Opera in the Park

Last night we had a picnic in the park followed by an opera performance. There were TONS of people there and we were far, far away from the stage. Too far to see at all and even the sound wasn't so great where we were sitting. So, we chatted the whole time and enjoyed the opera as background music. It was awesome! I even got a bit chilly for the first time in months....I guess fall is on the way!

So, for those who don't know, Friday is my birthday...the BIG one! Yes, I'm turning 30. I'm not really looking forward to it. Actually, birthdays don't really excite me too much anymore. But, I'm not one of those girls who is freaking out about being 30...I'm really comfortable with myself and where I am in life, so it doesn't really bother me. However, this week it has started to bother me just a little bit. I think that's due mostly to the fact that just about everyone I meet here seems to be about 5 years younger than me...that's really starting to get to me. I don't quite get it either. Everyone tells me that people marry later here...so where are all these single 30-somethings? Actually, where are even the married 30-somethings. I had plenty of friends in Dallas who were my age. In fact, almost all of my closest friends were older. I can't quite figure that out. I guess my church is just really, really young and I'm beginning to wonder if I like that too well.

I'm not really looking forward to spending my birthday in the city...it's just making me miss my friends a lot. I do have plans, but I will save that to share the details with you after-the-fact. Spending my birthday with people I don't really know well and who I'm not quite yet comfortable with totally being myself around just doesn't sound nearly as fun as spending it with good friends who know me well. It'll be okay...I'm not really throwing a pity part for myself. I got a HUGE box from my mom/sister today, so opening that is something to look forward to! And two of my high school friends (actually, we date back to elementary school!), Jessica and Maggie (and maybe more...Kelly, Kate, Ambie....any chance you're able to come now??) are coming in just 2 weeks as sort of a celebration of all our 30th birthdays, so I think I'll really feel like I'm celebrating then!

Random Thoughts

I didn't do so well at getting to my new thing last week, but I think I'm overdue to blog. Here's some thoughts on what I did do and also just random stuff about living in NYC:

• Friday I got the day off. Yeah! For some reason Nelson (the pastor) gave us all the day off. Completely unheard of. Anyway, it was SO nice!! Joy and I decided to spend it at the FREE Central Park pool again. I decided to try to run there with my backpack on-- in it was my towel, swimsuit, a bottle of water, a heavy lock for the locker, etc... Basically, the running with a backpack on didn't go so well, so I walked. All the way up from where I live below the south end of the park to the very tip top, about 3 miles. I got to see a lot of the park I hadn't seen before, so that was nice. I was basically on the west side the whole time...I need to do it again, but over on the east side.
• Saturday I got to attend another roof-top party. Joy had a housewarming party, but we spent a lot of time on her roof. It was great fun!
• I worked the first 3 services at church yesterday-- they were short on people and needed someone to lead the counting teams after each service (fyi...we count the offering). So, I did that. I don't mind helping out the occasional Sunday when I'm needed. In fact, I kind of enjoyed it!
• As I walked through the park Saturday, I saw the longest line of people who had obviously been camped out there for hours. I was running late, so I couldn't stop to figure out what was going on. Later, I learned that they were in line for FREE tickets to Shakespeare in the Park. Apparently there is always a long line for those plays and you have to get there by 6AM and they don't start handing out tickets until 1pm. Then you go back that night to see the play. Meryl Streep is actually in the one that is playing right now..."Mother Courage". So, that's an extra draw. A girl I know waited on Saturday for tickets, but they didn't get there until 7:00 and didn't get any. They're going back this weekend, but earlier. Each person can get 2 tickets, so she said I could have one! I feel bad taking a ticket and not waiting in the line, but if she offers again, I'm going!
• People smoke marijuana like crazy in this city. I smell it all the time just walking down the street. When I first moved into my apartment before I bought my air conditioner, I had to sleep with my window open. I woke up about 3 times a week to the smell of pot coming in from one of the other apartments....lovely.
• I haven't done laundry since I got here. See, most apartments have no washer/dryer...there's just not room. Mine actually has a community washer/dryer in the basement. But, the basement creeps me out and something about doing my laundry there seems dirty. Plus, before I moved into my apartment and was living in the temporary places, I got used to dropping my stuff off at the Chinese laundromats. I'm spoiled!! You drop it off in the morning and it's ready to be picked up on your way home. I've decided that it's not much more expensive than doing it myself once you add up all the quarters it would take for the washer, then the dryer, plus the cost of buying detergent.
• I wrote a blog a while back about my job/office environment. I didn't mention the view from my window. I'm really the only person in the office who can sit at their desk and look out the window, just because of the way my desk is situated. The view is of the Hudson River and it is awesome! The water is really blue and on the other side of the river it's green and lush looking. There are always boats on the water. I've been told that the cruise ships sail right past there, but I haven't see one of those go by yet. It's really nice, though! At least until about 4:45 when the sun starts coming in and it gets really, really hot and there's a glare on my computer...I'm not complaining, though!
• Tomorrow night is Usher's debut in Chicago on Broadway. I hope to be by the theatre about the time they let out to see if I can catch a glimpse of Usher and maybe some other famous people who show up for his premiere.
• Before stalking Usher tomorrow, my Growth Group is having our end-of-summer party. We're having a picnic in the park and at 8:00 the Metropolitan Opera is performing there.
• I found out today that Lance Armstrong is running the NYC marathon this year. I'd been thinking about getting involved in volunteering for the marathon, but now I definitely want to so I can catch a glimpse of Lance!
• I have friends visiting in just a little over 2 weeks and that starts the steady flow of visitors I am expecting through the end of the year. I am SO excited and know that this will mean new adventures and experiences...and much more to blog about for you readers!

I Can Blog Again!!

I've been internet-less for most of this week and unable to keep up with my blogging! I'm glad to be back on!
My trip last weekend to Dallas was excellent-- too quick, but really good. My flights going and coming were delayed for various reasons. I was supposed to get there around 9:00 on Friday, but it ended up being more like 1am-- yuk! But, the good news is that I got an email this week from American apologizing for the delay and saying they were adding 7,000 miles to my AAdvantage account!!! Have you ever heard of such a thing? I spent most of the weekend with family and just a couple of hours at the pool and lunch at Chick-Fil-A on Saturday with some girlfriends. Ryder's party was a big success! All the kids who came especially seemed to have a good time. Since it was a 70's party, a lot of people dressed up. I know you're all dying to see a picture of Ryder in his afro, so here you go!
















I threw together an outfit very last-minute. I got some bell-bottom jeans from a thrift store here in NYC and bought one of the retro-looking tops The Gap currently has right now. Then, I did little braids that wrapped around to the back and were tied with a bunch of long ribbons. Here's some more pics....one of me with my mom and sister, one with my sister and Brian, who had good costumes, and one of the birthday cake, which was incredible (a lady who is married to one of Brian's co-workers made it!)















I have not done too well at keeping up with my "1 new thing a week" promise. I was actually pretty sick last week before leaving for Dallas-- some sort of stomach virus. I spent 2 full days in bed (or the bathroom) and didn't feel much better the other days. So, I got absolutely nothing accomplished that week! This week, I did a little better. Last night, I went with a group to bowl at Chelsea Piers. I had been wanting to see Chelsea Piers, so I was glad to go. It's a neat area with different things to do. There were HUGE yachts docked there and I was very intrigued by them all. I am dying to go back and try out the driving range there-- you can hit from 3 different stories and are hitting out towards the water. Bowling was fun- I was pretty much middle-of-the-pack score-wise and that was okay with me!
Today, I was going to meet Joy to lay-out on her roof-- the weather this week has been AMAZING! The humidity is gone and it's been about 80 all week. Joy called this morning and had remembered the big pool we'd seen in CP a while back and she had the brilliant idea to go there instead of her roof. What a good idea! The pool was not crowded at all and was really nice and clean and it is FREE! The people who work there have a lot of rules and yell at you a lot, but now that we know the rules, it should be an all-around enjoyable experience next time!

Ryder's Big Week

So, last week was a very big week in the life of little Ryder! He had his very first birthday on Wednesday! I was told they celebrated with chocolate donuts (his first) for breakfast and by the time I called to wish him happy birthday, his tummy was aching a bit. He's having his big birthday party this coming Saturday and I'm using one of my free flights to go back for the celebration. It's a 70's party because Ryder is a little "Love Bug". I think they know someone with an old Love Bug that's going to be parked out front and (of course!) I'm icing who knows how many Love Bug shaped sugar cookies on Saturday morning. But that's not all! On Friday, it was confirmed that Ryder's going to be a big brother!! My sister is only about 6 weeks along- I've known for a while, but she had her first doctor appointment on Friday and heard the baby's heart beating. Also, Ryder had his 1-year doctor appointment and they found out he has jumped from the negative 3rd percentile to the 7th! So, he's starting to catch up now! Anyway, because he's just too cute, here are some pictures I took when I was in Texas about a month ago.

Chicago and Beach Baptism

This has been a big weekend so far! After work last night, I was all geared up to come home and just work on organizing all my stuff that has been in somewhat of a chaotic mess since it arrived almost a month ago now. It's getting better and better, but I will admit I really have procrastinated in getting everything put in its spot. As I walked home, though, my mind drifted to how I'd seen Rita Wilson last weekend and how this week I had found out that next week is her last in the show. That fact, combined with the fact that Usher is going to be starring in it as Billy Flynn starting in August, made me want to see Chicago sooner, rather than later. So, I decided to go by the TKTS booth to see if they had any Chicago tickets. Amazingly, they did. However, every show they had tickets for were being sold at 1/2 price, except, of course, Chicago. Chicago was being sold for only 35% off. But, I decided I probably haven't seen enough of Broadway since I've been here and I really wanted to see this musical, so I went for it! It was incredible. I loved watching Rita on stage. She's probably not the best singer or dancer, but she can hold her own and was definitely very entertaining and did a great job playing the part of Roxie Hart. Oh, and another famous person was in it- Obba Babatunde- I wouldn't have known his name, but definitely recognized him from movies like The Manchurian Candidate, The Notebook, and John Q. It was great!
Today was The Journey's annual beach baptism. What an awesome day! We spent the entire afternoon at Jones Beach on Long Island. It was a real beach!! Very nice, clean, white sand, huge waves! I loved it. I layed-out all day long and got a nice little tan. The baptism started at 2:30 and was very cool. There were probably around 150 people there, I would guess (but I'm never very good at estimating numbers of people). Thirty-five of those people had signed up to be baptized today. A couple of the guys from the band brought their guitars so we started out with a time of worship and sang a few songs together. Then, the folks getting baptized had the opportunity to thank anyone who helped lead them to this decision. This is always a really neat part of The Journey's baptism. I was especially touched today by one girl who said she wished her parent's could be there because this was a day they had been praying for for many, many years. She said they have always been ones to quote a verse here and there and just have really tried to be an example to her. Yet, as she drifted further away, they never gave up. Now she's in her twenties and their prayers have been answered-- how exciting! It reminded me of my own parent's. They were lucky in that their greatest prayer, for me to accept Christ, was answered when I was only 9, but I know there are other things for which my parents are in constant prayer for me. Anyway, after the "baptizee's" shared, we all headed for the water. All the ministers on staff got in the water to help with the baptisms. The waves were Out of Control today!! So, it was kind of funny to see them all crashing around out there. But, the baptisms were so exciting. One of the girls from my growth group was there to be baptized-- I didn't even know she was going to be there! She was there alone, so, I gave her a big hug and held her towel and sunglasses while she was baptized. They went in one at a time and the praise, yelling, screaming, and clapping after each person was "raised to walk in the new life" was so loud! It was very awesome. That is one of the things I have loved most about The Journey's baptisms. Prior to The Journey, I had really only experienced baptisms in traditional Baptist churches-- and they are great and have become so much more meaningful to me as my relationship with Christ has deepened. But, there have been times when someone I have been praying for makes a decision or when a child I have taught gets baptized and I've wanted to shout in praise, but I knew it wasn't appropriate in those settings. Now I am at a church where that is not only appropriate, but highly encouraged! I love it!

Favorite Place

I am pretty sure that I have found what will remain at the top of my list of favorite places in New York.
Last night, I went with a few friends over to Brooklyn to the Summer Film Festival. Every Thursday night, they show a FREE movie in a park over there. The park is located just on the other side of the East River from Manhattan and is just below the Brooklyn bridge with a great view of the city behind the bridge. It was an awesome spot-- but it got better!
We laid out some sheets and got pizza from a fantastic place called Grimaldi's and ate and played cards while we waited for the movie to begin. The movie last night was "Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure." This was one of my favorite movies growing up-- I watched it over and over and over. I wasn't sure how much I would like it now that I'm all grown-up, but as it started playing, it made me so happy!! About 20 minutes into the movie, it started lightning really bad and then we began to feel drops of rain. They shut the movie off and said they would have to cancel it for the night. We were disappointed, but this is where things ended up taking a turn for the best. As we walked towards the subway, the rain stopped completely, so we decided to tour the neighborhood. We went down by the shore, behind the Ice Cream Factory, which is a hot-spot to get ice cream, although we didn't get any. The view of the city from down there was gorgeous!! Then, we walked over to The Promenade which was up a bit higher. It's basically a long walkway with amazing views of the city, the Brooklyn Bridge, and even the Statue of Liberty. I was in awe and fell completely in love with this place! After taking it all in for a little while, we walked up and around to the street behind the walkway and it was full of the cutest, most unique brownstones. I loved it! I had dreams of living there someday!
If you ever come to New York, this is definitely at the top of my list of places you should see!

Not 1, but 2....

celebrity sightings on Saturday!! I saw Molly Ringwald and Rita Wison! Joy and I were walking through the park when we walked right by Molly. I didn't notice her and after we passed by, Joy told me it was her. I immediately turned around and chased her down so I could see her myself. It was definitely her! She was pushing a stroller and chatting with another lady. Then, Saturday night, I was walking home after a party from a sub-stop that is on the other side of the theatre district from where I live. As I was passing the theatre where Chicago is currently showing, I noticed a big sign advertising that Rita Wilson is now playing in it. As I was thinking to myself that would be good to see, I heard tons of screaming, so I crossed the street and there was Rita herself! She was leaving the theatre and getting into her car and stopped to sign autographs and let fans take her picture. She was really cute and very friendly.

I'm working on getting some pictures together so you can actually see some of the stuff I've talked about on here- so be watching for that! I still don't have a digital camera, so it's more of a process. I'm hoping to get one for my birthday next month!