HBD to ME

" I'm feelin' 24!" Wait can I sing that? Or am I too old? I just feel like I was left out. I never got to sing that when I was 22. Good news is, I don't feel a day over 22 besides that I am probably wiser and a little more experienced by 2 years. I have this feeling inside 24 is going to be a good year. It just sounds good. 

"How old are you?" Oh I am 24. Ya it has a nice ring to it!

This years birthday was a little bit different than the rest. Most birthdays start off with a yummy breakfast, lunch with mom and sisters, a little shopping and then dinner with the whole family. It ends with some presents and usually frozen yogurt at Farr's. 

 | Here is actually what happened on July 19th |

I started off the morning riding with Adam to work. When we got there his cute family surprised me with a balloon, present and mini cake from Cake Boss. I was so happy I was almost in tears. I knew Adam had to work all day and so I thought my birthday would be kind of brushed under rug and forgotten. Little did I know!

I have the best in laws in the world! I do not know how I got so blessed to have such amazing people in my life. I loved having them here for the week and especially for my birthday morning. It made everything complete right off the bat.

After they left and I was saying good bye to Adam my entire family texted me almost at the exact same time the sweetest birthday text I could have ever imagined. It put me in tears reading their text and feeling their love. Being so far away from home is hard sometimes, but knowing they are just a text or phone call away is so reassuring!

Then I received this little snippet and lost it. Seriously my heart just melted! I have missed this little munchkin more than anything in this world. He is my little buddy! 

It is safe to say I have watched this video almost 50+ times. He is just the sweetest almost 2 year old!

To finish off the afternoon my cute friend Ellee and I went to the Brooklyn Flea Market. We celebrated with amazing pizza + sea salt caramel chocolate ice cream! Then her and her cute husband + another couple (yes I was 5th wheeling it), took me to dinner to one of my favorite Mexican Restaurants here in the city.

Now lets fast forward to the next day and the most amazing birthday party shared with two other friends on the most amazing rooftop in NYC. 

We missed Adam for the group shot, but don't worry he made it to the party!!

View 1 - Just looking out at the Empire State building!

View 2- Next door neighbors to the freedom tower

View 3 - Manhattan Bridge

View 4 - Hudson River + New Jersey

View 5 - Statue of Liberty

Not many 24 year olds can say they celebrated their 24th birthday on a rooftop of a sky scraper looking at the Statue of Liberty, but aside from all that I feel so fortunate to have celebrated with my husband and some of the best friends a girl could ask for. We are so lucky to have such a huge group of friends out here with us. They are pretty much like family and it will be so sad to leave them is a few short days!

Here is to another great year, I am excited to see what 24 has to offer.

West Village

A while back a good friend and I ventured down to the West Village to see what it is all about. This burrow of New York is so quite and quaint. I absolutely loved it down there. It felt as though we were not really in the city any more and sometimes that is just a wonderful feeling!

The apartments are so unique in their own special way and all are so picturesque!

I love the white, ivy and tiny purple flowers up agains this pale red brick.

There were vintage bikes chained to almost every street sign. 

Many of the apartments had little walk ways like the one above that would lead to the most adorable garden courtyards. It is almost like it is right out of a movie!

Cafes are on almost every corner. I love this one with the blue umbrellas.

I have heard the little owl is a must eat. We did not have time to try, but I will be sure to make it there the next time we venture down to the West Village. 

We stopped by a local ice cream shop in the area and it was delicious. Here I have vanilla ice cream + dark chocolate covered pretzels dipped in milk chocolate with a caramel topping. Sounds like a lot, but really the perfect amount of soft, crunch, salty and sweet!

We made sure to stop by the famous Scandinavian candy store Sockerbit. The adorable white store is lined with bright colored candy and a sweet smell. You can enjoy chocolate and fruity candy, all of which originated from the Scandinavian countries and are made with high quality ingredients. The bright colors come from nature rather than chemicals in a lab. The candy is GMO and trans fat free! Which makes it healthier right?

We had so much fun exploring a new area. It is so amazing how much New York has to offer. Even with living here for the summer I feel like I have not even made a dent in the city. Which means I will just have to make frequent visits!

Holiday Weekend Recap

 Just like everyone else in America the 4th of July is my most favorite holiday. Everything from red, white and blue to food, family and fireworks. I love it all! For years Adam and I have done the same thing on the 4th. We start our day off at the cabin in Brighton and then head to Oakley for a BBQ and rodeo. It is the absolute best and nothing else beats it. When I realized we would not be home for the 4th I was pretty devastated. But I guess you can't complain when you are in an amazing city celebrating. Well you can't complain until you realize that it is going to be raining the entire day.

Luckily we have amazing friends who made this holiday unforgettable. We walked through Central Park, had brunch at The Smith, watched the world cup and enjoyed pizza, and then journeyed down to Brooklyn to watch amazing fireworks over the East River.

Macy's really knows how to put on a firework show! 

The next day when the weather was much better all 20 finance boys and wives piled in the train at 10:37 am and journeyed up to this beautiful home in Connecticut. 

Here is where we spent our July 5th. We did everything from swim, to girl talk, to soccer games, eating good food, to catching some rays, playing games and telling riddles. It was the most fantastic Saturday and a much needed getaway from the city.

Our all American meal. Hamburgers, chips and salsas, potato salad and lemonade.

The host made this delicious cheesecake. It was some of the best I have ever had. And tell me that flag cake is not totally amazing! 

Our weekend was perfect in every way. Relaxing, warm, surrounded by good friends, good food and fireworks. We could not have asked for more. We are so grateful for the hospitality of the beautiful family in Connecticut who let us crash at their home for the day. Now it is back to reality and on to another week in the city.

2 years celebration

June 20, 2014 marked our 2 year anniversary. It is crazy how fast time goes, but looking back at it we have managed to fit A LOT into 2 short years. Because Adam worked late we decided to go grab a quick dessert at Holey Cream and then head home and relax. Holey Cream is famous for their donut ice cream sandwich. It was incredibly delicious might I say.

We got a donut filled with sea salt caramel ice cream and one scoop of caramel cookie dough ice cream. We topped our donut with chocolate icing and crushed up peanut butter cups. I think I did most of the damage on this dessert. Adam enjoyed a nice cold + refreshing dark cherry creme soda.

Because our anniversary celebrations were short and sweet Friday we decided to do most our celebrating on Saturday. Luckily Adam did not have to go into work! It was heaven sent or something. I think I was pretty much giddy the whole day. I got him all to myself and life could not have been better.

We started off our day with an all American meal at Shake Shack. I had never been and was anxious to try it. I had heard some rave reviews about it. I enjoyed the single classic, while Adam enjoyed the double classic. Of course we had to get fries and a chocolate shake to share. We even made a little fry sauce to go with it. I think the shake and fries were my favorite part.

We then went and did a little shopping and Adam got a quick hair cut at the local barber shop. He looked pretty handsome with his new do.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous so we took a casual walk through Central park. There were some baseball games going on, so we stopped to watch for a while. After walking around we went home, freshened up and then headed to South Seaport to watch an open air movie. Unfortunately, when we got there it was packed and there was absolutely no seating. So we set off to explore the area. We walked out to the pier and to our surprise we were right next to the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

I am so lucky to have this guy in my life. He has made my life the happiest!

We walked across the bridge and enjoyed the beautiful view of Manhattan and Brooklyn. While on the bridge the lights turned on and made for a beautiful glittery evening! It was the cherry on top of our adventurous anniversary weekend!

Happy Anniversary

 Happy Anniversary to us, a week ago! I can't believe it has been two years. Time flies when you are having fun and in love! It has been the best two years, better than I could have ever imagined. I have experienced more than I ever thought. Life has been so exciting with Adam. I am so grateful for our relationship and all that we have been able to accomplish together.

Reflecting on the past two years

June 20, 2012 | Married

Summer of 2012 | Live in Salt Lake City 

August 20, 2012 | Move to Orem

December 7, 2012 | Morgan finished undergraduate

January 4, 2013 | Moved to Arizona

January 5, 2013 | Adam starts internship at Columbia West Capital

April 25, 2013 | Move back to SLC

April 28, 2013 | Morgan walked and graduated from BYU

August 16, 2013 | Morgan gets and begins her very first teaching Job

August 20, 2013 | Moved to Provo

November 2013 | Adam gets offer at Lazard Investment Bank

April 2014 | Adam finishes Junior year at BYU

May 15, 2014 | Move back to SLC

May 25, 2014 | Adam leaves for NYC for the summer

May 27, 2014 | Adam starts his internship

May 30, 2014 | Morgan finishes her first year of teaching

June 4, 2014 | Morgan joins Adam in NYC

June 2014 | Morgan works along side Prop Stylist

It is crazy to think how many times we have moved in a short 2 years. We have lived in 5 cities and 3 different states. We have gone from the mountains, to the desert, to the east coast beaches. Between the two of us we have gone through 8 jobs. There has been one college graduate and one closely behind. So for one who has a hard time with change has definitely learned to love it.

Here is a little video I made of the last two years. It has been fun to see how much we have changed and the different stages we have gone through in the last two years. 

We are anxious to see what this next year brings! It is sure to be exciting I just know it! 

Experience of a Lifetime

The last two years Adam has been working so hard to get to where he is. It has consisted of a lot of sleepless nights, moving to multiple states for paid and unpaid internships, several networking trips, countless study hours, interviews coming out of his ears and tears (from me). To many it seems crazy and at first I thought it was crazy. Never in my life did I know that these were the kinds of things you had to do to get a quality, good paying job that creates wonderful exit opportunities. To be honest, I never knew these kinds of opportunities were out there! 

I grew up in a town where most go to school, graduate, find a job and move back to where they grew up. My mentality growing up was to do the same. This is definitely not a bad thing in any way, but for us it wasn't what was supposed to happen. At first this was really hard for me. I resented it! All my siblings live within a 10 mile radius of my parents and I was not going to be the only sibling to live away and not attend every Sunday dinner. Also, I am not one who enjoys change and I have this attachment and love for where I grew up. To me it is home and the only true place to call home. There are still times when I think to myself, why can't we just go back to Utah, get a job and settle down and then I am reminded of the many opportunities that have been given to me and the growing experience it has been and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Not only have I grown, but my relationship with Adam has grown exponentially. He is all I have at times and we really have to rely on each other.

We feel we have been so blessed with the path that we have chosen. Our eyes have been open, we have met some amazing people, and we have experienced things we otherwise wouldn't have. One experience that I feel so blessed to have been able to do was shadow a prop stylist here in New York. We connected through my cousin and boy am I grateful she was able to connect us. 

This last month was amazing. I was able to see the amount of work and effort that goes into magazines. I have been able to first hand see the amazing talent so many individuals have. I connected with people I never ever would have otherwise. I worked with people from all walks of life. People from other countries with amazing stories and backgrounds. I was able to work along side some very passionate, driven and creative individuals. I was able to learn through their example not only about the field, but about life in general. Being an intern and rookie can be very intimidating,  I was so welcomed by these individuals and I felt so happy! It was so thrilling to be in an environment where I was excited and anxious to work. Not only did I learn a lot, but I grew a lot and for that I am very grateful. It is an experience I do not want to forget and experience that has pushed me and given me a greater desire to go do what I love! 

New York According to My Iphone

I am going to let my Iphone photos do most of the talking and give my fingers a rest! Here are some things I have been up to. Enjoy!

Chelsea Market + The Milk Bar 

(butter pecan is divine) 

Highline Park | This was created on top of an old railroad track.

Union Square Farmers Market | Aren't those fresh blooms to die for?

Street performers at the Union Square Farmers Market

More fresh blooms at the Union Square Farmers Market

Locally grown produce at the farmers market

Look closely. Do you see the bubbles? Hundreds of people were blowing bubbles at at the Farmers Market. It really was quite magical.

Hidden treasures on this weeks run. 

Panoramic of the Upper West Side on a foggy + misty morning

Yes I am eating my way through this city one chocolate chip cookie at a time and I feel fine about it. City Bakery is supposed to have one of the very best chocolate chip cookies in the city and I do agree it is fantastic, but it just doesn't beat a Levain or Insomnia cookie.

I got caught in a torrential down pour mess both to and from work on Friday. It was really quite hilarious because on my way to work I did not have an umbrella, I was in sandals, and a t-shirt. I looked ridiculous and was about to go meet members of a major magazine. I was mortified running through the elephant size rain drops, until a gentleman outside of a run down convenient store in the area waved me in and led me to his $2.00 umbrellas. Bless is soul. He saved me from looking like a wet dog!

Working with a prop stylist in uptown this week was amazing. It was so fun to be in a quiet quaint little area that you would never know existed in the city. I also got to work in an area in Brooklyn that had homes. Like 3 story homes with backyards, front yards, mailboxes, and driveways. Who knew that existed in New York? I definitely didn't and I was in heaven!

Strand Bookstore

Flatiron District | Whats a trip to New York without a picture here!

While wandering the area of Tribeca I came across this little store. I couldn't help put giggle to myself. The entire store was filled with inflatable floatys. They had everything you could imagine in inflatables.

Not to mention, Tribeca is a beautiful area. If we end up coming back here I wouldn't mind living in that area! 

Cheers to a great week in NYC. Anxious to see what next week brings.