in case you were wondering...

I’m alive!!!!!!!!!

Oh. You weren’t wondering?

Well you probably should have been because this girl just made her first drive to the JFK airport, and barely made it back safely. Whew! This journey--notorious for its crazy traffic, ominous roads, hard to read signs, and chaos in general—trumps all driving experiences (in a bad way) I’ve had in NY thus far and I would be glad if I never had to make the drive over. Well, maybe I’d consider doing it again so long as it wasn't pitch black and dumping rain like it was this time around. Not a good combo.

That being said, before the drive I was an innocent little Utah girl afraid to use the horn. After the drive I can proudly and aggressively say I honked. 3 times! So maybe it was a success after all—I officially feel like a New Yorker.

If you were wondering whom I took to the airport, well, I had the sad misfortune of saying goodbye to my cute husband. He is off to Europe on his first business trip...

I think his mom would agree with me when I say this little boy is growing up too fast! 

Good luck Rob, i'm rooting for you :) 

It's Christmas Time in the City

The song “Silver Bells” pretty much nails NYC in December. That being said, if I might be so bold I would like to make a few changes to the current lyrics we all know and love….

City Sidewalks, busy Sidewalks,

Dressed in holiday style

In the air there’s a feeling:

It’s freezing

Children shivering, people pushing,

Meeting shove after shove

And on every street you’ll see

(chorus) 

Camera lights,

Trinket stands,

It’s tourist season in the city

Silver bells

I don't hear bells

Just honk after honk after honk

Strings of streetlights, even stoplights,

Blink of bright red and green

As the shoppers drain out their life savings

See the crowds bunch

Feel your toes crunch

As they get trampled on

While you wait in long line after line

(chorus)

There’s the tree

Yes THE tree!

Hurry, take a picture for all to see.

Still listening

For that ring-a-ling

Maybe those bells don’t exist!!

Okay okay, I think its safe to say I’m no lyricist. And while my version of the song may seem a bit pessimistic, let me clarify: The city really is great at Christmas time! I just had to add what the christmas songs don't tell you :)

Anyway. We had a fun outing on Saturday where we got to see the twinkling lights and busy street corners for ourselves. And yes, it was crowded and freezing but boy was it worth it just to get a glimpse of the ever-famous Rockefeller tree. I highly recommend a New York City outing during the Christmas season.

A few pics from the day…

Gotta love the Holidays!!

Here Comes the Bride

When I was little, I absolutely loved flying. On a plane, that is. I loved the butterflies I got in my stomach as we drove to the airport—excited for whatever trip lay ahead. I adored carrying a backpack full of treats and games to keep me occupied for the duration of the flight. Security was exciting…after all, what kid doesn't like taking off their shoes? I treasured being responsible for my boarding pass, aka the golden ticket to take me on my next adventure. And I loved knowing I would never have to sit by a stranger, as my parents would arrange seating as such. The legroom was in abundance (not hard when your feet don't touch the ground), and mmmm those airline pretzels were divine. But wait, the airline dream doesn't end there. What about the landing? I remember crossing my fingers hoping we had a bad pilot so that I might experience the free-fall-lose-your-stomach-feeling that comes as a plane makes a horrible landing. Oh the joys of being a kid!!

My views of travel are drastically different these days. In fact I think it is safe to say I loathe traveling via plane. But, last week Rob and I were lucky enough to be able to go to Utah for our sister’s wedding and as such a plane was unavoidable.  Naturally, the journey from NY to Utah was anything but simple. 1 train ride, 2 subway trips, 2 air-train excursions, 1 plane ride, and 10.5 hours later, we finally made it to our destination. Sigh. Typing this makes me tired all over again! Luckily, this time, I didn't cross my fingers for a bad pilot and the landing was relatively smooth :)

It was SO GOOD to be home. Gasp! The mountains!!! They are truly glorious. And how about all that space on the roads? I could swerve all over the place and still remain in my chosen lane. Amazing!! I think it is safe to say I missed Utah. Anyway, it was a whirlwind of a trip—we fit bowling, two thanksgiving dinners, two trips to the temple, a family dinner on The Roof (incredible view by the way), a stroll around city creek, a night at the Grand America, a wedding, a luncheon, a reception, good conversation and a whole lot of hugs, all into 3 and a half days. Whew! We blinked and suddenly we were back in our little apartment in Scarsdale. That saying always proves to be true—“time flies when you are having fun”.

Before I overload you with pictures, I just want to say congratulations to Marcus and Elisa Hoskins!! I am so happy they found each other and I am even more happy I am related to them :) They are truly a dynamic duo!

So without further ado, a few pictures from the weekend:

Trip to Utah...check. 

Okay okay I know I already posted lots of pictures but i just have to show a few more, because guess what? I finally got my wedding pictures back! Here is just a peek at them...

Saving the rest (or at least some of them) for a future post.

And this concludes yet another loooooooooong entry.  

Hurricane Sandy

Have you seen this video floating around on Facebook lately?

http://vimeo.com/joshuabrown/hurricanesandy

Isn’t it awesome? I cried all three times I watched it (no surprise there though…say the word “cry” and tears practically prick my eyes haha). Maybe I especially loved watching this video because Rob and I were lucky enough to be able to participate in it all. Our ward building is still without power from the storm so for us, this past Sunday wasn’t the usual! We had a Sacrament meeting at 8:30am in which everyone showed up in their “work” clothes. Definitely never been to church in sweats before—I much preferred it to wearing a skirt and heels. Shh! Don’t tell.

Anyway, at 9:30 we all piled onto a couple of buses and began the journey to Long Island. I knew what to expect as I’ve watched the news and seen the devastation, but no camera or TV can quite depict the devastation that was and still is so wide spread. The entirety of Long Island is literally destroyed: cars totaled, houses wrecked and covered in mold, yards and streets full of debris, structures collapsing, mud and sand caking the sidewalks and floors, glass shattered, and garbage every where. Not only did it physically look devastated, but emotionally as well. The streets were empty of people and when you did see someone you could almost feel the burdens they were carrying. It was a real eye opener and I wish so much that I could save everyone and everything that was touched by the storm.

So, where was I? Oh yeah, the buses. We unloaded and immediately split into teams, grabbed our “Mormon Helping Hands” vests, as well as masks, tools, and anything useful for our efforts. I spent the day gutting a house on the coastline. According to the homeowner, the basement was completely filled with water during the storm, as well as a portion of the upstairs. The house was completely ruined. We gutted the basement pulling up carpet, knocking down walls, and throwing away anything touched by the water. It took us all day to work on one house that really isn’t even close to being finished. It was crazy. There is still so much work to do.

Though I was saddened by my inability to help everybody, I feel so blessed to have been able to go and help even just one family—because even though they won’t remember my name, and I will probably never see them again, I made a difference in a small way. And I represented the church I love so much and everything that it stands for. It was overwhelming to see the neighborhood covered with people in yellow vests, doing good with every step they took.

Here are a few pictures from the day

this was the before picture when we were all happy and energized

There were cars washed up on people's front lawns. 

Some of the debris from the house we gutted

no explanation necessary

  This is the after (obviously). Lets not talk about how exhausted i look, haha. 

So I guess the take hope for this blog post would be 1. To count your blessings because you never know when something is going to happen that completely changes your life, 2. Serving others makes you happy, and 3. Never ever live by a beach.