The Bronx Zoo

Although our original plan for this past Saturday was to take the ferry to the beach, the weather did not cooperate.  So we adjusted plans and decided to have a day-venutre at the Bronx Zoo instead.  I'd been once before but this was Dan's first visit. 

Saturday morning we dragged ourselves out of bed early to make our way north via public transit.  We stopped at our favorite Steve's Bagels for morning sustenance.  We knew we had to take two subway trains and that it would take a little over an hour to get there.  Well, as weekends tend to go, the 2 train terminated early, we waited 10 minutes at the second to last stop.  When we got off we headed to catch a shuttle bus to our destination and while it was "express" it still took 20 minutes in traffic and we were stuffed like sardines on the bus.  Our legs were sore from standing in such a tight space because we couldn't even shift weight.  Two hours from when we left, we finally arrived.  

We wasted no time and headed straight to the photo booth followed by the monorail and then Jungle World. 

We decided our theme for the day was Giraffe. It was a random choice but knew we would be leaving with a new stuffed buddy giraffe at the very least.  Instead we got a new t-shirt for Dan, a new buddy we named Pixie Little, and Dan picked a cute giraffe necklace for me.  And of course we added to my squished penny collection.

We paid $30 per ticket for the "full experience" which gave you access to the monorail, jungle world, 4D theater, bug carousel, the butterfly pavilion, and more without any extra charge.  It was well worth the extra money and we tried to see it all.

Never too old for a carousel ride!! 

The giraffe's were adorable.  There was a little one that was galloping around chasing after an ostrich.  So cute.

I loved these guys.  These two got into a fight and got their horns all tangled-up for a bit.

The seals were also a highlight.  We didn't see the the feeding but they were swimming around and jumping out of the water a lot. 

This guy was such a little gossip.  He was honking and barking constantly.  Who knows what he was saying.

The weather was overcast, cool, and spit throughout the day.  Although we missed the sun it was the perfect day to go to the zoo.  The crowds were minimal and we weren't sweaty and hot. 

The gorillas were our last stop.  This guy was resting against the viewing glass and the poor guy was being hounded by a massive crowd on the other side (including me). 

This little baby gorilla at his/her side was super playful and was entertaining itself by throwing hay on it's head.  So cute. 

This big guy was hiding

We left the zoo around 3:30 and walked a little ways to Little Italy in the Bronx.  A friend recommended a restaurant but because we were there in the late afternoon they weren't open yet.  So we found an alternative and enjoyed delicious pasta and rested our tired feet.  By the time we finished it was raining quite hard and we still had a long walk to the subway through a completely unfamiliar neighborhood.  I was super grateful Dan was with me. 

Once we got on the subway we expected a smooth ride since we purposefully walked to a different train to avoid the one we took in the morning.  Of course, the D train was also having issues and we had to walk through the massive Times Square station to transfer.  We got one stop from home on the N train and ended up walking the rest of the way.  18,000 steps throughout the day and we were exhausted.   We watched TV and enjoyed the sweet Italian treats that we picked-up on our way home from the Bronx.

A great day-venture, we knocked an item off our summer bucket list, and we made lots of fun memories.  

Weekending it

We had another full and fun weekend.  I'm going to break it up into two posts because the zoo deserves it's own summary. 

On Friday evening Dan and I met up with two of my friends from grad school. We all live in Bay Ridge and headed over to the Narrows Botanical Garden in the neighborhood to watch Uncle Buck under the stars.  Nicole and Julianna and I have been to the outdoor movies at Brooklyn Bridge park and those are typically extremely crowded.  Since none of us had been to a Bay Ridge outdoor movie we got there early just in case.  Well, I guess the secret isn't out yet and there were only a few other people there.  So we grabbed a nice spot, did some snacking and chatting, and enjoyed the sunset before the movie.

There were snacks for sale as well as a 50/50 raffle which we all entered (none of us won but the prize was $87).

The movie was great.  As expected.  I love Uncle Buck.  It did get quite chilly after sunset but Dan let me steal his socks and I was much more comfortable.  We had a lot of fun and the best part was we were only a short 10 minute walk from home.

Movies in the park is on our 2015 Summer Bucket list but I want to go more than once before we check it off.  

Saturday we went to the Bronx Zoo.  Check back tomorrow for a post about that trip.

Sunday was church, as usual.  Dan maned the elementary class solo and from what I hear it was crazy town.  I had my pre-k/kinder class and started off fine with only three kids and then four more showed up late.  I didn't have a helper so it was me against them and I was short on fruit snack packs.  Yikes!!  We all survived in one piece and I actually got the Bible lesson across.

After church was our welcome picnic for our new pastor, Will, and his family.  The picnic was rescheduled from last weekend due to rain but of course we still had rain yesterday.  Grrr.  It was a muddy mess but there was a ton of food and lots of people so it was a success in my opinion.

I had fun getting to push some littles on the playground swings and snuggle a baby for a bit but overall it was a bit bittersweet for me.   The church picnics used to be my absolute favorite.  I still like them, but in years past had a whole gang of gal friends at Crossroads and we had so so so much fun together.  I am the only one left standing at Crossroads.  Most moved away and others left for other churches.   I keep in touch with all of them but it's not the same and although I've gained a couple of new gal friends I don't think any one or any group will ever fill the void I feel from the absence of that group...and I felt it yesterday. 

After the picnic, Dan and I binged on Prison Break.  Man are we glad Brian and Emily convinced us to keep watching.  We needed that vegging to refuel for the week.  And now it's Monday of a holiday week with Dan's birthday smack dab in the middle. Woot!

Peeks from the Week: The Boring Edition

Sorry I've been bad about posting my Friday "Peeks from the Week." The thing is since both Dan and I work full time our weekdays look mostly the same:

Wake. Commute. Work. Commute. Dinner. TV. Sleep

Copy and Paste x 5

On Monday night I had my second to last tap class for the season.  My class was not in the recital because I was the only one interested in performing and I was NOT doing a solo.  Also, we didn't actually finish learning our routine until this past week. 

Wednesday was our last small group for the semester.  It was supposed to be potluck style except the boys only contributed chips or candy.  What part of  "bring an entree to share" translates to "bag of chips and liter of soda?"  Anyways, we had fun playing Dixit and chatting. 

This week Dan and I have gotten back into watching Prison Break.  We watched the first two seasons last year and didn't like that they killed off my fave character so we stopped watching.  Then on Sunday night our friends told us there was a twist and we should keep watching.  We're hooked again. 

Summer Friday starts in t-minus 5 minutes and my dentist appointment this afternoon got cancelled so now instead of looking forward to clean teeth I get to go home and do laundry.  Poo

Tonight we are meeting two of my friends at the neighborhood Botanical Gardens to watch Uncle Buck on the big lawn.  I LOVE UNCLE BUCK.  Have the movie memorized solid.  It's a classic and I'm pumped.  

The plan for this weekend was to go to Sandy Hook beach for Dan's birthday but since the weather is only going to be 70 on Saturday we decided to switch plans and go to the zoo instead.  Beach weather, for me, needs to be at least 80.  Hopefully next Saturday will be more beachy. 

Officially Summer

Happy Summer!!!! Sunday was the first official day of summer and even though half the country has been out of school for nearly a month and my Instagram feed has been blowing-up with pictures of people on vacation...technically, summer just started.

Here in NYC, schools do not dismiss for summer break until the end of this week.  Their summer goes from the end of June through Labor Day.  So while the weather has shown peeks of summer and many people have already taken their summer vacation...we're just getting started!!!!!!  What a joyous feeling.

I was starting to feel a little panicky the other day because Dan and I haven't started our summer bucket list yet but then I realized summer hasn't started so we aren't behind at all.  Phew.  Last night before bed we mapped everything out on our 2015 list.

We are headed to Sandy Hook Beach in New Jersey THIS Saturday for a day date beach excursion as an early birthday celebration for Dan.  In mid-July we are headed to Chicago to visit Mandy and my Grandma and also Dan's cousins who just moved to the city.  Then at the end of August we are celebrating our one year anniversary by returning to the location of our homey-moon in Cape May, New Jersey.  This year we decided to stay in Wildwood which is only 10 minutes from Cape May and boasts many other attractions like a water park and boardwalk. We are excited because we booked a room at a 1950s themed bed and breakfast and we are staying in the Marilyn Monroe room (it was the only one left)!  It's pink and has a jacuzzi in the room.  Super excited for that.

Summer is my favorite.  Heat. Sun. Sandals. Fun.  And this year will be the best because we aren't planning a wedding and we aren't trying to set-up our first apartment and we aren't recovering in bed from surgery. 

See our 2014 Summer Bucket List ended back here.

Weekending it

This weekend was equal parts productive, relaxing, social, and fun.  It was great and we are still riding the high of a good time.  That's the best medicine for Monday mornings.

Now for the recap...

On Friday after work I headed to Trader Joe's and then baked up a storm in the kitchen first with hummingbird cake (I'll share that recipe later this week), followed by banana bread (Dan's fave), and then pizza.

We went for a lovely evening walk to a friend's house to borrow a tool and then enjoyed frozen yogurt.  The city has some splendid sunsets.

Saturday morning we slept-in a little, I started some pulled pork in the crock-pot, and we headed out for my first tennis lesson from Dan.

Now, little known fact, Dan was a tennis champion.  He and his partner, Jeff, made it to state in high school and only placed 8th because the team they played cheated.  Technically they should have placed 4th or 5th, but in any case, still cool.  THROWBACK:

Look at how cute he is!!

We went to two separate tennis courts and they were both full so we made our own court in an empty lot.  Considering I haven't played racket sports since gym class in high school (a pitiful display), I think I did pretty well.  Dan was a good and kind, patient coach.  Then we got rained on, but we shall return.  

The rest of the day we watched Friends, Handy DAN-dy installed a door sweep on our front door to keep hallway bugs out. 

And I finally finished sewing the tablecloth for the kitchen.

Much like my face, the tablecloth only looks presentable from a distance.  Don't look at it too closely or you might be appalled.  Terri Mom better get out here and give me a lesson on sewing bias tape straight.

Now, can someone please tell me why this is happening:

We played some Scrabble (look closely, there is a misspelled word which I just noticed)

And then ended the evening by delivering and enjoying a meal of pulled pork, homemade macaroni and cheese, watermelon, and hummingbird cake with the newest addition to our church family.

Sunday, Dan preached.  Excellently.  I actually got to be in the service and he did a fantastic job.  I love my Preacher Man.

At the end of service we commissioned our new head Pastor, Will, and his family.  We are THRILLED that they are here and it feels like an anvil has been lifted from the collective chest of the church body.

Sunday after church we had an impromptu Chipotle date with the tear-down team.  Dan and I returned home for relaxing and more Friends.  Then we got all gussied up for pictures in the park.  I want some nice photos of Dan and me that were not in our wedding attire so we met our friends Brian and Emily of Landshaw Photography for a quick mini-shoot.  Then we enjoyed dinner and great conversation on their rooftop. 

It was a wonderful and well appreciated weekend.