Cupcake Testing

So, this weekend I have had my first visitors to NYC. My mom, Beth, and Ryder are here and they seem pretty intent on trying every cupcake in the city! Cupcakes are the big thing in NYC and you see cupcake bakeries EVERYwhere! Here are the results of our tests so far:

• Cupcake Cafe-- we happened upon this one, but Beth said she'd heard of it. They get the prize for prettiest cupcakes. There's are the most decorated and are gorgeous. But, I didn't think they tasted well. My mom and Beth would give them the prize to best cake, but thought they had the worst icing. They also were most expensive at $3.25 and were MINI cupcakes.
• Billy's Bakery-- yum, yum. Cheap at $1.25 and great cupcakes- loved the icing!
• Magnolia-- we had all been to Magnolia before, but it was nice to go back and compare when we had tried the others so recently. Their cupcakes were my favorite this weekend, however, I think they were a lot better than when I had them a year ago. If I had compared Billy's to when I had Magnolia's a year ago, Billy's would win. But, today, Magnolia reigned. Beth/Mom would give Magnolia prize for best icing. And Magnolia and Billy's are priced exactly the same.

So, tomorrow we still have Buttercup Bakery to try and I have been told that their cupcakes are better than Magnolia's.

We've had a great time this weekend....and we haven't just eaten the whole time!! Other things we've done:

• saw "Three Days of Rain"-- Julia Roberts' play. The play was a little slow, but it was really neat to see Julia so close! Her acting actually didn't seem that great-- or maybe it was just the part she was playing was kind of dull and emotionless. But, the other two guys Paul Rudd (Phoebe's husband on Friends) and Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers, Alias) were really great. After the play, they let ticket holders stand where the actors come out to get in their cars. My mom and I were on the front row and I got pictures and my mom got all their autographs. It was so fun!! I stood very, very close to them with just a bar between us. Julia is darling...she is super tiny, very friendly, and so cute. The 2 guys are so cute, too!! They were all really nice and spent a lot of time signing autographs. Paul Rudd spoke to me!! People behind me were shoving their posters and papers over my head and he said to me "You're getting crushed in there"! It was so fun!!
• shopped and walked, walked and shopped. Lots of it! Down Bleecker (so nice), to some flea markets (because that's what Beth really likes to do), to one of our favorite stores "Cath Kidston", a little in ChinaTown (but it was too crowded!).
• Ate dinner in Littly Italy at Angelo's-- one of my favorites!
• Had a nice Saturday brunch with our family friend who was here. The food at this place was excellent, but I don't know the name!! I'll have to find that out.
• Got to take my fam. to church so they could see what it's like and meet some of my co-workers

That's about it so far, but they'll be here until Tuesday. We don't have a whole lot else planned, but they want to explore the Upper West side some. I'm sure I'll write more later this week!

Chick-fil-a

When I found out I was moving to New York and had less than a month to do so, I had many friends ask, "So, what do you want to do in Dallas before you leave." Which was usually followed by them suggesting, "Eat lots of Mexican food"?!?! And we did eat lots of Mexican food. In fact, one of those last weeks I managed to eat at Mi Cocina 3 times. Actually, none of those 3 times was it my choice, it was just kind of a random coincidence. Nonetheless, I ate there 3 times in 1 week, and I have to admit I did love it-- got their fabulous tortilla soup one night, their best salad, the Rico, another night, and the last time, I was treated to my absolute favorite-- the brisquet tacos- yummy! The bonus was that I managed to pay only once out of those three trips! But, in actuality Mexican food was not the food I would miss most from Dallas. It was Chick-fil-a! I love that place and could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and I don't think I'd ever get sick of it.

So, this morning, my pastor was doing a sermon on what it takes to be successful. He used the founder of Chick-fil-a as an example. For those who haven't heard the story, it goes something like this (I may not have all the facts completely straight, but this is close).....Truett Cathy opened Chick-Fil-A many years ago (the 1940's or something like that). After being open a while, he made the risky decision to close the restaurants on Sundays. Sundays is often the busiest day for fast-food restaurants because it's a big shopping day. But, he wanted to close Sundays to offer his employees a day to worship, spend time with their families, and to rest. In the year that Truett Cathy made this change, the revenues tripled (or something like that). So, it's just a great example of how God will bless those who are obedient to his will and will entrust more to those who choose to use what He provides to further His kingdom.

So, it's a great story, even if you've heard it multiple times before. But, do you want to know the best part of the story THIS morning? When Nelson mentioned that there is a Chick-fil-a on NYU's campus! Why it is not listed on their internet site, I do not know. He told us he goes there sometimes and pretends to be a student so he can get a Chicken sandwich. I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before! I knew a lot of campuses have Chick-fil-a, but I didn't think of there being one at NYU! Of course, my first thought was..."I'm going to Chick-fil-a for lunch right after church!!" But, then I remembered-- oh, it's Sunday- they're closed. How many times have we all wanted Chick-fil-a on Sundays-- too many! So, guess what I'll be trying to fit into my schedule this week-- yep, a trip to NYU. Let's just hope it's open since the spring semester just ended and summer school has not yet started.

Milestones

So, this has been the week of milestones in my New York adventure. Monday was the 4 week mark-- can you believe that?? Then, Tuesday was the 30th day, which meant that it was my first time to have to buy a new MetroCard. Pretty exciting to think that I've taken the subway and walked everywhere I've gone for 30 days straight! (Except for the few cab-rides I took to move my stuff from the 1st place I stayed to the 2nd). I've started to wonder if I'm going to get car sick more easily after not being in them for so long. When I go back to Texas in June, I'm supposed to do the 6 hour drive from Dallas to Amarillo with my family. Let's hope this experience hasn't helped me revert back to my childhood when I threw-up everytime my family made the trip from Columbia to Dallas, which was at least twice a year. Anyway, today was the 3rd milestone of the week-- 1 month!! Yep, I've been here a month now. Crazy how quickly it has flown by. I have started to miss my friends a little more-- just haven't created those deep relationships like I had back home. But, that will take time, I know and I don't necessarily feel lonely at all. I don't feel like I've done nearly enough to have been here a whole month! But, I've been busy getting acclimated, looking for places to live, and that thing called work. It's been good though and I'm glad I'm here. I have definitely thought that it might be necessary to stay longer than a year! I told myself I had to stay at least a year, but I know in Dallas it took me a while to establish relationships and until then, I probably won't get out as much, do as much, see as much. Not that I don't mind doing stuff on my own, but a lot of stuff is just more fun with friends plus, you find out about more stuff through friends! So, I may need to stay for a while after I have some people to do stuff with!

I have an appointment to look at an apartment on Sunday night. I would have 2 roommates, but the location is terrific. They seem really nice on email and like we might have stuff in common. I found them through the classifieds listing of another big church here in the city. So, wish me luck there! I talked to a broker the other night and he basically told me I was crazy when I told him the price I wanted for my own place. I asked his advice and he told me to 1) get some roommates and 2) move to Brooklyn. Well, I was hoping to have my own place in Manhattan, but maybe a shared place in Manhattan will turn out okay.

I didn't mention the other day when I was posting about the Rooftop, but the other fun (or funny) thing about that is that there are several apartments you could really see into from the roof and you felt really, really close to them. There is one apartment where we could see a man walking around and the story from the people who frequent the Rooftop said that there have been times where he isn't wearing much! Isn't that hysterical! It's just like the "ugly, naked guy" from Friends! Remember when they created that long stick and tried to poke him? Oh, the memories!

Today I went to Macy's. It's right across from where I get on the subway after work. Oh, my gosh, it was HUGE! Two floors of women's shoes! I wanted to shop so bad, but I was really on a mission for 1 thing and I just can't buy more stuff until I get to my permanent location-- I don't want to have to move it! But, it looked like they had some amazing sales going on. There were 3 different sets of escalators and probably about 6 or 7 stories. Crazy! I can't wait to go back when I can really shop, though!

Today I ate lunch at the place that so far is my favorite place to walk from work. It's called Manganaros and it's a little Italian restaurant/deli. The owner is an older man and he works there with his two daughters. I've been twice and both times got the Mozerrella, Turkey, pesto sandwich. It is SO good. I've never had mozerralla that tasted so fresh. They also have a ton of the normal hot italian dishes-- lasagna, ravioli, manicotti, etc... and it all looks fabulous and the other customers in there are always raving about what they've eaten.

Another place I went to last week that I didn't mention is Levain's bakery. They are famous for their cookies. I went to buy some to ship home to mom for mother's day along with a family photo from my going away party (thanks Michelle!) that I framed. Anyway, of course I tried a cookie myself and it was delicious! I had the chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips (of, course!). Yummy, and definitely worth going back to.

Ryder is Coming!!

I just got word that Ryder is taking his first trip to the big city and is coming to visit me next weekend! Yea! My mom has been planning to come that weekend for a while now. Actually, the original plan was that she and I were coming up together and that was going to be my big apartment search weekend before moving up here. But, then I found the job at The Journey and I had to move my flight up a bit! Just this week, my mom convinced my sister, Beth, and her sweet baby Ryder to come up too! I can't wait! I thought I'd have to go 10 weeks without seeing him, but now it'll be 5&1/2 and then 4&1/2...perfect! I love that baby more than I knew was possible. I mean, I've always really, really loved little kids and could never get enough of them. When Ryder was born I knew I'd like him just like that, but I had no idea how much I'd really love him! It's amazing! I can't wait to see how much he's changed in the 5 weeks since I've seen him. He'd just barely started crawling, and I hear he's really getting around now! He will have his 10-month birthday while he's here, so we'll have to do something special to celebrate! Cupcakes from Magnolia or Billy's??

Rooftop Party!

Have you ever been to a rooftop party? Me either...at least not before Friday! Yes, I got to go to my first party on a rooftop. Doesn't sound quite as slick as the Pizza at the Penthouse party I went to with Julie in Dallas a few months ago, but nothing beats a rooftop in NYC. A big group from the church got together Friday after work to see Poseidon (don't waste your time) at the IMAX (better and BIGGER at the IMAX, but still don't waste your time). Afterwards, we went to a nearby hot-dog & smoothie stand to get dinner. When some of the people realized we were eating at a place that had NO seating, they suggested we call up this guy who lived nearby and see if he was home. So, we did and he was and we all walked the few blocks to his apartment with hotdogs and drinks in hand. His place was excellent...I want it! And the rooftop was a bonus. We took blankets and chairs up there and sat for a couple of hours just talking and enjoying the view. It was great!

Picnic in the Park, and other fun things

First off, I DID leave someone off the list in my last blog...Jon Voight was also there. Now, how many of you can say you've seen the grandfather of Brangelina's baby?

So, as I'm getting to know more people, my weekends are definitely getting more full and fun. Friday night was my turn to help lead the "Movie Playgroup", along with Sarah, one of my co-workers. We went to see Mission Impossible, which was pretty entertaining. Afterwards, we ate dinner at Chevy's...somehow I think that eating at a restaurant that exists in Columbia, MO should be outlawed when you're in a city like New York. But, it's in the same building as the theatre we went to and I had no choice in the matter. This was my first experience with a Chevy's and I'll be okay if it's my last. People warned me about the Mexican food in NYC and they were right. It certainly made me miss Mi Cocina...where are my brisquet tacos?? Anyway, the evening was very enjoyable and I really liked some of the people I met and got to talk to. Afterwards, it was LATE, but Sarah and I decided to walk home...she lives near where I was staying. That turned into a few guys deciding to walk with us so we could all go see David Blaine. I hadn't seen it at night and heard it was a little cooler when David's bubble was a lit up. (Sarah won't admit it, but she went almost every day last week)! Anyway, we actually stood in the line this time and got up close and personal with D.B. The most exciting part was when a lady who had obviously had a few too many fell off the platform and screamed and everyone gasped. We thought something had happened to D.B., but nope, just a highly intoxicated chica wearing stilletos.

We had Servant Evangelism on Saturday-- handed out gum and flyers this time. I was on a corner directly in front of where David Blaine's bubble was. So, yes, for the 3rd time last week, I got to see David Blaine. But, it was a great place for SE because there were TONS of people there to see him and our gum went very quickly! SE seems to be an extremely effective tool. Most the people I meet in the church have found The Journey through SE and many of them were not Christians before coming to The Journey. In fact, one of our ministers found the journey 4 years ago when he was handed a flyer and gum or something on the street. He was not a Christian at the time, but has since accepted Christ as his Savior and is now on the ministerial staff!

After SE, I got to attend a fabulous picnic in Central Park! The weather was perfect for a picnic and you just can't beat CP! We picked up food at the fabulous Whole Foods and then headed over to Sheep's Meadow and lounged around. Super fun and I think I got a bit of a tan on my face!

Sunday was church-- no work for me this weekend- yea! I loved just attending the service and truly getting a worship experience. The music was fantastic. Nelson was sick, so the other teaching pastor, Kerrick, gave the sermon. I really like Kerrick and enjoyed his sermon on Balancing Your Time.

Sunday afternoon I got to attend my first Journey baptism. Amazing!! About 20 people were baptized and it was really cool because they were all given the opportunity to share their experiences or thank the people who helped them develop a relationship with Christ. The group of people were very diverse...one is a Jewish guy who got so emotional and seemed so passionate about the Man he now believes is his Savior. Another lady came all by herself, had only come to church 3 times and told us that she is physically alone in this world. Most people came with a change of clothes, but because she hadn't been able to go home and get them, she said she decided it must not be in God's plan for her to be baptized yet. Then one of the ministers told her we had extra clothes and she said she had to go ahead and do it. She has been a Christian for a while, but not walking w/ God and felt led over the past few weeks to go ahead and be baptized and said she's jumping in with both feet this time around. She's a rock-star-- has actually played base for some major-label bands and is trying out for The Journey band this weekend...pretty cool! There were several other cool stories, too. The baptism itself was really exciting with lots of screaming and cheering as each person was brought out of the water.

I honestly miss the depth of Dr. Denison's sermons..I learned SO much from that man's knowledge and wisdom during my 7+ years in Dallas. He captured my attention week after week. I experienced significant spiritual growth during my time at PCBC and my relationship with God went to a level I didn't know existed. But, I've been learning a lot this year on not focusing so much on ME when it comes to worship...even Dr. D spoke about that during a sermon before I moved. Yes, I should be growing and constantly developing my relationship with Christ, but worship should be about God...what I can bring to Him. The Journey really seems to be changing lives, bringing people to Christ and that's really what matters most. Maybe the sermons don't have the depth that Dr. D's did, but they are effective for this community and are reaching the goals of the church, which are in line with the goals Christ laid before us...to love Him, love others, and be fishers of men. So, I'm going to try to work on focusing less on me and more on God's plan and will and on loving others!

At the m:i:III Premiere

Tonight was the most fun yet! Right after work, I went with a few co-workers to see David Blaine. He's the crazy guy who's spending a week underwater in a clear bubble thing. Anyway, we went to check it out. It was strange and I can't say I understand why anyone would do that or why people are so interested in watching him. It was not that exciting to me. But, I can say I saw it!

Afterwards, my friends all had other places to be, but I headed for the Mission Impossible premiere. I wasn't even sure what time it was supposed to start, but when I got to the theater, there were lots of people waiting outside. They had set up barricades across the street from the red carpet for people like me to stand in and watch. I got a great spot at the back of the barricaded area-- it was great because I could climb up the gate at the back and sit on it and see everything. Plus, I was right in the center where the cars stopped to unload. Within 10 minutes of my arriving, the celebrities started arriving-- my timing was perfect! I saw several celebrities and it was AWESOME!!! All of the really famous people arrived in either a black Suburban or a black Tahoe. The less famous came in limos. When they got there, they mostly would just get right out of the car and head straight for the red carpet where photographers were waiting. They would stand at the entrance to the red carpet for at least 10 minutes twirling and posing. It was interesting to see how it all worked. Most did not acknowledge all us fans across the street. Anyway, here's who I got to see:

• Kerri Russell-- SO cute! But, I was disappointed becasue she wasn't "embracing her curls". Her hair was pretty straight with some waves at the ends. I couldn't really see what she was wearing, but it was pink and backless-- I saw a lot of her bare back!
• Philip Seymour Hoffman-- yeah! the guy who just won the Best Actor Oscar
• Tim Robbins-- very tall! He had crazy hair!
• Jonathan Rhys Meyers-- I recognized him, but couldn't remember where from so I had to look it up when I got home. Most recently, he was in "Match Point".
• Kanye West-- I guess he has a song in the movie. They kept blaring one of his songs and the Mission Impossible song the whole time I was there.
• P-Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean Combs...whatever you want to call him.
• and the best was when Tom Cruise and Laurence Fishburne arrived together. Tom got out first, climbing out of his window and and up on top of the Tahoe they were in. He stood on top of it and rather than turning towards the photographers, he turned to us lowly fans first and waved. Then Laurence climbed up there with Tom and they stood there with their arms around each other just smiling and waving at us. It was awesome! I was totally screaming with the crowd! I've been pretty anti-Cruise lately, but this definitely gave him some points!!

I feel like I may be leaving a couple of people off the list. It was all so exciting and I was trying so hard to remember everyone I'd seen. Next time, I need to write them down! I got some pictures and will have to figure out how to get them on here. Anyway, I absolutely loved it and can't wait for the next premiere!!