Thirty and Thankful

Brace yourself- as is fitting with the title and point of this post, there are 30 pictures below. Yes, 30. So once again, I'll try and keep my words brief and let the pics speak (write?) for themselves.

It's been a while since I've been able to indulge myself with some precious few moments dedicated to blogging and a lot has been going on as this first year of school winds down... but I'll save the details of that for another post altogether sometime this summer. This post will focus then on my "big 3-0" and some very happy and memorable moments of hitting that milestone.

March 27, 2009 began with some yummy pancakes made by my sweet hubby.

When I got home from school, this sweet hubby of mine really outdid himself with 30 roses and 30 little red envelopes taped and hidden all over the apartment.

Each envelope contained a different verse from the Bible about love and beauty with a thought from Steve underneath that related. Most of them were in places that were quite "appropriate" to their meaning - this one under the clock read

"So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few daysbecause of the love he had for her." Gen 29:20

Underneath he wrote "I would toil in darkest dungeons to earn your hand." Aww...

He even had one in the shower- "Many waters cannot quench love...," one in our spoon and spatula container- "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works...," and one on a picture of mine and my mom's painted toes- "How beautiful are your feet in sandals..."

He was pretty clever and oh so sweet. Every birthday of mine he has hidden various items throughout our apt for me to find- the first year it was my favorite kind of See's chocolates, one year he wrote haikus, but this year definitely takes the cake. I thank God for him every day.

The last red envelope was attached to this big box of Godiva chocolates. Paired with the chocolate-covered oreos that my parents had sent, and the two Buttercup pieces of cake (in my favorite inter-racial flavors pictured below), little did I know that I would gain about 30 lbs on my birthday making it truly the B I G 3-0...

Once Steve got home, he made a DELICIOUS dinner of scallops with a yummy onion sauce on top, asparagus spears with a twist of leak wrapped around, and mashed yukon potatoes. Quite a meal...

After our dinner, I read another sweet gift that he had prepared for me - he had gone through the Bible and found all of the Chapters 3's, verse 27's and found a way to compare them with God's love. Some of them proved quite difficult -

"And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother." II Samuel 3:27.

Wow.

He still somehow managed to turn that into a statement of God's love and grace and that "justice is God's-not ours," ending with "I pray that you will be free from such brutality for all your days." Thanks, my love! So do I... :)

Some of them were definitely easier than others and then there was the fitting last 3:27 in the Bible from Galatians-

"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Gal 3:27

And he reminded me of that simple truth that through my baptism, I have died to sin and been "raised again with Christ, becoming part of His inheritance and His family."

I was quite speechless after all of these thoughtful gifts that he took a lot of time out of his day to do for me. I don't know why I have been blessed with such an incredible man who loves me more than I could ever deserve when I can be so entirely un-loveable at so many times, but I am so very thankful for him. Thank you, my love, for making my day so special!!!

Ending on a very sweet note!

The next morning we spent a lovely breakfast with some dear friends at Alice's Tea Cup and I enjoyed watching Steve and Pete drink out of their dainty, little, tea cups. :)

Those scones are to. die. for. Such yummy goodness! A chocolate one and a pumpkin one and another couple of lbs...

Pete and Heather with their little Jack in the back, Todd and Jessa in the front. I'm so thankful for my friends!

The next weekend we went home to Alexandria to see my parents and Daniel one last time before his trip to Japan where he'll be for at least a year and 1/2. It was a very bittersweet visit but an amazing time and we had so much fun reminiscing with just the four of us. I am sooo thankful for my family!!!

We even got to take in the GORGEOUS Cherry Blossom Festival in DC - smiling proudly next to my big brother. I'm so excited for him!

Then, 30 days after the Big 3-0 birthday, I got to celebrate NYC style

with about 50 or so friends from church, work, and school in Central Park.

My parents, my Too-dad and Mary Catherine, Mary Catherine's daughter, Susan, and even Gracie (my folk's sweet, black pug) made the trip!

CenterCharge friends- Jill, Malec, Ariel, and Barbara

My dear, sweet Jackie

Sweet Steve

My incredible mommy cutting the cake

The man who can do no wrong, my Too-daddy

Some sweet gals from Apostles- Treeny, Joy, Danise, and Katy

Some old small group friends- Will and Megan, and Rebekah and Tom

Current small group friends- David and Radhika, Steve and Nikki (we'll miss you guys!), and Lauren and Nate

My amazing Sarah who pretty much made the party happen.

Sidenote- Steve had a conference in the Poconos that he was leaving from that morning and my parents were driving up that morning as well. Both got stuck in horrendous traffic, and while the plan was for Steve and my fam to be at my apartment by 1pm or so to help take everything down to the park and set up, by 2:30 (party at 3pm) and after dozens of frantic calls, we realized it was up to Sarah and I to get the party started! So we loaded up the balloons, a table, and several bags into a cab and made the best out of it we could! Not exactly how I had hoped things would go, but Sarah was an incredible help and Steve had even called a couple people to help us once we got there so everything turned out fine :).

My Stony Brook fluter pal, Enrico

Judson, enjoying the balloon

Hot, but a beautiful day

I love you guys!

At dinner afterwards with TD, MC, Susan, Steve, and my ma and pa.

(T00-dad with his silly expression :)

I am so thankful for Steve, my friends, and my family and it has been a great 30 years, largely because of the support and love they have given me. I am floored by God's grace and goodness in my life- it is something I do not boast in (which is not at all the point of this post and I pray it doesn't come across that way!), but something that I am in such humble awe over. I don't know what the next 30 years will hold, or 30 beyond that, but I know there will be trials and tribulations along with the blessings and I just pray that I will always remember to be thankful through it all!

Weekend Tourists- Challenge Completed!

What a weekend we had! We were quite the tourists and the "Thirty by 30 Challenge" has been completed (with one item, No. 9 becoming a thirty while 30...). And boy, was it completed with a bang!

On Saturday, we had a blast with No. 7:

Hit all 5 boroughs in one day and sample cuisine from each

And on Sunday, we took advantage of No. 3:

Bike ride and paddle boat in Central Park

(Although, they don't have paddle boats, not sure what I was thinking on that, they're row boats, but fun none-the-less!!!)

Once again, I'll try and limit the words in this post cause that could go on forever so the story of the weekend will be told in pictures below.

Saturday, 3/21/09

9:50 am- begin in our hometown borough (had to fix my terrible spelling of "burrow" in original challenge post) of Manhattan by walking down to 57th and 2nd to start the day with some very tasty bagels, served by one of the nicest bagel servers we've ever had the pleasure of chatting with.

There's just something about a fresh, NY whole wheat bagel
with a schmeer of veggie cream cheese- yum!

10:25 am- leave "Hot Jumbo Bagels" and take the 5 train to Staten Island Ferry for the next borough.

Enjoy gorgeous views of the City and Lady Liberty on our 25 min ferry ride.

11:25am- exit Ferry and arrive 15 min later at this adorable "Everything Goes Book Cafe."

We enjoyed excellent organic tea (mine had chocolate and mint-mmm)
with a chocolate biscotti and shortbread cookies.

This was the cutest little place with very sweet, artsy owners and tons of used books, records, etc for sale. We even picked up a nifty "how-to" kitchen book where we learned that you can bake muffins filled in a coffee mug in the microwave!!!

12:30pm- Back on the ferry and back to the City!

1:00pm- Arrive back in Manhattan and head back to the 5 train to the Brooklyn Bridge stop

1:15pm- Walk across Brooklyn Bridge into borough #3!

2pm Enjoy some of the best ice cream at the "Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory"!
From their five flavor selection, Steve got peach and I (of course) got
chocolate with chocolate chunks.

Taking in more beautiful views of the bridge.

2:30pm- Venture to next borough via the A-G-7-N trains: whew!

3:45pm- After getting to know NYC transit a little better than we really care to,
we arrive in Queens. Quite hungry, we enjoy a delicious lunch at this very popular
Greek restaurant in Astoria.

Salad with feta cheese- mmm...

Fried cheese- I know... :)

Broiled cod with lemon potatoes- delish!!!

Cheesing it up in front of the interesting artwork at "Taverna Kyclades"

4:50pm- Stuffed and exhausted, we decide to stop back home via the N-7-6 trains
before heading to the fifth, and final, borough.

6:30pm- Take the M101 bus to 4-D trains, then Bx 36 bus to final destination for dinner with some friends.

7:45pm- Arrive in Little Italy in the Bronx!

8:30pm- Finally seated at Enzo's - well worth the wait!

Simple, light tri-colored salad

Penne with vodka sauce- yummo!!!

Such delicious food and an amazing atmosphere! The owners and staff loved our "borough" idea and that their restaurant was the final stop. They had us all cracking up, especially when the camera came out for cheesey smiles...

There I go winking again... Let's try one more time!

And then this happens. (This pic is for you, Summer!:)

Steve and I, Lauren and Nate, and Jessa and Todd

(Todd swears he had the best food he's ever tasted that night at dinner :)

10:05pm- Leave Enzo's and take Bx 36 Bus to D-4-6 trains back to Manhattan.

11:35pm- Rides on eight different trains, two buses, a ferry, and with about $85 less in our pockets (which really ain't all that bad for all that food!!!) we arrive home and crash...

What a day!!! We had a blast and I have to say, each place had the friendliest people! All of the food was quite good and it was definitely a worthwile experience, to say the least. I think we slept quite well that night.

Now onto Sunday...

As this was the day I "took a day off of work for no reason" (No. 30), it was a great opportunity to take advantage of bike riding and row boating in Central Park. So after a yummy brunch with the Sholes after church, we conquered the final item, No. 3 on the "list."

Fun times, indeed! And definitely experiences worth repeating. The park is completely different on those bikes- it was great.

At some point, I'll write more about what was learned on this great "Thirty by 30" Challenge of mine and things that have stuck and will continue, but this is long enough as is.

It's been a wonderful year - challenge completed!

March Madness

Don't worry, this post is not at all about brackets, universities, or sports of any kind, especially basketball which I can hardly stand...

It is about the crazy few weeks that March has been and some of the happenings of those weeks. Instead of my usual wordiness, I'll just include a lot of pictures to tell the story, which included visits from my parents and dear friend, Sarah, a recital, and the completion of a few more challenges.

I completed No. 1 that got a partial start back in June with the Met:

Hit the major NYC museums- Met, MoMA, & Natural History Museum for starters

The Natural History Museum with mom, dad, and hubby

(cute purse, Steve!)

And MoMA with my sweet Sarah

Good times, indeed! Just another reminder of how great this city is and how much more we need to take advantage of what it has to offer...

With the fam at a really good restaurant in The Village, named "Good"

With the fam at an excellent Italian place on the UES, named "Bella Blu"

The recital went pretty well- definitely some better "moments" than others (!!!) but overall, I'm pleased with how it went and am glad to be another recital closer to completion! :)

With Eriko, the fabulous pianist

With Carol, my teacher and friend

With the greatest parents in the world

And lastly, but most importantly,

With the greatest hubby in the world!

I'm in the process of completing No. 23:

Call my closest friends and family just to say I love them within one week's time

This one is proving quite interesting as I am leaving more voicemails than actually getting to talk to these loved ones, but it's fun none-the-less. I decided to limit this to the closest friends and family (friends that I've known for the past several years and family extending only to my grandparents); otherwise, with the amazing "family of friends" we've made through our incredible church, Apostles, I wouldn't know where to draw the line! But if you are reading this, chances are I still think of you as a pretty close friend so even if I don't call, please know that I do love you!!! :) I have a few more calls to make but should (*hopefully*) get them all in by the end of one week's time!


And I've also got No. 30 coming up:

Take a day off of work for no reason

I'm really looking forward to this one and requested off for this Sunday. I feel very conflicted about working on Sundays as, in a way, they're ideal shifts which are incredibly slow giving me a lot of time for non-work-related work.

Does that make sense?

Anyhow, it's great- I'm basically getting paid to catch up on emails, practice sight-singing, make phone calls, etc. Not complaining.

However, it is part of the weekend and in particular, the day of the week that I'd truly like to make a Sabbath as Saturdays normally end up getting completely filled with anything and everything. Hopefully this summer, I'll be able to change that shift altogether, but for now, I'm really looking forward to this day off!!!

That's all for now- more will come when the list is completed by next Fri!!! :)

Isn't it Ironic...

...that (regarding the "list") once I decided to:

25. Avoid shopping for anything I don't need for one month

it happened to be the same month that I got more coupons, deals, recommendations and suggestions for clothing/products than I think I've ever gotten in a whole year!!!

(???)

...that the day it snows when I actually didn't want school to be canceled because of everything that had to be done that day, classes were, of course, canceled. Yet, this twist of fate allowed me the time to practice more than I've gotten since school began, enabling me to:

13. Spend an entire practice session focusing on sound & playing long tones with a tuner

(???)

...that our crazy cat, dear Parker, would in 11 months change so dramatically that he actually wants to be pet, lays his head on my arm, and attacks us at a much lower frequency making it so hard to:

27. Avoid petting cat for one day (if you know Parker, this could be for my betterment!)

(???)

Ironic? Yes. But ah, how fun it can be to see God's sense of humor and know that He's always got my best interest in mind. :)

If you know me fairly well, you'll know I'm a sucker for coupons. No, not the grocery store kind that you have to search through the Sunday newspaper to clip out (do they even have those in NY papers???), but those that I get from "my" store (s). The main one, NY and Co. which frequently emails me deals to "save $30 off a purchase of $75," is near impossible for me to pass up (I'm saving money after all, right???), but I've also been a pretty big sucker lately for the Express "$20 off" coupons and the recent email exclusives I've been receiving from Aerosoles, Sephora, and Bare Escentuals just to name a few. Not that I've had loads of time to shop, but normally, when it comes to a deal, I'll make the time for a quick 1-hr or so trip over the weekend for some shopping.

When I realized how close I was getting to the deadline of the "list," I knew February had to be the month for #25 and it was not easy! In addition to the email deals I seemed to accumulate on an almost hourly basis, my dear friend and incredible blogger, Summer also had several cool beauty products on her site that caught my eye:

Nubar Nail Polish

and

Vitamin Shampoo

to name just a couple...

But alas, i didn't need any of it so I was challenged to resist the temptation.

And now that the "month" has passed, I can't wait for my mommy to come to town this weekend and go shopping together - ha! Not to defeat the purpose of the challenge though, but I do, after all, need to find a new top to wear for my recital on Monday...

Seriously, though, it was a good challenge and just a reminder that I don't have to always take advantage of those sweet little deals, and whaddya know? I think I'm actually saving a lot more $$$ when I'm not spending any of it at all!!! :)

As for #13, as stressed out as I was when finding out classes were canceled, frantically spending hours on the phone and computer rescheduling things, I ended up really needing a day off and enjoyed devoting one of the "practice sessions" that day to long tones and very slow practice with a tuner. And in hindsight, I'm feeling a heck of a lot more ready for this recital now!

And lastly, on to Mr. Parker and #27...

I was going to tweak this one a little, as like I said before, the cat actually wants to be pet now (a huge improvement from a year ago) and we can't deny the little guy his needs, right??? So instead of avoiding petting him altogether, both Steve and I were going to make an effort to pet him only when he asks for it (as in he'll literally place his butt on our foot and wait for us to pet him), and not just cause he's so stinkin' cute that we can't help but touch him. We know it has to be on his terms, but sometimes, we just can't resist! I mean, look at that soft, white, little belly!!!

(And now, look at that annoyed face...)

I did actually end up going the whole day without touching him though, as there was no butt-on-the-foot action, and even though he looked up at me several times like "What the heck is your deal, today?," and sat awful close to me as if to say "yes, I will, in fact, allow you to pet me," I decided to just cold turkey and keep my paws to myself. Not sure what the outcome of accomplishing this was... It was pretty hard, and I felt so bad cause I really think he felt a little neglected!!! But, at least it showed us how far our little kitty has come and makes us hopeful that he may in fact become a lovey-dovey animal after all!

Wishful thinking? Maybe. But who knows, maybe irony will lear its pretty little head again and Parker will become a lapcat!

Ski/School

Ski- Steve and I enjoyed an awesome weekend a couple weeks ago at the Camelback Ski Resort in the Poconos. We had a great time.

Go on a romantic weekend getaway with my husband.

No. 29 - CHECK!


Growing up, my family skied fairly frequently when we lived in West Point, NY- the "pink bomber," my folks liked to call me in my big, ballooned, pink ski suit as a 3-5 yr old. Then when I was in high school living in the Netherlands, we took yearly ski trips to the Bavarian Alps. However, it had been a good 15 years or so since my legs have been stuck to the contraption of the ski so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Well, it was definitely like riding a bike and I couldn't believe how quickly I had forgotten how much I loved it! Man, it was super fun. Walking in the boots and getting off of the ski lift were the toughest part- ha! I thought it was rather ironic and comical that my only fall of the day was climbing a little hill in those boots before I even had on skis. That was quite a sight. Go figure...



We had incredibly bad-for-you junk food the whole weekend and loved it, and just enjoyed some time away. It was great to reconnect and this is definitely another item from the "list" that's a keeper!

School- well, two 1/2 more weeks down at least!!! :) The non-stop schedule has begun and I wonder where the heck my winter break went... I knew I'd regret working at LC so much, but alas... darn hindsight. This semester should be a tad lighter though once I can get through this next month (competition recording, orchestra rehearsal/concert, extra trips out to hear undergrad auditions, etc, etc, then another recital to top it off in the beginning of March!), so I'm just trying to keep my eye on the finish line and try to enjoy it in the process.

For the most part, I'll be going 3 days instead of 4 this semester, and then once that's done, next year should just be 2 days max or so to teach- woo hoo!!! One day at a time :) It is going well- I do still enjoy the classes, students, and the people at least and am getting in a teensy bit more time to practice which I'm happy about. Once again, the blog will be one of the biggest areas to take a back seat, but I'll do my best- I'm getting close to the deadline on the Challenge so hopefully that will keep me going!!!

Music to my Ears

Despite the long break from school, this month has been pretty filled with the sound of music, including the "completion" of two more items from the list:

14. Learn a piece that I don't like and see if I still don't like it after learning it

And...

15. Listen to my mp3 player during walks to/from work for an entire week

So my first recital at Stony Brook consisted of all Baroque music (written between mid 1600s - early 1700s), which is definitely a period of classical music of which I'm not its biggest fan... BUT I didn't actually dislike any of the pieces initially so even though I definitely gained a much greater appreciation for the style in the end, I won't count that here. Instead, I'll consider the Aaron Copland piece, Duo for Flute and Piano, the one that fits the bill for #14. I've never particularly liked it- something about it just doesn't "do it" for me, and quite frankly, after working on it, I'm still not all that inspired by it. But I must say, I definitely do "appreciate" it quite a bit more now that I've invested in it, and especially after spending a week listening to my teacher, Carol Wincenc's recording of it, thanks to good old challenge #15. Now if I could sound like that, it just may be my favorite piece!

As for #15, it may seem like an odd challenge, but if I don't get that MP3 player out as soon as I walk out the door, it's hard for me to take it out once I get going on those walks and my mind starts racing. But it's so helpful and productive when I do, cause I feel like it's actually commute- time well spent, whether it's listening to a piece I'm working on or some ear training drills. I pretty much worked at LC just about every day the week before my mom came so figured that was the perfect time to tackle this number and I consistently listened to two pieces that I'm currently working on for a recital and competition. I'm definitely glad I did, too! It was quite helpful and now I'm trying to get cracking on the ear training excercises so that I'm not back to square one again when the musicianship class at school starts up again!

In addition, thanks to my Lincoln Center job, of which I have a very love/hate relationship with, I've been able to see four awesome performances for FREE!!! Steve and I saw two NY Philharmonic concerts in early January, we took two of our friends to see the Big Apple Circus last week, and

my mom and I enjoyed a performance by the NYC Ballet last weekend during her visit.

For all the annoyances that come with this job, I sure can't complain about those tickets. Add to that the dead time between calls when I can get emailing (blogging!) and studying done, I probably won't be leaving this little place for a while...

I had a great time with my mom last weekend

at Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man Restuarant

and even got to take her to see one of my dear fluter friends from Stony Brook, Enrico, in a recital at Carnegie!

She got to meet Carol and some of my SB peeps as well, so that was fun.

He gave a fabulous performance!

Just a few more days, and then the second semester begins. Sigh... where did this break go???

The "List"- An Update

It looks like the main reason that I started this blog, to chronicle my "Thirty by 30 Challenge" has really fallen by the wayside lately, so I thought I'd do a little update on where that stands!

But first, a little update on the uneventful Mason household as of late-

Our Christmas flew by, but was still lovely- short but sweet visits with my Too-daddy and mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve; Christmas morning with my folks and brother; Christmas dinner with Steve's folks, sister and her boyfriend; then back up to NYC with my folks where we enjoyed Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk and lots of good food as always.

Since then, I've enjoyed time off from school but not much time off from my Lincoln Center work... sigh. Not complaining though! Still more practicing and hubby time than I've had in a while so I'm going to enjoy these next couple of weeks while they last, and am looking forward to some mommy-daughter time this weekend when she comes up here for a few days.

Ok, back to the list...

I'm actually just about there but have to unfortunately defer one of the items, #9, to be a "Thirty while 30" instead of by 30. Little did we realize last year that the Shakespeare in the Park performances were so early on in the summer (like late May-early June...)! Come July when I started looking into it, I sadly realized my mistake, sigh... But that just makes me even more determined to take advantage of it this summer!!!

For now, here are a couple of the items that I've pretty much completed, but haven't blogged about yet:

17. Help someone in need even if it makes me feel uncomfortable

20. Share my faith with someone at work

As for #17:

Living in this city, tourists and their cameras are often out in full force, especially in our beloved, picturesque Central Park. And like Steve and I whenever we travel, I frequently see a family or couple splitting up to get the shot when they can't all be in it. Since we hate to ask someone to take our picture, we've tried (of course not always, I hesitate to admit...) to make a habit out of offering to take other peoples' pictures when we pass them in the act. Sometimes it is a tad uncomfortable and I can't help but wonder if they're hesitating out of fear that I'll take their camera and run (!), but for the most part, people are incredibly sweet and grateful and doggonnit, it makes me feel good :). Not very spectacular, I know, but it is one way I feel it can make someone's day!

Along those lines, I've also really tried to make sure to help out the mother/stroller combo whenever I see them approaching the blasted stairs up or down to the subway platform. I admit, I get pretty frusterated at the number of big, burly men who quickly pass by without a glance (I know- judging!); I mean, I know the mom's here (well, everywhere!!!) kick butt and are amazingly strong and don't really need a hand, but doggonnit, why not make their day a little easier by helping them carry their little one up/down those stairs??? So, that's one other way I try and offer my feeble assistance and I'm always so touched at how genuinely appreciative and grateful these women are.

Disclaimer: I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, this was part of a challenge, after all. But it has been a good one, opening my eyes to small acts that seem to really make a difference to people and you know, I gotta wonder if it actually makes me feel better than the people I "help!" :)

As for #20:

This blog with my "Thirty by 30" has actually come quite in handy in this area! On a few occasions, people at work have wanted to check out my blog and consequently read about my faith here, giving me the opportunity to share at least a little bit about my church, etc, but it's still hard for me to delve too deep... sigh. One step at a time! Once, I was able to talk a fair bit about the core beliefs of Apostles with a co-worker who sits next to me, though. I invited her to church, which she still hasn't taken me up on (yet...) but hopefully a seed has at least been planted.

I'm really working on #20 in a relationship with one of my dear friends, however, who I used to work with (friends before working together and still now that she's moved on to another job). She has had quite a rough life, to say the least, enduring hardships that I shutter to even think about and I pray constantly that she might one day know the complete love, peace, and security in Christ, finally finding true freedom from all that she has experienced. It's a step-by-step process, and I appreciate your prayers as I explore how best to minister to her without pushing her away. I love her dearly, and if nothing else, I hope and pray that this particular challenge can at least inspire me to be more mindful in how being open with my faith might help someone else explore theirs, ultimately finding the Lord as a result.

Whew- and there goes another crazy wordy post. Sorry! Maybe if I posted more frequently, they wouldn't be so stinkin' long!!! Guess that'll be a challenge for another time... ;)