10.26.2010

house: living room (& some random stuff)

Here's our living room before:

& Here's our living room AFTER (so far)!
Zooey is not allowed on our new couch... and this is how she feels about it.
I had small group tonight, which I might have to rename Christ & Cupcakes, since I've taken to making cupcakes every week.
We also got GHOSTED!
Our village apparently does Halloween "ghostings" - - you get "tagged" to leave a treat on someone's door step, ring the doorbell & run! How fun!

10.25.2010

nyc mini vacay

Doug & I have been promising his brother, Zach, and his wife, Michele, that we'd come visit them since we got married. This summer we celebrated our 3-year anniversary, and we still hadn't been to see them. They moved from Brooklyn to NJ recently and our friends Travis & Kristen had also recently moved to NJ (& also had a baby!), so we decided a visit was in order.

We flew into Newark...

and spent Friday in the city.
We had lunch at Harry's Italian Pizza with Craig!! It was so much fun to catch up & hear about his life in the city (and all the crazy stories about his friends who have been in biking accidents - be careful, Craig!!)

Later in the afternoon, we stopped at one of my favorite places for a snack: Pret!
My little friend Megan & I used to go here almost everyday when we were studying in Oxford. Oh Pretskis, how I've missed you & your lunch time goodness.

On the [6 miles, but 2.5 hour drive!] way home that evening, there was a sweet sunset & the moon looked awesome above the city.
By the time we got to Zach & Michele's, it was dark.
Saturday morning we took the train to Trenton to see Travis & Kristen and baby Karena.


We played with Karena, had delicious soup, walked to a dog park (Kristen & I strolled the baby around a nature walk while the boys watched "Amos" interact with the other dogs), played Euchre...

Sunday morning, we went to Grace OPC, the church where Travis is a pastor. We listened to a great sermon, had lunch together & took the train back to NYC.
That evening we went with Zach, Michele & her sister, Sam, to Manhattan - we toured the salon where Michele works - Frederic Fekkai. Such a cool place! We were then going to head to Dylan's Candy... but Zach & Michele's car had died! So, Doug & I walked to one of the Redeemer Presbyterian sites to see Tim Keller preach while the others waited for AAA. We had been tipped off by a Redeemer volunteer that Keller would be preaching at Hunter College, but unfortunately, our informant was wrong. So Doug & I trekked back and met Zach, Michele & Sam at Dylan's Candy. Which is pretty much a dream come true. There is CANDY. EVERYWHERE. Even in the stairs.
After Dylan's, we went out for dinner at a little Mexican place with the best guacamole I have ever had. We went back to their apartment in NJ & crashed for the night. Sadly, we didn't even get a picture of the 4 of us, but I did get a really cute pic of Michele & Sam.
We left this morning & there was an awesome sunrise. Here's the view from Zach & Michele's apartment.
Such a fun, random weekend getaway!

10.21.2010

hasty, haughty haiku

In honor of the shopping experience I just had at Target, a few haiku - all addressed to the annoying girl at the fitting rooms who wouldn't let me take a pair of boots, a pair of stockings OR my basket into the fitting room.

1.
Dumb girl at Target:
Why won't you let me take my
Basket in the room?

2.
Fitting room Nazi:
I'm not a teenage deviant.
Let me have my stuff!

3.
Stingy, sour girl:
I have better things to do
Than steal your cheap crap. (Sorry, Dad.)

4.
Unrelenting wench:
You're lucky I have ice cream
Waiting to console.

10.20.2010

amethyst enchanted land


O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
one from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst...

-Robert Frost

10.17.2010

house: kitchen!

The people who lived in our house before we bought it kindly removed all the appliances, all the cupboard hardware, and the air conditioning unit.

We don't have new hardware yet, but we do have a fresh coat of paint and new appliances! We were able to get our fridge, microwave & dishwasher off Craiglist, and then we splurged and bought a new oven (which I am obsessed with...).
Never thought I'd have a red kitchen, but I LOVE IT!