We Heart NY!

On Monday, May 30th, we celebrated our first anniversary! Since we got married we always talked about taking a vacation for our anniversary (time and money permitting). New York was somewhere we both wanted to go, so it made sense that we go there for our first anniversary trip! Mike had never been. I had been a few times with my mom, but the last time was in 2003. A lot has changed with both the city and myself since then! Mike's experience in Europe and my experience in Melbourne and Tokyo made us experts at navigating big cities. We were ready to take on the Big Apple!

When we arrived at our hotel we tried to plan out our weekend. We decided the first stop should be the wine reception at our hotel! Free wine is probably the best way to start any weekend! We were among the first ones there and we found a spot at a large table with two gentlemen and we struck up a conversation. Another couple from Canada joined us. Everyone was very nice and both couples recommended we see "Priscilla: Queen of the Desert" a musical that included outrageous costumes and popular songs from the 70s/80s. More on that later. 

Mike and I headed out on our first adventure. A friend had recommended we take the Staten Island Ferry around sunset and take in the view of the city. We used our awesome public transit skills to get us to the ferry and embarked on our free ride!

NYC skyline (right) and Statue of Liberty (left)

When we got off on Staten Island, we decided to look for some food. It was fleet week so there were sailors everywhere and lots of military specials! Good for us! (We didn't actually cash in on this, however.) We found a place that looked like it had good NY pizza and we ordered it Grandma Sicilian style! (fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and SQUARE-shaped!) It was delicious! Although we couldn't eat it all and brought the rest home to eat for breakfast the next morning!

Mike enjoys a slice of cheesy pizza!

When we got back to the hotel, we decided to check out the hotel's rooftop lounge we'd heard so much about. We saw many people who were "dressed to impress" waiting in the lobby. Mike and I stopped by the room to put on something more presentable and then headed up to the roof! Oh my what a view! The lounge was packed, but we managed to stay up there long enough to enjoy one (expensive) drink each. We even met some folks from Greece!

Enjoying the view!

The next morning we enjoyed our leftover pizza before heading to Central Park for a run. Now, I'm not a big fan of walking 1.5 miles just to start my run, but this was well worth it. There were SO many people running and riding bikes. Plenty of happy dogs on walks, too! 

Mike takes in the scenery.

Veronica re-enacts the "Phoebe run" in Central Park!

On the way back we decided to stop by the TKTS booth to grab some tickets to see "Priscilla." It was a 40 minute wait, but it was in Times Square so you can always pass the time people-watching!

Times Square!

After getting cleaned up, we met up with my friend Brad Mehlman for lunch. Mehlman and I worked at Weathernews together and he is now working for Quantas in Sydney, Australia! He was back in the states to visit friends and family in Oklahoma and Long Island (where he's from). It was SO good to see Mehlman!!

Mehlman!!

That afternoon we took in some of the NY sights:

Freedom Tower (where World Trade towers once stood)

Business End of the Wall St. Bull!

Empire State Building (Mike....you're head is in the way...)

We then got cleaned up and headed to Times Square to see our show! As we approached the theater, we noticed there were pictures of men dressed as women. We looked at each other and thought "Is this show about drag queens?" "Surely someone would have mentioned that during all the rave reviews!" As we entered the theater it became more and more apparent that the stars of the show were actually drag queens! I don't think this bothered us, really, but we certainly weren't expecting it! I mean, look at the sign at the front of the theater:

Those are women!!

Either way it was a really great show and the costumes were great and we knew almost all of the songs. That does make it fun! We decided we should probably take in a matinee the next day, too! 

Before the show started, I checked Facebook on my phone and found out Mike's friend/groomsman, Josh, and his wife, Jill, and their son, Zach, were in NY too and staying just around the corner from Times Sq.! We met up with them after our show. It was great to visit with them as we hadn't seen them since our wedding!

Mike and Josh spent most of the evening discussing bicycles.

The next day we decided to take in some more sights in the morning before our matinee. Along the way we stumbled upon a Marine band:

Marine Band

Next was Rockefeller Center:

No ice skating in May!

Then some shopping!

Apple Store! Found out when we got back this is the most photographed location in NY!

We went back to the hotel before lunch and our matinee show, "Catch Me If You Can." Mike was a little tired...

Pooped and it's only noon!

Before the show, we decided to get some NY Cheesecake:

Original or Triple Brownie?!

"Catch Me If You Can" was really great. It was a cute, fun show. After that we met up with our friend Will, whom we met at my cousin's wedding in February. He took us to a cute little French restaurant (with outdoor seating!!!) and then he took us to the oldest pub in the city!! McSorley's!!

Mike and Will drinking beer at the oldest pub in NYC!

We had a fantastic trip! What a great way to celebrate an anniversary!! What's in store for next year? Perhaps some West Coast fun?

A Tourist at Home

My Aunt Rhonda recently had an opportunity to come down to San Antonio to visit Mike and I. My Mom was also available to come down the same weekend. We found this to be an excellent opportunity to be tourists in our own city.

 Mom and Rhonda with "Hanna" wine they found at HEB

On Friday, Mom had some conference calls to attend to and Mike was at work, so Rhonda and I decided to check out the Botanical Gardens. I was amazed at all the beautiful flowers they had on the grounds - and all just 10 minutes away from our house!

 me inside one of the many statues on the grounds

 

Rhonda poses in the Japanese Garden

 Beautiful Orchid

That evening, KU was playing in the NCAA tournament. The game was actually being played in San Antonio, too! Ellie made some stuffed shells and brought it over to our house and we all watched the game together. After the Jayhawks won, there was a mandatory pilgrimage to get gelato. 

Ellie and Geoff ready for a Jayhawk victory (note the clever sauce placement on the stuffed shells).

On Saturday, Mike and I competed in a triathlon and duathlon, respectively, at Lake Pflugerville near Austin. I was very proud at my performance at my first duathlon and I got 1st in my age group (out of 3!). It probably helped that I was mentally prepared for running 3 miles, biking 12 miles, and then running 3 miles when really the runs were only 1.5 miles each!  

That evening, everyone was tired and getting cranky as dinner time approached. I suggested that we go to a nearby pizza place which is a certified "Pizzeria Napoletana" (one of only 32 in the US!). We had a bit of a wait to get a table but oh my goodness was it worth it. 

Mom, Rhonda and I seated and ready for our Pizza!!

The food was great, of course, but we also had great service. We sat at the "bar" where we could overlook the kitchen operations. 

Skilled chefs carefully prepare each pizza by hand!

 We saw pizzas go into the oven (considered the heart of the kitchen/restaurant) and we even saw them create a s'mores pizza made with nutella! When we told our waiter we wanted one of those he looked hesitant and asked the chef. He looked hesitant for a bit and then agreed to make us one. Turns out it wasn't even on the menu. They only offered it as a special sometimes. It was AWESOME! 

In awe of the S'mores pizza!

On Sunday we had brunch along the Riverwalk and then did some exploring.  

Enjoying brunch on the Riverwalk!

 There were many KU and VCU fans roaming the area as well. 

Some crazy blue guys (we assumed they were for KU) were wandering the Riverwalk

 And of course, no trip to San Antonio is complete without visiting the Alamo!

Remember...

 

100 Years Young!

Back in 1991 I was 8 we had a HUGE 80th Birthday party for my grandmother. She knew about everyone in Wichita and has family and friends all over the US. About 200 people showed up to help her celebrate. Of course when you send out birthday cards to everyone you've ever met (she may still send one to my old high school boyfriend for all I know) and have 95 people on your Christmas shopping list, you tend to accumulate a lot of friends. There was no one that doesn't love my Grandma.

When I was a senior in high school we had yet another big bash for her 90th. Everyone talked about how excited they were for her 100th. She still volunteered at the hospital, went to church, participated in water aerobics, and visited family and friends in the area -- driving herself everywhere she went, of course. And sharp as a tack to boot.

And finally, on April 17, 2011, Grandma turned 100 years young! She still lives on her own and sends/receives hundreds of e-mails every week. She keeps up with her church activities and water aerobics. She still sends out many, many birthday cards (probably some are electronic these days). And if you're ever in the hospital, you can bet she'll find a way to send you a "patient e-mail" to cheer you up! 

On her actual birthday, Unity Church in Wichita threw her a big bash. Most of my family in Wichita attended and many church members were there to celebrate, too. My grandma is an extremely social person (if you haven't already figured this out) and absolutely loved having everyone together to celebrate. 

From her party at the church. She e-mailed me this photo since I wasn't able to attend.

On May 1st, we had the official 100th Birthday Bash. We estimated about 150 people showed up including friends and family from Seattle, St. Louis, Arizona, Florida, etc. What I found fascinating was that friends of my Dad, uncle and aunts wanted to attend, as well as my mom's family, even my dad's nurse from years ago! Like I said, no one doesn't love Grandma!

So in honor of Grandma's birthday, I'd like to take this opportunity to let you know some of the things that make her particularly special.

• She loves cats - I'd say about 60% of the clothes she owns have at least one cat on them. All of them have cat hair on them. :) This is something I inherited from her!

Grandma with her two newest kitties, Lucky Buddy (left) and Happy Helen (right).
Her former cats, Tabby and Tiger, lived to be about 18 years old before they passed.

• Any day of the year is a good day to dye eggs - All you had to say was "Grandma, can we dye Easter eggs?" and she'd have a pot of eggs boiling on the stove and drag out some cups, vinegar, and food coloring.

This may have been legitimately at Easter, but know that this was not an uncommon scene at Grandma house.

• She's got a green thumb - My grandma has a huge garden plot in her backyard (one that I'd love to have now!) and she always had something growing. I grew up on fresh tomatoes, zucchini, okra, and cucumbers. No wonder I love veggies so much now!

My cherry tomatoes in my garden. Every time I catch a whiff of the sweet smell of the plant I'm immediately taken back to Grandma Farney's garden!

• She's always got a good joke - I remember sitting around grandma's bright teal kitchen table and she'd always have a couple jokes to tell. Some were not quite G-rated...
• She threw a good slumber party - Growing up my parents would often let me spend the night with Grandma (why I often refer to her as my "third parent"). She'd put me in an oversized Garfield t-shirt and let me stay up late watching "I Love Lucy" reruns on Nick at Nite. I'd kick her throughout the night while I slept. In the morning I'd help her do her makeup and put hairspray in her hair. 
• She taught me good manners - In the morning, she would let me pour a concoction of 3 different cereals and when we'd slurp the milk at the end she'd say "Now you don't do this when you have company." I was always a bit confused because I always thought I was company.

 I'm so proud of my Grandma and I can't wait to help her celebrate more birthdays!

Grandma and I on her birthday weekend before I had to go back home to Texas

A Good Man is Hard to Find!

...so I married an excellent one! ;)

In April of 2009 Mike and I were in Wichita for Easter. My dad had been wanting to tear down some lattice work above the patio that was falling apart and Mike was just the man to help him! Mike was so excited about doing some real "Man Work" that he even bought a new tool: the Fubar. After tearing it all down Mike asked if he could keep the larger pieces of lumber that were in good shape. Dad stored the pieces Mike wanted and we hauled them home that Christmas.

And they sat in our back yard for over a year.

As the weather has warmed up this Spring, I've been inspired to do some planting. We have a small garden in the backyard, but it doesn't get much sun. I asked Mike if he thought he could build a raised planter. He said "Of course!" What a perfect use for the outdoor wood!

We were coming up on a free weekend so Mike spent evenings drawing up plans. An "L" shaped planter with a bench? Fantastic! We only have enough wood for and "I" shaped planter with a bench? That's ok, too! :)

At 7am on Saturday morning, Mike and I went to Lowe's for screws. That's right, we were going to build a 2'x7' raised planter box with a bench attached and all we needed at Lowe's was a box of exterior screws! We're so resourceful! Mike went to work as soon as we got back and I went and did fun things like go to the farmer's market and get potted herbs. By lunchtime we had this:

We went to the nursery together after lunch and bought some pepper, cilantro, tomatoes and cauliflower plants. After that we went to GardenVille and got 1/2 cu. yard of potting soil (it pretty much filled the bed of the truck). We wheeled the soil into the backyard using our recycling bin (seemed appropriate). After we filled the planter and planted all our plants, the sun was going down so it was time to quit for the day.

On Sunday we met some friends at Boerne Lake for a birthday party and a cookout. Afterwards it was time to finish up the planter/bench! I took a brief (ok, 2.5 hour) nap and when I awoke the bench was finished!! My amazing husband put together a planter/bench in just one weekend! I'm so lucky!

Who says you can't go home?

I just got back from a 10-day, 1200-mile trip up I-35. I saw plenty friends, family and co-workers along the way!

It all started several months ago when I decided I wanted to go to the National Severe Storms Workshop (NSWW) that's held annually in Norman. It's a really fun event with interesting talks, great networking opportunities and delicious food! Since it's in Norman (and my employer was paying for my attendance to the workshop) I decided to arrive the Sunday before and spend a few days in the office. Since my dad's birthday always falls on or near the dates of the workshop, I decided I could pop up to Wichita (since I was going to be close) and spend the weekend with him as his birthday gift. Then I realized that the Cowtown Run in Fort Worth was the weekend before the conference and Mike would be running the half-marathon. So, for those of you keeping track at home, that's Fort Worth on Saturday, Norman on Sunday, Wichita the following Saturday and all the way back to San Antonio Sunday. Whew!

Fort Worth
Mike did really well in his half-marathon. He finished in 2 hours and 17 minutes which was really great. He ran with Ryan (the brother of my bridesmaid, Ashley) and our friend Grant (Ashley's husband). It was Ryan's first half-marathon and he finished in just over 2 hours! Way to go! I was proud of all 3 of the boys as their personal chauffeur for the event! Mike and Grant reconfirmed their friendship when they discovered they used the same type of toothbrush!

Norman
I had a great 3 days in the office. It was nice to talk to everyone in person. We had an in-residence course going on so I got to help out in the lab. It's nice to have folks to eat lunch with everyday!

The conference was great. I made a few connections and learned a lot about severe weather. (Did you know the US averages 1300 tornadoes each year? And almost every state gets them!)

That Friday, one of my co-workers hosted a bratwurst party at his home. Another co-worker of mine lives in Wisconsin and brought back lots of brats for us to enjoy! It was really great to have one last hurrah with the office before coming home, especially since several of my co-workers have been fortunate enough to take on new opportunities that will further add to their success.

Wichita
I got to Wichita just before lunch. Dad and I ate at Schlotzsky's which isn't unique to Wichita, but there isn't one close to us in San Antonio and I just really wanted a good sandwich. After lunch we dropped my car off for an oil change and went to visit my Grandma. I enjoyed some one-on-one conversation with her before her big 100th birthday bash that will take place May 1. With over 200 people in attendance and family coming in from all over, I likely won't get to talk to her much.

Dad and I went to the Wichita Garden Show where were learned about rain barrels and other fun gardening ideas. Dad even got to hold a snake. (I watched from a safe distance.) After that we met up with my aunt, uncle and cousins as well as Dad's friend, Terry, who is like an uncle to me, for Il Vicino. Il Vicino is a wood-oven pizza place in Wichita that I pretty much HAVE to go to every time I go to Wichita. It's where I went the day after our wedding and I even considered having the welcome dinner there. It's just really good.

Sunday morning I had birthday breakfast with Dad and Terry before gassing up the 4Runner and heading south. It was a long lonely drive but I had the Audiobook of Three Cups of Tea to ward off boredom.

When I arrived home my wonderful husband had cleaned the house and was just getting home from purchasing groceries (including pretty flowers). I had a great time but it's good to be back!

We're Now Free to Travel About the Country!

So, newlyweds often have a lot of time on their hands. I mean, you can only go out to dinner and a movie so many times, right? So the ones who are fortunate enough to have the means use this pre-children period in their marriage to travel. It's a great use of time. You learn about your spouse, you overcome challenges together and you have the energy and freedom to do it!

It just so happened that Mike and I had reasons to go to New Orleans and Vegas on back-to-back weekends. Who does that?! Apparently, we do. We've been known to go from Oklahoma to Louisiana twice in two weeks. We've taken a 10-day trip to cover Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas. We know how to travel. It's just now that we choose to fly a bit more often! ;) (We're learning...)

So first up was a retirement ceremony for Mike's boss at Lackland. He is from New Orleans and wanted to celebrate with friends and family there. The ceremony took place in the foyer of the WWII museum. Just that part was awesome, so I can't wait to go back and walk through the museum. (A combination of a reception to follow, 3-inch heels and the end of a sinus infection prohibited an actual tour of the museum.) During our weekend in NOLA we got to watch the LSU Tigers beat Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, eat a LOT of authentic Cajun food, and take a couple trips up and down Bourbon St.

The next weekend my mom was giving a talk at a conference in Las Vegas and invited Mike and I to join her and my aunts and uncles for the weekend. We had celebrated my aunt's 40th birthday there when I was 18, so we went ahead and celebrated her 50th last weekend even though her birthday was last November. We stayed at New York, New York. Mike learned to play craps and even won some money doing so. We went to see the Amazing Jonathan and Zumanity. I was shocked at how "reasonably priced" the food was. Going into the PBR (bulls, not Pabst) restaurant, I was sure it would be about $15 for a burger you could have gotten at Chili's. It was actually really great food. Mike got Chicken and Waffles (because that's something he would do) and said it was the best chicken he's ever had! I was trying to take it easy and had a turkey sandwich with fruit on the side ($9), which was all fresh and delicious! Kudos to Vegas for having great food and not taking all my money for it!

When we got to the airport to go home on Monday, we noticed that our flight was delayed 2 hours and we were already 2 hours early! We were afraid we'd miss our plane to San Antonio so we rushed to the gate to make changes. They told us that our plane to SAT would be held for us so we wouldn't miss our connection, but they went ahead and put us on a flight leaving right then. When we got to San Diego (where we were changing planes) we realized we had 3 hours. If you've been to that airport, you would likely agree that that doesn't sound fun. So we whipped out the iPhone, Yelped a restaurant on the water less than a mile away and caught a cab. It was fantastic. We had lunch on the harbor in the sun. It was 80 degrees and beautiful. Mike even said that was the best chicken sandwich he's ever had! We even got back to the airport an hour before boarding! What a great trip!!

Our First Christmas

Although this is our first Christmas as a married couple, it didn't feel much different than the 3 Christmases that preceded it. I wanted to recount the details of this Christmas, but I thought this post might be better spent looking back a little further. So let's see the highlights of Christmases 2007-2010!

2007
Our first Christmas together - for real. Mike and I had been dating about 7 months. We drove to Wichita to meet my mom and dad. They were going to Colorado and then we'd go out the next day so I could be with my high school friends for our celebration. Well, record snowfall changed all that. The highway to CO was shut down the morning my parents were going to leave. When my parents came back to the house, I just remember everyone deciding we should go to Best Buy. When we opened the garage door it was snowing moderately and starting to accumulate. We all looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and got in the car. This is America. If you can't go see your family, go shopping!! After Best Buy, we met my aunt, uncle, cousins and grandma for lunch.

On the way home from lunch, my aunt and uncle got stuck in the snow. And so it began. Mike and my dad pushed 20+ cars out of the snow (driving around in my dad's Prius, which had no trouble). Mom and I spent most of the day at my Grandma's.
We left for Colorado the next day and had a great time with family out there. When we got back to Wichita, I was able to see a few high school friends before heading back to Oklahoma.



2008
Now, I'm trying really hard to remember anything particularly special about Christmas 2008. I know we traveled to Louisiana and Kansas. We saw a lot of family, for sure. But nothing really sticks out as different from other years. Oh, wait...WE GOT ENGAGED!!! That's right. It was Christmas.

Mike had taken me out for a gorgeous dinner at Melting Pot and proposed in the OKC Myriad Gardens with all the beautiful Christmas lights. The next day, Mike wanted to take a picture of the ring in his 9 foot live tree (see below). He got the money shot and then went to move it and BAM! The ring disappeared into a maze of pine needles. 30 minutes later, Dave (Mike's roommate) returns to the apartment find ornaments strewn across the living room and Mike and I shoulder deep in the tree. Exactly 3 seconds after seeing us he says "You lost the ring in the tree." Mike and I replied "HELP US!" Dave got a flashlight and not 5 minutes after he started looking he pointed and said "I FOUND IT!" And that's how Dave became our Best Man. :)
2009
Christmas 2009 found us in Kansas. We got a bit of snow (nothing compared to the OKC Christmas Eve blizzard which covered the metro with 14" of snow). Mike and I had narrowly escaped OKC the day before. Being from Louisiana, Mike always enjoys the novelty of snow (I do, too, of course!). The Wichita snow and Mike's artistic skills came together in this snowman he built. Notice the candy used for facial features...
2010
We had a great Christmas this year. Mike was in Ohio for 3 weeks after Thanksgiving and flew straight to Arkansas to be with family and then drove to Louisiana where I met him on the 23rd. Mike's sister Courtney was back from a tour in Iraq and everyone was glad to have her home, especially her children, Landyn (7) and CJ (4). Mike and I got the kids presents we secretly wanted to play with ourselves - Legos and Play-Doh. This made it a whole lot easier to say "yes" when they asked us to play with them! I had some amazing Cajun food (I had gumbo TWICE and Mrs. Kathy sent some home with me!!). Courtney got us some awesome gifts - a US flag flown in Iraq, OU and LSU coins specially made in Iraq. Mike's mom and Mr. Bo gave us allllll kinds of Cajun spices and sauces. I'm so excited to put them to use! Mike's going to think he's back in Louisiana!!!!