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... ;)

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!!!

One semester down and hopefully just three more to go!!! Woo-hoo!!! I have finished my first semester at Stony Brook and couldn't be happier. It was definitely a great experience, but boy, am I ready for a break! And the spring semester doesn't begin until the last week of January (can you see my grin through the screen???). I can't wait to finally practice again- talk about irony, huh! ? !

In addition to celebrating the completion of this semester, it was also fun to celebrate my sweet hubby's big 3-0 birthday last week! We had a nice steak dinner on his actual b-day on Thursday, then Friday night we had a party with about 30 or so friends. Yes, 30. Yes, in our little digs. It worked though and we had a blast.

Taking from Shawna's great idea from her hubby's 30th, I made a game called "30 things I think I know about Steve" where I made a list of over 60 statements and everyone had to choose 30 they thought were true. It was pretty funny. Especially seeing the concentration on everyone's faces...

Then I had people come up with 3 adjectives they'd use to describe Steve.


Here were the funniest:

* Silky Smooth
* Fast Talker
* Smiley

And the sweetest:

* Devoted
* Compassionate
* Wise


That's my man- all of the above. Hehe, especially "silky smooth." ;)

Good times.

And finally, please check out this video I got from Katy's blog (also on "youtube" and at their website), which beautifully depicts how this advent season should be celebrated:

We are doing our best to incorporate some of those ideas into our Christmas gift-giving this year, especially by buying gifts that are socially and/or environmentally responsible and donating to various charities in others' names. We've encouraged our family to do the same and encourage you to as well! Check out "Some thoughts to Ponder" to the right if you want some gift ideas!


It's such a different way of thinking of things and we're by no means authorities; it's definitely a challenge to get out of our consumerism-plagued ways, but we gotta start somewhere!!! Please check out the video- it is quite inspiring...

Next Monday we're off for the crazy travels of the season seeing both families, plus my Too-daddy's annual Christmas Eve celebration, and the "Metheny Christmas" (my dad's side of the fam) in one week, ending with my parents and brother riding back up with us the following Mon to spend a couple days in NYC. I'm sure more on that will come.

Whew - gotta love the holidays...

Good times! :)

Gratitude

In the spirit of Thanksgiving week, and after hearing a wonderful sermon by Kristian on "gratitude," I have felt a greater desire in my heart to express my thankfulness to our ever merciful, gracious, and AWE-some God who has blessed me beyond words, despite my incredibly undeserving self. Here are just a few aspects of my life that I deeply thank our Lord for:

1. My God- His amazing grace in that He loves ME (why??? how???), so much so that He gave HIS SON for me. Maybe when I'm a parent I'll have a better glimpse (albeit still so small, I'm sure) into this kind of love, but for now, it is so mind-boggling that all I can do is be so humbled and grateful.

2. My husband- my best friend, my lover, my confidante, my teacher and guide, my biggest fan and supporter, and often times, my personal chef, assistant, manager, recording engineer, photographer, and the list goes on. My man is one of a kind and I am so thankful to be his wife. There are no shortage of reasons why I love, adore, and respect him, so if you feel like reading more about them, click here.

3. My parents- they are not only two of my closest friends, but such sources of inspiration and guidance, and such role models to me in how they live their lives. Their marriage is a witness to myself and to others and the way they carry themselves in their public and private lives are such examples of how we are called to live as Christ-followers. We have so much fun together, too- I truly love my peeps so much! Again, for more on why my mom rocks, click here and here, and why my dad rocks so much, click here.

4. My family- I also feel blessed to have a Too-daddy (grandpa) that can do no wrong in my eyes (more on him here, too), a brother who I think is totally cool and has had some of the most incredible experiences, and an extended family that pretty much gets along and has a good time together. And yes, that even includes the in-laws... well, for the most part! :)

5. My friends- despite how infrequently I may get to see or even talk with a select group of ladies, I know they are there for me and I deeply appreciate the individual relationships I have with each. I also appreciate the many friendships Steve and I have developed at Apostles, and through our church community groups. I know this city can feel like quite a lonely place when people feel isolated and I am so thankful to have such a large groups of friends in Christ in this great place. In fact, here's a slideshow of our special Thanksgiving feast with new friends here:

"Friends"giving- November 2008

6. My church- see above, partially, and check out their website. I have never been more challenged to live a life as God truly intends than I am as a member of the Apostle's congregation listening to the words of wisdom from JR, Kenny, and Kristian. I'm thankful for becoming more sacrificial and outwardly focused as a result, and while there's a lot of work that needs to be done in me in so many areas, I'm so thankful for the opportunity to learn how I can become the woman God intends me to be through their messages.

7. My city- have I ever mentioned how much I absolutely LOVE New York City? Yeah, I probably have. But boy is it true! I love the culture, the people, the food, the sights, the seasons, the parks, the beauty, the buildings, the shops, the bridges, the rivers... So much to love. A lot to dislike, to be sure, it's certainly not for everyone, (and by raving about how much this city rocks does not mean I'm knocking any other city - just a disclaimer!:), but I really am content in making this amazing city my home.

Well, 7 is a good number so I'll stop with that, although, I am thankful for so much else. To keep this from turning into another one of my mammoth posts, however, I'll end now and close with some statements that really spoke to me from Kristian's sermon last Sunday:

The greatest realization of gratitude will be found in the presence of grace.

Gratitude can be found in what God is yet to do.

Expressing gratitude is the only right response to the grace we receive.

The way to the Good Life is through gratitude.

We are made to worship, glorify, and give thanks!!!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to reflect in God's goodness in your celebration!

Falling Whistles

Just some catch-up first before I move on to the pressing part of this post.

Well, the semester is nearing a close and I've got the first draft of one of the major papers done and one recital down- whew! (The recital went well- the all "Baroque", i.e. early music, program- slideshow below, if you're interested!)

SB Baroque Recital, 11-17-08

It's been quite a few weeks, but I gotta say, I really am loving this school thing. (Feel free to remind me of that though, when I'm having a "freaking out" moment...:)

I feel like I'm finally learning many of the things I missed before and the people have been awesome. I've oddly enough always thrived on being "busy" and it's ironic these two hour train rides have become something I actually enjoy (!!!), allowing me the time to work on homework and emails. Who would have thunk it? And the patience, kindness, and support my sweet hubby has shown me over these last couple of months have just made me fall even more in love with him; so all things considered, our marriage is actually going pretty great, too!

I sure wish I had more time to practice though. Sigh.

And I sure wish I had more time for friendships.

That's probably the biggest area that I feel has been hit with this semester. I haven't been nurturing those friendships that I cherish, and haven't been cultivating and developing the new relationships I'm making. There are dear friends that I haven't talked to in ages, friends I haven't met for an afternoon chat in months, friends that I haven't kept up with through emails... Ugh. I'm not sure how many of my friends actually read this blog anymore, but if you do, then you are most likely one of these dear friends, so please know that I do love you and do think of you all the time!!! In many ways, the winter break can not arrive soon enough.

So, what's "Falling Whistles" you may ask? Well, instead of my attempt to fully describe it to you, which won't do any justice to the cause, please check out this website:

www.fallingwhistles.com/

Sean Carasso, the force behind the mission, is a close friend of one of the couples in our church community group, and Steve and I had the awesome pleasure of personally meeting him and hearing his story the Sunday before last as he was in NYC.

So, to very briefly summarize -cuz again, it's really better to get the info from the source following the above link-

Sean went on a trip to Africa, originally with the organization "Tom's Shoes," which gives out a pair of shoes for every pair bought, and eventually somehow wound up in the DR of Congo. There he met several child soldiers and heard some incredibly chilling and heart-wrenching stories.

The youngest of the boys, those not trained in weaponry yet, are simply given whistles to sound as a warning to the coming forces, and then these same boys, act basically as the first shield to the bullets. Hence, "falling whistles."

It is a terrifying, tragic reality that

IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW IN OUR WORLD!!!!

Please, please, please read the story he has to tell and if you feel so led, please link to it from your own blogs, email the info along, or even commit to praying about it. Right now, the main goal is raising awareness so please spread the word. This is how grassroots movements like these get things accomplished- through "whistleblowers" like you and me.

So please reACT and help others become aware.

Thank you.

Halloween in the Heights and Saturday in the Suburbs

We spent a great Halloween at the home of our friends, Jay and Desiree (and sweet baby James!), up in Washington Heights. With some of our other great friends from our community group, we rocked out with Guitar Hero and ate some really good food. Steve was quite the rock star... But none of us could top Pete's get-up.

David and Radhika, Desiree, Pete, Jay, Jessa, Steve, and me

Fun times! It was a great night.

Alas, thy suburbs, how do I miss thee? Well, not as much as I thought actually. Don't get me wrong- our day trip to the burb's last Saturday was a lot of fun, but I've realized I'm definitely a city girl now. At least for the time being. And for the next few years. Well, for the next several years... Well, as many years as possible... We hope at least!

So, one of the (awesome!) families from Apostles graciously loaned us their minivan,

aka "The Silver Bullet,"

for our trip out to South Setauket/Stony Brook, Long Island. Since I really needed (and wanted) to go to the orchestra concert at school that night, I figured we may as well try and make a day of it and hit a Target and some good ole' chain restaurant eats to fulfill #28:

Rent a car for the day for some chain restaurant eating and suburbia shopping

It was doubly nice to not have to rent the car, and man, what a difference it makes to drive (in no traffic) from SB back to Manhattan (at 10pm ) - an hour!!! Yep, a good 2 1/2 hrs on the LIRR/subway... sigh.

Anyhow, we spent almost two hours at the Target. Yes, two hours. Maybe that doesn't seem too long to some. I enjoyed it. Not sure if Steve was in his glory, but we got a lot of stuff, and boy was it nice to not have to worry about how we'd carry it all back on the train!!! Speaking of stuff though, just about everything we got was on our checklist of things we needed- baby shower items for the shower we threw for Heather today, "party favors" for our next game night at the Bailey Holt House, and as many toiletries, cleaning supplies, paper products, food, etc, that we had run out of.

Now please don't get me wrong- I'm definitely not trying to give ourselves any credit here or sound holier than thou; if we had several hundred more dollars to blow, we could've really knocked ourselves out! But, I really was just totally amazed at all the STUFF in that store! Do people really need some of these items (???) - dozens of different kinds of the same gardening tool, sports equipment, craft supply; rows and ROWS of Halloween stuff; photo albums, KNICK-KNACKS! Wow. I guess maybe if you have a big house, you'd probably feel like you need to fill it? It was quite a sight. But it actually made me thankful of our modest one bedroom abode...

Again, I'm not knocking Target- I love that store!!! I just couldn't get over all the s t u f f....

After our shopping spree, we drove across the street (ha- maybe the distance of two north/south blocks, and we drove!!!) to Chili's. Oh yes, you read correctly- Chili's!!! I do love those southwestern eggrolls and fajita pitas!



Still as tasty as ever. And check out the adorable three shot variety desserts!

YUMMY! Cinnamon roll, key lime pie (for Steve), and red velvet cake.

Not quite the same as the fare that can be found on many a side street in our neighborhood, but very comforting and scrumptious none-the-less.

I guess I thought I needed this trip to the burbs; and again I, of course, very much enjoyed Target and Chili's, but I'm definitely cool with it just being a "day trip." Maybe once a year will do :)

I see the Light!

This past weekend, the ladies of Apostles went on the First Annual Women's Retreat!!! We went to the beautiful Streamside Valley Resort nestled in the very scenic Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. It was quite an inspiring, emotional, and uplifting time of renewal. And oh yeah, it was pretty fun, too :)

I ended up being one of the lucky drivers to the resort, so in a rental Rav-4, I embarked on a three plus hour journey Friday evening accompanied by four enthusiastic young 20-somethings (since I'm officially a very late twenty-something, quickly approaching the 30-somethings, I can say that now... :). We had a pretty loud, giggle-filled ride, despite the constant view of red taillights the whole way. Yeah, leaving NYC on a Friday evening isn't exactly smooth sailing, but we made it safe and sound, none-the-less.

Since 1. I am trying to not carry on and on like I usually do, and 2. I don't really have time to carry on and on like I usually do, I will try to keep this brief, although there really was a lot to the weekend. Shawna gave a heartfelt talk Friday night, welcoming us to the retreat and introducing the "Beauty from Ashes" theme (Is 61:3). She shared the story of Jacob and his resistance to Gods' blessings because of his sins, and how God still wanted to bless him despite of that. Check our her blog for a great post on the weekend.

Later that night we had these amazingly delicious hot-from-the-oven fresh-made doughnuts (or is it donuts?) that we dipped in the warm topping of our choice - I chose chocolate sauce (surprise!) with chocolate sprinkles, and some caramel drizzled on top. Y U M ...

And getting back to light- it was also nice to really see the LIGHT in the sky- STARS! Almost forgot about those shining things. Quite gorgeous.

Saturday was filled with more inspiring talks; Ginger talked about finding your identity in Christ, Julia about the beauty of prayer, and later that evening there was a discussion forum with several ladies. Let me just say, there was not a dry eye in the room. Some incredible stories were shared and it was so humbling and inspiring (there's that word again) to see how God has worked in their lives.

To cap off the evening, we basked in the light and glow of a roaring bonfire, and enjoyed one of my favorite good eats- s'mores. It was a great weekend getting to know friends even better, and meet new friends. There are some fabulous ladies at Apostles.

And well, I guess my 2 + year stretch of avoiding a speeding ticket had to come at an end sometime (ok- don't do the math to figure out how long it's been since I've actually been driving...). Yep, so close to the city, with the skyscrapers peering out in the distance, I see the blaring red and blue lights with the whaling siren behind me as the same 20 somethings and I were on our way back Sunday morning. Argh. Argh times $105. Sigh...

The weekend, and the ticket, made my sin of pride so apparent. A lot of the deep rooted issues I deal with stem from my pride and the ticket was no exception. Instead of accepting that, yes, I was speeding, even if I thought I was only going over the limit by 6 mph (I was going 16 over... stinkin' speed limit had dropped by 10 mph when we changed highways)- I make excuses! If only I hadn't driven... If only I hadn't decided to head towards the Lincoln Tunnel... If only it wasn't a rental and I hadn't driven in forever... If only one of the girls had let me know there was a cop!!!! But how bout this, if only I had just paid attention, learned some patience, and not driven so dang fast?????

Ugh, so hard for me to just fully and solely accept responsibility for so many things. I've got a ways to go, but this retreat was a great start of truly finding beauty from ashes in the grace of God and realizing my true identity in Him. I'm not there yet, I haven't truly "seen the light" in that regard, but it's quite a journey in the taking!

Here's a verse that really spoke to me this weekend that I hope you enjoy:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned,
And the flame shall not consume you."
Is 43:1-2

May you be encouraged by His infinite grace and be a light to this world!

Feasting

Lots of yummy food was consumed this weekend! Saturday morning, after a tasty breakfast of cranberry scones (using a very easy mix!), eggs, and fruit, Steve and I went to a local farmer's market to:

"Prepare a meal using all fresh ingredients purchased from a farmer's market"

Open every Sat and Sun of the year, rain or shine, this cute little market set up in a school courtyard has a little bit of everything- plenty of beautiful produce, meats and cheeses from local farms, flowers, nuts, fresh herbs, homemade baked goodies, and even a random assortment of jewelry and other nicknacks (or is it knicknacks?) a la "yard sale" style. It was a bit of a mad dash, shopping with no list, just seeing what strikes us, before we had to head out to a wedding, but it was quite fun. More to come on that.

As for the wedding, well, it was one of the most heartfelt, sincere, and precious weddings we'd ever been to. Our worship leader at Apostles, Tom, and his darling fiancee, Angie (who also sings on the worship team- both have awesome pipes) were wed in the sweetest, most emotional ceremony. Check out Shawna's blog for the perfect description of the day and their story.

My multi-talented husband was even asked (just three days beforehand, mind you) to be their photographer! I think he did a fabulous job- here are some of his pics. What a gorgeous couple and stunning bride...

We were so impressed by the way Tom and Angie developed their relationship, and especially in the way they entered into marriage, making it first and foremost about the marriage, and not the wedding. We feasted on almond flavored cake with coffee flavored icing filling and had a great time visiting with close to 100 of our Apostle's friends. Just a few weeks went into planning this, and it was still a wonderful, and very special affair. Fun times!

Back to No. 12 on the list...

Later Saturday evening, Steve and I prepared a very tasty appetizer, main course and dessert using our "fresh ingredients." To start,

French bread with mozzarella, olive oil, and thyme

Then, an entree of chicken breast breaded with bread crumbs, garlic, and herbs,

topped with melted mozzarella and more herbs on top,
with a side of green beans in a garlic, olive oil reduction.

And to finish it off-

Peach crisp with hot apple cider. DELICIOUS!

We definitely hope to make a tradition of preparing meals with farmer's market acquired goods.

Then on Sunday, our community group went back to the Bailey Holt House to prepare and serve dinner. From scratch (yes, I'm very proud of us!), we prepared beefy pasta skillet, Texas potato casserole, garlic bread, corn on the cob, and chocolate pudding pie on graham cracker crust. So good! It's been so much fun to spend time with the residents and continue to build relationships with them. Just a couple of weeks ago we hosted a bingo night there with desserts and it was quite a hit. We're finally learning some names and one of our new friends, Louis, has even opened up to Steve and I about prayers for his family! It's awesome and such a blessing to serve them.

And since this post is about feasting, I realized that I unintentionally have conquered another item on my list:

"Go a whole week without eating out or ordering out"

I'm not even sure when the last time was that we did either of those! (The training lunches through church don't count! And we're breaking it tomorrow with dinner with our comm. group.... BUT:) Steve has been quite the man preparing wonderful meals (Rachael Ray 30-minute Meals ROCK!!!) since school started, which gives me just that extra bit of time I need to practice. He's made some pretty tasty dishes, and even though I think that going out to eat or ordering out every day for a whole week would've been a much more exciting challenge, our wallets are much happier and I certainly don't feel like I've had to give up on quality food. Thanks, my love!

Left my heart in San Francisco...

California will always have a very special place in my heart, and even though it's a bit of a stretch to call me a "California Girl," I'm proud to say that I was at least conceived there. Can't that count a little? Oh, was that too much information? Sorry...

Anyhow, I lived with my family in the breathtakingly gorgeous Monterey, CA (seriously, it's breathtaking- if you haven't visited, plan a trip) for over six years growing up, spent the first three years of my marriage in sunny San Diego, and spent two years in between as a grad student in incredible San Francisco- the city that I happen to consider to be one of the most beautiful cities in our great country. I think of CA with some very fond memories and recently had San Fran quite prominently on my mind as I tackled two very special items on my list:

"See a concert in Carnegie's Stern Auditorium"



"Send flowers to someone special for the simple reason of I'm thinking of you "

At the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, I had the opportunity to study flute with Tim Day, who I respect deeply both as a musician and a person, and there I also met two of my dearest and closest friends - my sweet Sarah and the very unique Stephanie.

Appropriately priced "student tickets" made it possible for us to hear the fabulous San Francisco Symphony in Davies Hall on numerous occasions and in my humble opinion, that group is as good or better than most any other I've had the pleasure to hear. Tim is now their principal fluter so boy was I tickled when I saw that they were coming to the Big Apple to play at Carnegie Hall about a week ago!!! It was a fabulous concert- Tim ended up only playing in one piece, but I was thrilled to see him afterward and get to talk to him for a bit. And what about the hall? Well, it is just gorgeous. Definitely worth the hype, and one more item on the list that I hope will not be a one time occurance!!!

Back to my SF gals - the three of us were pretty inseparable for those couple of years and they were both bridesmaids in my wedding. Steph is still out in CA and Sarah now lives in Boston where she is quite the "big wig" at a major flute company. Sarah and I always just pick up wherever we've left off, no matter how long it's been since we've talked or seen each other, but this recent lull in our relationship was just way too long!!! We saw each other back in February at the New York Flute Club Flute Fair (yeah, bet you want to go to that, huh?) and haven't talked since! What is wrong with us??? Ugh, the busyness of life can so easily be to blame, but the excuse is unacceptable none-the-less. So I figured who better to send a bouquet of flowers to, just to let them know I'm thinking of them, than my precious Sarah!

Now that we're back on track, I've been thinking a lot about those close friendships I have with several incredible women who I just never get to talk with enough. Last Sunday's sermon was on friendships, in fact, and the invitation to truly let people in and live life with them. So what does it truly mean and what does it really look like to "live life" with someone other than your spouse? How quickly those friendships are the first to slide when life takes over... I'm not sure how to show these people know how much they mean to me (create more time in my life for more phone calls/emails/letters? I'm open to suggestions- all comments welcome!:), but I'm hoping that the realization of its importance can at least be the first step.

Some new habits

Well, unfortunately, my "blogging" is definitely an area that will see a hit from this new adventure of going back to school. For those who actually stop by and check out this little site of mine, I will still try and get out a post every week, or at least every other week, and I will still faithfully check out your sites whenever I get the chance where I enjoy reading about the happenings in your life and your fun thoughts, ideas, and inspirational stories. Just please bare with the irregularity and often times rushed and boring manner of these posts of mine that will probably ensue...

Anyhow, I've always enjoyed and almost thrived on being busy, but I definitely think I will let out one huge sigh of relief once this year is over! My colleagues, professors, students, and classes are all awesome so I think I will definitely love much of what this year has in store for me, but I'm sure I'll be quite happy once this whirlwind passes :).

This weekend was a wonderful time to just chill-ax a little, however; while Steve was being inspired at the men's retreat with our church out in Long Island (ironically enough), I decided to take a quick trip home. And I do mean quick- I left Friday from Stony Brook on the LIRR to Penn Station then caught the Megabus from NYC to DC, getting into my parent's abode around 8:30 that evening. Then we left this morning at 9:30 to catch the bus in DC, and I came right to work after arriving into Penn around 2:45pm. I did have a wonderfully pleasant surprise though, of my sweet hubby waiting for me when I got into Penn Station, so at least we got to enjoy a yummy lunch together before I started work at 4.

Alas, I digress. As I often do...

The visit went by way too fast, but I got in some fun mommy-daughter time with pedicures and shopping, got to see my brother, and even got to see my Toodaddy (grandpa), as he, Mary Catherine (his wife), and Susan (her daughter) came down for lunch. It was a gorgeous day as we ate lunch overlooking the Potomac River. All in all, it was a great trip.

Getting back to the "new habits" though... I mentioned in my last post my desire to become more steadfast in my prayer life and I'm happy to report some changes since setting out do accomplish that challenge. I spend much more time in prayer now when I would've otherwise just let my mind drift. As my goal originally was to spend my walks to and from work in prayer, and that's been modified to spend my crazy, rushed, ride on the 6-E trains of NYC's illustrious subway system in prayer instead, it's been an interesting transition.

I'd love to have quiet time at home where I can devote a good hour of my day in silent prayer and reverence, but it's been kinda cool to force myself to be in communication with the Lord instead of muttering under my breath at how rude that guy is taking up two seats while the elderly lady struggles to hold onto the metal pole as she tries to maintain her balance, standing jammed between smelly people while the E train violently maneuvers its way along the tracks... So now, I find myself coming up with things to pray about that for whatever reason, I never made time for when I would say a quick five minute or so prayer after reading my bible. It is a challenge to stay focused, and I don't always remember, but I hope to continue this tradition of just speaking with God wherever I am.

Also, Steve and I are now praying aloud together before we go to bed. Usually, my routine would consist of my head hitting the pillow after Steve and I kissed good night, and immediately begin, "Dear Lord..." and after sincerely trying to devote one last moment of my day in prayer, I would inevitably drift off. Now, since we're praying aloud with each other, it forces us to remain awake for a few precious moments longer, while also giving us a precious moment together and a precious moment with Him.

This post is already becoming long-winded (although I don't really feel like it had much substance- I blame my tiredness!), and I'm sure you get the drift. Prayer is important. Obviously. These past couple of weeks have shown me that I can be in steadfast prayer even if my situation doesn't seem to conform to what might be an ideal setting, and I think Steve's and my new habit of praying aloud together each night is going to do wonders not just for our relationship with our Father, but with our relationship with each other as well.

Steadfast

Today we heard JR teach on the last chapter of Colossians. I rarely get many of those final chapters in the new testament- where the writer is thanking people, and mentioning all these seemingly random folks... and JR preached a whole sermon on it! It ended up being a great lesson though, and one particular challenge he gave to us is to be in "steadfast prayer." That really resonated with me, especially over these past couple of weeks with the onslaught of the school madness (side track- see below), as I've been very lax in my prayer life.

(School by the way, is off to quite a bang but going well, although this week will be the real test as lessons will be starting! All in all though, the train ride's not that bad cause I can *hopefully* be very efficient and get stuff done, and in the end, I think I'm gonna come out of this phase having learned an awful lot. It's been quite an overwhelming roller coaster ride as I try to "foresee" how crazy my life is going to become and attempt to plan everything detail by detail, but it's also been a good test in faith and trusting!!! Again, I'm sure more on this will come...)

But, back to steadfast. According to the trusty dictionary.reference.com site that I was directed to when doing a Google search, steadfast means:

1. fixed in direction; steadily directed: a steadfast gaze.
2. firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc., as a person: a steadfast friend.
3. unwavering, as resolution, faith, adherence, etc.
4. firmly established, as an institution or a state of affairs.
5. firmly fixed in place or position.

Whoa. This word is loaded! The adjectives- firm, steady, resolute, established, unwavering- really stand out to me, and really convict me in how un-steadfastly my prayer time has become. My time with Him has been irregular, unfocused, random, drifting, etc, so now, the challenge is on.

Originally, I set out to:

"Spend my walks to/from work in prayer for an entire week"

Now that I'm only working at Lincoln Center three evenings each week (wordy side note- tonight is one such evening and is s-l-o-w, hence giving me the time to finally update the blog personally! Although, my husband did a great job with his post last week- I'm sure he'd love to hear from you and what you thought of this new found interest of his. Leave a comment and let him know!), I won't be walking through the dark and mysterious park when leaving at 9pm, so No. 18 on the list has to be a bit modified.

Since I have quite the commute to take the place of these walks, I'm determined to make this the week where I have very intentional and steadfast prayer, totalling at least an hour of my day (the time it would usually take to walk to work round trip), on the LIRR train or the 6-E trains, and hopefully kick start the beginning of a new phase of my prayer life.

Our church also holds communal prayer times at the church office called "Upper Room" and in private homes, but they both take place on Thursday evenings- one of the three evenings I'll be working at LC- so I'm hoping our community group can become more focused and intentional in our group prayer time, and Steve and I want to make an effort to spend more time in prayer as a couple together, as well.

There is so much to pray for - our world, our country, our city, our spouses, our families, our church, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, ourselves (!)- the list goes on. Hopefully I will really focus on each this week and not quickly pass by the many issues that need my prayerful, steadfast attention because my mind has become overrun by the many other thoughts that occupy my brain. I'll let you know how it goes and would appreciate your prayers on this one. :)

Guest Blog: A developing problem

Becksta here first: heading back to school has taken over so no time to post anything this week. Alas, my wonderful hubby has some very important things on his mind that he'd like to share in this medium that we like to call the "blog world." Quick update on my end though- I did accomplish No. 21 this month:

"Take notes on JR's (or Kenny's) sermons for a whole month"

I definitely paid more attention as a result. There were some amazing sermons this month as JR and Kenny explored the book of Colossians with us, and I wish I had a moment to hash out some of things that were taught. Maybe someday... as for now, please take a moment to read Steve's post.

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I always figured that my first foray into blogging as a guest post here would either be something artistic - like sharing some picture I took, or some attempt at being creative - like writing from the perspective of our cat. For those of you who actually would look forward to something like that: Don't worry! I'll keep shooting, and "A day in the life of Parker the BratCat" will eventually appear here. I have something a bit more pressing on my mind for this post.

I'm sure most of you recognize that cancer is a serious issue here in the western world. It's also no secret that Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, is struggling to combat HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis. What may come as a bit of a surprise is this: in 2002, 7.6 million people worldwide died as a result of cancer. HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis claimed the lives of 5.6 million people combined. I was floored when I first came across those numbers.

Those numbers don't only represent the western world: it's estimated that there will be approximately 16 million new cancer cases annually by 2020, with 8.8 million (over half!) of them coming from the developing world. How bad is the problem in sub-Saharan Africa, for instance? Consider this:

-African women with cancer have double the risk of dying from that cancer as women of the western world.

-2.7 million years of life are lost worldwide due to cervical cancer each year. 2.4 million of those years are from developing areas (that's almost 90%) , with the western world losing 300,000 years. Cervical cancer accounts for 25.4% of female cancers in Africa.

-The incidence of Karposi's sarcoma (a type of cancer found in the skin, mouth, gut, or other locations) has increased by approx. 20 times since the onset of the HIV-AIDS epidemic in Africa.

-As of 2006, Sierra Leone, a country of roughly 2.55 million women, had no mammogram facilities in the entire country. Breast cancer accounts for 19% of female cancers in Africa.

-The most common male cancer in Africa is liver cancer. The predominant form is caused by the hepatitis B virus, and exacerbated by a toxin that is spread across the African continent. A vaccine exists for HBV (and costs ~$0.30 per dose), yet fewer than 7% of people receive the vaccine. The toxin can be detected and avoided, yet isn't.

As members of the western world, we can do something. As Christians, we're called to do something.

The obvious questions are "what" and "how?" That will require ingenuity, sacrifice, and service on our part. For my part, I'm looking into what I can do from over here in the U.S., and if I find something, I'll post an update here. Fortunately, we're not alone in trying to do something. For more information (and until I post again . . .), click on: Africa-Oxford Cancer Consortium.

steve

Home Team and Forgotten Island

Root, root, root for the home team, if they don't win it's a shame.
It was one, two, three strikes, they were out at the old ball game!

They didn't win, but it was no shame. Actually, it was a fabulous time. Friday night, Steve and I had the pleasure to experience some of baseball's finest at the legendary Yankees Stadium. We found out about 3 1/2 hrs before leaving for the game that a good friend of ours was able to get tickets (at no charge to us, thanks to our awesome pals!!!) from his co-worker; we couldn't resist- especially as it would fulfill No. 4 on my "30 by 30":

"Go to a Yankee's or Met's game"

We sat in the rain for about thirty minutes, but once the game got rolling around 8:30pm, we thoroughly enjoyed America's favorite past time with a hot dog, cheese fries, cracker jacks and the rowdy crowd with the "Bronx Cheer" (a.k.a. boos). It ended up being a close one in the 9th inning as the Yankees were down by one, with 2 outs, and 3 men on base... then Giambi hit a fly ball that was caught, and the game was over. Sigh. We walked out of the stadium at the bitter end around 12:04am. All in all, it was awesome.

Then, on Sunday, we took some time on No. 5 to:

"Take the tram over to Roosevelt Island"

This little island, separated from Manhattan's East Side by the East River, runs about two miles long. I loved the ride, taking the little tram over the river, and it was beautiful looking at the water and the incredible city view from benches set out along the river's edge. We also checked out the ruins of an old smallpox hospital that used to operate on the island. Kinda spooky, but cool to look at. Definitely worth the trip.

(More pictures of the game and Roosevelt Island in slideshow to the right... I still can't figure out how to get it into a post- any and all help on that topic is welcome!!!:)

Next week, the madness begins with back-to-back orientations at Stony Brook from Wed-Fri. (Remember- my one-way commute alone will take almost 2 1/2 hrs.) The stress and amount of time preparing for the placement exams has really worn me out lately, so I'll just be happy to be done with them and know what my schedule for the fall will look like. Hopefully it'll all be worth it in the end...

Rockin' Sunset and Rockin' Ribs

With my "back-to-school" adventure looming in the very near future, I've enjoyed experiencing as many of my 30 things as I can before my free time starts to diminish. This weekend was no exception when Steve and I returned to Rockefeller Center on Saturday evening to:

"Watch the sunset from the Top of the Rock"

A few months after we moved to NYC, we went to the Top of the Rock (during the day) with my parents and were blown away by the view, and particularly by the massiveness of our beloved Central Park. Watching the sun set and the city brighten up with lights as the sky grew dark from 70 stories up, proved to be even more breathtaking. The weather on Saturday also happened to be the definition of glorious; it was perfect! Over to the right are some pics of No. 6:

Then on Sunday, our community group joined another couple from Apostles to prepare and serve dinner to the residents and staff at the Bailey-Holt House (BHH) in the West Village. BHH provides housing to those afflicted with AIDS, and our church has partnered with the Isaiah 58 Ministry through Hope for New York to provide meals the 2nd Sunday of every month. Otherwise, the residents would be on their own for dinner that day.

So, eight of us enjoyed preparing some good old southern style cooking with a menu of Pungent Short Ribs, Fried Onion Strings, Cornbread, Applesauce, and Banana Pudding- all made from scratch and made with love :) . In their industrial sized kitchen, we made quantities ranging from 45-70 servings (!!!), with some comical mishaps along the way, including some out of control cream cheese... but overall, ended up with a delicious outcome and a lot of fun.

Recently, I agreed to take on the position of the Volunteer Team Leader with Is 58 for Apostle's Church, where I'll basically be the liaison between Apostles and BHH to make sure all is set up and runs smoothly for the 2nd Sunday meals. It's been great so far and I'm sure it will provide for many fun memories this year as we develop relationships with the residents and staff. I'm sure more will come on this new chapter!

Spoiled Rotten

Yesterday was fun. After a crazy busy week for Steve, I decided I needed to:

"Spoil my husband for a whole day- not his birthday!"

No. 22 on my list was definitely an experience worth repeating. I thought yesterday would be an appropriate choice as his collaborator from Stanford had just left, and after clocking nearly 80 hrs at the lab last week working together on a project, he could use some special treatment. Granted, he was still at work for the majority of the day, so another time I'll have to spoil him on the weekend, but a Tuesday made for an extra special, out of the ordinary "normal" day, so he liked that. :)

Here's a sampling of the spoiling:

* Woke up early to make pancakes and get our lunches ready

* Left a sweet note in his lunch and left him "I love you" txts and emails throughout the day

* Took a shower and wore a cute dress for when he got home

* Had a beer and "appetizer" (hehe, triscuits w/ cheese... nothing fancy, but tasty!) ready for him when he walked in

* Picked up fresh flowers for the table, and was blown away when he came home with a bouquet of flowers for me!!! Such a good man...

* Made one his favorite dishes for dinner- sausage risotto

* Had one of his favorite ice cream flavors (Haagen-Dazs' Sticky Toffee Pudding) over a peach crisp dessert I made

* Did all the clean-up, dishes, AND took the cat droppings out

* Gave him a massage

I'll leave it at that :) . Most of the above are things I should really do more often, and not just as a way to "spoil" my hubby, so it was a good eye-opener for me. It also made me realize just how much he does for me in a day...

Anyway, it was definitely fun to give him the royal treatment for a whole day, and I'm looking forward to finding more ways to show him just how much he means to me.

What are some ways that you spoil your special man? Please leave a comment with ideas and suggestions. :)

People, places, and things

By people, I'm referring to "our new friends." The story continues...

By places, I'm talking about the gorgeous Ft. Tryon Park in upper Manhattan on the west side, home to the Cloisters.

By things, I'm talking food. Good food. Really, really good food.

So, first things first- an update on our new friends. A great big, heartfelt thanks to those who commented on the previous post with such sweet and encouraging words. We certainly don't take credit for any good that may (or may not...) come out of this situation, and in hindsight there is much we coulda/shoulda/woulda done differently, but your comments were incredibly appreciated none-the-less. God has shown to be so faithful and in control throughout this past week, and He continues to lift weight off of our shoulders and into His hands.

We've found out much more about the situation as we've gotten to know this couple and the web grows more tangled. However, we felt very positive when we left them last Wednesday night at a hostel in Union Square, after they joined us for a fun evening at our place with our community group. There was good discussion about the sermon, yummy pizza and cookies, and we were able to help them on their resumes and had some work prospects set up.

Then, we didn't hear from them.

For days.

We left messages on Thursday, and then again on Saturday- nothing.

We had to admit, the break was probably needed. We were both feeling overwhelmed- the thought of finding them jobs, housing, food, clothing, etc was starting to consume us. And we figured maybe they needed a break from us, too. Some time to organize their thoughts, make a game plan...

OR...

Sunday afternoon, after lunch with our community group friends, we were approaching the intersection where we first met our new friends last Friday night, and as I was pointing out the exact spot, there she was. Steve and I went up to her and gasped at the pink, swollen, left side of her face and eye. When we first met, she mentioned abscesses underneath her arm, and she now had them on her face. It was terrible. And, they had lost their phone.

We couldn't believe it and weren't (and still aren't) sure what to do next. We got her some more food and a phone card and told her to please call us using the phone card and we'll go from there if they still can't find their phone. The phone is crucial- they can't get jobs if they can't be gotten a hold of, etc, etc, etc... :(

We're still waiting to hear from them.

So again, please pray for our new friends, and please pray for Steve and I as we continue to just try and lean on our awesome God and look to Him for guidance and wisdom. Thank you!

And on a lighter note~

We recently enjoyed doing two more of my "Thirty" things:

On Saturday, we took a leisurely, gorgeous walk through Ft. Tryon Park with Jay and Desiree (and precious baby James!) where I could

"See the Cloisters in Washington Heights"



and Tuesday night, we ate a delicious dinner at One if by Land, Two if by Sea so that I could

"Finally take advantage of Restaurant Week"




YUMMMMO! I had rock shrimp with linguine and snap peas as the first course and Steve had dive sea scallops with melon; for the main course, I had cobia fish over heirloom tomatoes in a light peach sauce and Steve had an amazing steak with ginger, onions, and potatoes; and for dessert I had a decadent chocolate cake with melted chocolate inside and coconut mousse on the side and Steve had a watermelon salad with sangria sorbet.

Delicious!

We had a fabulous time doing each, and hope to take advantage of restaurant week each time it comes around from here on out, and we plan on seeing the Cloisters in Washington Heights on many more occasions as well!

Our new friends

"Share a meal with a homeless person."

I'd like to reiterate that when I created my "Thirty by 30" list, it was not to have the intention of crossing things off, like "OK, that's been accomplished. Done." My hope and goal is that many of these items will encourage and inspire me to do them more, and that I can be molded into a better person as a result. Of course, there are some items on my list that are more lighthearted than others ("avoid petting the cat for a day", for example:), but on the whole, I take many pretty seriously.

Living in this city has changed my perspective on the homeless and the way we should see them and treat them. Attending our church and listening to the inspiring sermons from JR and Kenny (and Kristian!) have only furthered the desire in me to help these people.

Often times, Steve and I will hand them a $5 McDonald's card, a HFNY resource card, or offer to buy them a meal. We're occasionally turned down, but the majority of our experiences have been positive; those we've helped truly seemed grateful, but we always wonder what more we can do, and I get pretty overwhelemd when I can't help someone. We know we can't help everyone, but sometimes I wonder if my excuses are just that- excuses.

What's all this leading up to? Well, Steve and I have a story to tell.

While running errands up around 86th and Lex this past Fri night, we passed a young woman sitting on the sidewalk with a small cardboard sign that read "homeless- please help." We were pretty loaded down but didn't have any good excuse (there's that word again...) not to stop. I asked her if I could get her something to eat and she smiled and said "Sure, that would be great!" and I let her know I'd be right back with some pizza. I dropped Steve off at Petco with our bags in a shopping cart and went across the street to a pizza joint to get her a slice and a bottle of water.

When I returned, we talked for a little while about her situation and how she got there. Turns out she's married, had a baby several months back and got a severe blood clot as a result, and her husband lost his job while he was caring for her and the baby (in FL at the time). When they moved to her husband's family (in NJ), they were in essence "kicked out" and forced to try their luck on the streets of Philly, leaving their son with his family. After several harrowing experiences there, they decided to catch a bus to NYC and for the past couple of months they've been camping out in an abandoned house in the Bronx, below a few bridges, and behind some bushes they've found.

I told her I'd be back with Steve and some more pizza for her husband, and when we returned we met her husband and spoke with them some more. We told them about our chuch and invited them to come on Sunday; we left them with Steve's "diaconate" card with his number and our church's address, and then couldn't get them out of our minds.

Well, God is good. They showed up Sunday morning, with their pillow case full of their few belongings and were enthusiastic over the service. They sang, took communion, prayed- we were inpressed on Fri night when we met them that they kept bringing up Jesus, and their desire to get back into a church, etc. We never actually told them we were Christian, they just assumed when we mentioned church, that it was that kind of church. Not sure why, but I thought that was pretty cool. We were also impressed that to them, their biggest need right now was to find a job- housing was secondary. We knew they were serious about changing their situation.

It's amazing how the few people we told responded when hearing their story. JR and Kenny immediately offered the churchs' services in finding them a place to stay for the next couple of nights and getting them set up with an unlimited metro card. So our afternoon yesterday was spent getting them set up with metro cards, taking them to a hostel on the UWS and getting them settled there, stocking up on some toiletries and basic needs at a Rite-Aid, and sharing lunch with them.

I envisioned No. 16 on my list quite differently than what we experienced yesterday. There we all were enjoying combo meals at a Subway- four people who you probably would've guessed were just old friends. Much of our conversation was over their experiences as being homeless (days without food, having to pick through trash, getting mugged, being turned down at shelters, etc), but a lot of it was just plain talking- about our likes/dislikes, funny stories, etc.

Well, looks like this post has turned into another one of my very wordy ones, but I could just go on and on and don't really know where to stop- so much to say! Steve and I are feeling so much right now, and we know that we've made a commitment to this couple and that we must be willing to leverage our own lives now (our comforts, our resources, our time) to help them. We left them yesterday in a youth hostel with an air-conditioned room, clean sheets, and a shower for them for two nights, along with a packet full of resources from HFNY; from there, we're hoping to get them set up in another hostel or the "Y" while we (and AC) help them in looking for jobs, etc.

It's such a comfort and blessing to have our awesome church behind us, and all that they have already done to help. We'll hopefully be in touch with them tonight (someone bought them a phone the other day- how cool is that???) to see how they're doing, and we're hoping they'll join our Community Group this week.

Pray for our new friends. We pray that they will find a job to start them on their way of getting back on their feet; we pray that they will find affordable housing; we pray that they will experience God's love and provision through this time. Please also pray for Steve and I- that we will know how best to minister to them, and also have wisdom in discerning which ways we're unable to help.

There will certainly be more on this new chapter of our lives, and thanks for taking the time to read this ...

Four thumbs, two ticks, and a wedding

What a trip! We have returned from our tour down the east coast, and all in all, it was a good time. Never got to see anybody for a very long period of time, but we had nice visits with both sets of parents and my awesome friend, Cindy.

One of the most memorable portions of our trip, oddly enough, happened to be during our bus ride down from NYC to DC. In less than a four hour span, we watched quite possibly the worst movie we had ever seen (shown on screens throughout the bus), followed by one of the sweetest and cutest movies we've ever seen (on the laptop).

"The Eye of the Beholder"

Steer clear of this one! We actually burst out into hysterical laughter when the movie ended, in disbelief at what we had just wasted an hour and 1/2 of our time on. I can't even describe it... it was just bad. But we kept thinking it had to turn around, or there had to be some sort of twist, something to make it worth sticking through! But, sigh, never happened. Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd couldn't save this one. Steve and I both give it two thumbs way down!!!

"Lars and the Real Girl"

Now this is a movie to see. I won't spoil anything for you, but if you want a feel good movie that makes you think, wondering "what would I do?" and "what would happen if...?," AND has you cracking up with stitches in your side, then this is for you. It was both one of the funniest and most heartwarming movies I've seen in some time, and as it followed one of the most wretched I'd seen in a while, that made it all the better. In fairness though, we did watch "Lars" again with my parents later in the week and loved it just as much the second time through, if not more. So this one gets two thumbs way up from us!!!

Otherwise, not too much else exciting happened on the trip, except that I had a tick on/in me- AAAHHH!!! While we were in NC visiting Steve's folks, we went to a beautiful wooded area so Steve and his dad could do some photography together, and lo and behold after we get home, who's the lucky winner of a tick embedded abdomen? You guessed it. Ick, not fun. Luckily, Steve's mom is a pro at removing them from the head and it wasn't the kind that carries Lyme Disease- whew! Gross none-the-less. Steve found one crawling on his arm on the car ride home and flung it out the window, so I'm not completely convinced it didn't come right back in and burrow into my flesh. Hehe, just kidding, love. I'm sure it was a different one...

Anyhow, at least there were some great pictures out of the whole thing and below is one my favorites from the bunch.

And here we are at the wedding reception with my Cinders (pals since 4th grade!!!) and her husband, Tim.

It ended up being a nice trip, but it's good to be back. :)

A Thousand Words

Don't be alarmed by the title- I'm still sticking to my goal of being less wordy. So below are some pictures that reflect the happenings of the Masons as of late, most of which were mentioned in last week's entry. They're in reverse order of what I had hoped, cause I can't figure out how to move them around once they're uploaded... anyhow, here goes:

Our new table!

Desiree's surprise 30th birthday party at the Gin Mill last Monday- fun times!

Our community group: Steve and I with Jay and Desiree Sholes,

Heather and Pete Little.

Last weekend at the mexican Fiesta party- Gasch Bash 08!

Yes, it does appear that I'm winking at the camera... such a flirt.

In Central Park last Saturday celebrating sweet, baby Kate's 1-year birthday!!!

Kate wasn't too sure what to think about Gracie... she was a good dog though last week; thanks Mom and Dad, for letting us enjoy her!

We also had a wonderful 4th of July celebration at the Sullivan's awesome new digs; we grilled out on their fabulous patio with Shawna's cool parents and our fun friends, Kristian and Katy Rose and The Dunbars- Jeff, Sarah, Jackson, and Chase.

And coming up this week... our tour of the Eastern seaboard! On Monday, we take a bus down to DC and stay the night with my parents in Alexandria, VA; we leave Tuesday morning for a visit to Steve's parents in Wake Forest, NC; Thursday morning we head back up to VA; then Friday afternoon, it's off to Westminster, MD for the rehearsal dinner and Saturday wedding of my dear friend, Cindy's, sister, Lisa. After staying one last night on Saturday with my folks, it's a bus back up to NYC on Sunday. Whew! Wish us luck... :)