Pet Peeve #2 and update from the Sunshine State

Hmm... I just received an email filled with a bazillion grammatical errors at my work address from a senior person at one of my production houses. Hello? Shouldn't they proofread emails or something? Is it mean if I send back this very helpful key?

They+ are= They're

You+are= You're

Their is to be used solely when referring to someone's possesions/qualities/circumstances, etc., i.e. THEIR dog, their shoe

Your is also used only when referring to someone's posessions/qualities/circumstances, etc.,

i.e. YOUR dog, your shoe

Helpful, no?

Well, Florida is great. I am loving the 80 degree weather and spending tons of time with grandma... though since she doesn't speak English, all we can ever watch on TV is novelas, which are not high quality entertainment. I am excited for the rest of our visitors to arrive. It's going to be a crazy Christmas this year, but it will be a nice change from the usual pattern.

PS. Pet peeve #1- Dirty anything, but especially dirty dishes.

It's Christmas time in the City...

Well, kids. I am finally done Christmas shopping... and what a relief that is. New York City is crazy right now. I am almost all ready to go and join my family for Christmas. This year will be extra special because my grandma will be joining us (after fighting for her visa for weeks). Also, my mom's cousin and my aunt's family will be spending the holidays in our tiny little condo.

Here are some pictures of NYC at Christmas...

All right, so this one is not Christmas related...but have you ever been to a McDonalds that has bouncers? Because I have...

With Ace Young from Grease/American Idol. He totally stole the show, because he isn't the lead, but he is fabulous. Let's talk about the ridiculous women who were SCREAMING (not cheering), SCREAMING any time he sang anything. They were like 13 year-old girls at a Jonas Brothers concert.

A few of us at the Broadway in South Africa Holiday Benefit. Such a great cause! The party was held in the lobby of the Minskoff Theater which overlooks Times Square.

After the benefit, a few of us headed over to Frankie James Grande's apartment... He lives at the Ritz Plaza and has an amazing apartment. Frankie is currently a member of the Mamma Mia Cast. Adam Kantor (Rent), Tracy McDowell (Rent), Nina Larfarga (In the Heights), and Sean Bradford (Lion King) were there as well. That was quite exciting, especially for a lot of the aspiring actors like Patrick (pictured above). This is a horrible photo, but it shows the amazing view from Frankie's apartment.

The following morning, I stayed home from work and woke up to HUGE snowflakes! I am on the phone, bragging to my mom who had called me the day before to brag about perfect beach weather.

The outside of Saks

Me with half of the tree

The white specs in all of these pictures is snow! How perfect!

Roommate Christmas... Everyone showing off their gifts.

Exciting Stuff

This January 9th, it's just Meg and I at her publicity event at the New York Public Library. How excited am I to meet my favorite author? Way, way excited. Meg Cabot is the author of The Princess Diaries series (which I have actually never read), Heather Wells series, Queen of Babble series, Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and the Allie Finkle series.

And there are totally going to be Vera Wang gift baskets and I think she is also giving away designer tiaras to celebrate the release of the last Princess Diaries book. Maybe I'll win one... though, I don't know what I would do with it. Plus, some of them are not cute. Not even a little bit. (i.e. Lauren Conrad's tiara=ug)

More later!

Love,


~Nina~

PS. Sunny Florida is only a week away!

I'm bored. Don't judge.

Miss Allison Kalman requested 16 facts about me...things she does not know about me, so here they are:


1. When I was little, I wanted to be a dentist… mostly because my dad is a dentist. Then, I wanted to be a paleontologist, and then a marine biologist… and somehow, I ended up in advertising.

2. Even though I love the ocean, I hate swimming in it at night. Hello? There could be sharks in the water! I know because I have seen them.

3. When I was little, I really liked eating fish. Now, you can’t pay me enough to eat it.

4. When I was in first grade, I told my music teacher that I knew how to play the piano, which was totally a lie... Only, he didn’t know it was, so he asked me to play a song for the class and I went up there and started hitting keys. I’m sure it sounded terrible… but my classmates liked it!

5. I took AP studio art in high school and actually passed the test. Very few people did!

6. I can quote the entire Babysitter’s Club movie. Ok…maybe not the whole thing, but a lot of it.

7. I once actually really hated musicals. RENT was the turning point.

8. I used to be a baton twirler but I am pretty sure I can’t do any of that now.

9. My sister and I were obsessed with figure skating! Only they didn’t have any ice skating rinks in Costa Rica so we roller skated in this park by our house and made up all these routines… We were really good, actually.

10. I was really bored one day and started drawing a bunch of fruit and my mom saw my artistic ability and put me in art classes (when I was 10).

11. I LOVE, love, love books. I read them like they’re going out of style. I also love owning books. I have a really fun collection and I always reread them.

12. When I was four, my family went to a Valentino concert and he did a cover of Lady in Red and they pulled me on the stage while he sang that song to me. I am pretty sure I was SO embarrassed.

13. Wrapping presents is my favorite Christmas activity. For real.

14. I hate competing for attention… If I don't have it, I wont work for it. Probably due to middle child syndrome.

15. I have a really good memory especially as it relates to birthdays and movie quotes.

16. I am an old soul. I should have been born in the 40s. I like the fashion and music way, way better… It totally explains my liking for vintage stuff and finger waves and red lipstick and cute hats. My favorite thing I have is a vintage music/jewelry box.

Noticias de la Hermana Richards

Vanessa is the tall, non-redhead.
If you click on the picture, you will be able to see a larger version.

Just got a letter from Nessa who is finally in Spain! She is still in the MTC there but is learning and progressing quickly. It's so awesome to see the way she has changed since being on a mission. Her testimony is so, so powerful. Honestly. It kind of makes me cry. Which is not hard to do. She is doing well and has a very positive way of thinking which I think will bring her success. She's a natural-born leader and will be a good example to her companions. I would totally post the letter but it is full of personal details and such.

To all my sweet little blog readers who know her and want to send her a message:

You can totally send it to me via email and I will print it and mail it to Spain. I am sure she will appreciate any little notes you may want to send her. (AlinaGutierrez@gmail.com)

I haven't received any more pictures, but I will post them when I do.

Love to all!

~Nina

Erin's Ensign appearance

A girl in my ward wrote this and it was published in this month's Ensign... So good!

An Unexpected Lesson

By Erin Wilson

Erin Wilson, “An Unexpected Lesson,” Ensign, Dec. 2008, 63

After making a career move to New York City, I was out shopping one December evening for items for my new apartment. A storm had recently hit the city, and knee-deep snow lined the streets. I was bundled up in a warm down coat as I made my way to the train with a bustling crowd of holiday shoppers.

I waited impatiently for the train to arrive, thinking about my shopping list. When the train finally arrived, I stepped onto the car, scanning the seats for a place to sit. The nearest seat was directly across from an old homeless man. He had no warm coat or heavy clothing. He just had some plastic bags filled with trinkets.

I did not want to sit near his offensive odor, and his rugged appearance made me wonder if he was dangerous. Mostly, I did not want to be hit up for cash. I abruptly walked to the other end of the car and took a seat. All the other passengers also filed to the end of the car, leaving the man alone.

Soon a young man boarded the train and settled down in the seat directly in front of the homeless man. Without hesitation, the young man extended a welcoming smile, a handshake, and a jolly hello. The man’s face brightened, and they began a pleasant conversation. They talked for the next 15 minutes, enjoying each other’s company.

As I watched, I was reminded of the true spirit of the Christmas season. While deeply engaged in conversation, the young man stood up and removed his vest, shirt, and a second long-sleeve shirt he was wearing underneath. Standing in his undershirt, he then handed the long-sleeve shirt to the homeless man. The old man accepted it graciously, and the two continued their conversation. I stepped off the train at the next stop, touched by the young man’s kindness. I felt guilty for my selfishness, but I had a desire to be a better person.

The King of kings came into the world in the most humble of circumstances, in a lowly stable. The world was given a precious, saving gift—the Son of God. I am grateful for the gift of the Savior in my life and for the reminder of His infinite love and compassion for God’s children. That Christmas season, I felt a renewed desire to be kinder, more selfless, and more like my Savior, Jesus Christ.

~*Believe*~

When I was a junior in college, I took a job as a nanny for the most adorable 4 year-old. During the Christmas season (and even for a few months after), he would have me read him The Polar Express and How the Grinch Stole Christmas at least twice each night. Naturally, I got to know these books really well and can probably recite them by heart.

Anyway, Logan (that's the little boy) also had a huge obsession with both of those movies... (The Polar Express more than The Grinch, since the Polar Express also included trains, his all-time favorite thing). Because of him, I got to really love that movie. I watched it today and it reminded me of how much I loved sharing that Christmas season with Log who really did believe. It makes you think twice about the things that were once so important to us (i.e. Santa).

Every time I see a silver bell now, I think of Logan and how much that bell meant to him. It adds a little bit of cheer to my day knowing that something so simple can add so much magic to someone's life....


If you are unfamiliar with the significance of the silver bell in The Polar Express, click here.

Thanksgiving

This year, Thanksgiving was way more fun than usual. First of all, I got to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade... I remember sitting at Karson and Betsy's house last year by myself and thinking that I would be there the next year, no matter what. And I did just that... despite the fact that no one wanted to go wait out the parade with me. I got up at 4AM and hopped on the train down to 72nd Street and got a great spot... The downside was that I got there at like 5:30AM and the parade didn't even start until 9AM. Needless to say, I was freezing the entire time, but it was an experience I had been looking forward to for quite some time. I sat next to these two hillarious ladies from Houston. They kept me entertained.

Kristin Chenowith in the Care Bears float

My personal favorite, which may have been influenced by
He Who Shall Not Be Named in This Blog. He LOVES Kermit.

Second favorite...

Santa bringing in the start of the Christmas season.


**If you want to see any more parade pictures, send me an email and I can send you a link to my Facebook album**

After the parade, I headed over to Valerie Baker's apartment for dinner. She has an amazing apartment that overlooks the Hudson River. There were A LOT of people there, but it turned out to be really fun. Dinner was delicious. Everyone did a really great job at contributing. Sara and I taught people how to make candy turkeys. Eric made some amazing apple pie. Tony kept insisting that the stuffing tasted like it had been cooked by a really good looking person (aka him). Anne entertained us all by bringing Western Beef brand orange soda. We also played Catch Phrase which was even more fun with some of Eric's one-liners.

Sara's Candy turkeys were a big hit...

The view from Val Baker's apartment...

After dinner, I continued with my yearly tradition of going to the movies. I met up with Anna and we saw Twilight, which I hated a little less this time. I kept falling asleep on account of getting up so early; not even Rob Pattinson's good looks kept me awake.

The following day I did nothing. Really. I sat on my floor and watched Gossip Girl until I decided I couldn't sit there any longer. Luckily, Anna saved the day by suggesting that we make dinner and watch a movie at her house. We decided to invite some people over and our little movie night turned out to be a success. Rustin and Jason (and some other people whose names I can't remember) came over and we watched Christmas Story and Kung Fu Panda.

On Saturday, I got an early start... A bunch of us met up at SaraBeth's for Rustin's birthday, which was really fun. I then went shopping.... I know. I never go shopping but I was in desperate need of MAC paint and eyeshadow. The rest of the weekend may or may not have been spent watching lots of Gossip Girl, more movies and choreographing Anna's musical scores.

Tony, Anne, me, Rustin, Anna, and half of Val's face...

The whole group at Rustin's birthday brunch