Mom comes to NYC

This week was a fun one, and I realize there will always be a never ending check list of things to see here!

My mom came to visit on Wednesday, and she stayed till Sunday. We did a lot of walking, and by the end of the trip she had a few blisters and sore feet. I remember when I first got here my legs were really sore as well. If there's another thing I'll get out of this summer, its the appreciation of walking. I hope I'll walk a lot more once I'm back home, because there is no reason not to! I can easily put in 5 miles of walking a day here, so why not walk the small 3 miles across town? :)

Anyways, the first morning my mom was here we decided to take a sight seeing bus tour through Manhattan. We also saw the statue of liberty! I had my first celebrity spotting and saw Matt Damon filming for one of his new movies. That night we had dinner with the Bieler's, delicious as always. Late that night we went to the observation deck of the Empire State building, and was that a view! NYC looked so pretty at night.

Friday my mom and I took Gabriel on a horse carriage ride through central park! It was very pretty. We then took him to FAO Schwarz to look at toys and to buy some delicious candy. Later that day we saw Ground Zero and also walked the Brooklyn Bridge. Walking Brooklyn Bridge has probably been my favorite thing to do thus far!

Saturday we walked to St. John the Divine and also went to eat at a fabulous Mexican Restaurant. Later we saw the Lion King on Broadway! The costumes were fantastic, and the acting and singing were phenomenal. I hope to do one more broadway show before I leave!

Thankfully mom wasn't shocked to see where I lived (in Harlem), and overall I think she had a great time! It's interesting to point out all the differences New Yorkers have in the way they live with the way we do back home. You can't buy a full week's worth of groceries because you can't fit it in your cart, an "easy" walk is at least 20 blocks, produce at groceries would blow our fareway and hyvee out of the water, doors are locked even if you're home, no driving, no walmarts, and the list goes on. I think the thing that is hardest for me to get used to isn't the long walking, but that there isn't a wal-mart! At least it keeps me from spending more money than I need to.

What's up for this week? We're flying to ASPEN, COLORADO! We will be staying there 3 weeks! Charles and Kristen are in the wine business, and there is a food and wine festival that goes on there. Supposedly this is the biggest and most important wine festival in the world, so top chefs and wine makers will be there. I hope to have a run in with all the food network stars: Giada, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Rachael Ray! The first week we're there the festival is going on, so Charles and Kristen will be very busy with their work. Thankfully Kristen's parents are going to be staying with us, so I'll have help with the kids. Also, Kristen's mom is bringing her dog along, so that will give me comfort for being away from Wrigley:) The last week of our time there is vacation time.

I hope everyone is doing well! I miss you dearly. Next time I post I'll be writing about my experiences in Aspen! (Aspen always reminds me of the movie Dumb and Dumber, haha)

So much to do, so much to see

Hello followers! I'm sorry it has been a while since I've posted. I had quite the busy week!

I decided to go to the beach on Memorial Day, and boy was that a bad decision! I had literally only 2 feet of space between myself and other beach goers. Let's just say that the people at this beach weren't the type I would normally hang around either!

This week I expanded my cultural knowledge and went to the museums. I took Gabriel to the Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaurs, animals, and other interesting artifacts. I also went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All the paintings and artifacts there were so beautiful! I now have a better appreciation for art. The only thing I don't understand is modern art. I feel like half the paintings look like the work of a 2 year old, yet people pay thousands of dollars for it!? I will never understand it. I also took Gabriel to the Central Park zoo, along with 10 other 2 year olds. It was so hysterical seeing them ride the public bus all the way to the zoo.

I finally got to reunite with my friend Leah, who lives on Long Island. Leah is also a nanny.I took the train to her house and spent the weekend there! It was so great to catch up and hang out. I'm so glad I get to see her more this summer!

This week my mom is visiting! I'm so excited for her to come. I love having someone in the city with me so I can experience more things that aren't as acceptable to do by yourself (restaurants, broadway shows, etc). She comes on Wednesday and will stay till Sunday. I think she'll be shocked to see where I live and how I've already gained so much knowledge in transportation and where things are in NYC.

I can still say 3 week in that I am loving it here! The Bieler's are a blessing, and I couldn't have asked to live with a better family! The kids are great, and I feel so comfortable around Kristen and Charles.

I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your summer! I miss everyone very much.

Ponies galore

I'm back from Vermont, and what a wonderful weekend it was! I've been in the Midwest a long time, so I forget that there are places in the country that actually have hills or mountains. Vermont is absolutely beautiful!

The first day I was there I was given a tour of the horse ranch that Charles' mother and sister live on. Charles' sister owns 20 horses and gives private riding lessons to children. She used to ride competitively. Charles' father bought the land in the 60's, but they've moved here and there since then(Europe, Canada, etc). I took a refreshing run/hike to see the beautiful view. Did you know that the Von Trapp family (from the Sound of Music) moved to Vermont? I hiked at the "Trapp Lodge", which was started by the family years ago!

Most of the weekend I helped take care of the kids by playing and entertaining them. I taught Sabine and her cousins how to play softball, and Sabine looks like a natural! Its fun to remember all the childhood games I played and re-learn them, and the same with nursury rhymes. My mind has definitely gotten a lot more creative and imaginary in the past two weeks!



The Bieler's are nice about giving me Sunday off to attend church, so I did just that. Even though I've only been here two weeks, I've already noticed how much explaining I've been doing about my faith, the church I attend, and I what we believe: hence the importance of my Christian education (thanks Mom and Dad). I think it's healthy for every person to go outside their safe zone and experience what it's like to be around non believers. I want to be a witness to the family and others, so I've been a lot more aware of things I say and do. Being that there are so many different denominations and religions in NYC, I've realized to not take being a specific denomination so seriously. I'm not saying I'm losing my reformed beliefs at all, just that I'm more open to what other churches have to offer! There's only one truth, but just a lot of pathways to that truth!

Update from the grill burn: My lips resemble Angelina Jolie's, but in a bad way. Now my nose and lips have started to peel tremendously as well. I hope it stops soon.

I'm not really sure what's up for the rest of the week, so stay tune! Love you and Miss you all.

Hello Vermont!

The past few days have been great as well! St. John the Divine was a beautiful church, and I really enjoyed walking around that day downtown. Since I'm on a budget I do a lot of walking and seeing, instead of seeing things that cost money. Kristen and Charles gave me a metro card for the subway, and I can successfully say I understand the system now!

Two days ago I spent my day on Coney Island and did a lot of sun bathing on the beach. Coney Island is very cute, but a little run down. It was nice to see the ocean! I've noticed that NYC wears me down pretty easily with all the walking and sun. Usually I try to get home from my exploring around 7 to have dinner, then spend the rest of my night skyping with family and Todd.

Yesterday I had quite the scare. I was going to grill chicken for the kids' supper, and when I turned the gas on and pressed the ignition a fire blew up in my face! My eyebrows and eyelashes were singed, so now they're super super short. I spent the night in a lot of pain and sat in my bed with an icepack on my face. Thankfully this morning I have minimal pain, and there's only a little blistering on my lips. It made me realize how scary Hell could be like, considering my face felt like it was on fire for a few hours!

Anyways, you're probably wondering why my Title is "Hello Vermont!" Well, today we leave for Stowe, Vermont for 5 days. Charles' mother and sister live on a beautiful horse ranch up in the hills, so we'll be spending a lot of time horse riding, hiking, swimming, and hanging out with family. I'm so excited to get out of the busy city and take in the beautiful scenery. I won't be able to post for a while, so have a great Memorial weekend and I'll be posting later!

outside my bubble

New York City is indescribable. We all know I'm in a bubble in Sioux Center, IA. I've never seen so many gays, transvestites, different races, poor, wealthy, emo, gothic, chic, gangster, and anything you can think of in all my life...and i've seen it all in just 5 days. Well, maybe I haven't seen it all quite yet.

I know it's creepy for me to say, but I've done a lot of people observing. In New York City its unacceptable to make eye contact, but luckily it's been sunny and I've been able to wear sunglasses haha! New York City has made me truly realize how big the world really is, and how many unique people are in it. God has SO many people under his watch, its insane!? It blows my mind how each person in this world is individually and wonderfully made. God is amazing! Anyways, after that deep thought, here is what I've been doing the past few days.

I've had two days full of nannying. 7am-7pm. Sabine and Gabriel are absolutely wonderful kids. Yes, Gabriel has his outrages and cries, but overall he is happy, outgoing, and insanely crazy. Sabine reminds me of Anika and Marissa Driesen, because she's so good and kind at heart. She's patient with Gabriel, and I never have to worry about what she's doing. The past two days I've played a million different games, and walked over 10 miles to different playgrounds in central park. Sabine and Gabriel's school had a picnic there that was catered by Kristen herself! I've realized she is supermom. She bought and made food for over 300 people, with only 1 other person to help! It was held at the beautiful great lawn.

This morning I went downtown and checked out ground zero, the Brooklyn Bridge, South Seaport, Wall Street, and a few historic churches. I also looked through some stores and spent 45 minutes waiting in a tkts line for discount Broadway tickets to find out that I still couldn't afford it! I'll have to wait till my mom visits to see a Broadway show. :)

Later tonight I explored Soho, which is full of expensive boutiques, the cheap and trashy, and other popular stores. I'm proud to say I only spent $20. I've been pretty tight with my budget so far, and hopefully I stay that way this summer. I wish I had someone else here with me so I could eat at all these cool places I've seen! The food in Little Italy looked delicious. I hope exploring on my own doesn't get old, because I'll be doing a lot of it!

Tomorrow I have another day off, so I plan to go to church at the famous St. John the Divine, which is one of the largest churches in the world. I heard it has the 2nd largest organ too. In that direction is the Seinfeld "Restaurant", and also a few other spots I'd like to see. At night I'm invited by the Bieler's to a dinner party they're hosting. It is with four of their close friends, two of which are an event planner and a marketer; my two job interests! Maybe they'll like me and hire me for a job after graduation.

So far I love New York City, but don't worry folks; I don't think this is somewhere I could live forever. Stay tuned!

Exploring

I was glad to wake up refreshed and excited for the day! I took Sabine and Gabriel to a playground in central park this morning, and later Kristen gave me the afternoon to "explore" NYC. I decided to do the touristy thing and head to Times Square! I also walked up the famous 5th Ave.

So far so good!

My entrance into New York City wasn't exactly like I had pictured it. It was very cloudy and rainy, so I didn't get to see much like I had hoped. But I wasn't going to let a little rain dampen my spirits! I successfully made it to my destination with no problems. Friends, you'll get a kick out of this: I was giving the cab driver detailed directions to the house and he said "wow, how do you know all of this information!?" I laughed. Mark my words everyone: I will not get lost in this city, and by the end of this I will look like a local!

When I arrived at the house Kristen and Charles greeted me with open arms. They live in a 4 story brownstone. It is very nicely decorated, and unlike most cramped New York houses, they have a backyard! We had a wonderful dinner of Chicken kabobs, couscous, and an absolutely delicious brussel sprout salad! I tried explaining to her the type of food Midwestern people eat, and she got quite a laugh when I mentioned Tator Tot casserole, cheesy potatoes, and snicker salad. I have a feeling I'll be eating a lot of very different, but very delicious food this summer!

I already admire Kristen. We've been able to talk very easily with each other, and she seems to have a good balance between work and her kids, so that makes me happy. Tomorrow she is going to show me around the neighborhood, and also show me Sabine and Gabriel's school and their favorite parks within Central Park (which is only two blocks away from our home). Sabine is 5 years old, with big brown eyes and pretty hair. She is very shy, so I'm hoping after a while she'll open up. Gabriel is 2 years old, and he reminds me so much of Noah. He is a very big, and very full of energy!

I've already unpacked and am laying in my very comfortable bed. My room is very spacious so I'm grateful I have my own space in the house. Stay tuned for more info! I'm already so happy and excited for the rest of this week!