August 11 - Fashion forward.

On Tuesday I ventured out to window shop on my favorite street in the city...

And into my favorite store on the street, Kate Spade!

While browsing H&M I spotted a dress I bought mega on sale in Europe last year confirming my theory that American clothing is exactly one year behind European clothing.

A parting message from Paper Source

August 10 - Phone fixed!

On Monday I took some time to stop into Apple and spend 3 hours getting my new phone all set up. Thank goodness for the help at the Genius Bar!! Isn't this store design neat?

In the afternoon I learned there's only one rooftop pool in Boston. And that it's quite as delightful as it sounds.

August 9 - Dominican Day?

The city was greatly impacted by the annual celebration of Dominican Day, commemorated by a huge city-wide parade.

Despite this inconvenience I enjoyed a lovely run, through a lovely city, with lovely company...

August 8 - And Liberty for all.

Saturday was action packed! With no law school events to subdivide the attention of all those involved, a day full of tourist-y fun was planned.

First we set off on the ferry for Liberty Island. After several days of crushing heat and overcast humidity, I was grateful the weather was PERFECT for a full day outside.

For years people have been able to mount the base of the Statue of Liberty for a great view of the New York skyline. However since 9/11, access to the crown has been completely unavailable. On July 4th of this year they decided to reopen the crown to a few dozen people each day.
It was quite a deluxe experience! They gave us special wristbands and moved us past lines and behind closed doors. And although the climb to the top was hot and a bit treacherous, the inside glimpse was totally worth it!


After soaking in the views we hopped the ferry over to Ellis Island. I love the Immigration Museum oh so much. The museum is housed in the original building with original subway tiled walls and beautiful architectural details all over. I loved all the anecdotal stories from immigrants who passed through this portal on their journey to the new land. They had a gallery full of the treasured artifacts these people carried over from Europe as well as vintage luggage. Anyway, I highly recommend making the stop, even though energy can be low after visiting the statue.
Severin took some time to find his namesake etched on the wall of immigrants. How exciting!
While waiting, I saw what could only be a fantastic wedding being set up around the island. For at least $85,000 you can hold your wedding there too! I didn't get a great picture but it was huge and a seriously dreamy setup.


Back at Battery Park, we next rented bikes and headed over the Brooklyn Bridge for a stop for Grimaldi's and ice cream. The views were really breathtaking. Crossing that bridge is highly enjoyable (although I find Patsy's pizza to be better...).


By the time we got back to Battery Park the sun was setting and we could see the guests of the Rachel Feldberg & Jimmy Levin wedding heading to the ferry decked out in black-tie formal attire. Such great people watching for me!!

August 7 - Day at the Museum.

I was surprised how much more I enjoyed exploring the Natural History Museum after watching Night at the Museum. Is that lame? (By the way, I seem to misspell m-u-s-e-u-m every time I type it. Slightly embarrassing for a college graduate...)


(I took some carefully posed jumping pics around the museum but the skirt I was wearing was a bit too flow-y so I'll have to pass on posting any of them...)

They closed Broadway around Times Square and turned it into a full pedestrian zone complete with beach chairs. It's awesome.

The chandelier and trim in the theatre matched the elegance of the Phantom of the Opera production.

Schnippers is a tasty late-night snack spot. (I should probably do a full, separate post on all the restaurant recommendations... So great!)

August 6 - Buildings that remind me of Europe make me happy.

But I didn't take any photos other than this shot of the original C.O. Bigelow building in Greenwich Village. I really need to spend more time in that neighborhood. Smiles are guaranteed to follow.

By the way, Wicked is still going strong.

August 5 - Music in the Park

Madison Square Park that is.


Followed by Shake Shack. Soooo worth the wait.


Followed by a full-moon trip to the top of the Empire State Building at 11pm (who knew they were open that late!).

August 4 - Over already?

I hate to say I did not accomplish much in this day...

--730-9. Exercise (in Draper)

--9-930. Stall in the parking lot, listening to This American Life, eating Jamba Juice oatmeal, waiting for nail salon to open.

--930-1015. Pedicure... all in an effort to pass the time until Downeast Home opened.

--1015-1030. Search the store (unsuccessfully) for a bed I will love.

--1030-11?. Back to Provo. Boredom begins.

The rest is basically a blur...

I did wrap and prepare a package to send to Haley before her upcoming departure for Brazil. But I failed to put it in the mail as hoped...


Tomorrow will be good, I promise.

August 3 - New project

Today I had to stop by BYU campus (do you know how hard it is to find green chapstick around here??) and was reminded again how lovely they keep the grounds. It makes me happy every time I see it.

I spent the afternoon at the Springville Antique mall scoping out my next project(s).

I have a list of things I'm looking for which I'll get to in a later post but one project in the forefront of my mind is this DIY Headboard. Lovely right?

I think this door I found might work for the project and the price is right. So I need to spend the next little while finalizing my bed plans before pulling the trigger but I'm pretty excited at the prospect!

I'll keep you posted. :-)

P.S. Annee they still have the yo-yo quilt which inspired me to inspire you to save all your quilting scraps. It's a pretty penny but if it's still there at the end of this summer I think I might just have to take it home with me. It makes my heart happy every time I see it. Isn't that weird??

August 2 - Finished product.

Sunday afternoon I finished up the little arrangements for Hillary's shower. For the most part I think they're lovely although I'm always nervous about it. It's always a lot of fun for me so I guess that's what is important.


Today at church Ken and I took a gamble on the relationship class for Sunday School. Sometimes when we go to this class we find ourselves itching to get out with all sorts of over-shares and girls who think this class is therapy/a place to air all their dating discontent. Other times the teacher uses the time as another lesson about really basic principles such as how to get a date and how to date cheaply and how early to be home. Not the kind of relationship topics I find interesting.

This week they talked about financial management which is a topic I enjoy fiercely. It's amazing to see how closely Dave Ramsey's money advice follows the church's published advice - he and Dr Laura should just convert already.

The teacher didn't disappoint stirring controversy though. She said "A lot of people think paying tithing on your net pay is acceptable. But are those people full tithe payers? No they are not. You are to pay one tenth of your gross pay."

Huh? I'm sorry I wasn't aware that the brethren had made a final, declaratory statement on that subject. It is quite a bold statement for her to make. They're NOT full tithe payers? They're NOT temple worthy?

I disagree. And so do a lot people.

Anyway, not really important but it's been on my mind. Here's to tomorrow!

August 1st - Another start.

It's time for me to start blogging again. I think I'm ready. Part of the reason I have avoided it for the last few weeks is I've hit a road block with the blog design... I can't seem to get rid of that annoying 2 inches of nothing at the top of the page. And I can't make the header interesting. Maybe I'll break down and ask Alyssa to help me with one (but how can I ask someone for a favor like that??).


Anyway... I heard today that the person who broke into my car a few months ago has be CAUGHT! SHE (yeah I know, totally didn't suspect a woman but why not?) is in prison. She was stealing IDs and selling them. She didn't take my ID but she did steal my social security card which can be turned into an ID so they police say to watch out. I have my fingers crossed that my ipod and camera are among the many recovered items. That would make my day/week/summer!

• Yesterday I took part 1 of the CPA exam - I'm SO glad to have that behind me! Today has been spent cleaning and organizing my life now that I can think again.

• This morning CZ and I bought flowers which I will transform into arrangements for Hillary's bridal shower. That is my evening plan which I could not be more excited about!
  
  Have you ever seen a hydrangea this huge? It's 13 inches in diameter. One stem. Crazy!
  
  
  
• Baby Harrison is so tiny. I mean it's seriously unreal. I just don't think I've seen a baby that tiny in a LONG time.
  
  
• There are entirely too many restaurants in New York City.

I'm really sick of having such poor photo quality and transferring photos from my phone to my computer is not convenient. Yet, I don't want to buy a new camera right now... So I'm in limbo and I'm sorry.

Yay Pioneers!

For giving us all a day off!

(Who am I kidding... Everyday is a day off for me right now.)

See results here. Huh??

Beach Rd.

Photo taken by Blue Lily Photography.

Also, did you know

You can HIKE to Squaw Peak? I did not. At least not until I did
yesterday...

Before that I thought the only way to enjoy that view was to drive up
to the observation parking lot. It is definitely a breathtaking sight!!

Did you know

You can take screen shots of your iPhone? How smart is that!! I will
be taking advantage of this feature as I prepare to part ways with my
beloved phone...

One week after purchasing this phone I dropped it and broke off the
little switch that changes the phone from ring to vibrate. The people
at the Apple Store (all. the. way. in. Salt. Lake.) have decided they
will just replace my phone. Which seems like a kind and generous
offer... Except that means I lose everything stored and setup on this
one. Talk about annoying... (the whole situation is actually more
annoying than that but it's time for this story to be over)

Youre wondering, Why am I blogging about my phone, right?

(1) I am already in bed. I cannot sleep and cannot play another second
of Phase 10 so I decided to post. With limited access to photos and
formatting, this screen shot is all that is available for posting.

(2) I'm extremely bored of the fact that my blog has not been properly
maintained over the last two months. I mean this is supposed to be my
final summer of glory and I need proof of that fact to look back on
from my future desk job. As hard as posting everyday was, it was
easier than being constantly annoyed with myself for not posting. Does
that make sense?

(3) Posting about the pointless helps one get over the fact that one
has not yet posted about the significant. Posting as such helps one
get back on the bandwagon so to speak. So here one is climbing aboard.

In summary, thank you for your patience. I am planning to plan-in
posting time soon.

I will now resume counting backwards from 100 and/or playing monoploy
against non-existent opponents. Goodnight.

Running through the lavender...

Is a great way to start the day.

After an early morning race in Mona, Utah we stopped off at the Provo
Farmers Market to pick up some produce for our afternoon BBQ for two.
Corn, cherries and green beans.

Ken passed a steak tapas/taco stand and could not resist having one
despite the fact that it was only 9:30am. I opted for a cookie which
seemed like a more acceptable breakfast choice but in reality is just
as bizarre.

Between the race, the BBQ, FNL, the love, relaxation time, laughter,
the afternoon nap, the cloudy summer sky sunset, and a late evening
spent outside mosquito free, today was pretty much fantastic.

I am so very grateful. Speechless with contentment actually.

More photos and posts to follow.

Please stand by....

With all the time I have on my hands, I've decided to finally reformat my blog design. It's a lengthy process, especially when you go the HTML editing route. Which I am. Because I can't find a place online that will do what I want exactly. Oh well!!

Anyway, pardon my dust. I'll get this finished soon!!

If you're considering hiking The Narrows...

I would advise you to rethink that decision.

Yesterday in Zion National Park I spent 13 hours walking 15 miles
through a river with Lauren, Brad Guynn and Steve Pearson. Yes all 15
miles were spent wet and walking (and occassionally swimming) from rock
to rock trying not to die all while wondering why the heck am I here.
We covered the most difficult 2 mile stretch of river in 4 hours... So
torturous.

When I get photos from Lauren I will add them to help illustrate the
insanity. In the meantime I'm working on foot repair and hoping I will
be able to run again by the end of the week...

June and I fly to CA!

She was a great traveling companion. We landed in LAX and met up with
grandma and grandpa while we waited for Sarah and Scott to drive out
from Utah.

The whole family has gathered on Beach Road. So far it's been sunny
and delightful, I hope it continues! More posts and photos to come.

I must share...

A few months ago I came across this blog post about baby names. It's a collection of all the crazy baby names that passed through one of the hospitals in Idaho as recorded by a nurse working there. Pure gold. All the way down to the comments. Here are the categories:

The "To-Be-Expecteds" (mix-n-match)


The "sound it outs"


Completely Unnecessary Extra T's


Hilarious Twin Combinations


and lastly the



What the EFF's

Definitely worth a click HERE.


When you're done looking at that, click over to AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com because you KNOW that one is good. Definitely worth browsing through the entire archives. Here's a brief sample...

Thursday & Friday in SLC

Early Thursday morning I drove Ken and Chase (recently returned from mission to Russia, often referred to as "Little Chase" not to be confused with "Big Chase." Seems like he left just yesterday!) to the airport to go visit Chris and Janis for the weekend in Wisconsin. I took advantage of being up in SLC and ran many errands and made MANY returns to stores around the Gateway. After cleaning out my closet of all my winter items I had qutie a few things to take back...

Then on Friday I returned to SLC with my sisters et al to see the Joseph Smith movie. It was a very pleasant afternoon.

I'm happy to report older sister Sarah is posting a photo a day in June so you can look HERE for more details. Often I inject myself into some portion of their day so her daily updates will overlap with mine.

Not much is going on other than that... Did you celebrate national donut day? We did.

3D movies

Yesterday I spent most of the day finally packing up all my winter
clothes. How strange to think the next time I'll unpack them will be
in DC! In the evening Jane and I went on a little bike ride to
Christine's house. After Ken finished teaching his last LSAT class of
this series we ran and did stairs after which we ran into Annee and CZ
biking back to Sarahs after scoping out a new shaved ice place (RIP
Ella Good Shaved Ice...).

Today Ken and I joined my sisters and all the kids for a 3D movie called Up.
It was so cute and touching that I may have actually teared up. I
definitely recommend it to all!!

Can't wait to see what we do with the rest of the week. Last Summer
Ever rocks!

***UPDATE!!*** Kirstin has tracked down the details of Ella Good's new location:
It is on 1200 W. in Orem between Center and 800 S.
The easiest description though is in the parking lot of the hardware
store south of Trafalga.

Thanks so much Kirst!! Can't wait to check it out again.

May 31 - The End.

What is this you ask?

It's the latest recipe being passed around. I've gotten a couple emails with it included. Tonight I tested it out and it's pretty good! Definitely fills that spot when you need a quick cake fix.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg, milk and oil and mix thoroughly.

Add the chocolate chips and vanilla and mix again.

Microwave for 2-3 minutes. (I think 3 minutes is too long, 1:45 is probably even best)

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't worry, it never actually overflowed!