and a little more DC

DC....

marathon mayhem....

The marathon was awesome.
Picture this.
Running 26.2 miles with famous sites such as the US Capital building, the White House, the Jefferson Memorial looming in the distance.
Running through quaint colonial looking streets.
Feeling fabulous throughout it all, even sprinting at the end...And to top it off, qualifying for Boston with a time of 3:32! Hooray!

art in the city

St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Just a little shot of what we saw walking around the other day.
Another normal day in NYC, another "normal" view.
All the architecture and culture here is amazing. Love it.

good luck wishes from the bronx

My roommate Keila teaches school in the Bronx.
A little free time after the assignments were done this week, and wa-lah!
This is what the youngsters came up with to wish us luck on the big race.
Lucky us!

ready or not...

i am going HERE this weekend...

to do THIS...

ready or not, here I come! Washington DC Marathon '09!

my big apple family...

Is she not the cutest thing you have ever seen? Talk about a photo to melt your heart! On Sunday after church, I stopped by to visit my only family out here in the big apple--the Buckners. They have 5 kids, and let's just say that kids are something I am not usually surrounded by in this crazy, on-the-go lifestyle of mine. 4 wild boys, 1 adorable girl. The time there included rowdy boys doing rowdy boy type stuff (of which I am not accustomed to) and about 3 tea parties with quite possibly the cutest little girl ever. Lauren is my little buddy and was thrilled when I let her dress up in my jewelry and purse. The funniest moment though was during a short FHE when Jen (the mom) was giving the lesson. She spoke about being a good example and how sometimes it is hard when we feel we are the only one amidst our friends choosing the right. She asked her children for examples in their life and Brandon, who is about 10 I think) blurted out, "Yea, I know what you mean. It is like when voting day comes around and you are the ONLY Republican in your entire school!" Not exactly what she probably had in mind! Anyway, it was so refreshing to be around a "family atmosphere" and just sit back and laugh. I miss being around kids.

a saturday at the museum

You may be wondering what on earth is that? Well, let me explain. Just happens to be one of the most famous exhibits at the famous Guggenheim Museum in NYC. 2 twenty-five pound blocks of ice, surrounded by 8 microphones, sound amplifiers and the like. Title of the exhibit "The Sound of Ice Melting." No joke. Gotta love this place!

Kyle & I spent our Saturday afternoon in the museum. Turns out, NYC is full of them. I loved the architecture of the actual building at The Guggenheim. Just look at it. Amazing, if you ask me.

The museum was all about modern art--therefore, I don't know if I fully appreciated it all. Like the melting ice exhibit above. Or this exhibit-an entire room filled with thousands of small pictures of the guy posted orderly in columns. Turns out the guy had shaved his head at the beginning of the year, and then proceeded to take a picture of himself in the same position every hour of every day for the entire year to show the gradual change of his hair. The result=long hair at the end of the year. Really worthy of an entire room in the Guggenheim museum? Honestly!!

ladders + bookstores...

So we stumbled upon a bookstore the other day. Not just any bookstore. The kind with all the old, dusty novels with the crisp, musty smelling pages. The kind where you feel like any second you might uncover a vintage or heirloom copy of an old classic, after dusting off the cover of course! The best part was the rickety old ladder. If you look close enough, you can see it on the right. I have always wanted to go to an old bookstore with a ladder that reaches the top shelves and climb on up. The best part--the ladder even had wheels so that after climbing up and then discovering the perfect book was just out of arm's length, you could pull yourself over. Wow. Love bookstores.

just another day in the city.

Guess what I did today after work? Watched tv? No. Took a nap? Nope. Hung out at home? Would have been nice, but nope again. I saw Shrek on Broadway. Although I must admit,I was not sold at first, the final verdict? Humorous, vibrant, alive, along with fabulous stage scenery and costumes. Loved it. I am always in awe at how incredible everything is on Broadway. Living in NYC is such an adventure. You can just decide to go see Broadway after work when so many people plan an entire vacation over seeing a show. Too bad I have to go back to work tomorrow. Oh well, TGIF-right?

climb every...mountain??

A few weeks ago, we met up with our friends from New Jersey. They have a car, what a luxury out here and so we drove outside the bustling city limits to hike the famous New Jersey Water Gap. Truthfully, this "mountain" was more like a rolling hill in Utah standards, but it was so great to get some fresh air and a view of something other than skyscrapers and taxi cabs. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE NYC, but it was great to pull out the old faded jeans and be an outdoorsy girl again!

the Spice Market

This city is known for its amazing cuisine. There are so many restaurants that you could eat a different one every day for years! I have never loved to dine out so much, but it is so fun trying out different places. A few weeks ago, we ate here:
And inside it looked like this. One step in the doors and you are taken immediately to an asian oasis!

our dining consisted of:

spicy mango & mint thai fried chicken wings

vietnamese spring rolls

cod with malaysian chili sauce

char grilled chicken with kumquat lemongrass dressing

vietnamese chicken curry

ginger fried rice

coconut sticky rice steamed in a banana leaf

& banana macadamia ice cream.

What an experience...(I just don't ever want to look at the bill after a meal like that!)