Sep 3rd 2010 10:21:59 am

This post is based on the blogging prompt “What I Did Over My Summer Vacation” from IndieBizChicks’ September Blogging Special.

I already told you about my recent trip to Disney World here and here, but I haven’t shared many photos here, on my blog. (And I know you were just dying to see more… Isn’t that everyone’s favorite activity, viewing photos from another person’s vacation? ha!)

Above you can see Travis, Chelsea, Scott, and me on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster (I think). I love roller coasters! Especially the ones at Disney because they are less painful than other amusement park coasters. It is always amazing how after the ride, the super-long wait in line seems totally worth it. (The four of us took an almost identical photo last year at Disney Land.)

Chelsea and I loved these sparkly Minnie ears. We always end up trying on all sorts of ears and hats while we enjoy the air conditioning in the stores at Disney. I have never bought any (because what in the heck would I do with them once I got home?!), but I think they look quite cute.

Racing through the Speedway ride with Travis…. The Speedway is Chelsea’s favorite ride. While we waited in line to get our turn in the mini cars, we all pondered why they are still gas powered and not the more eco-friendly electric. The exhaust fumes were pretty intense.

So… I am actually still a little embarrassed to be sharing more photos from Disney World. Do not judge me too harshly. I know it is not a very adult vacation, but it was so fun. Plus, if we had gone to Las Vegas, I probably could not share the photos!

5 Comments » Categories: Family, Just for Fun, Travis, Trips

Sep 2nd 2010 04:55:31 pm

This post is based on the blogging prompt “What do you like best about your hometown?” from IndieBizChicks’ September Blogging Special.

The photo of the flat land you see above was taken in Western Kansas. Not exactly my hometown, but close. There is nothing I can do about it, I am a midwest girl – born in Saint Louis, raised in Kansas City, college in Iowa, vacations in Chicago – and everyone can tell. In New York, people go out of their way to tell me I am the most smiley person they have ever met, or that I am too polite, or that I am definitely NOT a native New Yorker. I just don’t think they were prepared for the midwest invasion…

I always wanted to explore the world. I had aunts and uncles who traveled nearly everywhere and I intended to follow in their footsteps, but now that I am away from my hometown in Kansas, I have definitely grown to appreciate it more.

A few of my favorite things about suburban Kansas City:

♥ The wide open spaces.
♥ The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art where I had my wedding reception.
♥ The running/hiking trails, which are remarkably flat!
♥ The large and numerous movie theaters. (without bedbugs!)
♥ Inexpensive real estate.
♥ The Country Club Plaza.
♥ The freedom to drive anywhere and buy lots of groceries!
♥ My family! xoxo

There have got to be more…. what am I missing?!

I think the thing I like the very best about my hometown is just how comfortable it is. I guess that is what everyone would say about their hometown… even if it is bustling New York City!

p.s. I thought I should add, that while a lot of my personality traits could be traced back to my midwest upbringing, there are also a lot of ways in which I am not a typical midwesterner… my religious and political preferences being two of them. I guess it is never quite accurate to stereotype someone, even when the person I am stereotyping is myself!

p.p.s My brother, who lived for three years in far western Kansas, has informed me that you can’t see the Rocky Mountains from there… so the photo above may actually be from Colorado. (Travis and I have driven across the country twice and I didn’t label my photos extremely well.) So, here is a photo that I KNOW is from Kansas:

7 Comments » Categories: Family, Home, Just for Fun, New York, Projects, Thinking

Aug 30th 2010 04:53:55 pm

Last week, Travis and I had guests in town! Travis’ sister, Chelsea, and her husband, Scott, were in New York for a wedding and we got to spend a few days hanging out with them. I love having friends and family visit because it gives me a reason to get out of the office and explore the city!

Chelsea and I played tourists for a few days. (Like in the photo above – ha ha!) We explored lower Manhattan, including the World Trade Center site and Saint Paul’s Chapel, Soho, Union Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, Rockafeller Center, 5th Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, and even a bit of Central Park. We enjoyed MANY Starbucks drinks and visited three different cupcake shops (Crumbs, Baked by Melissa, and Magnolia Bakery). Yum! The Magnolia cupcake we shared (seen below) was the best – so fresh and the icing was superb!

Chelsea and Scott had to sleep on our couch and air mattress – not the best arrangement, but they didn’t complain. They both even said that they would like to live in NYC! (Although, probably not in our living room on an air mattress.) We had a lot of fun. The time went too quickly!

4 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Family, New York

Aug 3rd 2010 12:46:40 pm

I missed my little dog, Crusher, so much while we were traveling last week! It is really a little bit crazy how much I love that dog. He is my baby and my companion while I work at home… he is just so loyal, it is impossible not to love him.

Thank goodness my brother, Seth, came to NY to babysit Crusher while we were away. It was so much better to have him here than when we left Crusher at the kennel last time we traveled. Crusher was traumatized by the kennel and came back completely filthy and encrusted in urine. It was awful. This time Seth took wonderful care of him – even taking him to the dog park each day!

We got Crush two souvenirs at Disney World – a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and a stuffed yeti from Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom. Crusher loves the yeti, but he isn’t too fond of clothing. He is totally spoiled.

3 Comments » Categories: Crusher, Family, Trips

Aug 1st 2010 08:31:11 pm

Travis and I got back late yesterday from a wonderful week in Florida. You can guess by the photo where we spent our time…

Due to a paranoid concern for safety, I usually try not to advertise on the internet where I am going until after I have left there. That was the case for our trip to Disney World this summer, but I also felt a little embarrassed telling people where I was vacationing. Disney World may not be the most “adult” destination for four childless twenty-somethings (we went with my brother & sister-in-law — Hi Chels & Scott!), but it was an easy, affordable, sunny, and happy place to spend a week. We planned this trip last year after spending an incredible 17-hour day together at DisneyLand in California.

Say what you will about Disney (too commercial, too saccharine, too dependent on gender stereotypes, historically incorrect, etc…), Disney World really, truly is a very fun and wonderful place. I am not sure how anyone could dislike a place that’s main purpose is making children happy. It reminds me of New York City in that we saw people of every color and heard dozens of different languages, but unlike NY, at Disney the streets are impeccably clean and everyone is happy and polite and not in a hurry. …well, unless they are rushing to get in line for Space Mountain!

We had a great time. I love roller coasters and funny shows and tasty treats! I got mocked for constantly exclaiming how pleasantly surprised I was by the quality of the food. (I mean, I was not sure I could survive a week on “carnival food,” but I shouldn’t have worried.) My favorite ride was the Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios that takes you up in an elevator and then drops you a bunch of stories over and over. So fun! I think we rode it seven times! Each day was packed with lots of activity – the time flew by!

The most surprising outcome of the trip: I cannot wait to take my children to Disney World (or Land) someday. And you know what that means… I am finally getting down to the business of thinking about having children. That is a big step!

You can see way more photos than you probably want from the trip over on my Disney World Flickr pool.

3 Comments » Categories: Family, Feeling Happy, Trips

Jul 21st 2010 01:14:43 pm

On Monday, I took a day trip to Washington, DC. I got on the train way too early in the morning, but it was worth it because I had a full day to explore the city with my Aunts, Amy and Dana. Dana was in town for a conference, but Amy and I got to spend the whole day walking the National Mall and checking out a few museums.

We started at the Capitol building (seen above) and then made our way to the new National Museum of the American Indian. I was thrilled to get to visit that museum. When I was in grad school studying museums we often discussed the, then in progress, Museum of the American Indian. The museum has many beautiful, historic artifacts, but it also has a strong focus on contemporary native communities and cultures. Its use of community curators and consultants from nearly every native tribe in the US was groundbreaking and unprecedented in museum development. The exhibits are emotional and sometimes difficult because they address the atrocities and controversies of the past head on, but they also show that Native Americans are not some quaint, extinct specimens (as museums often implied in the past). They are important members of our communities with living cultures that continue to make a large impact on our country. The museum does a great job of showing how native traditions are continued today… I could have spent hours reading every panel and learning about each of the tribes!

The museum is also a beautiful building designed by Native American architect, Douglas Cardinal… I took lots of photos!

It was really hot out on Monday, but we persevered and checked out the sculpture garden at the National Gallery of Art (where I was excited to see a Roxy Paine piece) and then briefly toured the Museum of American History. I liked the exhibit on the Apollo Theater – it had so much style!

After all the museum hopping we were tired and hot, but we managed to meet Dana for dinner and even found a delicious cupcake shop! (I’ll have more on the cupcakes in an upcoming review.) It was a great day! I wish I could have stayed a few more days in DC, but I have so much going on over the next few weeks that I had to get home…

2 Comments » Categories: Family, Trips, museums

Jun 20th 2010 02:06:26 pm

1 Comment » Categories: Family, Photos

May 31st 2010 07:39:07 pm

What a fun long weekend! June (my mother-in-law) came for a short visit from Kansas on Wednesday and we spent the weekend touring around the city. We hit many of the usual sights, like the Metropolitan Museum and Prospect Park, but we also did some new things. The main new adventure was going to see the Today Show taping in Rockefeller Center. Previously, I was never motivated enough to wake up as early as you need to in order to get to the taping in time, but June loves the Today Show so we knew it had to be a part of her trip. It was actually a lot more fun than I had anticipated. I thought the crowd would be too big and we wouldn’t be able to see anything, but we actually got a place by the fence and June got to shake Meredith and Matt’s hands. She even had a short conversation with Ann Curry. It was exciting and they were all very nice.

On Wednesday night, we met Travis after work and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. I always love doing that – there are such great views! We ended the walk as usual, at Grimaldi’s Pizzaria in Dumbo. It was really hot on Wednesday and we were afraid that the entire weekend would be that way, but the weather actually turned out to be perfect for most of the trip. On Thursday, June and I explored Chinatown and the Lower East Side. We met our friend, Sarah, for dinner at Frankie’s Spuntino, but not until after June and I went on a tour of a stranger’s LES apartment. It was huge and I think the owner wanted to show it off. She just invited us right up! She also happened to have a life-size nude portrait of herself in the bedroom! Bizarre! At least we made it out alive!

On Friday, (after the Today Show) we explored 5th Avenue and then I got exhausted. Walking around the city for a couple days straight can wipe a person out! We rested at home for the remainder of the day. Saturday included the doggy park with Crusher, waffles from the waffle truck, a stop at ABC Carpet & Home, ‘wichcraft for lunch, and then the Metropolitan Museum. I had really wanted to see the new Bambu installation on the Met roof. It was definitely interesting, but I liked the Roxy Paine installation from last year better. On Sunday, we fit in brunch at Rose Water here in Brooklyn before June had to head to airport. Whew! It was a packed visit. We had a great time.

4 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Family, New York

Apr 28th 2010 04:33:37 pm

Life has been changing and moving quickly lately. On Saturday, we spent all day at the Handmade Cavalcade craft fair, then on Sunday we took an all-day trip to New Haven, Connecticut, to sell our car. Boohoo. I feel sad about it. We bought our 2004 Subaru Imprezza WRX about two weeks before our wedding in 2003. (The photo above is us driving off in the car after our wedding ceremony.) It felt like our kid, or maybe our home. We drove it across the country twice, and it had been our only car for five years. But for the last year here, in New York, the poor thing just sat parked on the street. We hardly used it (maybe driving 200 miles in the last six months) and Travis had to move it to a new parking spot twice a week. Yuck. Plus, the insurance was expensive. So, it is on to a new life via CarMax and we are car-less. It is a relief to not have to worry about it any longer, and after one last trip to the DMV we will be able to cancel our insurance. I do love extra money!

Early Monday morning we headed to the hospital (by hired car and driver) for Travis’ ACL reconstruction knee surgery. The Hospital for Special Surgery was fabulous and everyone there was very professional. You can read Travis’ thoughts on the experience on his blog. The surgeon said that the surgery went perfectly, and it seems like it did because Travis is recovering quickly. My only complaint is that it now falls solely on me to take Crusher down and up the three flights of stairs to our apartment every time he needs to go outside….

Life is good and all of the recent excitement has gone as smoothly as we could expect, but I am definitely ready for some downtime! If you need me, I’ll probably be taking a nap.

4 Comments » Categories: Family, Feeling Happy, Feeling Sad, Health, Home, Travis

Apr 22nd 2010 10:29:43 am

This is an iPhone photo I took in the taxi on the way home from the airport on Tuesday. It is always a bit magical driving into New York City and seeing the Empire State building and the Brooklyn Bridge. I love being a passenger so that I can stare out the window.

Last week, I traveled to Kansas City to visit my family. This may sound a little over-the-top, but I am related to some of the most wonderful people in the world. I am lucky. The most amazing part is watching all of my younger siblings (I am the oldest) become awesome adults – adults that I want to be like and be friends with. All of my siblings (both by blood and marriage) live lives of education, service, and hard work. It is inspiring.

Now I am back in NYC, far from my family and trying to do some of my own hard work… I better get back to my email!

2 Comments » Categories: Family, New York