Weekending it

In a couple of hours we will be at the airport ready to head to Chicago.  Woot!  This weekend was a nice jump into vacation.

On Friday night I was supposed to go to my all-staff holiday party but no one from my department was going and I am awful at mingling and socializing and blah.  So Dan said he would take me out for our own company dinner.  We went to an old-school Italian place in downtown Brooklyn.  There were so many large groups there, clearly at their company holiday dinners.  So we sat at the bar and enjoyed fresh ravioli and lasagna.  We hit-up Trader Joe's for party food and then started watching the new documentary series on Netflix called Making of a Murderer when we got home. Umm, so good.  It's like Dateline on steroids.

On Saturday we slept-in late and eventually made our way to a surprise birthday party for a friend.  He is a huge Batman fan so it had a cute theme.

Saturday night we went to a fancy adult dinner party at my friend's new apartment in a schmoozy neighborhood.  It was a class above our standing, but we pretended.  When we got home we opened our presents from each other and Terri Mom and Allen Dad.

Dan got a model car to build and I got a new cute outfit for Mandy.  We got portable cell phone chargers and sleek new suitcases.  Dan and I got each other Kindle Fires (black friday sale for $35 woohoo) and Dan got me that awesome emoji pillow.  He knows me so well. 

Dan preached on Sunday and I got to be in service to hear it!  Such a good preacher-man.

And we hosted the youth group Christmas Party at our apartment after church.  It was wild, and messy, and loud, and drama-filled (as most youth events go) but overall fun.  The white elephant exchange is always a hit...well, to those who understand the concept.

Sunday evening Dan and I watched more of Making of a Murderer and tidied the apartment before leaving.

We got to sleep in again this morning and then finish the documentary series.  Watch it!  Do it!  Dan got the laundry done this morning and we packed for the trip.  And now we are off to the airport.  Merry Christmas!!

Weekending it - Labor Day

Ahhh, three day weekends are so refreshing.  I feel so empowered for the week when I don't have to deal with Monday.  Let's start a petition to change the work week to only four days.

This weekend I feel like I got my last gulp of summer and I am ready to welcome fall.  But it is still in the 90s outside for part of this week so summer is still hanging on tight.

Friday I got off work early one last time for summer.  I met Rebekah and her cuties to take a stroll along the pier.  We picked-up Dan and my favorite Grandma's Pizza for dinner and watched The Age of Adeline which was a great girl-night movie.  Meanwhile, Dan was at a Yankees game with Rebekah's husband and a couple other friends from church.

Saturday morning Dan and I got up early to get to Harlem by 10:30 to help our friends pack their moving truck to head to Pittsburgh.  I'm not going to lie, I'm not happy about their move.  I hate it when people leave.  But I put on a brave face, carried boxes, and categorically refused to accept their claims that they will "come back to visit."  Sure.  That's what they all say.   But we will see them next weekend since we are hosting their going away party.

We had a Chipolt-date (chipotle date) for lunch, did a little shopping, and relaxed the rest of the afternoon.  We meal planned, made our grocery list, and filled-out our Fall Bucket List!

On Sunday, our typically lowest attended Sunday of the summer, was Dan's turn to preach.  He worked really hard to get all the classes covered so that I could attend the adult service for the first time since June.  Then, 13 kids showed-up for the pre-k/kinder class.  Usually there is, at most, eight in that classroom and I didn't feel comfortable leaving two volunteers in there for their first time with that many kids, neither did Dan.  But then, Rebekah agreed to help them out so that I could still go to service.  I was feeling super guilty about leaving them back there, and guilty that they were missing service, and guilty that there were so many kids, and guilty that the supplies in the classroom are a little shabby.  I always feel unnecessarily guilty about everything.  I can't control it.

Fortunately the class went well and Dan did great preaching too.  It was also the first time I got to see our new head pastor Will up front even though he has been here for several months.  He gave Dan the most sweet and encouraging introduction and it made me so glad to see someone else give Dan a little boost.  I didn't snap a picture at church so I made Dan pose at home.  Preacher man!

It was amazing how improved my attitude was and my energy level after church all because of small break.  I was actually productive Sunday afternoon instead of being a total grouchy slug.  I attempted to make a version of our wedding cake with the box mix and frosting recipe that Mandy sent to us.  I failed big time and I was very sad and frustrated about it.   In my defense, Mandy's frosting recipe was very vague. 

It actually tasted good just looked terrible.  Imagine this instead.

We'll leave the cake making skills to Mandy from now on. 

That night Dan and I went out to dinner with some of my friends from grad school who also live in the neighborhood.  We tried Peppino's pizza for the first time and really liked it.  Then we headed to Lock Yard for a drink.  We had a nice time with them. 

Monday I slept-in while Dan watched a Bruce Willis movie.  I made muffins for breakfast and we lounged around.  We took a walk up to 86th street to use a coupon and grab Starbucks.  We did our weekly grocery shopping and then decided to have a picnic.

We enjoyed one last picnic on our sunnies hillside overlooking the water.  The grass was all crispy and brown and the air felt like fall despite the heat.

We rode our bikes along the water and about sweat to death.   

By the end of the day I was all about welcoming fall.  I flipped our quilt over, organized the linen closet, bleached the tub, and generally got the place in shape as if we are starting fresh...like school starting.  It was empowering.

We are trying our best to use the start of fall to kick back into routine.  Lunches being made the night before work.  Waking up early to do quiet time.  Doing some exercise before bed, etc.  

Meanwhile, Dan built a model car and watched Tomb Raider. 

It was a proud moment for him.

We have a busy week ahead of us but four day weeks are always more tolerable.  Happy Tuesday!  
 

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.

Weekending it

Happy Monday!  I am determined to at least start this week on a positive note and so far so good.  Spring weather has returned and Dan and I are looking forward to a four-day week with a mini trip to Philly planned for Friday.  Woohoo.

This weekend was kind of all over the place.  On Saturday I had a big to-do list to conquer and it started with laundry.  We are fortunate to have a few machines in our building which saves us a lot of back and forth time but you have to be really strategic about when you try to do it since there are only three machines for a six floor building and over 100 units.  Dan found the sweet time is before nine o'clock on Saturday.

While Dan started the laundry I tried to make monkey bread again.  Last week when I made it for the Children's Ministry brunch it turned out well but I felt like I should have cooked the butter and brown sugar longer in order to fully dissolve it.  This weekend I cooked it much longer and it worked against me.  The brown sugar didn't dissolve AND instead it started to harden.  It didn't turn out well at all.  We still ate it but I was disappointed and confused and we had to throw half of it away.  Now I am beginning to think the recipe I followed might be off.  It says 1 stick of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar.  In the picture her stick of butter looks much larger than a standard stick.  A standard stick is 1/2 cup of butter.  Two sticks would be 1 cup.  That makes more sense right?  Someone help me out here. 

After breakfast Dan worked on his sermon for Sunday and then went to the local elementary school to help with the mural project that the Crossroads Outreach team is helping with.

While he was there I spent two solid hours like Cinderella scrubbing the walls and floor in the bathroom trying my darnedest to get the grout to shine.  It wasn't a total waste of time but the effort definitely didn't produce the desired results.  Can someone please explain to me why I care about the appearance of this stupid bathroom so much?? I was on my hands and knees scrubbing with a toothbrush!  Who does that??  But one thing I did discover is how to easily clean your tub.  Fill your tub with hot water and put 5-6 scoops of Oxy clean in and swish that around.  Let it sit for an hour and then rub down the tub with a sponge and drain.  It really made the tub shine which made me happy. 

We spent the afternoon up on 86th street running errands and going spring clothes shopping.

Dan preached on Sunday and he did such a great job.  He had to prepare something last minute when the scheduled speaker cancelled and he did fantastic.  AND he worked really hard to get all the classrooms covered in the Children's Ministry (much more difficult than it sounds) so that I could actually attend the adult service.  It was awesome.  I got hear the sermon live and I really like that, it's been awhile. 

I took this picture at the beginning during his illustration.

Sunday afternoon I meal planned and went grocery shopping.  I really really did it!  I shall report later if it was a success.

Enjoy your day!!

Preacher Man

So last night Dan and I went over to the New York City Rescue Mission after work to help with the chapel service they have there on Tuesday nights.  One of the elders at our church as been doing the service there bi-monthly for years, I guess, and this time asked Dan to do the devotion.

Honestly I was not very excited about attending.  It was outside of my comfort zone and I had a million excuses not to go.  Truthfully the only reason I went was because I wanted to be there for Dan.  Afterwards I was glad that I went and convicted to go back sometime. 

The Rescue Mission is a homeless shelter in the city that provides services and programs to help the city's homeless get back on their feet.  When we got there I was super surprised by how nice the facility was and we even got a tour of their new edition.  Everything looked so clean and comfortable.  I didn't know anything about the Rescue Mission prior to coming but I left very curious about it and how we could help more.  Check out their website here.

At the chapel service we sang songs led by familiar faces from our church.  Dan, our friend Josh, and I got to sit in the audience and just participate.  I haven't been able to go to the worship service on Sundays for awhile since I have Children's Ministry commitments, so it was nice to get to sing and worship for a bit last night.   

After worship Dan shared a message about putting your hope in Christ.  It was relevant and well received.  I even snapped a sneaky picture while he was praying.

Love that Preacher Man. 

Next time we go we're hoping to get to help serve dinner before the service.  I'm looking forward to that!

Weekending it & Preacher Man

Why do the weekends always fly so fast and week days creep by at a snail pace?  Maybe it's because we got into the habit of sleeping-in until 10 on Saturdays and not getting around to anything productive until well past noon?

Let me tell you something about me.  When I was in college and even when I moved to NYC I never, ever, slept past 9 am.  Ever.  Why?  Because I was crazy and thought that I needed to be productive all day every day.  Even if I had finished all my homework and I didn't have any chores or plans for the day I had to be up and dressed and tidy by 9 am on a Saturday.  Who was putting this ridiculous and unreasonable expectation on me?  Oh, yeah, it was me.

Why oh why did I waste so much joy in my life by being so uptight?

Fortunately, since Dan became my man I have learned to let go and relax a lot more, sleep-in, watch tv, nap, sit around and do nothing - guilt free.  It's so much easier when you have someone to be with to justify laziness.   Scratch that, not laziness, just treating yourself to some deserved down-time.

Anyways that's where half of our Saturday went: lounging.  The rest of the day I worked on putting together the scrapbook for the Curtis family and made macaroni and cheese for the party that night.

It was a really nice event that was semi-formal, had yummy food, and a nice way to send off the Curtis family.

On Sunday, church attendance was super low (like only 40 people).  This was a bummer because Dan was preaching and he did a most excellent job.  I think this was his best sermon yet - so appropriate for it being the first Sunday without Pastor Paul and reminded everyone (who was there) that Crossroads is here because of God and God didn't leave with Paul.  I actually got to be in the service since the pre-k class was empty.

Since Dan did such a great job I took him out for lunch to our favorite burger place.  We spent the rest of the afternoon doing our usual Sunday slow-down.  I added some embroidery hearts to a red table runner to make it more Valentine-y, tossed some paper hearts on the wall, made a crock-pot dinner, and Dan rented Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. 

Now it's Monday and an epic snow storm is headed our way.  I just found out that I get out of work early AND a snow day tomorrow.  Happy dance party at my desk!!!