Saturday Night

Despite the hugeness of NYC, it can be a lonely city at times. Going out with friends is a must in order to stay sane. On Saturday, a group of couples got together in Little Italy for a night of dinner and dessert.

Rubi + Stanton, Ashley + Nate, and Pat + Lindsay (although I know it looks like Nate and Pat are the real couple)

Me + Johnny and Klane + Angie

It was a really fun night of food and friends!

p.s. a little story:

Johnny gets home from work last night and says, "I see you have a new trend on your blog where you post pictures of yourself at the computer." 

I say, "What am I supposed to do? I sit at the computer all day. And I'm a very visual person. I think every post should have a picture." 

He says nothing and has moved on to some other riveting topic in his brain. 

I say, "Do you not like it?" 

Johnny: "I didn't say that." 

Me: "Should I stop doing it?" 

Johnny: "No." 

Me: "So it was just an observation?" 

Johnny: "Yes." 

Boys and their observations. Girls and always reading more into stuff than what is said. Haha. I love having a boy for a best friend.

Mondays Can Be Good

Today is Monday and laundry day. I hate laundry day.

And we had a fabulous weekend. I did not want it to end.

But Mondays can be good... 
I got up an hour early this morning and did push-ups and sit-ups and read from my scriptures. It's been a long time since I have started the day off right like that, and it makes a big difference.
I cleaned the apartment from head to toe last night so I would start off the week with a clean place. That made me happy this morning.
Today I got a little gift in the mail from Johnny's mom. It made my day! I was smiling ear to ear all the way from our mailbox to our apartment door. It feels so good to be thought of :)

Today I also realized the following:
This week BYU will come out with some kind of announcement about its independence or lack of, which means my husband will stop obsessing over the BYU message boards.
And the first BYU football game is this Saturday!
Also, this coming weekend is a long one!

So today is a Monday, but it is a good day.

P.S. I read Mockingjay. I had mixed feelings about it. That is all I will say for you slowpokes out there.

Persie Hard at Work

Sometimes it's hard to get work done with this little booger trying to get in on the action:

Rockaway Again

Don't judge. Me and my boy Johnny just happen to like the beach. a lot. We were feeling mighty lazy on Saturday, so instead of laying in bed all day, we decided we might as well lay on the beach. On our way, we HAPPENED to get on the same subway car as our friends Tyler and Kate. Really. This is New York. The chances of that happening have got to be quite slim. They were on their way to the beach as well, so we went the rest of the way together! It was a lovely, relaxing day!

The Yankees

The title of this post could refer to us because technically now that we are residents of NYC, we could be considered Yankees. But Johnny and I don't look like natives here. Maybe someday we will. I don't think we ever will. I get stopped all the time by people trying to rip me off with something or the other. Just recently one of the days I wore my hair down, a girl stopped me as I was walking home. "This is kind of a random question," she said, "but where did you get your hair cut?" I was thinking, Wow, my hair must REALLY look good today! So I started to talk to her and quickly found out she was not interested in my hair, but in selling me something. Such is life out here. Anyway, so obviously Johnny and I aren't quite Yankees yet. But we are adjusting well to our new life. Just last night we met up with Klane and Angie after work and went to a Yankees game, thus the actual reason for the title of this post. Angie got some free tickets from her work, so they invited us to go!

 I love seeing the big buildings behind the stadium.

We went to Yankee Stadium last summer, but I'd forgotten how pretty it is.

Mr. Johnny

Klane and Angie

The obligatory baseball game hot dog

Klane and Angie with their dogs

Johnny's sports face :)

Yankee Stadium

Johnny and me

We stayed until the seventh inning and then headed home. I was surprised we stayed that long. . . . The night before Johnny and Klane did not get home from work until 3:30 in the morning! But who can say no to watching baseball on a summer night?

The view of the stadium from the subway platform

It was a nice, relaxing night. I still can't get over how much there is to do in this city. Thanks again, Hardings!

The Beach

Hey, we live in New York, but who says we can't go to the beach? That's just what we did last Saturday. We met up with Klane and Angie Harding and rode the subway all the way there. It was about an hour and half all together. This was a real beach. And it wasn't even that crowded. Of course I forgot my camera, which I was quite angry about, but luckily Angie got some great pics, which I decided to steal from her blog:

Isn't this a cool shot? The water temperature was not as cold as California but not as warm as the gulf. If it had been a hotter day, it would have been perfect.

Johnny and me in all our whiteness

Klane and Angie looking like the cute couple that they are :)

Rockaway Tacos...Isn't it a cute place?

Afterward, we went and got fish tacos at this yummy little shop. They were delish. I wouldn't mind spending every Saturday just like this one: sun + friends + good food... really, what more can a girl ask for?

My [Not So Worrisome] Worries

When something really stresses me out, I internalize it. No one knows this better than Johnny. I barely spoke a word to him about my school work all throughout my college career. Instead when I am stressed, I start to worry that any of the following are happening:

• My teeth are getting crooked and/or yellow. This leads to religious wearing of my retainer every night and applying whitening strips.
• I am getting wrinkles. This leads to buying expensive face cream and applying it religiously.
• I am gaining weight. This leads to weighing myself multiple times per day.
• My nose is beginning to have a crevice in the front of it (I don't know how better to explain this one.).

These are the worries that Johnny gets to hear about. In reality, I am stressed about some legitimate aspect of my life, but instead I voice concern over these tiny details. I know. . . . It is odd. I am aware that it is irrational and somewhat vain sounding, but there it is. I think Johnny is the only one who knows this about me, so I thought I'd share. The end.

The Mets Game

How many guys need to hold that hose?

Last night we went to a Mets game. We went to a Yankees game last summer, so it was fun to compare the two stadiums. I think I liked the Mets stadium better. It was an unofficial church activity, so we got to get to know some people from our church a bit better.

Johnny and Me

Johnny was SO excited to go to a baseball game. He is obsessed with sports, and he loved having guys to talk sports with at the game.

Our friends Pat and Lindsay and Pat's brother, David, who's visiting

I only got a picture of Lindsay and Pat. There were other couples there, but I don't know them that well yet, so I tried not to be too camera-happy. Lindsay actually got on the big screen for a good five seconds because of her amazing dance moves. For me, that was the highlight of the night.

During the game

Unfortunately, the Mets lost, but it was still a really fun time!

Our Day-to-Day

When I'm tired and boring, at least I know Persie will keep Johnny entertained!

• Johnny and I are slowly trying to start running regularly. Obviously, it doesn't feel that great because we are both out-of-shape, but I can tell in a way my muscles are like, "Finally! We are being used!"(Yes, they actually said that to me.)
• Johnny is really enjoying his job. Like, really. Sometimes I don't think he wants to come home. 
• Since living out here, I have had these INTENSE chocolate cravings, which is odd since I usually just like gummy worms and sour patch kids. These cravings have resulted in me making brownies one week, chocolate chocolate chip cookies another week, and chocolate cupcakes this week. 
• Speaking of baking, I DESPISE washing dishes. My sister once told me that when she cleans her house, she can literally feel her body resisting every second of it. I never understood until now! To save money, I have been cooking most nights of the week, which means having dishes to wash EVERY night. Someday in the future when I have a dishwasher again, I will literally make a shrine in its honor.
• Lately, when anyone comes to our house, Persie feels the need to immediately go to her litter box and do a poo right in front of them. It has happened several times. I don't know whether it's a territorial thing or if she thinks it's going to impress our visitors, but either way it must stop. Now.
• Having an H&M nearby is KILLING me. I went in there one day last week to just look around, and it was such a bad idea. I was mentally picking out shirts and thinking of outfits I could make. Did I mention we're on a very strict budget? Yeah...

Anyway, all is going well! It's already Wednesday! Hooray!  
post-edit: Johnny just informed me that it is only Tuesday. Dang it!

Sailing

On Saturday we went sailing! Sailing is actually a pretty intense sport. My Uncle Pat has been doing it for a little over a year now, and he invited us to go with his friends Steve and Malorie, who own a sailboat.

Waiting at the marina

The dock

We were both asked if we would like to help work the sailboat. I declined. Johnny said, "Sure!"

The sailboat

The view of Manhattan from the boat...Isn't that a cool boat in the picture? It looks like a pirate ship to me!

Not gonna lie...Johnny and I ended up getting pretty burned on this sailing excursion.

The city again

 

The men (Johnny, Uncle Pat, and Steve)

So I have to admit...I almost ruined the trip by getting seasick. Luckily, I was able to hold off throwing up until we were about two hours in.

I was told to look forward after my whole throwing up ordeal, so here is the view looking forward!

That's my boy!

Steve drove us really close to the Statue of Liberty on the way back!

Johnny and Malorie

Us and the Statue of Liberty

They brought the sails in and ran the motor to get me back faster. They were really nice about having to come back early :)

Afterward, we ate snacks on the boat!

We had such a great time. Johnny loved sailing. As soon as we left, he was like, "We have to get you something for your motion sickness so we can do that again soon!" I loved going over to New Jersey and getting out of the hustle and bustle, but I have to admit I am really beginning to enjoy Manhattan!

Success!

Okay, so I had given up all hope of ever being able to wear my hair down during the summer out here. Yesterday I had an all-time low. I blowdried my hair and it was like frizzzzz BIG TIME. But I was like, screw this. I'm just gonna let it look like a frizz ball all day. So I stuck it in a high pony tail and told myself I didn't care. By the time Johnny got home (which was around 10:30 last night), I was sulking. "Johnnyyyy," I whined, "why does EVERYONE look better than I do?!" And he said, "Well, it probably wasn't a very good choice to do your hair like that today. If you actually spent some time on your hair, you'd look great." So this morning I woke up deciding not to be defeated! I used three different products on my hair and straightened every little strand! I then stood in front of the A/C and made sure to cool my head off so I was not sweating at all after straightening it. To those of you not living in humidity, this may sound disgusting, but trust me, out here it is necessary! So I took a picture right after it was done, and I decided to see how long it would last:

The real test was when I went to meet Johnny for lunch. My hair had to endure the hot, nasty air of the subway, and then it endured 90 degree heat for an hour! And this, my friends, is what I look like this very moment:

Success! The humidity has been conquered. I can have straight hair out here, and I will! I WILL!!!

More Pics of Persie

I don't feel like I've done our little kitty justice, so I thought I'd share some pictures of just how adorable she is.

proof that Persie gets tired...She resists sleep just like a little toddler does.

When Persie saw me taking pictures of her, she had to get up close and personal. Here she is grabbing the wrist band that dangles from the camera.

Persie has the whole bed to lay on, but instead she chooses Johnny's satchel. Here you can see the stripes on her tail, which I love.

Persie has her eye on the camera's wrist band again! Oh dear...

We are having fun with her. I swear this won't become a blog where I only post pictures of our cat!!! She is a great little addition to our new New York life, and I just wanted to share her cuteness one last time!

Lunch

So I have started meeting Johnny for lunch during the week. The picture above is where we ate yesterday. As I was sitting there, it really did seem unreal. In other news, Johnny got a haircut:

Of course, he refuses to look at the camera.

 Life is pretty calm right now. We finally had a chance to budget last night, and it looks like we are going to be able to make it out here, folks! Haha, it seems like we spend SO much, so it was a relief to budget. Persie is doing well... She is super calm all day with me. She just lounges on my lap, and then when Johnny gets home, she goes NUTS. She races around the apartment and pounces on everything in sight!...I guess she is preparing us for children!