Christmas in NYC

Radio City Music Hall chandelier

Me and friend Carly posing as the Rockets

The Tree and Me

Moving On

Life has been crazy the past two weeks. Dhrumil and I made a quick decision (after pondering a few weeks) to move in the middle of finals, gmats, work, christmas and driving to Indiana! We have been packing up our apartment the past week and a half and feel pretty good about dropping our stuff off and taking the LOOOONG treck to Indy.

We are only moving one town over, but to me it feels like a different state. I was spoiled by the small New England town atmosphere ever since my parents moved to CT, but we were ready to move to a larger apartment.

I HAD to have a Christmas tree (we decided to move after it) and we only had it up 2 weeks, but we got to enjoy it. It's going to be bittersweet leaving a town we know and our first apartment, but exciting continuing our life in a different place.

Why I haven't been posting

I haven't been posting because my computer plug died and with it died my full stock of great pictures and so on to put on my blog. I was going to put pictures of the chair on the car and so on and so forth. Anywho a couple things I have to mention. Enchanted is a GREAT movie... you have to see it! And driving in this area during the Holiday seasons is AWFUL. I am singing to christmas carols and BOOM someone ticks me off with their idiotic driving and I am screaming and then I feel bad because 'tis the season.

The Chair Story

This is a story about at store (Ikea) a couple (Dhrumil and ElisaBeth) a chair (a comfy one) a major highway (95 South) and a car ('05 Camry)...

I woke up on Saturday with an amazing idea. Let's go to Ikea and just look and maybe purchase a few small organizational items. Dhrumil, of course, knew that going to Ikea meant more for me than just eating Swedish meatballs, it meant possibly buying a piece of furniture. With this thought he decided to take the Camry since it is our "large car" and my little Cobalt can only hold so much. Walking around Ikea, my stomach happy and full of meatballs, I had another amazing idea... let's buy a chair NOW. Dhrumil, ofcourse knowing I would decide this, said ok and we picked out a very nice one.

In the past we have been able to maneuver Ikea furniture into our car. Not this time. Ends up after 1 hour of trying to push the chair into the car we had to strap it to the top... no easy feat for a tall man and a short little woman... and drive 40 miles on the busiest interstate around back to our apartment. WE DID IT and we felt great for doing it. :) Teamwork...

We love the chair.

What Does the World Know?

This is an email sent from my cousin and his family who are missionaries in Bangladesh. Please keep them and the country in your prayers.

CYCLONE SIDR - LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Dear Friends,How many times have we heard that phrase? Location, Location, Location. Unfortunately, location played a big part in the tragic events of last week. Bangladesh lies just a few feet above sea level right on the Indian Ocean. Hundreds of rivers to overflow and no higher ground. Also its remote location makes it difficult to speed aid to the people in need. Lack of equipment, infrastructure and communication make it difficult to even put a handle on the size of the task ahead. In 11 districts 90% of the crops have been lost and an estimated 200,000 livestock have been killed. They are even using elephants as part of the clean up effort.Location will also play a part as international awareness and interest in the coming days and weeks will diminish. This was not a hurricane that hit a state in the US. This was not a tragedy that effected foreign tourists at the beach that was caught on tape. This was not a sensational tabloid story of the rich and famous having a member of their family die. No, these were just nameless people from a far off place that happens to be in the wrong location. Because of location the cyclone will mostly likely be only a 30 second piece on tonight's evening news if its mentioned at all.Honestly, it has been hard for me to process it all from even just 80 miles away. The reality of the need can be overwhelming. The idea that location, location, location has affected the people of Bangladesh on a such a large scale has kept me up tonight with tears in my eyes. Please be praying in the days ahead that God will open opportunities to share His love.Serving Bangladesh,Duane for Lori, Justus and Jared
CLICK TO SEE MORE PICTURES AT CNN.COM

PRAYER ITEMS
1. PRAY FOR THE AFFECTED CHURCHES.2. PRAY THAT AN OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE FOR TENTS AND FOOD TO BE SENT TO BANGLADESH WILL GET GOVERNMENT APPROVAL.3. PRAY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TO BE DEMONSTRATED IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING.4. PRAY FOR A HEATH CARE MINISTRIES TEAM THAT IS BEING FORMED. PRAY FOR SCHEDULES AND VISAS.5. PRAY FOR ALL THE NEEDED PERMISSIONS TO GET THE AID INTO THE COUNTRY.
If you or your church would like to help with the relief efforts please email us at DuaneLori@gmail.com

THE DANIELSEN FAMILY, QUOTE AND LINKS

THE DANIELSEN FAMILY:Thank you for praying for us during the storm. Thank you for the many emails and calls to see how we were doing. Dhaka was hit but we only experienced heavy winds and rain and minimal damage here in the capital. We temporaily lost power and communication for a little over a day. QUOTE:
"Sadly, because this cyclone was on the other side of the world, many have disregarded the loss and devestation that you've experienced, and we need to have our spiritual eyes opened to the human need you are serving."
Dr. Bruce Bell - Liberty UniversityLINKS:Videos at CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/19/bangladesh.cyclone/#cnnSTCVideo

My Favorite Show!!!

I wanted to tell you about one of my favorite tv shows. Jon and Kate Plus 8... it's on TLC on Mondays nights and you have to watch it. Both Dhrumil and I really enjoy it. It's about a family who has twins and sextuplets! It's amazing how they deal with it and it's also really funny and cute. Check it out!!!!!!

People You Think of

Isn't it interesting how the mind works? How memory works? Ever since I've joined facebook I have become even more interested to see what has happened to people who were once in my life. Anyways not a very exciting post, but think about it...

The Perfect Storm is Captured... sort of

The Celtic Woman/Skater "feast" took place at the casion called Mohegan Sun. This was the first time I ever went to a Casino and it was pretty amazing. Unforortunitly we didn't get many pictures.

The hotel was behind us... I promise! What's with D?

ElisaBeth's Perfect Storm

+ = My perfect storm!!!

Yesterday Dhrumil "surprised" me with tickets to go see some of my favorite people perform. I say "surprised" because once again I didn't take "let's go to dinner" seriously and made plans over it. So in order to break the plans he had to tell me ahead of time. Poor guy... he can never win.

Anyways about the performance.... it was at Mohegan Sun of all places (pretty cool place actually) and it was called Skate for the Heart... and will be airing on NBC on January 13 4-6pm. The reason I was so excited about this was because the group Celtic Woman were performing (Dhrumil and I have become groupies) and BEST of all, Ekaterina Gordeeva, was one of the skaters. I LOVE HER! I can remember watching her and her husband on the Olympics and lots of other competitions and always thinking she was amazing. I also read her book about the love story with her husband and how she dealt with him dying. Such a good book.

Having the Celtic Woman singing and her skating gave me chills and was amazing. I probably sound like a dork, but oh well. :)

NYC has my heart

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss NYC! I wish I was writing in this blog during my 1 1/2 years in the city because I had some pretty interesting stories.

The life of a commuter was one that I experienced for a short while. Before I excepted my job at the college in the Empire State building, I interned for an orchestra in the garment district. I loved passing the big needle threading the button, stopping at Starbucks and then up the strange elevator to the hip office with each desk blaring different classical music pieces.

Once I started at the college and the daily grind of riding the train became a reality... it turned into something not as glamorous:

Packed trains, lots of unique personalities, walking 10 blocks, falling in front of hundreds during rush hour on Madison Ave. (oh yes I did that) trying to walk in a major blizzard, walking in the rain getting soaked and hit by hundreds of umbrellas, staring down taxi drives who I thought were going to kill me, being stranded by a taxi driver and having no clue where I was, smiling at the security guards in the Empire State Building, being asked by tourists from other countries to take their picture in the lobby, riding the elevator and S T O P P I N G on every floor, eating in little Korea town, almost fainting on the train in the midst of many men (yup did that 2 times), working at an office with no window visible, cutting the line to go to the top of the building and leaving really early and getting home really late.

I could go on and on. No matter how much the tourists bothered me or how many bruises I got from people running into me I was always struck by how awesome it was to work in the most famous building in America in one of the most famous cities in the world.

I miss you NYC... oh and I miss the Starbucks on EVERY corner.

How people impact us, even for a short time

Sometimes you never realize how people have impacted your life until they are no longer here...

My first day of the real world and I was scared to death. College was behind me and now it was time to put my learning to the test. My first "real job" was working for an oil company in the contracts department and I didn't have a clue what to expect.

I can't remember the first time I met him, but his first day was around the same time as mine. My first impression was of his huge smile and easy going nature. We were starting this new step in life at the same time, though coming from completely different worlds and ways of living. I kinda felt like we were in it together although we hardly knew each other. Those few months of working together, eating lunch together, barely scratching the surface of each other's lives were special.

I felt like I knew him personally, but then again I didn't know him at all. All I know is that he was a genuine person, a person who gave everyone a shot, a funny person and someone who always had a huge smile no matter how late he had been out the night before. He was real and that is what I appreciated most about him.

We didn't talk much after he left the Oil Company, only a few times on IM, but his death is hitting me deeper than I would have ever thought possible. Those few short months that he was in my life really meant something and I will always remember them. It makes me think how much you can impact someone's life and not really notice. Who will remember me when I'm gone? Someone I only spent a fraction of my life with?

RIP Jason Lantieri you will be missed by so many. May God be with your family and loved ones during this hard time. I will always remember you as a funny and crazy guy who took chances and was one of the most real people I knew.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18909670&BRD=1645&PAG=461&dept_id=10856&rfi=6

Lake George

This weekend we rented a cabin with Lake George in it's backyard and had an amazing time. We took this trip with my sister, future bro-in-law and friends Aaron and Margaret. It was supposed to rain, but weather ended up being beautiful and we were able to hike like we had planned.

The biggest story from this trip was our hike... it wasn't exactly what we planned, but it was an amazing experience! The hike ended taking us about 4 1/2 hours during which we went up and down 2000 feet. The trail itself was pretty steep with rocks through it and quite the challenge. Willougby was the biggest surprise of all. He loved it and took off charging ahead of us. He was able to climb up the rocks with ease. He was really cold on the summit, but other than that we were all impressed. It was pretty funny seeing a poofy 10 pound dog turn into "mountain dog, discovering the peaks." Check out some of our pictures below.

Dibs

Tonight Dhrumi was watching football and eating Dibs. I had to share his

comment because it might make you want to try them...

"They’re refreshing… it’s like a snow party in my mouth"

Potter Puppet Pals in

Sooo funny! Ok to me. :)

The Reason for Kids

Ok this might be a strange thought, but I have been pondering it for a few days. Everything kids do are to create them to be adults... so is the whole purpose to become an adult? Now that I'm an adult, is my whole purpose to become an older adult? You get what I'm saying? A baby is born and from day 1 everything is done for its survival, for its behavioral development all to make it grow into a older person. A kid goes to school and participates in activities to become "something someday" I wonder if senior citizens think back on all of those things that shaped them and are happy with the results. I might be going around in circles so if none of this makes sense read below.

We haven't had hot water since Wed and I'm dirty! I had to boil water to wash... AHHH! :)

The Goats

You have to watch the fainting goats video below... believe me it will be worth your time.

Fainting Goats

Bones

Here is the story of the day... after work I was walking Willougby and not really paying much attention. At one point on our walk Willougby stopped and would not come. I turned around to see why and I saw a bone sticking out of his mouth. This bone was nasty.... flesh and blood hanging off of it. Well I didn't want him to get sick and I grabbed hold of the bone before I knew how nasty it was. While screaming out of disgust (so loud the commuters walking home heard it through their ipods) I wrestled the bone out of his mouth. Once I finally got it out I screamed again because of the blood (or bbq sauce if it was a chicken leg) on my hand and tried not to puke. So that's my story... I still feel sick thinking of it. The question is... what was the bone?

Llamas, Burrs and Floppy

Oh my what a day for our poor dog Willougby. This morning started with a birthday party for his friend, Boo, who was turning 1. Yes... a birthday party. There were 7 dogs, doggy birthday cake as well as doggy goody bags. After leaving the party with pink doggy frosting on his face Willougby was dropped off for grooming... something he hates. He was picked up looking like a Llama. It was hard to take a picture of him to show you, but he really does look like a Llama. After his exhausting time at the groomers Dhrumil and I thought it would be nice to bring poor Will to the park. BUT ALAS when we were not looking Willoughby walked into a bush with burrs and was COVERED in them. We had to spend 1/2 hour trying to pull them from his fur while he fought back. He still has two burrs he won't let us remove. AHHH so after a long day of fun and dilemmas Will settled with his new found friend... Floppy. More on Floppy at a later date.

Back in the Saddle Again

Back to work... back to corporate work... back to corporate work which involves the computer as your best friend.

The first week at the Norwegian Oil company went very well and though I am a bit rusty on all things oil, I think I'll survive. I still think it is crazy I am back in Corporate America after the longings of nonprofit work. This is definitely a change from working in a College, but maybe it's a change for the better. I have decided that I need to be sure I have a creative output elsewhere and then use all my brain type A power to understand my job.

I'm trying to think if I have any embarrassing stories from this past week, but I think I still have a clean slate in that area so far.

MyFace

Ok... So I had to choose between MySpace and Facebook and I choose FB. Check it out... become my friend. It's so cool and you'll be really cool if you become my friend.

Photo Shoot

I played photographer extraordinaire this weekend for my sister and going to be brother-in-law. We had only 1/2 hour so I was running around like a maniacs throwing them into poses (some of which we later looked back and thought... what!?) Anyways it was fun to be bossy and artistic and though Willougby was getting annoyed because he had stay on a short leash while I was trying to create my masterpieces he survived. Take a look at a few of the engagement pics below... I also had to add my favorite Wby and Dhrumil picture that I just found.

"DOG VS. MAN"

ROAR

Last night Dhrumil and I celebrated our 6th month anniversary by going to The Lion King. It was an awesome show and we both loved the artistry and creative touches that made this one of a kind. I think my favorite scene was the opening number when all of the huge animal puppets came down the aisles.

I am still amazed how living so close to the city we have access to so many diverse and cultural experiences. Before we went to the show we ate at an amazing tiny Italian restaurant down the street from Times Square. The best part was the it was actually affordable. :)

Unemployed... no longer!!!!

Yippee! I got a job. Who would have thought I would be going back into the oil business? God really has a sense of humor. It seems like I have come full circle since I first started in the working world. I am in such a different place in my life now and I am excited to see what will come next. Anyways the company seems great and they really take care of you so I am excited about that.

Update on the toe... it still hurts. Soon to come... interview stories. Picture ..."art in my mixer."

My toe

Not much new in the land of interviews. I had two yesterday and one today so we'll see. It is so dreary here today and difficult to make Willoughby go outside to do his business. I have to either carry him down the stairs or use my "mean" face to make him walk down. He has to understand he won't melt in the rain and once he is out there if he could learn to hurry it up because I am getting soaked. Today is especially hard to get around because I did something crazy to my toe. I will probably consult WebMD after I write this to diagnose myself. It is so stupid how I "broke" my toe... I tripped over Dhrumil's foot... how dumb is that? Gosh it hurts. I'm going to have to limp into my interview this afternoon. Ok enough of my ramblings... I'm going to go check if I need major surgery! ;-)

Tangents

My oh my... I have so many thoughts running through my head today that I could write about. have I mentioned the interviewing process SUCKS!? I thought to myself... hey since you've been through this a couple of times maybe you should create a business catering to people like you. Young, talented, and unlucky. Nah, bad idea. So it looks like I may go back into the oil business. So very ironic for those of you who know me and realize that oil is not the thing I'm most passionate. Well, when life gives you oil make gasoline!

Let's talk about making friends. I mean the friends past the stage of "hi how are you, how is work, how is life" and your reply is "I am not so great, work is nonexistent, life is OK" in which they answer "oh that's nice" Those type of friends don't just drop into your lap. I feel like ever since I have left college I have been struggling to make those type of friends. Man I would have thought it would get easier by now or the stork would have dropped off my new bff at my front doorstep by now. What is it about this stage of life? I have a feeling it only gets more difficult. Even if I had a kid and was involved in play dates, probably the most I would get from a woman would be "oh little Johnny pooped pink the other day" to which I would reply "he probably ate watermelon"

I'm not saying I haven't made any friends besides my hunk of a husband. I have many friends, and they are all wonderful people AND I have gotten past some of the initial shallowness to have deep and meaningful conversations, but there is something missing. Maybe it is because life gets in the way and people don't have enough time to invest in each other. BUT life is RELATIONSHIPS... is it not? There is a comfort level that is not there sometimes. We have all created our own worlds with our spouses that sometimes it is hard to let other people in. Or maybe we are just tired. We have to invest so much into our relationship with God, with our spouse, with our family and with work that time just slips out of our grasp.

Blink, blink, blink I'm watching the cursor because I don't know where to go from here. Where can I find those meaningful relationships that have come so easy to me my whole life?

Beautiful Day

Yesterday was amazing outside... no humidity and mid 70s. With all my freetime I created a gormet dinner and Dhrumil, Willoughby and I headed over to Cove Island. Take a look at some of the random pictures we took. I think I was getting a bit camera happy.

"Willoughby" self portrait

"Eyes through glasses" self portrait

"Hi"

"The Sound"

"I am dog"

"No Words"

"We Know We're Cool"

The Ups and Downs

One day I'm all excited about my prospects out there. The next day I'm down because I have nothing in the works. One day I get a surprise call from a organization that I want to work for. The next day I'm down because I don't have an interview with them for a week and am reminded how slow this process really is. SO FRUSTRATING! But... that's life, isn't it?

BI pictures

Dhrumil and I and the ocean

Nate and Michelle soaking up some sun Dhrumil and I enjoying our brownie sundae

On the deck where we had dinner.. the ocean was behind us but by that time it basically disappeared in the mist.

Block Island

This weekend we had the chance to hang out with our friends, Nate and Michelle, and catch some rays at Block Island. This little island is such a great way to spend a Saturday and not at all hard to get to. We drove about 1 1/2 hours and then took a fast ferry over to Rhode Island. The day started off very foggy and ended foggy, but we did get some sunshine inbetween. Some of the highlights of our trip were... Almost missing the ferry because of traffic and then a wrong turn and once getting there doing everything in fast motion, girls laying on the beach and boys body surfing amongst the sharp rocks, seafood (veggies for Dhrumil) on a deck overlooking the ocean. Check out some pictures from the day above.

Interviewing Thoughts

The past two weeks have been filled with interviews (6 to be exact) and all of them really haven't been for a job that would be my ideal. Yesterday as I was sitting in my car waiting for yet another interview I started jotting down some of my feelings on the subject... view my soul below. :)

The whole interviewing process is like a step in the direction of self examination. You have to decide what are your best skills, what you can bring to the company. You have to figure out what you are good at, what you would like to do. Yes, a job is needed for money and it is a part of life, but there is so much more to life for me. It all seems a bit idiotic at times. Walking into the plastic world of money and trying to sell yourself to perfect strangers who don't know you at all. Trying to put your life on a piece of paper and contort yourself to fit their specific "job type." Though the guards are up while interviewing, it is still a very vulnerable position that you put yourself in. Having to do this three times in three and half years has made me think so much about what is my "career purpose" in life. I have had to step back each time and figure out what my next move is, evaluate all I have learned, put myself back out there to be not only re-examined by myself, but also by perfect strangers.

Pictures of the day

Hello... not much happening in wonderful CT except that it is raining still and cold. Willoughby hates the rain and I have to pick him up and carry him to the grass. Such a king... :) Oh and I literally got three interviews in a matter of 10 minuets (all in the same day too). That's recruiters for you. Who knows though. I really wish I had picked a major that was concrete like teaching or finance or something... would have been easier to find a job I think. I'm like oh banking? Sure let me go interview there. Oh would I like to try bee hive manager and dairy farmer? Why not I am versatile. Though I do believe park ranger would best fit my abilities and skills. AHH Check out thepictures of the day... Indian Wedding Celebration with Dhrumil's sister Niketa and our friend Caroline.

A visit to UConn

What a beautiful day it was yesterday in CT! 70 degrees and sunny and a perfect time for Dhrumil to take me to visit his alma mater. We drove up to Storrs CT for half a day and Dhrumil took my on a tour of the UConn Campus. Crazy to think that we weren't in eachother's lives during college. The campus is beautiful and much larger than IWU... I got a shirt and am now required to say "Go Huskies" :)