nyc 09, day 3

day 3, easter sunday! claire slept in a little bit, so my sister and i sent my mom and grandma on their way to mass (so they could get a seat). jen, claire and i joined shortly after and stood at the back of saint patrick's cathedral (you know, easy exit in case of baby meltdown).

after easter mass (and after we worked out our communication mix-up of where everyone was), we headed up to the east side for easter brunch. we were going to eat somewhere else, but that didn't work out so i introduced the family to le pain quotidien, home of that amazing brownie i had on the day i got there. i had the vegan six vegetable quiche--it was AMAZING.

we then wandered into central park to take in some spring and sunshine.

we then walked through times square (well, after a quick stop in starbucks for some hot cocoa--it was COLD! i also had a reality check--the employee went in the bathroom to restock the t.p. and pointed out that someone had been snorting in the bathroom. he was even kind enough to show me the signs that indicated this activity. there's a small gap in photos for this period of time because i was holding a sleeping baby...i'm not complaining.

after times square we wandered over to bryant park to soak in the sun, rest our feet, and give claire some time to kick her legs around.

mom, on the phone with uncle peter

claire also got her first carousel ride. it was perfect--the carousel was playing french music! claire enjoyed herself, as did grandma and jen.

after our exciting day, claire got a bath at the hotel. boy, does that girl like to kick!

i love this baby, can you tell?

nyc 09, day 2

day two--our visit to see aunt josie! we got up early to take a train out of grand central station to about an hour north of new york city.

when we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to see that aunt josie looked (and acted) the same--it had been over 10 years since we had seen her. at 94, she can still go up and down stairs like nobody's business. she even insisted on making us her lasagna and meatballs! what an incredible woman. i'd like to think i take after her in the crafty department--at 94, she is still crafting her time away.
claire was absolutely infatuated with aunt josie, and lit up in a big smile every time she was around.

we had a wonderful visit, meeting her family and reminiscing about old times...the end of the day came far too soon!

on the way back from our day trip, we decided to stop for some photos in grand central...

nyc 09, day 1

new york, day 1. i started out in sfo on thursday night. my flight was supposed to leave at 10:50pm, but due to our plane being late, we did not take off until after midnight. yay delayed red-eye!
after my arrival, i dropped my bags off at the hotel and headed to my go-to meal place, le pain quotidien. i adore this place and have gone every time i go to new york. apparently they have them in la and other places too, but they have not graced san francisco with their presence. i will wait patiently...i had a seat in the little back sunroom area, and this was my view looking up

after my healthy meal of vegetable soup, i decided to indulge in the most amazing brownie i've ever had in my life. turns out the secret is that there is barely any flour in these, so they are pure decadent goodness.

i only ate half there, but after frustration at my room not being ready an hour after they said it would be, jetlag/frustration/pure exhaustion got the best of me and i consumed the other half. YUM.

anyway, after le pain i decided to wander back to the hotel. i had my laptop with me and was just too tired to try and walk around more. on my way back i took a moment to appreciate what has to be one of my favorite things about new york in spring--the bulb flowers EVERYWHERE.


anyway, eventually everyone arrived safely to the hotel. after a "comedy" of errors (not so funny when you're overtired) we eventually settled down. i couldn't wait to give claire her easter present, so she got an early visit from the easter bunny--a knitted bunny rattle. she seemed to enjoy it (she's in a phase where she likes to wave things around, especially if they flap or make noise)

gone, gone, from new york city

i will be posting pictures from ny soon (i didn't get a chance to upload while i was there), but just wanted to say i'm back safely and i had a fantastic time! plenty of claire pictures to come =)

in ny

well, i made it safely AND found free wifi in our hotel lobby--double yay! my flight last night took off about 1h30 late (leaving at 12:20am instead of 10:50pm, but that wasn't overly horrible.

now i have to wait to check in, so i'm off to explore the city a little bit (unfortunately laptop in tow for me), but i'll certainly be back later to update! i can't wait to see claire in the city.

and for the excitement of the day...two things.
1. apparently (i guess i was asleep) some guy got drunk and unruly on the plane. when we went to deboard, they held us all while the cops came to escort him off. whoops! i did actually notice him when he got on--he seemed slightly aggressive and cranky when trying to find a spot for his luggage overhead.

2. the twa terminal! last time brandon and i were here, we were hoping to catch a glimpse and failed miserably. it's going through repairs currently, so you can't go in it but the jetblue terminal is right next to it, so when i was heading to airtrain i saw it! yay!!!

nyc, here i come

so, sorry i've been sort of MIA this week. i have been working till at least 7:30pm every day this week and now i leave for new york tonight! i'm on a red-eye, so i get to go home after work, finish packing (just the toiletries, etc.) and then head to bart to go to the airport. whew! now, hopefully i will get to update some blogs while i'm there, but so far it looks like my hotel doesn't have free internet which i'm not happy about. we'll see...so i'll either be updating while i'm there or when i get back! i'll be back monday night, so it's not like i'm gone for a long time.
in the meantime, happy weekend everyone!

vegas! (aka joanne's bachelorette)

so, this weekend i went to vegas for my friend joanne's bachelorette. it was SO amazing--there were 7 of us from high school plus two of joanne's other friends. we had a blast! it was fun/tiring/relaxing all at the same time. we flew in friday afternoon on virgin america. the plane was full of bachelor/bachelorette parties!
the lovely bride and friends

when we arrived, we checked in the hotel room and chilled until we had to get ready for the night out! we got all dolled up, went to dinner and then out dancing at a club, thanks to hookups from tati.
saturday morning i got up early and went for a 10 mile run with tati--it was her first time going 10, and she did great! i was proud. we then went back to her house, showered, baked some cakes for later, and headed back to the hotel to meet up with everyone else, who were resting poolside. i have to say a bloody mary after a long run is just about the most amazing thing EVER. it's a heavenly way to replenish all the salt you've lost.

after the pool, we had a mini "shower" for jo, where we unveiled the shirts i had made for us to wear.

to give some background, in high school joanne's mom shared something with joanne about kissing, which joanne passed onto us. it's sort of a "classification system" for kisses...we were always pestered with the question "was it a peach, a plum, or alfalfa?" now, if you say these aloud, carefully pay attention to what your mouth/tongue does and you will see what the differences are.

anyway, we came up with the concept of using peach/plum/alfalfa for the shirts, all of us being peaches and plums, and joanne being alfalfa. i made up some graphics on my computer and then screenprinted them.

so saturday after the shower we got ready, all wearing our shirts, and went to dinner and then danced for a bit while waiting for our show to start.

group photo courtesy of melissa

all in all, a much needed, much enjoyed girls weekend. we should have these more often. not to get all sappy, but i'm so thankful to have such a wonderful group of friends. whenever i'm with them i am amazed at what a fantastic, beautiful group of girls i have as friends. it says a lot that here, almost 10 years after high school, we're still hanging out. thank you, girls, for being so fabulous. i love you all.

shoes!

so, i guess i have neglected to mention that i'm going to new york in april! it is a trip my family has been talking about for a while--grandma, mom, sister, and claire (well, claire has been a more recent addition to the roster) to go see a relative that we haven't seen in forever, and she's getting up there in age. it's going to be a quick trip right before the half marathon--i can't wait!

you might be wondering what on EARTH that has to do with this blog post title, shoes! well, i am in desperate need of shoes to walk around in. now, i am not the most fashionable person, but i refuse to wear my running shoes while exploring a city. call me vain, but i put my foot down when it comes to that. i don't look down on other people doing it, but i just can't do it.

SO. last time i went to ny in november, i wore some clarks privos. i wear them all the time, great for walking to/from work, etc. after walking around all day every day, however, my heels were shredded by the end of the 5 days. i'll spare you the details, but sufficient to say that my heels were swollen and i ripped through band-aids, socks and tights by the end. it was a mess. all that said--anyone have any recommendations? i think i'm looking for something decently cute but very practical. after all, it is the week before the half marathon, so i must keep my feet in working order!

tahoe weekend

the post will be brief, since i'm exhausted, but we just came back from a beautiful (snow-filled) weekend in lake tahoe. it was a long car ride there and back, but well worth it! the details will come later, but for now a few pictures.

thanksgiving weekend [concluded]

the rest of our thanksgiving was lovely and low-key. friday we did indeed go to powell's books, where i did a little damage, but not TOO much. i have come to conclude that powell's is pretty much the greatest bookstore ever. after that we went back home to hang out and relax and have a quiet evening in. on saturday we visited, did some measurements for a potential remodel of brandon's parents' kitchen/living room/dining room area, watched some of the civil war game (oregon vs. oregon state) up until we had to leave to go see a play that we had purchased tickets for the previous day. brandon's parents stumbled upon the theater and waited for us there while we were in powell's--they thought we would be interested in the building and they were correct! it is a leed platinum building, an old armory converted into a theater. the play, coincidentally, was about r. buckminster fuller (aka bucky fuller). it was monologue style, sort of telling the story of his own life and his way of thinking and it was absolutely fascinating--i highly recommend it to anyone in the portland area. it was captivating, had a clever use of media, and i have definitely spent some time thinking back on what was said and how it impacts me and my own thinking.



also in portland, pinky and chewy (they were kept separate from our cats while we were there)




the ride home went even more smoothly than the ride there--less traffic and less feline distress...stuart seemed more settled this time, and the cats slept on my lap most of the ride home...