Comings and Goings

It has been so long since I've posted anything, it feels a little overwhelming to put up a post covering everything we've done lately. But not to worry - I'll try to keep it brief! In summary, we took two big trips back to back, and then have been recovering from them ever since (and are still recovering~ travel toothpaste is still setting next to me as I type). My goal for our first weekend at home in July is to finish cleaning up from being gone.

First, we went to Oregon to visit family and friends. The week began with a big family reunion on my mom's side. It was fun to see people I've known for so many years, and great to get pictures of our own family - although many are missing from this picture. These days, we virtually need a family reunion to see everyone in our own family!

Aunts and Uncles and Cousins (Grandma & Grandpa in the middle):


I also got to spend a little bit of time holding and playing with my nephew, who is growing up!



After a few days with my family, we made our way south to the town where Brian's family lives and we went to college. Many of our college friends have moved away by now, but we enjoyed visiting with those who are left, including our old professors.

Breakfast with my sister-in-law:


Brian's parents had just bought a Wii, so we spent quite a bit of time playing the basic sports games with them. I was so happy to win our last game of golf!


Then, almost as soon as we got there, we were scheduled to leave again. Thankfully, we have another trip back to look forward to already, with my brother getting married in September.

So, what did we do when we got home? We did a load of laundry, worked for a couple of days, and then were off again!

Our impetus for going to New York was to see Twelfth Night - New York City's Shakespeare in the Park production starring Anne Hathaway and scoring by Hem.


But with a line like this in front of us, what were the odds of getting tickets? Not good, I'm afraid. Despite the fact that we arrived at 4:30 in the morning, they told us we were only in the standby line - we could stand by until the performance to see if any tickets went unclaimed. Thank you, but no! We were off to see New York!

Views of the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry (with zoom):


Fellow travellers:


Sarah & Zeb, Brian, and Valerie


We traipsed all over Manhatten, covering Wall Street, Ground Zero, High Line Park, Times Square, Central Park, and Top of the Rock. I ate the yummiest bialy I've had since we moved away from the west coast. And we trekked all the way to 2nd & 86th to eat "the best cheesecake in New York."



Man, were our feet tired by the end of the day, but what a great time!