Staten Island Ferry or the cheap way to see the Statue of Liberty

Spoiler: photo of Lydia on this blog. I know, Shocker, huh.

We had to keep her from getting sunburned on that bald head somehow.



Fun, relaxing and free! Highly recommend it.

I am not a photographer

All I want is to be able to take nice-looking snapshots of my family (and, apparently, household plants).

My camera has done wonderful things for this goal. I've been experimenting with full Manual mode because I was having trouble getting enough light in my photos (when taken indoors) when using Aperture priority.

These photos are of a lovely orchid Adam brought home for me just a few days before our Anniversary (which I will blog about eventually, maybe) and were taken in full Manual. I think the exposure turned out okay, don't you?

More pictures of the Lyds up on her blog.

Shack Attack

I have wanted to go to the famed Shake Shack for awhile. Because it's famed. So we went.

But not to the original Shake Shack. The line is supposed to be hours long. Seriously - they have a camera online that you can watch to check how long the line is. I, being a kind wife, decided not to put Adam through that, and instead went to the second installment of the Shake Shack, which still had a long line, a longer wait, loud music, and no available tables. We ate on a bench outside the Museum of Natural history.

Verdict:

Good shroom-burgers - so much cheesy goodness.

The fries were meh for us.

Adam thought his strawberry shake was kinda generic.

I loved my "Concrete" - basically a custard shake with yummy mix-ins.

So...good, but not that good. And certainly not worth the price tag. If you look closely at the pictures, you can see that Adam turned the S's on the bag into $'s. I laughed, but only because it was true.

If I were writing a review, which I guess this kind of is, I would say "Go for the experience, but probably only once. And don't waste money on the fries."

This post won't run until Tuesday, but I'm writing it on Sunday night. Based on requests from my Mom to blog more often, I'm creating a batch of future posts. It's hard to post during the day. I usually wait until the evening, in the "Golden Hours" after bedtime for the little one. Am I the only one that looks forward to those hours after bedtime and stays up way too late during them?

If this post-dating posts thing is working, there should be a new Lydia post up. As always, let me know if you need an invite.

Independence Day Thoughts

Happy Fourth of July! We celebrated with a walk in the park, long naps during church (for more than 1 of us - Wheps!), and raspberries, blackberries and cream for an evening dessert. That was the closest I could come to a festive treat, considering that we don't really bake around here and blueberries are not even in the same goodness league as blackberries.

Lately:

Our bishop asked us if you have to have a beard to be a singer. We laughed.

Lydia gave me a bloody nose. I assume this is a harbinger of things to come and am imagining all the things I will endure at the hands of my children. I am not looking forward to vomit.

Adam has been really enjoying his Opera program at Caramoor. He even had a celebrity sighting when he ran into Sonia, a choreographer on SYTYCD, in the elevator in their building. He's also seen the original Elfaba from Wicked. Basically, he's famous. He gets along with everyone in the program great, and gets invited to some fun parties. We chose not to go the 4th of July one, where the main attraction was a bathtub full of ice and booze, and Adam opted out of the MuuMuus and eyeshadow party, which is a shame, since he cuts a nice figure in tentlike dresses.

I discovered the joy of picking out books to read to your child. Seriously, I almost started skipping in the library when I saw the shelves and shelves of picture books so full of old friends. Now I need to make a list of my favorites that will someday be Lydia's favorites (or hated enemies) because I read them to her. Shaping a little mind is awesome.

Here are just a few I want to find: "Goodnight, Moon" (because "Goodnight, Bush," while funny, is lost on a wee one), "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," "A Special Trade," "Oh, the Places You'll Go," "Blueberries for Sal," and so many more. We've already read a Madeline book, one of the Little Critter books, "Whistle for Willie" and "Make Way for Ducklings." Oh, and Adam has requested the book about the 7 brothers who can't be killed. Anyone know the name of that one, or have suggestions for more must-reads?

Loved the MOMA, but it was a madhouse. Apparently the free Friday nights is not a well-kept secret.

We also went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I had forgotten how monstrously large it was. We saw the Egypt stuff and a bunch of Japan before sinking into an art-induced trance. We just wandered through the European paintings section with glazed eyes, oblivious to the masterpieces. We just wanted an exit, and when we found that, we wanted food. That hot-dog vendor at the bottom of those steps makes BANK. One walk through Central Park and one long subway ride got us home to rest our sore feet.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of us at the Met. Not that I like taking pictures of the art, but it would have been nice to have documentation of us being there, seeing the art. Next time, we've decided we'll go and see ONE section, no more. ONE, you hear me? ONE.

There will be a new Lydia post up in a few minutes. Let me know if you need an invite.

Blurry pictures

New pictures are up on Lydia's blog - I warn you, they are not high quality, but they are cute.

Pictures of our Walk in the Park

Cloisters


I saw this little guy as we were about to leave - you can't tell from this photo, but he was HUGE, and I can't figure out what it is. A giant potgut? Maybe a groundhog? I only say that because he reminded me of the Punxatawney Phil in Groundhog Day, except I'm pretty sure this guy was bigger. And then I walked past and he meandered slowly up that cliff next to him.

Note to Self:

Unless you want Lydia to be mistaken for a boy multiple times, when you go out in public, she must be wearing pink. Even then, it's anything but a sure bet.

Maybe I should just cave and start putting bows on her. I just don't think they're our style. And she's too wiggly - she's always pulling them down around her neck. Isn't that a strangulation hazard?

Rolls with Holes

One of the things I was looking forward to most in New York was eating the famed bagels - the quintessential bagel, if I can say that.

Unfortunately, I've been disappointed.

I have to remind you that I'm not a dummy when it comes to bagels - I've been eating them all my life, and, for the past 2 years, making them. However, our living situation is such that we don't have the things necessary to do much baking - and if we did we would probably just end up cooking ourselves by adding that extra heat to our apartment. So, I was just assuming that we would find a neighborhood deli or bakery that made great bagels and go from there.

WRONG. All our neighborhood bakeries and delis and this weird idea about bagels - namely that you don't have to boil them. LIES! I am here to tell you that a bagel without boiling is just a roll with a hole (line stolen from the writer of our bagel recipe). Seriously - the texture ends up all wrong and I, the consumer, am most seriously displeased.

As you can see, this is causing great unhappiness in my life. What should I do to get my bagel fix?

*image from here.

Also, if you haven't noticed yet, there are a couple new Lydia posts.

The Quest to do things

On Tuesday, the New Yorky thing Lydia and I did was to find a library and get a card. One subway stop later, one cranky librarian conquered, one plastic card in hand, I couldn't overcome the final hurdle, which was finding the Children's section at the Inwood branch of the New York Public library. For obvious reasons, I didn't want to even talk to the librarian of crankiness again, so we went home and googled it. Ah...it's upstairs. There was an upstairs? Guess we'll be back.

The next day (the day commonly referred to as Wednesday) we were going to go back to the library and to playgroup (or Lunch Bunch, as our ward likes to call it) but things didn't happen quickly enough and we were just lazying around the apartment (more like "in the shower") when the door buzzed - loud and long and repeatedly. I had no idea who it could be, but buzzed them in. Turns out Adam (A) got out of rehearsal/class early and (B) forgot his keys. Good thing we didn't make it to playgroup. Also a good thing the person I buzzed in wasn't some psycho killer intent on butchering us, right?

Which brings us to today, the day we planned to spend moseying around Central Park, to see what we could see. Basically, it didn't happen. Before going to Central Park, we wanted to walk through Times Square (how could we not?), which isn't a problem unless you get on the wrong train and skip all the stops up until 125th street. At that point, we had been walking for an hour and a half and didn't want to back track, so we rescheuled for Saturday and went home. 5 minutes after we walked in the door a thunderstorm started. Maybe it was a good thing Central Park fell through.

I feel like a slackface though - no pictures of Times Square - I was too intent on not looking like a tourist, but when I'm walking around with a camera bag twice the size of my baby's head (and have you seen her head? It's a big 'un), what's the point? Note to self: Just take a lot of pictures.

I Love This City

On Sunday, I had a startling realization. We are a third of the way through our time here. I personally, feel like I haven't even started the whole living in New York process. Well, we've done the essential things, like figure out where to shop and how to get around, but we haven't done many quintessential New York things. But we have had fun. I have pictures to show you of our Staten Island Ferry trip (very nice, especially once Adam got the baby to sleep), and for our anniversary, we went to a great little Indian restaurant (which is how Adam would prefer to be a tourist - just eat all the great food in a city) and Adam works right next to Times Square - so he feels like he's in the thick of things every day. Basically, I am not saying we haven't done anything, but I may be saying that I feel like we haven't done enough. So...Lydia and I are going to start doing things.

One evening last week Adam had to pick something up from the apartment of a guy in his program. So we went on a little family walk. I discovered that by cutting through the subway station, I could take an elevator to the top of the cliff that's in front of our apartment building. Huzzah! No stairs involved! Or at least fewer than if I go through the park. That was going to be a death march with a stroller. Anyway, on our little walk, we discovered what I think is one of the most beautiful parts of the city. It's high up, with views of the city and the river, and there's this park. So awesome. We walked and talked and looked and wished we had a camera and then finished out the night with ice cream from an ice cream truck. Doesn't get better than that. So today (or Monday - which might be today or might be yesterday, depending on when this posts), Lydia and I took a walk to that park. The one on top of the cliff. Coincidentally, the home of The Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - pretty much a really cool building put together from all these old medieval buildings that were going to get torn down, and the place now houses the Met's collection of medieval and renaissance art. I wanted to go and see it, maybe go inside (depending on how much I was going to be able to swallow my pride and pay less than the suggested donation). We walked around, Lydia slept, I took pictures, and it was generally gorgeous. This city knows how to do parks. I don't know if it's an East Coast thing, but I love parks here. Lots of shaded benches, tons of old and huge trees, beautiful (but not too manicured) flower beds, and perfect views in all directions. I feel like the parks that I'm used to (i.e. Utah parks) do big families and entertaining for kids parks, but not parks for the individual. And that's what Fort Tryon Park is. A park for the individual. For walking and sitting and thinking. It reminded me of parks in London, honestly.

I had a great time and felt like I had a nice New Yorky thing going on. Everyone was so nice, too. An old man sitting on a bench (not wearing much, I might add) said "Take it easy, honey. It's hot out," and then complained about the ice cream truck not being on time. A group of teens on their bikes came whizzing around a corner just as I was about to turn it. The leader called back - "Be Careful, Dudes. BABY!" And then everyone of them called out "BABY" to the ones behind and apologized for not seeing me sooner. So pretty. So - if you're ever on the north end of Manhattan, spend an afternoon in Fort Tryon Park and walk through the Heather Garden. Take a picnic and eat it on a nice shady bench. You'll like it.

Only damper on my day - the only entrance to the Cloisters I could find involved a flight of stairs. Doesn't that violate some sort of accessibility law? Only people who can walk (and don't have babies) can appreciate art, clearly.

Maybe I'll put pictures on this post tomorrow when I can use Adam's computer. Until then, sorry about the wall of text. Love you if you got this far.

What we have learned in the past few weeks:

• I speak better Spanish than I do Russian.
• The MTA is not in the habit of blowing up suspicious packages on their subway platforms. Thanks to this oversight, Adam's scriptures are intact.
• Lydia actually loves rice cereal. You know before, when we thought she hated it? Really, she was just like, "PSYCH!"
• On a related note, highchairs really are a necessary baby item.
• On another related note, Craigslist is our favorite - in the past couple months, we have gotten an AWESOME (and relatively cheap) sublet, sold our car, and gotten a perfect highchair on that great list of Craig's (or ksl.com - which, let's admit, KSL kinda kifed from Craig).
• Eastern European mustard doesn't mess around. Clears out your sinuses, that does.
• Having a baby with you can make the crustiest of New Yorkers smile.
• I am perfectly capable of navigating the New York subway system with a baby in a stroller (sans husband). I feel so empowered.
• The above is only made possible because of our wonderful stroller. We love Maclarens! Along with the rest of New York.
• Government employees hate me.
• We moved into THE ward to live in if you sing Opera. Seriously, the amount of singers in this ward is ridiculous.
• Lydia loves it when we sing. She apparently inherited her father's affinity for music. Not sure if she's a discerning listener, though - she likes my singing just as much as Adam's. Also - whistling is the coolest thing since sliced bread, or in this case, rice cereal.
• Humidity really is beastly - but hey, no need to use lotion!
• Making meals is easier when you only have 3 ingredients. No decisions necessary.
• Singers in New York are surprisingly similar to singers at BYU, but make more slightly inappropriate jokes.
• Breaking into our apartment is surprisingly easy. How comforting.

Happy Anniversary, Adam - and Happy Birthday, Laura!

Today is a big day! Two years ago, Adam and I got married, and yes, we did choose my little sister's birthday as our wedding date. Sorry, Laura! But I think she's recovered and doesn't hate us anymore. I just wanted to give her a shoutout and tell her how awesome she is - what a great example of hard work, great sense of humor, impeccable fashion, insane intelligence, wonderful taste in music, and all around fun. I hope your day is awesome, Lauralyn. Also, I'd like to say thank you to Adam for a wonderful two years. They've been unbelievable, and I'm so glad to be going through life with the best man I know. I love you!

Just a big kid

On Memorial Day we went to a farmish type thing with Adam's sister and her three girls. Adam started out the day by attempting to not be photographed. So unenthused.Look - an unhappy smile.

But then he saw the train.And had quite a bit of fun proving that he could fit through spaces meant for small children.

Check it out - this is our apartment!

Sorry about the bad lighting, but this is basically what the apartment we're subletting looks like. We couldn't be happier with it.

New Lydia posts

There are new posts on Lydia's private blog. Let me know if you need an invite. Included in those posts is a way to watch that darned video!

What the heck, Blogger?

This is what blogger thinks our apartment looks like.

Grrrr

I spent all of yesterday trying to upload a video of Lydia's first time eating rice cereal. It failed about 80 times, so I've given up - I will have to find a different way of doing it. She hated it anyway. We tried again today and she hated it even more. She would turn her head way over to the side and refuse to open her mouth while Adam was trying to shove the stuff down her throat. Poor kid. She's too distracted to nurse and too picky to eat. Guess she'll starve.

Well, we live in NYC now. We think our apartment is just perfect for us and are enjoying ourselves so far (although the prospect of going out and doing anything besides grocery shopping has so far been too daunting to overcome). I took a bunch of pictures of the apartment that are loading on to the computer right now - I'll post them when we get a chance.

Any suggestions for navigating NYC with a baby in a stroller (one who hates humidity?)? Or fun things to do? Or hints for getting a picky baby to eat? Please, let me know.

Happy Birthday Katie!

It's birthday season around here. Today is my wonderful older sister's b-day. We used to live right across the hall from each other, but now we don't and I miss it. Here's hoping we live close sometime in the future. I love you, Katie!

Happy Birthday Ali!

She's smart, talented, beautiful, creative, and kind of a spaz. She's also 12 now! Congratulations, little sister!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

The amazing woman I'm named after's birthday is today. Hope it's grand, Grandma Bonnie!