non-traditional way. We had Vietnamese Pho for lunch in the heart of Chinatown and had an authentic Italian meal for dinner. We were joined by friends who do not have family nearby. My favorite part of the day was going one-by-one around the table to say what we are thankful for. The list was very long.

I hope you all were able to spend time with your friends and family. I am thankful for you!

City Spooks

2010-11-22T22:13:00.005-05:00

What were you for halloween?

"You know it's been a good halloween when you fall asleep in your costume with candy in your bed".

-Ally Peet

Someday sometime somehow I will make Pumpkin pancakes as good as Cafe Orlin . Until then, I have to keep bringing my friends there. Ally and I started off our holiday with something sweet in St. Marks, and to my surprise as we were leaving I saw Priya dressed up as Minnie mouse- she had been eating there too! Either it's that good or I have successfully brainwashed her :)

Later that evening Priya and I went to see the Halloween parade. Hooray! I waited for it all year. Only thing is, so did everyone else in the whole city. It was SO CROWDED. But I really loved seeing the whole city dressed in costume. I ate next to a legit Alice in Wonderland tea party, sat with zombies on the subway, and was served dinner by a bed bug! I even saw the big bad wolf...but kept my distance if you know what I mean. My favorite part was obviously the Michael Jackson "Beat it" tribute (at 1:25, above). A nice break from Thriller, eh?!

Later Anika and I got to play MC's and introduce the bands at the Capitale masquerade ball. We didn't mess up the words but I had laryngitis and sounded like a chihuahua. You should hear the replay. Bark bark!

As a thank-you we celebrated with monsters, ghosts, and ghouls in the vip lounge. They must have known I would be there because they had tables and tables and tables of chocolates, juices, and plastic spiders. I was poppin' bottles of o.j. all night!

One Year Younger and Wiser Too

2010-11-07T02:42:00.005-05:00

I had the most pleasant surprise on my birthday this year. I turned a year younger. For the past few months I honestly thought that I was a year older than I really am. Come birthday time somebody did the math and ta-da! Best b-day present to myself, ever.

My birthday was great. In the morning my coworkers sang the birthday song on our morning conference call but I missed it because I was busy downstairs grabbing birthday breakfast. Oopsie. Later in the day we had cake and more songs at work. And just in case I didn't have enough cake, I came home to an amazing crate of cupcakes ;) I had all of my neighbor girls over and we ate cupcakes and had a little hotel party in my apartment.

The next day (b-day part 2), Friday, was crazy. There was actually a bomb scare at work. It was really scary. When we heard the word total panic ensued. We dropped everything and packed into the staircase. Mind you we are in a high-rise. If I ever design a skyscraper I will replace staircases with slides. Those architects should try running down flights of stairs in stilettos. Then they would like my slide idea too.

Anyway everything ended up being okay because it was a pretend bomb. Funny joke, not.

The day got better though because it was the night of my birthday party! My friend Ally came into town from DC to celebrate with us (and stay with me! Woohoo!) We met up with a few close friends for dinner at Sea Thai in Meatpacking district. We had amazing food and lots of fun. After dinner we went up to Plunge at the Gansevoort hotel to party a bit and see the amazing view. Afterwards we went to Kiss and Fly where we celebrated with balloons and sparklers and danced until the morning.

Thanks to my sweet friends and family for making my day great!

Chicago Take Two

2010-10-10T22:12:00.004-04:00

The last time I was in Chicago the weather was so bad that I shook the dust from my feet at the city and swore on my life and the lives of my family members that I would never go back. I guess I shouldn't have done that. My coworker/friend/neighbor Anika and I took a weekend trip to visit our other coworker/friend Laura in Chicago. We had a marathon of fun over marathon weekend...only without the running part.

We flew right from work (that's another story in itself...we ran in heels for 5 blocks screaming to catch a cab and made our flight 3 minutes before take-off...) switched clothes and went out to party like it's '99 in with these great people:

And fortunately for our friend Jason he got invited to this ladies night. We danced and laughed, rapped a bit, and had so much fun that we didn't make it home until morning. In the a.m. I got to wake up to THIS:

Laura's apartment overlooks a triangle of clubs and clubby restaurants right by the Gold Coast. I love this area because everyone eats outside and is super friendly. Right downstairs you there are tons of cool restaurants and shops including Luxbar (brunch=yum), Marc Jacobs, Hermes, Prada, and really anything else you could possibly want (or dream of...I could never shop at those places!). I woke up in the morning and couldn't decide what to wear so I went downstairs and picked out a few things at Urban Outfitters. It was nice to have everything so close by!

Over the next few days we did everything. I just don't have pictures of it all. Highlights included brunch at Ralph Lauren (I had no idea you can reserve to have brunch there; it's only here and in Paris), seeing the "Silly Bean" statue and fountains, running into the Country music festival, improv. rapping about out lives, laughing and laughing and just plain catching up on our lady-talk. I love these girls!

The whole trip I felt very guilty about hating on Chicago in the past. You don't understand what the weather did to me before. It was bad. But I forgive, and have now made amends with the city and have every intention of going back. I mean look at it, how could I resist?

This is Laura's view from the roof at night. She has a pool. Are you kidding me?! Gorgeous.

We saw everything, met everyone, and really killed it in the city. Here's us reflecting on our weekend just like Ocean's 11 when the men reflect on their robbery.

Last but not least I followed the advice of Chicago native/guru Priya and had a spooky cupcake from Sprinkles. Perfect ending to a perfect trip!

Races and Pumpkins and Cakes, oh my!

2010-10-03T22:55:00.001-04:00

Good morning! This is what 6:40 am looks like in case you wondered. Today Priya and I ran the Get out on Governor's Island race. We had to take the ferry over there early so this was our view. It was so so so so f-f-freeezing. I felt like I was skiing in my bathing suit! It was a great race though, especially considering how little sleep we had both gotten. The race was full of hard-core runners, a huge change from the race 2 weeks ago! I'm glad I have Priya to push me...a few times I thought of crumbling to the ground for a quick nap but I knew she would kill me!

After the race I listened to LDS Conference online. I blogged about it last year, it's a semi-annual event where Mormons all around the globe listen to the same conference broadcast from Salt Lake City, UT. The conference is translated into so many different languages and is presented to so many different cultures but the message is applicable to everyone. Today the main message was one of hope and comfort, especially now as so many people are affected by economic difficulties. It was very inspirational and helped me recommit myself to live with an attitude of gratitude for everything in my life...I truly am thankful for my life and everything in it, the good and the bad.

Let's talk about the good. On to the cake! After conference I had to go to a tutor session. Dun-dun-dun. So as a treat for sitting through it I took myself shopping in Chelsea. I have a little thing called my birthday coming up and so I checked out a few cute bakeries for potential cakes & goodies. At least for ideas. Good thing I ran a 10k this morning cause woah...

This is the spread at Eleni's New York. It's a sweet treat shop in the Chelsea Market (hence the rainbows...)

Anyone getting married? I really want to get the whole wedding set for you.

This is at the bakery next door, also in the market. I wish I knew some pre-schoolers.

And then I found THIS:

Jackpot! This took my breath away. My life is now complete.

Pretty sure this is what my house is going to look like by age 30...heh heh heh! (spooky laugh).

To finish it off I visited the Manhattan Fruit Exchange, where they have giant-sized pumpkins. How on earth am I going to get all of these home?! ;)

Anyway I just thought I would fill you in. I am thankful for everything, even freezing weather at 6:40 am. Today was wonderful.

No Poetry

2010-10-02T13:37:00.001-04:00

It's a study Saturday! Woo hoo! I'm lucky to have my dear friend Molly to study with; she's in med school here at NYU and I have no doubt that her work will improve the lives of thousands of people. Even though the blood and guts part grosses me out. I am so proud of her! We're at Think in Union Square and there's an adorable fall festival going on outside. The smell of fallen leaves and apple spice tickles my nose and I want to pounce in a pile of crunchy leaves. I have waited all year for this!

I actually like studying. I have 19 books to get through in just 2 months. I don't like that part. But I feel productive which always makes me happier. I'll admit I have been feeling out of place since I have graduated, and I love the feel of pencils and note-cards in my hand. Mmm!

It's a gorgeous fall day in New York and I have had a wonderful week. I saw Wall Street on wall street (or rather, Battery park) and even though it was ridiculous it was interesting to take a step back and reflect on what I am doing here. Priya, Jenny and I had fun correcting things in the movie, filling in names (cough cough...Lehman...Goldman), and seeing footage of the very same building we were watching the movie in. We also enjoyed a lil' Shia LeBeouf (our new desktop backgrounds).

Also during the week I met a friend who is a competitor from Goldman. We met at Whole Foods, of all places, and decided to make a habit of arguing about finance over Italian food. We actually had a lot of fun and I had the best gnocchi of my life.

Last night everyone from work went out, and the night got super random really quickly. I don't know how but we ended up at a party with Kim Kardashian's ex, I think his name is Miles Austin. We met a lot of fun people and even got our boss to come out with us.

Even though there are a lot of fun things here to take my mind off of real life, certain things are making me miss my cousin Brittni today. I haven't really come to terms with her passing yet. I don't know how you are really supposed to recover from a loss like that. I don't know that anyone really ever does.

But I am grateful for dear friends, good health, tender mercies, and opportunities. There's more love and happiness in my life than I dreamed possible.

And ah yes...I found an old collection of music that embodies my mood today. Enjoy! http://bit.ly/aeTjJ9

Race for the Cure

2010-09-15T23:13:00.001-04:00

For a minute I'd like to shamelessly plug the Susan G. Komen Foundation, as well as share an embarrassing photo.

It's a sad statistic that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. The good news is that early detection and treatment increases the chance of survival. Komen for the Cure is one of my favorite causes because they target the source of the problem and use 84% of donated funds for preventative treatment and education. (Plus they have cute pink graphs...how could I resist?!)

More importantly Komen for the Cure serves as a support system for women and families impacted by breast cancer.

Naturally the race was inspirational. Anything run by women is ;) I must admit I got a little teary-eyed cheering on the survivors and reading the signs of who everyone else was running for.

Here's the photo. I think Priya is going to kill me now, especially because I think she is the only person who reads this blog......

;)

Boston, Part 2

2010-09-13T23:48:00.003-04:00

Woah, talk about déjà vu.

The last time I was in Boston I didn't get to do the Duck tour, so as a treat for Labor Day I just had to go! I stayed with my dear friend Krystal and we had a hilarious weekend of baking, visiting old friends, shopping, singing Journey on the top of our lungs, and getting lost in all parts of town. The funniest parts of our adventure included Krystal falling asleep on the Duck tour and me ripping my dress open when I sneezed in a cab. It was great.

Believe it or not, they let me drive the Duck tour while we were in the Charles river, along with all the other kiddos. I got a sticker and it was super fun.

One new thing that I learned about Boston is that during the wars when the men were out fighting the women took over and built basically everything in Boston. Of course this information came from a man dressed up like a duck...so who really knows :)

Just my Luck

2010-09-09T23:31:00.002-04:00

Last week was an unlucky week. My car got stolen, which really sucked. My lease at the W hotel fell through because they are a month behind building our new apartments...and I was not super stoked about the thought of being homeless.

With one day to move and no place to live I tried to be optimistic...and then things took a turn for the BEST!

1. I got to fly home and play with my friends and family. And try to find my car...eek. But guess what, our family got a new kitten. Yeah!

2. I got to sit courtside box seats for the US open, thanks to my new Squash friends! No, that's not a vegetable. I also had the best Mexican salad during Nadal's match; I was the happiest gal around. We also happened to get on the big-screen. Good thing they don't do kiss-cam there. I was saving my lips for my Mexican food.

3. Randomly my friend Priya and I were offered free tickets to see Mamma Mia! A very nice lady at the hotel couldn't make her 8pm show so she offered up some pretty decent seats to us. I haven't been to a show yet this summer and I wanted to see this play, so I was very excited! I can sing the whole thing to you later if you want.

4. Alas, I am not homeless. Finally at the last minute I lucked out and got a place that has everything I need and even has an extra bed & bath...which is good news for you should you come to visit me! Then you can be lucky too.

Back Blogging: The Best of Brooklyn

2010-09-09T22:20:00.001-04:00

Yep so that resolution to blog this summer...not keeping it. But I figured it's my last week in Brooklyn before moving back to the mainland so I might as well say some words.

Life here has been pretty chill. (This is our brunch crew...). I work 7 minutes away from where I live (read: maximize sleep time). I live in a hotel and have thus become accustomed to housekeeping. About 100 of my friends & coworkers live in the same building...which means that at any time I can poke my head over the balcony to see what fun things are going on. It's like a fantasy college dorm. We love it. Others would refer to it as "Real World JP Morgan". Also love it.

Brooklyn Heights is refreshing. It's got an authentic "neighborhood" feel. I love seeing familiar faces when I walk down Montaque to pick up groceries and read at the Promenade.

The Promenade: easily number 4 or 5 in the "top 10 most romantic spots in NYC". It's a parkway along the East river and from it you can see the whole island of Manhattan. One of those views that takes your breath away. (picture courtesy of Dana's facebook...what would I be without my photog. friends?)

Joya: the best Thai food, ever. Most inexpensive meal, best atmosphere, fastest service, highest quality, shortest wait, etc. etc. How is this even possible? You can eat until your heart is content and still be under $10.

Brooklyn Bridge: My favorite run has been to run across the bridge and keep going west until I hit the Hudson. The first time I did it I was surprise at how little time it takes to do this!

Another place of honorable mention:

Williamsburg: WBurg is a quirky place where you must dress hipster, wear glasses, think liberal thoughts and grow a mustache. Or you could chill at my friend Molly's house; she lives above Jermaine from the Flight of the Conchords....it's not like we stare down at him in the hammock...or do we...?

That's it. See ya Brooklyn.

Forget Me Not

2010-07-25T23:05:00.003-04:00

Many of you know that my dear cousin passed away this past week. She was 22.

Ever since she was little she was just the most adorable blue-eyed blonde ball of sunshine with a smile and laugh that could light up a room. Everyone who knew her sincerely loved her. Because we lived states apart we kept in touch as pen-pals for as long as I can remember. In high school we both ran cross country and would swap war stories and motivate each other. When we were at college at BYU she lived down the street from me and we often went running and cooked together. She was a huge support to me with wisdom beyond her years. I couldn't have asked for a better cousin.

So here's to you Brittni, I am so lucky to have had you in my life for 22 years. May you find peace in the comfort of our Lord on the other side. We miss you.

(This was her favorite flower, the Alaskan Forget Me Not. Click to see a tribute created in memory of Brittni).

California Dreamin'

2010-07-11T19:13:00.003-04:00

Lyndee (my old nyc roommate/bff) and her new hubby Nathan recently had a destination wedding in beautiful San Diego, which equated to a lovely vacation for all of us friends (I feel like legally blonde; "Let's all go, vay-cay!")

The weather was gorgeous (guess that's normal there...) and Californians are so nice! People traveled from near and far to attend the wedding. Lyndee has lived so many different places and happens to know EVERYONE so it was nice to meet people from all the different chapters of her life. I love her CA friends and was lucky enough to stay the weekend with them in Newport Beach. We had a blast and I can't wait to go back to visit!

The wedding was wonderful. They were married in the LDS San Diego Temple and their dinner/reception was at a hotel on the water. Her brother caught the bouquet, her mom sang "Single-ladies" in her toast, and everyone shared their fondest/most embarrassing Lyndee stories. All in good fun. Lyndee looked so beautiful and happy. Her and Nathan are the most adorable, kind-hearted, funny, spontaneous, charismatic, and incredibly good-looking couple I have ever met. I can't even wait to see them together in the years to come.

The view was so pretty.

You guessed it: the reception couldn't be complete without dancing to THRILLER!

Way to go, Lyndee! I am so happy you made the decision to marry such a worthy guy. Thanks for sharing your special day!

Guess Who's Back

2010-07-06T19:14:00.001-04:00

New York take two. This summer I have committed to sleeping at night, blogging a bit, and remembering to call you all :) Here goes nothin'.

I'm living in Brooklyn Heights and it reminds me a lot of Boston. I like it so far except NO CAB DRIVER will take you from Manhattan to Brooklyn, especially off of Wall Street. Even if you argue beg and plead. Ruuude. But I made a few new friends with tourists who helped me haul all of my luggage down the subway stairs. I made it to Brooklyn on $2.50!

In other news, I was lucky enough to spend time at my old place, 45 Wall Street with my lovely bestie roommate Brenda! We had so much fun catching up and eating dinner at our favorite spot on the Hudson overlooking the Statue of Liberty at sunset. I woke up this morning and felt like I was in a time warp because I was in exactly the same spot I was in last year on July 6th. Crazy how time flies!

Other than that, I am all moved in and I just realized that I have an extra bed = come visit!

Miss ya already! xoxo danni

Goodbye Seattle

2010-06-25T20:25:00.001-04:00

It saddens me to accept the fact that my family has moved. Nooooooo!!! I had a wonderful childhood on the "Plat" as we refer to the beautiful plateau overlooking Lake Sammamish. I came home for a goodbye tour and sadly I didn't get to see even half of the people I had planned to. Sorry if I missed ya! You can be sure I will come back soon.

Here's a picture of the best day of my life thus far. We put our boat in at Alki beach, toured the puget sound, and docked at the harbor for an afternoon @ Pike's place, followed my an evening of even more boating. In between all of this we got our fortunes from Ye Olde Curiousity Shop (family tradition), rode the boardwalk carousel, fed the seagulls and ate at Ivar's, and laughed and laughed and laughed.

This is my Kellee, honorary family member. We've been besties ever since she first shared her lunch with me in Spanish class back in junior high. We then decided to spend every day together, dress the same, split lunch everyday, swap math homework, lure squirrels inside the house, sing dashboard on the top of our lungs while riding our bikes through the neighborhood, tackle people in fresh fields of mud, and have sleepovers with kitty cat Lofa in a tent. Doesn't she sound like fun?! I've missed her so! We had fun traveling the city and unpacking her stuff. It was funny because we ran across some old notes that we had written each other back in the day. We even have the same handwriting...coincidence? I think not.

Here's us at Gasworks.

What would a trip to Fremont be without a little lovin' from the TROLL?!

In case you didn't know, it's not summer yet in Seattle. People are concerned. Why hasn't it warmed up since Christmas? I don't know but I was dying to go swimming at Beaver Lake. My brothers were the only ones brave/crazy enough to come with. Oh hey, we didn't even freeze!

I was SO EXCITED to see another bff since forever, Katy Moran! We were attached at the hip growing up. Our friendship was the start of "Friday daughters" which was our parents' great idea to make us a packaged deal and take turns watching us every other weekend. Haha! They were so smart because I think we were a bit of a handful. We used to play tricks on her brothers, spill sugar all over the kitchen, and play cards down at the "crick". Now that we are grown-ups we do things like wake up at 3am the day after thanksgiving and run over people with our shopping carts. Yeeeah! Katy is an awesome photographer and just graduated from WWU. Woop! (Check out her pics at http://katherynmoran.wordpress.com/). She took some lovely pictures of my family on one of our last days here in our house...and naturally we had to finish our photo sesh with my mama's chocolate cake ;)

I had a whirlwind week of packing, saying hello and goodbye, and lots and lots of family time. And then, after signing "Danni was here" in my bedroom and other mysterious places, kicking and screaming I finally left Seattle.

Why the Celtics Should Win

2010-06-14T17:49:00.005-04:00

Let me fill you in on my Boston trip.

This is the lovely view from the Prudential Center. Apparently what you are looking at was built over landfills of trash and rotting animal corpses from the butchery, and the stench used to be awful. What a history! Can you see Cambridge across the Charles river?

Posing at Fenway Park, obviously. Somebody wouldn't let me wear my beloved Yankee's hat here.

We visited the Boston Public Gardens, the Boston Commons, Frog Pond, Copley Square, the Theatre District, Old South Church, etc. etc. and finished it off with the most beautiful sunset down @ the wharf.

After literally walking ALL OVER TOWN we had a lil' Boston Cream Pie and specialty canoli at the famous Mike's Pastry. Delish! But should you ever need to do research for supply chain management and distributional sensitivity, this is THE place! Their inefficiency is amazing. Oh and please excuse my closed eyes. I was tired.

Back in Cambridge chillin' with John Harvard. Or is it? No one knows.

While Cambridge is simply charming, I actually fell in love with Back Bay. As soon as I saw this corner (Newbury Boylston-ish), I thought "I am home!" Back Bay is such a friendly and active community. They compost! They plant flowers and ride bicycles and have farmers markets. It's like Soho mixed with Seattle simmered in New England charm. I got to pet so many cute puppies, talk to interesting people, shop at the cutest consignment stores, eat delicious food with Chandler at Stephanie's and even see a local hand-bell concert at the Old South Church. I was the happiest little tourist ever!

My top two finds were both British designers...Ted Baker because of the awesome Alice in Wonderland set-up inside (how could I resist?)

And also Allsaints Spitalfields for their rad collection of antique sewing machines.

Thank you Boston! Beat those Lakers!

Beautiful

2010-06-08T12:38:00.001-04:00

Not to rub it in Seattleites, but it's a gorgeous day here in Utah! Perfect motivation for a run. See you soon, I will be sure to bring a little sunshine with me!

What a good day!

2010-06-07T21:37:00.000-04:00

Man...don't you wish you felt like this every morning?

Inspiration

2010-05-30T22:07:00.002-04:00

I have been reading Stephanie Nielson's (or "Nie Nie" as they call her) blog for a while now and I realized that you should too! She and her husband survived a plane crash and have transformed a tragic event into something very inspirational and beautiful. Her faith in Christ and desire to follow Him amazes me and makes me want to be better and live life more fully. I am so grateful for her example and message. What a beautiful woman!

DisneyWorld

2010-05-15T15:09:00.002-04:00

As a special treat we went to DisneyWorld because it is my favorite place on earth. Yes I am still 12.

Don't you think she would make a great astronaut? So....spacey.

When we were in line for the space ride this little boy was screaming, crying and pleading "Daddy I don't want to go to Mars!" The dad didn't even try to console him, he was like "Stop it.You will like Mars." Right before we got on the ride we heard blood curdling screams coming from their "spacecraft". He really thought they were going into outer space. The poor kid!

Try to guess what Angela is eating.

We thought this picture was so funny because the only other time Angela covers her ears is when I am driving.

Goofy gave me a big kiss but Angela got the picture. During the parade (believe in yourself theme), Goofy's voice was the one saying "Just believe in yourself. Do your best! Dreams come true!" It was hilarious. How cool would it be to have Goofy speak at your college commencement? Or drug-free week in high-school? I would definitely listen.

We enjoyed one day in Magic Kingdom and the other in Epcot. That's about all the magic I can take in a week. Wish you were here!

Florida Keys

2010-05-15T14:23:00.004-04:00

We just got back from a nice break in the keys with our Gma.

I ate alligator for my very first time. It's not even bad.

Angela built sand castles & read while I fought off sharks and saved a dying dragonfly in the water.

Do you think I caught any fish like this?

I loved the village. On Saturdays everyone wakes up early and does yoga on the beach, and on Sundays the whole town gets together and dances to bongo drums.

Gma and I watched while Angela showed off her moves. Girl can get down.

We ate delicious seafood until we were sick and then we payed a visit to our favorite sea animal that we will NEVER eat, Warren the Manatee. He is named after Warren Buffett which makes me love him even more. We also saw a wild Manatee friend in the cove behind our house. Manatee!!!

Last of all, let's talk about key lime pie in ice cream form. Best medicine for a sunburn ;)

Wish you were here!

Summing up a Semester

2010-05-09T16:49:00.003-04:00

Whew, that flew by quickly!

Life: I got to enjoy a little more free time this semester. I took ski lessons (CO here I come!), hiked, camped, golfed (when it wasn't snowing!), rode my new bike, hung out with my lovely friends, and went to what seemed like a hundred weddings. I started a nasty habit of sleeping in on Saturday mornings (believe me, it's soooo nice) and going to the movies twice a week. I have been keeping in touch with my friends who are serving missions (6 besties!) I am so proud of these girls and have enjoyed hearing their funny stories and inspirational thoughts.

Family: My sister Angela lived close by me this year and we did everything together just like when we were kids. We had lots of sleepovers and went on fun outdoor adventures with friends. We were lucky to see our Dad on multiple occasions as he has been traveling to SLC for work lately. He is so funny, he leaves his "calling card' (business card) like the joker in my pocket or on my dash when I can't meet up with him. Sarah came to visit me on Valentine's day (woop!) where I gave her the tour of BYU and convinced her to become a COUGAR.

School: It's all over! (Da da da-da-da!) For now.

In my time at BYU I was lucky enough to be one of 40 students in the strategy emphasis. I loved every second of it but I especially loved working with such bright and talented classmates--they amaze me! I am also amazed at how useful this area study has been for me--I have been able to apply what I learned in strategy to make better decisions in my internships, career path, education, and even my personal life. This year I was surprised to learn that the strategy program actually "hires out" senior students to work on management consulting projects for external clients. My team was great and we had a lot more fun than our professors probably know :)

Here's all the strategists at our year-end banquet. I will miss these guys (and girl)!

Graduation: Ta-da!

The Wright Sisters Blog

2010-04-26T21:14:00.002-04:00

In an effort to keep our friends and family involved with our lives, my sisters and I have created another blog:

http://danniandangela.blogspot.com/. Follow us for pictures, updates, and insight on what it's like to be...a SISTER!

Chi Town

2009-12-14T00:20:00.011-05:00

Da Bears. Da Bulls. Barack Obama. Al Capone. Milton Friedman. Walt Disney. Michael Jordan. Walter Payton. Oprah Winfrey. (To my gma's dismay I did not catch an Opera taping). This past week I took my first visit to Chicago.

The locals here are just great.

Naturally I spent most of my time doing this and ordering room service.

But I did manage to take some time to tour the city.

There's so much to do here. Sports, food, & fanatics. My fave.

I walked the Magnificent Mile which was all decorated for Christmas. Quite lovely and great shopping to boot.

I ate true Chicago-style deep dish @ Pizzeria Due; although I wasn't even hungry (also true Chicago style).

The snow and wind scared me away for a while. +70 degrees and I'll be back.

Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul Mr. Grinch

2009-12-09T23:50:00.011-05:00

Finals, work, travel, the lack of sleep and the bitter cold of Utah can leave one feeling rather Grinchy this time of year.

If you feel like "your heart is full of unwashed socks"-- you are not alone! It happens to the best of us. I try to combat the "bah humbug" factor with a good dose of service and some holiday cheer. The Festival of Trees is a pretty good place to start.

The Festival of Trees is amazing. This initiative was inspired 39 years ago by a group of 15 women in efforts to more efficiently raise funds for the hospital. Currently 85 women sit on the board and each year they raise around $1.5 MM for Primary Children's Medical Center. Props, ladies. You know I love a good cause, so the sis and I just had to check it out. Here are our favorites in order of artistic fabulousity.

I love Lucy

Ice Cream Tree

Elmo's House

Tree House

It was a humbling experience to read the stories of these sick children. I can't imagine how heart wrenching it must be to be the parent of a dying child. What these families have gone through is so inspiring and makes me want to be more giving to those in need. If we are in Utah next year you can be sure we will be involved!

Pirate Party!

2009-11-22T19:11:00.005-05:00

Q: How do you know if you are a pirate?

A: You don't, you just ARRRRG!

Ever since we threw my friend John a pirate party I have wanted one of my own.

I love talking like a pirate. One with an accent like Johnny Depp. I love it when all my friends talk like pirates too.

I had a great birthday. Part of it was at Pirate Island. And only part of our group was cool enough to wear our pirate patches.

Thanks for humoring me, mateys!

Today Show

2009-11-15T20:00:00.004-05:00

Kings of Leon played @ the Today Show while my mom & sisters were in town. S&A love them so naturally they wanted to wake up at 4am for a front row show. Totally kidding. I had to drag everyone out of bed and bribe them with fine bakery goods.

It stopped raining right as they started to play and we got up pretty close. We also...MATCHED! Caleb and I are even wearing the same shirt; we are tight like that.

Sarah made it on TV (@ :56 seconds). It was fun. Don't judge me, I know this is a crowd of 16 year old girls but at least it wasn't Miley Cyrus.

Rockefeller Plaza is a block away from my office, so I was able to see them play before jetting back to work.

If you are ever in the city during the summer, and are not early-morning adverse, I would suggest paying a visit to one of these summer series concerts.

Here's to Dad

2009-11-08T19:27:00.024-05:00

My parents knew they were in for it from the first phrase I spoke, which was something like "I can do it all by myself". But they were troopers, and more than 20 years later we are the best of friends. My dad is coming to town this week. I am so excited because I haven't seen him since before I moved to NYC. He is the greatest Dad a gal could have. I decided to devote today's post to things I have learned from him.

For those who do not know my dad, let me give you a brief bio. (Cue music in new window) He is the kind of person who can tell a joke in such a way that you will actually shoot milk out of your nose. He is the person who will put on a full-fledged funeral for your dead hamster. He is the person you will call when your roommate is in jail for a DUI or when you have gotten 100% on your calculus test. He is one of the most down-to-earth, hardworking, kind, funny and caring people you will ever meet. Rarely if ever have I seen him in a bad mood. He will make you smile on the worst of days. He will make you want to work harder even on the best of days.

My dad is always the first person to offer help to someone. He is the most kind-hearted, sincere, non-judgmental person I have ever known. To this day whenever I speak to old friends from high-school, they talk about how much they like my dad. Even the ones who were pretty rebellious and crazy. He took enough interest in them to become best friends with their parents too. He allowed me to do some unconventional things in high-school to help these friends in need. He opened up our house to people who needed a family, and if they needed a car, cell phone, job or anything else, they could have that too. Even in times when money was tight he would find a way to help anyone and everyone in need.

My dad has always been my biggest fan. He has always supported me- whether it was screaming my name at cross country races, sitting through all of my dance recitals (even though he hated them), buying me flowers on my birthday, or supporting my sometimes crazy ideas like a family Christmas-pageant and convincing my family to eat my cooking. He has encouraged me to push the envelope and be the best I possibly can.

Professionally my dad is a lawyer. Lucky for him because he has the skills to deal with three of the most argumentative, bossy and at times manipulative daughters on the face of the earth. (We are really sweet though). You have to be on top of your game to negotiate in this family. If you think I am a tough sell, try my Dad! No matter how prepared I am, an argument could easily end with my dad throwing me in the jacuzzi with my clothes on. Game over-- Dad:1 Danni:0.

My dad is strict but also incredibly forgiving. I can recall an incident where I crashed his brand new car into Kellee's garage. Instead of killing me like I thought he would, he hugged me and told me that people are more important than things. He taped the bumper back on for the weekend and had a good time telling people the funny story.

My dad taught me the importance of hard work. Every Saturday we had to wake up early to do community service, chores, yardwork, homework, and anything else productive that would make us into better people. He would find ways for us to help out in our neighborhood, church, school, etc. I admire him because he would get out there and work with us, even after a tough work-week. I appreciate his example and I really try to keep these habits.

My dad is really fun. He works hard but plays hard too. He understands the importance of chill. I love spending time with him whether it's rocking out to Dave Matthews in the car, making funny faces for the camera, pulling pranks on each other (or the rest of my family) or just watching re-runs of Seinfeld late at night.

Another thing I appreciate about my dad is that he encourages/forces me to try new things. He left me in the middle of the lake until I could get up on a wakeboard. He has made me kill my own spiders, gut my own fish, light my own fireworks, and learn to drive stick on a busy highway. When I cried he told me to walk it out and get tough. In the most loving of ways. Because of him I learned not to be afraid of anything.

So Dad, here's to you! Thank you for being the greatest Dad a girl could ask for. If I am ever anything good in life, I attribute my success to you. I can't wait to party it up with you this week. You are the best!

Today

2009-11-05T19:33:00.007-05:00

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

-Charles Darwin

That's all I've got. Thanks for the advice everyone.

Punked by United Airlines

2009-11-04T00:09:00.009-05:00

Why can't I just order my snack and drink with my ticket and have it all ready to go in the seat-back pocket?
I always fall asleep before the beverage-ordering time. When I am awake, I hate waiting for one stewardess to serve EVERYONE with the drink cart. I hate the cart too. It just creates a traffic jam in the isle and runs over toes and purses. All I want to do is not be thirsty and fall asleep in peace. Easy peazy.

Today's topic is why United Airlines sucks.

This weekend I realized I could not get to the airport on time for my scheduled departure (on a round-trip ticket). I weighed the costs of switching my flight, and it ended up being less expensive to just purchase another one-way for later in the day.

Today when I got to the airport to return home, my boarding pass would not print. For 20 minutes, no one could figure out why. I was then referred to 3 different helpers. Woo-hoo! This made everything way more exciting because I had 20 mins. before departure.

Finally, somebody figured it out: "How did you get here? You never got on the plane!" Turns out, my ticket had been "zero-ed out" and was essentially useless. Much like the help I received from UA staff.

The only thing I could do was purchase another ticket. Counter-intuitive, but it seemed quite logical to everyone at UA. They smiled and nodded as I clarified to them that I had purchased 4 tickets in total for the same flight.

Q:"Why can't you put me on standby?"

A:"Impossible. Let's look at this as an expensive lesson learned."

Things got worse.

I had 5 minutes to sprint to my gate. In stilettos.

At the gate, my small carry-on was promptly taken from me although it had everything I needed and could have fit under my seat.

The gate was under construction, so I had to navigate my way through a labyrinth of stairs, ramps, tunnels and construction workers...leading outside to:

The Grand Finale. A baby-clown plane! This isn't it but you get the idea.

Someday I will laugh about this. Not now.

Funny Finance

2009-10-27T20:06:00.004-04:00

This little gem was written in my finance book. Robert Higgins, props.

A physicist, chemist, and economist were trapped at the bottom of a 40-foot pit. After failing with a number of schemes based on their knowledge of physics and chemistry to extract themselves from the pit, the two finally turn to the economist in desperation and ask if there isn't anything in his professional training that might help them devise a means of escape. "Why, yes," he replies. "The problem is quite elementary. Simply assume a ladder."

Story of my life. I love strategy.

Conference Weekend

2009-10-25T22:25:00.006-04:00

Ever heard of the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? Now you have! This happens twice a year where the leaders of our church, both men and women, speak to us about church business and other pertinent topics. I am lucky enough to live close where I can visit the lovely Temple Square in Salt Lake to attend the actual meeting, but it is broadcast around the world in many different languages for those who live outside of the area. My favorite talk this year was very simple, but moving. It's by our Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson called "What Have I Done for Someone Today?". It inspired me to be a little more kind to everyone, and act in the way that Jesus would. You can read/listen to everything else that happened HERE.

On to the rest of the festivities. My friend Mark Weinberg (http://mlwphotos.com/) was flown in from NY to shoot for the Ensign Magazine, and being the sneak that I am I had him do a photo-shoot of us^ ;)

It rained (Seattle-style) just like it did last year. I took a moment to reflect on how much has changed since October '08, and I was overcome with gratitude for the hand of Providence in my life. I've struggled- believe me! But through it I have come to know that if we trust in the Lord with all our hearts, He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5).

On a less serious note, other weekend events included girly stuff like shopping, dancing, sleepovers and oh wait...valuation of VC investments and other fun times studying for my finance test. Boo-yah.

Provo ain't so bad

2009-10-03T13:53:00.003-04:00

Surprise!

Maya is here to party with us. And Sammy.

I may or may not eat here twice a week.

I may or may not be blogging during LDS Conference.

xoxo danni

Mt. Olympus

2009-09-20T20:07:00.006-04:00

(Danni, reporting from Utah)

Yesterday I hiked for nearly 6 hours. Wooo hooo! My lovely, amazing friend Shea thought it would be a great way for us to spend our last weekend together. She was right!

Shea is leaving on a mission to Louisville, KT this Wed. and I could not be more proud of her!

She is a great example to me of unwaivering faith and optimism. Love you, Shea! My life is so much better with you in it.

I wouldn't have wanted to reach the summit with anyone else!

A bit about the hilarity that was our hike:

The good:

Nobody broke their leg!

We climbed 4,200 feet

We prepared Shea's mission farewell talk

We got "tan"

The funny/bad:

We forgot sunscreen

We didn't bring enough water

6 hours later we crawled back to the car dying of heat, dehydration and fatigue

We realized Shea's car had a flat tire

We tried to change it but couldn't locate the right lug-nut tool

We called a tow-truck

We weren't thinking straight

We passed out in the car waiting for the tow-truck

3 hours later:

Pass it Around

2009-09-16T00:14:00.015-04:00

Donavon Frankenreiter

Say that 3 times fast.

Donovan is an amazing surfer and musician. He also happens to be Jack Johnson's bff.

My friend Mark and I went to his concert at the Bowery Ballroom. The Ballroom is a very intimate venue; we stood like 10 feet away from him. The crowd was so random & friendly. By the end I felt like we were family...?!

During a few songs Donavon tossed the mic into the crowd and let the audience take turns singing.

As a special treat Gary Jules opened for him; he sang MAD WORLD from Donnie Darko. This was my favorite part, even though I talk through most of the song (see below). Gary also happens to be a witty motivational speaker...through his life story put to song.

Both musicians promote sticking up for what you believe in, protecting your family, being loyal to your spouse, raising your children right, following your passion, and being good to everyone. Surprising? Pass that around.

All Bodies Rise

2009-09-15T01:45:00.012-04:00

"I have come to the frightening conclusion

that I am the decisive element.

It is my personal approach that creates the climate.

It is my daily mood that makes the weather.

I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous.

I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.

In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized.

If we treat people as they are, we make them worse.

If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming."

-Goethe

I was first introduced to Yoga to the People by my dear friend Molly, around this time last year. I had a fabulous time eating vegan with her and this was the icing on the gluten-free, dairy-free cake. I love, love, love it. I'm not even vegan or a yogi. I highly recommend YTTP to anyone--even those just visiting nyc--for a very welcoming, cleansing, uplifting & unique cultural experience.

Visit them @ St. Mark's for Power Vinyasa classes. Mighty & meek welcomed alike.

How to save money in New York

2009-09-13T03:37:00.013-04:00

It's really simple. Go on vacation.

Woo hoo! Ogdensburg or bust!

For the 4th of July we vacationed at Lyndee's cute cabin on a river/lake in Ogdensburg, which is in the very middle of the middle of nowhere. Omish-town. Clean air. Trees. It was charming.

For entertainment we went to Walmart, slept, saw the Amish, ate delicious home-style meals, had deep conversations on the dock and in general got to know everyone a little too well.

My favorite part was our sleepover partay!!! (They might kill me for posting this).

I just had to post this because BRENDA was everyone's favorite person on the trip. Her food is to die for. She is the reason why I am the luckiest sub-letter in Manhattan. Hands down.

It was so nice to get away for a little r&r. Happy Birthday America!

Recipe for Success

2009-09-06T20:55:00.016-04:00

Family, Marc Jacobs, Magnolia Bakery. Not a bad combo.

Today I decided to take my loved ones to a part of NY I love best, Greenwich Village.

Our first stop was Magnolia Bakery: The cupcake that started it all. Magnolia is credited with starting the 90’s “cupcake craze”. This cute little bakery has been featured in all kinds of pop culture (Sex and the City, SNL, The Devil Wears Prada to name a few) but has become famous for their tasty treats and charming atmosphere. My mom and sisters indulged in a cupcake or two- but my favorite is a little known secret: Banana Pudding (hands down their tastiest item).

If you think that's sweet, whaaBAM!

Check out Marc by Marc Jacobs next door. This tops my favorite shops in NY. Unfortunately it was closed, so Angela ended up window shopping and I went back later to pick stuff up. This is

the best place for random accessories, and you can totally find something for under $20.

That's all we had time for. But I do spend a lot of time here and thought I would give a shout-out to my most frequented places.

The Film Forum: Any quirky, indie, foreign, or unusual film. Love it! Great place to learn about things you wouldn't normally see, and to see what fellow NY'ers are working on.

Garage: Fab food and live jazz band. Try the Salmon and Sweet Potatoes. You will die.

Grom: My friends who have lived in Italy praise Grom as the closest-to-real-Italian-Gelato available in the States. The sweet-tooth Grom is currently only in NY, Paris, Toyko and of course Italy. Read the New York Times review. Who loves it? Us, Sarah Jessica Parker, and everyone with a mouth.

Wall Street

2009-09-06T18:38:00.014-04:00

I don't exactly work on Wall Street. My office is more mid-town, on Madison Ave. So I figured I would do the next best thing and live here, next door to the NYSE.

All you haters, you don't know about the Financial District! We have many great things to offer. Let me walk you through a brief tour downtown.

We have breathtaking views of the Statue of Liberty via Battery Park. One of my favorite activities has been to run along the Hudson river at sunset. On this run you will see everything: concerts, old people fishing, lovers on walks, chess lessons, volleyball games, high school cheer practice in the park, young kids playing in the fountains, people doing yoga, etc. My favorite thing is to run through the flower gardens and see the fireflies at dusk.

Wall Street: historic, and from what I have seen, the safest and most clean street in Manhattan. We have police with machine guns guarding the stock exchange 24/7.

Of course, given the current economic situation, there are some crazy protesters and that great preacher who yells at us on Friday afternoons.

My building, 45 Wall, houses many of my favorite people. From our sundeck you can see the East river. And into anyone's window you choose. (Bruce Willis has a condo behind us).

Funny story: when I was looking online for a place to live, I saw THIS. Little did I know they would be my roommates! They didn't murder me and we got along.

The NYTimes wrote a funny little article about our building. For the most part it's still true.

Another favorite thing to do down here: Stone Street. This is an alley of fashionable eateries. In the summer they close down the street and after work everyone eats outside. Later in the night my favorite bar is Ulysses Folk House; they have awesome pub food, nice bartenders, great music (often live) and brunch , all must-haves for girls who don't drink!

There's so much more to see and do, but only so little space to post. Thanks for joining me on the tour!

Staten Island Adventure

2009-08-23T20:29:00.005-04:00

No one goes to Staten Island. ("That's where we dump our trash" NY'ers tell me). I can't tell you how many times I have taken tour groups on this ferry (to see Ms. Liberty) and turned right back around to come back.

This time was different. Half hour bus ride + iPhone = Egger's Milkshake and hand-mixed coke.

Delicious! But I may or may not be lactose intolerant.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

2009-08-23T17:46:00.011-04:00

Weekend Girls

Our story is too long and random to explain; it involves a continental breakfast, Maybelline NY, a baby, Susan Sarandon, two Italians, and Katz Deli. (See if you can solve that one, eh?)

Anyway upon meeting we had so much fun that we decided they should sleep at my apt. on the weekends. It was so great that we will continue the party in (dun dun dun)...Provo.

NASDAQ-a-lak

2009-08-23T00:54:00.013-04:00

Today (again...delayed posting) I got to work at the NASDAQ MarketSite.

This is the physical presence of the NASDAQ stock market. NASDAQ is the largest electronic screen-based equity securities trading market in the US, and has more trading volume per hour than any other stock exchange in the world.

When you hear about the NASDAQ stocks on TV the reporter will be standing in front of a big screen of stock quotes and market trends (the day's e-trading). The screen will say, "Live from the NASDAQ stock exchange." These reporters are all working out of the broadcast studio here at the MarketSite in Times Square.

Lots of great reporters showed up, we had great food, & my coworkers got to help w/ the closing bell. (Chicka on the left, two chickas on the right...if you do watch you should ffwd to the end).

http://mktvideo.nasdaq.com/MarketSiteOpenCloseVideos/200908/mc_081209.wmv

Player's Seats, Honey

2009-08-21T00:11:00.010-04:00

In another stroke of good luck my friend Lily's boyfriend plays for the Mariners. She kindly let Maya and me tag along: my first Yankee's game playing my home team in the player's section. We lost; I didn't even notice.

Welcome back to my home boy; I think I got his autograph in the GAP when I was younger...wonder where that is & how much it would be on ebay...

This was just an awkward situation.

The beginning of a very long photo shoot

A game would not be complete without...

To finish off the night, we did what we always do. I just realized that everytime I wear this romper I end up at Max Brenner's. EVERY TIME!

After Maya forgot the name and ordered 2 "Exploding hearts"

Thanks Maya, Lily, and Max.

Life's a Cup 'o Tea!

2009-08-14T00:10:00.008-04:00

A very merry unbirthday to us!

We had the best day this day (I am posting 2 months later). Let's talk about flea market shopping (2 dresses for 5 dollars!), speaking with our most proper British accents, and eating the BEST scones in NYC from a three plate tier of nonsense. Pumpkin chocolate? Yes please, now off with your head.

Alice in Wonderland was my favorite Disney movie when I was younger; it still is. In fact it's the only movie I ever watched. I still remember when my parents tried a switch-a-roo with the Jungle Book...which instantly became my least favorite movie.

Alice factoid: I roomed with the real Alice (one of them) from Disneyland while I was at EFY at BYU. She would crack me up doing her 'Alice' voice. Silly girl.

In the city? Check it out. Alice's Tea Cup: http://www.alicesteacup.com/

Upper West Side--where you are most likely to see Katie and Suri :)

"Adventures first... explanations take such a dreadful time." -Gryphon, Through the Looking Glass

Welcome!

2009-08-04T20:48:00.008-04:00

Welcome friends and family! Thanks for stopping by.

I had a date today with my bed and computer and here's what we came up with. Nothing special, just something like a backwards blog to make up for all the months of not blogging.

I thought this would rectify my conscience but I feel worse now because I realized that I have been here since May and haven't documented anything (other than a pile of receipts). But I do have a whole month left and I promise to make at least a couple interesting posts before I leave.

From here on out I will title my posts clever things like "how to survive NY on 4 hours of sleep" or "how to appropriately do the subway shuffle", "what corners I should not buy street meat from", or "who is sleeping on my couch?". This is going to be great.

Come back soon. Love you!

-Danni

(ahem...this is the spot I will be writing from...I think this is the face I made when I checked the calendar)