Reflecting on the past few days...

Isaiah 41:10 says "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand." For the past few days, this verse has been heavy on my heart because of the unforgettable and terrifying tragedy that has occurred in my city on Monday. I know that things like this happen all over the world all the time but when it happens in your own backyard it really starts to hit home. People have been asking me about my experience and how I am dealing with it all so I thought what better way to express it (and even create a little therapy for myself) then by writing it down and sharing it with all of you.

I guess I'll begin at the beginning. Monday morning started out like any other typical day. Teej and I got up, I took him to the train station and came back to the house and had breakfast. I had moved all my morning clients to different days this week so that I could go Downtown Boston and experience the monumental Boston Marathon for the very first time. I was so excited, in fact, that I turned the TV on at 9:30am (because it is televised in Boston) to start watching the footage. Even from the television you could feel the strength, dedication, and patriotism that those runners had as the gun fired to send them on their long 26.2 mile journey. They all started their race from Hopkinton and were scheduled to finish at Copley Square in the heart of Boston.

This was the 117th marathon and is considered one of the greatest and most challenging marathons in the world. Not only that, but it was Patriot's Day, which is a holiday in Massachusetts to celebrate our nation and be proud of all we have accomplished thus far. Needless to say, it is an incredible and joyous day for everyone in the city of Boston. This years race consisted of 27,000 runners ranging from Wheelchair racers to Elite Olympic athletes to mediocre runners and charity runners who were running for a loved one who has passed from an illness or for a specific cause. The group of runners even had a group of people running to honor the victims of the Newtown crisis in Connecticut.

So, I had decided to take the morning off to go and experience this amazing event. I met my friend from work and her friend at the train station in Wellington at around 11am so that we could take the train in together. Now, the race started at around 9:30 but since it finished in Boston we had plenty of time to go watch if we made it there around 12. We took the train all the way to Back Bay Station, which was a couple blocks from the finish line. After a brief Starbucks run, we met up with a couple more people and we were on our way to watch. At first, we were standing close to the bleachers but couldn't see anything but the big flat screen so we thought it would be a better idea if we moved. It looked like there was space directly across from the bleachers so that we could see pretty well but we had to find a way to make it over there. Because all the streets were blocked off from the marathon, we had to walk down Newbury Street all the way down to the end of the marathon and then cross over. We did make it though and found a really good spot to watch. We were standing right across from the bleachers and right next to the foreign flags at the finish line.

This is where I was standing 

Now, at this time, it was probably around 1pm or so. I had been talking to my friend Laurel from Oregon who has a sister who was running in the marathon. We had been talking most of the morning so I told her that I would stay where I was and try and watch her sister come through. Thankfully, her sister is a very good runner and ended up finishing at the 3:23 mark, which ended up being at around 2pm. I actually missed her sister and found out she finished through a text message from Laurel. At that time I, along with the people I was with were getting really hungry so we figured we'd take a break from watching and go grab some food. We walked over to Newbury Street and found this restaurant named "Safar" to eat at. As we were walking over there, I looked at the time, which was now a little after 2pm and I began getting this weird feeling that I should probably not stay to eat and go home. I say this because I was scheduled to be back at work by 4pm. I thought the feeling was more anxiety based because I was fearful of being late for my client but I come to find out later that I think that feeling was truly a warning from the Lord to get out of there.

As we sat down for lunch, the pit in my stomach continued and I decided to say goodbye to the group I was with and head back to the train to go home. I made my way down Newbury Street and then cut over to Boylston right where the finish line took place. I made it past the finish line area around 2:15 and went into a local restaurant (along the same strip where Teej used to work before he moved offices)  and grabbed some food. By the time I left the restaurant, I was beginning to feel more uneasy. I wasn't sure what from but I just knew I needed to get to the train. It took me a very long time to get to the train because of the mass amount of people finishing the race and from all the spectators but I finally made it over to Arlington Station at around 230 or so. By the time I made it to my car safely it was almost exactly 3pm.

This was right after I got lunch and was walking to the train on Copley st. 2:15pm

I got in my car and the radio was on so the first thing I heard was explosion and then they went to commercial. I thought that was weird since I was listening to a very popular station in Boston that usually talks about people like Justin Beiber and other related gossip. I was unsure of what I had just heard until Teej texted me and asked me if I was still down there. I had texted him earlier to see if he wanted to take a little break to see me before I had to go to work so I thought he was responding to that. I replied with "No, just got in my car." The next thing I know is my friend Laurel is calling me all panicked and wanting to make sure I am ok. I told her I was fine and she was relieved and then she kind of began to tell me what had happened.

The minute she told me my heart sunk and I thanked the Lord for making me leave when I did. I hung up with her and immediately made sure Teej and my friend that was down there was ok too. They were all fine but all I could keep thinking was "I was literally just there an hour before. How did this happen? Why did this happen?" My body was in shock and all I could do was sit there and listen to the radio. They explained the severity of the two explosions and began to give details of the injuries among other things. The next thing I know I am receiving texts upon texts upon texts making sure I was ok. I was thankful for the concern but couldn't get over what had just taken place.

Later that day I talked with my friend who was stayed down there. She told me that she was sitting eating lunch outside with the other people she was with and she heard both explosions. At first she thought it was a car backfiring until she heard the second one immediately follow. She said that a woman came over a few minutes later and said a bomb had gone off and people were losing limbs and there was blood everywhere. Panic immediately struck within her. The images she saw next are too gruesome to explain but as she saw them as well as the fear in peoples eyes she knew she had to get out. The group of people walked over to Cambridge where they waited in a cafe for one of the girls moms to come and pick them up. She and the others in her group are fine and thankful to be alive.

I am beyond grateful that they are safe but it's so scary to think that if I would have stayed I would have experienced the exact same things as they did. It's almost surreal to think of the magnitude that two bombs can put off in such a short time and at such a large event where police officers are constantly roaming the vicinity. For someone to walk by and drop off a mysterious bag with a bomb made by a pressure cooker and then walk away without someone seeing him is incredible.

As the day went on, more and more people began to text both Teej and I to make sure we were ok. Teej ended up being forced to leave work and go home. By that point, the trains were all shut down and he had little to no way of getting home. Thankfully it was a nice day so he decided it best to walk the 4.5 miles all the way to Everett. I know he wasn't ever as thrilled to get to Everett as he was on that day. He said that it was interesting because the majority of people he saw were on foot and walking to a cab or a bus outside the city. I'm just so blessed and thankful that we both made it home safely.

As you can probably imagine, we were both pretty shaken up that evening. I ended up going to work that afternoon and getting home later that night. It was a joyous occasion to finally re-connect with Teej because it had felt like years since I'd seen him. We watched the news most of the night and it finally hit me how close I really was to the first bomb location. The majority of the things I had heard were on the radio so seeing the footage for the first time really threw me for a loop. I was a little ways down but I was definitely in the area and may have gotten seriously injured or worse if I stayed there.

While I sit here and begin to truly reflect on Monday's tragedy, my heart aches for the families of the lives that were taken from us. My soul yearns for the Lord to come and save us from this broken world. At the same time, I am thankful by the way that this city has reacted and has truly become one city united together. I am encouraged by not only the support from people in the city of Boston but by people all around the country. I believe the Lord has a plan for this tragedy and WILL use it for his good purpose; this I know. I pray that this act of terrorism brings people to know the goodness and eternal salvation that being a follower of Christ can be and that we, as Christians, can be examples for those who are searching for something greater than this life. I pray the Lord is with those families in mourning and those families waiting for their loved ones to get out of the hospitals. I pray that this city is better because of this! Lord bring light to this darkened world and shine bright as the stars in the heavens. I do know this much. I have learned to not take life for granted. The bible says "How short is life, and how full of trouble! Like a flower, we blossom for a moment and then wither. Like the shadow of a passing cloud, we quickly disappear." Job 14:1-2. I think I have finally realized how important it is to understand how little control we have over our lives so what time the Lord does give us on this earth we really must live it to the fullest and for his good purpose because you really never know.

As I finish up, I thank you for all your support. I thank you for your texts, phone calls, facebook posts, and other forms of contact. Teej and I wouldn't be where we are today without the love and encouragement you all show us everyday! We are blessed. Thank you again and we love you all!

Kate

A long overdue update and Anniversary trip!!

Hey everyone,

Well, as many of you know it has been SEVERAL months since I have updated you all about our adventures here on the east coast, and for that I apologize. However, since so many of you have been asking how our first Anniversary trip went, I figured why not start back up with the blog again. 

So, we have been officially married for 1 WHOLE YEAR as of about 2 weeks ago. It's crazy to look back on this year and see all that we have done and all that we have accomplished. This time last year we had just gotten back from our honeymoon in Hawaii and I was in the process of helping Teej move out of his apartment in Vancouver, WA. I mean, we still didn't have a clue what we were going to do other then the fact that we knew we were going to go live with my parents for a few weeks. Not the ideal situation after you get married but my parents are awesome and graciously took us in. Anyway, its just amazing to look back and see how much we have grown as a married couple as well as individuals. I don't think we thought (or anyone for that matter) that by March of this year we would have honeymooned in Hawaii, driven across the country, found jobs and settled in Everett, MA, explored Boston and the Cape, vacationed in New York for Thanksgiving, survived a hurricane and a blizzard, found a great church and community group, hiked in New Hampshire, and now had our first Anniversary trip in Vermont. Who knew? God has truly blessed us and we are so thankful. As an anniversary gift, I made Teej a scrapbook of about 25 pages from all the things we did this past year. It was really fun to make and I think he enjoyed it too. I told him that I was going to try and do one every year for as long as I could. We'll see how long that lasts haha...

Anyway, enough of that, let's focus on the fun stuff. OUR. ANNIVERSARY! A while back Teej and I were contemplating on what we wanted to do for our anniversary. I told him that I thought it would be really fun to go to a lodge and stay for a weekend in a state we hadn't been to yet. So, Teej began researching and found the perfect one. I mean, P-E-R-F-E-C-T. At least for me anyway. It's called the Trapp Family Lodge and it is located in Stowe, Vermont. Now, why is it perfect you ask? Let me tell you. If you know me at all, you know my infatuation with the Sound of Music movie. I blame it on the fact that I have a special connection to it because I played Maria in the second grade but it really comes down to the fact that I just love it. I love the music, the characters, and the story. I know, I am kind of a freak but it's who I am. Anyway, the Trapp Family Lodge was built by the actual Von Trapp Family back in the 1940's. The second I heard this I got so excited and knew that this was where we HAD to go for our anniversary. Teej was so sweet and saw how excited I was and graciously agreed that this was the place to go. 

We scheduled our trip for our anniversary weekend- March 15-17. Our jobs allowed us to only work a half day on Friday so we were fortunate enough to leave around 130 that afternoon. The drive to Stowe  took about 3 hours and 15 minutes but it didn't feel like it because it was all new territory for us. The drive itself was actually quite beautiful. We drove over some "mountains" as they call it but to us they are more like exaggerated hills but nonetheless still pretty. Because of the landscape, (trees, hills, etc) it actually reminded us of when we would drive to central Oregon or Bend.

Once we hit the actual town of Stowe, it took us about 15 minutes to get to the main lodge. We were told that it was going to be snowing when we arrived and also have a decent amount of snow on the ground but when we arrived in Stowe there was hardly anything in the air or on land so we were kind of disappointed. That is, until we reached the lodge. The lodge was of course, located on the top of the mountain and at extremely high elevation so by the time we reached the lodge there were several inches on the ground and the snow was coming down pretty hard. It was beautiful. Everything you could imagine a lodge to look like. Wood panels, surrounded in snow, and a gorgeous view of the hills and forest. Oh, and pictures of the Von Trapp Family were posted everywhere throughout the lodge as well as nice Austrian carpeting (not the most attractive thing though).  The minute we arrived, men who worked there unloaded our things onto this cart while another one parked our car for us. Pretty great service if you ask me. Our room was awesome. The package we purchased allowed us to receive an upgraded room as well as 2 massages. I got it mainly for the massages but the nice room was a great bonus. Anyway, we walked into our room and I immediately fell in love. The room had a cute little nook with a table and bay windows behind it. Oh, and on the table there was a bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us. AMAZING! 

We got there early enough to where it was still light outside and since it was snowing we decided it would be fun to take a little walk around the property. The Von Trapp's own a lot of land (220 acres to be exact) so behind the lodge they have a ton of different cross country ski trails. We got the opportunity to watch a few of the skiers weave in and out of the trails while we walked around as well as see the rest of the lodge. They had a great fitness facility that had an awesome gym, indoor pool, outdoor spa, and massage area all included in it. We also went down to the local store down the road that is owned by the lodge and picked up a few desserts for the night- an austrian dish and a giant chocolate chip cookie. Who's surprised? 

Our dinner was fantastic. We ate at the lodge itself right next to a roaring fire. We both ordered the "Johannes burger." The burger was named after one of the sons of the Von Trapps. I'll get to that later. However, it was so amazing because the lodge own and raise their own cattle on the property and then ultimately use it to feed their guests. So, I know it sounds bad because we are eating the cattle that lives on the same property but at least it's local right?? haha... 

The next day was great. We woke up and had a great breakfast at the lodge. It buffet style so we got to try lots of different things. One of them being the famous Vermont maple syrup. YUM! Then we had our massages- which were fantastic. It was a very slow and relaxing morning. Much needed in my opinion. 

That afternoon we decided to venture out to explore the town of Stowe. The first place we went to was the ski resort. Overall, we felt like we were at the lodge by ourselves and it was very isolated and remote, which is what we enjoyed. Well, we figured out where everyone was- the ski lodge. It was a beautiful lodge and several different ski slopes and a few different gondolas to ride for pleasure or to take you to ski up at the top of the mountain. Our original plan was to take the gondola to the top of the mountain and have lunch there while watching the skiers but that plan backfired when we found out we had to pay $25/person to just take the gondola to the top. That didn't include lunch or anything. We opted out of that idea and decided to eat at a lodge located on the lower bowl instead. It wasn't anything special but we got a spot by the window so we did get to watch some of the skiers come down the mountain. It was a fun lunch spot.

Then we went to the town of Stowe to check it out. It was the cutest little town ever that was literally two blocks long. It consisted of a church, a general store, and wood covered bridge, and a couple other random stores. It took us about 5 minutes to walk the whole thing but it was still fun. 

Our goal was to be back to the lodge by 4pm so that I could go on the Trapp Family tour and since walking the town took a lot less time then we had anticipated we decided to go to this Cider Mill that we had been hearing such great things about. It was a little ways down the road but totally worth the drive. This cider mill was incredible. They grow their own apples on the property in the summer and then keep enough to use to make cider and apple cider doughnuts in the winter. We bought both apple cider and apple cider doughnuts. So amazing. We got 6 doughnuts and I think Teej ate 5 of them haha.. They also sold other products that were local to Vermont there so we ended up buying some maple syrup and granola there as well. The cool part about it was that they set up a checkers board for people to play while they ate their doughnuts. We played and Teej won. Go figure! 

We made it back to the lodge just in time for the tour. I was so excited the entire time. The guy giving the tour had no relation to the family but knew the facts inside and out. It was honestly fascinating how much I learned. Here are a few facts just in case you are a fan of the movie and are curious. If you have no interest, feel free to skip this section! haha.. First off, the movie and their actual lives are for the most part pretty similar. Maria was a nun and did live in the Abbey. Captain Von Trapp was in the navy and did get married and have 7 children. His wife died at a young age and he was in need of a tutor for his daughter so he went to the abbey in search of one. However, the 7 children he did have were not at all the same as they were in the movie. Liesel in the movie is not real and the oldest child in the real family is actually a boy named Rupert. They made up the love story with Liesel and Rolph in the movie. The movie created fake names to protect the actual real children. Interesting, right? In real life, the children fell in love with Maria (just like in the movie) but Maria was only able to stay with them for a year before she had to go back to the abbey so the children begged Captain Von Trapp to marry Maria so she didn't have to leave. He had some interest in her but their wasn't a romance like there was in the movie. Maria and the Captain did end up getting married and had 3 children of their own. She had them all in Salzburg and raised them until they had to flee.The family all did sing and toured around Austria singing as a family. Uncle Max (in the movie) is fake and instead they were picked up by a scout who heard them sing one day and wanted to sign them. Baroness Schrader (in the movie) is also fake and there was no "other woman" in the picture.  Now, They fled Austria only after they were asked by Hitler to sing at his birthday party. They refused and fled the country- not by walking over a mountain but instead by taking a train located behind their house and went to Italy. Hitler closed the borders so they left their house and belongings behind and couldn't get back in. Instead, they sang and toured in Italy for a while before returning back to Salzburg when the borders opened. They were only there for a little while before taking a boat to the United States where we toured in a bus for a year. They eventually landed in Vermont because they wanted to end up somewhere like their homeland and apparently Vermont is similar to Salzburg???? Before they made it to Vermont, Captain Von Trapp died because he got lung cancer from being on the naval ship too long. He was also 25 years older than Maria. Most of the children lived on the lodge property and helped with the daily chores and things. The lodge burned down due to a fire in 1981 and was re-built shortly after that but a lot of the pictures and artifacts from their history was burnt down with it. The only things they found from their past were stowed away in cabin located off the property site. Maria died at the age of 87 and the only still remaining of the seven children is Martina who is 98 years old and lives down the road from the lodge. She was a missionary in New Guinea for a long time and adopted a son while over there who now takes care of her 24/7. Captain Von Trapp, Maria, Rupert, and a few other children are all buried at the lodge. Of course I had to go take a look.  Oh, also Disney paid them the rights for their story and were compensated very little when the movie came out. In an interview we watched, Maria said that she was happy that they didn't get paid much for the movie. Their lives would have changed dramatically and they were happy with how they were living. Overall, it was a fascinating revelation to the story that I thought I knew but really didn't. I think my jaw was open the whole time. :)

After the fascinating tour, we went and had dinner at the restaurant down the road. Teej wanted to try one of their Trapp Family beers and we split their famous chicken pot pie. Really good! By that time, I felt like a huge blimp after eating so much that day we I insisted we go in the pool and work some of it off. So, we did that and then relaxed for the rest of the night. 

The next day was Sunday- our actual anniversary so we got up and treated ourselves to a nice breakfast at the lodge. We ordered this time and instead of getting the buffet. We packed up our things and headed out at around 11am. Our first stop was the Cabot cheese factory. Cabot is a very popular brand of cheese out here and since Teej LOVES cheese we figured it would be the best place to begin our adventure home. Funny story. As we were walking into the store, Teej slipped on a little patch of ice but caught himself before actually falling. I laughed a little, which I shouldn't have done because about 2 seconds later I did the same thing but fell right on my butt. Not cool. Hahha.. However, the place made up it because it was pretty cool. It had a ridiculous amount of cheese flavors and of course Teej had to try all of them. Surprisingly, he didn't buy a single thing but he had enough cheese to last him for a few days! 

The last thing we did was go to the BEN & JERRYS FACTORY!!! It was what I had been looking forward to all weekend. :) It was so cold outside but I didn't care. Actually, I think it made it more fun because there weren't very many people there so we got to see and experience everything. We took some pictures outside the facility and then took the tour and ate some samples. The sample they gave us was really good and I hope they bring it to the market. It was vanilla with raspberry and chocolate I think. However, I was good and the sample was the only thing I ended up eating there so I was proud of myself. :) 

Overall, trip was awesome. It was fun to experience Vermont and see a different part of the country. I am thankful for the opportunity to go and stay at a great lodge! I am hoping to start writing more in the near future! 

Love to all,

Kate

3 Oregon Girls in the Big City

Hey again, 

Welcome back! I have been so excited to write this post but haven't had time to do it until tonight. Yes, this is in fact the infamous NEW YORK POST! Here.we.go

Shannon, my good friend from college decided to come and visit me here in Boston about a week ago. I was beyond excited because even though Teej and I have had a variety of amazing visitors come, this was going to be the first real girlfriend (well besides my lovely sister in law- Leah) to come to see me. Shannon got here on a Tuesday night and we weren't going to New York until Thursday so she was here visiting Boston for a few days and did a little exploring on her own while I worked. I felt terrible because I was practically not around the first two days she was here. Unfortunately, in order to go to New York for the weekend I had to work longer hours. It all ended up being fine because Shannon is a star and entertained herself for those few days! That is, until Thursday night when we began our adventure to NEW YORK CITY. 

So, I worked Thursday night until about 6pm and then came straight home, ate a little dinner, and headed off to the train station with Shannon. Teej was very nice and dropped us off at the station where we took that for a few stops, got off at South Station, and headed to the Bolt Bus. The Bolt Bus was going to take us directly to New York City where our other good friend Paige would pick us up. Getting to the bus from South Station was a little bit of an adventure in itself. Good thing we gave ourselves enough time because it was no easy journey. We had to walk up and down and loop around corners before we finally made it to the terminal. The actual ride was very smooth minus the fact that they said they had wifi but really didn't. They did have a bathroom located on the bus, however, so I was a happy lady. The bus left the terminal at 8:30pm and we were to arrive in New York City at 12:45am. We made one pit stop in New Haven, Connecticut at a Burger King for about ten minutes but that was it. Now, Shannon had never been to New York before so when we finally got off the bus she was, no joke, about to hyperventilate. She even made a comment after I took a picture of her standing in the city that she was about to hyperventilate haha... 

The atmosphere once we arrived there was awesome. It was 1am in the morning but it felt like 5 or 6pm at night. People were everywhere, diners were open, and taxis were flying by us. I think we finally understood what it meant when they say it is the city that never sleeps. Anyway, Paige picked us up (looking very cute and New Yorkish I might add) and we headed to Times Square to take a look at it before heading to her apartment in Queens. 

We ended up getting back to Paige's cute 1 bedroom apartment in Queens at around 2:30am. Crazy, but awesome night. Shannon and I slept on the floor in the living room on this comfortable futon. Needless to say we were out like a light once we arrived at her house. 

Friday was awesome. Paige doesn't work Friday's so she took us on an awesome tour of the city. It was a beautiful clear day so we figured why not start out day out with taking a walk through Central Park. I have been to New York once before (in High School) but we didn't get a chance to go to Central Park so this was a fun, new experience for me. We were so impressed with how large the park really was. It just kept going and going and going. I loved it. We met a nice couple, who took our picture from Oregon, so of course we had to chat with them for a while. 

Shannon and I both really wanted to have a slice of New York pizza while we were there so Paige took us to another part of town where we got some amazing flat pizza. We then walked up and down this really cute and quaint street that Paige wanted to show us. We walked through the neighborhood for a while before heading over to the waterfront where we took pictures and enjoyed the beautiful Hudson River. 

Our next stop of the day was the American Museum of Natural History. Shannon really wanted to go there because this museum was where "Night At The Museum" was filmed. So, we walked inside, took a picture with the dinosaur skeleton, and left. :) The last couple stops were Rockefeller center- where they were setting up for what we thought was a potential movie scene, this awesome high line walkway, ice cream at this POPULAR shake shack, Paige's workplace- Sports Illustrated, and this really neat bar located on the rooftop of this building where Paige and Shannon ordered a drink. I am a wimp and ordered nothing. The bartender gave me a hard time about it haha... 

By this point, we were getting really tired so we decided to head to Whole Foods downtown, grab a salad and some groceries, and head back to the apartment. 

The next day Shannon and I were on our own in the city because Paige had to work from 12pm-12am that day. She is a star worker. So, she gave us very detailed directions and we were on our way. Before that, however, she took us to see the Mets Stadium, where she interned at this past summer. She is such a boss. It was awesome to see the stadium as well as see where she worked. So, like I said, Shannon and I were on our own. We had both agreed that we wanted to be real tourists that day and see all the landmark things. Our list included: Ground Zero exhibit, Statue of Liberty, and taking a tour of the American Museum of Natural History. We successfully did all of those things and did not get lost one time on the Subway. We were very impressed with ourselves. :) 

Ground Zero was phenominal. It was so moving and heart wrenching to see where the two buildings used to lay but are now filled in with 2 massive waterfalls. We also saw the "lone tree." It had a special name but I can't remember what it is called. This tree was the only tree that stayed standing during the fall of the towers. It was a very eye opening experience to finally see the real results of what happened on 9/11 and how it had effected the city of New York. We watched a video that interviewed people whose loved ones were in the tragedy and it made me appreciate life and be thankful for all I had. 

Shannon and I also got to see (from a distance) the Statue of Liberty. Our original plan was to take the ferry over to the island and see the Statue in person but when we saw how long the line was to get on the boat we thought otherwise and just took photos from a very far off distance! It was still fun and Shannon said that she could at least say that she saw it now. :) 

The museum was really cool. We had an interesting experience there however. As we arrived, we saw all these people in line to purchase tickets. Well, we wanted to explore the museum, so of course, we waited in line too. When we got to the front of the line, Shannon and I say 2 tickets please. The man sitting there says "ok, we recommend $15 per person." Shannon and I look at each other and she says "Recommends?" He says "yeah, it's donation but we recommend you pay this price." So, Shannon, being the nice person she is says "Ok, well can i give you $10?" Without hesitation, he says "Yes." Anyway, long story short, we didn't end up paying that recommended price but we were so weirded out that they let us have a choice. 

After the museum, our legs were KILLING us, BUT we both really wanted a slice of New York Cheesecake. I had sent a text to one of my clients at work asking where the best place to get cheesecake was (because she used to go to school in New York City) and the place she recommended was about 20 blocks from where we were. Now, we could have taken the train but we decided to bust it out and walk the 20 blocks. We almost didn't make out of shear exhaustion it but by the time we got to the bakery (Benash is it's name) we knew it was going to be worth it. It was honestly the greatest bakery/restaurant I had ever seen, in terms of desserts that is. It has beautiful looking cheesecakes, huge cookies with chocolate chips on top, brownies with everything you can imagine on them, and much more. It was heaven for a chocolate lover like myself. Shannon and I shared a piece of oreo cheesecake. SO GOOD! Flakey, creamy, and all around delectable. We finished it so fast. Turns out that was a bad idea for me because about 5 minutes after we had finished it I felt like I was going to vomit. I think that I felt like this because a) I was hungry for dinner and b) it was really rich and I am not used to having such rich foods. So, needless to say, we had to go back home after so that I could eat some real food. The train ride back was miserable and to top it off Shannon decided to tell me all of her past throw up stories. hahaha.... They were hilarious actually. 

Shannon was so sweet and made me dinner as soon as we got back to Paige's apartment while I laid like a dead fish on the couch. Paige was busy working the rest of the night so Shannon and I decided to go to this ghetto, old movie theater located right down the street from where Paige lives. We chose to see "Pitch Perfect." I LOVED the movie. Shannon had already seen it but wanted to see it again. That's when you know it's good. :) This is my shoutout. If you haven't seen it yet and love accapella music and hilarious british girls, then this is your movie. 

That next day was great. Paige didn't have to work so the three of us headed back downtown to stand in line to wait for "Chicago the Musical" tickets. We only waited in line for a little over an hour and got great seats to see the afternoon matinee showing. Our tickets were given to us at noon which gave us just enough time to go grab brunch before heading back to see the show. We went to this awesome little diner (again, thanks to my clients recommendation) that had amazing breakfast food and such a fun atmosphere. 

The show was awesome. I really loved the music and the cast did an awesome job performing. I guess that is why they are on broadway huh? The only weird thing that I noticed was that they didn't do any costume changes or set changes. It wasn't bad but just different considering I am used to seeing shows like Hairspray or Wicked that both have a lot going on all the time. Overall, very fun and new experience. 

After the show, Paige wanted to take us to one of her favorite cupcake places. On the way there we had a little New York adventure. Earlier in the day it had been raining so the rain had left several puddles all over the streets. Well, as we were waiting to cross the street a taxi drove by and hit one of the larger puddles which ended up splashing all three of us with water. We all thought it was hilarious, even though we were soaking wet. It was a "real" New York experience. This guy waiting next to us saw what had happened and said "Wow, you must be visitors because most New Yorkers would just be cursing." We thought that was funny and continued on our way. 

The cupcake place was so good. It is called "Sprinkles Cupcakes." I found out while there that it was owned and founded by one of the judges on TLC's Cupcake Wars. For those of you that watch the show, it is owned by the girl judge. I don't know her name but she has curly brown hair. haha.. I am so descriptive, I know.

Anyway, the last stop on our journey that day was F.A.O. Schwartz. It was getting dark and kind of cold so we decided it would be a good idea to get inside somewhere that is warm before heading back. It is the biggest toy store EVER. I remember going in when I was there in High School but for some reason it looked even bigger. I think that was just my disillusion but still... it's a big store. 

Then we headed back to the house on the Subway, got thai food, and watched the Wonder Years. It was a great way to end the trip. Shannon and I headed back to Boston that next morning. We both LOVED being in New York and getting to spend time with our friend. 

Having this trip really made me appreciate my friends and the relationships I have at home in Oregon and how much I don't want to ever lose those. :) So, this is to all you ladies in Oregon. I love you girls (you know who you are) and am so thankful to have you all in my life. Thanks for continuing to keep up with me, praying for me, and supporting me. I just hope I can do the same for all of you! I love you guys and can't wait to see you all at Christmas! 

Shannon and Paige- Love you girls. Thanks for making this weekend in New York such a memorable one that I won't ever forget. 

Love to all,

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13

Banick Family Visit

Hello Again!!

Well, I figured it was about time for another post! This one I am particularly excited to write because it is ALL about the Banick family coming to visit Teej and I. TJ's parents, Jan and Tim, arrived at the end of September and stayed a little over a week with us at our apartment in Everett. His twin sister Leah also came to visit but arrived in the middle of that week after visiting some other friends first in Ohio. 

So, where to begin. Well, Teej picked up his parents at the airport late one night after their long day of traveling to get here. It was so fun to see them and be able to show them our home as well as give them a place to stay. We spent the rest of the evening chatting and catching up on how their flight was before heading to bed. Unfortunately Teej and I both had to work the next day so they decided to adventure over to Cape Cod, which is about 2 hours south of here. Teej and I had explored that area the previous week and thought they would love what it had to offer. Cape Cod is filled with little towns with fun shops and restaurants. The best part is that all the towns overlook exquisite beaches where you can just sit and enjoy God's beautiful creation. 

That following day was fun because I was able to show them where I work as well as give them a tour of the facility. I had a couple people to train that day so they both worked out and enjoyed the pool while I did that. It actually worked out very nicely that they came with me because right after I finished working we headed straight to Boston to meet Teej for dinner and then head to the Boston Red Sox game. 

I think Tim was pretty excited about the Red Sox game because we were playing the Baltimore Orioles, which is his favorite team. We unfortunately left the tickets in the car back at the train station so Teej had to run inside his office and print them off again before his work was closed for the weekend. :) We made it just in time! The game was really fun. It was a beautiful clear evening filled with fun people and the best hot chocolate I have ever had. It was a pretty close game until about the 8th or 9th inning when the Orioles took the lead and won the game. I think Tim was pretty happy when that happened. In fact, at times I actually felt like we were at an Orioles game because there were so many Orioles fans sitting around us with their orange hats and jackets. Overall, great evening.

The next morning was so exciting because we got the opportunity to go and pick up Leah from the airport! I was so pumped up to see her and get to catch up and hear about all she had been doing. That day the 5 of us all drove out to the house that Jan and Tim had rented in Gloucester, (pronounced "Glosta") which is along Cape Ann near the ocean. We couldn't check into the house until about 2pm so we picked Leah up and then headed to get groceries at Trader Joe's before heading to the house. The house we stayed in was located on the top floor of this nice older woman's house. It was so cute with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room. The best part was the breathtaking ocean view from her backyard. 

That evening we explored the area around Gloucester and ate at this fun seafood restaurant for dinner. Gloucester was so cute and filled with lots of character. We really enjoyed everything it had to offer and of course took lots of pictures! On the way home we stopped to watch the sunset and decided to take jumping silhouette photos. That was probably one of my favorites memories of the trip. 

The following day consisted of us traveling to a couple different beach towns; Rockport and Newburyport. These are both places that Teej and I hadn't explored much so in a sense, it was new to us as well. Rockport was awesome with little shops and even better views of the ocean. Leah and I had fun adventuring off the beaten path a little bit when we decided to walk down this ladder and sit in an unmarked boat and take photos. We made sure it was attached to the dock so we wouldn't float away haha... Ok, it wasn't really that adventurous but it was still fun. 

Newburyport was another great time to explore. It was structured differently in that the buildings were mainly brick and were a lot taller then the previous towns we had been in. One of my favorite things that we did while there was walk through the biggest antique store I have ever been in. I thought about all my girlfriends from home and knew how much they would have LOVED it. It was located in what looked like it used to be a barn but was recently renovated and made into the antique store. The entire barn was completely filled with really cool stuff. 

We walked around the town for a while before finding a place to have dinner. The place we picked was awesome because it allowed us to sit outside on this deck overlooking the water. It was overall a great location with great food. That evening we came back slightly early and relaxed because I had to take Teej to the commuter rail for work SUPER early that next morning. 

Before leaving the house in Gloucester, Tim, Jan, Leah, and I all headed to the beach just down the road from us. It was another gorgeous day so we took some time and walked along the beach together and took some great photos. 

The rest of the trip Teej and I both had to work so the Tim, Jan, and Leah all went to Boston together and walked along the Freedom Trail, explored the North End and got a cannoli as well as many other things. It was such an awesome trip and Teej and I were so blessed to have them all here and see where we live and what we do everyday. We can't wait to see them all again in December! 

What's next? NEW YORK TRIP with Shannon and Paige. So, stay tuned. 

Oh, and thank you Leah for taking all of the photos so that I could use them in my blog! Love you!

"Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love."  Ephesians 4:2

Church and family visit!

Hello again,

Hope you all liked the post from yesterday. Currently I am sitting in the living room while my husband is watching Sunday night football. Considering I really only care about watching the Oregon Ducks play, I figured what better time to write another post then right now! 

So, yesterday was primarily just updating you on our home and jobs. Necessary but not super fun to read I'm sure. Today will be MORE FUN- promise. 

Let's start with church. A lot of people have been asking me questions about church like did you find one that you like? If so, how is it going? Are we getting plugged into a community group? Have I met any new friends? Well, I would like to inform you that after today I can thankfully say YES to all of those questions. Yes, we have found a church that we absolutely love. It is called Redemption Hill Church and it is located in Medford, MA. Medford is only about 15 minutes driving from our home in Everett so it makes the commute extremely easy. Overall, the church is small with about 150 members, give or take a few depending on the week. The cool and really encouraging thing about it is that It has only been opened for a little over a year and had that many members already. It is currently held in this building that holds different dance clinics and practices throughout the week. What we really like about the church are the pastors and the friendly atmosphere that we get when we go there. The first week we went we were a little skeptical during the service (not because of anything to do with the church or the pastors) but because of the size of the church. I always thought I wanted to be a part of a bigger and more developed church but the Lord definitely knew what I needed- and that was Redemption Hill. After the service, we were approached by some awesome young people who immediately made us feel comfortable and could tell wanted us to be there. We really appreciated that.

this is the awesome building- church is held on the top floor

Anyway, from then on we have been pretty good about going to church every week. The church staff and pastors are all very young and moved to Boston to plant a church here from their old church located in South Carolina. Needless to say, they all have southern accents. SO.FUN! The first week, the main pastor asked Teej and I to go out for dessert somewhere so that he could get to know us better.  It was definitely something we weren't expecting since nothing like that had ever really happened to either of us but we were excited for the opportunity to meet with the pastor. We went to T.G.I. Friday's near our house one evening and sat and chatted for about 2 hours. It was great to hear about the vision he and the other staff has for their church and the direction they wish to go, Lord willing. Teej and I were excited about his vision and were eager to get involved or help in any way we could to make that vision a reality. We left the meeting feeling really encouraged and feeling like this could be a place for us to grow in our faith with the Lord. YAY! 

So, where are we now in terms of involvement within the church? Well, we are both going to a meeting next Sunday where we are going to get trained to serve in different capacities within the church. I am going to start volunteering in the children's ministry and Teej is hoping to do something with the media team. :) Also, we just went to our first community group meeting today and loved it. It is run by a husband and wife who have three beautiful children. They are both awesome people who are extremely welcoming and easy to be around. There were about 6-10 people there (mostly women so far- sorry Teej) but they were all super nice. We felt really optimistic and excited about what is to come in the following weeks and months within the community group. :) 

Anyway, we are so grateful to have found such a great church in our area. We have also been blessed to have my parents come and visit us while we have been living here. They were able to come out and visit for about a week during the month of August. The greatest part was that we got to host them in our house. After staying in my parents house after we got married for a few weeks, it was nice to be able to have them stay with us in our own house! 

While they were here, we did a great number of things. Thankfully, since I was still pretty new into my job I had a lot of free time to actually spend with them while they were here. The first day they were here was on a weekend so the four of us went to Boston to explore. Now, whoever knows my family knows that we are a "Walking" family. So, what did we do? We walked and walked and walked. My dad carries a pedometer on him at all times and I think by the end of the day we had walked somewhere between 10-12 miles. haha.. We walked ALL over Boston! I think the highlight for my dad though was taking the Fenway Tour at the Boston Red Sox stadium. We got to stand on the Green Monster, which he loved! 

Another day we went and visited the Bunker Hill Monument and climbed all 294 steps to the top. We were all sweaty messes by the time we finished. It was a beautiful view of the city though so it was definitely worth it. After that we rewarded ourselves and went to Little Italy and I got to experience by first Cannoli. Let me tell you, it's AMAZING. My dad introduced me to it because he used to have them a lot when he lived in Mass. I'm still not sure if it was a good idea or a bad idea haha.. 

We were also able to see my grandparents in New Bedford a few different times while they were here. It was fun to see them and catch up with all that is going on with them. :) Here are some pictures from that trip. 

While in the New Bedford area we went to this beach called "Horseneck" that my dad grew up going to. He loves the beach because the water is warm and has great big waves to play in. It took me a while to get the nerve to go in the water but once I did it was really fun and I didn't want to get out. I think I was afraid of sharks and because of the current that the ocean can have where it can suck you under at a moments notice. I got over it though and it was a good time. 

Overall, it was wonderful to have them here for the week! Teej's parents and sister Leah are actually flying in this week to stay with us so that should be another fun time with family! :) We are so blessed. 

What's up next? Our friends Michael and Daniel's visits and some other random trips Teej and I have taken on our own!                                                  

me and grandpa

"And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." -Deuteronomy 6:5