The Big Apple

Sunday at church there are a couple of guys who like Johnny Manziel.  A few of them are in my class.  I showed them a picture of Manziel at A&M recently.  I'm so thankful I have people here that love my school. 

At church we have been talking about the Old Testament for about the past 5 weeks.  Jenn asked someone to explain the story she has been explaining.  We have a couple of boys that goof off a lot and one of them told the story and did a great job!  It was almost like he was doing a rap with his hand movements.  I was so proud!

We were planning our Christmas party after church.  We had sandwiches, not grinders this time, sandwiches and planned.  I think it will be a great party! 

Kelly and I took our freshman girls to see the Peanuts movie.   I thought it was a good movie but kind of slow at times.  We went on opening weekend so the theater was filled with kids. 

I went to Target for the first time in 3 months!  It is about 20 minutes away.  I never pass it.  I have to go out of my way to get there.  I think that is the longest I have been without going to Target.  My dad wanted me to get a good snow scraper.  The other day when I was with Meghan I thought I saw a good snow shovel to keep in my car but she said it wasn't good and it would break easily.  So, I asked a guy about my age at Target which shovel to get.  He gave me some good recommendations.  He warned me that the winter will be bad. 

Later that evening I meet Mike at J. Timothy's.  They have the nations second best wings and Connecticut's best.  They were good wings.  I cut the meat off of the bone.  I should have done that all along.  I think that comes from my political background. 

After dinner we saw Spectre at AMC.  I had never been to this AMC before.  They had a huge lobby. The movie was pretty good.  We saw it in IMAX. 

Pat had a party for one of her co workers.  It reminds me of when my mom has parties.  It was nice to come home and have the left overs.  That is always the best part of a party, I think. 

Kelly and I meet Monday morning at Starbucks.  We have a great game plan for our freshman girls.  There are a lot of exciting things coming up at church.

Grandma tells me that wherever she has her candle sticks that is home.  I was thinking about what makes a place home for me.  I think it is knowing people at Starbucks.  That takes time and effort.  I now know several workers and many regulars. 

Monday evening I had tentative plans but fell through so I texted Uncle Paul to see what he was doing.  That man is crazy!  He does so much!  He told me he was going shopping and so I asked if I could join him. 

I meet him at his house. 

We went to this nice outdoor shopping area about 15 minutes away from his house.  Paul said he is starting over with his wardrobe.  I helped him pick out a few things. 

We went into Anthropologie.  I'm thankful he waited with me while I made a return. 

In the shopping are they had a L.L. Bean store.  I had never seen a L.L. Bean store before! 

After shopping we went to Ted Montana's for dinner.  Paul is on a strict diet so he had a salmon salad.  I had a bison cheeseburger.  It was lovely to have dinner with my favorite uncle. 

I love seeing Paul interact with people.  His friendliness reminds me of my College Station dad. 

We got to Pauls house around 10.  We chatted with Laurie for about 2 hours.  They are helping me solve all of my problems.  We had a good talk!  I am thankful for those two. 

Tuesday, I had lunch with my wonderful older sister, Megan.  We went to George's.  George's is very close to Megan's doctor office where she works so she goes their often.  We got a Mexican Taco pizza. It was so good! 

Thursday morning was the day we had been planning for a long time!  Thursday was the day I was meeting Kimberly and the Harpers in the big apple!  Todd and Pat went out of town to Williamsburg so it worked out well that I left that weekend too.  I got up at 6, left at 7, and got into the city at 10.  It took longer than expected with morning traffic.  I arrived at the London NYC and left my bags.  It was a very nice hotel.  The Harpers stay there ever time.  

I asked the concierge what the best way to get to the Natural American History Museum was.  He said the subway.  The concierge gave me clear directions and it was so simple even a Texas Aggie could do it!  The subway was about a block from the hotel.  Easy walk!  While I was waiting for the subway I saw a homeless man with a very torn up jacket and looking through the trash!  So sad!  Living in America with so much wealth there is still so much poverty.  The subway led me to a back entrance of the American History Museum.  The security guard there was very careful that nobody got past and everyone got in line.  The Harpers got us the New York City pass.  That was perfect!  We got into just about everything free.  The Harpers shipped me the pass so I could began using it.  The Natural History Museum was great to see.  That was where they filmed the movie Night at the Museum. It was a huge museum.  It looked very old.  They should probably remodel.  It was very confusing to walk around.  I don’t think it was designed very well.  I think it should be designed more like Disney World in a circle.  Not in all of these crazy sections.  They had sections from all around the world which I loved.  Neat music to match each section.  The gift shop had some international things which was fun.  They had a Hawian section which reminded me of the gift shop at the  Polynesian hotel at Disney World.  The museum had several gift shops and cafes.  

After leaving the National History Museum it was raining and I walked through Central Park to get to the Metropolitian Museum.  I asked a lady at a hot dog stand how to get there and she was very helpful.  The Metropolitian was a nice museum.  Upon arriving I went to the cafe with a large glass window over looking Central Park to get a Coke and to rest.  The museum also had several restaurants for members only.  The Metropolitian had a lot. I think museums with room displays are more popular here than in Texas.  Maybe it is larger museums.  I’m not sure.  I was exhausted from walking both museums so I walked quickly through the Metropolitian.  

I took a taxi to Time Square.  I went to M&M world.  They had two floors like the one in Vegas.  I was kind of hungry so was excited that Hershey’s was across the street and I was going to get a cupcake.  I was so excited until I walked inside and it was very small.  Smaller than the one in Chicago and NO cupcakes!  No baked goods.  It was very disappointing.  I collect mugs and was going to get a mug but all of the mugs had candy in them and I don’t need any candy.  I went to the Disney store.  It was two stories.  They said have a magical day.  It was nice to hear since the last time I heard that was at Disneyland.  

From Time Square I walked quickly back to the hotel, faster than a New Yorker.  The only bad thing is that there is always lights so you walk so quickly then get stopped by a light and the slow people catch up with me.  It was great to see Kimberly, Clint, her brother was there and his friend Matt.  We dropped our stuff of in the boys room because our room wasn’t ready.  They have us their key so we could get in after our room was ready.  Kimberly and I walked around Time Square.  Our hotel is in a great spot!  About 7 minutes from Time Square, 7 minutes from Rockefeller Center, and 7 minutes from Central Park!  So perfect!  We came back to the hotel got our stuff from the guys room and went to our room.  Our room was the same as the boys.  Large area with a desk, and comfy couch.  Two swinging doors that lead into the bedroom. The room had a very large very nice bathroom .  The bathroom had a shower with the water coming from directly above and a tub.  The tile was a nice white which I liked. It looked very clean.  

Moving Time

Sunday I went to this place called Texas Barbecue.  It is close by.  They have Dr. Pepper which is almost impossible to find here.  They also have fun Texas decorations that you wouldn't find anywhere else in Connecticut.

It was a rare day that I let myself take a nap.

Later I went over to my dear friend Rachels house and we made apple triffles.  We cut the apples and cooked them on the stove with spices.  We added ginger cookies, whip cream and the apples into layers in a dish.  It was good!

Just about every day I hear the words Fox Wood and Mohegan Sun.  They are two casinos in Connecticut about an hour away from me and about 20 minutes from each other.  On Monday morning I went to check them out.  Not to gamble but to see what all of the talk is about.  They both have free parking which was nice.  Foxwood looked more like Vegas Casinos.  Mohegan Sun looked like Great Wolf Lodge.  I did go on a Monday morning which helped. They were not as loud, smokey or obnoxious as Vegas casinos.  There were mostly older people there.  No young people my age.  Foxwood has outlets there.  I got all of my winter gear at Columbia.  There was a very good worker there that helped me find what I needed.  I think I am set for the cold!  I found a Cinnabon place there and had to stop for a Cinnabon.  I asked the worker how he was and he said to be honest it sucks to be here.  He went on to explain how he is in a band and they had a great show the night before but now he is back to work at his minimum wage job.  At Mohegan Sun I went to Carlos' Bakery.  I went to Carlos' in Vegas and didn't like it.  I was going to give it another change but the cupcake I got was terrible.  In my opinion Carlos is only good at decorating.  The good thing is that I got a cool grocery bag from Carlos.  I went to Bobby Flay's Burger Palace for lunch and that was good.  I got a burger with chips on it.  I went to Bobby's Burger Place in Vegas too.  Flay has a nice restaurant at Mohegan Sun that I would like to go back to sometime for dinner.

Monday afternoon I went to the chiropractor.  I finally found a good chiropractor!  I called a few places and all of the people on the phone weren't very nice.  This place is great.  Nice workers.  Instead of having rooms they have their adjustment tables out in the open.  I hadn't seen that before.  Dr. Brian was great.  I saw him the next morning at Starbucks.

After the chiropractor I got my hair cut.  I found a great lady at a salon but she moved to this new place.  She rents a space in a salon.  It was a nice place.  She has a surprisingly great memory.

I picked up a pizza for me and Gabe and Stephen at a pizza restaurant I pass by all of the time but have never been in.  In New England they have lots of different types of pizza.  I got a baked potato pizza.  It had potatos, sour cream, bacon, and cheese.  Stephen and Gabe were helping me move so I bought them dinner.  I found out after I bought the pizza that Stephen doesn't like potatoes.  He was a good sport and pretended to like it.  I felt bad after he was doing something so nice for me and I am giving him his least favorite food.  I asked Stephen and Gabe to both bring their cars so we would have three cars when we move.  Although all of my stuff fit into Stephens Camry when there were four of us driving to Connecticut from New York when they picked me up.  I only moved about 15 minutes away.  I'm so thankful that the boys helped me.
The Kenneys have a lovely home.  My room is perfect with a nice desk and dresser.  I am SO thankful to be with the Kenneys.

Tuesday I babysat the girls.  They don't have school on election day because the schools are used for elections.  I think a politician just wanted to use his kids in their campaigns and had to have a reason to close school.  One of the girls had a birthday party at a miniature golf place.  The other daughter and I played golf together while the other girl was with her friends.  The 7 year old beat me by about 20 points!  This miniature golf place was all decorated for halloween.  They had great decorations.

I try to get a pedicure once a month but it had been two months!  I am picky about where I get my pedicures.  I found a great place though!  It is in a popular shopping area here.  I also found out that you don't have to be licensed to do nails here so technically I could get a job doing nails.  They told me at my new good place that I have to be careful about where I go.

After getting my nails done I came home and Todd and I went on a walk.  That reminds me of my walks with my dad.  In Burlington where I live there are a lot of hills so we were always going up ad down.
Todd had already eaten but he sat down and had dinner with me.  I really appreciated that.  We talked about the sermon which was about miracles.  It was a good conversation.

Meghan, the Kenneys oldest daughter and her brother in law came over to get more furniture to move to Meghan's new house.  They needed to get some furniture outside but couldn't get it because there was a mamma bear and two cubs!  Just that morning Pat said the garbage was in a different spot so bears probably came.  She said they are hard to actually see but we saw them!  The cubs were almost as big as the mom.  They were in the Kenneys large wooded back yard.  They were standing close to the trees in case they needed to climb.  There was no tag on the bears ears so they had not been reported.  I need to look up some bear safety tips.  Whenever I come in at night I am going to need to look around and make sure I don't see any bears!

Later that evening I went to Starbucks and saw two of my freshman girls from church.  I also meet their leader form last year that they were with.  It was great to talk to the girls and their old leader is fabulous.  The girls gave me some suggestions about our group.

Wednesday I went to Hop Meadow County Club to learn more of the event side.

Wednesday evening instead of meeting at the church we meet at the Masters School, a private christian school in the area.  It was nice to go there because I know a few people that teach there and several students that go to school there.
We had glow in the dark soccer.  I ended up playing on an all guys team.  People on our team kept saying okay, guys, and girl.  Curtis one of the other leaders was on our team.  He would always make funny comments while we were playing.  It was fun to play because it was completely dark and we didn't know who we were playing.  The goals had glow sticks around them so we would know where we were going, each person had one glow stick around their neck, and the ball was glow in the dark.
Later we had a pumpkin smash.  People brought pumpkins and someone built this thing out of wood to launch the pumpkins.  The heavier the pumpkin the worse it did.
A leaders shared his testimony.
We had a "bonfire".  Anytime we have a fire we have s'mores which is fabulous!
There was pizza, popcorn, apple cider, and apple cider donuts.  I tried to heat up my pizza over the fire.
It was a great evening!

I am meeting lots of people at my Starbucks which is great. I think about all of the workers know me.  They know me more than I know them because I used to bring them cupcakes.  If you want to make friends fast bring food.

Random fact, here in the North East roads aren't very well light so driving at night I have to use my brights most of the time.  There are also lots of windy roads.

At the Tiffany Juliet House about a month ago the chef was telling me went to the Great Jack O Lantern Blaze.  He went on to tell me how there are about 7,000 pumpkins carved into different shapes.  I went online to find out more.  I found you have to pre purchase tickets to go.  The soonest I could get tickets was November 5th.
The day finally came after about 3 weeks of waiting.  I took the day off of work to be able to see more things in New York while I was there.  It took me about two hours to get there to the Hudson Valley.

First, I went to Franklin Roosevelt home.   They had a nice newly built gift shop and place to purchase tickets.
The guided tour of the house started in the new building on a mosaic tile map of the area.
Our tour guide was formerly a teacher.  He was very good at teaching and capturing and keeping my attention.  It was a pretty time to go to see the trees changing colors.
At the beginning of the tour our guide was asking where everyone was from I said Connecticut.  He said that's a big state, wandering specifically in Connecticut where I was from.  I thought that was funny he thought Connecticut was a big state.  Compared to Texas Connecticut has nothing!
I meet a lady named Wendy.  She was going to the Culinary Institute of America after the tour like I was.  I think a lot of people do that because they are so close.  Wendy also told me you can tour Eleanor Roosevelt's home.  I did not know that.  I tried to make that work but it wouldn't fit into my schedule.
On the tour I also meet a lady that used to live in Austin.
After the tour of the home I went into the library/museum.  It was nice but not as good as the Bush's but there are newer and George Bush's library at A&M is automatically better because it is at A&M.  

Next, I went to the Culinary Institute of America.  My friend Otto went there.  It was about 5 minutes away from Roosevelt's home.  They had several dorms, and a tennis court.  Street names were named after spices.  There was a main building with a crammed gift shop and 3 restaurants.  They also had a few classrooms you could see in.  Students are dressed in chef clothes.  It reminded of of A&M instead of people  being in military uniforms they were in chef clothes.  I went onto the Apple Pie bakery.  I got mint lemonade, a cookies and cream macaroon and a beef dish.  The presentation was perfect.   I saw them making the macaroons earlier.

Next, I drove about 20 minutes to Rhinebeck.  Otto recommended that I go there.  At first it seemed kind of lame.  Just a town with shops.  Then I started shopping and the shops were really great.  In some ways it reminded me of Fredericksburg.  Cute town with shops.  I bought some cool juice cups that look like Coke cans, wooden spoons in the shape of guitars, and maps of New York.  I will eventually get those framed.

After Rhinebeck I drove about 70 minutes to the Rockefeller's estate.  I went on the Classic Tour.  We started at a very old gift shop.  The bus drove us to the Rockefeller's home, Kykuit.  Kykuit means high point.  They have a great view of the Hudson.  It was a cloudy day where it looked like it could rain at any minute, thankfully it didn't.  The exterior of the house was definitely the nicest I have ever seen.  The house was well advance for its time.  The tour was 2 hours and 15 minutes.  At first I was concerned about the tour being so long but I feel like we barely saw a fourth of Kykuit.  We saw the first floor of the home.
Next, we saw part of the outdoors.  The gardens were remarkable.  They had a rose garden which was very pretty.
We saw an art gallery inside the basement of the home.  After Rockefeller's request Picasso hired a lady to make tapestries of his work.  Many of the tapestries were inside the home.
Next, we saw the stables.  Very, very nice!
Our tour guide tried to make us have a good view of the Rockefeller's and how they donate a lot of money, ect.  One of the ladies on our tour was from Tennessee and said that she heard some bad things about the Rockefeller's that our tour guide did not mention.
On this tour there were many people from out of state and even a few international visitors.  I saw a couple of people coming and leaving in taxis.  On the Roosevelt tour there were mostly people form just the New York area.

I found a little place in town to get pizza.  In the North East majority of pizza places sell slices.  If you call ahead they will warm it up for you.  This pizza place had chicken parmesan pizza.  I think it was the first I had chicken on a pizza.  I think my pizza is better off without chicken.

I drove about 10 minutes to the Van Cordt Estate where I saw the Great Jack O Lantern Blaze.   There were cops directing traffic and many parking attendants making sure you parked in the right spot.  Then, people were directed through the gift shop.  They had everything from postcards, to bookmarks, to globes, blankets, t shirts, and books of the Blaze.
Then, we were directed into a tent where they were selling apple cider donuts, popcorn, cupcakes, and hot chocolate.
There was a long line to get to the front of the exhibit.  Everyone had times.  I had the earliest time, 5:30.  Me and every kid had that time.  Lots of kids and strollers.
The pumpkins were incredible.  There was a pumpkin in the shape of a circus train, snakes, dragons, a clock, and much more!  It is incredible!   They would combine several pumpkins to make things look full size.  It is like ICE at the Gaylord but instead of ice pumpkins.
The Van Cordt seemed to be more like an old house than a really nice house like the Rockefeller's.
About everyone in the Hudson Valley knew about Blaze.  It is kind of the thing to do around there.  People in Connecticut haven't really heard about it.
I guess you can really carve anything out of anything: ice, butter, pumpkins.
It was a perfect evening to be walking around outside.  A jacket wasn't even necessary.

It took me about an hour and fifty minutes to get home.  I got in around 8:20 which was good it wasn't to late.  I talked to the Kenneys.  They were eager to hear about my day.
Todd was showing me of the best place to park my car.  As were were outside we heard something and Todd motioned for me to stay back.  We think it was a bear.  We then ran inside.  I asked Todd if I would always be a blue to hear bears.  He said no.  So anytime a bear could just sneak up on me.  My newest fear is bears.
Pat and I stayed up a little later talking about the Lord, life, and our families.  Pat has such a passion for prayer and that is easy to see.

Friday morning I forgot something so turned back and I saw many old doors and window in front of a house that was for sale with a sign that said FREE.  I pulled in and got a window.  The possibilities of what to do with it are endless!  Those people could have sold them for at least $30.  So thankful for that find!

Friday evening I ended up not working.  Todd and I had left overs at home.  We worked together quickly to get the food on the table for an early dinner.
Megan their oldest daughter came over.  I asked Megan if she would be my Connecticut sister and her response was like duh, of course!   I went shopping with her for some furniture for their new home.     I wasn't planning on buying anything but found two things I liked.  I told Megan she was a bad influence on me.  She said that is what big sisters are for.  Erin meet us out shopping.  We had fun shopping together.  Later that evening Todd and Pat and I were home and Todd always says the funniest things.

Saturday morning the middle school and high school meet at the church to rake.  We raked an older persons yard from the church and their neighbors.  There was probably 50 of us.  My chiropractor came with us!  He has a son in middle school.  He seems like a cool guy.  The raking went by very quickly.  We did 9 yards in 3 hours.  It was fun to watch.  In the North East in some towns you don't have to bag your leaves.  You can just rake them to the curb.  Some people brought leave blowers and that was helpful!  I had some good conversations with some girls when we weren't raking.

Halloween Week!

On Sunday I worked the Farmington Bridal Show representing Hop Meadow Country Cliub.  I worked with a guy named Mike who works on the golf side.  He's a pretty cool guy.  The day turned out to be a lot better than it could have been.  Mike brought a roll of grass for guys to golf on.  We also brought a model sweetheart table.  I know more people at the bridal show than Mike did which is funny because I have lived here for two months and he has lived here for years.  Bridal shows are interesting places to people watch.  There are a lot of mothers and daughters, and grandmothers, mothers, and daughters, some girlfriends that go together and some couples.  I think bridal shows are only good if you haven't gotten anything for your wedding picked out.  One couple made a sticker with their information instead of continually writing out their information  to companies they were interested in.  They also made an email address for their wedding day.  That couple was  smart!

After working the show I went back to the club and stayed for about an hour at Freight Fest.  Kids dressed up in costumes, we had a dj, fun desserts, and good food.

Monday I went to Greenwich.  I ate at this great restaurant at a nice hotel I had been wanting to go to for a while.  It is the second best hotel in Connecticut.   The restaurant was perfectly designed and had great service.  The hotel lobby was nice but small.  I walked along the Greenwich harbor.  Greenwich had a nice downtown area with shops but parking was very hard so I didn't get out of my car (which may have been the best situation to not shop).

After Greenwich I drove about 45 minutes away to the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.  They were changing out some exhibits so it was kind of a terrible day to go.

After coming back I went to West Hartford and found a cool coffee shop.  The coffee shop didn't have wifi!  What kind of a coffee shop doesn't have wifi?!

I meet Mike from work at the Cheesecake Factory and I used the gift card my parents gave me for my birthday.  One of my favorite things is getting a slice of cheesecake and eating it for days at home.

Mike and I saw Bridge of Spies at this nice area in West Hartford.  The area reminds me slightly of a trendy shopping area in LA.  Bridge of Spies is a wonderful movie!

Tuesday, I worked at the club putting things up from the bridal show and emailing brides whose contact information we got at the show.

Stephen was over at Grandmas when I came home for the afternoon.  I love cousin visits!

I was able to get back into the routine of babysitting the sweet girls I babysat a month ago.  In the car we listened to Cray Button, the Lecrae song we made a dance to with our student ministry in Texas.  The 7 year old girl I babysit loved the song and asked what a cray button is.

Wednesday evening I worked at Hop Meadow Country Club.  There was an event and a Sate Representative was there.  I got to talking to him and told him of my political involvement in Texas. He asked which side I was on.  I said Republican.  He said he was on the opposite side but would still talk to me.  He gave me his card and offered to help me get involved here.

Thursday and Friday I worked all day at Hop Meadow.  I am really enjoying working there!

Saturday I had breakfast with a high school girl at my favorite breakfast place Dish n' Dat.  Pouring into younger girls is one of my favorite things!

I went over to my co workers house and we made popcorn balls.  She had the great idea of adding food coloring.  That was fun to experiment with.  I really appreciate her making them with me.

Saturday afternoon I went over to Paul and Lauries house and Laurie made me the best poodle skirt I have ever seen in my life!  She got the felt and sewed it.  Laurie said she couldn't find a good poodle so she just made one!  She acts like it was nothing.  It is a perfect poodle!  Then when I came over she made sure it fit and just sewed on some felt to keep it together and I was good to go!

It really comes in handy having your cousin as a photographer.  Paul took some great pictures of the outfit.

Then, Mikes kids and family came over.  Grace, his daughter and I both were 50's girls.  She was cute!  Will was a pilot.   He was adorable!  Paul took some great pictures of us!

Laurie bought the kids books and some cute Halloween candy.

We went over to Mikes friends house he has known since elementary school.  They have 2 kids Grace and Wills ages, in laws, brother in laws and girlfriend, were there and another school friend.  We had pizza for dinner.  Mike made mold cider.  Don't know why its called mold.  Mike got me some cider before we headed out to go trick or treating.  I appreciated that!  There were 10 adults and 4 kids trick or treating.  I was concerned it would be very cold but thankfully the weather was fine!  It was a good halloween thanks to my great cousins!  

Birthday Week

Sunday I had dinner with the family I will be living with.  They are wonderful!  The dad is funny.  We had dinner at George's which is a Greek pizza place.  It is always good.

Sunday evening I went to Starbucks but they were losing early because they were under staffed.  Can you believe that?!  It was such a bummer!

Monday I went to North Hampton in Massachusetts.  Its about 75 minutes away.  Someone recommended that I go there because its an artsy town with cute shops.  I went to the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library.  His library was in the city library.  It was very small and not that great.  I was shocked!  Someone who spent good years of their lives as a public servant to one of the highest degrees gets a small section in a public library!  I think some republican women did the library for Coolidge.  At the library some people who worked there gave me some great suggestions on what to do in North Hampton.
In some ways the city reminded me of Austin.  It was a cute town with cute shops.  I bought some kitchen towels unique to New England and a clock that looks like a record.  There were some sketchy people there!  Not as nice as the Farmington Valley where I live.  I went to a restaurant for lunch that looked good and asked for chicken on the Cesar salad but they said they couldn't do that because they are a vegetarian restaurant.

Tuesday was my birthday!  I went to Yale.  It was a big let down.  Lots of sketch people in New Haven.  The school was not nearly as good as A&M.  I went to the Peabody Natural History Museum that I heard a lot about.  It was not as good as the natural history museum in LA.  Then, I went to the Yale Fine Art Museum.  It was very nice!  The museum was 3 stories and they had art from all over the world.  Museums with art from all over always remind me of the Louve.  I looked up good places for lunch.  I went to this cute coffee shop restaurant and got chocolate waffle.  It was perfect!  I got mint tea because that is my favorite but it was terrible.

I had the opportunity to work at Cake Gypsy.  My boss let me decorate some cupcakes with birthday decorations.  I thought they looked cute!

Tuesday evening I went to my Connecticut parents house.  I will be moving in with them soon.   Their daughter Erin turned 23 on October 20th (same day as me).  Mom made us chicken parmesan, meat balls, mashed potatoes (my request), green bean casserole, salad with blueberries, and bread.  I love chocolate chip cookie cake and usually have one every year for my birthday.  Pat made me a home made cookie cake that was perfect!  We had a lot of fun and laughed a lot.  Todd and Mike (Todd and Pats son in law) are so funny!  Mike has these weird looking turtles that he told us all about.  After dinner we played a good game of Taboo.  I love that game!


Thursday I Facetimed my friend Wiliam from Starbucks.  Starbucks and Central Market and probably the two places I miss the most.  William shows me around our table and shows me the workers too.  That is one of my favorite things!  Matter, one of the older men at our table picked up an empty chair at our table and showed it to me.  It nearly made me cry!  Somedays I wish I was home more than others.

Thursday I worked almost 10 hours at the country club.  My boss Chris showed me around the golf course.  It was a great view especially this time of year with the trees changing colors.  Beth who is in charge of events is leaving to go to another position soon.  I would like to take her spot.  She gave me several suggestions on how to do well at the country club.  I was so thankful for that!  On Sunday I will be representing the club at a bridal expo and today the lady in charge of member services who is temporarily taking over Beth's job helped me prep for the bridal show.

Friday I worked all day at Hop Meadow.  It was a good day!

Saturday three girlfriends and I went to Boston.  We got started at 8 and got back to Avon at 11 that evening.  It was a good full day!
Emily bought me a Starbucks drink to start off the morning.

We went to the Boston Public Gardens. It was nice but significantly smaller than Central Park (which is huge).  It also didn't have nearly as many people as Central Park (but Boston is a smaller city).

Kara, one of my girlfriends with us told us about this shopping area and we passed it on the way to the library.  We walked down this area of nice shops.  I was tempted to get a cupcake there from a cute cupcake store but it was 10 am. I thought that was to early for a cupcake but is it ever to early for a cupcake?

We went to the Boston Public Library.  It was very large.  They had multiple restaurants.   They were remodeling some of the library.  They had an exhibit about America long ago with nice patriotic music.

We were planning on going to the Skywalk at Prudential Tower.  We decided to eat lunch there instead.  It was a great view!  At Prudential Center there was a small indoor shopping area kind of like hotels in Vegas.

We walked to the Boston Museum of Fine Art.  The museum was three stories.  We only covered the first story and we were there for about 2 hours.  The museum was huge!  Sections form the museum went horizontally as opposed to vertically so we still saw a little from every section.  They had a Rembrent exhibit that was very full.  It was hard to really see the paintings closely.  The museum had a lot of Egyptian art. They also had some unique and old instruments.  Emily is a musician so enjoyed seeing that.  I really liked their contemporary section of the museum.

Next, we took a Taxi to Faneuil Hall.  After arriving I realized I left my mug I bought at the museum on the taxi.  Kara ran out with me to see if the taxi was still there.  She called the taxi company but we didn't have the specific taxi number or receipt to tell them what the number was.
We walked around Faneuil Hall and headed towards the Harbor.  It was nice to walk around the Harbor.

We ate at this amazing restaurant, Trade.  We got 4 appetizers to split and 1 flatbread for dinner.  We got 3 desserts to split.  We were thankful we had a little of many items for dinner.

We walked back to our car and on the way back went to Quincey Market.  It was not as great as it was talked up to be.  It was just a big food court.  We saw these buys doing a funny performance but bringing people in from the audience.  We left before we got called.  The performers reminded me of people at Universal Studios City Walk in Hollywood.  Walking back we saw the theater district and many other neat things.

After getting to the car we discovered my phone charger wasn't working and everyones phones were about dead.  We didn't have enough battery to get back home.  We pulled into a gas station and got a new phone charger.  Thanks to Google Maps and a charged phone we got home!

It was a great day!  We talked about everything from evolution to gay marriage to homelessness to boys and what the Lords view on all of this.  I loved our time together and our real talk.  

Freedom Retreat

I got a job at a country club and put in my two weeks at Cake Gyspy.  At first the boss was upset I wasn't there longer but understood my spot.  She knows a lot about the country club so gave me several suggestions on how to exceed there!  I was shocked that she was so helpful in my new position.  I'm so thankful!

Wednesday I started my new job at the country club.  I really like my co workers so it has been good.

Friday I went with our student ministry to a camp in Massachusetts.  We took about 50 kids.  30 girls and 20 guys.  Friday we meet in Avon and Saturday we went to the camp.  I was able to speak about some of my struggles with the girls.    I meet Sue on this trip.  She is great! Saturday we lead a session on dating and purity.  We had the most girls in our session and some great conversation.  During the retreat we had a bon fire and s'mores, a color war which was very fun and times in the chapel of teaching and singing.  The camp had the best camp food I have ever had.  It was great!   Valley is a great church and I am thankful to be apart of it!

FAMILY

Sunday, I went to The New Britain Art Museum with Gabe.   It is a new building so it was nice.  They have some very pretty pieces.  On of my favorites was by this guy from New York who paints so realistically that it looks like a picture and that you are actually in New York.

Sunday evening, friend Kelsey and I went to Abigail's for diner.  It was a nice restaurant.  They were having a profit share upstairs.  Abigail's is thought to be haunted by a ghost named Abigail that is why it's called Abigails.  At the profit share they were passing out appetizers, had tiramisu out, live music, and raffles.  It was fun!

Thursday, my cousin Stephen came into town from Nashville.  Kara came over for dinner like she usually does. After dinner Stephen asked if we wanted to go on a walk around the block.  I was exhausted because I had been working all day but I thought I can go for a walk around the block.  To Stephen a walk around the block means a walk around Grandmas whole 8 mile complex.  We probably walked 3 miles!

Friday I got off for lunch and went with Steve, Stephen and Grandma for lunch at Chili's.  It was fun! Friday evening I worked at the Tiffany Juliet House.  I was able to help Chef Rich which I enjoy.

Saturday Steve and I went to one of my favorite places Dish n' Dat for breakfast.  Steve bought me chocolate chip pancakes which I love!  It was perfect!  I really like Steve.  He is funny and a good listener.  After breakfast I had an interview at Sur La Table to be a cooking school assistant.

In the afternoon we went to my cousin Jackies wedding.   It was about 30 minutes away.  Paul and Mike were the photographers.  After the ceremony I was able to ride with Paul and Mike to the reception about 30 minutes away.  I helped hold things.  I had the opportunity to help pose the girls for one picture so they would look like girls the movie Bridesmaids cover.  It was fun to be at the wedding with so much family.

What Life Looks Like Now

Well folks, I got a job working at Cake Gypsy, a popular bakery in town.  I have been working at the pre-school in the morning and Cake Gypsy in the afternoon.   In the evening I usually have something with church.  

Monday morning I meet with Mike, our communications director at church.  He used to manage managers at ESPN.  He looked at my resume and gave me some tips about ESPN.  Mike was so helpful!

I got sick again this week which is kind of a bummer.  I was out one day.  

I had my interview at the Wadsworth Mansion.  They said they would let me know in a week.  I think the interview went well!

Wednesday, I meet Pat who is about my parents age.  I may be living with she and her husband Todd.   Pate is one of the nicest ladies I have ever meet!  She is in charge of Moms in Prayer in Connecticut and was Nurse of the year at the hospital in Bristol she works at. Before I left she prayed for me!  I have heard nothing but wonderful things about the Kenneys.  It would be great if I did get to move in with them. 

So, at Cake Gypsy we have good relationships with many of our neighboring business.  At this Japanese place one of the guys that works there likes one of my co workers.  It is funny to see him flirting with her.  My co workers already has a boyfriend and doesn't like this guy.  However, we are getting a lot of free food from it so it's working out well for us.  Friday after working at Cake Gypsy my co workers and I went to see the guy from the Japanese place.  Then, we went to another restaurant for appetizers and dessert.  It was fun! 

Saturday was a cool day.  It was 40!  I heard this is about 20 degrees cooler than usual.  

I went to have coffee with my girlfriend, Rachel.  She is such a sweet girl.  I really like her! We saw some people from church there!  I'm so glad that I am beginning to see people out that I know!  

I also went to the Wadsworth Museum.  The museum was fantastic!  It was very large.  They had an exhibit of many European paintings.  They had a nice cafeteria but it wasn't as good as the Kimballs restaurant.  After the museum I worked a wedding at the Tiffany Juliet House.  I had worked their once before.  I got to work with the chef like last time.  I was the Sous Chef!  I like helping the chef.  He's a pretty cool guy.  

After working I went to Starbucks.  I had seen this guy in his late 20's there a couple of times.  He always sits outside of Starbucks with his guitar, cigarette, and dog.  I started talking to him and asked him what his name is.  He said his name is Lon and I was one of the few people that asked what his name is and not his dogs name.  I think that is so sad!  

I'm glad my life has somewhat of a routine now.  I'm looking forward to going to another museum with Gabe tomorrow and hearing back from my interview!