Now Walk It Out

I figured out how many miles I walk a week to and from the train station/work/my apartment.

From my apartment to the Hoboken PATH Terminal - it is 1.2 miles.

From the 33rd and 6th Ave stop on the PATH to work - it is about .7 miles.

So, I've walked about 1.9 miles before logging onto my computer in the morning.  Then I walk another 1.9 miles before I eat dinner.  That's 3.8 miles a day!  Multiply that by 5 days of the work week....

We're talking 19 miles a week!  Not bad! :)

Phightin' Phils!

We did it again!  4th consecutive National League East Championship!  Whooo!

These are two of my favorite pictures from Phillies games in the last couple of years!

Oh and these are from the parade after we won the World Series in 2008!  Let's do it again, boys!

Back to the Broomall!

This past weekend I went home!  Can't believe it was over a month since I had been in Broomall and it was really nice to be back "in the ol' stomping ground!"

I was able to work from home on Friday, so I took the train home on Thursday night.  My Mom picked me up at the train station to the surprise of Victoria and Sean.  They had no idea I was coming home on Thursday night - so it was fun to see their faces when I walked up to the car!

I worked all day Friday and then my Mom, Victoria and I went to grab a bite to eat Friday night after my Mom dropped off Sean and his friends at the dance (oh to be in 7th grade again!).

Saturday morning and afternoon we went to see Pelé - I mean Sean - play two soccer games. He is so talented and so much fun to watch! Take a look at these shots of him in action:

After passing the ball to his teammate.

Calling for the ball to take down field!

Headed towards the goal!

Right after he crossed the ball to his teammate!

Then on Sunday we went to a Memorial Walk/Run for a friend of mine who passed away in a car accident almost two years ago. He was a dear friend and a champion of the pro-life cause and it was so nice to have tons people come out in his memory to support his cause and his family.

Sunday afternoon we went to another one of Sean's soccer games - he had another goal during this game!  Then Patrick and Karen came over for dinner after Mass!

The weekend recap cannot be complete without highlighting all of the delicious food my Mom made - she was busy all week preparing and we could definitely tell!

We had her specialty chicken steak and regular steak sandwiches with roasted potatoes and broccoli on Saturday night and then chicken cutlet with pasta and garlic bread on Sunday night!  Lucky for me - I got a ton of leftovers for delectable-Delco-dinners for the week!  A mamma Noons dinner is something else - I may be as bold to say that you haven't lived until you've tasted her dishes!

It was so nice to see my Mom, brothers and sisters and of course hang out with Misty!  If only Regina was home from college - we missed her a lot but she is up at Penn State having a great time and doing so well!  We Are! PENN STATE!  

A taste (figuratively and literally) of home is just what I needed to refuel me for a little while - and then soon I will need another dose of home to keep me going again! :)  

Yo Murph!

After living in Baltimore for 3.5 years and Ireland for 4 months and now in North Jersey for just over a month - I have come to realize something...

Action News is the best news programming.  Not only are all of the newscasters enjoyable to watch and bring life to the news stories of both Philadelphia and the United States at large, but their technology and presentation of the news is far superior than any other I have seen (in my opinion of course!). 

Fun fact: I enjoy watching TV while I am getting ready for work in the morning. 

While working in Philadelphia, I watched Action News everyday.  Matt O'Donnell, Tamala Edwards, David Murphy (Yo Murph!), and Karen Rogers of the morning team get along very well and they help to start most days off with a laugh.  The "Big Board" that they use is very high tech and makes for more interactive story-telling - whether they are reporting on the weather or any "hot topic" of the day.  

Now I watch Good Morning America since I leave later to go to work than I did back home.  I have always liked ABC over CBS or NBC and my Mom always watches GMA so I guess it is what I am used to.  At the end of each half hour, it breaks to the local news team for an update on local news, traffic and weather. 

Don't get me wrong - it's not that I hate watching the local news here - I'm just saying that it's just not the same.  I don't really know the surrounding area so I can't picture where they are talking about most of the time and I just don't feel like I know the news team as people - as I feel I do with the Action News team that I grew up with.  That might be silly to say but it's true...

Should I start clicking my ruby red shoes together yet?

There's no place like home.

There's no place like home...

Never-Eat-Soggy-Waffles (or Shredded Wheat)

I'll be the last person to say that I am good with directions - let alone the directionals on a compass (even though, thanks to 2nd grade, I can remember the clockwise order on the compass of North-East-South-West).  And if someone tells me to travel Northwest towards blah, blah, blah...they might as well speak to me in Japanese - 'cause I'm not understanding a single word they are saying! 

Furthermore, I have very difficult time figuring what I'm looking at on a map and would probably still be in Delaware County without my GPS (and we all know I've been known to get lost on the way to the King of Prussia Mall when there is a detour on my usual route -right, Victoria?-)... 

I am much better with landmarks and know the area rather than the street name.  I can vividly see stores (surprising -I know) or exit signs - but to try to explain to me how to get somewhere with telling me to make a right on this Ave and a left on that Lane, my eyes glaze over.

Unfortunately for me, my visual theory goes to the wayside in New York because if someone were to tell me "Oh, make a right at the Starbucks" or "Turn left at the I <3 New York Memorabilia Store..." yeah, well there are thousands here - so I might as well put a blindfold on and see where I end up! 

Luckily for me, though, I am pleased to report that New Yorkers are more than happy to help navigate you to wherever you need to go.  In the last month I have been in need of some help finding my way in New York City or in Hoboken and contrary to popular belief, people have really gone out of their way to explain how to get there and then make sure that I understood the route before letting me go on my way. 

Now, of course, I haven't been asking bums on the street where to go - typically I look for a police officer or people in business suits (usually ones that look like my brother or Dad if I can find them - *somehow it seems more legit if the directions are coming from a semi-familiar face...*) or sometimes I will ask city workers.  So far, I have gotten to my desired destinations without any problems and really appreciate the help that I have been given thus far.

Walking to and from the train, I also have tons of opportunities to "people watch" everyday.  There are thousands upon thousands of tourists in New York everyday and honestly, anytime I've witnessed people asking for directions, their experience is very similar to mine. 

It is very refreshing to know that in a city as busy as New York with the unfortunate stereotype of people moving as fast as possible and don't want to stop for anything or anyone - that, generally speaking, they are more than happy to lend a helping hand to a turned-around-fish-out-of-water. 

So my hope is that maybe as I learn my way around a little better and look like I know this city like the back of my hand, I can return the favor to someone else who in need of a friendly smile and a direct route to their Big Apple point on interest! 

B-B-B-Bennie and the J-E-T-S!

This weekend was quite eventful and the days just seemed to fly by! 

On Friday night, Tom and I went to dinner with his brother, Joe, and three of Joe's friends.  We went to a BYO in Hoboken and it is becoming the front runner in my favorite restaurants in town.  It is called Margaritas - serving delicous Italian food!  We brought some great wine and from my estimation, each of us enjoyed all of our entrees.  But before we met up with everyone, Tom stopped by my apartment with a surprise!

Now, for those of you who followed along with my Ireland emails, you will remember that I of course missed my family so much but I also missed my dog a ton too.  I would always see people walking with their dogs and I just really missed Misty because unlike my family, I couldn't talk to her and tell her that I missed her (although, I have to be honest, sometimes on my Skype calls home, my parents and brothers and sisters would put the speaker phone on and I would try to talk to Misty haha!).

I mean, look at this face -how could you not love her!

Anyway, in Hoboken, everyone has a pup.  Which makes me again, miss the Mist.  I have come to realize that until you have a dog, you don't really know what it is like to go any length of time without them.  For 19 years of my life, I would have never thought twice about being away from an animal - as we never had pet in our house.  Then, sophomore year of college, our lives changed dramatically with the addition of that goldendoodle! 

So, of course, I say about 30 times a week that I miss my dog/want to get one.  I am quickly snapped back into reality due to A.) the cost of a 4-legged best friend B.) the fact that I am at work a majority of the day and cannot give the dog the attention that it needs and C.) our apartment comfortably fits three and adding another roommate might make things a bit cramped! 

That's where the surprise comes in.  I'd like you to meet Bennie, Bennie the Betta Fish.

Tom got me a fishie! He's a cute little guy, isn't he!  Tom said that since I can't get a dog, a fish would be the next best thing!  Which it is!  So - thank you! :)

Then on Saturday, I went into NYC to go to Macys to look for two dresses for the two weddings I am attending in October.  It was quite a wonderful experience as all of the dresses are sorted by color and they have what seems to be hundreds of dresses to pick from!  After trying on about 20 dresses - I found two that I absolutely loved and you will get to see them with the pictures that come along with the weddings - so give it about a month! :)

That brings us to Sunday.  As luck would have it, Tom (and his colleagues) was given two club seats to the Jets game, as a "thank you" from the organzation for his (their) hard work.  Unfortunately, he had to work until the end of the 2nd quarter, so I was lucky enough to go with his brother.  Joe and I tailgated (it was such a beautiful day!) with some great food, beers in Jets koozies (compliments of Joe), and a little game of catch with the guys who parked nexted to us (who, by the way, were impressed with my ability to catch a football! I told them that's what having two brothers does for a girl!) Then, Joe and I went into the new stadium for what turned out to be a great game!  Tom came and sat with us just before the end of the 1st half and the three of us watched the rest of the game together. 

We had a great view for such an exciting game!  Jets won, 28-14 over the Patriots!

Here are some more pictures of the tailgate and a few from the stadium! 

So, I would say that is weekends like this past one that give much truth to the 1980s Loverboy song "everybody's working for the weekend!"

Caio Bella

This past weekend was the Hoboken Italian Festival.  From Thursday to Sunday, a few blocks of Frank Sinatra Drive were closed to house the vendors for the festivities. 

I went through the festival Saturday afternoon with my roommates.  Thanks to the beautiful weather, there were tons of people enjoying the day and all that the festival had to offer.

Of course, there were many food vendors, even some that were not Italian, that satisfied the appetites of all the festival goers.  I settled on a chicken (no parm - true Noonan style) sandwich.  It was on a great Italian roll and it sure hit the spot!

There were a few musicians performing on a stage right by the water.  During one of the performances, a bunch of little kids got up in front and started dancing.  They were so cute!

-side note - I thought about getting up there myself - show 'em a thing or two (right Molly and Jess?!) but I decided to refrain!  :)      

One of the vendors had a sign right on his tent that read, "All jewelry - $2.00"  When I was waiting for my roommates to meet me at the festival, I went into this tent to see what he had.  There was another guy in there looking through stuff as well.  He of course asks, "Excuse me - how much is this?"  I nearly lost it and immediately thought of the dollar store commerical where the person asks the cashier the same question and they go, "For you, one dollar."  The vendor just replies "$2.00." 

I'm telling ya, amount of times I make myself laugh - (and then progressively continue to laugh because I can't stop thinking about what made me laugh in the first place) - people must think I have something wrong with me! 

ANYWAY! Here are a few pictures from the festival to give you an idea of what it looked like!  Oh - and those are my fabulous roommates with me in the last picture!  

Molly, Jessica, and me!

Grazie!

The Art of Crossing a New York City Street

Yes, it is an art. 

My Dad always used to joke that my stride was like Fred Flintstone - my feet move quickly but I still don't get very far! :)

I've been navigating through New York City for almost a month now.  In my first week or so, I jumped at every beep or siren I heard.  I can't count on my fingers and toes how many I hear each day but now I think I'm becoming more immune to it.  But the crossing the street part... yikes - still getting the hang of it!

I remember one time Tom and I were in Philadelphia and he walked across the street when the light wasn't green.  There was a car down the road that was coming, but he went ahead and walked across and I nearly had a heart attack.  After the light turned green, I met him across the street and I was like, "What are you doing!?"  He said, "C'mon, I'm from New York.  This is what we do."

Fact.

It is what New Yorkers do.

There could be a cab or bus or truck or person on a bike coming - but if New Yorkers are far enough away where they can speed across the street - they will do it.

Every day I am working on trying to walk a little quicker or speed (Fred Flintstone style) across the street at the yellow light - but there are so many times when I stop at the corner and the rest of the city keeps crossing.

I guess it's true when they say, "you can take the girl outta the small town but you can't take the small town outta the girl" but hopefully I will one day be a part of the "masterpiece" that is New York City Street Crossing.

Another Room Update!

I added some pictures to the walls and some hooks that my Mom bought me to hang my work bags!  It's coming along!

This one fits in perfectly!

I love Home Goods!  

Food for Thought

Opening a fortune cookie is one of my favorite parts of a take-out Chinese meal.  Here's a fortune (although the are typically better classified as statements now-a-days) that I thought would be worth sharing:

"Well done is better than well said."

Isn't this an appropriate graphic!?! :)

Let's start doing more and talking less!

(image found on yorkblog.com)

STREET RAT!

So I decided to stop taking the Subway to and from work to get to the PATH because the walk isn't too far and I feel like I can learn the area a lot better by walking through it rather than riding below it.

I like window shopping and listening to the hussle and bussle on New York's streets. It amazing just how many people are in the city, day in and day out!

On my walks I have also noticed the street carts of fruit every few blocks or so. Now, of course we had those in Philadelphia but they were trucks there and the vendors are on the inside and cut the fruit that you want and prepare it in a nice plastic container. Here, they are more like tables of whole fruit that you buy by the piece/bunch.

For the last week or so since I have started walking, I have (on repeat) the song from Aladdin in my head. You know the part when Aladdin is running from everyone in the town because he stole a piece of fruit? Yep, well I have that scene and song replaying constantly throughout the day at work! As soon as I pass a fruit table, I start giggling to myself (probably looking like one of the crazies) and then find myself humming the song all the way to work and then throughout the rest of the day tapping the tune with my pen or typing to the beat (okay, maybe not that - but you get my drift!).

So I apologize in advance - because I am certain that after reading this you'll have it in your head too --- but hey ---

"Let's not be too hasty. Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat, otherwise we'd get along!"

Pretty Cozy, Right?!

Here are some updated pictures of my room! Thanks to Tom, I have a mirror above my dresser, curtains for my window and my Celtic cross by my desk!

Let me know what you think!