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!

The Summer Sun's Calling My Name...Sort of

We decided to brave the trek out to Jones Beach again, only this time we brought reinforcements. Well, it was more like they brought us. We went out to Jones Beach last weekend with a group of our friends. The weather was a little so-so and there was a bit of a jelly fish infestation problem, so the wave-playing wasn't exactly up to par. The sand castle building on the other hand? Way above par, or below par, depending on your perspective on "par." The point is we had some bio-architecture wizards with us, and the results speak for themselves. What started as a Mayan temple of sorts needed a bridge to get across the mote, that bridge turned into a bigger, more elaborate bridge. Well, what's a bridge on one corner without a sand alligator coming out the other corner (or was it a crocodile? so difficult to tell sometimes)? Needless to say, the final result was a bit abstract, but abstract is totally hot right now...and it's all the same to the little ones who destroyed with smiles on their faces as soon as construction was completed. 

Here's the result (and a sweet picture of the cash man):

PS. please refrain from the lectures on how to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile. I lived in Australia for two years with Mr. Irwin (RIP); trust me, I got it.

Family Pics

My family has been planning Family Pictures for THREE years now. This means before I was married, before my sister had THREE children, before my brother was hitched, before Lil Ash was born...so, there were a LOT of developments in the (prior) Thompson household. 

My sisters and I had a running joke for the three years as to what to wear...if there was ever a lull in the conversation it ALWAYS turned to "so, what should we wear for family pictures" Apparently three years wasn't enough time, because we didn't decide until last minute, but I think it turned out great. 

Puerto Rico

We had such a fun time in Puerto Rico. There was a lot of beaching, swimming, reading, eating, lounging, etc. Ideal vacation for us! But, we do regret not being a little more prepared. We didn't rent a car before we left and once we got there, they were sold out for the week...so, no exploring for us. Also, we didn't base tan (Yes, this mean tanning beds) and in return, we got FRIED the first day which is never good. But, we know for next time.