Bon Voyage {ethan}!

A fairly uneventful Sunday. Mom was a good sport and did my normal Sunday thing with me. Church, munch and mingle, play with friends until the weekend has to end... ya know. Our dear friend Ethan is leaving us, he's off to Alaska to work so we {Alli} made him brownies and then she let me ugly it up with my sentimental frosting job. We played games and ate yummy food and were sad that it was our last night with him. Mckay and I are having a hard time letting him go (hence the clinging in picture #2). Funny and slightly long story, but Ethan is the one who introduced the two of us, so we like him extra for that.

Day 3, the cit-ay.

The Brooklyn Bridge 4.17.10

1.14 miles long, we walked across it and back on Saturday. It was still kind of cold, but not raining.  Made for a lovely sky filled with clouds of blues and greys. This was our last activity after an entire day in the city. {My favorite picture we took}.

At the train station, excited to head in to New York City. We went to FAO Schwarz, Mom lucked out and found her most favorite yucky licorice candy ever. Look at her cute grin, simple pleasures! 

Then we took a walk in the lovely Central Park. Had to take her to Times Square, and then listen to some fake Scottish man harass us about a comedy show and being Mormons. Alli {randomly ran into her that afternoon} lost patience real quick and told him to beat it, it made me laugh.

Other memorable things we did on Saturday:

Mom's first ride in a NYC taxi cab.

Had brunch at Alice's Teacup. Two Scones Benedict please!!! {&thank you}.

Walked a ton, and didn't get blisters and didn't get lost.

Rode the train, rode the subway, took a taxi. Felt very NYC.

Went to Rockefeller Center.

Shopped at the massive Anthro in Rockefeller Center {found a lovely silk shirt stained with rainwater and demanded, nicely, that they give me 50% off- came home with my newest favorite article of clothing}.

Perused Tiffany's on 5th Ave like we could actually afford to buy their diamonds and other delicious treats.

M&M factory, so crowded and short lived, we were looking for the coconut M&M's but they were fresh out, dang.

That evening, so ready to drop, we got back on the train and headed home.

Shared some of our Godiva goodies and called it a night.  

Lefteris Gyro

Friday 4.16.10, Day 2.

Woke up Friday morning and took another super long walk outside.

Got home and the weather turned on us, the clouds rolled in and the wind started up and it was apparent that it was not going to be the 65 degree day we'd planned on.

Made ourselves decent looking.

Drove to Lyndhurst Castle for a spring flower show. The flower show was Victorian Era styled arrangements and plants and flowers. It was held in the old Carriage House of the Castle, which was huge, and really neat.

Tours were available but we were toting a 2 year old and decided that paying money to restrain her during a tour of the 160 year old castle filled with breakable things was not on the agenda. We peeked inside though, and it was gorgeous.

Came home, had lunch, ditched baby, went shopping at Woodbury Commons outlets. They have everything from Gap to Gucci. It was a blast. Of all the stores we visited, Godiva was where we dropped the biggest coin.  And I'm now a member of the Godiva club so I get a free chocolate every month! Score.

Oh, funny story. When my Mom is on vacation she looses track of time. I guess most people do, but she must get really confused. On the way to the outlets she asked "Is it April?" pause. "Is it April?". Yes Mom, it is April. {laughing}.

Our plans to go to Brooklyn were thrashed by the rain and cold so we ended up at our favorite restaurant, Lefteris Gyro. They have the most scrumptious Greek salad, baklava, and lamb gyros you will ever find. Ever. We ate till we were sick.

{Just looking at that picture makes me hungry. MMMmmmmm.}

Then we watched Saints and Soldiers. How had I never seen that movie before?! It was so heart-wrenching.

Got home way too late and went to sleep.

The next day when we woke up, we were still full.

We seriously ate that much.

Now You're In New York...

This afternoon was sad for me, I dropped my Mom off at La Guardia airport and after six super wonderful days here in New York, she's back to Utah. She cried. I cried. I drove off and cried some more. I'm such a baby. I'm such my Mother's daughter. We decided that it was better to leave wanting more than to be on the last nerve and ready for vacation to end...

Having said that, I wanted to post about the fun things we did while she was here.

Thursday 4.15.10, Day 1:

She flew in to NYC late Wednesday night; Mckay and I picked her up, ate some greasy Chinese food {it was good} and called it a night. We were "so exhausted" but once we got into bed I think we ended up talking for about an hour before we actually fell asleep. The next morning we got up and she met everyone, Ariana went to school, and then her and I went out for a walk around my neighborhood. We walked forever and couldn't stop gawking at all the pretty homes around here. "Oh! Look at that one. That one is my favorite!", "No that one, that one is my favorite", "I think I actually like that one more". That was her, and me a little bit too, for over an hour. We talked about other secret things too. Girl talk is the best-especially in the sunshine.

After we went home and cleaned up we picked Ariana up from school and went to a cute retro cafe called "The Cupcake Kitchen". We had yummy arugula salads and grilled chicken sandwiches. Ariana was delighted to pick out a cupcake for us all to share. After lunch we went to an Antique store that I love in Tarrytown, doesn't that just sound like a place you want to live? Tarrytown. No buys, just a bunch of cute nic-nacs to peruse. 

We had a low-key day Thursday, but it was really nice. We spent the rest of the evening at home and had dinner with Kelly and Munir. Mom got to try authentic Pakistani food and loved it. Kashmiri Chicken and Shami Kababs might be her new favorites... I wish I had pictures of that. She couldn't get over how "pretty" the food was & now has a new found desire to cook lentils and lamb and other random Middle Eastern dishes.

Day 1 was perfect, stay tuned for Day 2...

April, as of yet.

4.2.10
Mckay and I grilled steaks and had a BBQ just the two of us. He grilled the steaks, and I made rosemary potatoes, corn on the cob, yummy bread with goat cheese and currant jelly, and a delectable german chocolate cake. We had dinner together and then sat outside [it's been so lovely and warm here] in lawn chairs under a big, comfy blanket [not that warm] and pillow talked. It was perfect. Happy 6 months of dating to us!

{this picture is not from that night, it's just a picture i love that was taken a few weeks ago at a friend's house.}



















4.3.10/4.4.10

180th Annual General Conference. Saturday we watched the first session at our good friend Jesse's house. Then on Sunday Bishop Doying invited the ward to his house for food and both sessions. It was so wonderful, as always, and an extra treat to have Easter fall on Sunday. President Monson's talk was probably my favorite this year [if you're allowed to have a favorite], it was so powerful and my heart felt like it would burst as I listened to his sweet words.  During the Priesthood session I had girls from the Relief Society over for a Pot Luck dinner. We had a blast, always nice to relax with girlfriends!

4.6.10

Took Ariana to the beach! It was suppose to be record high temps but instead it rained and we stayed bundled for most of the morning. By 11am the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds and by noon it was blazing and a picturesque beach day. The water was freezing but Ariana loved it. I was content to stand nearby and watch her. She came up to me, so confused at why I was not splashing in the [arctic] water and reached for my hand and said, "Here Nick, hol' my hand!" Precious.

4.9.10

Today I am sick and miserable. UHG. My tonsils are so swollen and painful and my ears hurt. I feel like someone hit me in the head with a baseball bat, not a nice feeling. Luckily, I have one little Nyquil capsule tonight that will help me get mega sleep. Hopefully tomorrow is better.

4.14.10

So excited to have her here with me... four days!

"One political party closing out another from what should be a national solution..."

Increased government control.
Fewer choices.
Lower quality of care.
A set up for failure.
Welcome to our new health care plan, America.

Sea Salt & Vinegar

I just polished off half a bag... I'm going to give myself the benefit of the very little doubt I have... a quarter of a bag of Sea Salt & Vinegar potato chips. My tongue is raw; I might not be able to taste anything for a few days. But with The Help [Kathryn Stockett] in hand, I'd pretty much lost all sense of the world around me. Including those stinging, delicious chips I was shoveling into my mouth like there's no tomorrow.

What a fantastic book, I'm on such a great streak lately. You know how sometimes you read a bunch of books but you just keep thinking back to that one you read _______________ [last, five months, five years?] ago and thinking, "I wish I could find something that good again!". I every book I pick up is better than the last. I know it has to end soon, but oh how I love it.

Other things I'm loving right now:
The sixty degree weather we've had for the past few days.
The weather forecast for Saturday, ready for this? 68-70 degrees!
My trip to Philadelphia this weekend. First time. Philly Cheese steak here I come.
A fun birthday package from Regan that's on its way to me!
March 20, ONE DAY, until it's officially spring.
My new library card, how have I never had one of these? It’s soooo economical!
Just 27 more days and my Mama is coming to New York to visit me!!!! {happyhappyjoyjoy}. I'm so excited to run her into the ground {in a nice way} dragging her all over NY/CT to play with me. {biggest smile}.

Did you hear about the storm we had out here? We weathered a pretty intense storm in these here parts. It's was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Oodles of fallen trees, 500,000 people are on day SIX without electricity, and rain & winds you wouldn't believe. It's all over now, but for a while there I was having serious doubts about ever seeing the sunshine again. My friend Allison is one of those poor, poor dears living in Greenwich, CT [oxymoron] with no power. And I thought I was in bad shape being cut off from the internet/cable for a few days... "peace and blessings" Alli!

I’m fed up with Montessori preschool. Today baby A. came home in ugly pants that were most definitely not the cute denim mini-skirt I sent her in. They said it was “too constricting” and “hindering” her ability to move and play. PUh-lease lady. Put her in a cloth diaper and a bubble then, when she’s your baby [not that she’s mine]. But until she shows up in a straight jacket lets just keep her in those tight, hoochy baby clothes that “hinder” her ability to play, mmmkay?!

I have a March Madness bracket thingy that needs my attention...
I'm flying blind, having never watched a basketball game outside of a high school gymnasium, "ise for fun"! Also, the games are apparently divided into categories... "Round One, Round Two, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four & the Championship". When I read those I had to giggle. Does it not seem funny that they have such cutesy names for them? Really?? Elite Eight? I don't see why the Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 etc. was not sufficient. Maybe women were in charge of organizing the brackets. [Probably].

Is it bad that I’ve been driving with an expired license since my birthday? Could I get in a lot or just a little bit of trouble for that?

Oh! Another thing worth mentioning. This last weekend Alli and I drove up to New Haven, CT for Ingrid Michaelson's concert. That was her birthday present to me, I was so thrilled. It was a tiny venue, some random pub near Yale. It was... interesting. Such the [not] good ambiance for two sweet Mormon girls. But we had a blast. There was an extra large Urban Outfitters nearby so of course I got a cute pair of floral tennies. [& now that I have them home with me, I SWEAR they smell like bacon. Eww. I might be crazy, I know.] The music was splendid. She is so talented. She forgot to sing my favorite [silly Ingrid] Far Away. Every time I hear that song I'm ready to pick up and run off to Maine to find me a lobsterman. You should YouTube it and know why.

Should I apologize for the fact that this post is all over the place? I apologize.
The end.

PS- This is what life looked like for a few days over here. Not just in this one spot, all over. Not exaggerating.

Veintiuno!

Tuesday, March 2nd.

This is how my day started:

"Knock, Knock!" {So loud in my dreamy state}. I jump out of bed, a little shaken, to open a door. I'm not sure which one... I'm still half asleep... but someone is knocking on something. Not the bedroom door, not the living room door. Must be the UPS guy {at 7:30am?}. Nope, it's just Mckay, at my front door so handsome in his work clothes. What is he holding in his hands? Breakfast. For me. Because I am the birthday girl. OH MY. My eyes took a little bit to adjust slash open all the way. I'm sure he was a little nervous, or at least amused, at the disheveled & scary sight of me. We crawled into bed and had a yummy breakfast together. Then we snuggled before he drove back to work. That was probably the best part of my day. Trying not to be too mushy... but seriously, can you blame a girl?

After breakfast, I had a pretty easy day as far as work goes. Kelly and Ariana went to the Cheesecake factory and brought home some coconut cheesecake {favorite!} I even got to blow out 3 candles, with Ariana's help. I opened some presents from the Akrams and we all ate cheesecake together. It was really sweet. Ariana sang part of the "happy birthday song" to me, until the candles and "cupcakes" were too distracting to focus any longer. Please note my delectable, glitzy TOMS. Thanks Mama!

Birthday dinner at PF Chang's that night, the Mongolian Beef is to die for. Friends came and we laughed and stuffed ourselves and read fortunes. {Happier days are definitely ahead of you}
At dinner my friend Ethan asked me, "What are you going to accomplish this year? What new and exciting things will you do?" Food for thought. Maybe I'll bungee jump, or traipse around Europe, or go white water rafting. Maybe I'll bake a creme brulee all by myself, or finish a Sudoku, or send a love note in the mail. Those would all be new and exciting, stay tuned!
After dinner Alli had us all over to her house for cake and presents and games. Alli and Lindsay made me my special birthday cake and you better believe all 21 of those candles were extinguished on the first try... I really want my wish.

And don't worry that I now own every single episode of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman EVER MADE {YESSS!}, am going to Ingrid Michaelson's concert, and have a little bit of greenery to spend on a new JCrew swimsuit. Birthdays rock.

Credit where credit is due: The ones I love for making it such a perfect day. XO!