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Thursday, August 20, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Laundry Adventure
Today I decided to tackle my next adventure...Laundry! I had to go outside and go to another building to buy a laundry card. Instead of using quarters you buy a card for 5 dollars and load money onto it at a machine. This was my first time going somewhere by myself. I walked down the street to the other building, got my card and went back to our apartment. I felt so accomplished on my first little outing. The laundry room is a floor up from us so I have to go up and down. I went to put the laundry in and there is only one washer and one dryer which is kind of annoying but we'll have to deal with that. Since I could only do one load at a time it took a while to do the laundry. The laundry is all done so I survived my first laundry adventure! Now back to cleaning, and job hunting...
Monday, August 17, 2009
Scott's First Day of Orientation and Target Adventure
Scott got all ready to go to his orientation and I just had to take a picture of him on his first day of school! 
He left to pick up all of his registration stuff and found out he didn't have to do anything else until 2:30 so we decided to go to Target.
We attempted to go to Target today to get some more groceries and just to check it out. We began our journey by trying to get onto the Subway. When we got to the subway we found out that a few of the stops along the way were closed. We found out that part of the ceiling had collapsed down by the subway. We had to take a shuttle bus along those stops. After we got to the working subway stop there was only one stop along the way at the very end. When we got to the end of the line we had to get onto another train to backtrack to Target. It took a very long time! We finally made it to Target and it was something familiar! Just looked like a regular Target and the prices were really good. Some things were better priced than the grocery store we went to. We didn't get a ton of stuff because we would have to carry it all back through the nightmare in the transit system today. It's kind of annoying having to depend on Public Transportation and nice at other times when it works.
He left to pick up all of his registration stuff and found out he didn't have to do anything else until 2:30 so we decided to go to Target.We attempted to go to Target today to get some more groceries and just to check it out. We began our journey by trying to get onto the Subway. When we got to the subway we found out that a few of the stops along the way were closed. We found out that part of the ceiling had collapsed down by the subway. We had to take a shuttle bus along those stops. After we got to the working subway stop there was only one stop along the way at the very end. When we got to the end of the line we had to get onto another train to backtrack to Target. It took a very long time! We finally made it to Target and it was something familiar! Just looked like a regular Target and the prices were really good. Some things were better priced than the grocery store we went to. We didn't get a ton of stuff because we would have to carry it all back through the nightmare in the transit system today. It's kind of annoying having to depend on Public Transportation and nice at other times when it works. Sunday, August 16, 2009
New York Update
Yes, we made it to New York! I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while. I was too tired while we were on our road trip and we just figured out our internet today. Sorry there aren't any pictures today, I'll add them later.
We drove our moving truck 2200 miles or so to move to NYC. We passed through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and finally New Jersey to get to New York. It was cool to see the different states even though we didn't spend much time in any of them. We took 3 days to make the trip and drove into the city last Friday. On the drive, I drove probably a total of 5-6 hours and Scott drove the rest. He was a trooper! Driving the moving truck stressed me out.
Moving in was a nightmare when we arrived in New York! Luckily we found a large enough "No Parking" zone to park in (hoping we wouldn't get a ticket). There were also a couple people that came to help us which saved our life. We moved all of our stuff into the lobby of the building and then up to our apartment. It took a while, but we did it. We have been unpacking for the past two days so we haven't gotten to see too much.
Yesterday we decided to go grocery shopping so that we could have food. We took a shuttle that comes by our apartment three times a week to the Fairway Supermarket. I was just expecting it to be a regular grocery store but it ended up being a little different. Part of the store was located outside right next to the parking lot and the rest was inside. It was very overwhelming, but things were laid out mostly like a regular grocery store. We just had to wander down each aisle to find everything. However, the cold foods were in a room that was freezing cold! This is where all the meat, dairy, cheese, milk and eggs were located. I was shivering while searching for items. We finished grocery shopping and went home tired---it was an adventure!
Today we went to church at our new ward. It was just like how church is every other place I have been which was very reassuring. It was nice to go somewhere that wasn't a completely new experience that was familiar. The bishop talked to us after church so we'll see what callings we get.
Scott has his orientation week starting tomorrow. He is excited for that and I'll finish unpacking and begin my job hunt tomorrow. I'll also tackle the next adventure of doing the laundry!
I'll try to keep our blog updated more frequently so that everyone can see what we are up to.
P.S. I forgot to talk about recycling! I have never really recycled much throughout my life but now we have to. I had no idea that there are NYC recycling laws. We have to separate all of our stuff and throw them away in certain bins located on our floor. It is going to take some getting used to but hopefully I'll get into the habit of sorting out the right things.
- Ashley
Ashley pretty much summed up the move. However, she left out a few details, like the time when we had the building maintenance come to take off the front door so we could move some bigger items into the apartment. The front door is a big, metal, rusty thing, and he broke the weak spot weld that was holding the hinge on the door. So we didn't have a front door for the first 8 hours of our day, and we didn't know when we would get one. Random people kept coming to look at it, and I could hear them on their radios saying, "I can't fix this! I'm not saying this just so I can go home, I really can't fix this!" They eventually bolted a new hinge to the door before we went to sleep, which was nice, since I usually like to sleep with a front door.
My desk wouldn't fit through the other doorways in the apartment, so I had to take the feet off. This wouldn't have been a problem, except for the fact that they were not only screwed into the desk, but they were glued in as well. The moving truck was already gone, and the desk was either going in to the apartment, or it wasn't (I know, duh). So I took a hammer and screwdriver, chiseled the legs off, and got it in! After I put the legs back on, you wouldn't have been able to tell unless I told you!
Needless to say, we got moved in, and we aren't moving out for a long time!
Our apartment is on the 5th floor of a 30 story building, and it has the most amazing view of the Hudson River, the George Washington Bridge, looking into New Jersey, and partially into downtown New York. It is truly a wonderful place!
- Scott
We drove our moving truck 2200 miles or so to move to NYC. We passed through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and finally New Jersey to get to New York. It was cool to see the different states even though we didn't spend much time in any of them. We took 3 days to make the trip and drove into the city last Friday. On the drive, I drove probably a total of 5-6 hours and Scott drove the rest. He was a trooper! Driving the moving truck stressed me out.
Moving in was a nightmare when we arrived in New York! Luckily we found a large enough "No Parking" zone to park in (hoping we wouldn't get a ticket). There were also a couple people that came to help us which saved our life. We moved all of our stuff into the lobby of the building and then up to our apartment. It took a while, but we did it. We have been unpacking for the past two days so we haven't gotten to see too much.
Yesterday we decided to go grocery shopping so that we could have food. We took a shuttle that comes by our apartment three times a week to the Fairway Supermarket. I was just expecting it to be a regular grocery store but it ended up being a little different. Part of the store was located outside right next to the parking lot and the rest was inside. It was very overwhelming, but things were laid out mostly like a regular grocery store. We just had to wander down each aisle to find everything. However, the cold foods were in a room that was freezing cold! This is where all the meat, dairy, cheese, milk and eggs were located. I was shivering while searching for items. We finished grocery shopping and went home tired---it was an adventure!
Today we went to church at our new ward. It was just like how church is every other place I have been which was very reassuring. It was nice to go somewhere that wasn't a completely new experience that was familiar. The bishop talked to us after church so we'll see what callings we get.
Scott has his orientation week starting tomorrow. He is excited for that and I'll finish unpacking and begin my job hunt tomorrow. I'll also tackle the next adventure of doing the laundry!
I'll try to keep our blog updated more frequently so that everyone can see what we are up to.
P.S. I forgot to talk about recycling! I have never really recycled much throughout my life but now we have to. I had no idea that there are NYC recycling laws. We have to separate all of our stuff and throw them away in certain bins located on our floor. It is going to take some getting used to but hopefully I'll get into the habit of sorting out the right things.
- Ashley
Ashley pretty much summed up the move. However, she left out a few details, like the time when we had the building maintenance come to take off the front door so we could move some bigger items into the apartment. The front door is a big, metal, rusty thing, and he broke the weak spot weld that was holding the hinge on the door. So we didn't have a front door for the first 8 hours of our day, and we didn't know when we would get one. Random people kept coming to look at it, and I could hear them on their radios saying, "I can't fix this! I'm not saying this just so I can go home, I really can't fix this!" They eventually bolted a new hinge to the door before we went to sleep, which was nice, since I usually like to sleep with a front door.
My desk wouldn't fit through the other doorways in the apartment, so I had to take the feet off. This wouldn't have been a problem, except for the fact that they were not only screwed into the desk, but they were glued in as well. The moving truck was already gone, and the desk was either going in to the apartment, or it wasn't (I know, duh). So I took a hammer and screwdriver, chiseled the legs off, and got it in! After I put the legs back on, you wouldn't have been able to tell unless I told you!
Needless to say, we got moved in, and we aren't moving out for a long time!
Our apartment is on the 5th floor of a 30 story building, and it has the most amazing view of the Hudson River, the George Washington Bridge, looking into New Jersey, and partially into downtown New York. It is truly a wonderful place!
- Scott
Saturday, August 1, 2009
A Birthday and an Anniversary!
Yesterday was my brother David's birthday! Happy Birthday Dave! We celebrated on Thursday with birthday cake....mmmmm. I hope you had a great birthday!
Scott and I also celebrated our 1 Year Anniversary! We went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner because I really wanted to get some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake-mmmmm. It's the best cheesecake ever! Scott got Brownie Sundae Cheesecake. Scott also got me some pretty flowers! They are really dark pink but the picture makes it look light.
After we got back for dinner we pulled out our topper of our wedding cake to taste. This is what our cake looked like on the day of our wedding:
1 year later:
Me and Scott eating our cake! I just had one bite, it was okay, but not too appetizing to me eating 1 year old cake. Scott ate the remaining of our piece of cake.
It was a great anniversary! I'm looking for the many many years we have to come!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
American Idol Concert!
I am a big American Idol fan along with the others in my family. Last night I went to the American Idol concert! I went with my mom, her friend Janelle, and my little sis. Courtney. We took a lot of pictures! So this blog entry will have mostly pictures.
This is a picture of me and Courtney. We were so happy to be at the concert!
A picture of mom on the left and Janelle on the right
This is how the stage looked at the beginning of the concert! So exciting! Each of the top ten in American Idol took their turn performing. It started out with the people that got kicked off first, to the ones that lasted longer. Since that was the order the show got better and better with each person. I, of course, was waiting for Alison and Adam to perform because they are my favorites!
Adam and Allison performed together! They were so good! They sang Slow Ride.
Another picture of Adam and Allison
This is when Adam did his costume change, taking off his jacket. This was Janelle's favorite part :). Adam is a real performer. I know he is going to go far!
Kris was good, but I don't like him as much as Adam... He was entertaining though. I still think Adam should have won!
Everybody!
Adam hitting the high notes!After the concert I suggested that we wait outside where the idols were supposed to come out. We got there and there were a lot of people. We decided to wait because we really wanted to meet some of the idols! We gradually made our way to the front, and an hour and fifteen minutes later, they started coming out!
We saw Danny!
We saw Matt! Courtney was so excited!
Allison! 
We saw Kris, but he wasn't as friendly as we thought he'd be. Courtney asked him to take a picture with her and his little assistant said that he wasn't taking pictures. He was a disappointment in person.
We saw Adam! It was so exciting! I was so happy! More of the meeting Adam story below...
Me and Court got a picture with Allison! She was very friendly to take a picture with us!
Then we got a picture with Matt---one of Courtney's fav's! He was nice too.
Janelle asked Adam to hold her hand---and he did! She was so excited! This is the hand that Adam held (See picture). Adam was one of the nicest ones there--a lot more friendly than Kris. Adam took a lot of time and signed autographs, took pictures, etc. We didn't get a picture with him, because where we were it was very crowded.
I held my mom's purse up for Adam to sign. While he was signing her purse I touched his arm so now I can say that I too touched Adam Lambert-haha.
It was a very memorable concert and after the concert. It was a really fun night and I'm so glad we went! Meeting all of the American Idol Finalists completed the whole experience.
P.S. throughout the night our Camera's kept dying and we'd just turn them off and then back on to try to get more pictures. We were able to get all of the pictures we wanted! I told mom, Janelle, and Court that it was an American Idol miracle--haha.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Our New York Trip
We decided to go on a short trip to New York to help me get used to the idea of moving to New York City. We just planned to go for a couple of days last week. The plan was initially to go apartment hunting but we found out that we got into on-campus housing---yay! So we didn't have to find an apartment which was nice.
We rode the redeye flight at 12:00 AM. When we got to the airport we found out that our flight was delayed, and we didn't end up leaving until an hour later. While we were waiting for our flight we heard an announcement for Stevenson to check in at the desk. Scott went to the desk and found out that they were bumping us up to first class! It was so nice riding the redeye while sitting in first class because we were so much more comfortable! It was nice and we were able to get a little bit of needed sleep. Here's a picture of us in first class:
We ended up getting to New York at about 7:30 or something in the morning. We rode the air train, then went on the subway to get to our hotel. Check-in at our hotel wasn't until 4:00 PM but we decided to drop off our bags early. After that, we decided to go see the campus where Scott will be attending school. We met with the housing people which weren't helpful at all! Then we met with financial aid, which was just as frustrating. After that Scott called our hotel to see if any rooms had become available early. They had a room for us, so we got to check in a couple of hours early! I fell asleep for a bit because I was so exhausted. We met up with a med student and his wife (they are from BYU, just finished up his first year at med school) and saw their apartment since it is very similar to ours. After seeing the apartment, it made me feel better about our future life. It is a bigger apartment than I was expecting which is really good! See pictures below:
On the second day, we decided to go apartment hunting to make sure we really wanted to live on campus. Scott made a few appointments with people to see some apartments. The first guy we met with basically just gave us a lecture the entire time. He kept saying the same things over and over about New York requirements with apartments. It turns out if you want an apartment in New York, you must have an income of 40 x's your rent. So if your rent is $2000 bucks a month, then you have to make $80,000 bones a year. If you don't make that much money than you have to have a guarantor (someone to sign with you in case you don't pay your rent). If you don't have that, then you have to pre-pay your rent like 6 months in advance. Since I don't have a job yet and we don't have that much money, the guy we talked to was giving us a hard time and wouldn't even show us anything. We ended up just leaving frustrated. We talked to a couple of other people, getting similar results. After our apartment hunting, we decided that we were sitting pretty with a darn good apartment on campus!
For lunch, we went to Lombardi's for traditional New York Style Pizza because, well, that's just what you do when you go to New York! Traditional homemade thin crust dough, house-made fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil, with meatballs. This is where pizza originated in New York, and some of the best pizza we've ever eaten.
The last day we also were able to walk through Central Park and people watch---something I love to do! We also saw the temple in Manhattan which was really cool.
Eventually, we flew home and were glad to be back! It was a tiring trip. We took the subway and walked everywhere! My feet were so sore--I decided that I'm going to get into really good shape living there since I will have to walk anywhere I want to go. I also decided that I'm never going to be able to straighten my hair because each time I did, it just went frizzy! It was a good trip but sort of stressful and emotional for me. There were a few times where I just thought, "this is going to be my life?" And other times where things were looking more positive for me. It is going to be hard moving---but an adventure at the same time.
We rode the redeye flight at 12:00 AM. When we got to the airport we found out that our flight was delayed, and we didn't end up leaving until an hour later. While we were waiting for our flight we heard an announcement for Stevenson to check in at the desk. Scott went to the desk and found out that they were bumping us up to first class! It was so nice riding the redeye while sitting in first class because we were so much more comfortable! It was nice and we were able to get a little bit of needed sleep. Here's a picture of us in first class:
We ended up getting to New York at about 7:30 or something in the morning. We rode the air train, then went on the subway to get to our hotel. Check-in at our hotel wasn't until 4:00 PM but we decided to drop off our bags early. After that, we decided to go see the campus where Scott will be attending school. We met with the housing people which weren't helpful at all! Then we met with financial aid, which was just as frustrating. After that Scott called our hotel to see if any rooms had become available early. They had a room for us, so we got to check in a couple of hours early! I fell asleep for a bit because I was so exhausted. We met up with a med student and his wife (they are from BYU, just finished up his first year at med school) and saw their apartment since it is very similar to ours. After seeing the apartment, it made me feel better about our future life. It is a bigger apartment than I was expecting which is really good! See pictures below: On the second day, we decided to go apartment hunting to make sure we really wanted to live on campus. Scott made a few appointments with people to see some apartments. The first guy we met with basically just gave us a lecture the entire time. He kept saying the same things over and over about New York requirements with apartments. It turns out if you want an apartment in New York, you must have an income of 40 x's your rent. So if your rent is $2000 bucks a month, then you have to make $80,000 bones a year. If you don't make that much money than you have to have a guarantor (someone to sign with you in case you don't pay your rent). If you don't have that, then you have to pre-pay your rent like 6 months in advance. Since I don't have a job yet and we don't have that much money, the guy we talked to was giving us a hard time and wouldn't even show us anything. We ended up just leaving frustrated. We talked to a couple of other people, getting similar results. After our apartment hunting, we decided that we were sitting pretty with a darn good apartment on campus!To bring up my spirit, Scott took me shopping on Canal Street! I was able to get some cute purses! But of course, Scott had to haggle the poor salesman to get a good price. I might just end up with an amazing purse collection by the time we are done living in New York :)
Here's my beautiful new purse!
Here's my beautiful new purse!
For lunch, we went to Lombardi's for traditional New York Style Pizza because, well, that's just what you do when you go to New York! Traditional homemade thin crust dough, house-made fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil, with meatballs. This is where pizza originated in New York, and some of the best pizza we've ever eaten.We went to see the stores on 5th Avenue, looking at clothes and other fancy things way out of our price range! We went into the NBA store and saw this shrine to Michael Jordan. I thought that my brothers would appreciate it.
We also got some cheesecake because, well, that's just what you do in New York! Scott got Chocolate, and I got Strawberry.
The last day we also were able to walk through Central Park and people watch---something I love to do! We also saw the temple in Manhattan which was really cool.
Eventually, we flew home and were glad to be back! It was a tiring trip. We took the subway and walked everywhere! My feet were so sore--I decided that I'm going to get into really good shape living there since I will have to walk anywhere I want to go. I also decided that I'm never going to be able to straighten my hair because each time I did, it just went frizzy! It was a good trip but sort of stressful and emotional for me. There were a few times where I just thought, "this is going to be my life?" And other times where things were looking more positive for me. It is going to be hard moving---but an adventure at the same time.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Verry Berry Pie
Here is a recipe that I tried today. I altered the recipe a little bit, so it wasn't I guess as healthy as in the recipe but I made do with what I had. It was a good, light dessert. If I were to make it again I would put more of the berries inside the pie then on the top. Mine also didn't look as good as this picture---so I didn't take my own picture. It was a good, quick recipe. Enjoy! I found it on the Taste of Homes website
Ingredients:1-3/4 cups reduced-fat whipped topping, divided
1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust (8 inches) (I used a bigger size crust, 10 inch I think)
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
Sugar substitute equivalent to 1 tablespoon sugar (I just used sugar)1 cup cold fat-free milk
1 package (1 ounce) sugar-free instant white chocolate pudding mix
Directions:
Spread 1/4 cup whipped topping into the crust. Combine berries and sugar substitute; spoon 1 cup over topping. In a bowl, whisk the milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes; let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Spoon over berries. Spread with remaining whipped topping. Top with remaining berries. Refrigerate for 45 minutes or until set.
Yield: 8 servings.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Ragnar
I finished the race of all races last weekend – “Ragnar: The race formerly known as The Wasatch Back.” Ok, so maybe its official name doesn’t really sound like a rap artist who has changed his name 3 times, but we did hear some other runners blasting rap music along the 188-mile, 33 hours and 45 minutes, 12-runner relay race from Logan, UT to Park City, UT along the back side of the Wasatch Mountains.
I never knew how fun it could be sitting in a truck with 5 other sweaty runners for 33 hours, but surprisingly, it was a total blast! I had to run 3 different legs throughout the race. My first leg was 7.4 miles, uphill at an average of 2.9% grade. It was on the dirt road going up Avon pass to a point just below the summit. My second leg was going from Morgan, and on through Richville for 4.2 miles. My third leg was the easiest, on the highway into Heber City for 2.6 miles.
Half-way through the race, I ate a real meal of spaghetti, and it was the best plate of spaghetti that I’ve ever eaten! I don’t think it was that special (it came from a high school cafeteria – and I don’t think I’ve given a “great” review of food that comes from school lunch), just noodles and plain sauce. But I was tired and hungry, and it just seemed to hit the spot!
I have 12 more months to train for the big hills next year. But my training might have to wait for another day – I have brownies to eat tonight.
- Scott
I never knew how fun it could be sitting in a truck with 5 other sweaty runners for 33 hours, but surprisingly, it was a total blast! I had to run 3 different legs throughout the race. My first leg was 7.4 miles, uphill at an average of 2.9% grade. It was on the dirt road going up Avon pass to a point just below the summit. My second leg was going from Morgan, and on through Richville for 4.2 miles. My third leg was the easiest, on the highway into Heber City for 2.6 miles.
Half-way through the race, I ate a real meal of spaghetti, and it was the best plate of spaghetti that I’ve ever eaten! I don’t think it was that special (it came from a high school cafeteria – and I don’t think I’ve given a “great” review of food that comes from school lunch), just noodles and plain sauce. But I was tired and hungry, and it just seemed to hit the spot!
I have 12 more months to train for the big hills next year. But my training might have to wait for another day – I have brownies to eat tonight.
- Scott
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