2 little monkeys
going to the zoo
to see lots of animals
and hang with friends
Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts
Monday, April 22, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Nemo
We've laid low this winter, but I did want a good snowstorm to dump a few inches of snow on Brooklyn so Blake could play in it. I loved playing in the snow when I was a kid and was excited as Nemo approached NYC.
Trevor did venture out with us on this little adventure. But he decided to hang out in the stroller while we braved the cold.
This blizzard did teach me one thing: I should be grateful for the times my parents took me sledding or helped me build a snowman. While I loved playing in the snow when I was a kid, that love has faded over the years. We got the 18 inches I wanted and now we are ready for spring!
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| My favorite times in Brooklyn are when no one else is out: early mornings, rainy days, and during blizzards. |
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| Breaking in the snow bibs he got for Christmas. |
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| It was so incredibly cold and windy! We lasted about 30 minutes and then made the trek back home. |
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| Super Blake is here to save the day! |
This blizzard did teach me one thing: I should be grateful for the times my parents took me sledding or helped me build a snowman. While I loved playing in the snow when I was a kid, that love has faded over the years. We got the 18 inches I wanted and now we are ready for spring!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
unexpected inspiration
Preface: As I was looking through my drafts that have never been published, I found this little gem. It was written in September of 2011. I'm not sure why I never published it.
I feel like over the past few months I've been experiencing something in the middle of life's ups and downs. Most days are good. Some days are bad. Today was half good, half bad.
This morning I took Blake to a park we don't usually go to. It's usually crowded so I prefer another park. With all the rain we've been having I was hoping there wouldn't be a ton of kids around. And I was right. It was a wonderful hour spent at the park. Blake ran through puddles, went down a few slides, and I threw away all the trash he picked up and handed to me. All with the Manhattan skyline in the background. As I looked at our beautiful backdrop I thought, "See, I don't hate everything about this place. What a unique experience I get to have right now. I never would have imagined that I would be playing at a park with my 1 year old son with Manhattan in the background."
I thought maybe I was rising out of this slump I've been feeling lately. The sun was shining for the first time in days. The cool breeze felt nice as I watched Blake play.
Fast forward to this afternoon.
After making a trip to Costco, and let's be honest, that right there can ruin a perfectly good day, I was still in need of one ingredient: poppy seeds. Apparently New York doesn't believe in poppy seeds. Against my better judgment but out of desire to provide a great lunch for the women that make my life easier on Sundays, I decided that I'd walk a few blocks from Costco to see if any smaller supermarkets carried them. 2 stores and 19 blocks later, still no poppy seeds. And that's where my good day turned bad.
I know it seems so ridiculous. How could a little thing like poppy seeds ruin a perfectly good day? Well it's not just the poppy seeds. It's the fact that I feel like life in Brooklyn is so much harder than I'm used to. Nothing is ever simple. Everything has to be difficult to do. And time consuming.
When we got home, I slammed the door and broke down. I stood there sweaty from huffin' it 19 blocks with tears streaming down my face. Blake just stared at me. I held out his sippy cup and said, "I'm sorry. I just hate this place. Everything is just so hard." He took his sippy cup and ran off to play. I drank a glass of water and composed myself.
Fast forward to tonight.
A few friends posted this article on facebook. I was intrigued because it was written by this guy, and I thought, "I'd like to read what he thinks about 9/11 and the years after." As I read, this brief sentence hit me like a ton of bricks, "But we are forgetful." And the flood gates opened.
Why has it been so easy to forget all the wonderful things I have been blessed with and only focus on the difficult, trying times in my life? Why has it been so easy to forget my commitment to God and just go through the motions? When did that become who I am?
The article goes on to talk about our commitment to God. And his commitment to us. His unfailing commitment to us. As I continued reading I had a very clear image in my mind of how my Father in Heaven sees me:
I confidently choose a path and embark only to meet a few stumbling blocks. Maybe I fall off that path as my commitment to Him wanes. I trip and stumble and stop to sit on a rock and wonder, "Why me? Why do things have to be so hard for me?" All the while my Heavenly Father is there, watching over me. And He thinks, "Nope, not that way. That's not the way you need to go. But I'll let you go that way because I know you're trying. And you're forgetful. But when you remember, you'll dust yourself off and get back to where you need to be."
So in the midst of reading this article, an article meant to be about spirituality after 9/11 and how ten years later many have forgotten how they turned to God in those difficult times, I realized something not related to September 11th at all.
I have forgotten how good my life really is. How blessed I am to have the things that I have. And how without commitment, going through the motions is just a waste of time.
And while this realization doesn't make me want to run into the streets and profess my love for NYC or make day to day life here any easier, it does allow me to step back for a moment and just take it all in. These "afflictions shall be but a small moment." So I should probably stop letting them feel bigger than they really are.
Now if only I could find some poppy seeds...
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Lost in NYC
Wendy's.
Probably my favorite place to grab a quick bite to eat. Unfortunately for my taste buds (but fortunately for my bank account and waistline) there is not a Wendy's within walking distance of where I live. So when I find out I'm going to be near a Wendy's, I arrange my outing to include a meal there.
Prior to heading to Ikea with my sister, I searched online to see if I could find a Wendy's nearby. There wasn't one super close, but I got directions to one and felt confident we could find it. We finished at Ikea and jumped in the car, ready for some of those delicious fries.
One missed turn later and we were heading over the Brooklyn Bridge. Into Manhattan. 1 woman who lives here but has never driven in the city, and 1 woman who is visiting from out of town. Lost in NYC.
As we drove across the bridge I grabbed my sister's phone and starting snapping pictures. As much as I was freaking out, I knew I needed to document this little mistake because I was never going to cross the Brooklyn Bridge in a car again unless it was in a taxi or a car service. Tori didn't really understand that we were heading into lower Manhattan until we got off the bridge and straight ahead was the Freedom Tower.
The GPS we were using couldn't recalculate fast enough to help us get back over the bridge. And when it started telling us to turn onto streets that we weren't coming upon, we really started to freak out. At one point I figured we'd have to park the car somewhere, abandon it, and find the nearest train station to get back home.
Finally the annoyingly calm GPS voice told us to turn onto a street we were actually coming up on and we found a sign that helped us get to the bridge. I breathed a big sigh of relief as we drove back into Brooklyn. A few more wrong turns and 1 abandoned mission to Wendy's later, we finally made it home.
Peanut butter and jelly never tasted so good.
Probably my favorite place to grab a quick bite to eat. Unfortunately for my taste buds (but fortunately for my bank account and waistline) there is not a Wendy's within walking distance of where I live. So when I find out I'm going to be near a Wendy's, I arrange my outing to include a meal there.
Prior to heading to Ikea with my sister, I searched online to see if I could find a Wendy's nearby. There wasn't one super close, but I got directions to one and felt confident we could find it. We finished at Ikea and jumped in the car, ready for some of those delicious fries.
One missed turn later and we were heading over the Brooklyn Bridge. Into Manhattan. 1 woman who lives here but has never driven in the city, and 1 woman who is visiting from out of town. Lost in NYC.
As we drove across the bridge I grabbed my sister's phone and starting snapping pictures. As much as I was freaking out, I knew I needed to document this little mistake because I was never going to cross the Brooklyn Bridge in a car again unless it was in a taxi or a car service. Tori didn't really understand that we were heading into lower Manhattan until we got off the bridge and straight ahead was the Freedom Tower.
The GPS we were using couldn't recalculate fast enough to help us get back over the bridge. And when it started telling us to turn onto streets that we weren't coming upon, we really started to freak out. At one point I figured we'd have to park the car somewhere, abandon it, and find the nearest train station to get back home.
Finally the annoyingly calm GPS voice told us to turn onto a street we were actually coming up on and we found a sign that helped us get to the bridge. I breathed a big sigh of relief as we drove back into Brooklyn. A few more wrong turns and 1 abandoned mission to Wendy's later, we finally made it home.
Peanut butter and jelly never tasted so good.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Halloween and a Hurricane
Well, I guess it was really the hurricane first, then Halloween.
Our neighborhood had a few fallen trees after Sandy hit, but we came out of it relatively unscathed. And while I wasn't really scared during the storm, it was the strongest wind I've ever heard. I can't imagine how frightening it was for people to watch rising flood waters invade their homes!
We didn't lose power or internet, so being cooped up for a week wasn't horrible. The worst thing that happened to us was losing cell phone service for a few days. I didn't really think it was a big deal until I started going through a scenario where I went into labor but didn't have the ability to call anyone to take Blake or get a ride to the hospital. Luckily that didn't happen.
With Hurricane Sandy hitting the week of Halloween, no one knew if trick-or-treating was actually going to happen. This would've been Blake's first experience with trick-or-treating so if it had been cancelled he wouldn't have known the difference. Luckily for Blake (and me, since I've been snacking on his candy) trick-or-treating was on, so we headed out with friends to collect some loot.
Trick-or-treating in Brooklyn is a lot different than trick-or-treating in the 'burbs. Instead of going house to house you go store to store collecting your candy. Blake seemed pretty confused about the whole process. All I could think about was the line from Jerry Seinfeld's bit, "What is this? Who’s giving out candy? Someone’s giving out candy? Who is giving out this candy? Everyone we know is just giving out candy?!" Blake couldn't process that people were just giving him candy, and lots of it!
The funniest part of trick-or-treating was when a confused Blake followed the crowd of trick-or-treaters into a pizza place and held his bucket up to a patron waiting in line and said, "Trick or treat!" to which the guy responded, "Sorry man. I don't have any candy!"
After a few blocks (it doesn't take much to fill up your bucket!) we called it a day and headed back home.
Despite Hurricane Sandy, Halloween was a lot of fun this year. Can't believe next Halloween we'll have a 3 year old and an almost 1 year old!
Our neighborhood had a few fallen trees after Sandy hit, but we came out of it relatively unscathed. And while I wasn't really scared during the storm, it was the strongest wind I've ever heard. I can't imagine how frightening it was for people to watch rising flood waters invade their homes!
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| Fireman Sam is here to check things out. |
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| Heading out to check on the nabe. |
We didn't lose power or internet, so being cooped up for a week wasn't horrible. The worst thing that happened to us was losing cell phone service for a few days. I didn't really think it was a big deal until I started going through a scenario where I went into labor but didn't have the ability to call anyone to take Blake or get a ride to the hospital. Luckily that didn't happen.
With Hurricane Sandy hitting the week of Halloween, no one knew if trick-or-treating was actually going to happen. This would've been Blake's first experience with trick-or-treating so if it had been cancelled he wouldn't have known the difference. Luckily for Blake (and me, since I've been snacking on his candy) trick-or-treating was on, so we headed out with friends to collect some loot.
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| Come on, guys! |
Trick-or-treating in Brooklyn is a lot different than trick-or-treating in the 'burbs. Instead of going house to house you go store to store collecting your candy. Blake seemed pretty confused about the whole process. All I could think about was the line from Jerry Seinfeld's bit, "What is this? Who’s giving out candy? Someone’s giving out candy? Who is giving out this candy? Everyone we know is just giving out candy?!" Blake couldn't process that people were just giving him candy, and lots of it!
The funniest part of trick-or-treating was when a confused Blake followed the crowd of trick-or-treaters into a pizza place and held his bucket up to a patron waiting in line and said, "Trick or treat!" to which the guy responded, "Sorry man. I don't have any candy!"
After a few blocks (it doesn't take much to fill up your bucket!) we called it a day and headed back home.
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| CAAAAAAAAAAAANDY! |
Despite Hurricane Sandy, Halloween was a lot of fun this year. Can't believe next Halloween we'll have a 3 year old and an almost 1 year old!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Pumpkin Carving in the City
One of my most favorite memories of fall is carving pumpkins for Halloween. Deciding what type of scary face I'm going to give my jack-o-lantern, carving it, sticking a candle in the pumpkin, and then realizing it doesn't look nearly as good as I thought it was going to. Great memories!
For some reason, though, I never remember the preparing of the pumpkin to carve until I actually start the process. Then I remember that it's kind of disgusting and by the time all the pumpkin guts are cleaned out I'm not really interested in having anything to do with a pumpkin for the rest of my life.
Up until this year I've had a hard time finding a place within walking distance that sold pumpkins. But Evan came back from the store one night and told me they had some small-ish ones for way too much money in case I was interested. Luckily I had already devised a plan for a guts-free-pumpkin-carving Halloween this year.
The first thing I do when I go to Target is look at their dollar section. I generally load up on a few things that I don't need and then end up putting most of it back before I get to my actual shopping list. But, I saw a Styrofoam pumpkin and thought it would be cute to put outside our door. I talked myself out of it until I found this:
And in the dollar section of the Atlantic Terminal Target I had an epiphany: this year we will carve a pumpkin...city style! Well, city/mom is 8 months pregnant/Blake is going to lose interest in carving a pumpkin in 2.34 minutes/we don't have a porch to display this pumpkin style. So I grabbed the Styrofoam pumpkin I had put back and I had myself a nice little craft project for Blake. No pumpkin guts required!
We ventured outside one morning to "carve" our pumpkin. Blake decorated and I snapped a few pictures. I was all set to display it outside our front door when Blake decided he wanted to carry the pumpkin around for the rest of the day. And put it in his room. And rearrange all the felt pieces.
I tried putting the pumpkin outside our door after Blake went to bed, but the next morning he saw it on our way outside and couldn't resist bringing it in. I let him pick out one of those tiny decorative pumpkins at the store hoping to draw his attention away from the fake pumpkin. Now he's enamored with both.
I like both of the little pumpkins that I keep finding in random places in our apartment. And while I kind of miss roasting pumpkin seeds to snack on, I certainly didn't miss touching the insides of a pumpkin this year.
For some reason, though, I never remember the preparing of the pumpkin to carve until I actually start the process. Then I remember that it's kind of disgusting and by the time all the pumpkin guts are cleaned out I'm not really interested in having anything to do with a pumpkin for the rest of my life.
Up until this year I've had a hard time finding a place within walking distance that sold pumpkins. But Evan came back from the store one night and told me they had some small-ish ones for way too much money in case I was interested. Luckily I had already devised a plan for a guts-free-pumpkin-carving Halloween this year.
The first thing I do when I go to Target is look at their dollar section. I generally load up on a few things that I don't need and then end up putting most of it back before I get to my actual shopping list. But, I saw a Styrofoam pumpkin and thought it would be cute to put outside our door. I talked myself out of it until I found this:
And in the dollar section of the Atlantic Terminal Target I had an epiphany: this year we will carve a pumpkin...city style! Well, city/mom is 8 months pregnant/Blake is going to lose interest in carving a pumpkin in 2.34 minutes/we don't have a porch to display this pumpkin style. So I grabbed the Styrofoam pumpkin I had put back and I had myself a nice little craft project for Blake. No pumpkin guts required!
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| Wait. We're just going to stick it outside our front door? |
I like both of the little pumpkins that I keep finding in random places in our apartment. And while I kind of miss roasting pumpkin seeds to snack on, I certainly didn't miss touching the insides of a pumpkin this year.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
tourists
With Evan's parents and brother coming to town, we got to spend 6 days being tourists and showing his family the ins and outs of city life. It was incredibly fun and just as exhausting!
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| Natural History Museum |
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| Looking for Blake |
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| Found him! |
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| Didn't want to be found. |
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| Woody and Jessie at FAO Schwarz |
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| Beau as an Astronaut |
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| Mickey! |
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| THE Big Piano |
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| Grimaldi's |
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| Jane's Carousel in DUMBO |
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| Pretty good pizza! |
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| Brooklyn Bridge |
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| Flying through the air |
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| "Yzma, put your hands in the air!" |
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| Grandpa and Blake |
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| Shore Promenade |
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| 9/11 Memorial |
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| Not too sure about all these pictures |
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| Blake thought Lady Liberty was Jesus' mom. Haha! |
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| Secrets on Liberty Island |
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| Playing "chase you" |
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| Fun on Ellis Island |
We had a lot of fun running around the city, taking it all in. We will also be taking the whole month of August to recuperate!
(Did you notice how I stopped trying to arrange the pictures nicely towards the end? That's because blogger makes it impossible for you to do so. Extremely annoying.)
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