Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was fantastic! Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to pull off this amazing four-day affair. I think I'll need another day or two to recover enough to write more, but for now, my pictures are below.

Thanksgiving 2006

We Are...Penn State!

Over the weekend, Mark and I were two of the 108,000+ fans on hand to witness Penn State's last game of the season. We met up with his 'rents and Erin for a quick pre-game tailgate (breakfast from Sheetz! Gotta love some Shmuffin action first thing in the morning!)
before braving the chilly temps for the game. The game wasn't the greatest display of either team's talent, but we were all happy to have PSU come out on top. And I was happy to join in on all of the cheers and Penn State traditions I've grown to love since my first game with Sissy...I was excited to find out that they still rock out to Zombie Nation, play "Hey Baby (won't you be my girl)", and all of the other staples that make those games so fun. And speaking of fun, afterwards the Flynns provided an awesome tailgate. With chili to warm us up and hyper brownies to maintain our energy, it was the perfect spread! To see more pictures from the weekend, click on the link below.

Penn State

A pic of Debb and I at the Born to Lead Awards. Debb is the assistant to CG!s publisher, so we're on the phone with one another about 15 times a day, easily. We try to keep eachother sane amidst our crazy jobs!

Born to Lead!

I realized too late last week that I forgot to mention the big event I attended for work. Bright and early Monday morning, I was at the Supper Club (right next to the Hotel Edison, where my parents sometimes stay when they're in town, and home of the diner where Grandpop loved to eat!) for the Born to Lead Awards. Each year, CosmoGIRL! honors about ten young people who are--as the title indicates--leaders. This year's crop of "real girls" (non-celebs) were absolutely amazing: as high schoolers, they started schools in Vietnam, raised money for Darfur, tutored underpriviledged immigrants--over-achieve, much?! My role in being there was basically to escort two of the girls from their hotel to the Supper Club. From that point on, I sat around, schmoozed with Lance Bass (being honored for being, well, gay) and Eve (not as approchable as Lance...not helped by the fact that she had an entourage of snippy girls, while he was just his his assistant), and hung out with my co-workers. Fun! Here's a pic of the stage with our December cover. It's on newsstands Tuesday--go out and pick up a copy and read more about the Born to Lead winners!

Weekend Recap

We ventured down to the greater DC area this weekend for a quick trip. The purpose? Mike's 30th Birthday party, but we squeezed in visits with our 'rents, too. We hit the road Friday night,made it to Silver Spring a little after midnight, and received a warm welcome of fresh banana bread (baked by my dad) awaiting us in the kitchen. Karl came with, and at her urging, we rose early Saturday morning for a 5K race in Kensington. With the crisp weather, gorgeous sunlight streaming through the trees that dripped with technicolor foliage, and a lovely course throughout Rock Creek Park, we were happy to have participated. We didn't stick around long enough to see if we won any awards (age group awards, that is--the ubiquitous Gaithersburg Russian Runner Ladies contingent was on hand to snag the top prizes); instead, we went back and had a delicious breakfast with my dad before visiting with Jeanie, Aleta, Ella, and baby Philip.

Mark and I then zipped into DC to check out Chuck's new bachelor pad in the Quebec House, right off of Connecticut Avenue (great location!). Being back in that area made me a bit wistful for the old apartment--DC is just beautiful at this time of the year! Chuck's place is great and very roomy for a studio.

After that, we headed into Fairfax for dinner with the Flynns. Mark's 'rents had just returned from a trip down south to work on houses damaged by Katrina in Mississippi, so we got to hear all about their adventure. Then we had a yummy meal before heading out to the real reason we were in town: Mike's party! Greg hosted at his amazing house in Falls Church--and I was so excited to see Lonnie and Corinne, plus a bunch of other friends we hadn't hung out with in a while. We spent most of the night ogling Greg's exquisite taste in decor, his phenomenol handywork, his impressive tidiness, and, well, you get the picture. His house belongs in a magazine. (Hmmm...maybe I can pull some strings to get him in one...!)

We partied late in to the night and awoke Sunday morning to head back up to NYC so Mark could make his 4 p.m. Lacrosse game. Another great weekend!

Pictures below!

Lovely Day

Maybe because it's Friday, or maybe it's because I'm in need of some overdue luck, but today seems to be starting off delightfully. First, I get a free coffee at Starbucks. Then, two pages from a script that I blamed myself for losing last night magically appear (and their temporary disappearance was sooo not my fault!). Now, all I need is a winning lottery ticket and I'll be all set!

Happy Friday!

Party On...

This week has been a long one, but in a pretty good way. There've been a lot of events happening around the city, and I've been lucky enough to attend a few. Lots of late nights, good food, and people watching. No wonder I'm exhausted tonight!

On Tuesday, when I went to Cosmopolitan's Halloween party at Buddah Bar. This is a pretty swank spot near Pastis, and one that I really wouldn't have a reason to frequent on a regular basis. But the party beckoned, and off I went down cobblestoned Little West 12th street to this cavernous Pan American-themed restaurant/club. Misinformed that no one would be dressed in costume, I wore a dress and high boots, while almost everyone else donned elaborate garb. Editors hailing from over 50 countries were in attendance, along with staffers from both CosmoGIRL! and our big sister mag, Cosmo. The first person I spotted was legendary editrix Helen Gurley Brown. At 84, she now edits foreign editions of the magazine, and is still whip-smart (I've seen firsthand the typewritten critique letters she sends to my editor). Amazing. Later on, Bec joined me, and we mingled, costume-spotted, and nibbled Asian goodies until "our eyes got heavy" and we walked home together.

The next night, Wednesday, I met up with Mount roomie Shannon to hit up a party celebrating the launch of piperlime, a shoe website owned by the Gap. It was at the Hotel Gansevoort, again in the meatpacking district. As we walked up to the hotel, we noticed the bright lights and red carpet, and none other than Rosario Dawson being interviewed. Rachel Zoe, celebrity stylist and the host of the party, was sauntering out in a floor-length, one-shouldered gown! Immediately, I felt underdressed. But up we went to the penthouse bar with its sweeping views of the Hudson and Hoboken, and were spoiled by an amazing spread of Sushi, passed Hors'doerves, and a delicious dessert bar including creampuff lollipops. We literally rubbed elbows with Lucy Liu, and just missed a Vanessa Manillo spotting (she was there when we were, we just didn't see her). Sure beat Wednesday nights at Ott's in Emmitsburg!

Finally, tonight Mark and I had an impromptu dinner party. Well, I did the inviting (the sisters) and Mark did the cooking. He whipped up a scrumptious meal of salmon marinated in honey soy, a vegetable medley of aspargus tips, potatoes, and onions, and Bec's Quinoa. For dessert, rich chocolate chip cookies from Jacques Torres. Can't get much better than that!

The partying will continue into the weekend, as Mark and I are heading down to DC to help Mike ring in his birthday...recap and pictures to come on Monday!