Christmas Tree

 

 

 

 

Finally made it up to Rockefeller to get photos of the tree at night. It's so festive and merry! Trying to make a photo (not shown) our Christmas card, and we had them made at Walgreens - but they are so dark, so we're going by today to see if they'll do them over. If not, you'll get a dark photo of us in front of some very dim Christmas lights on an unidentifiable object in the distance. Oh well.

Apartment Projects

Luke is so handy! He put together our new shelves from IKEA. What a studmuffin.


Our curtain finally arrived from Urban Outfitters...I love it. And it was so inexpensive, as far as curtains go, so even better.


This weekend we are going back to IKEA to get a couple more shelves to add to our shelving unit; we underestimated how many we would need for our clothes. This unit is so great, and we even have doors that we'll put on it tomorrow to hide our clothes and linens. Plus, IKEA even has these great green and white clothes boxes to match our new curtain. Or maybe these.

Backtracking

 

 

 

 

I've been meaning to put up pics from the two Thanksgiving week weddings. Above are some select shots from Michelle and Nick's wedding. Below are some from Amanda and Jeff's wedding.

More Like Home

 

 

 

 

We put pictures up in our hallway last night...made the place feel more homey, despite all of the boxes that are still around due to lack of shelving. I've really gotten into aviary decoration. Birds always look so pretty, and I found these prints on etsy. Okay, the birds that swarmed Baylor's campus every year weren't pretty, and neither was the mess they left behind on my car. But I love these prints! The frames are from Ikea.

Also, we took Molly on a 6 mile walk on Sunday after church. We live on the lower part of Manhattan, but we thought she might like Central Park, so we walked up and back. She's not the greatest dog on a leash - she tends to pull a lot, especially when other dogs are around. She's super friendly with other people, but she has to prove herself around other dogs and gets kind of mean. So, Luke had to pick up our 50 lb dog a few times to control her around the other dogs throughout the walk. It's quite funny to see a guy walking down the street with a huge dog in his arms - most people have their purse-sized pets in their arms instead, complete with frou-frou sweater.

Molly does not like horses - quite a few months ago, she was kicked in the face by my sister's horse due to Molly's antagonistic nature. My parents put an electric fence up, and she's more-or-less stayed away since being zapped by it. But she hasn't forgotten her dislike of horses, nor her need to "corral" them. Apparently, Sunday is prime horse-carriage day in Central Park, with a non-stop stream of people riding in these carriages. Horses were EVERYWHERE, and she went crazy. On high alert. We walk past this statue of a horse (mind you...it's plastic). She started attacking its ankles and barking and whining. Actually quite funny.


I had video of this, or thought I did, but it doesn't really show much in way of attacking the fake horse. Oh well.

This cart advertises for special "coffe". With only one "e", it must be very special.


And this showed up in the mail a couple days ago. I love it! We were going to go without one for seven months, but now we don't have to. It was such a great surprise!

Our New Home

Our boxes came today via UPS!!! It took them two trips to get all 13 boxes up to us - I'm sure they were thankful that our building has an elevator, since we're on the tenth floor.


The rest of the boxes are in the kitchen right now (not pictured). Most everything will stay in boxes until Saturday, when we can make it back to Ikea to get our shelving unit. But one thing was unpacked right away...the computer!


There are a ton of coffeeshops around here, and a Starbucks on (almost) every corner, but we have a new favorite. For less than $3, we can both get a cup.


We woke up Saturday morning with snow covering the ground. It was so exciting! I've always loved snow, and it made the cold more bearable - like there was a purpose for the cold. It didn't stay long, but it was fun while it lasted. I zoomed in on the pic below, and you can actually see all of the points of the snowflakes in my hair and on my coat. How awesome God is for creating the tiniest details!


Our favorite place to get falafel sandwiches in our neighborhood.

Since we have minimal storage space here, I didn't bring any Christmas decorations, which makes me quite sad. I LOVE Christmas time. I was in the need of some Christmas spirit, so I took a short train ride to see the tree at Rockefeller. As soon as I stepped out of the subway station, it started snowing, and Christmas music was playing somewhere. It was exactly what I needed!

Settled, Sort of

We are officially in our new apartment. It's in Manhattan, not too far from the culinary institute where I'll be attending. The apartment is "cozy", but we love it so far. Thankfully we have an elevator, otherwise I don't know how we'd get future furniture up to our apartment. I keep thinking of the Friends episode where Ross gets a new couch, and has a diagram drawn and keeps shouting "Pivot!" as they are moving it upstairs.

The walls are super thin, so we can hear everything that goes on next door. Hopefully the neighbor won't be home much. It also worries me that everyone else nearby can hear my conversations, etc. Guess I better not gossip!

We made a trip out to Ikea today. They offer a free charter bus ride to the Ikea in New Jersey, which was great. Our goal was to get a sofa-bed, but that didn't quite pan out, because the delivery fee just made it not worth the price. We'll look around near the apartment and see what we can find. And I've learned that Luke and I just can't shop at Ikea together - it's always the most stressful experience ever. Too many decisions, and he goes one way with taste, and I also choose the opposite. He's more minimalist, while I tend towards a if-you-can-find-it-at-Anthropologie-I'm-going-to-love-it style.

So we ended up back home with dishes, and that's it. Still no furniture. I'll take a picture of the current status of our apartment and post it tomorrow. We have an air mattress that we packed in our suitcase. That's it. I feel like a squatter in my own home.

Made it to the Andrew Bird concert last night - AMAZING! This guy is absolutely incredible, and I highly recommend that you check him out. He has a band that plays with him, but many of his songs are a one-man act. He has a machine that records what he plays, and then he switches it on to a playback mode, and it repeats whatever he just recorded, while he moves on to a different melody. It all comes together to form beautiful, harmonious sounds. I always enjoy listening to good violinists, as I used to play (not well), and this guy can whistle better than anyone I know.

Molly the dog is coming tomorrow! We pick her up at the airport tomorrow afternoon. I really hope she doesn't freak out on the plane. Poor girl. We've really missed her these past two months.

Keep checking back for pics. I can't find the cable right now.

We Made It

Luke and I arrived in NYC this morning after an uneventful flight (my favorite kind). In Houston, we held the line up at security because we had the max allowance for carry-on baggage, meaning we had to push about 8 tubs through the x-ray scanner. At baggage claim in New York, we had 4 suitcases, 2 laptops, a duffel bag, and a small carry-on bag, plus I was holding boots and a down coat. We got stares from many people at the airport when we finally got a cart loaded down with everything, and I heard people whisper that we had "an awful lot of luggage". Yes, of course we had a lot of luggage - we're moving here!

Because of all of the luggage, a lady thought we might be an easy target for scalping on cab fare. She said she had a van taxi...did we want it...asked her how much, and for a 20 minute ride to Brooklyn, she was charging us double. I politely told her absolutely not and kept walking. I might look silly with my overpacking, but I'm not stupid.

So, right now I'm sitting in Yen's apartment, waiting for Luke to finish his work for the day so we can go grab dinner and head over to our interview for the apartment. I'm a little nervous about this! But, God has brought us this far, so I don't doubt that he'll provide a place to live. I'll give updates again when we get more settled.

And, exciting news - we got tickets to see Andrew Bird in concert tomorrow night. Not the greatest seats, but we'll be there at least. Our first New York experience. Unless of course we decide to go to the Christmas tree at Rockefeller tonight.

On Our Way!

Our official move date has arrived. We leave Austin tomorrow to go visit family in Houston, and then we fly out on Thursday for NYC. We interview with the apartment board Thursday evening, so please pray that we pass with flying colors, otherwise we're homeless. We'll find out the results on Friday, and then hopefully we can move in that day, but it will probably be Monday.

We'll send out our new address via email soon.

Going to the Chapel....

My sister Michelle married her sweetie, Nick, on Saturday. The wedding was beautiful, but it was definitely an eventful weekend. We had a couple medical scares...please pray for my Uncle Russ, who had a massive heart attack on Friday, just before the rehearsal. He's stable and doing much better, but they are keeping him in Houston at the hospital for the next week before sending him home to Virginia to be cared for by a doctor there.

To see pics of the weekend, go here. No pics of the ceremony, because both Luke and I had duties during the ceremony. But, once we get pics from the photographer, I'll post some highlights.

More Pics

A note about the videos: this cat will come up to you, lay down in the fetal position, and wait for you to spin her. Then you launch her across the floor, and she comes right back for more. It was the funniest thing.

Our New Apartment in NYC

Luke and I just got back last night from our apartment hunting trip in NYC. We flew into the city Tuesday evening, and found our apartment after only one day of hunting,
which was such a huge relief. My feet thanked me as well.

We stayed with my friend Yen, who I've known since high school. She lives out in Brooklyn, and her apartment is amazing. Thanks Yen for letting us crash there!

We spent all day Wednesday looking around Brooklyn, and saw a couple really great places. One apartment was so amazing that I was ready to sign right then and there, but my husband in all his wisdom reminded me that the neighborhood had nothing to offer and that we should keep looking. So we met up with a gal from Redeemer PCA in Manhattan, who is subletting her apartment. We loved it, and more importantly we loved the location, so we took it. It's tiny...just a little studio, but the kitchen is separate and the bathroom is a decent size.






























And here's Luke standing in the middle of the main room. Told you it was small. Note: it does extend more than what you can see here, but not by much. I'm glad we really love each other, otherwise this space wouldn't work for us for long!

We're already planning how we're going to arrange our furniture, and we made a trip to Ikea today to look at a wall storage system, which will really utilize the vertical space. Or, see page 238 of your latest Ikea catalog.

We still have some paperwork to complete, and because it is a co-op, there is an approval process that could take a couple weeks. Please pray that we won't have to fly back up there for an interview, as that wasn't really in our budget. Also, please pray that everything is approved quickly.

We do get to take our dog Molly! We're so excited about this, because we really didn't want to give her up.

More about the building - there is a laundry center in the basement, which means I don't have to trudge through sleet and snow to have clean clothes every week. Yay! There is also a live-in super, in case anything breaks, plus there is a bike room and extra storage if needed. Our building is in the most amazing location ever. We have a movie theater 30 seconds away, plus 2nd Avenue to our right has tons of amazing restaurants. 2 blocks north of us is the subway, a Trader Joe's, a cool looking grocery store that does free delivery plus we can order groceries online, Whole Foods, awesome shopping, etc. We found a great restaurant for falafel nearby, and we tried some yummy Korean food here.

On Thursday we met up with a friend of mine from Baylor. We met Lynn at Lombardi's, which has the most amazing pizza ever. From there, Luke went to do some work, and Lynn and I traveled up to Central Park to look at the changing leaves.

Pics

Last weekend Luxe attended Maker Faire, which is a huge festival of creative types showing off their inventions and selling their wares. It was a bust for us though, as they didn't have our names on the list, which meant that our product wasn't displayed as it should of been. We left shortly after arriving. The most memorable moments of the whole day - girls with long armpit hair (eew!), yellowjackets swarming our cookies, and this:Azim was kind enough to change my flat tire.

However, we did have a chance to walk around, and here are some of the coolest pinatas I've ever seen.

Make the Dream Come True

Luke's mom had a dream that someone she knew had an apartment in NYC for us to stay in, for free, all bills paid, with lots of room and a place for our dog. She couldn't remember who the person was though. Is that you? If so, please leave a comment! We'll take it!

Updates

It's been a terribly long time since I've posted anything. No new pics at the moment, which is why anyone actually stops to check our blog. But, we are at Michelle's finally, temporarily settled in, before we have to move again. I hate the process of moving so much that it makes me wonder why we do it so often. I love unpacking and setting up a new home, but it's the packing and getting it there that is just terrible. And we always pick a time in the Texas summer to do it. Thankfully, the move to New York will be in the beginning of winter, which will be a balmy 70 degrees here in Texas, only to experience shocking cold when we arrive in the northeast. I'll have to pack a summer wardrobe and a winter wardrobe just for the drive!

We are so looking forward to finding our apartment in the city...that trip is just a couple weeks away now! I can hardly wait! I'd like to do a photo blog of some of the apartments we end up looking at, to show you all what you get for the money up there. Don't expect anything fancy!

Molly is currently residing at my parents' house in the country, where she runs through mud puddles and swims in ponds and terrorizes a horse. I'm so grateful to my parents for watching her for a couple of months, but we definitely miss our dog.

Work has really picked up at the bakery, which is good. We have a lot going on through the end of the month, with a huge festival this weekend plus a couple of catering events this weekend and next. And, I've got something going on just about everyday between now and our move in December. I can't think of a day off at all, except the occasional Sunday, which will hopefully be a true day of rest. I was complaining about being so busy lately, and Luke made the comment that I'm making up for lost time, trying to even out the score, since I went so long with very little to do each day. I enjoy the work - I'm just having trouble keeping everything straight in my mind and staying organized, because I just can't get my act together these days. It's hard living in limbo, with everything you own in storage.

Thoughts

Some random thoughts to entertain you:

1. Many of my friends are having babies this year, so babies are constantly on my mind. Luke and I aren't quite ready for babies yet, and after watching a couple episodes of Baby Story today, I might put it off even longer. That epidural needle is HUGE! And the alternative of no epidural doesn't sound too appealing either. I have ZERO pain tolerance. Thankfully, my best friend is having a baby in a few months, who also has zero pain tolerance, so if she can do it, then one day I can too.

2. Our house is a mess - most of our stuff is in storage. So glad that part of moving is over. But now we've got the task of packing or tossing the odds and ends left, plus extensive cleaning so we can get our deposit back. And, despite major attempts at decluttering and ridding myself of my packrat tendencies, I still am overwhelmed at how much stuff we have!!! Where does it come from?!

3. Luke and I do NOT work well together during moving. I'm too anal about where everything goes and how it gets there. I do not look forward to doing this again in two months. Maybe I'll just go away for the day, and come back when it's all loaded in the truck. Spa day anyone?

4. Flying to NYC in November to go apartment hunting. Yay!

3 Weeks!

In about 3 weeks time we'll be officially out of our home, moving in with my sister, and wondering what the next step is to New York. It'll be strange having all of our belongings in storage. We're thinking that we'll move up there right after Thanksgiving, after the 2 weddings I'm in that week. But, that doesn't give us much time to find an apartment and get settled before class starts. Hmmm....I hate not knowing what's going to happen.

A Crafty Little Project

I spent a few days last week making bridal shower invitations for my best friend. I think they turned out quite nice!