Boston

Yesterday John and I went to Boston. John had a business meeting, and I decided to tag along. We hopped on the Bolt Bus at 7am. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a four hour ride turned into a six hour ride, due to traffic and rainy weather. It wasn't too bad, because we both had our laptops and were able to be quite productive.

We arrived in Boston at 1pm. John ran off to his business meeting, and I had time to take all of two photographs.

It was pouring down rain. But that didn't stop me from taking a very short walk through Boston's Downtown Crossing area. I liked Boston- it felt like a pretty laid back, very old city. It was refreshing to see some different scenery.

When John returned from his meeting, we took the subway out to Harvard Business School. John met up with a friend from New York who is in the business program there. It was a very short visit, but I was able to see a little of the business school.

We then scurried back to the bus station and caught a 4:30pm bus home. What a day!

Random Updates

Last weekend John's sister Christy came for a short visit. It was wonderful to spend time with Christy.

This is the skating rink at Central Park. I didn't skate, but it was fun to watch.

We ate a picnic lunch in the park on Saturday. There was still snow on the ground, but it was sunny and beautiful!

Cooking, Baking, and Eating

Before marrying, I knew how to cook and bake....but, I didn't have experience planning meals for 7 days a week. The first week back from our honeymoon, I remember being terrified and completely at a loss for what to make for dinner. Lucky for me, I have a very grateful husband with a not-too-discriminating palate (his bachelor meals consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cereal). Slowly, over the past months, I've accumulated a variety of recipes that I like to make and that John likes to eat. I've chronicled some of my adventures in the kitchen below.

1. Pumpkin Bread: I have to admit that this bread is a mix from Trader Joe's. I did make the glaze from scratch.

2. Beef Stew: I learned this recipe from my sister, who has perfected the art of beef stew.

3. Chicken Pho: One night I was feeling particularly adventuresome and made pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup filled with vegetables, herbs, and chicken. My soup bowls are entirely too shallow for brothy pho. So, we ate our soup out of mixing bowls.
3. French Toast: John and I are both fans of French toast. On this particular occasion, I used slices from a loaf of whole wheat French bread.

4. Meatloaf, scalloped potatoes and tasty salad. Yum.

5. Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake: My mom shared this recipe with me. I made this cake for John's birthday to share with our Bible study group.

Here is the first layer...

Here is the finished product...

Here's what was left after our Bible study friends tore into it...

And this is what my kitchen looked like afterwards.

A Sunday Walk

It's 8:15am right now and it's terribly dark outside. We were supposed to have snow again this morning, but instead it's sleeting, misting, and very foggy. It has been a long winter, but the end is in sight! We do have some lovely winter days here, though. This Sunday was one of those days. John and I took a walk along the "Esplanade," a beautifully landscaped walkway that runs along the Hudson River down to Battery Park (about a mile from our apartment).

Here are a few photos from our Sunday walk, just before sunset.

Can you see the Statue of Liberty in the background of this photo?

The Way to a Woman's Heart: Costco

On Friday evening John took me on a lovely date. First, he rented a zip car.

Then, we drove through the Battery Tunnel to Brooklyn.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner together.

Then, John bought me lots of groceries!

What a man!

NYC Snowstorm Update #2

Things are getting a little crazy here! The snow continues to fall very heavily.

I snuck out for short walk to snap a few photos.  The snow is dumping!

There are a few snow plows in our neighborhood.  Also, the large office buildings pay workers to constantly shovel the sidewalks. 

Our local Chase bank branch closed early today.

Yet, the dogs still go for their walks...

and the FedEx man still delivers!

NYC Snowstorm Update

The much anticipated east coast snowstorm has arrived in New York City.  We may receive up to 15 inches of snowfall.  We awoke this morning to a light dusting of snow (maybe an inch or two).

It is snowing quite heavily now, but the snow looks pretty wet.  It's supposed to snow all day today, and all tomorrow night.  We'll see what happens!