Living Abroad

My mom and I have been seriously talking about moving to Euorpe, so I have been doing the research. We originally wanted to move to Stockholm because we have family there and we fell in love with the country when we visited. But when we called my brother, he decided that he'd rather live in southern Europe, since northern Euorpe has such a short amount of light in the winter. We agreed to it, so we are now looking in Spain and Italy.

My brother doesn't really want to move to Europe because he doesn't think he would be able to find a job in his career, film making. My dad doesn't want to move to Europe because there's nothing for him there and he's so close to retirement that he'd rather stay in the U.S.

I'm hoping I can find something that will change their minds. Who wouldn't want to live in Barcelona, or Marseille, or Rome?

IDEA: Matt (my brother) could get a job filming fashion week in Milan.

First Tat

I've been wanting to get a tattoo since I was 18 and I'm definitely ready for it, but I'm having the hardest time figuring out what I want to get. I don't want anything stupid and cheesy. It has to mean something to me, and has to be something I won't regret when I'm 70.

So, I've been looking into a few things. First off, I'm Swedish. My great grandmother was a survivor of the Titanic, and I'm very proud of that. I was lucky enough to visit my family in Sweden 10 years ago. We had the amazing opportunity to head north towards Norway and saw some really amazing viking rock art:

So, I was thinking about getting a viking symbol like these:

Another thing I'm indecisive about is the location of the tattoo. I have a few areas that I like: my back right shoulder, my right/left side on my ribs, or the outside of my ankle. My first choice is the right/left side on my ribs, but I'd prefer that tattoo to be rather large. I just don't know!

Do any of you have tattoos? If so, what and where is it?

Writing....

I wish I had something interesting to tell everyone....but I don't. I guess I could talk about future events. Tomorrow, my good buddy Nicco, his mom, and sister are coming to town. I'm pretty excited. They're kind of my favorite people to hang out with.

A week from Saturday, my brosef comes home for a whole week. We have nothing planned as of yet, so hopefully we'll come up with something soon. We'll probably head over to Main for the annual Park City Parade on the 4th, but who knows what else....perhaps the free concert and fireworks at The Canyons on the 3rd? Park City is pretty amazing this time of year. TONS of stuff to do. Free concerts at Deer Valley every Wednesday? Yes, please!

Oh, about 10 minutes ago I became best friends with Louie Vito. He stopped by my desk to say hi and to check out my Coach of the Month poster (a collection of '70s and '80s headshots of ski coaches which I pick out every month). Anyway, Louie and I are now BFFs!

Alone

I realized about a week or two ago that no one reads my blog. I'm pretty sure I write the blog and then I'm the only one who goes back and reads it.

Awesome.

Me: So....hey Chels! What up?

Me: Not much, how are you?

Me: Pretty swell. Just hangin' out, bein' awesome.

Me: Cool, me too.

Design

I am so anxious to have my own house. I have started thinking about color schemes and decorating ideas. So far, here's what I've come up with.

This is essentially what my future living room will look like:

It's just a start, but I know what I'm looking for!

Feeling Good

Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

Fish in the sea you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree you know how I feel

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
That's what I mean

And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me

Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel

More & More Books!

I have become a readaholic (thanks to my friend Nancye). Whenever I'm having a conversation, I find myself discussing the books I've read this year, and making sure people suggest books in return.

There are so many books out there that I want to read. The list is endless.

But I'm looking for MORE!

Please send me the titles of some of your favorite books. I'm dying to add them to my "to-read" list on Goodreads! Or, if you have a Goodreads profile, friend me immediately. And if you don't have a Goodreads profile, get one now. It's such a great way to find book reviews, see what your friends are reading, and what they like!

On a side note, I'm going to start hitting the yard sales and searching for accessories for my future house. Can't wait!!

New York City 2010

Grandma was looking down on Matt and I as we enjoyed a long weekend in New York together over Memorial Day weekend.


Thursday, May 27


My flight departed SLC at 8:30am and arrived at JFK at 5:08pm. I took the subway to Columbus Circle, where I met Matt and we went out to dinner.


We took it easy the first night, heading back to Matt's apartment in Brooklyn, where we settled down with a bottle of Jack and Kacy, Matt's roomie.


We went to bed early so we could get up and start my vacation in New York City.



Friday, May 28


First stop: The Museum of Natural History.


Here's Matt standing next next to a planet where you can go inside for movies. This was the space center.


Matt and I spent hours inside this museum. There's so much to see. I highly recommend it to everyone who visits New York.



Friday was a museum day. After the Museum of Natural History, we walked across beautiful, green Central Park and went to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). On Friday's, the MoMA is free from 4-8pm.


Apart from all of the amazing artwork (Picasso, Matisse, Warhol), there was this crazy exhibit that had been in town for several months. Have you ever seen the movie, The Ring? I like to compare this exhibit to the video that kills you in seven days. There were pictures, videos, and nude humans all over the 6th floor.


There was a video of a group of naked people laying face down in a grassy field humping the ground simultaneously. There was a video of a woman caressing her breasts up and holding them up to the sky. There was a video of a woman cutting her stomach.


Then there were the live nudes. I walked around the corner to see a woman sitting on a bike seat that was mounted halfway up the wall and staring at people in the audience. She was nude. I walk around the next corner and there is a man laying on a table with a science class skeleton on top of him and staring at the people. He was nude. I go around the corner and there are two men standing about a foot apart from each other while people walked through them. They were nude.


Then you go down to the second floor and see the artist sitting in a chair, staring at someone sitting in another chair across from her.


Weird. You just don't see that here in Utah. Check out more on the exhibit here.


After our museum day, we met up with Kacy and went to dinner at a really good pizza place. We enjoyed delicious pizza and beer. We took the subway downtown to Tribeca and had a drink at the Tribeca Tavern, then headed back to the apartment to hang out with our buddy Jack.


Saturday, May 29



We stopped by the Freedom Tower, which doesn't look much bigger than last year.

Then, Matt and I headed over to Battery Park hoping to see some fighter jets circling the Statue of Liberty as their turnaround from the Fleet Week parade taking place on Long Island. We didn't see any. Instead, we had an amazing view of the Statue, boats, and millions of people trying to get on fairies.

After sitting there for an hour, we got back on the subway and headed back to Brooklyn. We went to the Transit Museum, which was surprisingly awesome! Where else can you take pictures of yourself driving a bus?

After taking many pictures as ticket takers, money counters on the money train, and passengers on the 1920s subways, we headed to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory right under the Brooklyn Bridge. I enjoyed a waffle cone filled with butter pecan and strawberry ice cream. It was delicious!

We hopped back on the subway and went back to Manhattan to meet up with Kacy at H&M, where I have to visit everytime I go to NYC (still none in Utah). We went out to dinner at a really delicious Chinese restaurant in the East Village. Then, headed back to the apartment to meet up with Jack.

Once we got back to the apartment, we heard that Matt's neighbors were having a party. Matt always complains about these neighbors. There are two different groups of Latinos who have huge parties in Matt's backyard, which is an area with several buildings enclosed around it, making the DJ sized speakers and volume penetrate off the brick. The building literaly shakes.

We waited up for Matt's BFF, Whitney, to drive in from Boston. Then Matt made me watch Adventures in Babysitting, which is ok since it's one of my favorite movies of all time.

Sunday, May 30

Today is Matt's birthday! For his present, I bought him Yankee tickets. The Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 7-3. It was a really great game, and such a beautiful stadium! I hate to say it, but after going to a game and experience in the embiance of a Major League Baseball game, especially at Yankee Stadium, if I ever move to New York, I think I'd have to become a Yankee fan.

After the game, we met up with Kacy, Darryl, and Whitney for Matt's birthday dinner at Cafe con Leche. It's a mix of Spanish and Cuban. Once again, it was delicious!

Then we headed back to the East Village to go to a speakeasy. It was so exciting! You go into this hot dog restaurant and there's a phone booth. You go into the phone booth, pick up the phone and talkwith someone in the speakeasy. You have to give them the secret code to get in. We only stayed for one drink because it was so expensive, but when we left, all the faces of the people eating hot dogs were very confused after seeing five people come out of a tiny phone booth.

We went to a cheaper bar where we met up with another one of Matt's friends, David. Then, after a few drinks there, we all headed back to the apartment for more drinks and snacks.

Monday, May 31

My last day in New York, we all went to a street fair on Madison Ave. These street fairs are crazy! There are tons of people (as usual) and vendors on every inch of the 15 blocks. I bought some earrings, but it was so ridiculously hot and humid, that I couldn't stand being in the heat any longer. I ate some delicious pad thai, and munched on some of my Matt's gyro.


We headed back to the apartment to pack. Matt was on the same flight home with me, so we said goodbye to Kacy, Darryl, and Whitney (who had to drive back to Boston) and left for the airport. We ended up sitting on the plane for 2 hours and 45 minutes. The new law requires pilot's to return to the gate after 3 hours of being idol on a plane. We barely made it. We landed in SLC a little after 12:30am.

Dorothy June Cherry

7/19/1926 ~ 5/26/2010

Our beloved mother, grandmother, sister and aunt ended this life's journey on Wednesday, May 26, 2010. Born to Hans and Bertha Christensen, Dorothy's journey began in Chicago, Illinois on July 19, 1926. Growing up during the Great Depression, her family struggled through the hard times. Dorothy attended Art School where her artistic talents began to flourish. After high school she volunteered helping at the USO for World War II Veterans. It was there that she met her sweetheart George, a Sergeant in the army. They fell in love doing the jitterbug and big band swing. Little did Dorothy know that George was a jazz musician and music became a big part of their romance and life together. They married in 1946 and their next crossroad took them to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1949.

As Dorothy and George's journey moved through the 50's and 60's, they enjoyed raising their son Paul and daughter Jan. Dorothy also continued to develop her artistic skills doing beautiful landscapes and portraits. In the late 70's their children moved West. Dorothy retired with George and took the next path in her journey that lead them to Salt Lake City to be closer to their family.

During the 80's and 90's they enjoyed watching their grandchildren grow and kept young by dancing to Big Band music. Widowed in 2000, Dorothy began to travel. Her longest and most meaningful journey was to trace her roots back to Sweden. Dorothy was the daughter of a Titanic survivor and had kept in touch with cousins in Sweden. It was during that visit that she learned the real story that her mother could never share. She discovered that her mother's journey paralleled the story depicted in the 1997 movie. Dorothy was featured when the Titanic exhibit came through Salt Lake City.

The next segment of her journey was filled with her love of reading, art, family and playing cards with her friends at Preston Place. Dorothy was a life long Christian and member of Prince of Peace Ev. Lutheran Church. Her faith and family sustained her through all of her life's journey. Dorothy Cherry was a kind, giving and gentle soul to all who knew her. She has now begun her eternal journey with her Savior Jesus Christ.

Dorothy is survived by her brother Arthur Christensen (Thomaston, CT), her daughter Jan (Larry), Park City, UT, grandson Matthew Steinbach (New York City, NY), granddaughter Chelsea Steinbach (Park City, UT), granddaughter Rachel Cherry (San Luis Obispo, CA), numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Preceded in death by George and son, Paul. A Celebration of Dorothy's Journey Through Life will be held at Prince of Peace Ev. Lutheran Church, 1441 West Tamarack Road (1 block North of 4700 South) on Wednesday, June 2 at Noon. One hour prior to the service there will be a viewing. A luncheon will follow the service. Then Dorothy will join George at the Veteran's Memorial Cemetery at Camp Williams with a gravesite service. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations be made to Prince of Peace Lutheran School or the Utah Kidney Foundation.