Grandma Time!

Braving bothersome airport security, crowded planes, crowded busses and subways, and scorching weather, my mom made it to NYC to visit her adoring family! I've been a little lonely in this vast city, and a visit from my mom brightened my whole summer.
We've soaked in NY life with a trip to Central Park (complete with spin on the historic Carousel!), a stroll around midtown with a stop at FAO Schwarz, a visit to Steinway Hall and a yummy Italian restaurant, and a night at the Manhattan Temple.

Her visit was great, and she loved seeing Felix and the place we're living, however, she did request that if we return to NYC that we live out in the suburbs... I see we think alike ;)

Four Years Down, An Eternity to Go

On July 10, Brian and I celebrated our Fourth Wedding Anniversary!

Time has flown by since that beautiful July day in Nauvoo when we were sealed for time and all eternity in the temple... It seems like just a few months ago that we were dating--hiking the Y, walking to classes and Church, meeting for Devotionals, holding hands for the first time at Christmas Around the World, standing on my doorstep in Stonebridge for hours as we tried to say goodnight--and then engaged--driving down to Zion National Park to test out his new convertible, meeting each other's families, spending every single waking moment together...

Now we sometimes only spend every sleeping moment together, but we are still trying to keep our marriage strong by keeping up our daily traditions and celebrating milestones... such as anniversaries!

So this year we decided to have a night out on the town, thanks in no small part to my amazing mom coming into town to watch Felix for us! How cool is that? She braved multiple forms of public transportation and near-death by heat exhaustion to give us a holiday and spend some time with her grandson. A-mazing!

We started off the evening by meeting up in Central Park at the Pond, to go row boating. Sigh... Que Romantique!

Then it was off toward the subway, with a stroll down Madison Ave. for some window shopping. Just imagining what you would buy your spouse is almost as much fun as actually doing it! We "received" a couple of outifts from couture shops, some Tiffany jewelry, and some lovely furniture. Then we took the 7 train into Woodside, Queens for Thai food--Brian's favorite--at the gem Sripraphai. Brian loves Thai food, so much so that we spent pretty much our whole "dining out" budget on it for the first year of our marriage by eating at The Thai Chile Garden in Provo each month. That place was cheap and super-yummy, and surprisingly, the prices at Sripraphai are about the same. (That is not normal for NYC!) The food was excellent, but a tad too "authentic" (read: sear-your-tastebuds-off HOT), so we actually had to send it back to the kitchen to see if they could tone down the heat. Sad, huh? After that our jungle curry and crispy duck were awesome.

Home again on the 7, 1, and A trains, with a stop at Grand Central Station to soak in its elaborately decorated astronomical ceilings, winding hallways, and opulent interior. We finally arrived home a bit later than planned, to a slightly worried mom and a peacefully sleeping Felix.

An evening to remember!