Governor's Island - Jazz Age Lawn Party

Since temperatures are freezing (10 degrees) in New York City right now, I am thinking of warmer thoughts... which brought me back to our first summer in New York City...

We dressed to impress and attended the Governor's Island Jazz Age Lawn Party over the summer...channeling the Prohibition era with the Charleston, Model T Fords, fringy skirts and vintage threads. What could be more fun?

Think The Great Gatsby  (What's that? Ohhh you didn't read the book and copied off of your neighbor in high school? Here are the spark notes...you are welcome.)

To get to Governor's Island, you must take a ferry. There are not very many things that will make a New Yorker turn their head, but hundreds of people dressed in 20's attire IS one of them. When you arrive on the island, you immediately realize something very odd - not a single person actually lives there. Sounds like a great set-up for a murder mystery, right? Luckily, we left well before sunset.

We failed miserably at dancing, but did a fantastic job drinking. The party had all sorts of fun drinks - well two actually, but they were fun (St. Germain liqueur and white sangria).

The band was fanstastic! 20's style tunes by Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra

The shops were overpriced cool and featured things that I'm just not brave enough to wear.

I loved that 98% of the crowd was dressed up and that "20's style" took on a different look to everyone (meaning: we live in the twenty first century and it can be difficult to find something from that era that you are able to afford and willing to buy). Everyone looked fabulous.

Other fun things to do on Govenors Island

Isn't Richard manly in 20's attire?

The way you spend your days...

The way you spend your days is the way you spend your life. Want to change your life?

Change a day.

Don't I sound inspirational? Okay, okay...I totally stole that from Kathie Lee and Hoda.Yes, I can feel the stares from my Republican friends all the way from Texas. I admit it, my Today Show obsession has stretched into the Today's Show 4th hour. It COULD be worse, would you rather I watch MTV's Buckwild? That's what I thought.

And here is a picture of a street...excuse me, an inspirational street.

Upper West Side

My [not-so-artistic] review of the MoMA...

If you are like me, then you are probably wondering what the heck the MoMA means! The Museum of Modern Art is one of the quirkier museums in New York City...and from what we were told, a must see! So of course my next thought was, how can we get in for a discount (museums can add up here)?! Well, we were in luck. Thanks to Target's free Fridays, we got to experience the weirdness at no cost. You do, however, have to check all bags (no cost, but loooong lines). We also found out that while you must check your bag, you cannot check your laptop....Richard's bag only contained a laptop . . . We were told to remove the laptop, and take it with us while checking the empty bag . . . I think Richard's confusion scared the girl checking bags. Ha! So our journey through the MoMa began . . . with laptop in hand.

And so the weirdness began. Here is my "collage art" featuring exhibits on display at the MoMA. Take particular note of the photo in the center of the top row. The CIA (Crazy I'm-not-going-to-let-you-take-a-crappy-photo-on-your-phone Associates) were ready to throw us out of the super special 6th floor exhibit. What exactly is the exhibit in the photo you ask? Great question. So the thing about the MoMA is...well, they really don't give you descriptions of anything (except for the last photo in this post...but don't scroll down yet). Everyone and I do mean EVERYONE takes photos of EVERYTHING here. Just don't let the guy of the 6th floor see you...he will stare. you. down. So naturally, Richard finds this amusing and decides to go and stand next to the guy. This particular CIA guy continued to give his speech about photo taking (as photography flashes were going off around him) and Richard proceeds to inform the guy that he is trying to enjoy the artwork (whatever the artwork was...) and that his staring was "distracting" (with a straight face). I had to walk away.

Ah, the classics. We found actual art. And look - Picasso!

The definition of "definition" on paper followed by deep thought of painting.

Alright, so we have the girl from The Ring, an apartment floor layout "creatively" placed on the ceiling, feet, a naked statue sitting at a desk, a Dyson vacuum (no really, it was in a glass case), and a feminism piece which a 7 year old boy proudly announced to his mother looked like butts hanging from the wall. Smart boy.

Richard taking in the art...

Performance art. Remember the movie Jeepers Creepers? It came to life at the MoMA. Inside of this trailer, there are two [well known] dancers (you can see them if you look close) slowly crawling around. It drew quite the crowd. I'd love to know how the dancers describe this job on their resumes.

Being Moved: The Caravan Project

 

And now... the best piece of artwork at the MoMA...

Wait for it....

Here it comes...

Are you sure you are ready for this?

Ta Da!!!

That's right...someone worked *really* hard to paint a white canvas. How do I know this (aside from the massive white canvas)? Oh you know, there was a long description about the white canvas (one of the few descriptions we could find). There were SEVERAL people stopping to take pictures of this piece. Mind blowing....

Overall thoughts on the Museum of Modern Art? I'm not a huge fan of museums to begin with, but this museum definitely held my interest since it was so odd and the jokes kept coming. If you want to see a museum in New York and can only pick one...go here. It's definitely entertaining....the art and people.

Do what you love...

This is so true! In 2013, I am trying to not schedule my time to a "t" so much! Instead, I want to get lost in the moment while at the park, having drinks, chatting with friends, taking a bubble bath, watching tv, exploring the city, or reading a good book. Whatever I love!

Ringing in 2013

The end of each year is always so exciting! Work and projects are placed on a back burner while new memories are created with family and friends. We say goodbye to the current year and happily welcome the new year. 2012 was huge for us. We sold and donated most of our belongings, said goodbye to life as we knew it and moved across the United States for a fun, challenging, exciting and new adventure. Through the excitement came several tears. One of my biggest concerns was that we would lose the close relationships that we had worked so hard and for so long to build. I knew we would miss celebrations, happy hours, movie nights and dinners. But I also knew that if we didn't follow our strong desire for an adventure outside of Texas, we would one day regret not leaping at the chance for such a life changing experience. In 2012, we put our trust in God and are beyond thankful we did.

Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”

Given that 2012 was such a transitional year, I'm excited that in 2013 we have the opportunity to continue to explore this amazing city we are living and working in. We still have quite the list of places to eat at and things to see - an ever-growing list I am learning. I am thankful for the close relationships we are building with new friends and for a strong church that inspires us. This year we will celebrate our 5 year anniversary with a trip to Europe - a dream come true for us! Maybe our new year's resolution should have been to learn a new language for the trip...ha! Who am I kidding? Bonjour!

We were also so happy to ring in the new year with two of my dearest friends - Brenda and Olivia! I was beyond excited they made the trek from Dallas to NYC. They were met with snowflakes, chilly weather and the excitement of a 5 year old the morning of Christmas (me!)! We explored just about every part of Manhattan and made so many new memories. I am so blessed to have strong friendships and reassured that moving across the US had no impact on those friendships! Pickle and Sundae loved the extra attention they received too! Below are a few of my favorite photos!

Times Square New Year's Eve

Sweets at Magnolia Bakery 

Carl Schurz Park - Upper East Side

Happy New Year!

FAO Schwarz

Headed to our first Opera!

Cheers to 2013!
XOXO

Christmas Traditions

Most of us grow up with Christmas traditions, whether we aim to or not. For Richard, traditions are something he holds on to tightly. As for me, I'm not quite as sentimental...I love to change routines and create new memories. Together though, we've had one thing in common all of our lives - Christmas in Texas. 2012 was the first year that we spent Christmas in a different state. A little anxious and unsure of what to expect, we packed our December calendar full of Christmas fun! New York City really is a magical place to be and you know what the best part was? It snowed on Christmas Eve while walking back to our apartment from our taxi. Truly like being in a movie....

...and then we had to take the dogs outside in the snow and cold. Ha! Our dogs tend to not...well, they don't really move in wet weather. They just stand there, shaking and giving us the most pitiful look ever. We have to walk them one block East and find scaffolding to walk them under. Pampered!



Pickle and Sundae - our little reindeer!

The night before Christmas Eve wasn't quite filled with the cheer we'd expected. After a long night of aches, pains and other flu-like symptoms, we both landed in the doctor's office the morning of Christmas Eve. The doctor led us both back to the same exam room and we took turns being examined. I giggled out of exhaustion...we looked like little kids sitting in the exam room together on Christmas Eve. We tested negative for strep and the flu - however, were told we had viruses. Richard's had started a few days prior, so he was no longer contagious. However, I was to avoid the elderly, young kids and pregnant women - you know...what most of what the Upper East Side consists of. In high spirits though with Christmas, we attend church service that night and enjoyed BBQ with friends just before the snow started coming down! It was such a blessing having friends in the city to celebrate with!

Christmas Eve Service at Apostles Church
followed by BBQ at Brother Jimmy's in Union Square with friends!

Despite my self-induced NyQuil coma on Christmas Eve, I woke bright and early on Christmas morning excited about presents. It typically takes a good four to five times of poking, hitting and then yelling at Richard to get out of bed. However, I simply said "It's Christmas morning! I'm excited about presents!"....and we were up. Later than night after presents, phone calls, breakfast and a very long nap, we ventured out to Central Park where the rest of the city was exploring (or escaping from family in their tiny apartments) on Christmas Day! We were also one of the few lucky ticket holders for the opening of Les Miserables that night at AMC. Along with our friend Kelly, we pushed through the crowds and got a pretty good seat in the movie theater. The movie was fantastic and great way end Christmas Day!

Belvedere Castle in Central Park on Christmas Day

Living in New York City on Christmas would be a waste if we didn't attend Broadway shows! Richard has a slight...ok, large obsession with A Christmas Story. When I first saw it advertised, I knew we had to see it! Being such a huge fan of the movie - Richard was quick to point out all the lines that were changed, scenes that were altered or cheesy songs that were added. LOL Despite himself though, I think he really enjoyed it! Much to my excitement, Richard surprised me with tickets to see Scarlett Johansson (one of my favorite actresses of all time) in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof! The play was awesome. There are 0 scene changes in the 2 hr and 45 min play, but it was very intriguing and our seats were great!

Seeing Scarlett Johansson in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway!

A Christmas Story The Musical on Broadway

Other fun Christmas festivities in New York City included...

Our Community Group's $0 present exchange!

Serving at Hope for New York's "Present Store" for those less fortunate.
We have never wrapped so many gifts in so little time!

Ice Skating in Central Park thanks to Capital One's Associate Holiday Party!

5th Avenue, Union Square Holiday Village, FAO Schwarz, & Saks Window Displays

And of course, THE TREE in Rockefeller!! You can get so close to it and it's guarded 24/7. Very cool Christmas in the big apple!

2 months post-Sandy, Learning kindness from a little girl that lost everything...

It's been almost two months since Hurricane Sandy hit and devastated the Northeast. It was very strange being in New York City while Sandy was approaching.  During the days leading up to the storm most seemed undisturbed by the news reports. Just like the rest of New York, we didn't miss a beat Saturday night and went to dinner and a haunted house. However, Sunday felt a little odd. News reports increased and batteries, bottled water and beer began flying off the shelves. The city's homeless changed their signs to react to the hurricane. Street conversation turned to the approaching storm...most talked about the overreaction and that last year it was nothing. Monday was calm, anxiety began to rise and most began to feel claustrophobic staying inside - especially when living in an apartment slightly larger than a closet. No more homeless individuals were on the streets, the city and nonprofits had picked everyone up. Public transition shut down. Then the realization hit... The realization that you are on an overcrowded island. Most have no car and with public transit being shut down, you really didn't have too many options if you had to grab your "go bag" and flee your apartment. When the howling and whistling noises started Monday night, the dogs went on a barking rampage...they were beyond confused. We live in a 3rd floor walk-up pre-war building next to the East River - our apartment is in-between two buildings...so you really can't see much of the outside world. Thankfully, we never lost power, so we were able to watch all news in real-time. Seeing how we live in the Upper East Side, we didn't feel threatened by flooding... we had no idea that the surges would impact the East River. That night, we didn't realize that the East River had come over FDR highway and onto our street until we heard an extremely loud noise in the middle of Sandy. So, logically, we went outside to see what was going on. Due to the water surge, we had an explosion on our street. Given that explosions were happening all around the city, no one could get through to 911. By the grace of God, a police officer happened to be on our street monitoring the surge and was able to call for help. The end of our building lost power. It was pretty crazy to see the highway we look at every day filled with traffic underwater...and the water rising toward your home. But we were fine - and only had minor inconveniences of having no cell service for a week and having to both work from home because our offices did not have power. We were completely fine.

The morning following Sandy, we walked 40 blocks south to lower-Manhattan. We couldn't stand to hear another news report and wanted to see with our own eyes. While lower-Manhattan did not receive even close to the amount of damage as the Far Rockways, Jersey and Staten Island, it was still eye-opening to see.... with no power, structural damage, trees in the streets, and limited transit, there was a lot of confusion... we saw an entire glass-enclosed bus stop shattered, areas underwater and a Manhattan that we did not recognize. Volunteer efforts and emergency efforts were hectic. People wanted to help, but couldn't physically reach the areas that needed the most help. If they could get there, they often didn't have the supplies needed.. Our news stations highlighted the worst and political debates continued...

To view photos we took the day after the storm in Lower Manhattan, visit:

Hurricane Sandy - Lower Manhattan

Now, almost two months after Sandy, relief efforts are still in full-force. Skilled-volunteers with appropriate equipment are being called to help...so many are displaced throughout the boroughs. So many have lost everything - their homes, neighborhoods, jobs and for kids, their normal routines, school and daily interactions with friends. Through my job, I had the opportunity to hear the stories from some of these kids that were displaced from the Far Rockaways and Staten Island through the Heart of America's Operation Buddy Packs program. We delivered backpacks to these kids that included necessities along with fun and educational items. While helping one little girl open up her backpack, I learned that she lost the life she knew in the Far Rockaways and was busy starting her new life in Manhattan with a school full of new kids and neighborhood she doesn't recognize. With each item she pulled from the bag, her eyes opened wide and her smiled became bigger. The little boy next to her was whining that she had two balls in her bag and he only had one. The little girl who lost everything happily handed over one of her balls.... she didn't even think twice...