Gifts and The First Sew

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I wish you the best in keeping your New Year's resolutions. I don't have a resolution, per se, but I am incorporating more fruits and vegetables into my diet.

For Christmas (and his birthday), I gave Christopher a weekend getaway to New York City - the greatest city on earth. We had a blast, even though I shouldn't have worn new boots - my feet were torn apart...but it was worth it.  We arrived on Friday around two, but were unable to check into our hotel until four. We were told to leave our luggage (which were backpacks - not really any luggage to speak of) with the concierge while we went out. We meandered around the crowded streets of Times Square (the location of our hotel).  I had researched the best burgers in New York and came up with the Shake Shack thanks to urbanspoon.com.  We arrived to a l-o-n-g line winding through the restuarant and outside on the sidewalk.  After about fifteen minutes of waiting in line, we placed our order and waited fifteen more for our food to come up. We see people standing around waiting for tables to eat, so we devised a plan.  Christopher was to walk around and scout a table while I waited for our buzzer to go off and get our food.  After retrieving our grub, I meet up with Christopher who still wasn't able to get a table, but low and behold a table gets up right before our eyes. This is our first New York moment.  We slide into the chairs as soon as the family gets up and Chris begins to eat just as a wiry lady screams that we stole her table. What the hell lady? Where were you? You weren't standing by the table to stake your claim. She turns to another woman saying she was waiting after our wiry lady for twenty minutes.  I was too meek, Christopher says since I began to get up as he remained seated eating. She made a fuss, I looked at him with a look that I guess he read to give up, so he got up and we waited for another table, which became available only a few seconds after that encounter.

After four o'clock, we walked back to the hotel to retrieve our bags and check into the hotel.  The concierge gets our bags and hands them to us.  Christopher and I had talked about whether or not to tip him.  Our luggage was nothing more than two backpacks - weighing nothing...and they were checked for less than two hours. We decided we would not tip, but got money out just in case.  Well, good thing we did, because after he handed us our backpacks, we thanked him, and he just looked at us and waited. I am unsure now if he held his hand out, but I want to think that he did. So I reached into my pocket and took out some cash and handed it to him.  What a waste of money.  I would understand tipping him if we had a lot of luggage, or if it was heavy, but no; it was neither of those.

We walked and walked, went  to Book of Mormon, ate New York pizza, I took Christopher to have the best cheesecake of our lives, went to Rockefeller Plaza, the 9/11 Memorial, and walked some more. This trip was entirely too short. I would love to go back, perhaps in the fall and take in all New York has to offer.  Maybe we can concentrate on Brooklyn next time since we both would love to live there.

While we were walking, we ran into this guy, who makes awesome photos using spray paint and random objects. You have no idea what he is going to make until it is finished. It's amazing to watch.

The new World Trade Center.

This is the view from our hotel room. We were a corner room, so we had another side, but I didn't take a picture of that side, for some reason.

For Christmas, my mother got me a sewing machine.  I had been wanting one for ages, but I just couldn't buy myself one for some unknown reason.  I'm a complete novice, although I took a 4-H class when I was younger and I sewed/knitted in Home Ec. Here are some photos of my recent (first) projects.

Christopher watched me as I threaded the needle and loaded the bobbin, and he wanted to practice. So, he made a pillow case. I think he wants to stuff it and make a pillow at a later time.

I tried to make Jolene a snuggie, but I couldn't figure out the collar and sleeve, so she just has a body blanket...which isn't quite right, but it's a start. She's been wearing it for two days now. Surprisingly, she isn't whinning, so I'm keeping it on her, haha. It has been chilly outside lately!

These are the drapes I made for the one window in our living room. I like them.

I bought some cheap cloth (1.99/yd) and some patterns ($.99/$3.99) so I'll be practicing shorts and dresses next. I absent-mindedly bought the wrong sizes in the patterns, because I didn't notice the sizes marked on the package, so I have shorts in sizes 18W-24W...hopefully I can take them in, maybe, but that is probably above my skill level.

Keep Austin Weird

Christopher and I arrived in Austin on Friday.  We originally planned to stay with a couple of couchsurfers in southwest Austin.  However, after walking around downtown for a bit, eating lunch, and trying a local beer, we got into contact with the couple and they were not at home.  Instead of inconveniencing them, we decided to get a hotel room...which was the most difficult thing.  Every hotel in downtown was at capacity. So we drove and called, drove and called various hotels until finally the Hampton Inn about 5 miles north of Austin had a vacancy.  Clearly, I haven't stayed in a hotel in quite some time because I was kind of taken back by how much a room is. University of Texas wasn't even playing football at home this weekend. I don't know why all of the hotels had no vacancies.

Thank God for iPhones. Saturday we searched for a local breakfast spot.  This is quite important to both Christopher and I since breakfast is our favorite meal. Urbanspoon directed us to a very small and friendly place, the Counter Cafe. After fueling our bodies, we began a search for a collar pin to complete Christopher's ensemble. The search was futile. Apparently, not many people have heard of a collar pin, except for Brooks Brothers for $60.  It wasn't quite worth that much. 

Aly's wedding was about an hour away from downtown Austin at a beautiful venue called Vista West Ranch. She timed the ceremony perfectly with the sunset, the music selection was amazing, her dress was beautiful as were the bridesmaids dresses. Almost everybody there was crying. You could see the love between Aly and Mike - it was gorgeous. At the reception, some delicious BBQ was served and lots of dancing commenced.  Everybody had remarked about Christopher's mustache and later there were some fake mustaches being given out. So all the girls wanted a picture with him and their fake mustaches. It was cute.

One thing I noticed whilst driving and walking around Austin - the trash.  It just seems to be a dirty city.  There is trash all over the banks of the roads.  Grocery bags float along the highways.  The sidewalks are dirty. I liked Austin, but in comparison to Charlotte...it's dirty.

Counter Cafe's special - hot cakes. I could only eat half.

2 free range eggs and Nitrate free bacon. Homemade biscuit (with jam).

Hello, Austin.

Austin food trucks.

Wall art.

Mr. and Mrs. Clark

The couple's first dance.

Aly and myself.

Reunited!

Real mustache + fake ones

Cute couple! <3 them.

Decisions

As most of you know, in January of 2011, I flew back from South Korea to attend an interview for Denver Teaching Fellows. We all know I didn't make the cut, but I was waitlisted.

Cut to Friday, October 28.  I check my email at work on my handy dandy iPhone only to see that Denver Teaching Fellows sent me a message asking me to come in for a final interview.  I don't have to do the entire process again, only confirm my interest and interview. What terrible timing.  There is nothing like a jolt to reaffirm what you feel.  I can't leave Charlotte now. I don't want to leave Christopher, and teaching in Denver isn't so important to me to break up with him. So, there it is. The girl that was once hugely afraid of commitment is coming around. Who knew?

November is upon us, which means it is Movember. (www.movember.com) is an organization that helps raise awareness for prostate cancer and men's health.  Men are encouraged to shave on the first of November and grow moutaches, or just sport a moustache the entire month.  I signed up on the website and received promotional items and a wristband (much like the livestrong ones).  I'll probably post pictures of Christopher's moustache throughout the month. I must admit, though, it was quite odd walking in the door and seeing him without his beard.  I haven't seen facial skin in at least a year.

The time for Aly's wedding is creeping up very quickly. I'm so excited. I can't wait to see her (it's been years - since college).  Not to mention, Christopher is a music lover and Austin is the music city.  It should be fun. :)

Safety

Maybe two months ago, a house only two down from us got broken into.  Two laptops, a stereo, and a purse was stolen.

Christopher religiously goes to bed between 8 and 9. I get home anywhere from 10 to 12. Tonight, I happened to get home to the pleasant surprise of two cops parked right beside our house, one in our yard.  I get out and walk towards them only to find out that the (rather nice) house beside us got broken into.  The criminals jumped the fence in the back (which we share with that house) and broke into a window.  The alarms went off and spooked the criminals - nothing was stolen.

Two break-ins does not bode well.  I'm getting more and more scared to live here. I'm also getting a bit paranoid of coming home late at night carrying as much cash as I do.  Thankfully, Christopher is home (even though asleep) every night, so hopefully that wards off any attempted burglaries.

Jolene had to go to the vet today. Christopher was kind enough to take her while I went to work.  She has an eye infection.  Plenty of green discharge and a red swollen eye, but her spirits are high :) Such a trooper.  She's also keeping a vigilant eye on the house.  Any movement she sees outside of the windows brings barks.

Due Process

Ron Paul along with civil liberties groups have spoken out and condemned the assassinations of two US-born Muslims, one of them highly ranked in al-Qaeda. Do US citizens deserve due process? Yes - they do.  Do enemies of the state deserve due process? I feel they don't.

US-born turned terrorist = enemy of the state = TREASON.

Do those who commit treason against our country deserve due process? NO. We need to protect our country. Take measures to ensure we are safe. Afterall, this is a war. Treason is a greater threat than outside terrorism.

...in my humble opinion.