Worlds apart

I want to finish the New York city blog post series, so I can have a complete "record" of the weekend. Yesterday was so completely different than Monday. Monday I had all the time of the world. I didn't have anything on the agenda, so I could just stroll here and there. I was trying to find places to see, and time to waste. Yesterday, I went to see the Statue of liberty and Ellis Island. Then I had to rush back to the upper east side to get my luggage, and head to the airport.

I set my alarm. Then braved rush hour again.

Since I would be flying at 5.30pm, I had to make a very strict schedule. The ferry got me to the Statue at 9.45am. I would only have 45 minutes before the next ferry came to take me to Ellis Island. The security for the statue is ridiculous. Before you even get on the ferry, you have to go through airport style security. Then, in the statue, they make you stand in a little box and puff some air onto you (anyone know what that does?) Then you go through the regular metal detector. I probably spent 25 of that 45 minutes in security. When I finally came out, I practically ran up the strairs to the top of the pedestal; good exercise I guess. I shot some pictures, and ran back down. I had a little more time at Ellis Island, and enjoyed learning about the procedures immigrants had to go through. I personally don't have any family who came through there, but of course I am an immigrant myself. I just kept thinking about how different it was for those people. There was much more uncertainty for them after an aweful journey. However, their actual immigration process only lasted a day. Mine took 7 years.

Keeping up with my schedule, I hopped back on the ferry to New York. I had an extra 30 minutes. I really wanted to have lunch again at the Halal cart from Saturday, so I booked it over there. The line was long! I wasn't about to get food somewhere else, so I patiently waited the 15 minutes. Then I hopped back on the subway, and booked it to Mary's house to get my suitcase. I tried to really soak in the New York sites, as I won't be back there any time soon. All the cabs. The people who stand in the middle of the road, waiting to cross. The interesting people in the subway. The performers in subways stations. Small bakeries and bagel shops. Steep stairs. And the occcasional social traveler. Most just sit, and do their own thing. Then, once in a while, there's a person who will strike up a coversation with any and everybody. I love it.

The plane transported me back home. Back to real life. Back to my wonderful husband and kids (did I mention that Joe did a bunch of home renovations while I was out partying????!!) Back to the cows. Back to sleeping where it's quiet. It's great to be home.

It's a bust

Weeks ago I ordered tickets to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I even got tickets to go up into the crown. I made it all the way downtown by 9am, and then waited around to get on the ferry for 30 minutes. Only minutes after they let us on the ferry, they told us to get off again. The coast guard had shut down the harbor, due to weather. The wind and swells were crazy. I've never seen a ferry rock back and forth that much. Since they thought the weather might clear up by noon, they told us to come back then.

The rain was pooring down fiercly, and the wind was gusting, so I resorted to seeking refuge. I followed some English ladies to the Federal Reserve bank, to see if we could tour that. Nope. You have to have reservations for that. So I sat down in Trinity Church for a while. Then I read a book at the bookstore, and browsed for about an hour. Around 11am I called the National Monument, who informed me that both islands would be closed for the rest of the day. Shoot! That was the only thing I had planned for today.

Since I didn't make it to SoHo yesterday, I figured I would make my way over there. By now, my pants were wet up to my knees, and my (non water proof) cowboy boots were starting to get wet on the inside. I was determined though, not to let the rain ruin my day. When has rain ever stopped me before?

I found a little New York Pizza place, and gathered my wits. I called Annie, who gave me directions to a large Chinese supply store Pearl River. I probably spent almost 2 hours there. Even after 2 hours, my pants and boots were still soaked, so I finally cracked and headed back to Mary's house.

I'll confess that when it was raining this morning, I was kind of excited. I mean, what's more "New York City" than millions of people with black umbrellas? However, my joy only lasted until my umbrella didn't seem to do anything to keep me dry, and my socks were slushing around in my wet boots. Did I say I would choose snow over rain any day?

Of course, as soon as I got home, the sun came out. But now that I'm home, I think I'll do the unthinkable on a NY vacation, and take a nice nap.

Chinatown Chinatown

Today I explored Chinatown. It has so many interesting sights and views, some that are best described with pictures

This is an herbal pharmacy, where all treatments are made with herbs. They'll do a test on your body, and then decide which herbs should be mixed into medicine.

I wanted to be adventurous and try new things, so when I saw cooked chicken feet, I just had to try them. They were gross.... surprise!

After I was done haggling with the shopkeepers, and saw all the gross food I could handle, I started walking towards SoHo. Or so I thought. I ended up at the Brooklyn bridge (the opposite direction) I was pretty tired from walking so far already, but having heard that it was a cool thing to walk the Brooklyn bridge, made me decide to push along.

Another New York landmark that I hadn't visited was the Empire State building. So I navigated the map, and went to the location. I just couldn't figure out where it was though. A store employee kindly showed me that the Empire State building was straight across the street. Of course I wouldn't recognize it! I was too close!


I got to unwind with Annie and Kah Leong. We had a nice relaxing dinner. I was showing Annie Winter's blog, and her creative writing stories. Annie is an amazing illustrator, and she wanted to illustrate one of Winter's stories. It turned out great!!! Keep an eye out for weekly stories by Winter, illustrated by Annie.


Mary and Ram came back from their weekend house hunting trip, so now I have company at night!!

Eating, shopping, and walking

What a day! I slept soundly, until the phone rang at 9am. The traffic and other city noises don't bother me at all. I spent the whole day with Kate and Alberto. Kate is Joe's sister's husband's sister. Or, easier said: my brother-in-law's sister. They were great tour guides. Being new to New York themselves, they are still in awe with the city, like me.

We started the day off by a stroll through central park, to the boathouse. It's a fancy restaurant, but they also have a cafe, where they sell great pastries. Walking through the park, the famous sites just keep coming. One day, I still want to see the park in the spring or summer, when everything is green.


We made our way down to south of the park, where all the shopping starts. Gucci, Prada, Louis Vitton, Versacy, and all the other designer stores are really intimidating. I've never dared to actually go into one of those stores. I would stand out like a sore thumb, and probably faint if I saw their prices. I stuck to stores of my caliper, like H&M and Gap. It's weird to think that I would go clothes shopping at least once a week when I was a teenager. Now, I'm lucky to go shopping at Old Navy twice a year.

Another store I was introduced to for the first time is FAO Schwartz. It's the biggest, and most amazing toy store ever. They have life size, stuffed animals, tons of doll brands, a whole section devoted to Barbies, and any other toy imaginable.

This is THE barbie of my childhood. One time, after one of my parents' vacations, they came home with it. Now I wonder when and where they got it. Anyways... I still have the dress, and shawl to this day. Unfortunately Winter and Ginger don't put as much value in her, so I think the actual Barbie is now in a Barbie graveyard.

Dee, who couldn't come because of a serious surgery, had her birthday today. She loves FAO Schwarz, and so I thought I'd electronically dress up a barbie for her birthday. So Dee; this is you in New York city. With your glamarous pink sparkle blouse, fabulous jeans, and purse. Happy Birthday, and I think about you all the time here.

There were even Twilight Barbies, but to my disappointment they only had Bella and Edward. Maybe it was too hard to make a Jacob barbie, because he has too many muscles.


New York has quite a few beggars. At one point we walked past a man, who had his cat sitting there, with a bowl of food, and a sign asking for money. I thought it was so ridiculous, and wanted to take a picture. The guy got totally mad, and started telling me I couldn't take a picture. I reminded him he was on a public street, and I could take a picture of anything I wanted. He started yelling in my face, and waving a dollar bill, that he could stop me from taking a picture, unless I would pay him. Unbelievable!!
Can you see the cat with the green sweater behind his legs? I actually thought it was hilarious that I got into a standoff with this bum/scammer. Kate and Antonio thought I was crazy.


For lunch we stopped at a Halal Food Cart, which is (i think) Greek food. On the recommendation of Yelp.com, I ordered a lamb gyro and falafel ball. Man, that was gooood!! I spent pretty much the whole afternoon shopping, and then we headed to Annie's house. We then had a great dinner at an Italian place, after which we headed over to a comedy club.

The PIT has a very discreet and small entrance. The club is actually on the second floor, so the door is all you see from the street. The Pit is an improv theater, where groups perform skits. Think Saturday night live. The Harvard Sailing Team performed, and they were hilarious. It's hard to find good, clean humor, and that's exactly what they provided.


I wonder how many miles I walked today. I'm glad I brought some comfy sneakers in addition to my cowboy boots!

Alone among Millions

... was going to be the title for this post. My girls weekend to New York City turned into a solo trip, when one friend had to have surgery and the other decided not to go. Waiting to get on the plane, I couldn't help but longingly looking over to a group of girls who were obviously having their own girls weekend. I sat in an empty row, with an empty seat on either side of me.

However, I wasn't alone for long. Joe's cousin Annie came to the rescue, and was waiting at Mary's house upon arrival. I love family. Annie is the sweetest person. Having only been to NYC once before, I didn't really have any idea where I wanted to go. I love sushi, and haven't had any in a while. That reminded Annie of a place called "St Marks". It's a fun street with lots of vendors, and a great sushi place. The street vendors all sell the same things.


We were drawn in by the super cute knit hats and gloves. We both found some
Before my trip, I had done a bunch of research into restaurants, and had found "Pomme Frites". A tiny restaurant that sells Belgian Fries. We were just walking along, when all of a sudden Annie exclaimed: "There's Belgian fries!!" Belgian fries are nice and fat, and delicious with German Mayonnaise. The mayonnaise they sell in Holland and Belgium is 1000 times better than the stuff they sell here. I can't believe we just stumbled upon this place. The fries were beckoning me, so I filled my belly, even though I had just finished eating sushi, a mere 10 minutes previous.
Have I mentioned how I LOVE the subway system? It's the easiest to navigate, and gets you where you want to be (relatively) fast. Of course I've done more walking today, than in the past month, so my feet are little sore in my fab cowboy boots. Totally worth it though.


I've got grand plans for the rest of the weekend. Chinatown, Statue of Liberty, Comedy club, lunch at a boathouse. I'm also lucky enough to have friends and family nearby, who are more than willing to show me around. Kate, my brother-in-law's sister, is showing me around tomorrow. Annie and I will get together again, and I get to see Mary and Ram before I leave too.


So thanks Joe, for holding down the fort at home. I sure wish you were here with me!


And a NY visit wouldn't be complete with some blaring sirens!

Grown Woman

My parents also flew in on Thursday, for a quick visit. We spent all day yesterday at education week together, and after dessert, I went with them to stay at their friends', the Landwards, house. I snuggled with my little sister Emma, who is now a grown woman! Crazy! We haven't spent nearly enough time together over the past 11 years. Yep, it's been 11 years, since I moved to the United States. Again, crazy! My mom really loves the Parade of Homes, so we spent this afternoon looking at some fun houses. We saw a bunch of really modern homes, which just reminded me of my home land. I do miss Holland occasionally, and Joe and I would love to move there for a few years. My parents and I were talking about all the thing Joe and I would like to do in the future. Like, living in Holland, getting an MBA, moving to Colorado, buy rental houses etc. This is where they gave me this great idea, that we could combine some of these. What if we move to Holland, Joe gets his MBA there, we buy rental houses for extra income, and move to Colorado as soon as we come back from Europe. Sounds good to me! Now we just have to work out logistics. You know... like sell our house, get accepted to school, find a job, buy some houses, and a whole lot more. But the idea gets me really excited!

Talk to the Chef

I finished out Education week, my brain full of useful information. It's been over 2 years since we moved out of Idaho, and since I've seen most of my friends from there. Challis is one of my friends that I really miss. She just happened to be in Utah this weekend too, so we got together for dinner. Tamara Wasden also came (who lived just down the street in our subdivision). We ate in a fancy restaurant. Tiffani and I were sharing a meal, and there was a little hick-up in the food. We ordered Salmon with au gratin potatoes. The potatoes were a huge disappointment, and the sauce that came with the salmon was just gross. So we actually sent it back. If I'm going to spend over $20 on a meal, I expect it to be good!! We switched to another dish, and had the most wonderful steaks. The most amazing part: the chef actually came out to talk to us about the food we didn't like.

After dinner we were on a mission to find some nice/fattening desert. We found a cool ice-cream shop (sub-zero). They poor some cream and whatever flavoring you want into a bowl. Then they spray liquid ice (or whatever that's called) from a big tank to actually freeze the cream. Fresh ice cream! It was awesome!

Edumecated

It turns out it becomes very difficult to blog, when you are off having fun, and learning to become a better wife/mother/person at education week. For the past 3 days we have spent 12 hours a day at the BYU campus. The campus is just beautiful! There are pretty flowers, and all these new, amazing buildings. Even the old buildings that are left standing, have had a makeover. The trick to attending classes for 12 hours without falling asleep? Go to bed as soon as you get home.

I have learned so many new things, that I can't even remember any of them. Just kidding. I have taken pages and pages of notes, and will have to read over those notes to fully reap the benefits of all the knowledge. Education week offers classes on so many subjects, too many to even think about. We have mainly focused on parenting, marriage, and self-improvement. We have been armed with techniques to teach our children to become independent, responsible adults. I enjoyed 2 hours of wonderful music by Michael Ballam. Some teachers have tried to explain how to influence the people around me, especially my husband (wink wink). While other teachers flat out taught me that I can NEVER change anyone else. (they have to WANT to change themselves)

Last night was really fun. After classes, we met up with my good friend Jill Simmons. We chatted and chatted, talked about her fun upcoming adventure to Germany, and before we knew it, it was 10pm. I love how I can go 2 years without seeing a friend, and it seems like we just saw each other last week. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of us, ... so I guess I'll have to try and remember what we all looked like that night.

When we leave a place of residence, it's amazing how fast we forget the details. Details like street names, locations of businesses, and on campus, the names of buildings. It's even more amazing how quickly it all comes back, when you submerse yourself back into that environment. You remember little details, like the back way out of a building, or a better located bathroom on the next floor etc.

A social experiment should be conducted, in regards to human behavior. When 700 people try to leave a room, and things get congested, how many people will just stand there? How many will stand there, and wait for 15 minutes until they can finally get out? And which people will look behind them, and realize that if they just walk to the front of the room, and around, they can get out of the building immediately? Same with bathrooms. How many people just stand in line, with 20 people in front of them, while they could just go up a flight of stairs, and have no wait whatsoever? I've learned something new about myself this week: I am one of those people, who looks for alternatives. I don't want to be part of THAT croud.


I don't know how many people attend education week.... It's got to be at least 15,000. That's a lot of people on one campus. Especially when 3,000 of those people want to attend the same lecture, while only 500 can fit in the lecture room. Some speakers, such as John Bytheway, are very popular. He has also been lecturing in a fairly small auditorium (500 cap). What does this mean? It means that people start lining up, for over an hour before the lecture even begins. (this picture was taken a full 45 minutes before the class started, and you can't really see, but the line was all the way around the building!) Also, when the hosting staff isn't doing their jobs well, things can get ugly between all those ladies in line. The first day, the hosters were snaking the line back and forth inside. The line went back and forth about 20 times, and this is before the previous class even gets out. As soon as the round of classes got out, things got really crazy! Thousands of ladies (and a few men) come in the building, think they see the end of the line, but then are quickly corrected by the other thousands of women who have been standing in the snake-line for the past hour. No... this is not the end of the line... that's about 10 rows over!

We have just one more day of classes left, and then it's on to applying all these wonderful lessons in my life.

I will never get angry at my kids again.
My time will be organized, and effectively used.
I will give consequences to my kids.
I will influence others around me.
I will understand the gospel better.
I will keep the Sabbath day holy
I will be a better listener.
I will communicate better

I will... oh never mind.... I hope to be able to accomplish all these things, but I really can't say for sure that I'll actually be successful! All I can do is try the best I can, and periodically review the lessons I am learning. And of course,.... come back next year, to learn even more!

Joe and I met right here, in the Outdoor Unlimited at the bike shop. I almost walked back there, until I realized that if I did that, they would probably call security and kick me out!

Escape to peace

After a crazy morning of lice removal, I escaped to the airport. I sat all alone at the gate, reading a book. I didn't have to worry whether my kids were getting in trouble. I could get a snack from a vending machine, without have 3 kids beg me to buy more and more, and more. Oh how I love a direct flight! It's totally wortht the extra 6,000 rewards points, to avoid 6 hours extra travel time, the possibility of missing/delayed flights, and more icky airplanes. I enjoyed my snack, read a book, took a nap, and before I knew it, I could see the beautiful Utah mountains.

This week I'll be spending with my friend Tiffani. Tiffani and I were very pregnant with our 3rd child at the same time. We had the same midwife, and generally became best friends real quick. I spent time with her at Disney, so it hadn't been too long since we saw each other, and we connected right back. Tiffani is from a family of 13 kids. We went to her parents' house for dinner. She expected me to be overwhelmed, but honestly after just spending time at a Benac reunion, this family get together didn't seem that crazy at all. So now we are winding down for the day, and getting ready for a full week of adult education and fun. Oh how I love the mountains, and the gorgeous sunset. (we were going 75 down the freeway, or else I would have taken a picture to share)

By the way: Many thanks to you, Joe!!! I love you, and you can't know how much I appreciate this time off!

Last minute

We hadn't been planning on going to DC until the very last minute. The economy has taken a hit on Joe's job, so cash has been tight around here. Plus, taking 2 weeks of work is harder than you would think for Joe. Joe's mom finally convinced me mere days before departure time, that this vacation didn't have to cost too much. We were lucky enough to be able to carpool with Earl and Ruth. We stayed the majority of the time at Nancy's house. Didn't have to buy dinner out. We went to free museums, played in the backyard, went to playgrounds etc. Sure, expenses add up, even with all those things included, but it was definitely worth it. My kids got to spend quality time with their cousins. I got to strengthen bonds with my in-laws and extended family. We were culturally uplifted. Winter has gained a new appreciation for art. And I was reminded why I hate roadtrips so much.

Personal Docent

How would you like to have your personal docent at the National Gallery of Art. Winter and I had exactly that today. Aunt Barbara lead us through special exhibits by Melendez, explained all the little details of still lives, and made 4.5 hours of art watching seem like 1. Barbara geared most of her information toward Winter, but I learned a whole lot myself. Sure, I took a whole bunch of art history classes in college, but I was ashamed by the small amount of knowledge I actually have.To increase Winter's learning, and attention span, Barbara played a little game she used to play with her own kids. She would tell Winter about a piece of art, or art in general. Then, she would quiz her on those facts. For each correct answer, Winter got a tickmark. At the end of the museum visit, Winter would get to pick out something from the gift shop, according to the amount of tickmarks she accumulated. This game is genius! It keeps the child's attention, makes them want to learn, keeps them going longer, and gives them a great reward at the end of it all.
Winter really latched onto this game, and accumulated a whopping 50 tickmarks. With a little guidance, she picked out a sketchpad and art pencil kit. She wanted to start drawing right away, and her first art is a drawing of the nations capitol building. She has talent!So thanks a ton to our personal Docent Barbara, for some great cultural enlightenment.

Monument Stroll

Washington Monuments are gorgeous at night!

World War II memorial

Washington Monument

Ram taught me a cool trick for my camera. When it gets too dark for non-flash photography, I usually get discouraged and sad. I don't like flash. It ruins the mood and light. Or so I thought! Ram showed me it doesn't have to be so. All you have to do is get aperture and speed readings on automatic setting, then move it to manual setting, pop up the flash, and voila! Here's one of my first tries. If I had just used the automatic setting, you would have been able to see Ginger, but not the cool Lincoln memorial in the background. The flash freezes the foreground, and the low shutter speed and high aperture capture the mood lighting in the background! Thanks a ton Ram!!!!

Lincoln Memorial

Craziness

It's been a whirlwind of reunions. Cousins, aunts, grandparents, friends etc etc.

Thursday I took some much needed time to myself. I did some laundry, read blogs, watched the bachelorette and SYTYCD, and napped. By the time I got back to the cabins, I was ready to be social again.

Friday was the first official day of the Benac reunion. We gathered at the Witkowskis house, and met up with longtime-no-see family. After brunch, me and Liz headed to the Holocaust museum. This trip really deserves it's own blog post, which will have to be written later. In short; it was a great museum, but very sad too.

After getting home after midnight last night, we didn't get any relief this morning. Before 7am, we got up to go to the kayaking rental place. I took Winter and Ginger in a double kayak on the Potomac (polluted) river, and Sterling rode with Ruth. Winter didn't have her own paddles, but when I let her have a turn, I was pleasantly surprised by her paddling skills. She must have gotten that from her daddy!

After the kayaking, me and my kids headed straight to the National Museum of Natural History. That museum is humongous! We browsed for hours, and still didn't even cover half of it. I finally gave up, when my feet and back were killing me from walking. We rode the metro back closer to Witkowskis house, where I am now relaxing and writing this post. I can't get the pictures of my camera, so I promise to update this post later.

Pfew, what craziness. I seriously want to sit down after I get back home (in Texas), and expand on all our experiences here, but I felt like I was leaving my readers in the dark by not writing at all. So there you go, that's what we've been up to

Marine Barracks

Last night, we went to see the parade at the Marine barracks. For some stupid reason I wasn't in the mood to carry my camera with me, so just got 2 pictures on Jenny's camera. Thanks Jenny!

This parade wasn't what you usually think of as a parade: floats following each other on a route through the streets. Instead, the band performs on the large lawn, which is located in the center of the marine barracks, and goes back and forth. The band performed performed patriotic and old-time tunes. Also, they were amazing marchers. At one point, a fairly large group of marines marched in formations, without any music. The only thing to guide them, was their own marching, and clicking of their bayonets on the ground. It kept going, and going, and going, probably for more than 20 minutes!

President Obama attended this parade just a week ago. Couldn't he have waited one more week? After the parade was over, Winter and Sterling did get to meet the marine's mascot, Chesty, almost as good as meeting Obama.

Great Falls Park

Today was supposed to be beach day. However, after realizing that this would include a 7 hour roundtrip drive, it quickly got booted from the plans. We opted instead, to go to the Great Falls State park. The falls were pretty cool. What wasn't so cool was the brown polluted foam that had accumulated in the eddies. I guess when people have thrown trash and waste into a river for the past 200+ years, you're bound to see the effects.

I signed up for packing a picnic lunch. Turns out, making sandwiches for 20 people can be a daunting task. Luckily I had my great helper Winter.One of the lookouts has some fun rocks for the kids to climb around onThe whole group. Ginger was NOT cooperating at all. She either screams and cries, or does extensive posing when we try to take pictures.

Logan: 11 going on 16