Coming Home

Once we arrived at the airport, we realized that it wasn't really open yet. We'd arrived by 3am, but the check-in desk doesn't open until 3:30. So we had to stand around and wait for awhile. We got checked in, after a little confusion from the woman behind the best {I don't blame her. Starting work at 3:30am would make me confused, too}. 

Then, it turns out that TSA agents don't start work until 4am. We wandered around the airport, but it's pretty small, so there wasn't much to do or see. I did find this statue: 

Fun, right? Turns out it's done by my mom's favourite artist, Romero Britto. 

Look who it is! Don't mind me, I've only been up all night, packing and stressing. Also, this photo makes me think that maybe I could pull off a pixie cut. Thoughts?


Finally the security area opened, and we went through. I once again had a bit of trouble, since the names on my ticket and  passport don't match. This time, though, I was prepared. I had a friend send me our marriage certificate, so I was able to get through without needing a thorough pat down. 

We met up with everyone else in our little group, and settled in to wait until our plane could begin boarding. It wasn't a long wait. We settled into our seats before realizing that the flight was less than half full. We all moved farther back, so we could sit together. After waiting more than 20 minutes to take off, we were informed that our plane wasn't fit to fly. We were moved onto another plane, and set back by about an hour. I am of the opinion that our flight wasn't cancelled due to maintenance, but to the convenience of combining to nearly-empty flights. 

The upside to this unexpected delay meant that we wouldn't make it to our connecting flight. Yes, I know I said upside. We were put on a later connection, with enough time in between to stop and have lunch. Our connecting flight went much smoother than our first flight. No maintenance issues, no delays, no nothin'. 

We landed in SLC around 2pm. One of Luke's coworkers was kind enough to offer us a ride back to Provo. As we walked out of the airport, we were all amazed at the drastic change in weather. We'd left the damp, freezing NYC air and returned to Utah's warm desert climate. It was wonderful. 

Our apartment was just as we'd left it, thanks to two great friends. Never have I been so glad to return to Provo.

Rough Landing

Guys. Traveling to New York yesterday was probably the hardest day of traveling that I've ever had. And I've been left waiting at the American border, and spend 30 hours straight coming back from London. 

We flew out of Salt Lake, which is usually a pretty easy experience. Only, this time, it wasn't. Since Luke's company paid for the tickets, they put my last name as D. Only, all my identification, including driver's license, passport, and {expired} student ID is under N. So when we got to the TSA guard, my names didn't match. 

Apparently that's a problem. 

They called up a new guard to figure everything out. He had to call up another agent to check if I was on any watch lists {hint: I'm not}. Finally, I was allowed through, but only if I agreed to additional screening. Which meant that I had to go through the full body scanner and get patted down. Twice. The first one was pretty basic. Just a quick check of my arms and legs. Then I had another agent search my carry on bag, as well as the rest of me. It wasn't as invasive as I thought it would be, although she did test her gloves after giving me the pat down. My best is that they're either checking for cocaine or gunpowder. 

All together, that took about half an hour. We made it to our plane in plenty of time, though. And the flight itself was pretty smooth. Well, not literally. There was a lot of turbulence, since there's so many winter storms going on. 

Things got stressful again for our connecting flight in Houston. That is a BIG airport. So big, we had to take a shuttle from terminal C to terminal B. Meaning that we had to hustle in order to get on the plan at the right time. But we made it! 

Finally, we got to LaGuardia, which is actually a pretty small airport. All was well until my suitcase came out of the baggage claim. I don't know what happened, but one of the wheels was pretty damaged. And by damaged, I mean, it's totally missing, and there's a big chunk missing from the bottom corner of my bag. So it looks like I'm going to need a new suitcase in order to get home.

Things started looking up when we got to the apartments where we'll be staying. It's close to the subway stop and several restaurants. I'm not sure what else is around, since I haven't been out exploring yet. Plus, the apartment is really nice. I don't think we'll need to worry about cockroaches, which was one of my main concerns being here. 

Here's the view from our living room window: 

December Recap

It's been awhile since I posted. That's probably because the month of December got away from me a little bit. Then it was Christmas, and nobody blogs during Christmas. Anyway. Here's what I was up to. 

• Got the keys to our new apartment. Well, technically, it's a condo. But only because it's a privately owned unit in an apartment complex. 
• Started moving in to the new place. 
• Continued moving. 
• Moved over the large furniture {turns out, we have a lot of stuff}. 
• Cleaned the old place. 
• Went to Bear Lake for some pre-Christmas fun 
• Went to Barnwell for more Christmas fun 
• Had Christmas at home with my whole family for the first time in 3 years. 
• Saw The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 
• Back to America/Bear Lake 
• Celebrated New Year's Even in our new apartment 

Like I said, the month kind of got away from me. This list doesn't even include the friends I hung out with, Christmas shopping, and playing Beatles Rockband with my siblings {which is pretty much the best thing ever}. 

December was rough and busy but also full of awesome. 

The Big News: New York City

Big news!  I've been sitting on this sort-of secret for awhile now, but since it's official, I can say this with confidence. We're going to be living in New York City for a few months at the start of next year!

{Source}

The long story is that Luke's company, Owlet, is enrolled in a training program based in NYC.  Okay, so maybe it's not that long of a story. But it's been in the works for several months now, so it feels like a long story. To me, at least. 

At this point, though, we don't have a whole lot planned. We'll probably end up renting a small apartment in Greenwich Village while we're there, although this is still up for debate.  We know we're going out sometime the first week of January, and will finish up and move back the first week of March {yes, Utah friends, we will be back}.

I'm excited for this. Living in a new city, especially one as big and exciting as New York is going to be fantastic. I've already started a list of all the places to see, stores to shop at, and restaurants to eat at. But I'd be lying if I didn't say I am also a bit nervous. We have so much to do before we go, plus it's a huge city I've never been to. 

In the meantime, I'll be packing up our apartment in Provo, trying to figure out what to put in storage and what to bring with us, and learning as much as I can about living in The Big Apple. Starting with why they call it The Big Apple. 

San Francisco

So, we went somewhere. Last weekend my cousin got married, so we headed down to northern California. It was wonderful, and I can't wait to see all of the pictures. 

After the wedding, Luke and I took a {very} short vacation to San Francisco. Here are a few of the pictures I took there. Part of me wished I'd taken more, because it was just so lovely. The other part is glad I just enjoyed the brief time I had there. 

Highlights of our trip included walking through Chinatown, walking along Pier 39 and enjoying the view, riding on the famous trolleys, having a sundae from Ghirardelli's, shopping downtown, and riding on BART.

We had a great time, and would love to go back some day. 

Chinatown 

                                                              Chinatown Gate

Ghirardelli Square

Sea Lions on Pier 39 

Taking a Trip...

So, I finally did this...

... and we are going to here...

... and while I'm a bit stressed about where to go and what to see, I'm looking forward to a mini-vacation. 

I Work Now, Like a Normal Person

I started a new job. I'm a contract writer for an SEO company. I write short articles to help websites boost their search engine results. I get paid to write. I would go on and on about how my dream has always been to work as a writer, but that would just be sappy. So yeah, I'm STOKED.  And I finally feel normal.  After months of doing absolutely nothing, working sure feels good. Especially since I can work from home, and I don't have to go out in the snow. 

Since I have my work authorization card, I can travel now, too. So I get to home during Christmas break. Which is awesome. It's been almost a year and a half (since before my wedding), and I'm looking forward to every moment I get to be home. Except the moments when Ruby eats all my stuff and sheds on everything. Love you, Rubes. 

I guess that's all I really have to say. Mostly I just wanted to talk about my job. Cause it's pretty awesome. 

Geocaching

Luke and I have started geocaching. Basically, it's like a global treasure hunt. Anyone can hide a small box of "treasure" and then write down the co-ordinates. Then they post those to a website, where people like us look them up and track them down. 


Today we found one at an abandoned mine today, which was really fun. And last week we found some in a dodgy alley, a lamp post, and in a parking lot. 

Regrets

I'm not often one for regret. Usually I see mistakes I've made as learning experiences, and I grow from them. 


But 4 years ago, I went to England. And I didn't blog about my experience. In fact, I barely wrote about it. At the time I was too busy experiencing things. I took lots of pictures, but I didn't write very much. 


Now, I'd kill to have posts and more writing about what I did when I was there. 

Spring Cleaning

I spend most of yesterday cleaning my bedroom. Less than 24 hours later, you can't tell the difference. Oh well. But I discovered there's only so much you can do while cleaning. And my favourite thing is day dreaming. And what did I dream of, friends?

TRAVELING

I have got a hankering to travel again. I love the feeling of walking into the airport, and being surrounded by people who are there while on their way to somewhere else. For some reason, it always seems to be India. I love getting on a plane and finding my seat. I love the beverage cart. I love staring out the window, and seeing all the cars look like toys. I love the feeling of landing, and how there's a slight chance things won't go right (note: this is the ONLY time I willingly participate in risky activities). I love getting off the plane and finding out what adventures I'm about to have. 


Which leads into.....

What am I going to do/where am I going to go this summer?

My Weekend Away

I just got back from one of the greatest weekends ever. And when I say just, I mean a few days ago. Luke took me home to meet his parents/see his house/get out of Provo. It was fantastic! Mike and Katie came with us, which made the trip. I couldn't have asked for better company. Highlights of the trip include:
-driving around in the dark in rural Idaho.
-meeting Luke's parents (who are absolutely amazing. They are some of the nicest people I know, and I'm so grateful for them and their hospitality)
-meeting Luke's goats
-driving around seeing all the places where Luke grew up (which was great!)
-drinking wassail and sitting in front of a fire while playing cards with some of my very favourite people
-"kitten piles" and "ya'll be frontin'" and "you....are a goat".
-riding in a Model T
-watching Mike and Luke push the T up a rather snowy hill.
-homemade ice cream at Grandma's

There was a lot more, but this plus Facebook pictures gives you a pretty good idea. I can't wait to go back!

Temporary Hiatus

Well, my dear blogging community, tomorrow I am off to the Seattle area for a family reunion. I'm so excited to go and see my family!!!! I probably won't have internet access, but I'll fill you in after I get back. Try not to miss me too much while I'm gone. Oh, and feel sorry for me, when I wake up at 4 tomorrow in order to catch my 8am flight out of Salt Lake. That's just an ungodly time of day, if you ask me.