An Amusing Ride

It has been said that God has a sense of humor.

Well, we are not only realizing this little side more and more, but we are also being constantly amazed by His grace!

Where am I going with this?

Some of you may be familiar with "our little plan" concerning the prospect of parenthood. For those of you who aren't, here it is:

For the past couple of years now, I have dreamed of getting pregnant right around, well, now actually, as in Sept-Oct so that our little bundle of joy might arrive close to July of 2010. Ahh, July. That blissful month seemed so perfect to me in my little dream. I would be completely done with school and all its requirements and obligations, my mom would be on her summer break and able to spend a large chunk of time with the new parents, Steve would be closer to completion of his current phase of work, etc, etc...

Well, God had another idea. But we are oh so thankful for it!

Also part of our "plan" was to hit Six Flags at the end of August as part of our Summer List of 2009 . (It was also part of the list to take a really long bike ride, but at this point, that probably won't be happening for a while either...) This little trip to an amusement park was brought to a screeching halt that morning of 8/21/09 as we got the biggest news yet of our lives:

And since we idiotically hadn't figured out which line meant what, we had to be sure:

While we hadn't actually begun "trying" yet (I know, TMI, sorry...), we did think we were "safe."

Apparently, we weren't.

Ok, so it may only be off by a couple of months, but God is still showing us that He can take our most well thought out "plans" and throw them out the window! There was a part of me that always knew God had His own plan in mind despite our best efforts, and I prayed over the possibility that His plan just might include several Julys (or Januarys, Februarys, Marchs, etc) from 2010 and I asked that I would just have peace and joy over whatever HIS timing might be. I sure didn't think His timing would be earlier than ours, though!!! But, He decided a mid-April baby was much better for us than a July baby anyway, and we are enjoying every minute of this journey that reveals His miracles and mercies more and more each day!

Ok, I know, so what I'm sure some of you really want to see...

My parent's reaction.

Now remember, we had been convincing my dear folks for the past 6 plus years (my dear folks who have been completely itching for a grand-baby since we got married...) that children were still several years away for us, so this was not at all on their radar. They thought they were coming up for the weekend to attend the Lecture Recital I was giving that coming Monday, and they thought the card we were presenting them was simply a belated "Anniversary Card" with two cute pugs on the front. Well, it wasn't.

Here's what it looked like:

Outside





Inside






Inside and flipped

And here's their response...

I knew my mom's first words would be "Wha-aat, Wha-aat???" But I pictured ecstatic screaming, not sweet tears :). It was very fun. Then the excitement really hit with squeals of "I can't stand it, I can't stand it!" All the while, my dad is just laughing giddy-ly.

Wasn't the video camera a little obvious, you may ask? Well, we had wanted my recital to be taped, so we just played it off like we were testing it out before the big day. I couldn't resist. I wanted this moment to be captured and a video seemed like the best way. My parents crack me up and I do love them for it. They could quite possibly be just as excited about our little one as we are- they're gonna be awesome grandparents:). Both sets of soon-to-be grandparents are quite thrilled and anxious!

And just a couple more pictures:

Our "little strawberry" at ~ 9 1/2 wks

(The give-away picture in the above card flipped over so they couldn't see at first)

Our "little plum" at ~ 11 1/2 wks

Belly shots will come when there's actually a belly from a baby, and not just from bloat or the cupcakes I devoured. Here's the most recent shot of us if you want a bit of a starting point.

At the zoo, around 11 wks along.

Not much "baby bump" yet, but I did recently enjoy a small shopping spree of peasant/empire waist-style-long tops to hide the soon-to-be "just chubby" looking look.:) I'm right about 14 weeks now, the beginning of the 2nd trimester, so clothes will start feeling snug any day. You'll see many pictures soon to come after our upcoming 9 day trip to France which we leave for on Sunday!

So, school will undoubtedly be a bit more stressful, trying to work out how I will get in the required hours of teaching I owe, giving a final recital while very pregnant and breathing with difficulty, not to mention all of the other requirements that come along with finishing this degree much earlier than usual. And my mom won't be able to stay quite as long as I had originally envisioned, and we might not have quite as much time/money/space as we would've liked...

But, there could always be more time/money/space and all of the above so we are definitely not complaining and we are sooo excited for this little miracle that God has blessed us with. We realize that we are completely at His mercy in this and God continues to work in me in letting go of control- what a lesson it has already been!

Please keep our "little peach" (the term he/she is affectionately referred to this week) in your prayers for continued good health and development, and check back for more updates! I will do my best to be more regular with these posts now that we have some much more worthy news to be posting about!

Art, Academia, and Animals

October. Really? Already??? Not sure how that happened, so this post will just be a quick summary of what happened in September, beginning with the completion (well, almost, but that's for the next post...) of the Summer List of 2009 , and No. 14:

Vist the Guggenheim Museum.

Back in September, we took in a small portion of the Guggenheim Musuem with some good friends, Lauren and Nate Minchen. A bit of it was closed due to some renovations, and it was pretty crowded (Saturdays nights are pay-as-you-like), so it was a brisk tour through each level. Some pretty cool stuff, but we'll need to take it in another time once all of the new exhibits are completed and it's not so cramped...

Pretty cool architecture, though...

September also brought the return of school. Sigh...

But I won't complain too much as I'm done with classes, and for the most part, I'm only going out one day a week to teach. I gave my lecture recital back on the 21st so the prep for that was quite exhausting and called for some extra outings out to the Island, but the next two weeks will just be one day each week. Can I get an Amen? Yeah, I'm enjoying this year A LOT more.

What's a lecture recital, you might ask? Well, you basically lecture on a piece, then play it. So, I chose a piece that a professor from my undergrad wrote- I met with him over the summer for an interview and coaching, and he and his wife decided they even wanted to come! It was quite a treat to have the composer there in the flesh and the recital went well, but I am oh-so-glad that it's done with!!! My parents even came up for the weekend and recital as well, so that was super fun, and will be elaborated on more in the next post ;)

Dinner with the folks after a very happy Saturday :)

With the composer, Stuart Saunders Smith, and his wife, Sylvia after the recital.

With my ever supporting and AMAZING family (above and below!)
(Yeah, I know, there I go with the winking again.... Sigh)

September really flew by, but I almost cringe at the coming months... All (or at least, mainly) good stuff, just crazy:

* we leave for a ten day trip to France in two weeks (another one of Steve's conferences- no, I'm not complaining)
* followed by an "orchestra week" at Stony Brook where I'll have daily rehearsals out there (yes, I am complaining)
* followed by my next recital
* followed by a move!!!

Man, I'm looking forward to the holidays.

Did I mention I'll probably be quitting my LC job by Nov, too? That's a whole story in and of itself, but, let's just say, it's time. It's been time for a while now, but too much ridiculousness has started happening there that it's just no longer worth the lousy pay. Here's one word to give you a very brief description of my biggest reason for leaving- Telefunding. Yeah, it's as lame as it sounds.

I've said all along that one of the main things I love about that job is that it allows enough free time for me to get my own work done, and well, that's definitely not so much the case anymore, so time to re-evaluate...

But, I digress.

Back to a lighter note and the completion of No. 15 on the list:

Go to the Bronx Zoo!!!

We took in this gem last weekend and had an awesome time! Below are pics of some of our faves:

It was a great day and we will definitely be returning. We almost got every item off the list, but we're not sweating the ones we missed. Stay tuned for some further explanations ;)

Worth the Wait

We've taken in several NYC summer faves these past couple of weeks, most of which contained a bit of a wait, but all ended up being well worth it in the end.

The fury of excitement began with the completion of No. 13 from the Summer List:


Go to a performance at Central Park's "SummerStage."


We saw two modern dance companies- the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and the nathantriceRITUALS- both were AWESOME! I really do enjoy modern dance and it was especially cool that the evening ended with a cool number set to gospel music! The crowd was on its feet at the end and we enjoyed every minute of it.

(Steve, who's not really into dance, let alone "modern" dance, even said, "I would totally go see that performance again." Yeah, Steve) I only waited about 25 minutes before getting inside, and then Steve and I enjoyed a picnic dinner while we waited the remaining hour or so before the performance began. Seemed like no time at all!


The next day, we enjoyed No. 7:

Spend some time in Brooklyn.


We took in the adorable neighborhood of Carroll Gardens (where we both agreed we could live if we ever moved out of Manhattan some year...), stopping first at the adorable bakery above, while we waited the crazy long 65ish minute wait for the pizza joint below.



Lucali's Pizza. Ok, this place was good. Seriously. Fresh mozzarella, fresh everything, so tasty. Definitely worth the wait.

The following Monday, we finally took advantage of No. 12:

Attend a "Movies in Bryant Park" night.

We actually couldn't hear a word of the movie as we were sandwiched in between two REALLY loud groups of people who clearly were there to socialize, and not watch a movie, but it was super fun none-the-less and we only had to wait about an hour enjoying a picnic dinner before hand, so we're not complaining!




Last Friday, we somehow got lucky enough to receive tickets to the Bacchae at Central Park's Delacorte Theater, which, after a delicious dinner at the Atlantic Grill, finally allowed us to complete No. 13 from the Summer List AND No. 9 back from "The Great Thirty by 30 Challenge." :

Go to a Shakespeare in the Park performance.


Yeah, we know, it wasn't actually Shakespeare (this crazy, bloody, gory Greek tragedy was a far cry from the Bard's finest), but it was part of the "Shakespeare in the Park" festival, and we did enjoy the acting, and the music especially. Considering we only had to get there a half hour before curtain as opposed to waiting in the typical SEVEN HOUR or so line (thanks to the "virtual line" they now have!), it was definitely worth it :).


Finally, this past Saturday, we enjoyed an awesome afternoon in the East Village with our dear friends, the Roses, enjoying some tasty arepas at the Caracas Arepa Bar and then fulfilling No. 5:

Go to the yummy cupcake place in the East Village that Shawna raves about.


Well, this little cupcake gem of heaven is called Butter Lane, and even though we didn't have to wait for these tasty treats, we would've gladly waited however long would've been necessary for these morsels of goodness.




We split my all-time favorites, the "interracial" cupcakes: vanilla cake with chocolate icing, and chocolate cake with vanilla icing. So yummy!!! Thanks for the recommendation, Shawna!



Only a few items left off of this list and then another "list" will shortly follow ;). School starts back up for me next week, so hopefully we'll get most of the last few in there before September comes to an end!






* - Steve's feeling somewhat self-conscious about wearing the same shirt in two different pics, and would like to point out that there were almosts 2 weeks between the shots. He doesn't love camouflage THAT much. . .

Family, Friends, and FOOD

Once again, I'm trying to cram too much into a single post, but a lot has been going on and there's never enough time to post frequently!!! It's been an eventful and fun couple of weeks and several items off of the Summer List of 2009 have been completed.

Back on July 21st, we took advantage of No. 8:

Hit restaurant week.

Giorgio's of Gramercy

Grilled Calamari over Baby Spinach, Crispy Bacon, Quail Eggs, Mozzarella Cheese & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette for Steve

Baby Arugula, Fresh Mango, Speck, Marcona Almonds,

Sicilian Olive Oil ~ Balsamic Glaze for Becky

Grilled New York Strip Steak steak fries, sauteed garlic broccoli rabe,

onion confit ~ lemon caper goat cheese reduction for Steve

Pan Seared Halbut, Spinach & Cauliflower Fondue, Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Baby Carrots, Roasted Beets ~ Red Pepper Coulis for Becky

S’more Bread Pudding Chocolate-Marshmallow, Caramel Sauce, Vanilla Gelato,

Graham Cracker for Becky (not that you couldn't figure that out...)

Trio of Gelato for Steve

Four words-

De- Lic-Ious

(No, I'm not trying to be vain, I'm talking about the meal!!!:)

Very tasty and very fun time.

We enjoyed a yummy dinner and more good times with the Sholes the following Friday, then headed out to Coney Island to fulfill No. 3 that next Saturday.

Finally hit Coney Island

First stop- the famous Nathan's Hot Dogs for two dogs and some fries.

Complete surprise to us, and everyone else, however, a crazy, huge rain storm decides to hit right as we're ordering...

Yes, we're both pretty soaked. We dash across the street (and over serious puddles) into the train station where everyone is trying to dry off and wait out the storm. No, the weather forecast in no way, shape, or form predicted this...

Fortunately, the sun came back out before too long and we had a great time.

And rode the crazy wooden Cyclone coaster- it was AWESOME!!!

(For more Coney Island pics, check out Steve's blog!)

We made it back that evening in time to enjoy a fun evening at the Alosi's place with MORE great food and great friends. (Yes, clothes are starting to feel tight despite the P90X...)

Tuesday, the 28th, we had a wonderful evening on No. 11:

Enjoy the views of the Hudson River from one of the restaurants that overlook it.

We decided on the Boat Basin Cafe at 79th- so cute!!!

Enjoying the views (and the beautiful sunset) of the Hudson River, indeed!!!

More food- burger for Steve, veggie burger for Becky.

Both were pretty tasty, but Shake Shack had em' beat.

But again, we were mainly there for that view.
Can't see too well behind us but it was gorgeous!

That next week, I decided to make an impromptu, quick trip down to Alexandria to surprise my mom for her birthday on Aug 1.

Yup, she was quite surprised. It was awesome.

Thanks to Dad for helping with the secret!!!

More good food (chocolate lava cake- YUM) and more fun times with the folks.

And more chocolate.
Yes, there are four cupcakes.

Don't judge.
They were a-mazing.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!!!

Too quick a trip, but it was great and she was tickled. :) We had some drama getting me on the bus in time Saturday night, but luckily traffic held up both us AND the bus so I didn't miss it afterall...

Sunday saw more food, yet again, with more good friends where we enjoyed a little lunch at our sweet friends, the Littles!

Finally, the eating frenzy continued when we had some new friends, Brooke and Joey, over for dinner this past Tuesday night - fajitas with all the fixin's (including Steve's yummy homemade guac and Brooke's incredible homemade salsa), with mexican rice and black beans, and homemade chocolate ice cream (again, compliments to chef Steve) with raspberries to finish it off.

When we first met this couple, we knew we wanted to get to know them and have them over for dinner so when we came up with No. 10 on the list,

Have a couple over for dinner that we should get to know better

we knew exactly who to ask! We had a great evening and while I don't have any pics from our dinner (might've been a little weird...), I couldn't resist a photo of our dish stacking job afterwards.

I'm so thankful for the family, friends, and food that God has allowed us to enjoy and it's been fun working our way through our new list. We're almost half way there!!!