JEN!

Today is the birthday of the beloved Jen Porter. I am up here in Boston visiting the lovely girl and could not be happier! In typical Jen fashion she has a plethora of activities planned for us this weekend, including (but not limited to) parties both Friday and Saturday to celebrate friends graduations, an art gallery tour, canoeing, and eating out at fabulous (most likely vegetarian) restaurants. I don't know how she plans it all while working 13 hour days. She is truly an inspiration to us all.

At this moment I am sitting alone in her kitchen, sipping water and taking care of some loose ends via the internet. I know that Jen will scold me if I don't leave the house until she gets back from work, but I myself have been working so much recently that it's a treat just to be able to sit and read and think and figure out how much money I actually do have in the bank and where the rest of it has gone.

I've always felt at home in Jen's apartment, probably because I slept here before any of her roommates did and before they had a kitchen table or bookcases or even a shower curtain. That was back in August, though I've been here once since then, in February, to interview at the North Bennet Street School. (To which I got accepted, PS, though I turned it down so that I can go to the University of Iowa instead and get my master's in Library and Information Science and the Book Arts.) As I surfaced after riding the T (Boston subway) to the Central Square stop and I walked down the bricked sidewalks, pulling my lime green roller bag behind me, I felt as if I was walking the streets of a place I used to live. Everything was familiar to me, from the graffiti art ally way by the food co-op to the rows of houses lining the streets, I felt as if this was a place that I had once belonged. Even ringing the doorbell felt strange: I should be able to walk right in! Boston will always be a city that is near and dear to me, even if I haven't actually ever permanently resided here.

I am so lucky to be able to take the time to come up here and visit with Jen for her birthday. Boston is a beautiful city and Jen is a beautiful person; she is one of my nearest and dearest friends. She always believes in me and give me the confidence to do whatever it is that I want to do. I love to talk about books and ideas with her, life plans and future dreams. I am a better person and friend when I try to be more like Jen: I am truly blessed to have met her our freshman year of college, a time that seems both so recent and so long ago. (Can five years really slip by so fast?) We have done so much together since that time. We've traversed the country (California, St. George, Boston) and then some (Mexico). She's helped me plan splendid parties and made me amazingly delicious birthday cakes. We've hiked, we've gone cross country skiing, we've gone down hill skiing. We've graduated from college together. I've been to her house for Easter. She taught me how to drive stick the night before we drove from California back to Utah in Zelda, her amazing little car. In so many ways I am a better person because I have known Jen Porter.

So, Jen, old British man that you are, I salute you on this, your day of days, your birthday!

jace the face at the place setting the pace

Last night Jace and I went into the city to have dinner with my friend Erica and her husband Spencer at their amazing little apartment in Hell's Kitchen. Yesterday and the day before it snowed a crazy amount out here and in the city. NYU (where Spencer is attending law school) even closed their campus for the second time in 10 years (the first time was a few weeks ago when another crazy snow storm struck) because of the weather. I knew this, and yet somehow I thought that it wouldn't be all that bad. And, compared to the suburbs, it wasn't. Jace, my family and I have been shoveling snow twice a day for the last two days and I tell you what, my arms are sore. We have mountains of snow piled up on the sides of the sidewalks and roads that are almost as tall as I am. Or, at least, it feels that way. In the city the snow was not piled nearly as high. There were, however, hidden icy slush moats found on the corner of every block. While I'd worn my thrift store hiking boots that were fine for mountains of snow, they were no match for the slushy puddles of doom. By the time we'd walked the 12 blocks or so to the Rick's apartment both Jace and I had at least one very wet foot. 

 

We were able, however, to snap this photo of Jace terrorizing the Empire State Building. He really is a giant of epic proportions. (Also, please note his amazing Canada tuque that I got him at the Olympics. He WILL love Canada! He WILL!) The top of the Empire State Building is always lit up in colors for different occasions, like red/pink/white for Valentine's Day or red/green for Christmas which is fun. Right now it's lit up different colors depending on which side of the building you're on, which is pretty unusual. The north side is blue/black/blue, the east side is yellow/black/yellow, the south side is green/black/green and the west side is red/black/red. What? I looked it up and it's because of...dun dada dunnnnn...the Olympics! This weekend is the closing ceremonies so they've lit up the building in the colors of the Olympic rings. Fun fact! Now go impress your friends with your knowledge.

After an amazing bean soup and cheesy muffins dinner we hit the town! Erica and Spencer took Jace and I on a small tour of downtown Manhattan. I've been to the city countless times but it was fun to be there and not be one of the people in charge of showing people around. Erica and Spencer did a great job of hitting such hot spots as Times Square and Central Park. Jace finally gave in to his tourist side and was snapping pictures right and left. It had been years since I'd been to Times Square and I'd forgotten how bright it is at night! During the day it doesn't pop as much as it does at night when the only light is man-made. It was pretty fun.

Central Park was great too because it was dark and snowy and even though we still saw people it was more or less quiet and it was almost as if the city that never sleeps was asleep under all the snow. Apparently early that day someone had gotten killed walking through the park because a branch that was heavy with snow broke off its tree and fell on them. I never know what to make of stuff like that. It's so weird and so bazar that it could only happen in New York. Luckily, we were safe and did not encounter any killer trees while we were there.

We went back to the house, ate delicious chocolate fondue (made with chocolate orange chocolate which is amazing and clever) and watched the Olympics. Jace and I caught the 12:34 train home and didn't get back to Summit until 1:30 am, but it was one of the best nights we've had while he's been here. Hooray for friends, the city, and adventure!

a poem

scavenge your brains out

Jace set up the most fantastic treasure hunt ever for me to find my Christmas present! We went all over town following cryptic clues like, "Orange and blue will show you the next clue. Don't smudge the glass." Or, my personal favorite, "42.752872 N 84.479627 W. Look to the north for your fave." Jace would always give super helpful hints to help me decifer the clues like, "Huh, looks like co-ordinates..." or "I dunno" while rolling his eyes away from my gaze so he wouldn't give anything away. Adorable. The chase eventually lead me to the middle of a wooded area in a park where I found a hemp cord that I had to follow through the snow, around fallen tree trunks, branches and did I mention snow? My final gift was wrapped in a plastic grocery bag and packing tape to protect it from the elements. My boyfriend is so wise. Inside the long awaited package was an photo empty photo album with a card reading, "I  can't say that we'll fill this book, but let's try," and a matching journal with a to do list on the first page that said,

What shall we do today?

• build a fort 
• tip a cow 
• go skiing 
• make Henna art 
• get lost on a crazy adventure
  

There was also a henna art book and kit which I may or may not already own slash was also given for Christmas this year slash is the greatest henna kit ever. Just maybe.

After the grand adventure we went to AI Fusion, a sushi place, where we had a late lunch with his friends Kyle, Bruce, and Meesh (short for Michelle). Meesh enlightened Jace about the bump application and they proceeded to bump for a while while we waited for Bruce to show up and, yes, I know how that sounds. (One of the bump features is that it provides a map so you have a history of where you've bumped people. Really?) We had a great time just chatting, laughing, and eating delicious raw fish. It was probably my favorite Michigan day so far.

don't lose your snow sticks on the lift thing

Today Jace and I went skiing with his mom Lisa, brother Gage, and brother's friend Tucker. It was just a little ski place but it was so much fun! I felt super skilled because I tried the ski moguls and went through some trees—on purpose! Though I did take some fantastic spills on both of those adventures. My personal favorite was when I was trying to ski the moguls—which were totally weird, by the way, in that they were all clumped together in a grid basically instead of spread out along the run. It was probably my third time in that area attempting to conquer at least one or two of the powdery mounds and somehow I completely lost control and ended up belly down in the middle of the grid with my feet splayed out to either side, skis still on, feet pointing in completely opposite directions, unable to move, but able to feel my hip joints slowly being pulled from their sockets. After several failed attempts to get up or take my skis off, I finally managed to free myself and walk over to the side of the moguls, skis in hand, to start over and make my way down the rest of the run. Meanwhile the rest of the crew is at the bottom all looking up at me, helpless, just waiting for me to figure it out. It probably took just as long to get my skis back on as it did to free myself from the mess in the first place. A total wipe out in every respect.

But that is hardly the point. What is the point, you ask? To have fun! And I did. I got to chat with Jace's mom a bit and she is a first class lady. A real stand up gal. I like Jace's family a lot, tell you what. I also got to face some of my skiing fears, like wooded runs. It was quite possibly the most fun I've had skiing ever. Ever!

Jace and I took this picture on the ski lift at the beginning of the day. Note our fantastic headwear provided from the suitcase of Cassi. We are models of beauty and health in this picture, as always.

fort face

Jace and I built a fort in his dad's basement.

We left the ceiling partially open so that we could use the "natural" basement light to read with. Jace played with a wooden block puzzle I brought him that I'd gotten for Christmas but couldn't get back together (he figured it out no problem) and I read him Young Adult Novel by Daniel Pinkwater until my arms got too tired from holding it up and we had to take a break.

 During the day time the light from the side glass doors shone in through the quilt and trampoline to light up the place.

It was probably the biggest fort I've ever built. Also possibly the coldest. But we were, after all, in Michigan.

michiganders, michiginians, michi... people from michigan

I am in Michigan with Jace. He makes me happy. So does his mustachioed mode of transportation.

kansas city...there i was...

Went to Kansas City! Visited two of my most favorite people, Ashley and Rob Lugo, and met up with my loverly boyfriend Jace Face and had a fantastic week! It was finals for Ashley and Rob (who are at art school for photo and ceramics respectively) so we got to go to their end of the semester art show which was awesome! Rob sold one of his pieces (maybe two? I can't remember now...) and another of his pieces was accepted into the school's permanent collection. Yeah, some students spend their whole academic careers hoping for that and Rob achieved it his very first semester. No big deal.

We also went ice skating, ate delicious food, watched a plethora of movies, and best friended one of the cutest dogs ever, Calvin.

Fun facts about the trip:

• Not all couches are created equal in terms of sleeping comfort and levels of coziness.
  
• I want to go to art school so bad and major in everything.
• Jace always picks lame movies. Also Angelina Jolie is really good at hacking computers.
  
• The quilt with my quilt square was not done yet but is still in the works—all the squares were completed in June...
• Brookstone has a jewelry/eye glasses cleaning machine that makes really scary noises and you think it's going to break your glasses by putting them in there and although they are shiny afterwards it is unclear if that is because of the machine or the water in the machine that you set your glasses in to get them cleaned. You have been warned.
  
• I still am finding dog hair (not Calvin's) in my clothes.
• I only took two pictures the whole trip. The important thing is that we look really hot. In both of them.