We realized on our train ride back from the city that our day in New York was kind of like a big, grand, 12-hour date. And I'm calling it Part 1 because I'm hoping for a few more grand dates in New York ;) We took the Long Island Rail Road into Jamaica, and from there we took a subway into Times Square. After that, we walked over to the Empire State building, where we THEN realized that we mostly wanted to go to Central Park. So we backtracked a ton (poor planning on our part, but still fun) and stopped at Bryant Park and the Rockefeller Center on the way. By the time we got there it was lunch time and we were starving, so we got some street food. We got a chicken kebab, a philly cheese-steak, and a pretzel. It was SO GOOD, and now I'm craving it all over again. Then we started wandering through the park, which soon turned into a desperate search for ice cream (it was HOT). We finally found a popsicle stand, then found a nice shady spot to relax. Ah, look at that ring. Sometimes I joke with Ben that HA HA, I tricked him into marrying me and now it's too late to turn back! ;) But in all seriousness, I'm very lucky to have him. After relaxing for a bit, we walked over to the LDS Manhattan Temple, took a few pics, and went inside to look around at the normal church area. Then we walked to the Laduree on Madison, and got some macaroons. We found a nice grassy spot in front of a pond in Central Park to eat them. :) Chocolate, Orange Blossom, Salted Caramel, Rose Petal, Lemon, and Cherry Blossom. My favorite was the Rose Petal one (for some reason I love the floral ones? The orange blossom was another favorite. I think next time I'll get a box of strictly floral-flavored ones.) Ben really liked the Salted Caramel. This was his first macaroon experience, and I am proud to announce that he is now totally converted to Laduree and even suggested that next time we each get our own box!!! Do I have the best husband or what!!! Every time we looked at our google maps, we saw the HUGE pond in the middle of the park, so we decided to trek up to it. We made our way through the park and stopped a few times along the way, and at last we found it! We didn't get a good picture, but it was beautiful. After that, we found a nice grassy hill to relax on. I think this might have been my favorite part of the day. It had finally cooled down a bit, and it was nice to just spend some time talking and enjoying the park. We found the schedule for the train, and decided we would catch the one leaving from Penn Station at 7:12. It was around 4, so we figured we'd just use the three hours to mosey on down to the station and find some dinner along the way. We happened upon the Natural History Museum and went inside, where we saw the biggest dinosaur EVER (literally), the Titanosaur. It was awesome. Then we went to the Shake Shack just down the street for dinner, and YUM! It was the first time eating there for both of us, and it was so good! Ben says it's the best burger he's ever had. Just look at those bacon cheese fries! We decided Shake Shack will have to be one of our NYC traditions.
We eventually made it to the station, and got home around 9. It was such a good day. I loved being able to spend a whole day out with Ben, having fun together. It kind of recharged us and our attitude about being here. And it was so fun to just take it easy and spend most of the day at the park, instead of cramming in all the touristy spots in one day. We're hoping to go again sometime soon, and see more of the southern part of the city! But for now, I'm going to focus on trying to recreate that Shake Shack burger ;) R
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We had SUCH a fun day in New York City today!!! Details and pictures tomorrow! :)
To be completely honest, I never really thought I'd say this, but... We've been really missing Idaho. Especially our home, with all of our own furniture and furnishings. Our place right now just doesn't feel homey, especially because we moved here on just two checked bags and two carry-ons, so it's practically empty.
I think we probably just need to get settled in a little more, and then it'll feel like home here. :) And we're planning on going into the city tomorrow and I am so excited. I LOVE NEW YORK CITY. I'll probably forget all about the lack of homey-ness by the time I've had a slice of New York pizza and a couple (plus ten) macaroons from Laduree. ;) R Today I am really appreciating hot water.
You know what makes you appreciate something like you never have before? Not having it. ;) I just took a shower colder than the Pacific. * * * Four hours later, and the water is fixed! On Monday, we drove down to Utah to spend a day with family before leaving. We had a great night, complete with delicious tacos and that hilarious game where you have to guess who's name is written on your forehead. (Our names were Abraham Lincoln, Martha Stewart, Gandalf the Grey (not the white), Dwight Schrute, Samwise Gamgee, and Ronald McDonald). Then on Tuesday morning we flew to New York! Our flight was delayed, so we ended up getting in a little late, and by the time we got to Bellport, the management office had closed and it was too late to get the keys to our apartment. So we stayed at Ben's friend's place (the one who picked us up from the airport), and got our keys yesterday morning! We didn't really know what to expect, since the company Ben is selling for took care of the apartment, but turns out it's really nice! It's bigger than our place in Idaho, and it has air conditioning. ;) And we are LOVING the area! Instead of a big apartment complex, we're in kind of a huge neighborhood of townhouses. There's grass and daffodils everywhere, and a bunch of ponds and fountains. It really is beautiful; we'll get some pictures up soon! So far the only drawback has been that we didn't have hot water for the first day and a half. Ben had to take an icy cold shower this morning (before he left to go on his first day of selling!), and then I put it off all day until I couldn't take it anymore and had to wash my hair. So first I thought I'd try filling the bathtub with a little of the cold water, then boiling a few pots of water and pouring it in. It didn't really work haha. So then I turned on the shower and tried to stand in such a way that my body was not in the water, but my hair was. That didn't really work either and in the end, I finally worked up the courage to get all the way in. And about half an hour after that whole ordeal, a guy came to fix the water. Now I'm just waiting for Ben to get home so we can figure out what we're going to do for dinner since all we have in the fridge is one slice of pizza. R We're in New York!!! We are getting wifi tomorrow, so that is when I'll post. :)
We heart New York! I remember the day we found our house. We were fresh off our honeymoon, and we were staying at Ben's aunt and uncle's house in Rigby until we could find a place to rent. Ben was at work, so I drove to the address alone. It was Fall, and I remember parking under a giant tree with red and orange leaves. The door was open, and the landlord was showing a few people around. I loved it the second I walked in. It's an old house, probably around 100 years old, and it just had a charm. Wood floors, white walls, the most beautiful baseboards, and lots of windows. And then when I saw that a washer and dryer were included? I was sold. :) So I rushed over to pick up Ben from work and within half an hour we had signed the papers and the place was ours! We had no furniture and no heat, but we were so excited about having our first place that we decided to spend the night here anyway. But the excitement quickly turned to anxiety as I woke up several times throughout the night to different sounds outside; we could hear the train, people walking in the alley, and I was getting more and more scared. Ben had to work at 6am the next morning, and I needed the car to get the rest of our stuff, so we both got up super early and I drove him to work. On the way back, I got really nervous about coming home. It was still dark, and I just didn't feel safe. Then to top it all off, I accidentally drove the wrong way on a one-way street. Luckily no one else was there, but I was so rattled that I just started to cry. I worried about starting our new life together in Idaho Falls, and about whether we had made the right decision about the house. I didn't want to go home, so I drove to the temple instead, because I knew I would feel safe there. I parked right in front of the temple and prayed. I told God that I was scared about our house, and that I worried we had rushed into renting a place we didn't know much about. I asked Him to please help me feel safe in our house if it was safe, and promised that if I didn't feel safe, we would figure something out and find another place. I felt peace instantly. So I drove home, and as soon as I walked in the door, I felt safe. I was able to go back to sleep, knowing for sure that we had made the right decision about this house. And it's been that way ever since! Every time I shut the front door behind me, I feel safe, comfortable, and at home. We have loved our home on Sage, and we're going to miss it for the next four months. Packing up for New York today was hard, but we're excited to make another place home for a little while. We love you, Sage house!
R Today was our day to pack!
And so what did we do today? We played games, we hung out with Ben's cousins, we watched Friends, I read my book (Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson), we went to the mall, we cooked (Mexican street corn for dinner - YUM), oh and then we packed for about half an hour. Yikes! We'll just have to finish up tomorrow. Wish us luck! R Today we gained another nephew, and we couldn't be more thrilled!!
His name is Achilles, and we can't wait to meet him. :) Mother and baby are both doing well. We are so excited!!! Happy birthday, Achilles! We're so looking forward to getting to know you, and maybe we can get you a cousin sometime in the near future. ;) We start packing tomorrow! Just a few days until New York! Goodnight. R Tomorrow is our last day at work!!! We both have really loved our jobs (for the most part) and we know we've been so fortunate to have them. So tomorrow will probably be a little sad, but we're both planning on going back to them or something similar when we get back from New York, so it's just goodbye for now. :) Things that happened today:
OH and Ben's sister went into labor today!! We're praying that all goes well, and we're so excited for our new little nephew to be born! Goodnight :) R Okay so this is kinda silly but today as I was watching Friends, there was something about the opening that I just LOVED. And after a while, I was eventually able to put my finger on it: the theme song is actually kind of depressing ("your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.") But, what you're watching during the song is a bunch of friends and family smiling and having a great time together in spite of it all. It makes me laugh. And it made me think about Ben and me. We certainly don't have a lot of money, our jobs are sometimes a joke, but we still have so much fun together and we really enjoy our life in spite of it all. I think for the most part, it really is all about attitude. And we're lucky because it's usually pretty easy for us to have a good attitude and stay optimistic about things when we're together. I love you Ben. :) And I'm gonna kick your butt at Boggle. R |
AuthorI'm R and he's B. We've been in love since we were teenagers, and now we're married. We're Mormons, students, and Californians at heart. This is our daily love story. Archives
July 2017
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