Falling Water

A friend recommended to me to go to Falling Water, located outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before we left.  And it was absolutely stunning, worth the entire three hour drive.  This might be one of my favorite things we did while in DC.  I was completely amazed at the beauty of the home.  

Nauvoo & Canada

A few months ago (April) Mitch and I went to Nauvoo to see the Sacred Grove and Joseph Smith's home.  It was a remarkable experience.  After a quick visit to Nauvoo we went to see Niagara Falls.  It was amazing and so incredibly cold.  We stayed in Niagara Falls for the night and headed up to Toronto to visit my cousin Adam.  We went to this fabulous market in Toronto and we had the best spaghetti sauce in the entire world.   It was red sauce mixed with pesto and I wish I had more.

Mitch at the Sacred Grove

Me in the Sacred Grove

Niagara Falla, view from our hotel room

New York

We went to New York over Easter to visit Abby and Jason, it was the perfect trip.  I could go there a thousand times over and over again and still love every single moment.  We basically ate the entire time, what we do best in New York.  We also spent most of our time in Brooklyn, which I loved.  Just to name a few, we went to the Meatball Shop, the Donut Shop, Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery for Banana Cream Pudding (I think it's better than Magnolia's), Ample Hills Creamery, and Ippudo Noodle Bar.  WE LOVE to EAT!

Eating at the Meatball Shop in Brooklyn, I love the pesto and chicken!  

We Love BROOKLYN.

Ippudo Noodle Bar.  It was delicious.

Mitch is handsome.  Can you see the Statue of Liberty?
I love the Staten Island Ferry.  

We went to see Once and both loved it.

I heart Detroit

I finally made it to Detroit with Emily to see Sarah.  It was the perfect trip, just a little too short.  I can't wait to go back and explore some more.  Detroit is an amazing city and I am fascinated by the history.  Thank you so much Sarah & Co. for a perfect trip!

Puerto Rico

We went to Puerto Rico at the end of January and it was fabulous.  We went with some friends and totally enjoyed ourselves.  It was totally last minute and it totally exceeded my expectations.

We went hiking in the jungle.
It rained almost the entire time.  It as so much fun.

We went to the island Vieques and found a fabulous beach.

That little boat behind us is a boat and a plane.  Basically one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
 It flew right over us and landed in the water and then took off a few hours later.

Kevin, Bree, Mitch, Bobby, & Danielle

We went kayaking in the Bioluminescent Bay one night and the water was amazing.
It was bright blue!

This was the van that took us to the Bioluminescent Bay
and I thought we were going to die on the drive there.
Not joking one bit.

 Thank you to the Harrington's and Ahlstrom's for a wonderful trip.

January Randomness

January went by in a blink.   

During the middle of January we went with some of Mitch's classmates skiing at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia.  Totally different skiing from the west (super icy!), but it was so much fun!

It snowed 7 inches the day before we got there!  Lucky us.

Emily and I went to Inauguration in January and I failed to take any good pictures.  It was pretty amazing to attend an Inauguration, but it was SUPER freezing and we couldn't get on the metro when it ended, so we walked home!  Thank goodness we only live 5 miles away.

We were really far away.

 January also brought some fabulous weather,
I was even able to ride my bike a few times to work.  

I love my work, I am really going to miss it starting in Mary.

 And how could I forget Mary Kate.  She is the absolute cutest.

Thanksgiving

So, I am obviously a little behind on my blogging, but Thanksgiving was so fun that I wanted to make sure not to forget it!

Macy's Day Parade

We went to New York to visit Abby and Jason for Thanksgiving and I fulfilled one of my life long goals/dreams to attend the Macy's Day Parade and let me tell you it was seriously fabulous.  The floats were huge and I was so glad we were able to go!

We went a little crazy on Thanksgiving and cooked everything in Abby's perfectly (but slightly small) Brooklyn apartment.  We made rolls (Shelley's of course) with homemade jam, stuffing (my absolute favorite part), yams, potatoes, salad (my second favorite dish), cranberry cake, and we bought a turkey (least favorite part).  It was perfect.

Cooking - Me, Abby, and Mitch (in a flannel of course)

Our delicious food

We also braved the crowds and went Black Friday shopping at Target, let me give everyone a little piece of advice...NEVER take Mitch Black Friday Shopping, he lasts less than a minute.  We got new sheets for a fabulous price (I hope everyone thinks it's hilarious that we bought sheets - for the second year in a row).

The Meatball Shop

The day after Thanksgiving we went into the city and ate at the Meatball Shop, went to see Starry Starry Night (one of Mitch's favorites), went to see the Spider Exhibit at the Natural History Museum (slightly scary, but so awesome), saw Lincoln, and of course stuffed our faces with Levain cookies.  It was a perfect day.

A little bit of this....And a little bit of that....

I am sure that all of you, my two readers, are dying for an update.  

Here's a little bit of what I have been up to:

1.  I believe that birthdays should be celebrated for an entire week.  Lucky for me, I have helped Mitch realize this too.  Two weeks ago we went with Emily, Miles, and cute Kimball to Founding Fathers and ate so much delicious food.  It was the perfect way to end my birthday week.

Kimball, he loves Mitch.

Ali was kind enough to throw me a little party in the park by the Potomac River.  It was the perfect party.  I ate delicious cake, made by Ali, and chatted with my dearest friends.  I am serious about celebrating birthdays all week long.

(Don't mind my outfit, I was biking home from work.)

2.  I have been working.  Isn't my work door cute?  I wish it was the door to my house.

3.  Going to school.  The picture below is terrible, but I thought I would sneak a picture of my professor during my 4 hour and 40 minute class.  Good thing we talk about the most interesting, no joke, topics in higher education.

4.  Last weekend I met Mitch is Colonial Williamsburg with some friends.  Mitch played golf and I explored William & Mary, I love higher education, and I am a little jealous that I never went to school at William & Mary.

5.  Since Mitch is gone, I spend most of my free time at Andi and Nicci's house.  Andi introduced me to the Bachelorette this week and I was immediately entertained.

(Trying to convince Andi that her HW is overrated.)

Hope everyone is enjoying their 24th of July in Utah.  Happy Pioneer Day!

The White Duck Taco Shop

Weekend Two in Charlotte was fabulous.  Friday night we ate at The Cowfish, so delicious.  

Saturday we woke up early and drove to Lake Lure and hiked  Chimney Rock. It was beautiful, I love the mountains.  After hiking we drove to Asheville, North Carolina and ate at the most amazing taco place in the world, The White Duck Taco Shop.  It was recommended and totally worth the drive.  We went to a market in Asheville and drove around the city.  It's a totally hip town right in the middle of nowhere. 

Sunday we went to church and then went to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  I am turning into my Dad.  I even shed a tear during a video at the museum.  I might have a new love for NASCAR!  Ha.

Charlotte is a pretty amazing city.  

Charlotte + Charleston = New found love for the South

So I wasn't awesome and forgot to bring a camera with me to Charlotte and Charleston.  Thank goodness for my iPhone or I would have no pictures in my life.

Mitch is spending the summer in Charlotte, North Carolina working and I went to visit him this weekend.  I loved it.  I think I could live in the south FOREVER.  We started off the weekend by eating, of course.  The food was delicious, I had grits for the second time in my life and loved them.

On Saturday morning we tried to wake up early and failed.  I slept in.  We finally made it out the door and drove to Charleston, South Carolina.  Charleston is a beautiful, old city with so much history.  (The civil war was started there.  If you ever want random facts, you should walk around a new place with Mitch or his Dad.  They know everything and don't forget anything.  It's totally impressive.)  We went to the beach in Charleston, the water was about 100 degrees and there were so many people everywhere.  (Random fact:  37% of young adults have tattoos. The reason I bring this up is because Mitch and I were the only people on the beach without a tattoo.)  Mitch and I hung out at the beach and then went running.  

Saturday night we walked along the old part of Charleston.  Can you see the cool bring in the background?  It's beautiful.  We drove across it to go to the beach.  Charleston is full of historic, huge houses.    After we walked around the entire old part of the city, we ate delicious pizza and shared ice cream. 

Sunday we enjoyed some more of Charleston and then drove back to Charlotte.  I can't wait to explore Charlotte next weekend.  

(Picture from our hotel room in Charleston.)

Amish Country

Bree, Anna and Me. So happy they came along.

I ran a half marathon in Adamstown, Pennsylvania on Saturday, Amish country. It might have been my best one yet. Mitch had a golf tournament, so I took Anna and Bree along with me. We journeyed up to Amish country and enjoyed ourselves.

Running is very therapeutic for me. I usually shy away from wearing a watch when running. I have learned to really listen to my body and how I am feeling. It takes my body about 25 minutes to get completely warm. The first 25 minutes are always the hardest part of the race for me. There are many days when I have no idea how long I am actually going to run. Sometimes I go out and come back 30 minutes later or two hours. It all just depends on how I am feeling.

Saturday was just a good running day. It was one of those days when everything just all came together. I felt great when I woke up, I had no stomach pains, and the weather was perfect. The race was much harder than I had imagined. I don't why I thought it was just going to be flat. I felt like I was climbing mountain after mountain.

At mile six I looked up to the sky and saw a sky full of clouds, but no rain. I looked over to my left and saw an Amish man on his horse plowing his field. There were no crowds to cheer me on, just Amish people riding their bikes. I felt so much joy. There was almost tears. So much happiness, peace, and joy all found in running. Stride after stride, step after step, I was so comfortable.

I decided to wear a watch for the race. I thought, why not? I was running a very small race and wasn't exactly sure of the mile markers. At mile 1, I ran 7:30. Which is faster than my normal pace. I try to keep about an 8-9 minute mile. Miles 3-8 I battled with this older man to keep my pace with his. He finally went ahead of me until mile 12. The watch kept me going strong and hard. I kept 8 minutes miles, mile after mile (except mile 9).

Running is all mental for me. I have to think about a race in stages. The first three are the hardest, but once I get done with them I only have 10 left. And once I get half way done, I think to myself, "it's only 6.5. You do that all the time. To the the Lincoln memorial and back." Once I started keeping 8 minutes miles, I know it's not fast, but I just wanted to finish strong. As I got nearer to the finish line, people kept on telling me what place I was in compared to other woman. So, of course my ego got the best of me and I wanted to finish strong. My upper thighs were on fire. I am a lazy runner, probably why I enjoy it so much. My upper thighs usually don't get that tired, again I am a lazy runner.

All in all I finished 6th overall for women, again it was a small race. But it was really exciting. This woman who had been tailing me for five miles finished literally 2 seconds before me.

First race of the season was amazing. I write this to remember. I can't wait for Brooklyn next month, especially since I get to run with Abby following Jason's trail (he's so fast).

Happy running.

Amish Country.

Late Pictures....

Here are a few pictures from New York back in February.

The High Line, it's so beautiful.

Sara, Abby, Me and Shelley

Here we all are at the 9/11 Memorial. It was done so well.

Spencer, Sara, Jason, Abby, Shelley, Paul, Mitch and Me

New York

Yes, I did take pictures in New York with two cameras. And no, I haven't uploaded them yet. In all fairness, it's been kind of a crazy week. We had one of Mitch's friends stay with us, I had a group project, we were in New York, I taught dance, and there was a Relief Society Activity.

One day, when I have time, I am going to upload millions of pictures.

We went to New York last weekend with Mitch's family and it was basically the best, thanks to Paul and Shelley.

We drove! Best idea ever. Spencer and Sara went with us and it made more sense to drive. We even got an amazing parking spot right outside our hotel that is free on the weekends.

We ate so much food. Of course it was delicious. Some of the highlights include:

• Shake Shack. I gave into eating a Shack Burger and it was the best decision of the day. I stay away from red meat like the plague, I have high cholesterol - last year I was at risk for a heart attack. Not awesome. Back to food, I ate the Shack Burger with all its deliciousness and totally enjoyed it.
• Donut Planet. Oh my gosh. I have never enjoyed a donut so much in my entire life. I don't even like donuts. But these were chocolate on chocolate cake donuts. It was so delicious, thank you to Abby/Jason for showing us this delight.
• Indian Food. It was delicious. It's always delicious.
• Random cart on the side of the street outside our hotel that had a 30 minute wait. Totally delicious. I don't even know what to call the food. It was yellow rice, lamb, chicken, lettuce and tomatoes. And so delicious.
• Otto. Again delicious.
• And Magnolia's Banana Cream Pudding. Most delicious.

I think I may have overused the word delicious...

As you can tell, we spent a large majority of our trip eating. We are awesome. We also:

• Went to see Bryan Drury's gallery, Dean's Project. His attention to detail is incredible.
• Walked the high line.
• Saw the 9/11 Memorial. The memorial totally exceeded my expectations. The site is peaceful and powerful.
• Watched Anything Goes on Broadway. I was in this play in high school and I loved watching it again 10 years later, I am getting so old.
• Went to Brooklyn to check out Abby's cute new neighborhood. I am 100% jealous of her new apartment with exposed brick.
• And did all the other random stuff that you do in New York, walk, shop, and eat.

Overall, our trip was a success.

New York, New York

New York was one of the best things that has happened to me this month. First, I got to take Ali along with me, which always ensures a most delightful, hilarious time. Second, I got to see Abby. I love her so much, we got to chit-chat like old friends all through the night on Friday. Third, Jason was there. He is my favorite shopping partner.

We were in New York for about 36 hours. It went by much too quickly. We started our trip off with some pizza. Jason knew the most perfect place in Penn Station. Did I mention we ate pizza at 11:00 pm?

(Don't mind my small photos, all from the iPhone.)

Friday we stayed up until 2:30 am. I have really got to stop doing this, it always gets the best of me. We started off Saturday with some delicious peppermint hot chocolate and bagels, while walking across Central Park to the East Side to see the Angel Tree in the Met. It was beautiful.

Next we just happened to come upon Dylan's Candy Bar. I haven't been there for years, I felt like I had landed right in heaven. Bins and bins and more bins of sour candy. My heart's desire. I love candy stores, I love buying candy that is too expensive and I love eating candy that is too expensive. I ate all of my candy within seven minutes of leaving the store. I was trying so hard to make it last through the day, what was I thinking? I would have need 1000 bags of candy to last me for an entire day.

Next we went to see "The Windows" at Bergdorf Goodman. And yes, they were beautiful and deserved to be called "The Windows." I loved every detail of each window. The clothing was absolutely stunning and the design was done so well.

Then we walked on over to Rockefeller Center to see the Tree. It was big and wonderful and there were about a billion people too many there. We only spent a few minutes admiring the magic of Christmas. I hope every time I walk past Rockefeller Center that Tina Fey is going to just walk right out the front door and say to me, "Sarah, will you be my best friend?" Maybe one day, maybe one day.

Then it was time to eat again, of course. Abby took us to Chinatown and we ate at the BEST Chinese restaurant ever. We indulged in dumplings, fried rice and vegetables. I could eat there again and again.

(Just in case you are wondering, this is a dumpling. The broth was so delicious.)

We then proceeded to go to MAC. I tried and failed to do my own make-up. My eyeshadow looked ridiculous, and yes everyone in the store was staring at me.

I dragged Abby to get her eyebrows waxed with me, Ali was spending all her time buying fabulous new glasses. Do you know what the lady told me at the eyebrow place? Here is our conversation:

Nice, over enthusiastic make-up lady: "You don't use under the eye cream, do you?"

Me: "Um, no."

Nice, over enthusiast make-up lady: "Well, you really should."

Awesome, I have aged and people are noticing. Not just me. Did I mention that I found another grey, shining, silver hair on my head last week?

After hours of shopping for glasses, we went to the most wonderful store in the whole entire world. Oh my. I could have spent hours and hours in there. Have you heard of Fishs Eddy? I want everything in the entire store. I could buy everything in there. It was fabulous.

By this time is was late and of course, it was time to eat again. I mean seriously, how could we not? We went to Eataly and yes, it was delicious and simple. I first had to treat myself to some delicious focaccia bread, the wait was an hour. And once we sat down, I ate delicious spaghetti. It was simple red sauce and tasted oh so good.

We ended the night by attempting to watch Elf. I was out in about 10 seconds.

Sleep came and then we left early in the morning.

New York was a dream. Until next time, I will most definitely miss you.

Just in case you are obsessed with Mary-Katie, like me, here is a picture of her. She is the best and I lover her so much.