Just for fun

If you are heading to New York City anytime soon, I thought I would share some of my new favorite spots from my trip this past weekend. And just in case you are confused-- we really only do three things on any vacation: exercise, eat and shop :)

We started out at lunch at Toasties. Our nose drew us in and our mouth confirmed how fresh their food was. Travis reported it was the best Rueben sandwich he has every had. This is great compliment coming from a connoisseur of that particular sandwich.

We then wandered through Rockefeller Center fighting our way through crowds of people looking at them decorating the Christmas tree, which was unveiled today, I think. We showed my mother and sister Travis' and my favorite chocolate places-- Teucher and La Maison du Chocolat--but settled for a cup of the best hot chocolate at La Maison. As if it was settling. It's the best chocolate in the world, some say.

After fighting the crowds at Rockefeller and checking out the new couches my fabulous uncle made for Michael Kors new store, we wandered down Fifth Avenue. Here's a picture of Mr. Kors, sitting on those very couches. Because who else is going to brag about him, unless it is me??My uncle is so modest, he doesn't even have a website, so you can read about him here. The same fabulous uncle also made us a fabulous dinner that night.

A new spot that we happened upon was this store, Rain, of which there is only one store in the US. Don't you just love the elitism of NYC? It makes the average woman feel so special and privileged.  I fell in love with their scents as well as their bath salts.

The next morning we went to brunch at ABC Kitchen. We also had a celebrity spotting, where Jesse Tyler Ferguson sat at an opposite table behind us, enjoying the same kind of awesome brunch foods. The best part was that it was all hot. I burned the roof of my mouth hot.

After breakfast we wandered through the ABC store's, where I saw some very inspiring jewelry by St.Kilda, especially the piece she carved out of Victorian rubber into a chain on a silver necklace. Not to mention that her name happens to be Nora. No wonder we are in sync.

These are pictures from our long walk after our brunch on the Highline. I just loved all the textures of the buildings and architecture in contrast with the soft grasses and trees. It was super fun to walk through Chelsea Market as well... I think that it didn't even exist five years ago when Travis and I were there last.

\

Overall, my mom and sister and I had a wonderful time reinventing our "Shopping Trip" started so many years ago. It was a joy to spend time together uninterrupted and rejoicing in all that God has kept us through over the past five years. Here's to more eating together, exercising together and shopping together!

Off to the city!

My favorite city in the US. My favorite people. My favorite weekend (it's my birthday on Monday).
Here I come.
Off on a plane by myself. It has been years since I've had eight whole hours to myself--not since our trip to Italy. I am looking forward to trying out some of the places that she recommends, eating here, and enjoying my family and this guy.

Here we were on our first anniversary trip. It will be five years ago come December. How time snowballs faster and faster, gathering speed and growing our love stronger and bigger.  I've missed him, even in 48 hours since he left. Especially since there was no freshly brewed coffee awaiting me this morning. He was kind enough to leave me some already ground in the coffee grinder though. What a guy.

Babymoon

Travis and I met up with my brother and his girlfriend in Vegas for our babymoon (pre-baby vacation). We had both never been and we rather enjoyed it. We were super impressed with our hotel suite my brother found for us and we really enjoyed our time together with them. With less than 60 days until the due date, we were rather anxious to get away for some much needed rest and relaxation without our dear little Kate. I promise I am not exaggerating when I say that she grew an inch by the time we got back. I love how obvious it is when you return from a trip-- you just love them even more and more!

We stayed at the Trump International Hotel, where they pump the air in the main areas full of jasmine and cucumber. This was literally our oasis in the midst of a very smoky weekend. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner of sushi (shhh....I know I'm not supposed to eat it!) then a beautiful setting at the Wynn hotel for Italian the next night. We enjoyed our dinner there but then Ashley and I came down with what we think was food-poisoning. Not what you expect from a high-end restaurant!

Our other highlights were seeing a Cirque d'Soliel show called LOVE, based on Beatles music, watching the water show at the Bellagio and, of course, sleeping in... Kate was kind to us this morning though and slept in until 7am.

Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow

We were so fortunate to have snow while here in Maryland--Kate's first and my first in almost four years! We have enjoyed our time here in Maryland, seeing friends and family, cooking, fixing a few things around the house, and getting everyone into the Christmas spirit.

Ciao Bella

We're back!
What a trip! We loved every minutes; some more than others, but how could you not love all those smaller moments, even like every lick of Italian gelato?

Our version of camping

is staying in an old cabin in the woods, according to Travis who adamantly stated, "Nora, we will NOT be camping until all of our children are at least six."
We spent a wonderful weekend in Pine, which is about an hour and a half away..and about half the temperature of Phoenix. It even rained and we had a thunderstorm on Saturday night. We went with our friends the Ross' and Richardsons. It was an experiment as we had six adults and five children under five in a smallish cabin-- but we proved we still had them outnumbered :) Everyone did very well and despite our run-in with the accidental wall hot-water heater waking Kate up our last night, we had a blast. We even braved a hike to the Natural Bridge which was beautiful. It was only ten minutes away and the perfect amount of hiking for all the little ones. We brought a hot-dog picnic with us and ate on the rocks underneath the waterfalls while the little ones splashed around in the cold pools around us. It is a blessing to be out of the extreme heat and to witness the beauty of God's creation in person, not from behind glass or from a chilled home or car.

Here is Kate all cozied into her backpack--we borrowed from our friends, and she loved it. We can't wait until it gets cooler and we can take her on more hikes.

Camping

You'll fit in a two person tent. No problem.-- Jeff and Tina Zigler

It took an hour and a half to set up.
When Travis laid down in it, his feet stuck out six inches of the door.
We tried our hardest to fit a queen air mattress inside to no avail.
The wind picked up and Travis' air mattress deflated outside.
Then at one am, Travis crawled into our tent.
Coyotes were howling. The wind continued to whip around the tent.
Chuck was snoring and Ashley was giggling.
We tried to fit all three of us on a twin air mattress, which led to stripping all our extra layers off because we were so hot. Imagine that in the tent you'll see in the slideshow :)
After much shifting and trial, Travis then left the tent at 2 am for the car.
Then we slept.
Kate only woke up twice-- mostly because we were moving around so much.

Camping Essentials.

On Friday morning, the dialog went something like this:

ALL: Isn't the weather awesome?
CHUCK: It makes you want to have a fire. Or go camping.
NORA: I know! I was thinking about it the other day and this coming weekend is like the only one we have left before the holidays.
CHUCK : Love, where could we go camping?
(Ashley's already on the computer)
ASHLEY: There's Usury Park like 10 minutes around the corner. Fifteen dollars a night!
(Nora's on the phone with Travis, who shockingly says yes.)
CHUCK: Taylor, let's make a list. We'll need more sleeping bags...
ASHLEY: All right! If we're going camping, we'll need to make rice.

Yes, we went spontaneous camping. Not only did we go camping but one of the first things our dear Namies said they needed to do was MAKE RICE!! We couldn't stop laughing. The whole trip was a big farce. More on that later.

Brett's soccer game

We joined a crowd of adoring fans to view Brett's team win 2-1 today. Brrr! It was chilly when the sun went down, so when we took her out of the sling, her little chin was quivering! We watched the boys score while chatting with the friends, siblings and mothers during the less interesting parts. My mother proved her sports prowess after all those years watching us, by helping Carolyn and Janelle define Chad's pass before a goal as an "assist"; she has come a long way from yelling "Go! go! get them!" at basketball games in years past :) 

By the way, don't you think that her new glasses are super cool??

Christmas pictures

Thanks to my sister, I won't need to post pictures from Christmas. She created this awesome slideshow on her blog.

Day Three

An update from the Phoenix

The nails were groomed
The toes were done
The clubs were swinging
It was a day of fun for all.
Topped off with a bowl of spaghetti.
With meat (that's for Travis)
And then a rowdy game of Scrabble.
Watch out family.
I haven't lost yet :)

Day Two of Vacation

Have it ever seemed that the second day of vacation seems to drug you with a sleepy lullaby of rest and relaxation? Motivation was low today. But I did accomplish some prep for tommorrow's big Jansen/Shank luncheon. We're keeping it simple. I made a delicious chicken salad from scratch with grapes, radishes, onions and celery and I made all the fixings for the yummy salad I got from Becky... some rolls, some fruit and we're set. I might make some mojitos if I get to Lee Lee's tonight for the fresh mint. I probably should vaccuum the floor too...but, you know, my Dad is coming, and I wouldn't want to take away his favorite chore :)
Ps. I got an early birthday present... it's coming in the mail and should be here by Wednesday... my husband splurged and got me a D80 Nikon. Picture quality will be up slightly on the blog as soon as I get it all rolling :) What a generous gift! I can't believe it still. What an awesome toy to play with for the holidays.

Virginia is for ...

-eating donuts at the beach (the true, one and only, Atlantic beach)
-watching the Shank's history in musical parody
-laughing with all of Janis' "crazy ladies"
-visiting Travis' childhood stomping ground.
-seeing Steve enjoy Bob Hughes and his boys jam
-kissing Sarah Huckaby's new baby girl
-smelling boxwood in Williamsburg
-Sweet Potato Muffins at Christiana Campbell's Tavern
-sipping Illy coffee with my mom and sister
-enjoying both families around one table for dinner (yea! here comes Thanksgiving too!)

What a wonderful trip we had! You can see the pictures on the Flickr site on the side bar. I am so blessed that I have such a wonderful inheritance: from both sides of my families. It is a sweet fulfillment of the promise God gave me before I moved from Isaiah 54:2

"Enlarge the place of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.

I have so much to be grateful for: a Godly heritage, wonderful history and legacy built into local churches, fabulous family friends, and I have gotten it on both sides!

August Adventures

Did I miss a month here? I know you all are wondering where I went.
I was in San Diego.
With my Mom and Sister.

It was a whirlwind.

But we came, we visited, we conquered.

We went to visit our dear friends, the Lauterbachs. Dear Rachel was not able to join us, but we enjoyed the company of the rest: Rondi and Becca. (As well as Mr. Lauterbach, of course).

Our first course of action was getting there, but that took longer than we expected. After a seven hour ordeal, we arrived, albiet late, to the Lauterbach's home in Escondido, CA. We enjoyed our picnic dinner, that was supposed to be enjoyed on the beach in Carlsbad for a beach jazz festival. But alas, we got swallowed up in traffic woes on the freeway. Evil traffic, Rondi calls it.
Saturday we spent the day together in Pacific Beach, browsing thrift stores and eating an amazing lunch at an asian restaraunt, followed by a delicious frozen mocha. These are all activities my friend Becky introduced me to while we were in San Diego last year.
We visited with Joe Ward briefly, who lives near by and has been a long-time friend. That night we also got time with some dear friends, the Whites, who hosted us in France for two weeks several years ago. Rondi made a delicious steak dinner with a wonderful side salad from Fine Cooking that included oregano marinated cherry tomato halves with feta cheese, olives and a delicious dressing.
At church on Sunday, we were able to reconnect with all the East Coast Pilgrims like Jess Aveni and others as well. We were able to see the new Grace Church building and then shoot on to Trader Joe's for lunch on the fly. We then threw all our stuff together and headed for a quick afternoon at a different beach.
That night we went to see "Bourne Ultimatum". You see, my mother and Rondi, both, wanted to be spies when they were younger. That was their major bonding moment, right after "You were a dance major too? in the early days of our friendships in Maryland. The funny thing was, I've never seen a movie in my bathing suit, much less with sand still on my feet. We laughed about our general appearance, but who could complain after such a lovely afternoon at Del Mar?
And we finished off our weekend with a visit to our newly transplanted cousin/nephew, Brad and his new wife, Jane, who live in Escondido as well.
No joke.
it was a whirlwind.
But it was the first of many times to come.
We will always have memories.
And most of them come from laughter-- some of them at eachother's expense. My mom, who
has a difficult time getting over her highschool French, said at one point, trying to pronounce words as we went along the freeway, "What are we looking for? Oh... there it is: Rrrrrauncho...
At that point, we didn't let her finish because we were laughing too hard. Classic.
What a good start to memories together here on the West Coast.
And today I'm at work, waiting for my time to leave.
And they are off galavating the city, shopping up at Kierland.
Tommorrow: another conquering oppurtunity: Last Chance. Movie time with Janis and Janelle.
The day after: the Camelback Spa for the day.
Here we come.

Tucson

Yes, we're back from another vacation. This past weekend, instead of going to Flagstaff for Together '07 (which was cancelled), we joined our friends, the Ross', on a trip down to Tucson. We enjoyed a resort at the summer prices and low summer capacity for two nights of kings beds, cooler pools and shopping. (The boys would add cable tv and Man vs. Wild-- we basically couldn't find them every afternoon because they were watching it again.)

And of course...what vacation would be complete with out eating. (Rachel don't read... we don't want to make you more nauseous :) Here's the Roadfood Report: Apparently the place to go for breakfast in Tucson is a greasy spoon called Jerry Bob's. What a name! and what a great little spot! It was the kind of place full of "specials" written on a whiteboard above the window open to the kitchen. Coffee was served in old brown 70's earthenware mugs and all the tables had some formica or vinyl. We all choose to partake of the diner classic: we all ordered some form of eggs and hashbrowns. The hashbrowns were great--soft but perfectly golden and crispy on the outside and my egg white mushroom and swiss omelet was delicious. It was a great way to meet the locals too. The fire department was parked outside on the sidewalk table and there were old and young alike lined up for tables for a hearty Saturday morning breakfast. It was a true small town feeling-- We even ran into a friend of Becky's. Everyone of course oohed and awwed over the baby-- who could help it? Becky glues a pink bow onto her forehead almost every day-- no one can resist that!

The next day we tried something on the other end of the spectrum-- a white table cloth brunch at a placed called Bluefin where I enjoyed Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes and everyone else enjoyed some form of eggs benedict. The boys had a version called Lobster Eggs Benedict that was delicious.

But probably best of all were the people we shared our meals with. Being around the table with our friends, Matt and Becky as well as Becky's family, reminded us of the Lord's generosity to give us such wonderful friendships. Every one of the Lambros' have a wonderful way of making you feel like family and Matt and Becky model it as well. We are so grateful for their generous spirit and love. Thanks friends!

Fish Update

Apparently, the fishing did not go so well. Shortly after arriving, Connor broke his pole in two on some rock. Jordan laughed at him and told him how ridiculous of a mistake he made. Then, twenty minutes later, Jordan broke his pole doing the same thing. Steve said there is no way anyone who takes fishing seriously would tolerate the presence of two buffoons goofing off like they did. So... no fish for dinner tonight. Maybe longer poles would work, they tell me. Maybe serious fishermen? :)

Vacation Tales

Internet connections have been few and far between up here in the White Mountains of Arizona. We are on our family vacation with the Shanks at a friend's lodge. We are in Show Low, AZ which is also where I am going to be doing my triathlon. But, this week, we are here for other purposes. Our time since Sunday has been wonderful. It is a perfect location with lots of amenities. The drive up here through a beautiful canyon was worth the whole trip in and of itself.

We love this community of houses that we are staying in as well. They are full size homes where some people are retired and others just have second homes. It is a golf community centered around three golf courses, but has all sorts of other amenities like swimming, pool, clubhouse, gym, great biking paths, driving range, fishing, basketball, tennis. Needless to say, we haven't kept too quiet. There's something physical to do every day. I've loved it because it affords me an opportunity to train in the altitude, as well as bike with my road bike instead of at the gym.

The other highlights have been learning to play some golf and playing Scrabble with my new competitor, Janis. She is stiff competition and I have been thrilled to play against such a worthy opponent. Not only that, but she knows all the real rules like: if you don't think your opponent's word is correct or valid, you challenge it. If you are wrong and the word is correct, you lose a turn. If they are wrong, they lose their turn. Cool! And you're not allowed to look at the dictionary unless someone challenges. How great is that! All those years of trying to compete with my family who like to "check" their words in the dictionary before they place them!
Here's a picture of our first game together. Last night was a rowdier version with Connor (who won) and Travis joining us. There was much more discussion and delay, much to our chagrin.

We have enjoyed other things common to every great vacation: food and fellowship around the table. Great food and laughter are abounding-- we enjoyed grilled teriyaki pork chops with fruit salsa last night and sweet potato fries last night and then followed it up with a hilarious Brian Regan stand-up comedy routine. Our sides were aching from both.

Today's activities include: reading, sleeping, fishing and eating-- of course with some driving range practice (me-- trying not to top the ball and shoot bullets at the golf course) and a daily workout. I'll keep you posted on the fish count- yesterday's results weren't great. We might not be having rainbow trout for dinner but who knows?

Dependance

A thousand lights run up and down your threads
As the angle changes the outsides edges disappear
But less or more light does not vary her purpose

The tender threads might deceive a reader's eye
Hinting at a permanent fragility that's false
For, have you ever tried to wash away a web with water?

A few threads may disentangle at the pressure
But they tenaciously deny you your prowess and hold
A product that proves her purpose despite our supposed power

Against nature she wins against mightier wind, rain or snow
She always leaves behind a remnant of her work
A flag of strands that wave in the wind defiantly

What effort it must take to make such a material
A process of a production that is made and given, again and again
Does she think about what she will leave behind?

Her home is never abandoned without another plan
She weaves and spins another cloud of protection
The old one may still stick some prey but for what?

She's left it behind; that is not her home.

As I sat on our private balcony yesterday morning, I was struck by the spiderwebs that clung to the edges of the railings. I am inspired me to think about the value I place on "home". I think we all weave "clouds of protection" as we strive to create some comfort on earth. What do we count as weak or strong and what is of our own creation and what is His? We all know that we should not "store up for yourself treasures on earth" but it is more real to me as I consider the Shank's sacrifices as a family over the years. I may have left one home, but they have left many. You cannot cling to the illusion of strength in your web-- Christ compels us to leave everything and follow him. And we must surrender to such sweet love as Spurgeon says so eloquently:

"Speak Lord for thy servant heareth! O that He would walk with me; I am ready to give up my whole heart and mind to Him and every pother thought is hushed. I am only asking what He delights to give. I am sure He will condescend to have fellowship with me for He has given me His Holy Spirit to abide with me forever. Sweet is the cool twilight when every start seems like the eye of heaven and the cool wind is as the breath of celestial love. My Father, my elder Brother, my Sweet Comforter, speak now in loving kindness for thou hast opened mine ear and I am not rebellious (July 1 Evening)"

Vacation Tales

Internet connections have been few and far between up here in the White Mountains of Arizona. We are on our family vacation with the Shanks at a friend's lodge. We are in Show Low, AZ which is also where I am going to be doing my triathlon. But, this week, we are here for other purposes. Our time since Sunday has been wonderful. It is a perfect location with lots of amenities. The drive up here through a beautiful canyon was worth the whole trip in and of itself.

We love this community of houses that we are staying in as well. They are full size homes where some people are retired and others just have second homes. It is a golf community centered around three golf courses, but has all sorts of other amenities like swimming, pool, clubhouse, gym, great biking paths, driving range, fishing, basketball, tennis. Needless to say, we haven't kept too quiet. There's something physical to do every day. I've loved it because it affords me an opportunity to train in the altitude, as well as bike with my road bike instead of at the gym.

The other highlights have been learning to play some golf and playing Scrabble with my new competitor, Janis. She is stiff competition and I have been thrilled to play against such a worthy opponent. Not only that, but she knows all the real rules like: if you don't think your opponent's word is correct or valid, you challenge it. If you are wrong and the word is correct, you lose a turn. If they are wrong, they lose their turn. Cool! And you're not allowed to look at the dictionary unless someone challenges. How great is that! All those years of trying to compete with my family who like to "check" their words in the dictionary before they place them!
We'll post a picture of our first game together later when we get better internet connections. Last night was a rowdier version with Connor (who won) and Travis joining us. There was much more discussion and delay, much to our chagrin.

We have enjoyed other things common to every great vacation: food and fellowship around the table. Great food and laughter are abounding-- we enjoyed grilled teriyaki pork chops with fruit salsa last night and sweet potato fries last night and then followed it up with a hilarious Brian Regan stand-up comedy routine. Our sides were aching from both.

Today's activities include: reading, sleeping, fishing and eating-- of course with some driving range practice (me-- trying not to top the ball and shoot bullets at the golf course) and a daily workout. I'll keep you posted on the fish count- yesterday's results weren't great. We might not be having rainbow trout for dinner but who knows?

That's a Beer Mug

Travis is enthralled with life's little pleasures in the mountains here. Last night when Steve and Janis arrived, he lauded the invention of the iced mug. I said, "Honey, that's a beer mug". Steve laughed hysterically and Janis piped in, "That's the product of his upbringing". I have to say in his defense that he knew what they were. He had just never benefited from using one before. Ahh... cold to the last drop.