Christmas Extravaganza

Santa found us in Utah this past Christmas. We had a really fun (not so relaxing) time with our family and friends.

Here are some highlights:

-Christmas Tree decorating with our Bountiful family
-"The Real Santa" visiting our family in Grantsville
-Dance Recitals
-Game Nights
-Lunches with friends
-Dinner with friends
-Hill's German Pancake(s)
-An untraditional DELICIOUS Mexican Christmas dinner
-SNOW...and lots of "the roads are slick...be safe driving" advice!
-Sled Day
-Spending time with people we LOVE!!!

This trip we caught a nasty flu bug and a cold that I can't seem to shake. Urg! But, at least the people at Kleenex and Vicks teamed up to make a tissue that is oh so soothing to my nose.

We hope to see you again when we are all HEALTHY.

Merry Belated Christmas to everyone and we are so happy that you are in our lives!

Check out some of our pictures here

All about Heather

1. Do you like blue cheese? Uh, I guess I do. Maybe just a little on a salad with yummy dressing?
2. Do you own a gun? No. Oh, I get it, just because we live in NY people think we need a gun? C'mon!
3. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I would love to go to Sonic and figure that out. But, I have had the one with the blue sprite...I am not much of a drinker beside good old H2O
4. Do you get nervous before doctor Appointments? Depends on why I am going to the doctor. I did go to the dentist and was a little nervous (seriously, who likes to be numb from the neck up for hours on end???) but, I have to say it was THE best dental experience EVER!!!
5. What do you think of hot dogs? Well, I am not sure. Sometimes they are good, but usually not.
6. Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Vacation (don't throw me down Clark)
7. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Nothing really, I guess milk with my cereal.
8. Can you do push-ups? Yes
9. Age? 27
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I would say the ring my husband gave me to solidify our love.
11. Favorite hobby? People Watching
12. Favorite Actor? I have a mini-celeb crush on Jeremy Piven
13. Do you have A.D.D.? No
14. What's one trait you hate about yourself? Well, I don't really like to think of things I hate about myself, so I am changing the question to something I LOVE about myself and it is my ability to make people feel comfortable when I first meet them.
15. Middle name? Brook Thompson
16. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: 1. I love Extra Bubblegum 2. Why can't dinner make itself 3. I wish I was hanging out with Jed.
17. Name 3 things you bought yesterday/today? I haven't spent a lot of money lately, but I did have lunch with a friend and bought lunch at my favorite place...Panera Bread
18. 3 drinks you regularly drink? water. SUPER BORING...but, I do strongly believe it's the single remedy that will cure just about anything.
19. 3 Current worries? Uh, nothing. I wish I worried more about a job, but I am now giving up on looking and waiting for something fantastic to fall right into my lap!
20. Favorite place to be? Vacation with Jed.
21. How did you bring in the New Year? We had a great night with friends until about 8:00pm, then came home and celebrated with a movie (I think) Either way, it was fun for us, and probably noone else.
22.Where would you like to go? Croatia
23. Tag three to six people... No
24. Do you own slippers? Yes, I got a screamin deal at Sharper Image, so they have that memory foam that conforms over my feet! I really like them. $9.00. Boo-ya!
25. What shirt are you wearing? White shirt with a brown cardigan (that my mom thought was Jed's.)
26. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Hmmm, I haven't experienced that, but would love to try...our cotton sheets pack some serious heat in the morning and I always wake up sweating.
27. Can you whistle? Not really. No, not at all.
28. Favorite color? Whatever. I like to wear mustard yellow.
29. Would you be a pirate? Does this answer your question???30. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't ever sing in the shower. Probably because we have a possessed shower where one second it's 2 degrees, then next 117...so, not so much singing as screaming and cursing.
31. Favorite girl's name? boy's name? Oooh, I can't divulge the girls name because I don't want anyone to steal it (no, this is NOT an announcement!) We love the name Jack for a boy. Go ahead people, take it, I am still going to use it.
32. What is in your pocket? Nothing. I don't ever carry anything in my pocket.
33. Last thing that made you laugh? Kristy telling me roach stories. Not so much laugh as squirm in my seat! Gotta live in NYC to appreciate roach stories.
34. Best bed sheets as a child? Cabbage patch kids which, has apparently been passed down to my nieces.
35. Worst injury you've ever had? I'm very clumsy, but never really injured. I guess I got stitches in my head that wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't "THE WORST"
36. How many TVs do you own? 1
37. Who is your loudest friend? Hillary
38. How many dogs do you have? One God-dog, Oscar...the wiener dog
39. Does someone have a crush on you? Uh, yeah! I think Jed might still have one.
40. What is your favorite book(S)? Ooooh, too many to name. I love all walks of books.
41. Where were you born? Salt Lake City, UT
42. What is your favorite candy? I'm trying not to eat sweets, but can say with assurance that I would give up all other sweets for candy. I really love licorice (but, it give me heartburn) and I love love LOVE Swedish fish. But, I've been clean for one week now.
43. Favorite Sports Teams? New York Giants. Just kidding, I don't really care. I live close to Shea stadium, so I may as well say the Mets.
44. What songs do you want played at your funeral? I really like slow jazzy music (is this weird?) but, I don't necessarily love funeral music, so I want music I like. Just play my ipod. But, not my workout mix...I hope people are going to be sad here, not jumping around trying to increase their heartrate.
45.What are you doing at 12 A.M.? Sleeping or waiting for Jed to come home from work.
46. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Why didn't I do my dishes the night before.
47. Do you live away from your home town? Where are you currently? Yes, we are living in New York...very similar to Grantsville. :)
48. Do you like to celebrate the holidays? What???? Who doesn't!?!? Of course I like to celebrate. Jed and I have really made an effort to have great holidays in our second year of marriage because our first year fell flat. So, we may be overcompensating, but we love it.
49. Do you own/use excessive equipment, if so what kind? Excessive equipment? I'm not sure what that is...so, maybe if watching TV is excesssive then yes, we own a TV with a Tivo. And watch excessive amounts of TV. :)
50. What do you think of this long list of questions? It's a fun list of questions for people to get to know me better.

It's Coming on Christmas

Since today was our last Saturday in New York City before we head to Utah, we finished roasting our apartment chestnuts on their open fire and went into the city to see the Christmas sights. We saw Lord & Taylor's windows (and scored a screamin' deal on Heather's first pair of skinny jeans), all the sights at Bryant Park, the Rockefeller Tree, all the 5th avenue halls fully-decked with boughs of holly (fa la la...right, you get it), the Apple store & GM building (I dig their Christmas wreaths) and much, much more...oh, and we heard about some "miracle" down on 34th, not sure what that was all about...friggin' tourists.

Jack Frost was definitely nippin' it up today and the folks dressed up like eskimos were everywhere (which oddly enough helped with the nipping), but we still had plenty of Christmas cheer. There really is nothing quite like New York City at Christmas. We're really gonna miss our little town while we're gone, but we can't wait to see family and friends in Utah...get ready kids, Santa (and Mrs.) Clause are comin' to town!!!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!

Pics? C'mon, of course we took pics: Picasa | Facebook

It's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!

Jed is sure loving his new camera and getting great shots of jingle bells...

Christmas trees...

ice skaters at Bryant Park
And I snuck (is that a word?) in a few shots of the little elf putting up the littler (definitely not a word) tree.

I hope everyone has the same holiday spirit that we have caught in a bad (good) way!

Macy's Parade '08

It was a great year for the parade. 

Check out the photos here: Picasa | Facebook

The day of Thanks

2008 Thanksgiving Rundown:

5:08am-Wake up and prepare to hit the pavement for the Macy's Day parade. Hot cocoa, pumpkin cookies, and camping chairs in tow.
6:00am-Meet up with the rest of the parade-ies
6:30-9:00am-Man our parade spot. This means blocking out small children (I know, how cruel of us to deny the youngsters a front row spot for the parade...but, they should have been earlier) Last minute bathroom break, eat too many cookies, hang out with great friends, freeze our lil hineys off.
9:0-11:00am-Enjoy the floats, clowns, and parade excitement.
2:30pm-Pop the turkey in the oven
4:00-Welcome the Brenchley's to our home for Thanksgiving dinner. Natasha brought rolls that were BY FAR the highlight of dinner.



8:00pm-said good bye to our friends
9:30pm-Took Nyquil to fight this cold and went to la la land.

We have so much to be thankful for. I have an awesome husb who takes good care of me and doesn't complain that I am jobless. We have great families who love us and want us to be happy, and we have great friends who we consider family while we live in New York.

I hope everyone had a great day and enjoyed it as much as we did!

We're back!!!

Internet has been down in the Eastman apartment...for the last week. URGH! I didn't realize how much I wanted, needed, loved the internet until I didn't have access to it.
After the Time Warner techie came to shed some light on the problems, we are up and running. He had the audacity to call me a "slave to entertainment" to which I should have replied one of the following:
"My so called "entertainment" pays your dolla dolla billz"
"I know, crazy, I want to actually USE a service I am paying for"
"So, what?"
So, if anyone has posted anything funny, interesting, shocking, etc. and are thinking "why hasn't Heather or Jed commented on this great news" give us a bit. We are on a bit of internet overload. Lots of people.com to catch up on.
But, we are back. SO happy to be here.

MC

Is it me or does Mariah Carey get you in the mood for Christmas more than anyone else??? I cleaned the apartment spotless this morning whilst rocking out to Merry Christmas Mariay Carey. Let's hope she brings cheer to all of your holidays as well!

I was harassed...

By this little guy at the laundromat.



As many of you know (because I post about it every 3 months or so) doing laundry in NYC is not fun. Dragging clothes up and down the stairs, walking around the corner, waiting for the clothes, blah blah blah. But, to top it off, our laundromat is also know as a jungle gym for little kids. I am talking scooters, toys, screaming, running, climbing in carts, laying in the middle of the floor, etc.
I usually keep my cool because after all, they are just kids, and most don't have a yard to play in, so I give them the benefit of the doubt, and let them run amok.
This particular night, I am waiting for clothes to dry and talking to my sis on my phone, when this little boy (David is his name) came and sat by me. I don't really mean sat by me as much as I mean invaded my personal space. He turned his whole body so he was facing me and I could feel two beady eyes staring at me.
I was looking around for his mom/guardian only to find out his so called "guardian" was his TWELVE year old brother (who was on a scooter to boot.)
So, after ignoring lil David, I start to feel poking and someone caressing my shoulder and arm, and look over to see his little face about an inch from mine saying "let me see your phone" (keep in mind, I am ON the phone) I sweetly said "no" he said "why" I said, "because it's mine" (a little childish, but hey, it is mine!)
This conversation went on for about 10 minutes. David is fake crying in his arms, when his mom walks in. I am not sure if I was set up for this or what, but I did my best to ignore the situation. Apparently David recovered, because next thing I know, his little hand was on my leg, consoling me for making him cry.
I thought we made amends until I hear "let me see your phone."
Who would have thought cleaning my clothes could end with a restraining order? Just kidding!

Falling in love with Fall!

I love fall. I think I have mentioned this about 50 times, but I really do. I have different reasons for loving fall in NYC than I did in Utah.
#1. The fact that the humid summer is coming to a close makes me happy!
#2. The leaves. Now, of course, going to school in Logan Utah (ie. the most fallish place in Utah (in my opinion)) I fell in love with the leaves changing colors. But, seeing leaves change colors here just makes the whole CITY scene more beautiful!
#3. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade (need I say more? Yes? ok) Waking up at 5:00am to meet friends, eating donuts and other treats, playing games while the parade starts, seeing the iconic floats, fighting the MILLIONS of people when the parade is over...just to be followed up by a HUGE dinner? Nothing better!
#4. We all know that once fall is in the air, Christmas is right around the corner. And, I was out on a walk last week and noticed that snowflakes, garland, and lights have been strewn around Queens.
#5. Pumpkin Patches. The patch we went to in Connecticut was too adorable and made me want to move to CT and start my career as a pumpkin farmer.
#6. Warm days, chilly nights.
#7. This picture:

Happy Halloween!

Last year our Halloween kind of fell flat...our fault. So this year we decided to really step it up a notch. 

Last night we had a few of our friends over for the first annual Spooktacular Spookies party. We ate scary treats and watched The Office (although I think we were all disappointed at the lack of Halloween in the episode).

Today I took the day off from work and we rented a car and drove up to Connecticut to see the leaves and visit a fun little pumpkin farm. We also took a tour around some of the Connecticut neighborhoods...they all looked pretty tempting, but for now I think we're staying put. We loved the farm, the houses, the leaves and of course the pumpkins.

After our fall tour through Connecticut it was time to get ready for our ward Halloween party. Again, last year's performance was not so good...this year, well see for yourselves. We had a great Halloween and loved seeing all of our friends in their costumes.

Happy Halloween everyone!

If you want to see the rest of the photos, check these out: Picasa | Facebook

Seven

Sometimes I like reading these, so maybe you do to.

7 Things I can do

1. I can make up recipes in my head...and they usually turn out really good!
2. I can read a good book in days. I just get so into it and can't put it down.
3. I can put my fist in my mouth
4. I can clean faster and better than anyone I know :)
5. I can eat anything/everything with peanut butter in/on it
6. I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Some call it a talent, others annoying (sorry Jedders)
7. I can make people laugh pretty easily

7 things I can't do

1. I can't go back to sleep once the alarm clock has beeped.
2. I can't play any musical instruments. I really should learn.
3. I can't run. I have tried, but I hate it. No races for me.
4. I can't skip breakfast. I have to stick to a schedule and usually don't veer too far from it.
5. I can't go to sleep without washing my face.
6. I can't go a day without talking to my sister Hillary.
7. I can't leave the house without my bed being made.

7 things that attracted me to Jed

1. He was (is) SO easy to talk to. Our first conversation was the best FIRST conversation either of us had.
2. He is so fun. No matter what is going on, it's always more fun when Jed is there.
3. His dimples when he sings.
4. His eyebrows...they are PERFECT. To someone who has crazy eyebrows and will have children in the future with someone with perfect eyebrows gives me (and the future child) hope.
5. His laugh is contagious. When he starts laughing, I usually start laughing too...then he laughs harder and I laugh harder, etc.
6. His ambition. C'mon: BYU grad with his masters, job lined up in NEW YORK CITY...how could I say no to that?
7. His lips.

7 things I say to often

1. Don't be mean and hateful
2. Sure.
3. Like
4. Duh
5. Let's get a treat
6. I just need to nap for a second
7. I'm bored (but, just because I am not working right now) and I usually say it to myself.

7 Fave foods (they change regularly for me)

1. Cafe Rio salad
2. chips and guacamole
3. watermelon
4. cookies (anything withOUT nuts or fruit)
5. Stir fry-lots of veggies, not a lot of chicken
6. kashi crunch
7. rice-pretty much any type, but I usually don't eat very much of it?

Happy Belated Birthday

My husb turned 29 on Wednesday. We had an awesome lunch, he got an awesome camera (thanks to everyone who chipped in) and we had an awesome day.

Mother and Father and NY...Oh MY!

Our latest and greatest visitors came last week...my mom and dad.
Let me paint you a quick pictures (at least of my mom)
Small Town Lady
Doesn't like crazy drivers in SALT LAKE CITY
Never been to the BIG apple
Needless to say, NYC was a little out of her comfort zone...but, she LOVED it! (ok, at least really liked it)
Now, guess what we did? A lot of walking (My dad informed me that there are a total of 81 stairs between our apartment and our subway stop...do that twice a day=legs of steel) A lot of eating (but that is always the fun part) A lot of touristy things...and a lot of non-touristy things.
My mom wanted to "live a day in my life" so I took full advantage of that and made her do my laundry with me. It was the best gift that they could give me.
My mom and dad brought a puzzle with them of NYC (Jed and I love puzzles) it was a 2000 piece puzzle and we have been putting it together all week.
I am so glad my mom and dad got to see the different way of life and the way we live. They were such great visitors! Come back!

Why I love NYC in the fall

American Girls...uh guys?

Does anyone else find something wrong with this picture?


I was laughing so hard when I took it because it was two adult men, no young girls around, holding dolls...just shooting the bull.

Saturday is a Special Day

I just have to let everyone know that this Saturday (as in today) has been one of the best days I have had in NYC.
We slept in (ok, not really, sleeping in for me is 7:03...I'm cursed with waking up early) and had yummy raspberry waffles...I may or may not have had TWICE of what my husband had. In my defense, I usually wake up and have to eat...but, I waited until someone else rolled out of bed to make them, which meant that it was about 9:30 which meant that I should have had breakfast and my mid morning snack by then.
We got ready for the day, walked across the Queensboro Bridge (not nearly as glamorous as Brooklyn Bridge) and went to Central Park. Here are some of the highlights
1. Roller skating rink. I'm telling you there was a 70+ year old man gyrating to the beat of morrocas (sp) while on skates. Jed thought he was on ectasy. I thought he was more in shape than I am...and really into rollerskating. The funny thing about this story is that on the way to the city I was saying how great it would be if I had old school roller skates.
2. A LEGIT croquet game. Happens that there is a croquet court in Central Park. Olmstead really knew what he was doing to satisfy the many walks of life this city produces. (PS. Olmstead was the architect for Central Park)
3. People GALORE! This truly makes me so happy to know that everyone else was enjoying this fall-tastic weather. It was beautiful. We even saw a man without a shirt on that had somehow got sunburned in 69 degree weather?
4. Levain Bakery. Three words: Bobby Flay Throwdown. Jed and I love Throwdowns and he threwdown with this bakery. They rocked his world. We have been meaning to go for over a year to the bakery and we are SO glad we did because the 400 calorie cookie was amazing. Dark Chocolate and PB chips=yum.
5. Spending a full day with my man and falling in love with him even more. (Yes, I'm cheesy and I love my husb...who has a problem with that???)

Friends

Jed and I have been frequented by guests over the past couple of months. We actually have become quite popular since moving to NYC. We love seeing friends and family and this week is no different. Our friends Kisty and Kristen have joined us from SLC and Denver. I lived with Kristen for almost 3 years and have been friends with Kisty about the same. I have had some really great memories with these girls...again, this week is no different. We are having a really fun time. I have done more exploring this week than I have in a LONG time.
We have walked the Brooklyn Bridge, toured the Financial District, Times Square, saw 'Legally Blonde' the musical, Central Park, midtown, downtown and a few other places in between.
We have seen Tina Fey, the midget in Elf (the angry elf), Russell Crowe, 30 Rock filmings, and a music video. Whew. The celeb sightings have been fun!!!
I love these girls and am so happy to see them and hang out with them. They are so funny and always have a good time.

Wicked weekend with my sis

My sister Brittney was "surprised" on her birthday with a trip to NYC and two tickets to the Broadway show WICKED (which, was a pleasant surprise for me!!!)

The show was quite amazing. The set is amazing. The characters...amazing and the performance, well, amazing.

We also had to sneak in some shopping, pizza, and exploring. The humidity held us back a bit. I wish we could have captured some pictures of my hair. It was CRAZY! Wavy, fluffy, scraggly (made up word) and I have the world's straightest hair...or so I thought.

Brittney really deserved a fun trip for herself. She is always doing so many nice things for everyone else, being a great mom and sister, and being pulled in millions of directions. She is a good example of being selfless and she is a great example of being a great mom.

Thanks again sis!

This little piggy...

The Astoria Ward has an annual cake auction to raise money for the Young Women's Girls Camp. Because I am the 1st counselor in the YW, and because I like to let my creative juices flow while baking...I decided to participate and make a cake.
I knew I didn't want it to be just ANY cake, so I thought about an animal cake...they always seem fun and taste so much better than your run of the mill bundt, so I did a little research, thought long and hard, and came up with a cake in the shape of this...





The little pig cost me about 18 dollars to make and the highest bidder was 9.00...go figure. But, we had a lot of fun and ate WAY too much cake!

Best weekend, surprise, birthday, husband!!!

This past Friday was mine and Hill's 27th birthday. Jed has been saying "can't wait to give you your present", "what do you think I'm giving you" and other such taunts. Friday morning I woke up to a new card holder, and two round trip tickets to Salt Lake City, Utah.

On the other side of the nation, my twin sister had a nice dinner date with her husband, Kelly, then a very extended trip to Target (waiting for her surprise to land...of course, flying out of JFK, we were 1.5 hours delayed) Because of the delay, Kelly had to tell Hillary about our arrival. She still cried when she saw me in the airport.

Jed and Kelly took the surprise farther and had a big birthday "breakfast" party (it's our favorite meal of the day) and had friends from high school, college, and family come and join in for a celebration.




I was also able to get my nieces/nephew and family fix while in Utah. We had a fun lunch on Saturday, visited my sweet grandma Hopie, toured my sisters dream house, oh, and had Cafe Rio salad (I know what you are thinking...a lot of food in a short amount of time...but, we managed!)

It was such a fun (short lived) weekend and I am so grateful that my husb and Kelly were thoughtful enough to surprise me and Hill so we could celebrate our birthday together.

Only thing left to do is Jed's acceptance speech for husband of the year award.

Wanna see more birthday fun??? Check them out here.

Warning...PICTURES may appear scarier than they were

This is what happens when you are in Lancaster Pennsylvania and there are no stores, restaurants, cafes, movie theaters, or public ANYTHING open on Sunday and you are waiting for a cab (for 45 minutes)...

The Introduction

I’m getting old. How do I know? Because I follow politics...and I like it. I’ve been following the Presidential campaigns in varying degrees since the primary season started heating up last year. And yes, sometimes it makes me feel old, boring and even a little too serious for an almost 29-year-old kid. Still, I’ve come to terms with my recent place in the ever-rotating circle of life. So what if I’m getting old, following politics, both current and historical, makes me feel like an American, and makes me proud of the democracy to which I belong.

For those of you who don’t share my affinity for policy debates and mindless slander, I feel your pain. I’m guessing that you don’t like politics not because you don’t care about America, but because you’re tired of the fact that there’s too much mindless slander and not enough policy debate, or because you feel overwhelmed by all the “smarty pants” who’s political conversations are way over your head. Believe me, I’ve been there, I know how you feel.

And yet, politics, especially national politics, is too important to ignore. Tired of donating your arm and your leg every time you stop at the gas pump? Been watching the price of bread go up for months and wondering when it’s gonna stop? Your favorite day of the year April 15th? Well, to a certain degree, that’s politics. Don’t like it? Now’s the time to do something about it.

So, I’ve decided to write a series of short and, hopefully, easy-to-understand articles describing what’s going on with the current Presidential campaign. Pretentious? I hope not. In fact, quite the contrary. Despite what my mother might say, deep down I’m just an average American trying to have a happy and healthy life and provide for my wife and (someday) kids. That sounds like most of us. But I’m thinking that since I happen to be abnormal enough to enjoy wading through all the political mumbo jumbo I’ll wade through it for you and present it in a way that normal Americans can stand reading.

I know what you’re thinking, “Great, I was merely hoping to catch up on H+J’s life in NYC, now I gotta listen to this crap?!” I hear ya. The answer is no. This is just the introduction. The remainder of the “series” can be found at The Citizen Post. Check it out if you’re interested.

PS. No old jokes, please. I’m vulnerable enough as it is.

Weekend Recap

We had a really fun weekend. As I have posted in earlier posts, the weather is really making me happy. Sure, I still have sweat dripping down my face/back and I don't do my hair in the mornings, but fall is just around the corner. The nights are cooler...so, we decided to do something very UTAH this past weekend: We went camping with people from church.

     Let me set the stage:

-Campsite in Long Island...we got there by train (Luckily the Dox's took our loot the night before) 

-The Bathroom (with showers) was maybe 20 yards from our tents. 

-The fire-pit was a galvanized steel bucket.

-Lots of friends from church gathered in tents.

-The beach (Long Island Sound) was 100 yards from the campsite.

We had a really nice time eating hot dogs and smores, laughing with friends, and enjoying the great uh...outdoors!

Our newest and maybe most favorite celeb citing happened LITERALLY in our backyard. In our little city of Woodside stands Jeremy Pivens filming an episode of Entrouge. 

The guy looking REALLY annoyed at me was because he was, well, pretty annoyed with me. He asked me repeatedly to stop taking pictures, and when I pointed out that everyone else was taking pictures he said "yeah, well, they aren't using a flash"...I came back with "well, I don't know how to turn the flash off my camera." I thought about asking him if he could turn the flash off, but didn't want to push my luck. 

Jeremy Pivens was the three T's: Tailored, Tiny, and Tan.

The little things in life that make us happy.

History 101

We took a trip down to Philadelphia today to check out the sites and sample the tastes. Anybody who knows us, knows we started with the tastes, of course. We took a culinary tour of the Reading Terminal Market (thanks to KSP and C-dubs for the tip on this place). We shared an authentic Philly Cheesesteak and sampled some homemade cookies fresh from the Pennsylvania Dutch's oven. They were both a huge success.

Next it was off to the sites. Great thing about Philly is that about 90% of the historic sites are within about a mile radius, perfect for a couple day trippers like ourselves. Anyway, a budding history buff like me can't let a moment like this pass by without a little history lesson. So here's what we saw:

The Liberty Bell: I think we're all pretty familiar with this little beauty. Two interesting occasions when it was rung: 1) to recognize the coronation of King George III and 2) to call the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence, which brings us to...

Independence Hall: Birthplace of our nation. So known because it was where the Continental Congress debated, agreed to, and signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. We saw the steps of this hall on which they read the Declaration of Independence for the first time to the citizens of Philadelphia. Once inside, we saw the Assembly Hall where they debated and signed the Declaration and the Constitution, including the actual chair that Washington sat in as he presided over the debating of the Constitution. Got chills standing in that room--nerdy, I know.

Congress Hall: This is where the brand new legislative branch of the brand new government first met. The House of Representatives met on the main floor, which is also where George Washington stepped aside after his second term as President and John Adams was sworn in. 

The Senate met upstairs. That means that important looking chair is where John Adams sat as he presided over the very first Senate as Vice President to George Washington.

We also saw Carpenter's Hall, where the first Continental Congress met, before they graduated to Independence Hall, Betsy Ross' House, where she made the first American flag (most likely in her bedroom so that she wouldn't be caught by the British) and the final resting place of Ben Franklin.

So yeah, we saw a lot today. Oh, and after all the sites we were hungry again, so we hit up Reading Market for a second go-around, this time sampling the BBQ (and more of the cookies of course).

I think we're putting this in our top five day trips since we moved to New York City. We had a lot of fun.

A new Sheriff in town

Jed and I have been LOVING the weather in NYC right now. 82 degrees screams FALL IS COMING!!! I absolutely LOVE the fall and can't wait for jackets and boots.
We decided earlier this week that we were going to get out this weekend and have a "we don't have to stay in the apartment because it's too hot to be outside" day. We started out doing some church stuff, then went to a SIT DOWN dinner...feels like it's been too long for a one on one date with my husb.




After dinner we took a little stroll and ended up at the Apple store on 5th avenue...and picked us up a little beauty. (For the record, Jed has been begging, pleading, wanting, needing, drooling over the imac computer for the last year...and I caved)

We love our new computer...all 20 inches of it!