NYC Birthday Trip Day 3

There were two things that I really wanted to do on this trip... see a show on Broadway and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and we did both and many, many other things also. :)  On our last day in NYC, we rode the subway to Brooklyn to start our journey across the Brooklyn Bridge. 

  

But before we made it to the bridge, we ran into this French bakery that we couldn't pass up. I got a chocolate eclair and it was delicious! Stephanie, Kara and Melinda loved their items too. So basically what I am trying to say is if you're ever in Brooklyn you should try this place. :)

Brooklyn! 

The Delorean! I don't think it's the actual car from "Back to the Future" but it was still pretty awesome!

The Manhattan Bridge!

The Ship of Tolerance and the Brooklyn Bridge.

We finally made it to the bridge!

The Brooklyn Bridge is about a mile long and it was beautiful!

Love locks on the bridge.  A couple will sign their names and the date on a lock, lock it onto a post, then throw the key into the water to seal their love forever or something like that :)

The fog enveloping the city. It was a cool way to see the city!

Once we got to the Manhattan side, we walked from the bridge to Chinatown and then onto Little Italy. This was a cool building on the way.

Look how skinny that building is.

We ate in Little Italy and this was a canoli I got at the restaurant we ate at.

Little Italy! If you look on the right there is a Christmas in Little Italy store, which was fun to look around!

I liked the contrast of the white building with red fire escapes.

It was a little foggy our last day.  The Empire State building.

This is the end of our lovely trip to the Big Apple. I loved the trip and I am grateful for the friends willing to go with me!

NYC Birthday Trip Day 2

Have I mentioned recently that I love NYC?!  Well I do.  First thing Saturday morning Melinda and I (the two birthday girls) made our way to lower Manhattan where we took the Staten Island Ferry so that we could see the Statue of Liberty from afar. We would have gone to it but it was closed due to the government shutdown.  (Kara and Stephanie were awesome and waited in line (while we went to the ferry) to get matinee tickets for that day for all of us.)  

   

I liked this building near the entrance of Staten Island Ferry. 

Lady Liberty!

 Melinda and I on the ferry!

View of Manhattan from the ferry.

Manhattan!

If you look closely you can see the Statue of Liberty in the background.

 We had a bit of time after the ferry ride before we had to meet up with Kara and Stephanie, so we went to Battery Park, which is super close to the ferry landing. I really liked the park! We didn't get to see it all, but the part we did see was pretty cool! In the picture above is the Navy memorial. The walls on the sides have names of Navy men killed in action.

I have never seen a statue like this before. It's the American Merchant Mariner's Memorial dedicated to those American merchant marines who lost their lives at sea.

 Battery Park!

Our matinee show this day was Once with Arthur Darvill and Joanna Christie.  (Another blogpost to come later about the shows we saw while there.)

I also love Central Park! On this trip we went to a different part of the park than I have been to before and I loved that part too.

We saw Belvedere Castle in Central Park.

The view from the castle!

Central Park!

Still Central Park!

Look how large that bubble is!

To end our awesome second day in NYC, we saw Newsies, which I absolutely loved! What a lovely end to another day in the Big Apple.

NYC Birthday Trip Day One!

I turned 30 this month. I wanted to do something big to celebrate my birthday. So a couple of weeks before my birthday three of my friends and I traveled to New York City to celebrate my birthday as well as one of the other girl's birthday. I love NYC! 

We took Friday off of work and took the bus or train up to NYC and got there late Friday morning. 

We went to Union Square and walked through the market there.

We looked at the statues in the park.

We went to Strand bookstore, which is a very large bookstore with tons and tons of used and new books in the area of Union Square.

 We saw the Flat Iron building which as you can tell is very skinny from this angle and gets bigger as you go back like an iron, hence the name.

 I liked this shot Kara took!

I liked this cool sculpture... it's a building in the shape of an O.

We ate at Ellen's Stardust Diner where there are singing waiters. The waiters would take our orders then take turns entertaining us. Apparently some now Broadway stars were discovered while working there.  It was pretty much awesome!

You can see the waiters up on the balcony in the blue and green shirts singing for us.

We went to FAO Schwartz to fill up some time and let's just say it was awesome! (I will do a whole post just on our time there.)

Me, Melinda, Stephanie, and Kara waiting for the train.

We saw First Date with Zachary Levi and Christa Rodriguez and can I just say it was hilarious?! (I will do another post just about the shows we saw while there.)

After the show, Kara, Stephanie and I went and sat on the steps at Times Square. We just sat there and soaked up the scene and talked. I  was amazed by how many people were out at 11 pm.  (I guess there's quite the night life and people coming out of shows.)

On the steps at Times Square.

The end of awesome day one.  Day two coming up next...

It's my birthday...

for another 10 minutes!  Today has been a lovely day!  I feel loved!

I have so many things to write about but it will have to wait for another post or two. :)

The Spider!

I didn't drive my car for one full day and this is what welcomes me back to my driver's side door...

That is one large spider and spider web. 

 Spiders sure do work quickly. One day. 

 Since I did not want to touch that thing with my hands, I found a big stick and took it off with that.  (Don't worry no humans or spiders were harmed in the process of moving the spider;)  

Goodness!

On Saturday was a day of service in the Virginia/Maryland/D.C. area. Our ward has been collecting non perishable food items and toiletries for the Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless.  One of the ways we've been collecting food is by standing outside grocery stores and telling people before they go into the store about the canned food drive so that they can go in and buy some of the items on the list and bring them to us on their way out.  I was so happy with how many people bought things for the food drive. Sometimes it was just one thing and sometimes it was 5 bags of items and sometimes it was a dollar or two but no matter the size or the amount that anyone brought to us, it made my heart swell inside.

Yesterday, I went to the primary program in Lara and Glen's ward (which was awesome, by the way) and one of the children had a cast on one of his legs almost up to his hip. He was probably 6 years old and when it was his turn to go up and say his part in the program, his older brother, who was probably 7 or 8 went over and picked up/helped his younger brother to the microphone. You could tell it was hard for the older brother to hold him, because he wasn't that much older and the little brother was bigger, but he did it and it was a tender but kind of funny moment to watch.

I read an article the other day about this 10 year old boy who biked to a police station and poured out a bag of $10 in coins. The boy after hearing about the September 11, 2001 attacks and the sacrifices that many police officers and firemen went through to help out after the attacks that this little boy scrounged up all of the money he could and donated it to the police station.
http://www.today.com/news/police-id-mystery-boy-who-donated-savings-10-03-4B11180302

I have a point to telling you all of these seemingly random stories. I tell you all these things because recently I've realized how generous and kind people can be when we look and when we give them a chance. I know there are lots of acts of kindness and generosity that go on all the time behind the scenes, but I think I've just been reminded to look. Sometimes it's just a smile to a stranger or friend or someone giving up their seat on the bus or metro or a person telling someone when they've dropped something and that person didn't realize it or helping someone move or a person comforting another during a hard time etc. There are so many ways and if we look, we will see.

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."  (Mosiah 2:17)

Have you seen any good in the world today?

The Bench!

Do you have that special place? That place you go to be alone and think or write in your journal or read a book or whatever the reason may be? Well this bench might be my place. :)  I love it! I try to go there when I can, but it is hard to get there some weeks.

I love Meadowlark Gardens, which happens to be where the bench is located, and want to tell everyone about it! So I am telling you now, you all should visit Meadowlark at least once if you can. :) (Click here for more photos of Meadowlark from an earlier post.)

Isn't it beautiful?!