Sorry for the radio silence as of late. I think that with the massive overshare that was blogging for the trip combined the the adjusting to the move and to real life again, I felt the need to be very private and careful.
I think I am over that now.
So enjoy.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Christmas 2012
This year for Christmas we went to Kansas City with Joseph's family. Joseph didn't get very much time off of work, so we only went for the weekend. It was a lot of fun. We managed to cram a lot of things in to just 5 days.
I flew out on Wednesday because the tickets were cheaper and Joseph flew out Thursday night after work, so he only had to be gone from the office for one day.
Friday - We headed in to Kansas City to check out the Archives Museum, as well as the train station there, Union Station, that used to be a major train station of the frontier. It was pretty impressive on the inside, and they had it decorated beautifully, they also had a really cool train exhibit set up inside. After the archives we went to a pizza place that had been featured on diners, drive-ins and dives where I ate way to much pizza because it was delicious and by the time we got there I was starving. After dinner we went to a Christmas concert, that involved 4 people singing a bunch of different christmas songs. I liked it and thought it was fun, Joseph thought it was cheesy.
Saturday - We hung around the house mostly in the morning, then went to see the Hobbit. I thought it was way to long, and was very disappointed to learn it was only part of the story. I didn't realize going into it that they were also turing the hobbit into a series, it seems very unnecessary Sorry to those who liked it, I thought it was lame. After the movie we headed to the Independence visitor center, where Joseph's little sister was doing a Christmas concert. Going to Independence is always very interesting to me, because so much in church history happened there, and even more will happen in the future. All the while it is just a little tiny slightly trashy town with several different version of the LDS church operating. It is very interesting. Sometimes I wish I could see in to the future to see what is going to happen.
Monday - Christmas Eve we woke up and all went to the gym to get in a good workout before our Christmas feast. The afternoon we just sort of hung around and cooked and got ready for the big night. We had a Christmas eve dinner, dancing and present opening. Joseph had printed off a bunch of picture of us from our trip and got them framed, it was such a sweet present. I am so glad we were able to take that trip together.
Tuesday - Christmas day we woke up early to open our stockings and eat breakfast. I made my moms eggs brunch recipe for breakfast for everyone. I think it was a little undercooked but it was delicious and it reminded me of home. After breakfast we headed into Kansas City to see Les Mis, it was one of the main things that Joseph wanted to do for Christmas.
After the movie we went some of the Nance's long time friends house to spend the afternoon with them. I had never met them before, but had heard a lot of good things about the family. It was a fun afternoon to relax and spend time with some really nice people.
Then we went back to the house to hang out. We had to pack and organize our stuff since we had a 6:30am flight the next day. We ended up having to check a cardboard box like a bunch of rednecks because we had too much stuff to fit in our carryon bags.
Then on the way home due to that silly box we almost missed our flight. Apparently they only had one person checking in the luggage so we stood in line for almost an hour just to drop off our box (we were already checked in) when 5 minutes before our flight we followed the lady in front of us in line to security where she had sweet talked the lady into letting us take our big bags through security. Then we dropped our bags off at the counter and requested that our box be gate checked. They obliged, with absolutely no complaint. So luckily we made our flight despite the incompetence of Delta.
Also, apparently I didn't take any pictures while we were on Christmas break. Oh well, we were busy relaxing.
I flew out on Wednesday because the tickets were cheaper and Joseph flew out Thursday night after work, so he only had to be gone from the office for one day.
Friday - We headed in to Kansas City to check out the Archives Museum, as well as the train station there, Union Station, that used to be a major train station of the frontier. It was pretty impressive on the inside, and they had it decorated beautifully, they also had a really cool train exhibit set up inside. After the archives we went to a pizza place that had been featured on diners, drive-ins and dives where I ate way to much pizza because it was delicious and by the time we got there I was starving. After dinner we went to a Christmas concert, that involved 4 people singing a bunch of different christmas songs. I liked it and thought it was fun, Joseph thought it was cheesy.
Saturday - We hung around the house mostly in the morning, then went to see the Hobbit. I thought it was way to long, and was very disappointed to learn it was only part of the story. I didn't realize going into it that they were also turing the hobbit into a series, it seems very unnecessary Sorry to those who liked it, I thought it was lame. After the movie we headed to the Independence visitor center, where Joseph's little sister was doing a Christmas concert. Going to Independence is always very interesting to me, because so much in church history happened there, and even more will happen in the future. All the while it is just a little tiny slightly trashy town with several different version of the LDS church operating. It is very interesting. Sometimes I wish I could see in to the future to see what is going to happen.
Monday - Christmas Eve we woke up and all went to the gym to get in a good workout before our Christmas feast. The afternoon we just sort of hung around and cooked and got ready for the big night. We had a Christmas eve dinner, dancing and present opening. Joseph had printed off a bunch of picture of us from our trip and got them framed, it was such a sweet present. I am so glad we were able to take that trip together.
Tuesday - Christmas day we woke up early to open our stockings and eat breakfast. I made my moms eggs brunch recipe for breakfast for everyone. I think it was a little undercooked but it was delicious and it reminded me of home. After breakfast we headed into Kansas City to see Les Mis, it was one of the main things that Joseph wanted to do for Christmas.
After the movie we went some of the Nance's long time friends house to spend the afternoon with them. I had never met them before, but had heard a lot of good things about the family. It was a fun afternoon to relax and spend time with some really nice people.
Then we went back to the house to hang out. We had to pack and organize our stuff since we had a 6:30am flight the next day. We ended up having to check a cardboard box like a bunch of rednecks because we had too much stuff to fit in our carryon bags.
Then on the way home due to that silly box we almost missed our flight. Apparently they only had one person checking in the luggage so we stood in line for almost an hour just to drop off our box (we were already checked in) when 5 minutes before our flight we followed the lady in front of us in line to security where she had sweet talked the lady into letting us take our big bags through security. Then we dropped our bags off at the counter and requested that our box be gate checked. They obliged, with absolutely no complaint. So luckily we made our flight despite the incompetence of Delta.
Christmas Tree Tour
During the few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and with being out of town, we really only had one Saturday here where we could do Christmas things. Since New York is the best for Christmas we tried to make the most of it.
This last tree is our tree for this year. It was our first real tree, that we picked up from the tree lot that set up just down the block. I made Joseph carry it home. I loved it, it smelled so good. Don't be judgmental about the lack of lights, I didn't feel like going back to the scary hardware store on our street to get more. It didn't seem worth having to put my self through another awkward encounter.
On our only Saturday, I decided that we should mix it up a little bit and we went on a Christmas tree tour of the City. We only made it to 3 Christmas trees, but it was fun none the less. I also learned that the D train does not stop at the natural history museum, but it is the major express and doesn't stop until you are in Harlem, so yea at least we learned something along the way.
We went first to the Washington Square Park tree. Since it was the middle of the day it wasn't lit up but it was still pretty cool. Plus being in Washington Square Park makes me feel hip and cool. We also got some warm sugary pecans, they smell so good in the winter and they are delicious.
We walked up through Union Square, and through the Christmas village. It was so crowded I instantly felt claustrophobic and regretted my desire to look at the booths.
Sometime along the way we grabbed some soup and sandwiches. We were hoping for some German brats at the Christmas market but were let down on that one.
Next we walked up to Madison Square Park, one of my personal favorite places since it is near to the flatiron building, although that tree was my least favorite. It was small, and oddly decorated.
Then we continued on to Bryant park. This was my favorite tree, it was really big and really pretty.
After Bryant Park we were starting to feel tired and started crossing off trees from our list of trees to see, and this is when we made the fatal subway error that ended us up in Harlem. We figured we would make the most of it and go see the tree at St. John the Divine, this amazing cathedral up near Morningside Park, but it was closed for a private concert.
So since we were pretty close to home we patted ourselves on the back, and said job well done for doing Christmas things and headed home to relax and put our feet up.
So we missed the tree at the Met and the Natural History museum, which according to the internets are amazing, but oh well. There is always next year.
My 27th Birthday
I turned 27 on December 1st. It made me feel a little bit old, but also I like this mature Megan that is going on these days. I feel more confident in myself and I feel like I am finally catching up to the person that I want to be, if that makes any sense at all.
This year Joseph was out of town on my birthday for a work trip. He had to go to San Francisco for orientation. Since we just moved here, and I didn't really have any friends, I was looking at hanging out by myself so Joseph, the best husband ever, flew me down to Alabama for a few days to hang out with my sister and her kids.
We had a donut feast for breakfast. They were delicious.
Vulcan Park.
Birthday BBQ.
Cupcakes.
My Alabama trip was really fun. I loved spending a couple of days with my sister and her little girls. They are the sweetest little girls. My sisters younger daughter Reese, called me 'Egan all week, it was adorable. Her older daughter Avery kept drawing and coloring me pictures all week for special presents. It was adorable.
We hit up the zoo, Birminghams Vulcan Park, got some delicious BBQ on my birthday, shopping at cute boutiques, a real southern breakfast, a hike through some rock fields. My sister had some special Megan cupcakes made for the occasion and they were delicious.
Plus it was so warm there. I loved it.
This year Joseph was out of town on my birthday for a work trip. He had to go to San Francisco for orientation. Since we just moved here, and I didn't really have any friends, I was looking at hanging out by myself so Joseph, the best husband ever, flew me down to Alabama for a few days to hang out with my sister and her kids.
My Alabama trip was really fun. I loved spending a couple of days with my sister and her little girls. They are the sweetest little girls. My sisters younger daughter Reese, called me 'Egan all week, it was adorable. Her older daughter Avery kept drawing and coloring me pictures all week for special presents. It was adorable.
We hit up the zoo, Birminghams Vulcan Park, got some delicious BBQ on my birthday, shopping at cute boutiques, a real southern breakfast, a hike through some rock fields. My sister had some special Megan cupcakes made for the occasion and they were delicious.
Plus it was so warm there. I loved it.
The Friday after Thanksgiving
The Friday after Thanksgiving everyone was still here, and we wanted to do something fun.
So we decided it would be a great day for a Brooklyn excursion.
We started the day with a stop at the Donut Plant on our way to Brooklyn, where we sampled way to many delicious donuts.
Then we hopped back on the subway and headed to Brooklyn. We weren't 100 percent sure where we were going but it worked out to our advantage we ended up wandering through some cute Brooklyn neighborhoods, and then we were able to walk up the Brooklyn Bridge Park path. It was a beautiful sunny day.
We went over to the Dumbo portion of the park to ride on Jane's Carousel. Izzie rode and we just watched but it was a really cool carousel right on the water. It was crazy thinking about how all of that was flooded just a few week before because of the Hurricane. This is the picture of what it looked like during the hurricane. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/10/janes-carousel-survives-sandy.html
We had wanted to go to Grimaldi's pizza for dinner, but the line was pretty long and everyone protested so we carried on with the plan and walked over the bridge to eat at the Grimaldi's in Manhattan.
I love walking over the Brooklyn Bridge it is awesome. It is one of my favorite things in Manhattan.
After we walked across we finally got lunch. We were starving. The pizza was delicious, although it started a debate on the best pizza around so we of course had to get a different pizza for dinner. I liked the Grimaldi's the best, Joseph liked the second place.
On the way home we made a detour through Madison Square park to see the flatiron building and the park.
It was a really fun day, it involved a lot of walking and a lot of subway riding.
So we decided it would be a great day for a Brooklyn excursion.
We started the day with a stop at the Donut Plant on our way to Brooklyn, where we sampled way to many delicious donuts.
Then we hopped back on the subway and headed to Brooklyn. We weren't 100 percent sure where we were going but it worked out to our advantage we ended up wandering through some cute Brooklyn neighborhoods, and then we were able to walk up the Brooklyn Bridge Park path. It was a beautiful sunny day.
We went over to the Dumbo portion of the park to ride on Jane's Carousel. Izzie rode and we just watched but it was a really cool carousel right on the water. It was crazy thinking about how all of that was flooded just a few week before because of the Hurricane. This is the picture of what it looked like during the hurricane. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/10/janes-carousel-survives-sandy.html
We had wanted to go to Grimaldi's pizza for dinner, but the line was pretty long and everyone protested so we carried on with the plan and walked over the bridge to eat at the Grimaldi's in Manhattan.
I love walking over the Brooklyn Bridge it is awesome. It is one of my favorite things in Manhattan.
After we walked across we finally got lunch. We were starving. The pizza was delicious, although it started a debate on the best pizza around so we of course had to get a different pizza for dinner. I liked the Grimaldi's the best, Joseph liked the second place.
On the way home we made a detour through Madison Square park to see the flatiron building and the park.
It was a really fun day, it involved a lot of walking and a lot of subway riding.
Thanksgiving the Day
The day of Thanksgiving was pretty great. We opted out of getting up at 5AM to stand in the freezing cold and wait for the Macy's Day Parade to start, but we did get to sleep in, have breakfast and go for a run in Central Park which is always a great way to start the day in my opinion.
We stopped by the bakery on the way home from the run to grab a fresh loaf of bread for our appetizers.
Then we went home to get dressed and changed for our "Turkey Bowl." Since the ward here didn't do an actual Turkey Bowl, we decided it would be more appropriate to go bowling. New Nance Family tradition for sure. This was everyone can participate. We went to a swanky bowling alley in Times Square called Bowlmor, and it was awesome. We were on the "China Town" lanes, they played dance music, and we had the whole place to ourselves. It was a lot of fun.
Then we headed back to the apartment and had some appetizers and watched some football for a little bit waiting for our dinner to arrive.
This year we decided that cooking a Thanksgiving dinner in our tiny NYC kitchen was not worth the hassle and the stress so we had out dinner delivered from a restaurant instead. We went with Virgils BBQ, and it was pretty good. The food was not amazing out of this world, but it was pretty tasty and the smoked turkey was really good, and we didn't have to spend anytime in the kitchen cooking, and only a little bit of time cleaning up. This is the way to go people, seriously. Ordering Thanksgiving dinner was the best idea, for the shear ease of the day.
After the dinner, we hung around and watched more football and just relaxed. I remember feeling overcome with the need to take a nap.
The Chinatown lanes.
Note our little tiny kitchen.
We stopped by the bakery on the way home from the run to grab a fresh loaf of bread for our appetizers.
Then we went home to get dressed and changed for our "Turkey Bowl." Since the ward here didn't do an actual Turkey Bowl, we decided it would be more appropriate to go bowling. New Nance Family tradition for sure. This was everyone can participate. We went to a swanky bowling alley in Times Square called Bowlmor, and it was awesome. We were on the "China Town" lanes, they played dance music, and we had the whole place to ourselves. It was a lot of fun.
Then we headed back to the apartment and had some appetizers and watched some football for a little bit waiting for our dinner to arrive.
This year we decided that cooking a Thanksgiving dinner in our tiny NYC kitchen was not worth the hassle and the stress so we had out dinner delivered from a restaurant instead. We went with Virgils BBQ, and it was pretty good. The food was not amazing out of this world, but it was pretty tasty and the smoked turkey was really good, and we didn't have to spend anytime in the kitchen cooking, and only a little bit of time cleaning up. This is the way to go people, seriously. Ordering Thanksgiving dinner was the best idea, for the shear ease of the day.
After the dinner, we hung around and watched more football and just relaxed. I remember feeling overcome with the need to take a nap.
Note our little tiny kitchen.
Thanksgiving 2012 - The first half of the week
Oh, Thanksgiving happened weeks ago and I never blogged about it. My bad. I think my massive over sharing from our trip has prompted an inner need to not share any details for a while to reach some sort of equilibrium, but I know I will regret that in a few months when I haven't recorded any of the things we have done, so here it goes.
Thanksgiving this year was really fun. We hosted some family here, since we had just moved in and Joseph had just started working so I knew we wouldn't be able to go out of town anywhere.
My brother, his wife and their 4 year old stayed with us for the week, so we were able to get in lot's of sight-seeing and NYC things.
My parents came up on Wednesday to join in on the fun, and stayed for the big feast.
Sunday - My brother and his family flew in on Sunday morning, so after getting everything settled we headed out for a walk around Central Park. Every time we go into the park I find something new that I had never seen before which is one of the best things. I am so glad we ended up living close to Central Park. My niece was confused and kept asking where the swings were, I think because we kept calling it a park she was just expecting a huge field with millions of swing sets. Soon enough we came across a play area, so she could run around and wasn't too disappointed because "we are just walking"
Monday - We had fresh bagels and cream cheese from the best bagel place in the whole wide world, that is on the corner. Love everything about a fresh warm bagel with cream cheese. It is good for the soul.
My brother hadn't really been to New York before so his one request for the trip was to see the Statue of Liberty, unfortunately for him the ferry boats to the statute were closed as a result of the Hurricane Sandy. But, the Staten Island ferry was running and it is free, and it goes really close to the statute so you still get an up close view of everything, so that was pretty good.
After the ferry, we were all hungry so we headed over towards the Chelsea Market for some lunch and an afternoon stroll on the Highline. The Highline is one of my favorite places in the city. plus it is in the meatpacking district, so I am always looking for reasons to go down there.
At this point in the day it was starting to get dark and cold, and the four year old in our party was just about done with the sightseeing so we headed back up the apartment for dinner and hanging out.
Tuesday - After this day was over my brother was not to thrilled with the amount of walking I put everyone through.
First things first, was a stop at the corner bakery for some breakfast treats. They were delicious.
We started the day with a trek to the east side to Dylans Candy Shop. To be honest I wasn't that excited about it before we went, but when I got there I was very impressed. The shop is really cool, and colorful with candy decorations everywhere, and there was seriously So Much Candy. After walking around for a little bit and checking it out, we headed down to Joseph's office to meet his for lunch and get some chicken and rice from the famouse Halal guys. They are seriously the best chicken and rice in the city, they always have a long line and they even have a Wikipedia page, so I mean come on.
After street food, we walked back up to Central Park for some ice skating. I just watched as my brother carried his four year old around the rink. After wards she was so thrilled about all the tricks she was able to do when her full body wieght was supported by my brother. It was pretty funny.
Then we walked through the park a little bit more, where we came across a lady doing fancy face painting. If you are in need of 20 minutes where your children sit perfectly still, this is the thing for you. She was in heaven.
Then we walked some more back towards the apartment past the Temple, since they had never seen it, and a stop at Trader Joes for some dinner supplies, and a hilarious trek home with the bags and the stroller on a crowded subway.
Got to love the city living.
Wednesday - We woke up and took our time getting out of the house. We headed down to Bryant Park to find a carousel. We thought the one in Central Park was open but when we got there and it was closed yesterday we were all sorely disappointed....that was when the face painting from yesterday came in to play. Nothing like bribing kids.
By the early afternoon my parents had made it in to town so we went back up to the apartment to meet up with them. Then we went to Carnegie Deli as per my moms request. That place is such a tourist attraction, but the food is pretty good, and I sort of like gimmicks when food is involved.
I split an egg salad sandwich and matzah ball soup followed up with some strawberry cheesecake heaven and coconut cream pie bliss. We left stuffed and totally happy.
Then we headed up to the Natural History Museum where they have a large portion of the street blocked off, as the sight of the blowing up of the Macy's Day Parade balloons. I hadn't ever thought about it before this year, but since the balloons are so big they just blow them up under giant nets right on the street to be ready for the big day. It was cool to see the balloons up close but it was a crazy claustrophobic crowded mad house. Worth it yes, but crazy none the less.
Since we couldn't squeeze everyone into our apartment my parents sublet an apartment for the weekend, so my dad and I headed out to find the apartment to pick up the keys and the rest of the group headed back for the house.
The first half of the week was fun, with lot's of sightseeing and lot's of play time for the four year old, who was less impressed with the sightseeing.
Thanksgiving this year was really fun. We hosted some family here, since we had just moved in and Joseph had just started working so I knew we wouldn't be able to go out of town anywhere.
My brother, his wife and their 4 year old stayed with us for the week, so we were able to get in lot's of sight-seeing and NYC things.
My parents came up on Wednesday to join in on the fun, and stayed for the big feast.
Sunday - My brother and his family flew in on Sunday morning, so after getting everything settled we headed out for a walk around Central Park. Every time we go into the park I find something new that I had never seen before which is one of the best things. I am so glad we ended up living close to Central Park. My niece was confused and kept asking where the swings were, I think because we kept calling it a park she was just expecting a huge field with millions of swing sets. Soon enough we came across a play area, so she could run around and wasn't too disappointed because "we are just walking"
Monday - We had fresh bagels and cream cheese from the best bagel place in the whole wide world, that is on the corner. Love everything about a fresh warm bagel with cream cheese. It is good for the soul.
My brother hadn't really been to New York before so his one request for the trip was to see the Statue of Liberty, unfortunately for him the ferry boats to the statute were closed as a result of the Hurricane Sandy. But, the Staten Island ferry was running and it is free, and it goes really close to the statute so you still get an up close view of everything, so that was pretty good.
After the ferry, we were all hungry so we headed over towards the Chelsea Market for some lunch and an afternoon stroll on the Highline. The Highline is one of my favorite places in the city. plus it is in the meatpacking district, so I am always looking for reasons to go down there.
At this point in the day it was starting to get dark and cold, and the four year old in our party was just about done with the sightseeing so we headed back up the apartment for dinner and hanging out.
Tuesday - After this day was over my brother was not to thrilled with the amount of walking I put everyone through.
First things first, was a stop at the corner bakery for some breakfast treats. They were delicious.
We started the day with a trek to the east side to Dylans Candy Shop. To be honest I wasn't that excited about it before we went, but when I got there I was very impressed. The shop is really cool, and colorful with candy decorations everywhere, and there was seriously So Much Candy. After walking around for a little bit and checking it out, we headed down to Joseph's office to meet his for lunch and get some chicken and rice from the famouse Halal guys. They are seriously the best chicken and rice in the city, they always have a long line and they even have a Wikipedia page, so I mean come on.
After street food, we walked back up to Central Park for some ice skating. I just watched as my brother carried his four year old around the rink. After wards she was so thrilled about all the tricks she was able to do when her full body wieght was supported by my brother. It was pretty funny.
Then we walked through the park a little bit more, where we came across a lady doing fancy face painting. If you are in need of 20 minutes where your children sit perfectly still, this is the thing for you. She was in heaven.
Then we walked some more back towards the apartment past the Temple, since they had never seen it, and a stop at Trader Joes for some dinner supplies, and a hilarious trek home with the bags and the stroller on a crowded subway.
Got to love the city living.
Wednesday - We woke up and took our time getting out of the house. We headed down to Bryant Park to find a carousel. We thought the one in Central Park was open but when we got there and it was closed yesterday we were all sorely disappointed....that was when the face painting from yesterday came in to play. Nothing like bribing kids.
By the early afternoon my parents had made it in to town so we went back up to the apartment to meet up with them. Then we went to Carnegie Deli as per my moms request. That place is such a tourist attraction, but the food is pretty good, and I sort of like gimmicks when food is involved.
I split an egg salad sandwich and matzah ball soup followed up with some strawberry cheesecake heaven and coconut cream pie bliss. We left stuffed and totally happy.
Then we headed up to the Natural History Museum where they have a large portion of the street blocked off, as the sight of the blowing up of the Macy's Day Parade balloons. I hadn't ever thought about it before this year, but since the balloons are so big they just blow them up under giant nets right on the street to be ready for the big day. It was cool to see the balloons up close but it was a crazy claustrophobic crowded mad house. Worth it yes, but crazy none the less.
Since we couldn't squeeze everyone into our apartment my parents sublet an apartment for the weekend, so my dad and I headed out to find the apartment to pick up the keys and the rest of the group headed back for the house.
The first half of the week was fun, with lot's of sightseeing and lot's of play time for the four year old, who was less impressed with the sightseeing.
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