Here’s our living room.  The painting was almost done by this point.  It’s a bright turquoise which looks nice with our dark furniture and taupe couch.  This was also before we moved in, so it is now cluttered with boxes and piles on the floor.  But we love it, and have completely adjusted to the extra space.  There’s actually no need to unpack the boxes because they’re not really in our way!

This is our kitchen.  Those who saw our past kitchen will agree that this is a better version.  I haven’t even organized it yet because everything I have fits in one cabinet.  Our IKEA run this weekend will fix that.  Note the dishwasher front and center in this picture.  It’s awesome, I guess, but here’s the problem:  we don’t have enough dishes to fill it up, so we’ll either have to buy more plates or run the dishwasher with only 2 plates and 3 bowls in it. 

Here’s the view from our living room.  It was a cloudy day; apparently that’s the only kind of days we have in New York anymore, but it’s still a great view especially at night!

So there’s a little snapshot of our new digs.  We love it and feel incredibly grateful to be starting our second year in New York in such a great apartment.  Have a great weekend!

My Grandpa Nason died this past Sunday after a little spill in his yard that likely caused some internal bleeding in his brain.  I’m so grateful to have gotten to see him and my grandma just a few days ago at Anna’s wedding.  We hadn’t thought they would be able to come, but thanks to my aunt rearranging her work schedule and making the time to drive them down, they were able to be there.  Of course they had no idea how meaningful that trip would come to be, but our whole family will treasure that weekend forever.

His funeral is today, and Daniel and I opted not to go for lots of reasons, the frequency of our travel over the past 6 months being one of those reasons, but for me, I prefer to remember Grandpa as he was, completely alive, charming, and loving.  But funerals do provide an outlet for the grieving process, and as I won’t get that I want to just write a few words about him and who he was in my life.

Most people have two grandfathers.  They have to come up with different names for them; they have different memories with each of them, and can compare their two grandfathers and appreciate the differences in personality and approach in each of them.  I really only have one grandfather, and from what I have gathered over the years and especially in listening to my husband talk about both of his beloved grandfathers, my grandpa was everything in one that most people get in two!

We spent every Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma Nason’s house before my parents had too many kids to drag around from place to place at the holidays, so lots of my Christmas memories involved a tree draped with tinsel, dozens of presents under the tree, stockings filled with an apple, orange, and candy, and Grandpa asleep in his chair.  He’d stay awake for presents and lunch, but as soon as that stuff was over, he’d stretch out in his chair and doze off within seconds.  Anna and I would try to tiptoe past him going back and forth between the rooms, as if anything could wake him up.  He’s been hard of hearing for as long as I’ve been alive, which I’m sure he counted a great blessing when there were half a dozen little kids scrambling about his house at Christmas.

Grandpa was a farmer at heart, and always fained reluctance to show off his tractors, but once the grandkids got him down to the barn, he would reveal that he’d already tested out his little tractor to make sure it was in good working order for tractor rides.  He’d let the older grandkids drive the tractor on their own, but told us to engage the blade while we drove.  What a great way to trick your city grandkids into mowing the yard!  I took Daniel to visit them a couple years ago, and after the tractor show, Grandpa told Daniel it was time for him to mow the lawn.  When Grandma tried to intervene by saying, “Bob, Daniel doesn’t want to mow, he wants to see the farm,” Grandpa said, “He can look around while he’s mowing.”  Just this past weekend, Grandpa was scoping out my dad’s “tractors” (riding lawn mowers) and when he discovered what size it was said, “I didn’t know they made ‘em that small.”

I loved the way Grandpa always tried to identify with me in whatever I was interested in.  It communicated that he knew I was growing up and wanted to engage my interests.  When I started the violin, he told me about when he used to play the violin.  I let him play my violin and told him he sounded good.  Since he grew up speaking French, he was excited when I started taking French in high school.  He’d say something in French then help me figure it out.  This convinced me that I had a really smart Grandpa, and I have continued to discover that over the years.  My grandparents are private about their faith, but when my dad was a Sunday School teacher, Grandpa would always want to know what he was teaching, and they would have lot conversations about the Bible.  My dad would lend him commentaries, and I was always impressed to see Grandpa’s Bible and the commentary with a bookmark in it, on the table in the living room.  I think he read them, and knew God.

His M&M dispenser was always full, and he thought of nothing of helping us sneak another handful even when our mom had said we’d had enough.  He loved classy suspenders and wore them with his work clothes.  I like to think I had my own special nickname–Mr. Brown Eyes–but maybe he called all his grandkids that.  He called my grandma “Dearie,” which pretty much sums up how he treated her–sweetly and delicately.  And I’m pretty sure he made up his own songs; at least I’ve never heard anyone but him sing skidamarink-adink-adink skidamarink-adoo I love you.

I don’t get sick very often, but when I do it’s always the same thing:  a super-cold complete with fever and chills, severe nasal congestion and breathing difficulty, a raw and swollen sore throat, and nausea.  Every time I get this I go to the doctor because it sounds a lot like strep throat, and every time the doctors say it’s a virus.  Sometimes they prescribe an antibiotic just to shore up my immune system against something more serious that I could contract while I’m sick, but most of the time, I’m just told to take OTC medications and rest, and drink lots of fluids, and all that good stuff.  So this week I am sick but am not going to the doctor.  This may be unwise, but I just do not see the need at this point.  And since writing is my only outlet of communication that isn’t somewhat painful, I will post some pictures and write some anecdotes!

Anna’s wedding was a lovely and treasured time for our whole family.  A couple of David’s cousins threw Anna a delightful shower the week before the wedding, timed just so Christine and I could be there for it.  Among the highlights was David’s great aunt Donna doing “a little soft-shoe” around the living room, strawberries dipped in sour cream and brown sugar (to die for!), and Anna winning every single game and thus getting every prize AND all the presents.  Here’s my mom and me at the festive night in Blanchard, which by the way is incredibly difficult to find.

The dips at the wedding reception were comprised of stir-in packets of spices mixed with sour cream.  So we bought half-gallon containers of sour cream at Sam’s.  It was pretty gross-looking to open one of those and dump heaps of sour cream into a bowl.  At least it wasn’t mayonnaise or a huge can of nacho cheese.

Christine and I arranged the flowers for the wedding, and here’s the finished product.

Before and after the wedding I did my job of rearranging the dress about 5000 times during pictures.  You’d think I’d be the one getting a little exasperated, but here’s a picture of Anna looking looking a little irritated with me!  The nerve!

We got Anna and David all married off last Saturday in a beautiful ceremony without a single hitch!  I’ve played enough weddings to know that something always goes wrong, but I think the whole thing just went beautiful and loved standing at the top of the stairs watching my beautiful sister walk to her beloved.  I wax poetic at such times, and kept thinking how proud I was to be her sister, and how special she and David are to Daniel and I.  It reminded me of a line from that old hymn Praise to the Lord the Almighty “Ponder anew what the Almighty can do who if with his love He befriends thee!”  He has given David and Anna the true desire of their hearts in each other and given them a ministry and a calling in His kingdom.  Who but God can do that? 

It was wonderful to have so much family come into town for the big event too!  We got see lots of my extended family and even spend some time with Daniel’s parents and sibs over pancakes the day after the wedding.  I’m pretty homesick now that we’re back in NY, but I have prepping for a move to keep me entertained and happy.  Daniel’s last test EVER is this Saturday, and then summer begins!  Hello weekends at the beach, dinners with friends, long walks in the park, and enjoying the view of NYC from Apt 16J.

I’ve been in Oklahoma for a week, and I think we are just about ready to have a wedding.  Tomorrow starts the real work of setting up and decorating at the church, and then it will be complete mania until the last guest leaves the reception.  Scott arrives from Germany tomorrow night, and for the first time since Christmas, the family will all be together.  Aside from the fact that when the wedding is over, it’s time to say goodbye and head back to NY, I really just can hardly wait!

I find myself reflecting on my own wedding day a lot and being incredibly thankful for our almost 4 years of marriage.  It’s so completely exciting for me to to watch Anna and David start their lives together knowing how great marriage is.

Last night was my Spring Concert with my students, and they did so great!  I was just bursting with pride as especially my little ones played as well as I’d ever heard them.  It was a really special moment for me to watch them and realize that thirteen second-graders, who before October of last year had never touched a violin, were playing real music in front of an audience because I taught them how.  That feeling of pride and responsibility has hit me before, but it was meaningful to me in a new way last night as I sensed that familiar confirmation from God that I have found my place here.  Now our apartment is filled with flowers from students and parents, and I will start recruiting for next year as soon as I’m back after Anna’s wedding!

Speaking of finding places, as of Thursday our apartment search is over!  We found a “gigantic” place with a lovely, south-facing view from the 16th floor.  I will probably spend most of my time at home staring out the window.  We were a little undecided, but the view clinched it, and we can hardly wait to move in.  It’s wonderful to be able to head to Oklahoma for the wedding festivities and let Daniel focus on his test preparations with the housing search over.  I’ve been organizing and purging so we only move what’s necessary.  Our possessions are already limited, but somehow things still accumulate!  How this happens despite our rigid purchasing criteria, I don’t know.  I am wondering what the experience of moving in NY will be like.  We’re only moving 2 blocks away which makes the idea of renting and loading a U-haul seem somewhat ridiculous, but the thought of carrying our couch down the sidewalk over to our new place also is not an option.  My vote is for hiring movers.

I leave for Oklahoma one week from tomorrow.  It seems like we are never here anymore!  Ever since Christmas we have traveled every 6 weeks and sometimes more frequently than that.  Not that I don’t love Oklahoma, but the airline companies are starting to love us a little too much.  So I would like to take this opportunity to announce that summer in NYC is amazing–the weather is lovely, Central Park is stunningly beautiful, there are Broadway shows to see, delicious food to eat, views that will make your heart leap, museums filled with treasures from the beginning of time, all manner of shopping, and…US!  We will be here all summer, come anytime, friends!

Why is Spring so slow in coming here in NY?  It has been raining for almost 10 days now, and it seems it will continue throughout this one.  My rain boots got a crack in them, which frustrates me.  I spent $20 on those things!  Thanks a lot, Target.  Ok, so maybe next year I will need to invest in some better quality wellies.  When it was hot for about two days, I bought a cilantro plant so I don’t have to keep buying big bunches that inevitably rot in my fridge because I rarely cook.  It was sunny for 2 more days then it turned cold and rainy, and Little Cilantro had to come inside with us.  I am afraid he is going to die if the sun does not come back out soon.

We are moving sometime in the month of June, so with Anna’s wedding and Daniel’s big test so close together, I am busy getting a head start on finding us some new digs.  It’s a lot easier looking for an apartment now that we already live here.  It’s easy to find something we’d like to see, make a call, and be there in 10 minutes.  That ease on top of the real estate market woes here (and everywhere) means there are deals to be found!  I spend my mornings checking and re-checking rental websites and craigslist, talking to brokers, and scheduling viewing appointments.  I will be quite relieved to have this process finished.

My end-of-year concert is next Friday, and I am simultaneously excited and quite nervous.  Preparations are coming along well, but the performance-fear induced practice frenzy I am counting on has not happened yet.  Lectures geared to propel this process will commence today.

Tommy and David giving me some attitude:

These cuties are getting married in just a few weeks! 

Puzzling over a game of Scrabble at the coffeehouse “Cuppies ‘N Joe”

I find this picture hilarious:  My poor dad could barely keep his eyes open, but we all wanted cupcakes so he took us anyway.

Eleanor and Tommy trying to ignore the spilt coffee on the table.  Priceless.

I’m back in NY after 2 weeks of almost constant travel!  We just really love the whole experience and process of traveling.  Daniel has an adventurous side to him, and we both love to research and plan, so visiting new places satisfies both of us.  I’m so glad that we had the chance to see our families and have a romantic getaway all on my jumbo Spring Break.  Being in the Bahamas was so amazing–a dream vacation all around.  It was really our first vacation since our honeymoon where we went somewhere by ourselves!  We’ve traveled quite a bit, but it’s always been to see family or on a vacation with friends.  It was a little weird to be alone, completely on our own.  But I think we settled into that vacation style well enough.  :-)  Expansive breakfast buffets, snorkeling expeditions, poolside drink service, breathtaking beaches,  and perfect weather made that pretty easy on us.  Here are a few pictures of us enjoying ourselves on our island paradise vacation.

Taking a break from the pool to have some fruity drinks.

Pretending to drive the scooter.  Daniel wouldn’t really let me.  He said I could drive it around the parking lot which did not sound like fun.

Headed out for a nice dinner at the resort’s China Grill.

Watching the sun go down while we dined.

Just another beach-background shot!