I have to admit, I was none too happy about the idea of spending the weekend alone. On Friday evening, Justin left for Texas to fetch his nephews who will be spending the next week with us. On top of the fact that I’ve been sick with a sort of cold for the last week, I just didn’t know what I would do with myself. I figured I’d be bored and hermetic. In actuality, my solitary weekend has been a sort of lovely ‘vacation’ of sorts.
I’ve been able to do whatever I felt like without consulting a soul. It’s been rather nice not to have to speak to someone – not to ask “what would you like for dinner?” or “can we watch a boring documentary tonight?” or “can we open a bottle of wine?” I don’t have to ask myself a single thing. Yes, we can do all of those things. I didn’t feel guilty about spending hours at a salon having my hair done. Granted, that’s one of my least favorite past-times, more so when I don’t feel well, but I didn’t feel like I was taking my time away from anyone else. It was mine alone to squander. I read a ton. I watched two movies I doubt Justin would have much interest in. Granted, we called each other perpetually and I sent him lots of photos. I definitely wouldn’t prefer this more isolated lifestyle long-term, but it actually was a fairly pleasant respite. The puppies didn’t seem to mind too much either, as they had practically the entire bed to themselves.
I also had some time this weekend to add a small feature to our website, which I hope to build on. I simply changed my “2010 Goals” page to a “Randomness” page and added sections for readings + quotes. Hopefully this will allow me to share more literary findings with you, my loyal readers. ;) Though there isn’t much there now, it’s sort of meant to send you off on an entertaining, time-squandering internet expedition. I hope you enjoy! Now I am off to the airport to pick up my weary travelers. Adieu!
Camping in Taconic State Park
The Sunday of Labor Day weekend, Justin and I loaded up our two pups and headed north with the intent to camp. Naturally, we made no campsite reservations what with it being one of the busiest camping days of the year and all. We hoped to grab a spot at Taconic State Park. Oddly enough, luck was on our side! Not only did we receive the last available dog-friendly spot, our neighbors never showed up! We ended up having a fairly private campsite at the far end of the park near the singular puppy friendly hiking trail. Yay!
Check out our photos and videos >>
View Justin’s video – The Running of the Pups! YouTube | Vimeo
Should you go, this stuff is definitely worth checking out:
The now abandoned Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center which has been purchased with the intent to transform the property into The Knolls of Dover (I found video and photos inside the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center).- Rosemary’s Texas Tacos – This woman has bright purple hair and zany makeup! The tacos were okay, the sweet tea was delicious, and the interior decor was other worldly. Check out Rosemary’s Myspace for fun images and general insanity.
Bash Bish Falls State Park – super beautiful falls! This park was a perfect stop for us because we were able to take the puppies on a little hike before driving all the way back to NYC. Check out the park’s website or read an article about it if you’re up for it.- Taconic State Park – of course! It was nice and peaceful, and I expect we’ll head back someday! Check out the park’s Wikipedia entry. :)
Wow, it’s really hard to believe Justin and I have already been engaged for a whole year!
Justin surprised me today with a pair of earrings to mark the occasion (What a sweetheart!). They’re not any old earrings, either. They’re Swarovski earrings that perfectly match my engagement ring. Super awesome!
Maybe we’ll actually plan a wedding… one of these days…
Let’s recap the year:
- May - Engaged on the River Walk in San Antonio!
- Val! and I went out to celebrate the engagement
- June - Justin and I started off the summer right with a picnic in Flushing Park (photos)
- We headed to Montana (photos and more photos) for my work and spent a day in Denver, which was a lot of fun (photos from Denver)
- Justin, Mom, Val!, (Joey), and I had a misadventure while hiking in the Catskills which resulted in stitches for me (photos)
- July – We had a great trip to Puerto Rico with Marisa and Alex (photos)
- Justin, Val! and I all turned 28
- August – Justin and I were stressed because Ruby developed Cherry Eye… but we got it fixed and she’s been great since!
- I got to see Sheila’s new house and Justin and I spent time with lots of family and friends in August (photos)
- September – I was back in Montana for work and Justin visited me for one amazing weekend (photos)
- JetBlue was completing work on T5 and Justin and I went to the Chili Pepper Fiesta in Brooklyn (photos)
- October – Justin and I celebrated our 4th anniversary by taking a vacation to Poland (with a stop in Vienna)! (photos)
- We met up with Jenny and Cody in Vieques, Puerto Rico! (photos)
- We celebrated Halloween properly by having a Pumpkin Carving Party (photos) and heading to a Halloween Party (photos). The puppies also got in on the action (photos)
- We took a day trip to Maine to check out fall foliage (one photo)
- November – Justin and I took off for two weeks in Australia, including Thanskgiving!
- December – We returned from Australia to enjoy snowy weather in NY and Christmas in Texas (photos)
- We drove our car alllll the way from San Antonio to New York! (photos)
- January – Not my favorite start to the new year. Justin and I found out I was being laid off from my job.
- February – I left for a week in Switzerland to visit Val! and BigP (photos)
- We visited Eric in LA (photos) and had a lot of fun with friends here in NY
- March – Sheila’s baby shower was this month (photos)
- Our friend Thao got baptized (photos)
- We went to Puerto Rico (El Yunque and Fajardo photos and Culebra photos) with Alex, Marisa, Tom, Niki, and Emily. Fun times!
- April – Brennan, Sheila’s baby, was born (photos)
- We took Alex and Marisa to Texas for the weekend (photos)
- May - Ruby and Eve, our puppies, turned 2 years old (photos)
Here is the premise.
Execute. Meaning. Fun.
What will your 3 words for 2009 be?
8 week sonogram of "Peanut Roan"
I am so glad that my awesome cousin Sheila is pregnant! I doubt I’ll ever have a child and Val!’s pretty much in the same boat, so this is the closest I’m going to come to being an Aunt… well, Aunt-Like. Ok, a really cool cousin. :P
8 week sonogram of "Peanut Roan" saying Hi
I am just so darn excited about “Peanut” Roan!!! Sheila sent sonogram photos out to the family yesterday. I am sharing them here, now. I wish I could tell you more, like how she is feeling (I think a little nauseous!) and what she is thinking (yay baby!), but I can’t… she hasn’t updated her website. :P
In these photos, you can make out little numbs that represent Peanut’s appendages! We don’t know whether Peanut will be a girl or a boy. Mommy and Daddy (Sheila and Justin) supposedly want to wait til the baby is born, but we’ll see if they can stave off their curiosity. Personally, I am hoping Peanut is a girl, but I’ll love it either way. ;) Congratulations She and Justin!!!
