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Giving Thanks and Wedding Bells

2012-01-19T07:42:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Utah - and what a celebration, indeed. Christopher (or for anyone who met him after age 7, "the boy") and Krystal immediately secured highly-favored status in our book by setting their wedding date for the weekend following Thanksgiving. So we were lucky to spend the holiday and the week thereafter with nearly the entire Christine and Alan Riley clan. An impressive feat, with Riley addresses spanning the globe.

We kicked off the week with a morning run along Riley Drive {you know you're in Payson when...}, the menfolk skeet shooting in the hills {you know you're in Payson when...} and a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. We also celebrated Grandpa "Alli's" 60th birthday with cute gifts of 60 favorite items from the grandkids and a list of Gramps' 60 best tales. If you know Alan and his penchant for storytelling, you know that coming up with a list of 60 was a breeze :). Noah also initiated Laine into the "cancer test" club. {If your hand is bigger than your face...} Thanks for not actually hitting that sweet little face, Uncle Noie!

Then it was off to St. George for the reception and wedding. They could not have ordered a more gorgeous weekend - I'm starting to understand the appeal of St. George.

The morning of the wedding, all seemed to be humming along smoothly. Way out of character for a Riley family gathering. Eerie, even. Fate did catch up with us, however, when in the 11th hour, we had dead car batteries, a bride separated from her dress/make-up/vehicle, a forgotten marriage license passed out the window of a moving car, a temple recommend locked in a car {the keys were inside the temple in my father in law's suit coat pocket... in a locked locker... that was occupied. that's a fun story.}, forgotten shoes and tender mercies. When all was said and done, we all made it to the ceremony. Perhaps just a little worse {read: sweatier} for the wear. And it was such a lovely ceremony.

Ben and Laine were flying home to Australia from St. George, and none of us could bear to part a moment too soon. So we all ended up staying an extra night with Grandma and Grandpa Riley in St. George. We had a great evening together, playing cards late into the night and keeping Grandma awake ~~against her will~~. The next day, we also made great use of Aunt Nan and Uncle Scott's gracious invitation to use their cabin and four wheelers.

While the girls were quite content to "go fast" and find gourds along the route, the boys embarked on a slightly different adventure and returned with this slithery fellow. And now I'm petrified at the thought of raising boys.

We welcomed the Christmas season with a visit to Temple Square to see the lights {where Jesse had yet another run-in in a crowded place with the same sweet family he bumped into on a crowded NYC 4th of July} and the little ones ate the apples out of the wedding bouquets.

Those Autumn Leaves

2011-12-09T12:42:00.000-08:00

I'm bundled up inside. I can literally hear how cold it is outside. And from all reports, Davis County will blow entirely off the map today. {or, at least, it was the day i actually started penning this post.}

I'm in denial that winter weather is actually coming 'round the bend, so it seems like the perfect day to hold on to those last few memories of the gorgeous fall we enjoyed with a pictorial of our weekend outings.

We had a whirlwind weekend with the Collins and the Moodys. Collins' visit came to a close just as the Moodys pulled up in front of our place, so the guys enjoyed a quick Forest Gate apartment reunion on the sidewalk for a few minutes. Central Park was basically begging to be enjoyed that weekend. One does not turn down a lovely day in Central Park. We enjoyed ample time in the park, where we caught a chess tournament, sang along to some Beatles tunes at Strawberry Fields and - ah, heck. i'm just going to say it - I had the best hair day of my life.

On a whim, we headed up to Sleepy Hollow to run the Sleepy Hollow 10k with our Connecticut Barlow family. The course was the perfect way to enjoy this Halloween town in the fall - a headless horseman atop an actual horse was the course marker at some turns and race participants are encouraged to dress up. We were slackers in the costume dept, but Alyssa's costume had us - and everyone else - cracking up.

For the last few years, Noah's had a tough time grasping the appeal of apple picking. To this orchard-raised boy, apple picking just means chores. But we've been in the city long enough that the prospect of picking fresh apples from the tree really spoke to him. We enjoyed the most gorgeous fall day picking apples and indulging in one too many apple cider donuts with a great group of friends. And Noah impressed us all with his knowledge of apple varieties, his insight into how the trees ought to be pruned {apparently these trees are suffering from serious neglect} and his ability to break an apple in half with his bare hands. That's right, ladies. He also does laundry. I hit the dream man jackpot.

The following weekend, winter tried to sneak attack us with a snowstorm in October. Rude. But fall bounced back, thank goodness, and we made the most of its return with an afternoon at the Cloisters and Fort Tryon Park with the Hydes.

And last, but certainly not least, I made my way to the Upper East Side on a lovely Sunday afternoon to catch mile 23 of the NY Marathon. A client of mine was running, so I met up with Zach and pals who were also there cheering on their friend. They made these great signs for their friend {the other one said "do it for the cheeseburger." because really, who's NOT thinking about meat and cheese after running the equivalent distance of Times Square to Scarsdale?}, and I was holding on to one of the signs when my client ran past. I was all about high energy and yelling his name, jumping up and down, you get the drill... and the sign was right there in the mix of my hoopin' and hollerin'. It wasn't until after he passed that it dawned on me that I had the "extremely good looking" sign. Hoping I didn't send an uncomfortable message...

Exuberant Knudsens

2011-11-30T16:19:00.000-08:00

If you're coming home from a long vacation and you, like me, really dread the post-vacation blues, I recommend scheduling a visit from Koryn and Jeremy. I suppose you could also schedule a visit from someone you know personally. But you might enjoy hanging with Knudsens regardless.

The only thing that got me through my week alone {Noah had to fly right back out for work} was the promise of these two arriving at our place on Friday morning. I really couldn't sleep the night before. I got up and went to the gym. Yeah, I was THAT restless.

We had the most delightful visit with my beautiful sister and her wonderful husband. Their visit also marked the last Furniss/Riley sibling to visit our humble abode {though we do have two siblings-in-law who still need to grace us with their presence}. What a treat to share our city with the Knudsens. They were such gracious guests.

Koryn and Jeremy requested tasty eats and treats recommendations and some off the beaten path neighborhood wandering. Done and done. These are two of my favorite things to do in New York. I think we hit nearly every neighborhood on foot and were sure to get in some delicious meals and sweets in the process.

{Pretty gal - pretty street.}

I really love that my best friends are my siblings. I just can't imagine spending a weekend any more wonderful way. Thanks for your visit, Knudsens!

서울

2011-11-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

This is the last post about Korea, and then we can all get on with our lives.

Oh, of course that's silly. It's a little narcissistic of me to think my words have any sort of effect on the pace of your lives. No, no. What I mean to say, of course, is that this is the last post about Korea, and then I can get on with telling you about the rest of my life... yeah, I hear it.

I thought living in New York had somewhat inoculated me against being awestruck by large cities. But Seoul is just so vast. It's amazing. We spent an afternoon at Seoul Tower and from its perch above the city, we had 360 degree views of it all - the metropolis sprawling in every possible direction.

A familiar sight - "locking" one's love and symbolically throwing away the key. Although, this time, accompanied with a cautionary tale...

Because you just never know :).

I'm finding it hard to wrap up this experience - a retelling doesn't quite seem to do it justice. Also, I know how much my parents adore blog updates (yours especially, dear sisters and Lee/Barlow cousins. almost every conversation with dad begins with, "have you seen {enter your name here}'s blog site?" i'm particularly fond of the fact he calls them blog sites).

Thank you for your sweet examples, Mom and Dad, in accepting this call to serve and engaging in such a worthwhile work. Thank you for your incredible generosity in sharing this experience with us. Love and miss you so much! 당신이 그리워!

Bless My Seoul

2011-11-22T14:13:00.000-08:00

Yeah, there's plenty more where that came from.

Seoul claimed its spot on my list of cities I'd call home. What a beautiful and exciting place. We hit the sites one might expect (Gyeonbok Palace, Namdaemun Market, Seoul Tower) and also enjoyed some spots off the beaten path.

And I take it back. THIS is my favorite picture of little B from the trip.

Noah adds a little special something to this Pace family shot...

Those sweet parents of mine. Doesn't my mom's smile just make your day? It makes mine.

And when we move to Seoul, mark my words, we will live in Sam-Chung. This area had special significance to my dad, as it was the first area he lived when he was in Korea in the 70s. We were able to visit the home where he lived as a young man - it's still being used as a mission office for the Seoul mission.

Marionettes in Sam-Chung.

Demilitarized

2011-11-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

One of the most fascinating stops on our trip was the DMZ, or demilitarized zone, between North and South Korea.

Truth be told, I don't know how to describe the feeling in this two-mile border between the countries. Perhaps it was all these seemingly incongruent feelings trying to co-exist. Perfectly safe, but somehow a bit unsettled. Sympathy and suspicion.

I believe it is most evidenced in our apparent confusion about how one is to smile or not smile in pictures along this most heavily militarized border in the world.

Our tour included a walk down into one of the incursion tunnels {wikipedia - anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information}, four tunnels dug through the DMZ, believed to be planned military invasions from the North.

We also visited Dorasan Station - the northernmost train station in South Korea. Before this visit, I'd never thought about the trade and logistics implications of the divide. Without access to the rest of Asia through North Korea, South Korea is essentially an island. If I understood correctly {allison's blog - she can write anything she wants on any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information}, after one test run, North Korea put the kibosh on trains coming from the South. So for now, this station is completely deserted.

Another stop was the Dora Conservatory, from which you can actually see the North Korean town of Kijong-Dong. This town was an especially interesting, if not just really sad, glimpse of North Korea. This town is apparently just concrete shells of buildings. Our guides said there are actors hired to pretend they are happily living life in this fake town. It's heartbreaking to think of a government draining resources into smoke and mirrors while its own people are starving and oppressed. We didn't actually see the town, so we'll have to take our guide's and the interwebs' word for it. Thanks to a heavy fog, this was our view of Kijong-Dong:

Chickens and a City Wall

2011-11-17T12:11:00.000-08:00

There are so many memories in this series of photos that melt my heart. The one of little B smiling into the camera has to be my favorite picture of the whole trip. He was such a great traveler - just the sweetest little guy. Which is why it's tied for a close second with the moment he and Noah are sharing in the one below. Too sweet.

This Korean folk village was such a beautiful spot. Mom and Dad were so gracious to take us to all these places they've visited before (and will likely visit again!). It turns out road trips in Korea are a lot like road trips out West when we were kids - Mom had the cooler of healthy snacks in tow. For now, she's trading in the apples and oranges for "beh" and Korean melons. So we always feasted thanks to Mom's kind preparation. (Mom - I saw Korean melons at Whole Foods the other night and they almost made me cry. I blame that reaction partly on it being 11pm and me being really tired.)

We also made an evening visit to the city of Suwon. The city and its walk-able city wall were stunning.

Markets are pretty high on my list of favorite things. Ask Noah - I can't help myself, I love wandering through stores. Not so much department stores, but little grocery stores and markets. It's not that I even buy anything, just something about the scene that I love. The sights, the sounds, the life. So much going on. The little guy clearly agrees.

Outside a little restaurant that belongs to a woman in my parents' church congregation. I think this is a nice picture of everyone, but it's gorgeous of Ashley. Honestly. What a fox.

Seoul Sisters

2011-11-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

One of the sincerest delights of this trip {so many! how to narrow it down?!} was traveling with the Paces. I really think we're on to something here. Ashley sent me a note a week out, "let's do lunch next week. say, Seoul?"

Ashley and I are only 18 months apart, and that made for some "two cats in a duffel bag" moments when we were younger. And by younger, I mean 16 and 17 and should have known better, but were still fighting over clothes and drooling in each other's mouths. Okay, that only happened once. And it wasn't entirely on purpose. One had pinned the other and was laughing so hard and it just kind of happened. I won't say who was the pinner and who was the pinnee...

Since we wisened up and realized that it's actually super awesome to have a best friend who shares your DNA, we've been thick as thieves.

These pictures sum up a few of my favorite moments with the Paces, and also the cardiovascular highlights of the trip. We visited a Korean folk village and Ashley and I were reacquainted with an old friend: the Chinese jump rope. {I just googled that to be sure it's really called that and that I'm not somehow racist, and one of the results was a YouTube video with the caption, "Ever caught daydreaming about Chinese jump rope, but you just don't know how to play?" That's just ridiculous. Nobody has ever been caught daydreaming about Chinese jump rope. Jake Gyllenhaal in Source Code, maybe. But never Chinese jump rope.}

The others are from Daedunsan Provincial Park. The Koreans are for realsies about their hikes. And their hiking apparel. We didn't dress as smartly, but we did master the varied terrain of the hike. Different sections of the hike included stairs crafted out of stones, bouldering, a suspension bridge and a seriously steep ladder that proved me wrong - turns out, I am a little scared of heights.

We're so glad it worked out to share this experience with Ashley and Justin. Lunch, next fall, Rome?

Gapsa Temple and Thousand Buddhas

2011-11-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

In addition to the sights and sounds of my parents' part of town, we took in some of the beauty of the surrounding area. The first day, we drove by rice paddies and fields on our way to Gapsa Buddhist Temple and then to the 1,000 Buddhas - a park with many different iterations and representations of Buddha. And the kind of buttery evening sunlight that makes me wish I lived my entire existence in this lighting...

Korea - The Daejeon Chapter

2011-11-07T14:34:00.000-08:00

My dad lived in Korea as a young man. It's common in our faith for young men and young women to devote 18-24 months of their lives sharing a message and a testimony that is near and dear to their hearts. I say "common" - but I sometimes discount how truly exceptional it is.

Decades later {I won't say how many, Dad :)}, my parents are back in this beautiful country. They've been asked to serve, or volunteer, for three years overseeing the missionary effort in this area. It's a sacrifice on a lot of levels - missing the birth of new grandson or precious time spent with aging parents - but one they are cheerfully and wholeheartedly engaged in.

It was such a treat to spend time with my sweetheart, my parents, my sister and her wonderful husband, and their sweet little guy in a place that has such a special meaning for our family.

The time spent in and around Daejeon, their city, was priceless. It was so fun to catch a small glimpse of their lives there - hitting up their usual restaurants {the babe was a hit - I don't think we held him at all as he was passed from table to table}, morning walks with Mom around the town and nearby campus, and strolls through neighborhood alleys - Dad interacting with the little old ladies who graced their paths.

While Korea held a lot by way of new sites and adventures, an absolute highlight was experiencing a bit of their routine and meeting a few people with whom they frequently associate. And as Koryn put it, picturing where they are when we speak on the phone :).

{I adore this picture of my dad - great catch, Noah.}

{Listing Our} Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity-Jig

2011-10-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

We own a place in the heart of SLC - you know, the 8.0.1. We adore our home. And for the past several years, we've had a really excellent tenant we equally adore. Bummer for us, our tenant is headed out early next year. But we're hopeful we'll find someone else just as great who's looking for a sweet place downtown.

The apartment will be available beginning February of 2012. It feels really early to be throwing this out there - but that may be partially due to the NYC-ification of Allison. I have grown accustomed to the idea that you are not to know where you are going to live until 1-2 days before you are to live there. Moving's such a carefree proposition as it is, NYC likes to spice it up a bit with uncertainty.

In the real world, it may still be a bit early. We plan to list it on KSL.com and others in the coming weeks, but wanted to give preference to any personal referrals or connections in the meantime.

To check it out, feel free to visit the blog.

Beijing with Al and Whit and Noah and Al

2011-10-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

The words "14-hour layover" could conjure some pretty unpleasant feelings. But when a frugal woman sees an affordable flight to Seoul, and those 14 hours happen to be in a city she enjoys very much, it's a less bitter pill to swallow. We began plotting the best way to spend our evening in "cool, breezy Beijing." {-Donny, 30 Rock}

As luck would have it, we learned just days before our departure that our sweet friends and fellow Aggies, Whitney and Alex, are living and working in Beijing. We eagerly planned our night on the Beijing town with the Putnams, but our hopes were dashed when most visa info online suggested it was $140/person to visit the Middle Kingdom regardless of duration. We hopped on the plane with their local number and our fingers crossed, and were greeted at customs with what Noah described as a "you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here" response.

Passports stamped, we embraced our new found freedom and hailed a cab to Tiananmen Square.

Tian - AHN - men?
TI - an - an - muhn.
Ti - AH - an - MEHN?

I know my Mandarin leaves much to be desired, but we can't be the first foreigners to catch a cab to the most commonly visited destination in Beijing. It was reminiscent of catching cabs back to our village from the city when I was living there in 2005. We'd hop in the Citroen AZ and proceed to attempt every combination of tones and emphases on the syllables "mei-yuan" until we finally landed on something that returned us safely to xué xiào.

But I digress... we remarkably met up with the Putnams ("we'll see you there!" could have been a foolish move, but we found each other pretty quickly), took our pictures with Mao and other people took their pictures with us.

From there, we resisted starfish, but opted for fruit along the Wangfujing pedestrian street. Then Whitney used her mad Mandarin skills to get us to the Olympic Park. Markedly less confusion with her pronunciation, thank goodness.

After the Olympic sites, we made our way back to their place where they outfitted us in their comfiest Aggie gear and we crashed on their couch in an attempt to head jet lag off at the pass.

Morning came far too quickly and we were sorry to wrap up such a pleasant visit after just a few short hours. But soon we were returning to the airport and engaging in my favorite international travel ritual: browsing the duty free shop for the most expensive eye cream and moisturizer and pampering my poor airplane air-ed face with the trial bottles.

We couldn't have asked for a better start to our trip - thank you for your very sweet hospitality, Putnams! Xie xie!

They Say It's Your Birthday

2011-10-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

27 is treating me well thus far. I tend to be fairly low-key about my birthday, but Noah, family, friends and colleagues really pulled out all the stops and I learned I'm pretty wild about high-key, too.

Noah surprised me one evening when I hopped in the car after work {rental - lest you think we're fancy pants these days}. He handed me a small jewelry box and officially launched the 12 Days of Allison. Each day, he delighted me with a kind gift or gesture. All the gifts were so meaningful and ranged from a clean apartment {fastest way to my heart} to a 50mm lens {in cahoots with Ashley} and a subscription to the Economist. All were directly linked to comments or observations I'd made over the past few months. And while the gifts were very nice, it was so much more the thought and preparation behind them. Goodness, I love that man.

The celebration continued with a wonderful evening out with my Relief Society presidency. I adore and respect these women so much. Emily, Dana and Julie treated me to an evening of delightful conversation and oh-so-yummy sweets at DessertTruck Works. Go there. Run, don't walk. Get the Nutella-filled warm brioche donut squares. I could hardly finish typing that sentence without my jeans feeling a bit more snug.

The next day, some of the ladies at work surprised me with birthday dessert in my office. I work with some of my very best friends and these ladies were all about the details. Fruit dessert because of my affinity for the stuff, and the location, so we could sit as near to my window as possible and punish the cake office across the street {I swear, they only use this office for the consumption of cake; we're talking twice, thrice weekly}. I don't think they knew they were being punished.

On the 12th Day of Allison, Noah threw a rooftop party complete with Junior's cheesecakes and coordinating decor {although, my hunch tells me the latter was Kimber's doing...}. I was so touched by the many friends who made their way down to our place for the get together. Thanks to all for such a great birthday!

Printemps with the Paces

2011-10-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

I am the lucky aunt to nine beautiful little nieces (a host of great nephews, too - but this one's about the ladies), two of whom I was blessed to visit last spring when they welcomed their new baby brother to their family. The trip was wonderful and too short, always. But we did pack it in with plenty of fun - including our picnic to one of the gorgeous parks nearby and little H's third birthday party.

Fortunately, Ashley's talented eye can frequently be found behind the lens, and she captured some beautiful memories of our weekend together. When she sent these the other morning (at 3am, to be precise - thanks to Baby B's little clock still set for Korea time!), my heart just melted. I really love my siblings, and I especially adore their offspring :).

Labor All Our Days

2011-10-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

If I wait to be clever, this post will never happen - and it will be another two months before I post. So here you are - photos and non-clever descriptions.

Labor Day weekend was, in a word, delightful. Noah and I spent an evening with McHale, Kirilenko, Sock and Roddick at the U.S. Open, where I practiced my mad hops in front of the Unisphere and Noah practiced -- nay, perfected -- looking handsome.

We spent the rest of the weekend with the Ibanezes in Connecticut, where we paddle boated on the sound and were introduced to the world of "night crabbing." Don't let these pictures fool you - it's harder to catch a crab with a basketball net taped to a pole than one may think. We also learned who is good at standing still for slow shutter speeds and who is not (ahem, I'm looking at you, Jax).

Our Connecticut getaway also included the lovely town of Kent and hiking, camping and beaching at three of "Connecticut's many lovely state parks." { - pretty obscure reference noah threw out during the trip. kudos to anyone who picks up on it.}

Beach Babies

2011-08-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

We've been beating the heat this summer (heat index of 115 degrees? gross. is that even allowed?) with plenty o' time in the water.

First stop: Rockaway Beach. Not bad for a beach you can reach from the ~~comfort of the~~ A-train. Add in great friends, seashell scavenging, sandy mangoes, vintage trains and adorable kids and you have an Saturday for which Noah may just sacrifice his hard-earned farmer's tan.

The following weekend, we celebrated the lovely Stacie's birthday on Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey. Fun was had by all, except whomever was the object of scary Steve's wakeboarding instruction at the time (some impressive self talk got me through, "don't take it personally... don't take it personally...").

Lake Hopatcong is where I learned Noah can do anything. Granted, he did wakeboard a little bit growing up so it wasn't technically his first time, but he was a natural. Sexy. (Sorry, Grandma.)

Lake Hopatcong is where I learned I'm... not so much a natural. But at least I got up. And then took the next few seconds trying to decide... goofy! no, regular! no, goofy! The picture cracks me up. I don't know what's more awesome to me, my painful posture or my blinding white thighs. Either way, this is the moment I declared: "I wakeboard. I'm a wakeboarder."

(thank you, Morgan, for the great pictures!)

Last stop: Cape Cod, MA. We enjoyed a lovely evening with the Hawkers in Providence, then made our way up the Cape at a leisurely pace. Leave it to me to take a camera with a dead battery to such a beautiful place, but the iPhone helped us make do.

We stumbled on a blueberry festival at the Green Briar Jam Kitchen - a working kitchen that's been in operation since 1903. Just try to tell me eating a delicious homemade blueberry dessert in this adorable kitchen, prepared by these sweet folks isn't on your bucket list.

After staining our lips blue and finding some treasures at the used book sale, we made our way to the Cape Cod National Seashore, where a friendly park ranger gave us directions based (unsolicited) on where to go so as not to pay for parking. Um, get out of my head, park ranger! How did you know this was the fastest way to earn my adoration?

His excellent advice led us to a quiet and secluded beach in Wellfleet where we ate bread and cheese and cherries and stared lovingly into one another's eyes. You think I'm joking. I never joke about staring lovingly into a park ranger's eyes.

Also, anyone want to go halfsies on an abomination?

That evening, we stayed at a B&B with the most charming owners. If you're looking for a place to stay in the area, check out Abigail's B&B in Kingston.

Sunday it was raining, it was pouring, but we did manage stops by Plymouth Rock and Yale University on our way home.

How To: A Lewiston 4th

2011-07-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Stake out a great stretch of parade-front property and look adorable for the old folks' band:

Scout out the best suppliers:

Patiently wait out the non-candy throwing types {like mini horses driven by mini humans}:

Enlist someone like Jeff to shout something polite, but witty and attention-grabbing, into the megaphone so as to direct all candy throwing northward {sorry, folks on the south side of the street}:

Watch your head while taffy, Tootsie Rolls {sometimes frisbees and dangerously, bottles of water} are thrown:

Scramble and gather:

Survey the goods:

Make friends with a grown-up who will be helpless against your adorableness - this grown up will collect all the pieces that make it past the barricade of 5-year olds and add them to your stash:

There are few things that make my year like a 4th of July spent in Lewiston, Utah. After racing the parade into town {there is one street into town, and it's the parade route. don't even think about trying to get to the parade after it starts.} and a loop around the carnival "uptown," we headed to the farm for lunch, volleyball, soccer, 4-wheelers, homemade ice cream, swingsets, hot tubbing, delightful conversation among cousins and a staged photo with sisters.

{i adore this series of noah attempting to get one past the girlies...}

{...and syd takin' him to town!}

{these gals mean business.}

This city cousin also attempted to drive a dirt bike on the farm. It looks so easy! A banged up wrist, scratched up hand and Phillips head {or as I like to refer to it, Wilson...} brand on my leg from an unfortunate collision in the corn fields later... I'm here to say it's not as easy as it looks.

Oh, Lewiston - I'm in love.

Mermaid Parade

2011-07-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

For the past three years, Noah and I have intended to make the trip to the Island of Coney for the annual Mermaid Parade. Last year, I remembered 30 minutes after the fact. The previous year, we started the morning at the laundromat on what turned out to be the hottest day of my life. After standing guard in a windowless room full of machines that blow hot air, then carrying our piping hot laundry back home and up the six flights to our apartment, all I wanted to do was strip down to my skivvies and stand in front of a fan.

Turns out stripping down to one's skivvies and the Mermaid Parade are not mutually exclusive.

You've got to love any parade where the first float features an elected official warning everyone that if you offend easily, you should just go home now. {shockingly, the 4th of July parade in Lewiston, Utah started the exact same way.}

Don't worry, this blog is still safe for work and children {call over your coworkers and gather your little ones 'round...}. All photos have been carefully selected for their non-nudity qualities.

{one of NYC's most famous residents. who is this guy and why do i see him everywhere?!}

{naturally.}

{modest mermaids. adorable.}

{this little gal stole the show. highlight of the parade, for sure.}

{i was actually trying to capture the flamingo hat and moved too slowly. little did i know i would end up with the greatest picture ever of these folks.}

{handsome.}

{a little cranky and tired of crowds by this point.}

Jack of All Trades

2011-07-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

I have a confession.

I have a {not so} secret love affair with close out stores.

Sure, I might find a great deal on pot scrubbers, fall in love with the brand and never, ever be able to find them at that store again. But I will have paid $.33 for them and I will still feel victorious. Such is the life of a close out store devotee.

I left my hair brush in Utah last week {ahh! bathroom items! i should have known. if there is anything our 118+ houseguests have taught me it's that the most commonly left behind items are bathroom items!} and I've been going out of my mind without one ever since {ps - if you saw me at church sunday, the missing brush is not to be blamed for that disaster. thinking hot curlers were a good idea on a humid day is to be blamed for that disaster.}

The problem is, I never think to purchase a hair brush when I can actually do something about it. I did remember Saturday night when I swung by Duane Reade, but $15 for a paddle brush? Como what?!

So this morning, I made a stop by Jack's World. In and out in less than three minutes. Not only did I find my brush for a whopping $1.99, I also came away with a basting brush {I've been needing one of those!} and a bottle of hair smoothing lotion {every time I run out, I feel like a chump paying $15 for another bottle, but I can't live without the stuff} for a grand total of $7.97.

Something about these 9am impulse buys made me ~~self-conscious~~ laugh at myself. When you need a basting brush, you need a basting brush.

Family Ties.

2011-07-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

"What have we always said is the most important thing?"

"Breakfast."

"Family."

"Family. Right. I thought you meant out of the things you eat."

{arrested development.}

We've had a really wonderful week, one I plan to capture in greater detail in further posts. But first, an observation.

Last night, as Noah drove south on I-15 and I sped along in a DC --> NYC bus, we realized something... between welcoming home Elder Furniss from the Raleigh, North Carolina mission, celebrating the 4th of July Lewiston-style and joining the "Oregon Barlows" for a wedding in Washington, DC, Noah and/or I have managed to see nearly every Barlow cousin, aunt, uncle and grandparent in the last six days. An impressive feat, considering I'm one of 32 first cousins and we span the map literally coast to coast. This doesn't usually happen over the course of years, let alone days.

We had a really wonderful week, filled with Rileys, Furnisses, Ellsworths and Barlows (and all in-laws thereof).

Glad to be blessed with such an amazing family.

{the sibs minus the Paces in front of "Grandma's House"}

Cleveland (Visitors) Rock.

2011-07-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

The Ohio Riley crew came to town last month and we partied like rockstars.

Admittedly, my knowledge of rockstar life is limited, but I do believe it involves cramming obscene numbers of people into hotel room-like spaces, yes? Then party like rockstars we did.

They rolled into town at about 4am, so when I got up for work and went to sneak out at 8:30am, I expected all to be slumbering still. Not so. Ry and Ave were awake and reading {so studious...}, so I put the kibosh on all that reading nonsense with a suggestion that they accompany me to an emo-rock concert. Twenty-six minutes later, we were passing through Times Square on our way to hear Plain White T's perform on Fox's plaza across the street from my office. It was fun to be just hours into their NYC trip and already having a little adventure with two of my favorite tweens. Maybe it was the close proximity to the stage that lent itself to occasional eye contact, or maybe I didn't get much sleep, but one of those PWT's is pr-etty easy on the eyes. {Okay, I just looked them up and I think I need to take it back. Let's chalk my swooning up to sleep deprivation.}

That day also happened to be little J's birthday, so Noah and the crew spent the afternoon at FAO Schwartz and the playground and Central Park. Afterward, Noah, Jess and Ave hit the MoMA {where Ave was particularly delighted to learn they had Jackson Pollocks. she asked for them by name. is she not the raddest 10 year old you've ever heard of?!}, Ry and I had a lovely time at Times Square's Forever 21 flagship store and Cays took the two youngest to Toys"R"Us, where the birthday girl took a nap {this is how you KNOW you've partied like a rockstar on your birthday, when you are at one of the largest toy stores in the world and you can't keep your eyes open}.

We spent Saturday at the Museum of Natural History, where a stranger paid me the sweetest compliment known to man by telling me my "kids looked just like me." While I can't in good conscience take actual credit for their cuteness {they do have excellent genes, those girls}, I don't mind being compared to it.

These cute girls had us laughing the whole visit. For anyone who knows little A and her spunk, you know she kept us in stitches. My favorite part was her object lesson comparing Jesse to a geode. "Rough and ugly on the outside, but beautiful on the inside..."

Caysie and Jesse spent a romantic evening on the town, while the two littlest Rileys hung with Uncle Noie at the park and the two older girls and I hit the town for shopping and ice cream {a must with these two ice cream aficionados}.

Sunday we picnicked at the High Line, then set sail across the harbor for a glimpse of Lady Liberty.

We love this sweet family so much. Thanks for making the trip, sunshine gang!

Updated: Here Come the Men in Black

2011-06-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Stepped out the front door this morning and onto the set of Men In Black 3.

I suppose this was to be expected when we moved in next door to their headquarters.

* photo cred - http://men-in-black.wikia.com/wiki/Men_in_Black_Headquarters

Update: on my way to work this morning, I noticed signs outside my office informing (warning? celebrating?) that they'll be shooting MIB III here this weekend as well.

I can't say with absolute certainty, but I think it's fairly clear: this movie is about me.

As Of Late.

2011-06-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know whether it's pathetic or awesome that, according to this blog, pretzels and Nutella are the biggest thing happening in my life right now. I'm going with awesome.

The last several months have had their share of highlights.

A photo excursion in Chelsea with one of the sweetest young ladies I know {where we happened to be gallery strolling with Susan Sarandon. nbd}:

Another anniversary commemorated with a makeshift fort:

Live music from a lovely friend:

A delightful Easter weekend in Boston with two of our favorites:

{insert your best "one step forward" line here}

{hands down, my favorite pic of the weekend; good catch, Whit}

A visit from two gorgeous ladies who are perpetually nine years old in my mind's eye:

(and perhaps it goes without saying... I bought a new coat. wear it much?)

An Addiction Is Born

2011-04-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

Straightening up the kitchen and I absentmindedly dipped a honey wheat prezel twist into the Nutella jar.

Dangerous.

Fools Mock

2011-04-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

I’m ~~gullible~~ trusting.

On just one April Fools' Day in 2009, I believed my sister was pregnant in the morning (I have fallen for that one every single April Fool's Day that Ashley hasn't actually been expecting). I believed my friends had their baby boy that afternoon (I ran over to tell Noah about baby Sawyer Jack and that's when a coworker pointed out those are characters from LOST). And I believed my cousin got engaged that evening.

It was an eventful day.

This is the first April first in a long time that I actually had my head in the game, so I've been a little disappointed that I haven't been on the receiving end of many fibs.

I did use the April Fools' forethought to bake some mini cookies and pretend they were a baby announcement with my coworkers. They were so excited and gave me the very sweetest reaction. Our fake baby was so loved that I actually felt really awful for pretending. I sort of feel like karma's going to give me a baby now.

Ought Not Guess.

2011-03-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Noah came home Saturday on an early flight from Toronto. While he promptly hit the hay, I busied myself with cleaning the apartment... the 150 square feet that didn't encompass the room where he was sleeping.

A spotless bathroom and kitchen later, I made my way into the living/dining/bedroom where Noah stirred and admitted, "I have a bit of a guilty conscience."

"Don't worry, sweetie - I don't mind cleaning. I know you're tired."

"No, um... I was going to say I left your scriptures in my hotel room in Toronto."

Lesson learned. Don't guess what you think your spouse should be feeling guilty for.

Left My Heart, and My Lunch, in Ann Arbor

2011-03-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

Ashley just sent these pictures from our visit with them last month. I've completely melted. It's official. I'm a puddle at a desk.

For President's Day, we got away to that most obvious of February destinations: Michigan. We planned the trip before Ashley and I realized we'd see each other in Utah, but I was already craving more family time, so this trip was a welcome respite from real life. Our visit had everything we needed. Ashley's delicious home-cooking, an aerobics class that kicked my booty, thrift store treasure hunting, cloth napkin sewing, dancing around the house with two of my favorite little towheads, dinner in downtown Ann Arbor with J&A, lemon drop cookies, and food poisoning. So that last one seems less appealing, but Ashley has rough first trimesters, so she knows how to take care of a sickie. Plus, "I'm gonna look amAzing..." (sad that neither Ashley nor I have the words to properly recount our weeks without having to quote NBC's Thursday night lineup).

One of my favorite pictures of Noah and Hayden reminded me of a similar shot with little Miss Abbey a few years ago. He's got an m.o.

My sweet Abbey, you ARE loved. I'm so sorry we don't have the pictures to prove it. The camera didn't come out much this trip. Correction: my camera didn't even make it to Michigan, since I was traveling Spirit Airlines and couldn't take anything that didn't fit in my purse (and underwear pulled rank). Ashley's made it out just in time to capture a few antics while we waited for our lunch to arrive - which we promptly devoured and then made a run for the airport.

Love this little family so much.

Monticello.

2011-02-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like not capturing a wonderful memory with a photograph is such a shame. In this case, I like to think of it as having such a nice time, nobody stopped to grab a camera.

We were fortunate to ring in the New Year with Koryn and her family in their lovely little town of Monticello, Utah. After more than a decade's worth of globe trotting, the Knudsen family calls this rural town in southeastern Utah home and we were excited to share a few days soaking in the beauty of their surroundings. I seem to have blocked the memory of what the temperature was outside (anyone care to comment and remind?!) but it was severe enough to keep me cozily indoors or running fast to the car to get to our destination and back to cozily indoors.

The boys (my boy included) and little Miss Whit braved the elements and pulled a tube behind the fourwheelers right down the middle of the road for an afternoon of can't-do-that-in-NYC fun.

We also attempted an evening hike to the Delicate Arch (which, side note - we once saw a news tease that had me believe it had fallen down and I was heartbroken I'd never seen it). After flying 2,000 miles and driving another 6 hours, we came within .25 miles of checking that off the list. But alas, the box remains unchecked. All the hikers we passed warned us we were starting too late and it would be dark. In sheer defiance, we pressed onward until our sensibility and the moonless night got the best of us and we turned around. Next time.

It's Never Too Late For Now.

2011-02-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

Our holiday season was lovely and it's high time I mention it.

We spent a few weeks in Utah visiting family and friends. It was a little strange to be in Utah without intent to head to my hometown. But with Mom and Dad in Korea, we were the lucky ones that got to snatch up my sweet sister to join the festivities with us in Payson. Seriously, there were mobs vying for her presence and we won.

No winter trip to Payson is complete without some sledding. Usually we hit the hill at the school, but somehow we wisened up this year and walked right out the front door to the hill at Noah's parents' place. Right outside = easy bathroom access. Brilliant.

The hill was deceivingly treacherous, made even more so by Gus - who saw each sled full of barreling inertia as a force to be reckoned with. The afternoon was a fine object lesson in the principles of physics. What will happen when Josh and sled traveling 7mph at a 45 degree decline meet 100 pounds of charging chocolate lab? Now we know.

The antagonist.

I submit the following as evidence I am incapable of making a non-obnoxious face when I sled.

One of the highlights of the holiday was dipping chocolates with Megan and the Rileys. Homemade fondants, fudge and caramels are a family tradition started by my Grandma, passed on to my Mom and now being mastered by Megs (the other Furniss sisters have learned as well, but I think we all readily admit that Megs' are a cut above. Also, I should admit that this Furniss sister doesn't actually make them. That would only be a force for evil in my hands.). It was such a treasure to have my sister share a Furniss family tradition with my Riley family. This memory really is this color in my mind's eye.

And Megan's no dummy. She knows the fastest way to win over kids. "Yeah, really - stick your hands in the chocolate."

She also taught them everything she knows about basketball. Which is lots.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

End of an Era

2011-02-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's a stretch to refer to two years as an "era" - but today marks an eventuality we've been planning for since we moved to NYC.

Noah and I have been colleagues (always love telling a reporter or producer I'll refer them to my "colleague" Noah :) ) for the past two+ years and with that came tandem commutes, shared lunches and a lot more time together than is typical of most young couples.

At the onset, we figured this crossing of our career paths could either be a lot of fun or a total train wreck.

I'm happy to report it's the former and then some. I'm already wholly convinced this guy is flawless, but working together has given me a glimpse into who career Noah is and will be. And I've gotta say - I love what I see. He is kind. He is patient. He's ethical. He's considerate. He's a mentor and friend. I knew all these things about Noah, but there is something about seeing their application in the corporate world - a world where sometimes I fear these virtues are fading - that makes me so proud of who he is.

And also swoon.

We work in an industry where relationships matter an awful lot. It will come as no surprise that Noah makes and keeps great relationships and he's very, very good at what he does.

Today, a very lucky company and fortunate colleagues are welcoming Noah to their ranks. It's a leap in an entirely new direction for Noah. New challenges requiring new skill sets and the honing of new talents. But I've yet to see something stump this guy.

Admittedly, this gal's a little stumped about how to adjust to life without that handsome guy across the hall.

And it's a bummer about the timing, Noah. For I finally got a respectable candy jar.

He Did Love a Good Party

2011-02-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

There is something so appropriate about Grandpa Furniss hanging on to celebrate his 93rd birthday. He made it this far, after all, may as well grab one more slice of cake for the road.

Just a few days after ushering in his 94th year, my sweet Grandpa passed away and reunited with the sweetheart he's been missing for 11 years. I like to picture her tugging at the curl behind her ear. And maybe Grandpa gave her an, "ah hell, Carol" for old time's sake.

Lloyd & Carol Furniss

Most of the progeny of Lloyd Smith and Carol Marie Chester Furniss gathered in Ogden this week to celebrate a life lived to the fullest.

In short summary, I don't think I've ever laughed so much at a funeral. I expect Grandpa would have liked it that way. He had a certain joie de vivre that lent itself to countless tales - some taller than others - and as my dear Uncle Wayne pointed out, everyone had a story about Grandpa.

I hope you'll indulge me as I share a new favorite (this was new to me, though not new to most...). It helps as quick background to know my grandparents are likely how the term "opposites attract" was coined (physics, pfsh) and my grandma was one of the most prim and proper gals out there. After their first date, Grandpa dropped Grandma off at her apartment. Grandma knew her sister and roommate had been baking bread all evening and so she invited Grandpa in for a hot roll. Grandpa said he'd never been so disappointed as when he learned she was actually referring to bread.

Lloyd Smith Furniss

1918-2011

Grandpa Lloyd

2011-01-24T11:21:00.000-08:00

Nicole, thank you for posting this picture of Grandpa with your mom and my dad - and forgive me for swiping it for a repeat post. (Truly, your blog is a treasure trove of all things that matter most to me. Thanks for going to all that hard work to capture our family memories!)

My handsome grandpa turns 93 today - isn't he dashing?

Some of my fondest memories of Grandpa Furniss are Grandma's and his visits to our home on Burch Creek Drive when I was a child. I remember hanging over the white couch in the living room, noses pressed against the big front windows watching anxiously for their white Pontiac 6000LE to pull into the drive. We knew at some point(s) in his visit, Grandpa would oblige us and our budding cosmetology talents by patiently lying on the living room carpet and letting us do our worst with pink foam curlers, barrettes and those hair elastics with hard plastic marbles on each end (many a finger nail whacked trying to maneuver those). The best part was after we'd exhausted all our hair styling creativity, he'd retrieve his black comb from his pocket and with one whoosh, his perfectly shaped coif - or as I affectionately like to refer to it, the David O McKay - was back.

Happy birthday, sweet Grandpa!

We Gave Thanks.

2011-01-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

And for a quick recap of our Thanksgiving holiday...

There was a little of this:

Time spent trying to find one another here:

To catch a train and visit these delightful hosts in Connecticut:

Books were read:

Bikes were ridden indoors:

And there was pie. Sour cream apple walnut pie from the Little Pie Company. No pictures, because hello! Sour cream apple walnut pie from the Little Pie Company.

Give thanks, indeed.

Crowells in the Country

2011-01-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

The last stop of our vacation *cough, cough* last October was to visit the beautiful Crowell family in the beautiful English countryside. Corey and Alisa are dear, dear friends who never cease to amaze and inspire with their wonderful examples. And those kiddos of theirs had us wrapped around their fingers. We would have counted it as vacation enough just to enjoy time with the Crowells at their home, but it's a total perk that they happen to live in a charming English town with castles, countryside and Cambridge all a stone's throw away.

I want to go back to there...

*photo credit - the very lovely and talented Alisa

*photo order - blame it on Allison; for those of you who were there, hope you're not thrown by the total and complete disorganization of the photos :)

Paris, Je T'Adore

2010-12-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

I keep thinking I'd like to post these photos of the Paris portion of our trip, but I haven't had time to write.

That's when I realized - hello! - it's Paris. It probably doesn't need a whole lot of blahbity-bah from me.

{our cozy digs and lovely view}

{in the marais, near our place - centre de georges pompidous, hotel de ville, place des vosges}

{a day at versailles}

{montmarte in the morning}

{arc de triomphe, champs elysees and macarons}

{art in the afternoon - louvre, louvre gardens and musee d'orsay}

{notre dame and the latin quarter}

{along the seine}

{tour de eiffel}

{au revoir.}

Good Humor

2010-12-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Noah: Pomegranates are on sale at PathMark.
Allison: Ooh, really? Let's pick some up and do chicken salad sandwiches. And that's perfect because we have celery at home, so we'd only have to pick up chicken and green onions and rolls... and the pomegranates.
Noah: So what you're saying is - we have celery.

This exchange made me laugh so hard yesterday. As in, laughing uncontrollably on the subway platform and probably looking ridiculous and not really caring.

Last night, as we laid in bed we got giggling over something else when suddenly I started laughing so hard I couldn't stop. That's when Noah asked into the dark, "you're laughing about the pomegranates again, aren't you?"

Ah, laughter is good for the soul. I feel like we've been laughing about a lot of things lately - and it feels good. This guy makes me deliriously happy.

London Calling

2010-11-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

Continuing in the tradition of anniversary getaways, Noah and I celebrated #4 with a hop across the pond.

We found a killer deal on Iceland Express. The only drawback...? We had to fly Iceland Express. Don't get me wrong, I do love a good deal - so I'm not saying I wouldn't do it again. But severely limited legroom on red-eye with a detour through Reykjavik without so much as a glass of water handed out and you can't buy anything on-board because they won't accept cards and they give your change in Icelandic? It's a long road to financial recovery for Iceland, I get that. And evidently the airline is doing their part to move currency around. I suppose should be commending them.

We landed in London and made our way to Matt and Noelle's place in charming Notting Hill. Matt's joining the elite ranks of LSE grads (alongside such distinguished alums President Josiah Bartlett and Andrew Bond... and a whole host of nonfictional characters) while Noelle is running the world via Skype by day, and the dynamic duo is learning about Jack the Ripper, eating Indian food on Brick Lane and hosting guests by night.

We hit a few London sights then met up with Noelle and Matt for the infamous Jack the Ripper walking tour. This is one of my salient memories from our London trip when I was ~~awkward~~ 14. Ashley and I went back to our hotel room afterward completely freaked out - exacerbated by the fact it was just the two of us in our garden-level room and we could hear sounds from the courtyard all night.

The next day, we enjoyed a stroll through Portobello Market where I reunited with these little pear candies that I thought were the best ever when I was a kid (turns out, they are just sweet. taste a lot like your typical candy. not really best ever. but I was introduced to them at the Dodenbier's at the same time as "dropes" (Dutch salted black licorice) - so they were probably best ever in comparison.).

We also saw a dog who thinks he's a parrot, the Travel Book Shop from the movie Notting Hill, and these beauties that made me think of all the talented seamstresses in my life...

This is also the point in the trip where Noelle graciously lent me her beautiful gray coat so I wouldn't have to wear the one red coat the entire trip. I underestimated the chilly weather - and/or I packed a lot of outfits I really like that involve sweaters and not coats. See? Taking over the world and outfitting her friends appropriately. She's just that wonderful.

It was more of our tourist ways from there. We loved our tour of the Tower of London (wondering if Noah's USU Ambassador days could qualify him for that gig? They live there. sah-weet digs.) and then we hit literally every spot we should/could and a dinner of fish & chips as we made our way back to Notting Hill on foot.

Craving sunflower seeds, and not surprisingly, not craving poultry at Tate Modern:

London by night...

Sunday and Monday's highlights included Evensong at Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and the Science Museum - especially the part of the Science Museum where we didn't realize there was a line and went in the back door instead.

Renegade roller derbyists raising a ruckus. Typical.

We made up for nearly every calorie we may have ever burned in our entire lifetimes with frequent bakery and gelateria stops.

Thank you, Lybberts and London, for the delightful visit.

Revisited.

2010-11-16T13:05:00.000-08:00

My parents were kind enough to spend a few months in Europe with us kids when we were young. It was a wonderful, beyond-words kind of trip to visit a big sister we were missing like crazy. And what a time to mold young minds with the richness and history of such a beautiful continent.

It's a shame we were so hard to look at during this time in our lives.

(Belgium; circa 1999)

(I'm sorry, Ashley, to drag you down with me. But I know we both agree. Though, your awkward skinny stage was a heck of a lot cuter than my bad haircut and post-impacted cuspids surgery stage.)

So Noah and I made a return trip - if for no other reason, but to have pictures I could look at without laughing.

Updates are forthcoming...

"New HAMPshire?!"

2010-11-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

In mid-September, Noah and I finally checked 13.1 off the list. We’ve been meaning to run a ½ marathon since the uber-popular Ogden marathon dashed our hopes on its waiting list a few years ago. And ever since then, schedules just didn’t sync. There would be one in NYC the day we were flying to Utah, or one in Utah the week after we left, or timing was fine but our running shape was debatable. Or timing was perfect, shape was adequate, but the course was a twice loop that double-backed on itself around Queens. Now that just sounds like torture.

But that all changed when someone put a bug in my ear about a half marathon along a lovely New England course in the fall, whereupon finishing, participants pack those calories right back on with freshly-baked apple crisp. You read right. Apple crisp.

We prepared as well as schedules would allow and pounded out a great 10 mile run up the length of Manhattan one Friday night (oh… to be young and married in NYC on a Friday night. We’re such a party.) and I figured that was good enough. I managed to convince myself our race-day adrenaline would make up the difference.

As we stood in the pack that morning, the only word that seemed to float up from the murmur of voices was “mumble, mumble, HILLS, mumble, HILLS, HILLS, mumble.” We’d been warned that the course had its share of ups and downs and ups. After training on the completely wussy terrain that is the Hudson River Park, I suddenly found myself allotting that race-day adrenaline to making up the hills difference.

The race wasn't scheduled to begin until 10:00am, relatively late in the running world, but because of the typically cool New England autumn temperatures, the party gets started a little later. As the temperatures steadily climbed and the humidity became increasingly oppressive, the topic among the murmur of voices started to shift, “mumble, mumble, HOT, mumble, HUMID, mumble, mumble, FEELS LIKE I’M TRYING TO BREATHE IN A SAUNA.” Not to be deterred, I assigned one more task to that race-day adrenaline of mine.

This is also about the time I started to believe the announcement that had been made no less than 67 times, “no iPods.” They probably don’t me. Because if they did, they would know that 13.1 miles without Gaga, Ke$ha or Kanye (I didn't say I was proud of my running mix...) was going to take more of that race-day adrenaline and I was fresh out.

So I did what any rational runner would do. Shoved the earbuds in my sports bra in case I needed to resort to tunes.

I needed.

I was bummed to hit a wall so much sooner than expected. I made the fatal mistake of slipping those earbuds in just a quarter mile out from the hand off point for the relay. Race officials were swarming, my bib number radioed in and I was disqualified.

It turns out DQ'd is more of a mental punishment than anything else, because I still ran, still crossed the finish line, still received my medal that doubles as a bottle opener, still got that apple crisp (and really, this was the point...) and still had my name included in the posted results. But you better believe I did not enjoy my music for even one minute. You are sly, race officials. You, with your stopwatches and mind games.

As I neared the finish line, I came up on a girl I'd talked to earlier in the race. A little companionship was exactly what the two of us needed to get through the final stretch. As we got chatting, she mentioned she was from AZ and I said I was from UT and that's how we discovered we were both a couple of Mormons running in NH. A game of "do you know...?" and before you know it, we had crossed the finish line.

As discouraging as the run felt, there was something reassuring about finishing the race and talking to others who had a tough run, too. Ha! What does that say about me? Misery loves company? In this case, misery = Allison and company = when, as long as I had to endure a grueling run, everyone else had to, too.

This seemed to apply to everyone except for Noah, who had a great run in spite of it all. He ended up catching up and finishing with relay runners. Also, he is ridiculously good looking when he runs with his serious face.

In truth, there was a really supportive and empathetic vibe among runners during the race. None of us ran the race we'd hoped to run and it may not have been the race we were expecting, but there was such camaraderie and encouragement, that it became the overriding emotion of the experience.

Of course, we loved spending race day with the Ures. Kemper and I go way back. We're talkin' learning about the Netherlands and Wrap-Ups in Mrs. Callantine's and Mrs. Rothey's 4th grade classes way back. This cute gal also made the smarty-pants decision to attend USU, so we happily kept in touch throughout college. Noah and I also got to know her husband, Joseph, in classes and committees. The sweet pair live in New Hampshire with their adorable daughter, and as luck would have it - they were running the Applefest together, too.

Noah just looks like he's giving himself a thumbs-up. In reality, he's talking to Kemper - who is not in the red sports bra and little black shorts, but behind the guy in bright yellow.

I did a double take when I thought the same girl was also in this picture. But no - Joseph and I are pictured here chasing a different girl in a red sports bra and little black shorts.

The series of photos where I pretend running is the most hilarious thing ever...

Crossing the finish line with pep in his step.

After an afternoon of recouping on their wraparound porch and a beautiful evening at Lake Winnipesaukee, we were ready to send for our things, never leave New Hampshire and spend the rest of our lives quoting "What About Bob?"

Open, Open

2010-10-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

The hat's about to make its third appearance on this blog in what will feel like as many weeks. I assure you I actually wore it over something like 5 weeks. But hey - when you spend a whole $10 on a hat in Chinatown, you want to make sure you get your Alexander Hamilton's worth. That, and it's been a few shakes too long since I had my hair done. People are beginning to ask when I put the dark in my hair.

All that to say... my hat and I joined our dear friend Kimber for - oh, you know - the US Open Women's Final. I know! This hat of mine has really great friends.

Kimber's uncle kindly gave her tickets to several games, and in a rapid succession of ufortunately/fortunately, wherein Kimber's husband Brett had to work (unfortunately) and I did not (fortunately), I happily accepted the invite.

It did make this the second Saturday night in a row that I ditched Noah for great tickets (Wicked lotto tickets the weekend before with Megan), but it meant Noah was able to catch up with our good friend, Jake, to go see some manly movie I would have refused to see (so manly, in fact, I have forgotten what it was).

I'd never been to a professional tennis match before, so this was a fun first. It was amazing to see really great tennis up close. It's so impressive to see a strategy on the court with the actual talent to execute on that strategy. Placing shots with such precision and control is how I win tennis games in my dreams - I win them in real life with dumb luck and the fact Noah's first serve is powerful, but rather unreliable.

Since it was the championship game, we also got to hang around for the trophy presentation, Clijsters' cute little girl on the court and Mary Carillo's slightly awkward interview with Zvonareva. "So. You didn't win..."

The real highlight of the evening was getting to spend time with this sweet gal. Kimber and I randomly decided to go on a run together one Saturday afternoon and we were fast friends from there. It's not hard to enjoy time spent with this beautiful, bright, driven girl - except that it can make your head hurt trying to figure out how she's managed to fit so much living and so many accomplishments into so few years.

And let us not forget the singing of our national anthem from none other than Chaka Khan. I admit I didn't even realize this is who Chaka Khan was. Of course I've heard the name (you don't get a Cold Stone grab-and-go creation named after you without a little name recognition), but it wasn't until a) she sang that I realized she was a singer and b) I decided to include this photo that I looked her up and learned she's the one responsible for "I'm Every Woman."

Oh yeah, totally stuck in my head now. And I couldn't resist getting it stuck in yours, too.

There Is Only This.

2010-10-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing we got those iPhones. After riding in a car that belongs to Cromars to go to a place Cromars had researched to participate in an activity Cromars had to coach us through all while using the Cromar's equipment, it hit us - we're not sure what we bring to the table when it comes to this relationship.

Until it came time to find a place for dinner at Noah's UrbanSpoon app saved the day.

I know what you're thinking - Noah's phone. So is Allison just dead weight? You said it.

Speaking of dead weight, this month's adventure with the Cromars was rock climbing in the Peters Kill area of Minnewaska State Park.

I'm relieved to admit my rock climbing skills are a little more impressive than my ice climbing skills. And my bow hunting skills are far superior to my computer hacking skills.

The most quote-worthy moment of the day came when Kevin was midway through his first climb. We weren't into the whole warm-up-on-a-wussy-climb idea (who am I kidding? I would have been a-okay with a warm-up-on-a-wussy-climb idea), so it was pretty challenging. He hit a point where you had to ask yourself, "where WILL he go from here?" and Lauren encouragingly reminded him he didn't have to expend all his energy on this first ascent. To which Kevin replied in strained tones, "there is only this." Well said.

It was an absolutely gorgeous September afternoon with the greatest company. Thanks, as always, Cromars!

Smiths: A Pictorial

2010-10-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

Summer seems to have gotten away from us. If I hadn’t unburied my box of scarves from the back of the closet this afternoon, I may not believe it’s already October. But back when the sun was kissing our cheeks and the heat and humidity were so oppressive even capris and tees felt like we were wearing thermal underwear, we were the lucky hosts to three and ¾ of our very favorite people.

We had a wonderfully low-key weekend with the Smiths, watching the World Cup USA vs. Ghana game under the Manhattan Bridge, hitting up the park and finding the best ways to get wet, spending time out on the roof deck and, of course, a trip to Shake Shack for a little something sweet.

I’ve been waiting to blog about their visit, because Jon and Melissa’s photography is so stunning, I knew a post without it would hardly do it justice. Even between the newest addition to their beautiful family and weekly gigs (the duo recently launched their own photography business and some very, very lucky couples and families have been spending their weekends with the pair), sweet Melissa edited and sent these photos from their weekend. Every time we hang out with these two, I end up with a new Facebook profile picture. Is there any higher compliment?

And because a picture is worth a thousand words and I happen to have a lot of great ones from these talented photogs, “what’s say we” just let the pictures do the talking…

This picture makes me laugh a little, because this makes us laugh almost every day. Some art museum? Vegas hotel? No - just the ceiling of our lobby. Subtle, understated... When Ashley and her girls visited last winter, Abbey gazed cautiously at a relief of several cherubs (not pictured here and not always noticed when competing with the ceiling) and said, "those aren't like any kids I've ever seen."

Sister in the City

2010-09-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

I just can't get enough of this beautiful girl.

While my adorable kid sister, Megan, holds down the Furniss fort in northern Utah, my parents are eager to be sure she gets to spend lots of time with family. Which means graciously shipping her out east for the occasional sisters weekend. Yeah, we'll take that bullet. Right, Megs? :)

Megan visited NYC last year with our parents, so Megan Takes Manhattan Part II was a markedly more laid-back tour of the city. A perfect fit for my delightfully laid-back sis.

The first morning, Megan spent an hour+ kicking my booty around the gym. Megan is majoring in human movement studies (formerly exercise science) and just finished a corporate wellness internship with Verizon - and I tell you what, this gal knows her stuff. I thought I was in decent shape. But the look on my face when I realized I had two more sets of plyos and sprints probably screamed less "let's do this!" and more "you're going to have to scrape me off the floor when I give up, pass out and let the treadmill run its course."

One of the best parts of Megan's trip was introducing her to and spending time with a few of our dear friends. We met up with Tamara and Brian and their kids for a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and Grimaldi's in the park. The group hit the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory afterward, and little T enjoyed it the way ice cream was meant to be enjoyed.

(Best part: the chocolate mark on her forehead from the rim of the cup.)

The Smedley's aren't just good friends - they're also good luck. They kindly joined us for the lottery to win Wicked tickets, and after the Wicked Lotto Guy (aka - the guy who gets off being withholding - reference, anyone?) made little T cry insisting she had to write her own name in order to enter the lottery (she can - but it is TOUGH to perform under pressure!), we came out victorious. In the words of the guy next to us who won before we did, "what!" You read correctly - not so much a question as much as a statement of incredulousness.

Sunday was our staple Chelsea Market, High Line and West Village routine and the most delicious broiled veggies and pasta salad you can even imagine. Could have also been that it was Fast Sunday and we were all famished.

We spent Labor Day laboring 8 miles up and down the Hudson River Parkway. Megan admitted she's not one for running distances and as we started out, she bolted off at a pretty decent clip. I gave pause for a pitying inward thought, "oh, megs..." - knowing she probably wasn't used to pacing herself for longer runs and figuring she'd run out of steam soon.

Nope. Not so much. The little rockstar kept a killer pace for 8 miles with umph left for a sprint toward the end. What gives?

We met up with Noah and another great friend, Jeff, for a Yankees game in the blazing sun. You would have thought we'd handpicked the folks sitting next to us to give Megan the gen-u-ine New Yorker experience. It was not so - but we did get a few good laughs out of their, ahem, zealous support of the team.

Labor Day was also significant for another reason. And it was only appropriate that Megan be there to share it with me. Three months ago, Megan came home from work telling tales of the 5C Challenge - essentially, no sugar until Labor Day. Noah shot a sidelong glance in my direction and wisely remarked, "you could never do that." He beat me by just a breath as I started to say, "I could never do that." Which is precisely why I needed to do that. So for three months I said goodbye to all things artificially delicious with a big circle on the calendar around the date September 6.

We blew it in style. We warmed up on Red Vines and gummy worms during the Yankees game and some pre-dinner chocolate toffee almonds from Whole Foods. We enjoyed dinner at Gigino's in Tribeca (delicious in its own right, but this is about the sweets) before meeting up with Danielle and Matt for pie at Bubby's. Oooh, baby.

The sugar was literally coursing through my veins by night's end. But I am ~~not~~ ashamed to admit we hit Magnolia for pumpkin cheese cake between rounds at H&M, Daffy's and Century 21 the next day. Girls need their shopping fuel, right?

Excuse the poor composition of this shot. I couldn't leave out this cute picture of Megan. It's not her fault the gal behind the lens put a globe on her head.

We adore this sweet, funny, smart, fun, motivated girl. Loved your visit, Megs! Thanks for making it happen, Mom and Dad!

Guest Book: Chris and Mindy

2010-09-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

We have been looking forward to our visit from Noah's mom, Christine, and his sister, Mindy, all year! The call of the US Open song was too strong to keep these tennis aficionados away for long (Noah and Allison are a decent draw. Roddick and Clijsters sweeten the pot considerably.) and we're so glad it happens to be in our own backyard.

Before they came out, Mindy was explaining to her son, Josh, where we live. By the end of the conversation, Josh was apparently pretty concerned about our well being - what with our no yard/no car/no bedrooms existence. She also used this information + stories of art museums and lots of walking around a city to convince him why this was going to be a grown-ups-only trip, so I had to laugh when Mindy refrained from a photo of the display at the new Lego store in Rockefeller Center, knowing Josh would spot the photo and insist there are fun things for kids in NYC. Hilarious! I love how well Mindy knows her kids :).

The ladies took the NYC museum scene by storm while Noah and I wrapped up work, then we caught a "street meat" dinner (because we're classy hosts like that) before checking out Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue and Grand Central Station.

Saturday was Noah's famous lower Manhattan tour (a throwback to his USU Ambassador days. just waiting for him to start walking backward around the city...) and Clinton Street brunch at Tompkins Square Park with the potheads and weirdos. Seriously - do park goers get any stranger than this bunch? I submit that they do not.

We serpentined around the city and ended up back downtown in time for a visit to Purl Soho, where Noah joined the rest of the testosterone in the room at the shopping legs table (I saw them exchange knowing glances as he sat down). I've been looking for an excuse to visit this delightful fabric store, but knew I had to go with a seamstress extraordinaire like Chris. The woman knows fabric like the back of her hand, so it was fun to explore with an expert. From there, we were off to dinner and a show - Chris generously treated us to tickets to Memphis. It was amazing! One of our very favorite shows we've seen.

Sunday was an absolute highlight of the trip. After church, we packed a picnic to the High Line and as we dined, were serenaded by a group with guitars, harmonicas, you name it... singing everything from John Denver to the Beatles (though, I suppose John Denver and the Beatles aren't exactly on opposite ends of the "everything" scale).

After lunch, we enjoyed a nice walk through the Village, then retreated to our apartment for a few hours to escape the oppressive heat before venturing uptown in search of this building:

Noah's grandmother attended NYU for a time when she was a young girl. In fact, NYC is the scene of Grandma and Grandpa Riley's engagement. A month or so ago, Grandma found a letter her younger sister sent while she was living out here. Armed with the address, we came to this building - excited to realize it's a building we've passed often on Broadway in Morningside Heights. While we were there, we gave Grandma a quick call and sent a few pictures of the building. It's so fun to feel connected to Noah's grandparents this way and to think about the adventures they had at our age. I loved this note she sent back:

How fun to see the place where I lived 64 years ago!!! It brings back many happy, special memories, not only of the nine months I lived there but especially the week that Grandpa and I spent together seeing exactly the things you, Mindy and Chris are seeing while you are there. New York City is definitely an exciting place to be.

Looking at this picture I can just visualize Dave (the door man) standing on the side walk and opening the door for us with a great big smile. He always called us ladies and he was dressed very properly with gold trim on his grey suit and hat. And then I can see Frank the nice little black guy who ran the elevator for us with another big smile. His hair was so startling black that we thought he probably touched it up with black shoe polish. (The reason I know Frank's name is that I just found a poem in my book that I wrote about New York for my literature class at NYU.)

Mindy, after being in New York you will enjoy reading my diary more about our activities there. It was truly a glorious nine months of my life. Thank you all for the call and the picture. I am just happy that 'my' building hasn't been bull dozed over for a newer more modern building. Try to visualize me leaving the building and going in the wrong direction to buy ice cream for everyone in our apartment. It took a few blocks for me to realize that the numbers on the street were going up (or down) when they should have been gong the opposite. I was always lost, either on foot or subway. I am surprised Norma and our roommates even let me out of the apartment.

After our visit with Grandma, we stopped by the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and the LDS Temple before heading over to Julliard and Lincoln Center. The Metropolitan Opera happened to be broadcasting a performance of the Magic Flute on the plaza at Lincoln Center. We made our way to a grassy area further away from the crowd, but still within earshot of the music and spent the evening chatting and getting our Mozart on.

Perfect evening and wonderful company. Thanks for making the trip, Chris and Mindy!

'Allo Gov'na

2010-09-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Off the southern tip of Manhattan is a little spot of land called Governor's Island. One lazy summer Saturday, Noah and I cut across the park and hopped aboard the ferry. (The pre-boarding survey was awesome. "How did you get here?" On foot. "How do you plan to get home?" Also on foot...? Maybe they're used to visitors from more exciting locales than across the street.)Don't get me wrong, I really loved this place - but Gov's has the makings for the set of horror movie.

Used as a military facility by British and American forces for more than 200 years, the place has essentially been deserted for the last 15 years. As in, looks like people just up and left, deserted. (That's probably not dramatic enough - deserted usually means up and left, I suppose.) As in, tapestries still hanging on the church walls and didn't drain the toilets, up and left, deserted.

After I got over the initial eeriness of its desertion, I quickly moved on to the realization that there are houses - full on neighborhoods with full. on. houses. - just the tiniest stone's throw away from Manhattan. I was already hatching a plan to move into one of those houses (the ultimate fixer-upper) when Noah reminded me of the logistical catastrophe that would be home improvement projects on a tiny island that was otherwise deserted and only reachable by ferry. Plus, there is always the inconvenient detail - not for sale.

We made a loop around the island (well, no - we made an erratic path around the island that looked like one of those Family Circus cartoons) and eventually came to the hammock grove. The grove of hammocks... and Adirondack chairs. The former were full, the latter were not. And so, we enjoyed a nice sit.

Somewhere in the process of our outing we snapped this shot of the skyline, including our building. Not sure what happened to make it turn out this way - but I'm a fan!

Week. End.

2010-08-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am living for weekends these days. I find myself looking more and more forward to Fridays, making this a particularly painful topic for a Monday. Fortunately, that's mostly a reflection on the great weekends we've been enjoying lately and not necessarily the daily grind of the weekdays.

We made a daytrip to Fire Island with the Smiths and Cromars. And while the summer cold made for an achy bod and a confusing exchange with a waitress, it was not enough to put a damper on beach time with a few of our favorites. In moving out here, I never really thought of the city in terms of nearby beaches. But yes, as a matter of fact, we are near the water. How's that for weekend recreation and also an explanation of early colonization of the area?

The next weekend, Wheelers indulged us by joining in on our free/last-minute (typical.) plans - a Friday night showing of BIG at the Hudson River Park. I have two very salient memories from watching that movie as a kid - the trampoline in the loft and the scene where he cries himself to sleep at the seedy hotel in the theater district. In fact, if you're one of the people I've spoken with lately about NYC's dramatic transformation in the last few decades, this is usually the scene I'm picturing when I discuss the NYC in the '80s. What evidently did NOT stick from my childhood viewing of BIG was the love scene and story - i.e. a major point of the plot. A majorly awkward point of the plot.

We also took a trip up to the Bronx for an afternoon at the zoo with Hydes and Arnetts. We appreciated Arnetts' little guy for lending a little credibility to our cause by bringing down the mean age of the group.

And this weekend, we were delighted with a surprise visit from the Morrises. Ashlee and I were roommates during the DC chapter, and she and her husband Nate are still there tearin' up that town. We enjoyed lots of great conversation, statistically-improbable stories about Nate's lineage, no-strings-attached free bowling and the best Indian cuisine we've had in the city.

Back up. Free bowling? Why, yes. We were perusing a street fair in the Village when a giant bowling pin approached bearing free bowling tickets. No strings attached. I know what you're thinking... "but Allison, where they really get you is the shoes." No. Also free. Nearly the perfect diversion for four wanders, except that -- hitch -- all of us were in sandaled feet. No socks and bowling shoes? Pass. But leave it to the street fair to solve all our problems with the socks and underwear booth.

$2 and three pairs of ankle socks later (that's all I had in cash, and that socks salesman drives a hard bargain. Noah just ended up bowling in his street shoes.), we were bowlers. We bowled.

We didn't realize we had a ringer in our midst until Nate divulged his deepest, darkest secret: South Carolina state CHAMPION in doubles bowling. With his grandfather. That is the swagger of a man who knows his way 'round the alley.

Which is why Noah earned some serious bragging rights when he came out victorious. That is the stance of a man who beats the South Carolina state champion in doubles bowling.

It did get me thinking... Nate, was grandpa the weaker link? If so, no disrespect to grandpa, but you and Noah could pair up and really show SC a thing or two. Just sayin'.

City Perks

2010-08-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

Living here has its perks.

The fact that nearly every new product is marketed here means sometimes we are handed free granola bars as we walk down the street.

The fact that it's a major, major metropolitan area means sometimes Noah gets to check things off his bucket list.

Still waiting for that really awesome day when he gets both.

Many thanks to the organizing minds behind the outing for making all of Noah's dreams come true.

Do I Know You?

2010-08-05T14:57:00.001-07:00

I've always creeped myself out a little bit with my superhuman memory. Like the time when I was 10 and I was at Classic Skating with some friends (what's the trashy equivalent for "did I just date myself?" ... "did I just white trash myself?") and I saw a guy and I knew his name was Chris* and the only reason I knew that was from looking at my sister's junior high yearbooks? Not even like Chris was a hunky guy or anything. I just saw his name, saw his face, and somehow committed it all to memory.

Not sure why I used to pass the time looking at my siblings' year books. But I did that. A lot.

Moving on...

We hop on the subway to head home last night and I'm standing next to this girl I know. Like I know I know. And I don't know her name or really anything else about her. But I know for almost-certain she and I were camp counselors at the same summer camp six years ago with 200+ other counselors and true - we didn't actually know each other all that well even at the time - but I'm pretty sure that's why I know this face.

The guy talking to her has a Russian accent, and I think to myself, "well - if she's Russian, we have our answer." Pretty sure girl from camp = not Russian.

But then I hear her talk and accentless. So now I'm even more convinced. And I do it. I play the creeper stranger card. "This is probably really strange to ask, but..." Because you know it's going to drive me crazy if I don't.

AND...

Sure enough. Counselors at the same girls camp in Maine six summers ago. And now we're standing next to each other on a subway car in Manhattan reintroducing ourselves.

It makes me think the universe sometimes does things just to see if we'll notice.

As we walked home, Noah told me about this NY public radio interview he listened to about face blindness. Or, more accurately, prosopagnosia. It sparked the most fascinating conversation about what it would be like if that was your reality. Meeting people and promptly forgetting them. One example shared in the interview (we went straight home and unloaded the dishwasher as we listened to this interview. it's always a party at the Riley pad.) was even to the extent that the man didn't recognize the woman he lived with for two years upon seeing her again. This is unreal to me - I can't even imagine. And it has my mind going about 200 mph just thinking of what that must be like.

By the way, this also happened to me a few weeks ago when we were headed uptown to meet some friends. The familiar face and I kept exchanging glances, so I was sure he recognized me, too. Totally thinking I've probably met this person at some church function. Maybe I should be nice and go out on a limb first. Toss a "remind me where we've met" out there. But before I could make a total fool of myself I realize it's this guy. Kidding, I just wanted a reason to say that again :). It was this guy.

Cheater.

2010-08-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

The tastiest corner of this city just so happens to lie 10 floors below our very feet.

48th and 6th.

That's where the fruit guy and gal set up shop each afternoon. Bearers of berries. Purveyors of peaches. Pickers of plums. Champions of cherries. Merchants of mangoes. The colossus of clout. {*The colossus of clout.*}

We're not on a first-name basis. But he calls me sweetheart. And I ask about her daughter.

I peeked out Noah's office window this afternoon to be sure they were there, then ran down for my daily ration of goods.

I was greeted with a smile, an explanation to other fruit seekers that I get to pick out my own fruit (being a daily customer comes with its perks) and an inquiry, "where have you been? haven't seen you in a while!"

I didn't have the heart to tell them I made a Costco run last week. And we didn't need their services for a few days while we polished off seven pounds of grapes, four pounds of strawberries, three pounds of cherries, three pounds of blueberries, three mangoes, two muskmelons, two pineapples and a bunch of bananas.

I felt like I'd cheated on them.

They sure showed me what I'd been missing.

Those peaches are the size of softballs and those apricots are 10/$1.00. Better believe we're making jam.

Bisitors*

2010-07-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

*97% of the time when I think the word "visitors" - in my head, I pronounce it "bisitors." And there is some sort of accent associated with it. It seems to have a Latin influence. Why do I do this? Is this a movie quote? A sisters thing? Someone help me out...

July has been a landmark month for visitors. In a 17-day stretch, we spent some portion of 14 of those with friends, family, toddlers, babies and one dog in the house. Our doormen are probably getting suspicious.

We were lucky to spend the 4th of July weekend with our favorite Aussies, Ben and Natalie. I know I've said it before - all company is nice, but it's especially sweet to have family visit. Noah and I commented several times during their visit that this was one of our favorite weekends in New York City. A few old standbys, a few new destinations, a lot of laughs and great conversation.

New Destination: Clinton Street Baking Co. Not sure how we made it this long in the city without stepping foot into Clinton Street. Not sure how life was worth living before stepping foot into Clinton Street. Over the top? Eat their maple syrup and then you tell me.

On the way to our life-altering brunch, I had an unfortunate encounter with a ketchup packet on the Lower East Side. Truly, I didn't think it was possible to get everysingledrop of ketchup on my shorts without even the slightest bit of it left behind or squirting on the ground. But folks, the ketchup packet and I defied the laws of physics. Also impressive how the ketchup seemed to land in all the right compromising places. So my ketchupy shorts and I hit the new Nordstrom Rack at Union Square before meeting up with the crew at the Met. In my new shorts. That looked exactly like my old shorts. Except, you know, hold the condiments.

Old Standby: One of our favorite areas of town is the High Line in Chelsea/Meatpacking District. After perusing Chelsea Market, we hit the High Line and Nat channeled her inner-runway. Posing. Posing a threat, that is.

New Destination: Spice Market for dinner. We'd heard great things - and they're all true. Delicious food, unique menu, killer ambiance. A million thanks to our incredibly generous guests for treating us and also for insisting we use the restroom so we wouldn't miss the awesomeness that was the other floor of the restaurant. Loved this place, will definitely be back.

We also caught a few shows with Ben and Natalie. We saw Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth in Promises, Promises - felt a tad lackluster in the first act, but the first scene of the second act made me laugh so hard I cried. (Tell me if you've seen it so we can laugh uproariously at the word "owl.") Also grabbed tickets to a 4th of July-themed improv show at Upright Citizens Brigade. After getting over my fear that they were actually just luring us down there to rob us (sketchy theater much?), I learned George Washington reminds me a little of Noah's brother, Jesse, and Dwight D. Eisenhower has a potty mouth.

People have been swearing up and down that Levain has the greatest cookie in this town. Got that intel from no fewer than 7 unsolicited sources in as many days. So we made like a tree and scrammed to the Upper West Side.

It's at about this point that I remember the second part of all their stories, "...and we went on a Saturday because it closes so early." "...and we decided we had to stop in because we're rarely on the UWS during the day and it closes so early." "...closes so early." "...so early."

And so, old standby: Pinkberry, anyone?

And since it was the anniversary of our country's independence, we joined the masses along the Hudson for the fireworks. I would be lying if I said I didn't think once or twice - as I tunneled a path to *turns out* nowhere through people whose deod had long since thrown in the towel in the fight against the hot, humid evening - that independence was overrated, and let's maybe duck out for some fish and chips.*

*I kid. I'm actually a huge fan of living in a free country.

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

2010-06-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

If you've spent any sort of time around us, you've probably heard us talk about Noah's younger brother, Jordan.

That same Jordan who has weaned himself of needing {even wanting} to sleep in a bed, who attempted a sleep-30-minutes-every-four-hours routine {"productivity is through the roof!"}, whose near-arm-loss during the talent portion spelled the demise of the Mr. Genola pageant, who tried to make himself immune to giardia by drinking down the river in intervals.

Well, the one and the same made his way to NYC for a quick visit in May, and as one might expect, a great time was had by all.

Jordan didn't have a ton of time in the city, but we hit most of the midtown sites, the LDS Temple, Julliard/Lincoln Center {Jordan is an extremely talented classical guitarist, so music-related sites and stops were high priority} and Central Park before a quick bite at Shake Shack. Then we headed downtown for a stroll through the Financial District and across the Brooklyn Bridge.

The guys caught a Josh Ritter / Annie and the Beekeepers concert on evening two and by morning three, we were already bidding Jordan adieu {not for long, though, as we met up in San Diego the next day...}.

The trip was not without its classic Jordan antics. My favorite is how he managed to take a cash-only DC-NYC bus trip and eat a cash-only meal in Chinatown without a single dime in his pocket {plenty of dimes on a debit card, but in a city that's frustratingly opposed to plastic...}. Didn't seem to faze people. The guy is inherently trustworthy.

Quick trip - but I hope we convinced you this is your kind of town, Jordan! Thanks for the visit!

Family Upstairs

2010-06-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

Some of the sweetest blessings when living away from family are the friends who become like family. We've been fortunate to meet a lot of wonderful friends who fit the description. But the camera's out a lot with one surrogate family especially, and after Tamara shared these pictures with me the other day my happy heart had to sing their praises a bit on the blog.

When Noah and I were considering new apartments, we kept our search largely to one neighborhood in the city. And by that, I mean even 6 square blocks of one neighborhood in the city. Most of our closest friends lived in one general area, and the prospect of maintaining a little consistency in the wake of that particular move was appealing. But we did happen upon just a few outliers - one in midtown that seemed too good to be true (it was.) and another downtown that piqued our interest (the prospect of a gym six flights of stairs below me really spoke to me. the no-hassle workout. now we're talkin').

Imagine our delight when we realized Tamara, Brian and their adorable offspring called the latter home as well. It was especially reassuring to chat with Tamara about the building, the apartment, the neighborhood, etc. before we signed on the dotted line and we've been spoiled by their gracious hospitality since the minute we moved in.

We always find ourselves lost in great conversation in their home - they're both incredibly well-read and wildly intelligent in the most approachable way, and I usually find myself wanting to learn more about two, three, four new topics each time we get together. Best part about it - two of the most adorable kids known to humankind. Overstatement? Not one bit. Exhibit A:

In addition to dinners (sometimes, I don't even put on shoes... glorious!) and surprise treats left at our door (Donut Plant? why yes, thank you!), it has become our occasional Sunday ritual to walk or take a detour home from church with this wonderful family. A few highlights include the Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown, the Muggiest Day of the Year Picnic at Union Square, City Hall Park in Bloom and little T's spring ballet recital. Yes, you're all welcome to breathe a collective sigh at that last one. It was the very definition of "presh."

In all these pictures, I realized this was the only photo of the six of us. iPhone + stranger who only marginally cares how the picture turns out. Squint and maybe we won't seem so blurry...

A Derby Tale

2010-06-08T16:55:00.000-07:00

With only an hour or two to spare before the big race, our pinewood derby call was still just a block of wood, two axles and four plastic wheels in a Ziploc baggie.

I was in the kitchen and realized I hadn’t heard a peep from Noah in quite some time. Somewhat akin to the physiological reaction sparked with a toddler suddenly gone silent, my nervousness was piqued and I peered around the corner to see Noah whittling the wood with a razor blade (city kids, our woodworking tools are sub-par, at best). He stepped into the kitchen for the occasional supply – raiding the recycling for an empty spaghetti sauce jar and surveying our limited selection of paint colors.

He kept a lid on the progress and I kept a lid on prying questions until he popped his head around the corner – “how long does it take papier mache to dry?”

Against my better judgment, I finally inquired about the plan.

It would be an understatement to call Noah’s plan brilliance. But because I have no other words, let’s go with brilliance. Sheer brilliance.It had all the makings of a prize-winning vehicle. And because the mean age of Noah’s competitors was roughly 6.7 years, the odds were really stacked in Wienermobile’s favor.Wienermobile met an unfortunate fate, though, when it proved too tall for the track's restrictive gates.

Not to be deterred, Noah made some impressive last minute adjustments. Much to the chagrin of his pint-sized opponents, Wienermobile 2.0 performed exceptionally well. Beating even that most formidable of opponents ... Wrench Car.Wienermobile 2.0 went on to compete in several heats, remarkably (even, confusingly) securing top honors each time. It wasn't until its final run down the track that Wienermobile 2.0 fell behind Empire State Building and Wii Remote (with fully-functioning buttons).

Between you and me, I think Noah was a little relieved to come in third. He may have been a little self-conscious about being the only adult to come with his very own car and sans his very own kid. Plus, he'd received some pretty menacing looks from the Holman boys about his blatantly non-regulation-abiding vehicle.

Competition - and deep-rooted biases against processed meats - can be brutal.

Places to Go, People to See

2010-05-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

So, it's finally spring. And we're doing stuff.

Sunday walks in Battery Park City, Central Park and lower Manhattan.

(Hint: this picture is not of Noah.)

Golfing in New Jersey with the Cromars. Unless windmills, pirate ships or hitting the driving range with Ben L. in the 10th grade count, I had never actually been golfing. I was pleasantly surprised and Noah was tha-rilled to discover I'm a big fan. Golf has a promising future in our summer plans. Now if only I would get those feet of mine properly shod...

Lauren and me - still smiling even after the ground guy started a conversation with, "if you're going to let the girls play..." Ahem? Who says that?

As tends to happen in this town, with the warmer weather also comes the crowds. It means running an errand that requires cutting through Times Square is now nigh unto impossible. Fortunately, it also means a lot of faces we really love.

After Mike showed that Boston Marathon who's boss, the Eads made their way to NYC for a stroll through the High Line, Thai at Chelsea Market, Shake Shack in the park and a lesson on Antony Gormley's public art exhibition.

I lived with the adorable Megan in China five years (gasp! years!) ago and we've kept in touch through movings and missions and marriages (one each). It was wonderful to see them that evening and we also caught up with them a few days later for some people-watching and grass-sitting (grass!) in Central Park's Sheep Meadow.We were also excited to have the Buswells come to town. Tyler hired Noah for his first on-campus job at the Quick Stop (thanks to that job, I'm forever forbidden from eating corn dogs. or, at least gas station corn dogs. which really are the best kind. so it's kind of like being banned from all of them.) and I met Tyler through classes and mutual friends in Logan. Trails happily crossed again and again and we got to know his lovely Rachel when we were all living in Salt Lake.

Tyler had a work conference in the city, so they made their way out for that - but not before we dragged them (not reluctantly, I might add) all over this city. We hit all the downtown sites, crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, shopped in Chinatown, lunched and cannoli-ed (um, yeah, best cannoli on planet earth. sign says so.) in Little Italy, got our art on at the Met and the Guggenheim, dined at a gen-u-ine NY deli for dinner and kicked back virgin strawberry daquiris at a comedy club in midtown. And that was just Saturday.

Apparently we were too busy having fun to take a picture together during any of the aforementioned activities. So instead, I bring you the lobby of our office building and Allison's fist and arm of justice (what am I doing?).

Tyler and Rachel stayed with us for a few days and then graduated from studio staying to a room at the Waldorf-Astoria (cuz they're classy like that) during the conference. When their trip was unexpectedly cut one day short, they very graciously offered us their room for the evening.

It worked out perfectly, as we just so happened to have family in town also staying at the Waldorf that same evening. "Of all the gin joints..."

We met my aunt Ileen (you may have heard of her... National Mother of the YEAR) and two of her (10!) wonderful children, Angie and Jared, for dinner at Patsy's on the Upper East Side then made our way back to the the hotel. Oh, so convenient.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

2010-05-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

I first heard about this dynamic duo when I was a kiddo - my brother-in-law's best friend married a girl with the same name as his own and I found that to be the most crazy awesome thing I'd ever heard. Granted, I wasn't very old at the time, so my exposure to crazy awesome wasn't terribly extensive and lead contenders were probably the ability to make homemade Pixy Stix with Koolaid and sugar (ugh, gross. still can't believe we did this. my mom was not aware, so please consider her name cleared in the matter.) or learning how to make a boondoggle keychain. But a fun fact nonetheless.

I had the chance to meet "guy Kelly" several times over the next few years as he captured family memories, weddings, new babies and growing nieces and nephews from behind the lens. He shot our engagements and our "fake" wedding day pictures (best idea ever. obnoxious wind on the actual game day? veil blowing away? no biggie, we already have the picture we want and it's already hanging on the wall.) and as Koryn correctly predicted, "he will make you look like a supermodel."

I haven't actually met the lovely "girl Kelly," but I know she's lovely for several reasons:

The Knudsens adore her. I adore the Knudsens. Simple syllogism.
Koryn tipped me off to Kelly's blog a few years ago, and all the breathtaking photography, flawless interior decorating, fabulous hosting ideas, I'm-going-to-invite-myself-over-for-dinner recipes, people-can-actually-grow-gardens-like-that? gardening and ooh-love-that handmade jewelry it entails. Seriously. This gal has perfect taste coming out her ears.

So when Kelly hosted a giveaway for these to-die-for handmade Scrabble pendants - my heart skipped a beat. That doesn't happen a lot. I not the biggest contest enterer (though one would think, with my Craigslisting and Kelloggs free-movie-ing), but this really sang to me.

Well, today - you see, I won.

No big deal.

I'm being totally cool about it.

But I think you should take a glance at what I'm about to be sporting every time you see me. And if you, too, dig her style - check out KellyAnnie.

Sweet Moves, Granny

2010-04-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

Noah got some insider info on a Knicks game not to be missed.

So last Monday night, he found $160 tickets on Craigslist 45 minutes before tip-off and snatched 'em up for $30 (oh, he does make this wife proud...).

Noah, to the ticket seller, upon sealing the deal:

"Nah- it's not even really the game we're going for. You see, there are these dancing grannies..."

As half-time inched closer and our Utah pride started to swell, we got the no-good, very-bad news. Jean's Golden Girls were the pre-game show. Half-time was the Red Panda Acrobat.

What's that? The Red Panda Acrobat can kick 8 bowls off her shin and catch them on her head while she rides a 30-foot unicycle? Pretty cool, I guess.

And fortunately, the dance-cam caught the groovin' grannies' 93-year old star in the tunnel for her signature high-kick and splits. Plus, Noah caught a t-shirt. So the evening wasn't a total bust.

Tradition.

2010-04-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Noah remembered the obscure anniversary again.

This year, he even remembered it in advance (all the more impressive, in my book) and grabbed tickets to catch one of our very favorite musicians, Rocky Votolato.

And so we celebrated Fort Night on the town this year and caused a bit of a stir when we attempted to build a fort out of tables and chairs at the City Winery.

The show was so, so awesome. A friend introduced me to Rocky when I was a freshman in college and he's been one of my favorites - running tunes (who knew songs about corporate greed could have such a great beat?!), relaxing tunes, hosting tunes (if you've ever been at our house, chances are, Rocky was there too. A never-fail guests-gathering playlist). It's the first time we've seen him live, so these were pretty high expectations.

The venue wasn't really what I was expecting - lots of small candlelit tables and a relatively small, intimate crowd. Definitely a lot more low key and laid back than anticipated, but as my high school friends who used to laugh at how little I jumped and danced around at concerts can attest to - this is just my style. (Cl-ear-ly. So stoic! We are enjoying ourselves, I swear...)

Plus, Johnny and Jessica were able to join us before bidding adieu to the city for the W-E-S-T. All the makings of a great night.

Enter: the one person sitting between us and the stage. Rocky's biggest fan ever. I spent the majority of the evening contemplating how to berate this complete stranger on the blog (even though that's my number one paranoia - that some random stranger I will never, ever see again will realize I've written about them...) and then he ruined it for me by being apologetic and actually kind of nice at the end of the show.

But because his shenanigans were such a focal point of our night, here I go dishing anyway...

I couldn't figure out what about the scene bothered me most. The fact he sang along and acted out lyrics with his drank-three-carafes-of-water lady friend across the table (and we've already established, not especially a singing and acting setting). The fact he was right in my line of vision; no way around him. The fact he closed his eyes, lifted his hands to his forehead in prayer position and fell into a brief trance at the end of each song before launching into wild applause. The fact that he sang along louder and acted out lyrics more expressively on his favorite songs... and he and I have a lot of favorite songs in common. Or the fact he raised several snooty toasts and smugly swished his wine all evening while I have a strong suspicion he's only 15.

Even though I'm forfeiting my "good human" status with all this passive aggression directed at a perfect stranger, Rocky definitely earned "good human" status in my book. We got a chance to chat with him for a few minutes after the show and we were so impressed by how kind and genuine he seemed. The Rileys are even bigger fans now.

Hipster stances and a shouted farewell across the Uptown/Downtown divide at Houston Street.

We'll probably still build a fort, just for good measure. If for no other reason but the fact all the furniture we own is within a few feet of each other. Conditions are ripe for a pretty excellent fort.

Trump Card

2010-03-24T12:45:00.001-07:00

I've mentioned before that 2009 was a year of shuffling around the map for the Furniss siblings. New homes, new cities, new adventures. Chapters closing and new chapters waiting to be written.

It wasn't a sudden trend. Mom and Dad have been updating addresses - Dad, likely in his Blackberry; Mom, on the sheet of contact information she keeps taped to the inside of the cereal cupboard - for the five of us since we got the nerve, the government-issued I.D., the desire, the gig, the acceptance letter, the transfer, the opportunity, the hair-brained idea or whatever other combination of factors resulted in a move. But I'll remember 2009 as an especially landmark year when it seemed the whole family was in a constant state of motion.

It's only appropriate that Mom and Dad should play the trump card in 2010 with an adventure of their own. Daejeon, Korea is one lucky city.

Lake Placid, NY

2010-03-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

We were able to ditch the city for a last-minute getaway to Lake Placid with our dear friends, the Cromars, a few months ago. And because they're legitimately hard-core, it meant legitimately hard-core activities were on the agenda.

We started the weekend with a day on the slopes and thanks to half the people we know in Harlem, we were outfitted appropriately. Two Utah kids, born and bred, and the extent of our winter wear now consists of pea coats, wool scarves and knock-off Uggs? Eight-year-old Allison "skiin' the Beav" in her bright pink and green parka never saw this day coming. Ski apparel just didn't make the cut on moving day. So a special shout out to friends for helping us out. Plus, it was an especially exciting day to fit in the skinny mini Nikki K.'s snow pants.

With the morning hours quickly slipping by and a big event that made for a crowded Whiteface, one of the guys at the gear shop in town let us in on a little secret - Big Tupper. If I could quit my job and do PR for companies/organizations with stories like this, I would (though this NCPR interview, a New York Times mention and a slew of local press tells me someone's already doing a nice job of it). The resort has been closed for more than a decade, but the town of Tupper Lake banded together to get it up and running again, based entirely on volunteer effort from the people in town.

We almost missed the roadside marquis with plastic letters indicating the turnoff to Big Tupper. Fortunately we got pulled over and the local authorities assisted us to our destination.

Big Tupper didn't have any of the amenities or bells and whistles of big resorts, but the whole vibe was so friendly and genuine - we loved it. Plus, $15 lift tickets and a ski resort with a .org designation? How nice. It seems ridiculous to admit in the four winters since we tied the knot this was our first time together on the slopes. I fell for Noah all over again. For being {relatively} new to skiing, he was up for the challenge and had such a great attitude about learning. It was fun to give him a few tips and have him actually take them like I knew what I was saying. That's a good husband right there.And by midday, we were busting out tricks with the best of 'em. Ready to pull a gnarly run like the K-12, dude. (Did I lose you? Only those who know me best are still following...)

What appears to be Allison boxing out Noah and Lauren...

No, no, no... thank YOU, Big Tupper.

On day two in the Adirondacks, we climbed a sheer face of ice. No big deal.

Actually, this was a very big deal. Have you tried this?! Wicked hard.

The guy on the left - total natural. The guy and gal on the right - complete pros.
As for me - let's just say this was not a hard photo to capture. I spent a good 10 minutes in this position once I found steady footing and strong holds. This is where I spent some time pondering that age old question, "how big of a wuss am I if I just throw in the towel, hop back down and eat Sun Chips for the rest of the afternoon?"

But thanks to a supportive bunch on the ground, I set my sights a little higher and went until my forearms cried "uncle." And by day's end, I was free climbing - no ropes, no harness - to the very top. Oh wait, not me - that'd be the crazy next to us.

That NOAH, on the other hand. Where did I find this guy?

If you're ever in the opening sequence of a Bond flick and could use a guy to get you out of peril and there happens to be a wall of ice between you and safety - I have this guy's number.

Last, but absolutely not least - our lovely guides and the masterminds behind the Adirondack Adventure, Lauren and Kevin. Thanks to these two, we didn't look quite so much like the proverbial fish out of water. We would have been a disaster getting our gear at the climbing demo without them ("just tell me exactly what to ask for...") and they threw out words like "top rope" and "Petzl" and "Ouray" that made us seem like the real deal. These two are totally the real deal.

B.I.N.G.O.

2010-03-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

I've alluded to the time my sister and I met Jodie Sweetin. I asked her if Danny Tanner was a clean freak in real life. Hmmm? The kid before me stole my question and I panicked.

And then there was the time John Stamos and I repeatedly met one another's gaze (that's probably how he describes it on his blog, too).

Saturday night, at dinner with friends at Bianca on Bleecker, one of the Olsen twins was at the table next to us.

Basically, what I'm saying is - I'm totally owning Full House bingo.

Of Late.

2010-03-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

I've been a little disconnected lately. Not disconnected and minding it, necessarily. But I just haven't had much to say. (Which is crazy, I usually have something to say. "I have no words. This never happens to me! Words are my life!")

This felt like the most "normal" month we've had in quite some time. We had two sets of lovely houseguests at the very beginning of February, including one of my favorite ladies on the planet.

This picture is apt to confuse, because you're likely thinking, "Allison, how is it that Lindsay looks so put together and ready for the day and you look like you rolled out of bed?"The truth is, I don't know. I think I've let myself go. At least that's what I get from this picture. But I do know this was one of my favorite mornings yet in this city - yoga, flea markets and brunch at Bubby's in Tribeca.

We were visitorless for the rest of the month and Noah and I learned what we would do when we had a month without a move, or a trip, or visitors, or general craziness and the answer is... we hibernate. We spent time with wonderful new friends from the new 'hood and got together with dear friends from the old 'hood. We watched two entire seasons of the West Wing. We made ourselves a near-permanent fixture at our neighbors' place for all the Olympic highlights from Vancouver. (It was really just an excuse for great conversation over snacks. And 90% of the time we were in our sweats. And twice, I didn't even wear shoes. I love living in the same building as friends.) We made one museum trip to the Whitney. We were sucked in by Modern Family. We tried for tickets to Wicked and A View from the Bridge. We ate pita chips and hummus or carrot sticks and hummus for more meals than I should admit.

It was a very routine month. And it was very nice.

A few February happenings that stick out from the norm:

Noah indulged me and went to couples yoga with me on Valentine's weekend. I surprised myself when I learned I can hold him up.

He surprised me last week by coming again (I came from home, he came from basketball - so I really was surprised to walk in and see him there).

He surprised me again in that same moment with his fat lip and cracked teeth from said basketball game.

Noah got a speeding ticket. From Australia. For going *look closely* the equivalent of three miles per hour over the speed limit.

Feels Like Home

2010-02-10T15:00:00.001-08:00

It feels like an appropriate week to finally post these pictures of our place that I took a few days ago, but never got around to uploading.

Appropriate because we spent an awful lot of time in the only little square in Manhattan on which we can lay claim (for a 15-month lease, at least) with Wednesday's storm prohibiting much else (save one trip to the recycling closet and a quick step out onto the deck for a picture of snow).

The entryway/hallyway:

(Noelle, you get the credit for the Jacobean. I saw it at your place before I ever saw it at Target. And so began this sordid love affair that consisted of me visiting the rug aisle and standing and deliberating and standing and deliberating every time I went to Target. I wish I had an entire room for the full rug, but the runner added a needed dose of color to this space.)

First left, the bathroom:

Second left, the kitchen - and I left a few dirty dishes in the sink just for you, dear reader:

I don't know if I ever mentioned this mirror before, but how 'bout it?! Rescued from the garbage, scrubbed for bed bugs and the sake of our sanity, then spiffied up with a little love and black paint.

Third left, the bedroom/dining/living room. These pictures made me laugh, almost everything in the room shows up in every shot, regardless of the angle. Ah, the studio:

Another mirror worth mentioning. You may remember the other piece of mirror snagged from a landfill future last summer that met its perfect mate at a flea market in Chelsea (incidentally, it's reflecting my other sweet flea market find - the sun dial on top of the armoire. Many thanks, Ashley, Ali and Joy!). After all the requiste Home Depot trips for wood filler, paint, brushes, sandpaper and mirror hangers and a few trips to Duane Reade for bandaids and Neosporin (there were a few casualties, mostly on Noah's hands), this puppy finally made it on the wall. I'd probably send the guy who sold it to me to an early grave if he saw what I did with its four gilded sides, but I think it packs a lot more punch in robin's egg blue...
We weren't so sure we could make a go of one room living, until we met the roofdeck and decided it would all be worth it next spring. Ah, say it again with me... spring. That storm may have kept us indoors a little too long, and maybe that's the reason for my crankiness the rest of this week... But it sure did make for a pleasant view of Battery Park.

Retraction.

2010-02-05T08:12:00.000-08:00

It has been brought to my attention that I am not hip to the streets.

Said another way, no matter what the title of my last post may suggest, Noah and I were neither the recipients nor the distributors of two free amphetamine tablets taken as a stimulant.

Ben - ny {ben - nee}

-noun. pl: ben-nies. slang

Shortened slang term for the amphetamine "benzedrine," specifically used in literature of the Beat generation.

Sorry to those of you who only got as far as the title and then, worried the big city had finally taken its toll, began hatching a plan to save our souls.

And to you, Grandma, for the inevitable panic attack.

Two Free Bennys.

2010-02-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder how effective cereal box promotions are?

"Send in three UPCs and $1.95 for shipping and handling and you, too, can be the proud owner of a Florida Marlins baseball helmet cereal bowl."

A few months ago I was in the cereal aisle doing my typical scan for yellow price tags that indicate crazy good, or at least better than $6/box, deals on the stuff and the deal du jour happen to be Kellogg's Raisin Bran.

I threw a few boxes in the cart and was on my way. It wasn't until I got home and read the promotion on the boxes as I lifted them from bag to cupboard that I realized it was for a free DVD. Period. No strings attached (well, there are always strings. I'm definitely in a database of cheap-os somewhere.). No shipping fees. Nada.

And score - The Sandlot was one of the options. Clearly, the prospect of Benny "the Jet" Rodriguez (oh, how we used to swoon...) showing up in my mailbox in 30-90 days was worth buying another box or two of cereal to round out the requisite 5 DVD "tokens."

So I did it. And I was not ashamed.

I noticed the deal was still going when Kellogg's went on sale again, so I grabbed a few more boxes and commenced another 5 token collection.

I am not too proud to admit that two tokens awaiting three more companions made the move last fall. Yes. I, Allison Riley, made a concerted effort to safeguard two pieces of cardboard cut from a cereal box in the midst of moving all our earthly possessions from one end of Manhattan to the other.

I am a little too proud to easily admit I felt a distinct moment of dejection when I realized too late we'd tossed a box before cutting out the token.

But victory comes to those who persist (and evidently to those who consume unnatural amounts of cold cereal...) and yesterday, I hit my token quota.

The scene was just as ridiculous as you might imagine. Maybe worse.

A girl in a tailored suit and heels, working intently at her desk in an office somewhere in the heart of the Big Apple. Checking "Benny and Joon" on a cardboard order form whose reverse side bears a portion of what used to be the Frosted Mini Wheats logo and neatly sliding five colorful cardboard tokens into an envelope bound for a P.O. box in Battle Creek.

I felt a little foolish during my 10-floor descent and kept the envelope pressed against my chest as I crossed the lobby to the mail slot so nobody would notice "Free DVD Giveaway" scrawled across its fibers in red ink. I blushed and laughed at myself a little as I dropped the watermarked envelope into the slot, knowing full-well the rest are likely to show up written in crayon.

Keeping Pace with the Paces

2010-01-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

The best part of this city is sharing it with family and friends. I did the math, and if I'm right - we had more than 60 individuals stay at our place in 2009. Obviously, a lot of people came in groups or couples, and there are two repeats (holla! Ash and Ali!). But that's the grand sum of folks who actually slept at our place - not even the fun dinners, lunches, quick hellos (usually over something sweet, because that's how I roll...) we've been able to make work with friends visiting from out of town.

It's crazy to me how different each friend or family member's trip has been. Ultimately, you do end up seeing the same things - but each memory is really specific to the people.

That's what made the visit from the Pace gals such a treat - we've had three infants convince their parents to visit this year (thanks Elsie, Van and Rowan!) - but Miss Abbey and the little Haydster were the first kids to crash at the Riley digs. And seeing this city through their eyes... and at a slightly slower pace, but impressive for those little legs nonetheless... was so much fun.
Hayden was totally digging the Museum of Natural History. In each room, she'd run up to the displays, climb over the bar meant to keep kids' noses off the glass, dutifully press her nose against the glass and then kneel down with her hands in the air. Praise on, little naturephile :). We didn't get a picture of the scene, but I do love this one Ashley captured of Uncle Nobie (as he came to be known over the week) and Hayden at the museum. Hayden also loved her a little Shake Shack. But really, who doesn't approve of greasy, fried potatoes and double-fudge mint truffle shakes?

Abbey's highlights seemed to be anywhere with a little space. If you read my sister's blog (or if you ARE my sister), forgive me for swiping the photos and the observation right from the page. But that Abbey was shakin' her groove thang every time space permitted and it was adorable. I can understand the desire, though - she was probably feeling a little "what the?" from the dramatic drop in square footage from suburban home to city studio combined with "no Abs, you really can't run around..." on every subway and bus.
Abbey also seemed to take to corporate life like a fish to water, familiarizing herself with the corner office and providing at least as much input as I usually do on a client call. And I can't forget perspective from my other favorite girl - the mom extraordinaire and all-around amazing woman whose genes...ahem... I happen to share in common (although - how did she get so many looks fab with two kids genes?).

I hope it's fair to say Ashley's highlights consisted of the modern miracle that is Junior's Devil's Food Cheesecake...

...and our flea market finds in Chelsea. We haggled with the best of them and Ashley came away with a vintage radio and the ultimate respect of the man who sold it to her who thought she was uber-hip for decorating her girls' room with flea market finds.

Thanks to Ashley's sweet generosity, I came away with a few treasures of my own. I didn't think to snap a picture of the hat or giant sun dial I proudly/sheepishly carried back into the house after swearing to Noah upon our departure, "I didn't really need anything..."

Ashley and I have more than a handful of memories together. In fact, we have a lot of memories we often confuse for our own when it turns out it's the other's. That'll happen when you're 18 months apart, both start with the letter "A" and have almost identical hobbies/interests/pursuits for 16.5 years.

And though the matching jumpers and waistband days are more distant and our hobbies/interests/pursuits have taken their own paths, the memories are all the sweeter.

Thanks for visiting, Ash!

I readily admit - I cried when they left. Ashley's fault. She left a note.

Happy New Year - with the Haydster and Abbeylicious

2010-01-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

I'm not a terribly impulsive person. Sure, I've walked out of the house with no intention of purchasing galoshes before my return and returned with galoshes nonetheless. But I let most decisions marinade a bit before I pull the trigger.

But compare me to my CPA (and all the wonderful, but typical personality and behaviors that implies...) sis and I seem like I belong at the end of the scale with our great aunt who got married in Reno after a few drinks and a heart-t0-heart about belief in a higher power. (For the record, I am not knocking this story. One of my all time faves. Wish I'd know this particular family member better, for sure.)

So now you get the picture - Ashley and Allison, not the most impulsive gals on the street. Which is why we both surprised ourselves when - faced with the unexpected flexibility of a few extra days off work - ideas were thrown out, plane tickets purchased and a half-baked plan, in which we wake up her babies at midnight to ring in the new decade in Times Square, was born.

Ashley and her sweet kiddos got into town Thursday evening and we partied (and when I say partied, I mean roasted red pepper and feta hummus and gummy bears kind of partied...) at our office in midtown for the evening. Our office is just a block off Times Square (albeit a quiet block off Times Square. They're not kidding when they shut that block down.), so it worked out well to be near the action without being in the lose-a-hand-or-nose-to-exposure and wear-a-diaper-'cause-y'ain't-leavin' action.

It was also nice to be a landing spot for these rockstars who did brave a few hours in the thick of the action. (But I feel, for their sakes, the need to disclose that they used the restroom before they left the office and didn't use it again until they returned.)
The girls were pleasantly wired from their first night in the big city, or perhaps because I can't say no to one particularly adorable towhead who politely signs for more gummy bears.

They were so much fun to be around and sleep didn't even seem like a consideration until they crashed promptly at 11:15pm. JUST enough time for us to wake them back up at 20 minutes 'til and run to 59th Street for the countdown. I know, I KNOW - Child Protective Services will read this and say I'm unfit to raise another human being. I say we're making memories.We met up with the crowd in Central Park and pressed on as far as we could - a distant view of Times Square down 7th, a giant countdown monitor so we'd know exactly when it was go-time and fireworks behind us in the park. That'll do. Not bad for fairly minimal effort.
I was tempted not to fix the red eye in these photos. It really added to Hayden's glossy stare.
If you think these photos are the best thing ever, you should see the video of Miss Abbey right at midnight. It is just classic enough it might inspire me to learn how to upload a video on this blog. In our defense (no really - you have one, Allison?), she growls because she hates fireworks, not because her crazy aunt woke her up at midnight to go stand in a crowd of one million people.

A Few More

2010-01-13T11:25:00.003-08:00

I tried to add these to the last post. Blogger was so over it.

I breezed by Central Park in the recap just because I didn't have any images to add to the story. But I got these from Daddy-o yesterday and they made me smile.

I love this picture of my Dad with his baby girl. What a handsome guy. Now you see why I'm such a handsome woman... :).

This is all we did for all five days. That's why there are so many jumping pictures. Hard to get one of Megs and me holding still.

And a quick revisit to that first frigid day in Times Square. Doesn't my mom look so cold?! She could catch a chill in Arizona in August, so you know she's dying here. Bless her heart. We hit H&M the first day and properly outfitted those necks and heads.

It (Was) Christmastime in the City

2010-01-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

You know it's been a great holiday season when January hits you like a a ton of bricks. Hello, January 7 (you're not confused, I wrote this yesterday) - you're the masonry I was expecting.

2009 was the year of epic moves amongst the Furniss kids. Every kid in a new state in the last calendar year. So when my parents thought it might be just the two of them and Megan in Utah or the two of them in Megan in New York for Christmas, we were giddy when the latter worked out. (And then we found out Koryn and her clan would be Utahns again before the holiday season, but too late - I called dibs.)

The trio rolled into town early Wednesday morning and we hit the town. But the town was bitter cold, so we checked Dad's first indoor to-do off the list with an early lunch at a gen-you-ine NYC deli. (Where the Honeybee was delish; too bad the boys didn't dare order such a girly sounding sandwich. Mom, Megan and I were pleased.)

From there, Mom and Dad treated us to a matinee of West Side Story. It was a great performance - one of my favorites thus far. Though I fear there may have been a few holes in the plot for Dad and Megs. We opted for the matinee thinking the red eye flyers wouldn't last through an evening show - but when I glanced down the aisle just before intermission, I saw a few drooping lids. Who falls asleep during a rumble? Thanks for the tickets, Dad - and sorry you fell asleep.Christmas Eve was Ellis Island, Lady Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge (that's a good family who will take a jumping picture on the Brooklyn Bridge with you),

and what will make me look like the ultimate hostess, I'm sure...

Christmas Eve dinner in Chinatown. (You know I can't help it... "Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra, Ra Ra Ra Ra.")

We attempted to make it to Christmas Eve services at Trinity Church that evening, but as we called the elevator all we heard were alarms and ringing. The faint scent of smoke further alerted us to a possible problem and by the time firemen pass us in the stairwell, we had a hunch someone on the 20th floor was not having a great Christmas Eve. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and the fire was actually out before the fire department arrived, but we were able to put to rest my Dad's suspicion that we are not actually 25 floors above ground. And it's true, folks, it's true. The numbers in the stairwell jumped from 19 to 13, so apparently there are no floors 14-18. Who knew? Dad knew. He's a numbers guy.

That little anecdote has us way off track. Didn't make it to the church on time. Did get these photos.
Meg's a little too cool for school in this picture. Or too cool for church, rather.

Christmas morning was... lazy. Which means it was lovely. But somewhat reminiscent of childhood years when I was the one pestering the 'rents to wake up and open presents. I was worried if they didn't know what their gift was before 9:45am we wouldn't make it in time...

to the traditional* Christmas Day Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. And glad our pal Ibrahim could join!

We dashed from the Garden to the only quiet place we could lay claim on in midtown. The hallway of our offices. Yep - hallway. We did remember the key to the building. We did not remember the keys to the actual office. So we enjoyed our first official missionary call with Elder Furniss from the hallway of the 10th floor in a building on the Avenue of the Americas. It was quite a scene, bro. Sorry I didn't think to snap a picture. But you won't read this blog for two more years anyway, and by then it may have lost its appeal.

Christmas night was dinner in Little Italy, a little scarf and hat perusing in Chinatown and a rainstorm that proved Allison has a tough time remembering the reason for the season when her head is wet. What can I say? Wind and rain make me irritable. No Seattle in our future...

Saturday poured. And because Mom, Dad and Megs witnessed the evening before how onery rain can make me, they wisely made haste to the Met and spent the day absorbing all the loveliness that entails.

A beautiful Sunday afternoon in Central Park, a butternut squash lasagna that would make you renounce your love to the marinara and ricotta stuff and run away with a butternut squash and nutmeg, and not wanting to fall asleep on Sunday night because I knew Monday meant a teary goodbye.

It's nice to love being with your family. And it's really nice of them to come 2,000 miles to eat General Tso's Chicken with you on Christmas Eve. Thanks for visiting. Hope the chicken was worth it.

*not an actual Furniss family tradition.