New York City

So last weekend Matt and I went to New York with Dave and Kristin and Melissa and Ricky.  There is something about being in New York City that makes me so excited!  While we were landing we got an amazing view from the plane and it made me hurt I want to live there so bad.  Hopefully Matt and I will be able to live there one day (and hopefully he will get work) but who knows what is in the Lord's plan.

Anyways, while there, we probably walked a marathon.  We went EVERYWHERE and just enjoyed stumbling upon different shops and restaurants.  It is my favorite way to travel!  We both agree that Chelsea and Greenwich are our favorite parts of Manhattan.  We joked that we were going to by a brownstone on 11th Street.  aah dreams.

When I go to new places I am all about finding interesting places to eat so we had fun going to all sorts of places but our favorite was Pipa Tapas y Mas, a really cool spanish restaurant I fell in love with a couple of years ago.  The atmosphere is really cool with old wooden tables and about a hundred chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Not to mention, the food is amazing.

As for shows we saw Spring Awakening (our favorite), 13, and Wicked.  It was exciting to think about Matt one day being up on stage.  It was also scary to be reminded, once again, of the number of people living in the city with the same goals as us.  We constantly have to remind ourselves that if we follow the Lord's will we will always be in the right place.  We also have to recognize that the Lord's plan for us might look nothing like we think.  It brings such peace to know we are not in control...

Anyway, here are some pictures from the trip.

In the New York Public Library (which is gorgeous! if you go to New York, don't miss it)

All of us except Matt

We had 6 people in one hotel room to save some money.  Therefore the boys all slept in one bed together.  As you can see, it was pretty funny.

Dave and Kristin in Times Square

matt and I play a game we call 50 years where we say 50 years whenever we see a cute or funny old couple.  This would be an example where someone would say "50 years"

My nerd: Matt

just a'walkin

Ricky and Melissa

Reba! Look what is waiting for you in New York!

2 years ago yesterday....

Yesterday, 10/14/08, marked exactly 2 years since my house burned down.  People may wonder why I keep bringing it up, bringing it up, bringing it up.  It's simply an important thing for me to remember, not necessarily because of the physical aspect of it (it still gives me a pit in my stomach though), but because it is a reminder of a huge truth: I AM NOT SELF-SUFFICIENT.  The Christian life is one of co-dependence - on the brethren, on Christ, and certainly not on myself or my stuff.  That night (it took a while to realize this, of course) was the perfect illustration of that, and I believe that's one of the things God was trying to tell me.  There's some Death Cab lyrics that eerily echo this from their song "Your Heart Is An Empty Room":

Burn it down till the embers smoke on the ground
And start new when your heart is an empty room
With walls of the deepest blue...

The flames and smoke climbed out of every window
And disappeared with everything that you held dear
And you shed not a single tear for the things that you didn't need
'Cause you knew you were finally free

Now, I'm not sure his childhood home actually burned down or he wouldn't be taking it so well, but the metaphor still stands.  The trappings of this world do not ultimately satisfy - to live in a constant state of dependence on God and His provision is possibly the most healthy thing for our spiritual life.

In other, more happy news, we're headed to NYC this afternoon with Dave and Kristen and Ricky and Melissa!  It's going to be amazing, and be expecting a big ol' post with all sorts of pictures and stories soon.  We're going to see Wicked and 13, then maybe even having coffee with Jason Robert Brown after 13!  I will pee my pants, since he wrote such great shows as The Last Five Years and Parade.  I'm bringing an extra pair of boxers in case of said pee-pee.  I hope everyone is well out there....

Couples Night!

The contenders:

Matt and Ellen Godfrey

Ricky and Melissa Maddox

Abba and Caleb Millwood

Dave and Kristen Sharp

What a fun night with fun friends!  We all went out and ate at Pablo's and then we all came to our wee little apartment and watched Death at a Funeral.  Good times!  It is so awesome to enjoy the blessing of these wonderful people in our lives!

A day at the beach

This weekend Matt and I got to go to the beach with my dad, Emily, St. John, Ella, Abby, and Mason.  We both had to work on Thursday and Matt had an audition on Saturday at noon so we literally got to spend one day at the beach, but we had a blast.  It was so much fun to spend some time with my dad and the kids were so much fun as always.  Plus, I have decided October is the best time for a trip to the beach.  There were no crowds so it felt like we had the beach to ourselves, and the weather was PERFECT.  It was 80 during the day and in the 60s at night.  Here are some pictures from the trip:

Mason being buried in the sand:

Mason washing off the sand:

All the kids:

My dad and I:

 Me and the hubby:

Ella showing me her seashell:

Mi padre

The kids playing on their island:

the men in my life

Sisters (we look like twins right?)