Utah thus far...

I had one free day before I started my training, which happens to be very intense. I am not sure if it is my teacher or the course in general. Anyhow, more on that later. With that free day, my mom made sure that I was thrown back in to regular suburban activities,  even to my dismay.

Luke actually seemed rather excited to hit the road, maybe because of the SUV, much better view.

First on the list, Ikea. Haven't ever been there before, at least not this particular one. Lots of kids, lots of blonde kids, lots of people in general, even for a early week day. Not much was different about this one, except that it carries fabric. Cute fabric too! I can't think of any needs right now for striped apholstery fabrics but maybe at some point, if I ever get around to making oven mits or dish towels, I might head back for some.

Next stop, Costco. I got to actually stock up on stuff. I am only here for two weeks, but I couldn't resist the chance to buy in bulk.

Third stop, the Cotton Shop. A small fabric store in Sandy. They don't carry much designer fabric but they have a lot of reproduction prints and usually for a pretty good price. I didn't get much because they have a sale starting soon, which I will I will definitely hit.

Fourth stop, McDonalds. Admittingly, we go there in New York too, but it was fun anyway. I can't resist the new southwest salad, without the dressing. And Luke loves the chicken nuggets. Here are a few pics, of his first icecream cone. They also rent $1 dvds, random, I guess they don't trust New Yorker's.

Friday morning I took off for a run. I have a loop that I run in New York that is exactly 4 miles door to door, and even if I don't feel like running the entire thing, there is a path I can cut into that cuts it down by a mile. Needless to say, I didn't have a loop and I just started running. Half way through the run I realized I was running just too far. I ran 6 miles, which typically would have been a stretch but the elevation change really did a number on me. I haven't run since.

That night we hit our next essential suburban stop, Cafe Rio. The Chipotle chicken salad just doesn't compare.

:Luke and his auntie's:

Saturday after class we hit the pool. It took Luke a few minutes before he was doing back strokes and swimming under water.

Sunday, we filled up a wading pool that I bought for Luke. I thought about buying one in New York but I was afraid the water would ruin our newly sanded and stained floors. There is something so nice about having a backyard and porch. Luke is constantly grabbing anyone who will lend him a hand and dragging them outside to help him collect rocks or climb the patio stairs. If only....

Luke has also been enjoying time with his Bean extended family. He apparently now needs to be watched closely, he has been caught putting one of his cousins in a headlock and biting the other on the nose.

Things I have almost successfully avoided so far; the mall, freeways, chili's, & jordan commons.

It's official

My second favorite show in TV history, next to of course Arrested Development, has indeed been cancelled. It really hit me yesterday as I was driving and heard the song "Had a bad day". Not because I was having a bad day, or because the song really makes me think, but because Veronica sings just a few lines from it in one of her brilliantly sarcastic banters with her dad. I teared up as I was listening and even a few times over the course of the next hour.  Even more sadly, they didn't even wrap it up. So many questions left unanswered. Does Veronica get back together with Logan? Does Keith become Sherriff? How will I ever know? They say, the good news is it might get picked up for a comic book. What? That is supposed to make me feel better?

Always late

I seem to post my weekends a bit too late. I am generally in a hurry and feel the anxiety of not having anything up, so I do someting quick, then typically feel lame about posting after the fact that actually happened before the fact. So, I present, last weekend.
As I mentioned before our friends the Smith's flew in for some New York fun. The last time they were her was over four years ago. I seem to remember them promising us that they were going to move out after that trip, I also remember waiting, and waiting. Then they got pregnant, with a darling girl that happens to be smarter than me I think, and bought a couple houses, but still kept reasuring me.  I have managed to survive without them, while letting go of the dream, but they sure made for a great weekend. Here are a few, probably too many pictures of our events.
Our first event was the West Village park, or Chelsea park, not sure of the name, but what you need to know is it is on a pier overlooking Jersey and in the distance the Statue of Liberty. Pretty incredible. The kids had a great time playing in the stream and sprinklers.

That night we grabbed burgers at the shake shack. And yes, it still hits the spot more than one time per week. This time though I got a portabello mushroom patty burger, very delicious.

Sunday after church we went to Zaytoons for some yummy middle eastern food, and then to Dumbo to visit Modern Tots, which of course was closed. Instead we headed down to the playground and the rocks which ended up being the demise of our 2nd camera that we have replaced in the last year. At least we got some pics of Luke skipping rocks, unfortunately we couldn't capture his handstands and somersaults.

Monday, after we bought a new camera, we went to the Central Park Zoo. A little pricey, but the polar bear and sea lion show made it worth the trip. Sadly we got caught in a torrential downpour and didn't to see all the animals.

Britt, Estelle, Luke, and I flew back to Utah. It definitely made the 3 hour flight delay more tolerable otherwise. We tried to stay awake to chat but I suppose we were wiped out from our weekend of fun!

I'm off

After a great weekend with our visiting friends, Justin, Brittney, and Estelle Smith, Luke and I are taking off to Utah for a semi vacation. I feel like I should be taking in as much New York time as possible since it will be a bit limited quickly, but I felt like this was a needed one. I start my Suzuki teacher training on Thursday, and I am really excited. Since I have been in New York I really haven't spent much time at all on my violin. I will be getting back a part of me that was gone for a long time, mainly due to my work schedule. Retail doesn't allow much flexibility for any other outside hobbies or interests. I am grateful for a more flexible schedule. So now it is time. Time to make a little extra money, time to teach some little kiddies, and time to make some music.

Tom's stuff

In my efforts to make this a family blog, I am posting some of Tom's designs. He most recently worked  as a senior designer for a small studio called Rodrigo Corral Design, designing mainly book jackets, DVD's, New York Times Book Review articles, and a few misc things. He currently is doing "his own thing", so in honor of his talent, I present, some of his stuff.

Book covers Tom designed that have either been printed or are going to print

DVD box sets Tom designed for the Criterion Collection.

A banner Tom designed for the Urban Forest Project, it proudly hung in Times Square.

Here's to Tom finding LOT's of work to keep us here a bit longer, I swear family, I'm only kidding.