In a freezing cold Chicago are two crazy sisters!

Depoe Bay, Oregon. The smallest harbor in the world. 

Vacation time!

I'm in a new state for me! I am taking a little vacation and visiting Stacy out in Oregon. Yesterday we went to the coast and saw some beautiful sites and lovely lighthouses. It looked like something out of a movie.

Biked the Boros!

Bike ride a success!  Yay!  I felt pretty good during most of it.  If I could do one thing differently I would have worn long pants instead of capris and maybe another layer of shirt.  It was on the cold side, especially when the wind kicked in.  But I had fun and feel a great sense of accomplishment from my day.

There were so many great parts of the ride.  It was amazing how fast we made it to Central Park from lower Manhattan when we didn't have to stop at traffic lights.  Blasting through red lights was fun, as was going up 6th Avenue and seeing iconic buildings like the Empire State Building. Central Park was beautiful in bloom for spring. The views of the city were spectacular, especially crossing the Queensboro bridge with the Roosevelt Island tram passing to my left.  I enjoyed when I was approaching the bridge from the FDR and could look up and see all the bikers riding across the bridge instead of the usual traffic.  It was also fun looking down at the FDR from the bridge and seeing it completely packed with cyclists.

There were a LOT of people participating today.  (Maybe too many.  There were several times we got so cluttered we actually had to stop to space out.) I loved when we went onto the BQE and no one could resist the natural urge to "check to see if any traffic was coming" as we merged from the entrance ramp onto the empty highway.  I chuckled when I saw people in front of me do it, but still caught myself doing the same.  The Verrazano bridge was exciting because it was a tough uphill, but it was the very end, so I knew I could give it all I had left and I would be okay.  I loved going over that last hill and racing down to the finish.

I had a great team of friends to ride with and hope we do it again sometime!

Fun, Family, Florida

The Florida trip already seems like it was so long ago, even though it has only been two weeks.  Stacy came back with me to New York and we spent a few days having fun in the city.  This past week I started classes again.  I am also preparing for my first doctoral recital, so things are moving along.

Spending time with family on a little vacation was fun.  We had a great trip!  It's so hard to get the whole family together, since we are spread out all over the place, so it was really a special and nice thing to be able to relax and have fun together.  We rented a really great house in Florida.  It had enough space that we weren't always on top of each other (except that I slept in a top bed of a bunk bed, so maybe I was on top at that point, but that's okay :)  The house had game tables that we took advantage of, TVs to veg out to, a big pool and patio, a lake with a paddle boat (which Jared and Alma Lee got caught out in a storm!), and maybe my personal favorite: a hot tub.  And I loved the weather!  It is GREAT to be able to wear sandals and summer tops in January.  That was a nice way to break up the frigid winters I'm used to. I think I may have a calling to be a snow bird.

I think we were able to have a nice balance of "doing stuff" and relaxing.  Splitting up at times, and going as a group at other times allowed everyone to vacation in their own way.  From biking with alligators, shopping for shoes, eating everything in sight, to playing "Bananas" and "Settlers"...we did a lot!

One day I joined the "Brothers with Babies" group and went to the zoo.  I took my camera, of course, and had so much fun hanging out with them and taking pictures.  Joel was my buddy.  He always wanted to "push the button" on my camera.  He got a few interesting shots.  I'd share them, but I don't want him to sue me for copyright infringement when he starts his own blog.  

We each took a spin (or two) on the zoo's carousel!

I really enjoyed getting to spend time with my nieces and nephew.  I wish I could see them more often!  I look forward to one day when all the cousins can come visit Aunt Megan in New York!  I think we'll have a lot of fun....and not get into too much trouble.

And here is a view of our lovely lake after sunset.

Snowy Scenes

Over Christmas break I ended up spending three days more than planned in West Virginia.  I was supposed to leave on Monday morning, but was not able to get out until Thursday because of the snow...and I was lucky to get back when I did!  New York really got smashed with a mess of a storm.

Although it wasn't planned and I was forced to do laundry, it was nice to spend a little bit more time with family in WV.  It seems like I don't get to come in for more than a few days at a time now that I work a full-time job.  It's much harder to get time off and take vacation days when I have responsibilities at the office.  Since I take care of payroll for my department...it's pretty important for me to be there.  :)
One way I spent my extra time in WV was going up to visit Mama and seeing the sights along the way.  My short weekends in St. Albans don't really leave time for getting out of town too, so it was great to be able to spend the day driving up the mountain.  The curvy roads make me car sick as a kid, but I enjoy the scenery now.

One stop along the way was  Hawks Nest State Park.  The snowy views were spectacular and Dad had interesting stories to narrate.  I love to stop and take pictures there and think about when Mom and Dad had their summer wedding there!  Of course I wasn't a thought in their minds at the time, but it's fun to imagine.  The mountains were really pretty covered in snow.  Once my toes were froze we moved on went to visit Mama in Lookout.  We talked about the old general store and looked at old pictures while warming up with a bowl of her delicious potato soup.  It was great to spend time with her, but we had to leave before it started getting dark because we wanted to stop and look at the New River Gorge Bridge.  It was so pretty, but some of the overlooks were closed because of the weather.  The small windy road under the bridge was technically open, but not a snow plow had even looked at it, so we decided not to chance getting stuck in a snowdrift somewhere. 

Eventually I made it back to the city, but it was nice to relax and enjoy the quiet, simpler ways of the mountains.

Oh no, oh snow!

• NYC Weather: Blizzard Induces Transit Headache

• Blizzard Pummels Northeast, Closes NYC Airports

• Blizzard stops East Coast in its tracks

• U.S. air traffic snarled by blizzard

 I'm STUCK in WV!  My Monday morning flight was canceled and the earliest reschedule is THURSDAY morning!  At least I am stuck at a nice cozy home instead of spending days in an airport somewhere!  Hope they are able to clean up the mess in New York and get me back for at least one day of work this week!  Yikes!

 

 

time out of town

The fall tends to be a busy time.  Actually, most of the year tends to be busy.  Possibly I lead a busy life. I can't believe that it is now December and we are in the midst of the holiday season, looking at the close of another year.  I don't know where the time went.  It feels like just yesterday that Stacy and I were huddled under an umbrella 15 blocks away from a sparkling sphere, squinting to see the globe that was to bring in the new year as it descended on masses of people.

I was fortunate during the fall season to take a few trips.  Unfortunately, I was too busy to write much about them.  First, I was able to spend a weekend in West Virginia.  Not too long after, I went to Montana for several days where I got to hang out with Ben, Jen, and little Joel, who is quickly becoming 'not so little' anymore.  He could be pretty wild at times, but all in all is a super cute kid.  I enjoyed reading to him, but he would read the same book over and over...and over...  I would think he would get tired of it, but nope.  He could have much worse habits, I must say.  I can't get over how demanding babies are.  Being a single lady in the city, I can't wrap my mind around this other person that needs your attention 24/7.  Entire days have to be planned around feedings, naps, moods... not much room for spontaneity in there.  Parents have a lot of patience.  When a kid is screaming all the time, I would want to put him in the closet and go shopping.  I don't think that's really an option though.  Well, it's fun being an aunt.  Not that being a parent isn't extremely rewarding, but I think I'll enjoy my freedom while I have it.  My day may come.

Last week, for Thanksgiving, I went down to Richmond to John and Pat's place.  A bunch of the WV portion of the family came out to meet us and we had a great time.  I was nervous to fly on Thanksgiving day, especially with the new scanners and pat downs that are all the drama in the news, but I had no problems.  In fact, the airport was like a ghost town when I left NY.  Coming back was so early that I was barely aware of what was going on anyway.

Next week a gang of family is coming to New York and the week after that I will be heading to West Virginia for Christmas!  I can't believe it's so soon!  I need to do some Christmas shopping asap!

I'm in Montana!!!

Tomorrow!

I am taking a vacation!  I am going to visit the Shumates of the West.  

It sure looks far away!  Good thing I am taking a plane and not driving.  That would take forever!

I am looking forward to seeing some family and taking it easy for a few days.  I think where they live is the exact opposite of where I live, so it should be fun.  Big Sky, here I come!

We're back!!!

Saturday morning we packed our bags with dirty clothes and souvenirs and boarded a plane taking us back to the US. I had a lovely view of Montego Bay and the Caribbean Sea as we flew out of the airport. We traveled all day before safely arriving home around midnight. Exhaustion quickly set in from the previous week of work and little rest. It was a wonderful week and an experience to be remembered.

hitting the road...or the sky

I'm getting out of New York for a bit. Time to go to hotter places. I never do the right thing when it comes to seasons and staying in nice weather. I tend to go north for the winter and south for the summer. How does that happen? Well, this time I am heading to Jamaica! Going with the family and a group from church. I will be down there for a week and then plan to spend a few days in WV before coming back to the city. I look forward to a nice time. I don't think I will have internet access, so there will be no blog until I get back, but I'm sure to have beautiful pictures and stories to tell. Bon voyage!

A Mediterranean Sunset

Tel Aviv, Israel

Yerushalayim

While in Israel, we stayed in a town near Tel Aviv, but, as I mentioned before, we did quite a bit of traveling. We were able to spend three days in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a beautiful place mixing new with old...REALLY old. Ronen's father and his father's cousin went with us on our second time into the Old City. They are both knowledgeable about the city and its history. Especially his cousin, who was practically a private tour guide for us. His stories were amazing as he walked with us from the Mount of Olives (bottom picture) where he told us the history of Israel and all of its conquerors into the city walls where we walked the Via Dolorosa (side picture) and experienced all the stories of Christianity's beginnings. It was really unbelievable to be standing in places that are so important to so many people. Places that have been fought for over and over throughout history. We were so lucky to be with somebody who could point to something and actually know what it was and where it was from. On my own, I'm sure I would have walked right past a lot of this stuff without even knowing it! There are so many layers of history there that it would take years to get it all!

Of course, we couldn't spend all the time studying history. Too much at once can cause an overload or brain malfunction - especially in the kind of heat we were facing. (If you are planning to travel to Israel, try to do it in a month besides August!) So we had to spend a little time doing fun things like coffee, deserts, shopping, and camel riding.

the traveler returns

I am back from a wonderful trip to Israel. I was able to see SO MANY things while I was there. I was lucky to be staying with Ronen's family, who were extremely kind and helpful. Since they let us use their car, we were able to drive around to different areas of the country and see different places. I saw things that were older than anything I had ever seen before and experienced places that I had imagined in my mind from the stories I heard since I was a young child. And the food....oh, yes, the food. Non.Stop. I have now eaten at at least two of the "top 5" Israeli hummus places, tried 20 Arabic salads in one meals, eaten dates from the tree, and tried an enormous amount of the breads and cheeses Israel has to offer. Actually, I probably haven't scratched the surface - but I can only do so much damage in 2 1/2 weeks!
We got back to New York last night, after staying up the night before and random sleeping on the plane. Exhaustion quickly set in and the fight against jet lag is a continuing process. I think I am doing a pretty good job. My coffee makers are standing by to help keep me awake when my eyes start feeling strong hits of gravity.


A quick description of the pictures (I'll go top to bottom, left to right - unlike the right to left I've been trying to learn my entire trip).
1. Flowers overlooking Haifa from Ba'hai Center - very overcast day or you would be able to see the Mediterranean sea in the background.
2. Outside a small church in Tabgha, marking place where Jesus fed multitudes from loaf and fishes
3. Overlooking Sea of Galilee
4. Walking in, not on the Sea of Galilee
5. Dates growing on a tree in Kibbutz Gesher
6. Floating in the Dead Sea
7. Jerusalem
8. Garden Tomb, Jerusalem
9. Camel in the desert

Shalom!

Greetings from Israel!

I am having a wonderful time here, although I haven't had much time to write on my blog. I have so many stories and pictures - so hopefully one day (probably after I am back home) I will share them here. I have had trips around the country, seeing so many amazing sights and eating, eating, and more eating of wonderful food. I think if there is a place on earth that I could gain some weight... this would be it.
Also I must send a Happy Birthday to my blogs biggest fan. Happy Birthday Mama Honey! I am so confused with time zones that maybe it is still the birthday somewhere on this planet. Who knows. I am probably late - but I will call it "extending the celebration".
Well - love to all and I hope to write and share my stories soon.

leaving on a jetplane

For those of you who don't know, I am about to leave the country for a couple of weeks!  I am very excited and a little nervous.  I am leaving later today and I still have some packing to do for my big vacation.  Not only have I had this trip coming up, but I moved to a different apartment over the past few days - so I have been very busy.  When I do things, I like to do them all, I guess!

I don't know exactly what my internet situation will be, but most likely my next post, which happens to be my 100th post on this blog, will be from Israel.

 I am looking forward to seeing the sacred sites of Jerusalem as well as relax on the beautiful beaches of Tel Aviv.  Until next time, Shalom!

 

another one bites the dust

Sadly, I didn't get to try any potatoes, but I was there!

beastly sightings

One thing that we saw quite a few of in Yellowstone Park was Bison (aka Buffalo). The first one that we saw happened to be strolling down the main road through the park. Yes, the bison was the one strolling down the road. Cars pulled over, out of the way, and he walked right on past. He didn't seem to mind the people at all. He knew it was his territory and I think it probably gave him a little ego boost to feel like he was being attacked by the paparazzi. Shutters were snapping left and right. Here he comes:

And there he goes:

These are pretty massive animals, as you can see in comparison to the cars. The park even supplied us with a flier warning that "Many visitors have been gored by buffalo. They can weigh 2000 pounds and sprint 30 mph." I had that in mind as I took those pictures from INSIDE that car. Karen, on the other hand, who was a runner back in the day, took her chances and got some great pictures from outside the vehicle.
Here is another buffalo that we saw. He was not such an attention hog. He stayed a bit away from the road and snacked on some grass. Nice buffalo, he was.

Home (not) On the Range

After quite a long day, I arrived at my apartment in New York late this afternoon. I should not complain. My original flight was supposed to leave Montana around 7 at night, arriving tomorrow morning somewhere in the 6:00 hour. The rest of the family was leaving at 6AM and I had to go to the airport with them - so I smiled and begged and forked over some money and got on a flight this morning. Whew - I was not wanting to sit in that little airport for over 12 hours. Not my top choice of how to spend a day. But I took back my Monday and busted my way back to the east coast.

Seeing as I took over 500 pictures on the trip, I have plenty to blog about. Hopefully I will stay focused and share many of those pictures and stories over the next week. As long as the New York busy-bee monster doesn't pull me under.

As I was browsing through my pictures this evening, the following picture stood out to me.
This picture seems so relaxing after a long day. When I look at it I can almost feel the warmth of the sun as it lowers to the horizon. The light is calming and the air is clean. I played around with cropping the picture a few different ways which also made nice pictures, but I like the little bug flying away to the left. I had to leave it as it was. Enjoy this one and stay tuned for more stories from the trip!