on set

One of my favorite things about NY is that there is always something going on. We are constantly seeing film crews out and about but very rarely do we ever see anything good.

It was rumored that Angelina is filming her new movie "Salt" at St. Bart's church right next to the building where I work so I've been trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of her. They have been filming for a couple of days and yesterday there was a ton of extras dressed in police uniforms and all the paparazzi were out with their cameras, so I tried to stand next to them to see if I could see her but I had no such luck.

Obviously, the rumors were true and someone was able to get a shot of her.

niagara falls

Once again, we took our yearly Spring Break weekend getaway and this year our destination was Niagara Falls. We've always wanted to see the falls, and while they are in New York (and Canada), they are a long 7 hour drive away. But despite how much we love being in the city, every few months we have to rent a car and escape from the chaos, so this year we decided to take a trip across the border.

We didn't really do our research before we left and pretty much just new that it was better to stay on the Canadian side, so that's what we did. I left work early on Friday and we were on our way. After a short interrogation from the border control we finally made it to Canada. We walked around the hotel and the "entertainment district" (a super cheesy kids version of Las Vegas) we found a giant ferris wheel overlooking the falls and got our first sighting of the magnificent wonder.

The next morning we were a little disappointed when we discovered that the Maid of the Mist doesn't open till May due to the big frozen chunks of ice in the falls, but we were able to go on The Journey Behind the Falls that almost made up for it. It was a beautiful day and we had a nice time walking around and enjoying the falls.



(Fun fact: The summer flow is 34 million gallons per minute)



To make up for the lack of grown up entertainment we were able to upgrade our room to one with a view of the falls and a jacuzzi tub. Of course, this was entertainment enough for Jason and he spent the rest of the time soaking. It was a short trip but also educational. Because we were in a different country we did notice a few things that were a little off ...

- Canadian ketchup is much sweeter than ours
- They eat Vinegar with their fries (I don't get it)
- Every attraction cost $9.99 so we would pay $20 to do something and then get two Canadian cents back.
- They would surely take our US dollars but only give us Canadian change.
- Everything is in English and in French
- Everyone is nice and there is absolutely no road rage (the complete opposite of NYC)

While we didn't really feel like we were in a different country it was fun to pick up on the slight differences.

And while I am SUPER excited that Jason is almost done with school forever, I am a little sad that this was the last of our Spring Break getaways.


The view of the falls at night from our room

fuerzabruta, 5K, fish and friends

For Valentine's Jason gave me tickets to Fuerzabruta for Friday night and it was crazy, to say the least. I have seen the theater in Union Square announcing this wild production but never new exactly what it was until Jason surprised me with the tickets last week. After doing a little research before the performance I learned that it was standing room only and that I would need to wear appropriate clothing that could get wet. Pretty much it sounded like a wild rave and that coming a little high was encouraged. After reading this I was a little nervous but also excited to be experiencing something out of the norm for me.



The performance was in fact - wild, crazy and a little weird. After crowding the large audience into a small space I felt like I was back at the 311 concert. I didn't know if we would all start jumping around and crowd surfing but I was a little surprised when they moved the crowd to bring out a large treadmill with a man in a shirt and tie running as fast as he could. Some of the other crazy moments included a gigantic adult Slip 'n' Slide lowered just inches from the audience's heads, a giant kite that was spun around violently making the two performers pinned to it seem trapped in a tornado and two dancers who cartwheeled vertically across a shimmering plastic wall. After the show we were indeed a little wet and it was definitely an experience I will never forget.



Saturday morning I ran the Al Gordon Snowflake 5K in Prospect Park and I was surprised by how large the park was and it was fun to see a part of Brooklyn that I have never seen before. After the race I hurried home and got ready so that we could meet up with Jason's law school buddy, Frank, for a true China Town experience. We walked down to China Town and started off with some Dim Sum for lunch. The restaurant that Frank took us to was a huge banquet hall with several large round tables where they seat you with other people; however, due to the language barrier, you are not forced to make awkward conversations with the other quests at your table. Meanwhile, little Chinese ladies walk around the hall pushing little carts filled with all sorts of random/crazy goodness. We tried a little of everything and loved having Frank there as our interpreter. Next Frank took us to several little vendors where we found some amazing deals on fresh seafood. No joking, everything we found was half as much as it is at our grocery store. We had fun exploring and came home with some shrimp, crab legs and mussels to cook up for dinner.

That night I got together with some of the ladies in my ward for a girls night out for Laurel, who will be taking a extended vacation to Utah but better be coming back shortly:) We went to Sarabeth's followed by dessert at Kelli's and it was so fun to just sit around and chat with the girls. I have such amazing friends in the ward and I hate that everyone is always moving away.

the city of love

Last weekend we finally got a break from the cold and had a beautiful 55 degree Sunday, so we decided we needed to take advantage of the warmth and take a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Walking across the bridge is hands down our favorite thing to do in the city, there's just something about the amazing structure of the bridge and being able to see the beautiful skyline of the city that just makes you love it.

As we were walking across the bridge and soaking up the sun a woman stopped and asked us if she could interview us for a Valentine's Day special their radio show was hosting on how NY is the city of love. She asked us questions about where we live in the city, our favorite parts of the city and if we considered NY to be the city of love. Of course we agreed and then I proceeded to tell her how much I loved everything about NYC. Jason didn't think it was very manly to express his love for the city so he let me do the talking and chimed in occasionally.

I have always thought of New York as a romantic city, I know others say Paris is the city of love, but I've never been there so for now I'm saying its NY. No matter what part of the city you are walking in, there is always something romantic to be found. After her questions it got me thinking about all the romantic spots I love in the city, and because it is Valentine's, I thought I would make a list of some of the spots I love.

- Brooklyn Bridge
- Southstreet Seaport - Pier 17
- Washington Square Park (when it's not under construction)
- Central Park in the fall and Spring
- Riding the Staten Island ferry past the Statue of Liberty at night
- The World Financial Center promenade at night
- Walking up 5th Avenue when the Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom
- Canoeing in the Hudson
- Our favorite little park on the corner of Bleeker and 6th Ave.
- Riding our bikes to the Christopher Sreet pier
- Walking around the city to see the lights at Christmas
- Canoeing in Central Park
- Picnics near the Belvedere Castle in Central Park
- Walking up the tree lined streets in the West Village
- Sitting outside at some of our favorite restaurants on a cool summer night

Of course, none of this would be romantic if I didn't have Jason here with me and it's because of him that I get to live in this amazing city, so thank you babe - I love you!

What are your favorite romantic spots in the city?

a little bit of soul and a whole lot of climbing

Lately we have been addicted to the food network channel, and of course when any of the food shows go to the south they always showcase the champion of soul foods - waffles and fried chicken. So A few weeks ago when my friend Laurel told us about a soul food restaurant in Harlem that serves the best waffles and fried chicken, Jason just had to try it out for himself.

So last Saturday we made the trek to Harlem to try out the famous Amy Ruth's. It's a small place so luckily we timed it just right and missed the crowd. As we looked over the menu I started to second guess whether or not I was brave enough to try the Al Sharpton (the name of the waffles and fried chicken on the menu), and I made the mistake of mentioning to Jason that I might just get the waffles and he was VERY disappointed that I would come all that way and sell out. So, after a short lecture I decided he was right and I ordered the sweet and salty platter.

First I must mention that the biscuit they brought us while we waited for our meal was amazing. Typically biscuits are bitter but this was a sweet biscuit and a good indication of what was yet to come. Finally the Al Sharpton arrived as a large Belgium waffle that filled the entire plate topped with a crispy wing and breast. I wasn't quite sure where to start so I set the chicken aside and started in on the waffle. Jason was the brave one and took the first bite with both the waffle and chicken together and loved the combination, so I hesitantly took a bite of both and I will admit - it was incredible!! There was way too much food on my plate to finish, and I definitely won't be getting this on a regular basis, but I will admit I am a fan. For all those in doubt, you must give it a try.



After our adventure with soul food we headed back down to a rock climbing wall in the city for our YM/YW's activity. Well, it was more like a young men's/young woman activity. Thanks to good old Lisa the YW still have someone to represent us. With 1 girl and 8 young boys you can imagine how crazy it was, but we had so much fun seeing some of them race each other to the top and others as they tried out their strength on the harder walls. All of the kids were incredibly strong and I'm so glad I didn't try climbing because I really don't think I would have been able to get up one wall.





Sunday we went to an awesome superbowl party at the Granum's and had so much fun seeing our old friends Megan and Joe who were visiting for the weekend from Chicago and just chatting with the girls.

she's 2!

Yes, that's right ... this cutie is 2 today. She is such a big girl; I talked to her on Sunday and when I asked her when her birthday was and she told me ... "in two days". I know I am her aunt, but this girl is honestly the smartest 2 year old I know. Everything she does makes us laugh and we are so happy she is apart of our family.

We gave her a NYC counting book for Christmas and Nicole told us that she reads it to her everynight and that right when she picks it up Shae yells "thats where Jason and Sheena live - in New York!", we are so happy she hasn't forgotten us. But my favorite is when I'm talking to her and we are saying goodbye and she says, "I love you, Sheena". That, and each time we give her a hug and she gives us a kiss to follow, just melts our hearts.

Happy Birthday, Shae! We love you!

number 44

Yesterday I sat in the pantry on the 22nd floor of our building with 40+ of my coworkers gathered around as we watched Barack Obama be sworn in as our 44th President. I thought it was a special moment for our country and something I might never experience again. As we all sat in the crowded room I couldn't help but notice the reverence in the room and among the crowds in DC. I was touched by how many times God was mentioned and happy to know that it is he who are country was founded on and that he hasn't been forgotten. I enjoyed the program and thought Obama delivered a very inspiring speech, although I think I could have done without the rhyming conclusion of Rev. Lowery's benediction (and when white will embrace what is right - a little inappropriate don't you think?).



My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.

it's freezing ...

and there is nothing to do. So I thought I'd add my love songs to the blog to help you get excited for Valentine's Day (that is less than a month away). I don't know what it is about 80's love songs, but they are my favorite. And of course, it wouldn't be Valentine's without a few classic country love songs in the mix. Enjoy!

P.S. Did you see the plane that crashed into the Hudson yesterday? Crazy.

a little behind

I realize we are almost halfway through January and I am just now getting around to posting about Christmas, but it's taken me a little longer to get back into the swing of things this year (not a great way to start 2009).

We had a wonderful time seeing friends and family while in Utah. After being away for so long it's nice to have some time with the ones we love and catch up and talk about the good old days. We spent our time going back and forth between our parents homes with different family parties and dinners and rang in the New Year with old friends. I was a slacker with the camera this year and only took pictures of Shae opening presents.

She was once again the star of the show at my parent’s house. Everything was centered around this little girl and we just couldn't get enough of her. Our favorites were all the hugs and kisses she loved to give us each time she saw us. My favorite was the excitement of Christmas morning. She is still too young to understand who Santa is but she does know that he brings her presents. My dad was dead set on her knowing who was coming so the days leading up to Christmas were spent coaching her with questions on who was coming. He would continue to ask her who was coming and then she knew she was supposed to say Santa. My favorite was Christmas Eve when we were all gathered around the table and my dad asked Shea who was coming and she paused as we all stared at her, waiting to hear her response. After a few seconds she blurted out ... ummm Jason! It was hilarious, and she thought she was so funny when we all told her Jason was coming but there was someone else coming too.

I just want to thank all of our family and friends for making time to spend with us and our wonderful families for spending so much time entertaining us while we were home.

Shae and Papa - waiting for Santa to come


Christmas Morning


Talking to Cinderella on her new princess phone


Wearing all her new presents


Enjoying the paper more than the presents

simply spectacular

Last night was my third time seeing the Rocketts and it continues to get better and better each time I see it. From the march of the toy soldiers to the live nativity -it is the perfect show to put me in the Christmas spirit. Jason and I were able to enjoy the lights before we went and it was a perfect night. The snow was falling and the city was twinkling - just how I like it.






We are leaving for Utah on Saturday and I was so excited to hear that there is snow on the ground. There really is nothing like a white Christmas. This will probably be my last post before Christmas so I want to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas. I hope it's filled with love, laughter and family.


The Rockefeller Christmas tree

girls weekend

Last weekend my sister-in-law, Nicole, and her friend, Jessi, came to town to check out the city at Christmas and they were nice enough to let me tag along while Jason was busy preping for finals. They were the funnest visitors ... everything I showed them they loved and everything they tried was the best they'd ever had. We had a busy schedule but they were such troopers as they braved the ice cold NY wind.

Here's a recap of all that we did and saw in the short time they were here:

Thursday
- Rockefeller Center
- Del Frisco's
- Christmas Spectacular

Friday
- World Trade Center/Statue of Liberty
- China Town
- Little Italy
- Magnolia Bakery cupcakes
- Hairspray

Saturday
- Shop, Shop, SHOP
- 34th st. (H&M and Macy's), 5th Ave., Times Square
- Holiday shops at Bryant Park
- Department store windows
- Dylan's Candy Bar & Serendipity

Sunday
- Sunday Brunch at Sarabeth's
- Central Park
- FAO Schwartz
- Brooklyn Bridge & NYC Pizza

Thanks for coming and playing with me in the city, maybe next year we can convince everyone to come and see us at this magical time of the year.

thanksgiving in a box

Once again we received our smoked turkey from Theurer's Quality Meats and it was perfect. From the moment we opened the box we could smell it's smoky goodness. This, above all other packages, is our favorite surprise that comes in the mail. It is a tradition in our family to always have smoked turkey and I can honestly say it wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving without it. Once you've had it smoked, you can never go back. So thank you mom and dad, for making our Thanksgiving Day complete - we've been eating smoked turkey sandwiches all week.

Because Thanksgiving was a week later this year and Jason's finals are a week earlier, he has been feeling the weight of finals a little bit earlier this year. So we decided to take it easy and have a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving together. I start to feel a little neglected this time of the year so it was so nice to have him all to myself for once. I know I'm a sell out, but this year we changed things up a bit and went to a restaurant for the big meal. It was so nice not to have to plan out a menu and stress over the details. I did, however, make a few of the traditional items that you just have to have and we enjoyed them all weekend long.

For dinner we went to Sarabeth's at Central Park South. It was wonderful and they had everything a traditional meal would have, so we didn't miss anything. Because we were right by the park we decided to take advantage of our time and see a little more of the park. It is amazing that I have lived here for 2 1/2 years and I still see something new each time I go. We have never been on a carriage ride through the park and we usually try to avoid the tourist traps (because heaven forbid someone mistake us for a tourist) but I enjoyed our relaxing trip and thankfully our horse didn't have Beefarino on his Thanksgiving menu (Seinfeld joke).

After dinner we went to Four Christmases and then headed home to watch our classic Christmas favorites - Christmas Vacation and Home Alone. Although I missed seeing family it was nice to have a day with just the two of us. My favorite thing of all the many NYC things I love, is to simply walk around the city seeing all the amazing sites while holding hands and it was so nice to be able to take time to reflect and remember all that we are thankful for in this amazing city.

a good day

Yesterday our church was held at the Hammerstein Ballroom for a special stake conference for Jeffrey R. Holland and I was truly touched by his words. I was excited for a little change of venue, and only in New York can you attend church in a grand ballroom, but it wasn't the venue that made it such a good day.

I have always loved Elder Hollands talks and he is Jason's favorite speaker at conference, but yesterday he seemed to know just what I have been struggling with and he said just what I needed to hear. He touched on the tough times we are experiencing with the financial crisis here in NY and how so many in our stake have been effected, as well as the recent protests against our church. His words were bold and straight forward as he told us all that we need to be stronger in these tough times but the part I loved the most was when he asked us all if he could give us a special blessing, expressing how much he would love to bless us all individually but couldn't. It was amazing to listen as he blessed the men, woman and children of the Manhattan stake along with the others who weren't in attendance. This was something I have never seen before and I truly felt the spirit in that beautiful hall. I am so grateful for good days.

grandma's lil' helper

As you can see, they start them out young in my family. Shae has been helping at the store so my mom decided to make an apron just her size and put her to work. She put pockets on her apron and Shae quickly learned that they are perfect for hiding little treats.

sytycd

Last night I ventured over to New Jersey with three of my friends for the So You Think You Can Dance concert. This was my second time seeing the show with these ladies and we had a great evening seeing our favorite dances. While Newark was no Atlantic City we still had a wonderful time but we are keeping our fingers crossed that maybe next year they will bring it back to the city.



Once again we were amongst several hundred teenage girls but we had two very enthusiastic moms behind us that kept us entertained. The dances were amazing and the crowd went wild when they announced the Bleeding Love dance with Chelsea and Mark (especially Laurel). We were a little disappointed that we didn't get to see the Bride and Groom dance with Chelsea and Mark and a few other routines, and thought they could have left out some of the cheesiness, but I was happy to see that Utah was well represented with 3 of the dancers from my home state (what can I say, we know how to move). I had another great night with the girls, thank you for arranging it all, Kyndra. It was 4-real!!

decision 08

Because I use this blog as a journal I wanted to post last night's historical event. I will admit I don't really get into politics as much as I probably should, but for the first time I tried to really listen to both sides and express my opinions. As I listened I was sometimes disappointed in both sides for decisions they had made and things that were said and I was often confussed as to who I would vote for. Last night America made it's decision and it was a very special moment for our country to elect the first African American as our 44th president. I was touched by both Obama and McCain's speeches and after all the debating and arguing I was once again, proud to be an American. I hope this change will bring our country closer together in these hard times and it will be interesting to see what President Obama will do to make those changes.


"If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where anything is possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
Young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled, Americans have sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of red states and blue states. We have been and always will be the United States of America.
It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America."


"Let there be no reason now for Americans to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth. I pledge to him to do all in my power to help him lead us. We fought as hard as we could, the failure is mine--not yours ... I'm so deeply grateful to you ... Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much, and tonight, I remain her servant."

live from new york it's ....

Yes, that's right, Jason and I were at Saturday Night Live this weekend and got to see the McCain/Fey duo in action.

I have to say, this experience was by far the coolest thing I have ever done in New York. In order to get tickets to SNL you have to send an email to NBC during the month of August and your name is picked from a lottery. This was the third time I had sent in my info and I guess it was a charm. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. I was a little disappointed that Amy Poehler had her baby last week but seeing Tina Fey as Sarah Palin more then made up for it. We figured one of the presidential candidates would be making an appearance and a couple of weeks ago there were rumors that Obama would be on the show but it wasn't until Friday morning that we found out that John McCain (The Maverick) would be on.

We arrived early and stood in line for 2 hours before the show even began but going early paid off when we got seats right in the middle. Because John McCain was there we had to go through very tight security and the studio was crawling with the secret service. When we sat down we could already guess some of the skits we would be seeing. Directly in front of us was the set for The View and over on the side was the Target set, which Jason was very excited to see, Kristin Wig is his favorite and especially when she does her Target skits.

The host for the night was Ben Affleck and the special musical guest was David Cook. I have to say, Ben did a great job. I loved his Alec Baldwin impersonation but thought Keith Olbermann was a little overbearing (which is exactly how he really is). As soon as Ben would finish a skit there was a woman immediately by his side dragging him away to prepare for the next skit. It was very interesting to attend SNL and see what goes on behind the scenes. As we were watching a skit on one side of the stage the crew was busy putting together a set on the other side. But what I thought was most interesting was how they test their material on the audience during the dress rehearsal and if it doesn't go well they cut it from the live show. There were several things we saw that didn't make it. In fact, during the Weekend Update one of the stories Seth Meyers told wasn't that funny and he remarked that he could read the audience like a book and that one would be for dress rehersal only. We noticed little things like Ben's hat from the Target scene was missing to a whole skit was cut out. At first I was a little disappointed that I didn't get tickets for the live show but I am really glad we got to go to the dress rehearsal, we were able to see more skits and then watch the live show and see how they changed it.
My favorite's of the evening were the McCain/Palin skit, The View with Alec Baldwin, The Weekend Update (especially the voting machine malfunction song) and the Target skit.


We laughed the entire night and we even think we personally got a wave from John and Cindy after the show.

For Halloween we attended the Greenwich Village parade for a third year in a row and while there were some pretty crazy costumes, this year I felt like people just weren't as creative as they have been in the past. Everything was pretty much a repeat from last year, there were way to many jokers and every female with long brown hair was Sarah Palin (not original at all). There were a few that Jason and I felt like we needed to close our eyes but I was able to get some pictures of a couple of good ones.
We thought this Joker looked cool sitting on top of the phone booth


Yes, that's a man





Us at the parade


** Now that it's November, Sheena's Christmas Playlist is officially back on the blog. Enjoy!