September in NYC

I have not done a very job of updating my blog this month!  And I realize that my New York blog has been less New York and more trips away lately.  I promise, no more trips for a while...except home for the holidays!  I've been very busy this month and have had lots of fun.  Here is what I've been up to this September:

-- Mindy is back! She was gone all summer working at the camp of the family she nanny'd for last year. She's back here permanently. Yeah! We've gone for a couple of LONGGG walks through the park and around the Upper West Side. She's living in my 'hood now...less than a mile north of me. We hope to make walking a regular thing.

-- I met Shera for dinner at a Tapas restaurant, Boqueria, one night. So yummy! I saw her a few times when she moved here in July, but then we both got busy with travels, so it was good to see her again and catch-up.

-- Sarah's going away party - sad! I wish she was sticking around, but at least she's moving to Dallas where I'll be sure to see her sometime! An old co-worker of hers hosted the party and she basically lives across the street from me! Easy commute for me, for sure! Their apartment was so nice - a remodeled 2-bedroom with nice kitchen and great living area, and best of all, a huge garden/patio out back. She and her husband are expecting their first baby and have just turned the 2nd bedroom into a nursery. It was all so nice! We had wine & cheese and sat around mingling all night. It was perfect weather, so we got to enjoy their backyard.

Jen, Malika, Erin, Sarah, Alicia, Deneen, and I

-- Kids Club! This was probably my favorite Saturday at Kids Club yet. The weather was gorgeous, we had a great turn-out of kids, a really fun group of volunteers helping, fun games, and great lesson. It was loads of fun and neat to watch these kids grow and learn.

-- Football! I love college football season. I got together with the OU alum, including my OU friends, Sarah (the pres) and Shera, and our non-OU friends Jen & Mallika at the OU watch-party. I didn't really care about that game, especially since OU destroyed the other team...it wasn't really a game at all. I did enjoy the atmosphere, hanging out with my friends, and watching for the scores of other games.

-- Dinner w/ Lucy. She's been wanting to try a restaurant, Apiary, in her neighborhood (Union Square meets East Village). I didn't know anything about the restaurant, but Lucy's got good taste. It was wonderful! I had a really good Greek salad and some of the best Risotto I've ever had. I told Lucy that it was the kind of meal I'd have trouble not ordering next time I go back - it was too good! Afterwards, she talked me into going to the Momofuko Bakery to split a dessert. I've been wanting to try one of the Momofuko restaurants and didn't know they had a bakery. It was PACKED and so fun. You just wait in line and then they have a bunch of long, tall tables where you can stand and eat your dessert. We split a piece of chocolate chip cake that was really good, but they had a bunch of other stuff I want to try sometime!

-- Picnic in the park! I met Lucy one Sunday afternoon to picnic and enjoy the awesome sunshie we've been having. The weather had gotten very fall-like, but there was one full week that was much warmer with blue skies. I was so glad to get a little more warmth since we hardly had a summer this year. It's been great and has revived my soul, making me feel a little more prepared to head into the 09/10 winter season.

- Dinner @ Joy's. Joy has been living in a studio in Queens for a while now, but just moved into a 1 bedroom in her building. It's huge! I was slightly jealous. It's quite cheap as well...recession is definitely allowing many of my friends to move to bigger and better places. I kind of wished I had looked into moving this summer, but I really didn't have time for that and I really like my apartment now. It's just still too expensive, even with the price reduction I got! Anyway, Joy made awesome burrito fixin's and Rice Pudding for dessert. It was all delicious and it was great to catch up with her since I don't see her much anymore.

- Girlie brunch at my apartment with the Community Group girls. I used to love to entertain in my apartment in Dallas, but I haven't done it at all since moving to NYC. Luckily, I have been able to put my gift of hospitality to good use with all the out-of-town visitors I've had. But, I need to start having my friends here over more often. People just don't do that much here - probably due to the small spaces we all live in. I decided to go against the grain and do it anyway! It was great. I attempted to make homemade quiche for the first time...even made the crust from scratch! It was actually pretty easy and turned out yummy. I also made my favorite brunch item - Creme Brulee French toast - and my staple, fruit salad. Because it was Sarah's last weekend in the city and it was Kim's birthday, I also made party favor cookies. I made a them in the shapes of hands waving good-bye to Sarah and cupcakes for Kim's birthday, wrapped them in cellophane and handed them out as the girls left. It was a fun Saturday morning!

My first attempt at Quiche!

Creme Brulee French Toast...yum.

Pretty Fruit Salad

Cookies!

Robyn, Erin, Sarah, Erin, me, Kim, and Hillery

Sweet Kim brought me these cute flowers!

- Showtime/Metropolitan House penthouse in Tribecca. The TV station and magazine teamed up to decorate an enormous penthouse in Tribecca. Joy found out it was free to tour for a couple of days (normally $20)! I met her down there to take the tour and it was awesome. Each room was decorated in the theme of one of the Showtime shows. Since I don't have Showtime, I didn't really get all that, but it was still really cool to tour the apartment. It felt like a house and I was totally lost in there. I especially loved all the outdoor patios and beautiful views of the rivers and downtown. Very cool.

I could definitely get comfortable here!

- Fall For Dance Festival at New York City Center. Lucy got cheapo tickets to this dance festival and I tagged along. We got to see four different dance companies perform. Two of them were just plain weird and two were pretty good. I enjoyed it...especially considering it was only $10! My favorite one was a group from Brazil (shout-out to Jessica!). Theirs was a little more circus-like with weird contortions of their bodies, but their music was really cool and dancing was good as well. Afterwards, we went next door where they were having drinks and different restaurants were there with their food. The dancers all came over after the show and were mingling. We were starving and got amazing Lamb Sandwiches for just $6!

- I taught S.S. for the first time with my new group of kiddos for this year. Let's just say it is going to be a challenge. I had fun, but we've got a couple of kids who are pretty out-of-control. It will be interesting and I'm really going to have to show up with my game-face on each week to keep up with them. We have three regular kids in my class, but we've had visitors the past two weeks and are praying that God continues to grow the Elementary-aged ministry in our church. (On a side-note, I am personally praying that He grows the 30+ single men's ministry....seriously. Where are the men who are supposed to be leaders in our churches and families? I am tired of seeing my friends settle for less and refuse to do so myself).

So, that pretty much sums up my September in NYC. Check back soon!