Felix and Adrian's wedding

Two weekends ago I flew up to New Hampshire for Felix (my older brother) and Adrian's wedding. It was a very intimate, casual, and beautiful ceremony and lunch (yummy, too!) in the small town of Sandwich, New Hampshire where Adrian grew up. There were about 15 friends and family in total in attendance. After a lovely exchanging of the vows in front of the fireplace, and a champagne toast, we sat down for lunch. With three tables, Felix and Adrian were able to rotate after each course.

Here's an animoto video of the day:



The bride and groom were practically beaming in happiness the whole time.

Best wishes for a wonderful life together, Felix and Adrian!

Belated New Year's Resolutions, 2011 edition

Over on the Blue Rose Girls blog, I posted my work-related New Year's resolutions. Every year, for as long as I can remember, I've made New Year's resolutions. And in some cases, they've really helped me change my behavior for the better. For example, one year I resolved to floss more (I think I said at least four nights a week), and now I floss every night. There was my resolution to get out of debt and start saving. And, of course, there's my "no candy" resolution. Basically, I use resolutions as a way to  curb bad behaviors, create better habits, and encourage myself to do fun/different things!

Here are my resolutions for 2011:

-Don't buy any new clothes for myself (excluding accessories and necessities, for example: underwear, socks, jewelry, shoes, etc.)

-Maintain current weight (or lose)

-Save an average of XX a month (I'm keeping the actual amount private)

-Read average of 1.5 published books per month. Read at least three adult books this year.

-Do more cultural activities (shows, concerts, museums)--at least 10 a year

-Eat candy no more than once a month, on average

-Get 4,000 followers on Twitter

-Post on bloomabilities at least once a month (I resolve to do this every year. I'm really going to do it this year!)

-Clean my apt. at least a little bit once a week

-De-clutter and fully set-up the apt (there are still unresolved corners left over from my move in June)

-Go horseback riding

-Dress up for Halloween

-Get my golf game down to 70 for 9 holes (or, at least, to the level where I can actually count my shots accurately!)

-Exercise at least 120 times

-Run at least a half marathon

-Go on at least two long bike rides

-Schedule at least one night a week for unscheduled time (you get what I mean...) 

***

I have a very long wrap-up post about ALA Midwinter here, complete with food pictures!

2010: My year in photos

I haven't made an animoto video in ages, and so when I saw Grace's year-end video, I was inspired to make one of my own. Except mine is quite a bit longer. What can I say, I'm still photo crazy!

Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone. It's been a good year overall, although one dominated by work--good thing work has been rewarding! But it hasn't been all work and no play. Here are a few highlights from my 2010:

work:
-Grace Lin's Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, won a Newbery Honor
-Peter Brown won the Children's Choice Illustrator of the Year
-The Curious Garden won the E.B. White Read-aloud Award
-Karen Healey's Guardian of the Dead was named a Morris Award finalist
-Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Shark vs Train, and Children Make Terrible Pets were all NY Times bestsellers
-I attended two ALA conferences, NCTE, and three SCBWI conferences (FL, SC, and NY)
-I was able to promote my assistant, and now have a new editorial assistant
-I hired two fabulous editorial interns who have gone on to great editorial assistant positions
-I was promoted to executive editor

Life:
-I moved to Brooklyn!
-I became the step-mother of two cats
-I took a vacation to the SF Bay Area, and then to Lake Tahoe for a family reunion
-I took a two-week vacation: CA for a week, then CO for another week
-I played golf, tennis, pool, and softball, went bowling, and jogged regularly in Prospect Park
-I biked over 50 miles in the MS Ride, and raised over $1,000
-I sang a ton of Karaoke, learned the harmony to the Jason Mraz/Colbie Caillat song Lucky
-I took a bunch of trips to CT to hang out with the Blue Rose Girls
-I went to the NATWA conference in Toronto with my mother, and we took a train to Montreal to visit friends
-I went to the beach three times and to Disney World once
-I learned how to shuck oysters, and make chocolate fondue, ravioli from scratch, and icing chrysanthemum flowers
-I attended three weddings, four baby showers, two wedding showers, and one bachelorette party
-I saw Lady Gaga and Bob Dylan in concert
-I saw President Obama speak in person
-I saw a bunch of plays and musicals, including West Side Story and Time Stands Still
-I watched too much reality television (Project Runway, Amazing Race, Top Chef), became addicted to Glee, and watched some movies, too (the Stieg Larsson trilogy, Inception, etc.)
-I met, visited, and played with my friends' kids
-I became entrenched in the cult of Apple (iPad, iPhone, iTunes, MacBook)
-I ate a ton of delicious food
-I lived!



Happy New Year, all. May 2011 be the best year ever, a year filled with laughter, joy, peace, growth, and, of course, bloomabilities.

Travels

Another year is almost gone, another year I've neglected this blog. Sad. Good thing New Year's is around the corner and I can resolve to post more again! In the meantime, in case you missed it, you can see my last two posts on the Blue Rose Girls here and here. I wrote about first pages and what else--New Year's resolutions!

My friend and former colleague Jill has just set off on a solo, around-the-world trip. Thirteen countries in about nine months. I am both in awe and insanely jealous, even though in my old age I've realized that two-week trips are about the right length of time for me. I'd love to "live" in another country again for about a month, though. So glad I at least experienced that in the year and a half after college (when I lived in Taiwan and traveled around Asia).

Jill also ran the NYC marathon this year. Read about her experience here, and follow her travels on her blog, "A Journey of One Inch"! She's in New Zealand now:

Speaking of traveling, I'm a fan of The Amazing Race. Anyone catch the finale on Sunday? The team I was rooting for won! Hurray! That's one reality show I'd love to be on. I just have to find the right partner...

As for me, my next trip is back to Southern California next week--I'll be in CA for almost three weeks (!) as I'll be staying through the ALA (American Library Association) Midwinter conference in San Diego. It will be nice to get away from the grind and unwind.

Next May I'll be heading to Australia! Woo-hoo! I'll be there for the Visiting International Publishers (VIP) program at the Sydney Writer's Festival. My plan is to go out a week early and spend some time in Melbourne with friends. I was in Australia nine years ago for a wedding in Byron Bay, and also visited Fraser Island and spent just one night in Sydney. I loved it, and am excited to be back to see more of the country, and spend more time in Sydney.

What will your next big trip be?

Furball Friday

Chillin' unde the table

See, they do move!

Furball Friday

Yeah...and so? Whaddaya looking at?

Marathon!

I ran the NYC Marathon in 2006, and it was an amazing experience. On Sunday, the day of the marathon, I re-read my blog post about my run and got all nostalgic.

Today, my friend Gwen posted this great recap of her second marathon. She also documented her run using a special camera on her head! I have to say, it made me emotional to watch this, remembering how I felt at certain spots of the route.

Read and see her video here. (Time-lapse video is also below)


2010 NYC Marathon Time Lapse from wnyc culture on Vimeo.

Congratulations, Gwen!

I actually entered the lottery for the marathon this year, but I didn't get in. And to be honest, I was actually really really really hoping that I wouldn't get in. It's an amazing experience, but it sure does take up a lot of time for the training. Plus, it's exhausting and painful and all that...

But I've decided to just keep entering the lottery to see what happens. And perhaps I'll eventually run one with my Dad.

Furball Friday

Lounging, once again, in the favorite chair.

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

I love this:


Sign Montage from the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear from ekai on Vimeo.

Vote for Jon and Stephen.