So I made it to New York safe and sound, am missing my iPhone dearly! I have it with me but it’s being left alone most of the time because of O2′s ridiculous roaming charges.

The flight in was alright, it was delayed an hour and then we spent an hour stuck on the runway at JFK because there was too much ice to move and it was snowing.

My luck.

Didn’t do much the first few days, which gave me a chance to start studying, because NYBoy had to sort out some of the things he had in storage from an old business venture and stick things on eBay.

The first day we did go out was to the mall, which makes shopping in Dundee look like a joke, and this was just one mall! I tried my best not to spend too much because I’d been warned that the day after Christmas is when the sales really pick up.

But I couldn’t help it. I walked into Abercrombie, found out my sister wasn’t lying when she said we were kids sizes, and bought two hoodies (on clearance!) in a Girls size L. I loovvveee them. My grey hoodie is lined with fake fur and it’s so warm, exactly what I needed because we went to NYC after that to ice skate (my first time!) and see the giant Christmas tree.

It was FREEZING.

Ice skating was… an adventure. I didn’t realize the ice would be so slippery, or how easy it was to pick up speed when I REALLY DIDN’T WANT TO.

I didn’t let go of NYBoy’s hand once the entire time. I was beyond terrified.

The big Christmas tree was nice. Suppperrr sparkly. And we saw lots of elmo’s in the city, NYBoy says even elmo has to make extra money somehow, and sometimes this means straying from Sesame Street.

I love being here with him. We go driving around a lot, I love just hanging out in the car! We even drove all the way to Staten Island (from Oceanside) and I got to see big bridges and the city from a distance, it was very pretty.

Christmas was AMAZING!!! We had a huge tree (which I helped decorate) and looottsss of presents. Neiman Marcus screwed up my online order, despite having sent me an order confirmation and delivery date, so NYBoy’s present didn’t get here on time. But it’s a Christmas/Birthday present, so as long as it gets here before January 6th, I suppose it’s okay?

From NYBoy I got an appointment at Bumble & Bumble’s downtown Manhattan salon, subscriptions to Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire (US editions > UK editions), a trip to the Empire State Building (with a special ticket so we don’t have to queue) and on Christmas eve he chipped in so I could buy a pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs boots, I think that counts as a Christmas present too.

AND for our anniversary dinner date last night, he brought me to Peter Luger, because I am a carnivore.

It was the best steak I have ever had.

And I got to wear my new Betsey Johnson dress (a dress bought with Christmas money!).

I am having a lot of fun being here, it’s going by so quickly.

Pictures when I get home.

And I am getting nervous.

This trip could either go realllyyy good or reaaalllly bad.

I JUST ordered NYBoy’s christmas present, I paid off my credit card in full, just so I could max it out again for christmas… and the lady on the phone said it would take 2 working days… well it didn’t. More like 2 weeks, so I ONLY ordered it today, only to find out that the website didn’t take foreign credit cards, so I had to manically find another website with the same product and same shipping time. CRAZZZYYY!!!!

Now his present will get to his house after we get there, a little awkward, but at least I ordered it before actual Christmas day. Big relief.

From the St Andrews Business Summit a few weeks ago:

(See if you can spot me!)

QUEEN BEE!

(Bee outfit from leg avenue)

Christmas is coming up and I know NYBoy has got me presents, so the past few days have been spent trying to figure out what they could possibly be!! Slowly ruling out possibilities based on what he’s already gotten me over the past 8 months and what else there could possibly be TO get me?!

Which led me to thinking of what presents I’ve gotten over the past few years that I still love today as much as I did when I first got them. And I’ve been trying to rank them in my head, which is hard when you have the memory of a goldfish. So my love of ordered lists and presents, leads me to….

MY LIST OF TOP 10 BEST GIFTS EVER!!!!

10. Tall black UGG boots

I like them, they keep my toesies warm. Not waterproof and snowproof though. Buying the special sprays and cleaning tools helped, but they still get a little soggy when it starts drizzling outside.

9. Disney Monopoly

I am a MONOPOLY FREAK. I love it. I love pretending I’m rich and going insane and throwing money around when somebody cheats me out of MY RENT on MY PROPERTY. I always win, because if I don’t there will be hell to pay.

Disney Monopoly is even more fun than normal monopoly because I can be insanely rich AND a princess. Cooool.

8. Sleepless in Seattle DVD

My favooorrriiiteee movie in the whole world. I watch it all the time.

7. MAC Mineralize Satinfinish Foundation

[LINK]

Good for faking a healthy glow when you’re actually really pasty and haven’t seen the sun for more than an hour a day for about 4 months. I can’t live without this stuff now that I’ve started using it.

6. Flight to New York

No explanation needed. NEW YORK HERE I COME!!!!!

5. Necklace from Tiffany’s (Heart link lariat)

[LINK]

Since I first got this, I haven’t taken it off. I love it, and that says a lot because I don’t usually wear necklaces.

4. Fish (Puppy & Kitten) and their baby biorb tank

I love animals. I never thought I’d love fish as much as I love puppy and kitten, they brighten up my day I don’t even mind the loud buzzing their filter system makes in the middle of the night anymore.

3. Pink iPod

Apple products move so quickly that my iPod is now quite the vintage model, but it still works, and it’s still pink. I never leave the house without it.

2. Louis Vuitton bag

I remember coming out of my last exam sooo worn out and being brought to Edinburgh on a completely spontaneous trip (I didn’t even have my purse on me!), we walked around looking at bags and I fell in LOVE with this one. Perfect size and so so so so cute. And I got it. Right there. Probably one of the most expensive things I own, it didn’t actually settle in that I had an LV dangling off my arm until like a week later.

SUCH GOOD QUALITY! I once forgot to screw the cap on a bottle of water tight enough (because I do things like that) and I put it in my bag and didn’t realize it had leaked everywhere until I reached in for my wallet because LV bags don’t leak?!?! There was a few inches of water swirling around at the bottom but none on the outside of the bag. Ridiculous. I LOVE IT!!!!

1. T3 Evolution Hairdryer

I LOVE THIS!!!! I got it for my birthday this year because NYBoy knows how much of a struggle living with curly hair is. It’s super pricey for a hairdryer but it makes so much difference, definitely definitely worth it. I only pull my straightener out when I feel like going super sleek now, whereas I used to use it everyday on my bangs at least. The T3 on its own fixes my bangs, and I got it with the diffuser and 3 brushes.

The diffuser is great for drying my hair and maintaining the natural wave, although less tangled and more defined, and the brushes are good for blowing out my bangs and sorting out the tangles at the tips of my hair when I’ve just woken up.

****************************************************************

There are so many other things I could add to the list but those are the things I love most!

Christmas shopping is soooo much hassle. I’ve picked out the most amazing present for NYBoy, the only problem now is putting together enough money to be able to buy it in time for it to be delivered before Christmas eve!!

It’s now just over a week until we leave for New York, and the excitement and nervousness is starting to make me REALLY antsy. I hope everything goes well!!! After the disaster that was last Christmas I’m a little less than optimistic. But it’s a different country and different people – so it may turn out really well.

I hope everyone else’s Christmas shopping is going well!!!

My fish are back!!!, originally uploaded by *Hannah.

From a very long holiday in Kirkcaldy.