Amazing but true

One year ago today I saw my first glimpse of Venice. My how time flies.

Lady Liberty Video

I'm not sure why the ending remarks were cut off. :-/

Columbia Part 3

Columbia part 2

Columbia University!

Quote for a rainy day

Families are where you find them and how you make them, and home, it's said, is the place where, if you have to go there, they have to take you in.

-Roger Ebert

The Ball in Times Square

Here's a video I took of the ball in Times Square. I had no idea it would be so beautiful.

"The Colossus"

This has long been a favorite poem of mine, and it was such a thrill to finally see the original plaque that used to be on the Statue of Liberty. To me, Lazarus' words speak of such hope and possibility for the future, and I thought it would be interesting to juxtapose the dynamic words with a picture taken by Stephen Wilkes of the abandoned hospital wing at Ellis Island where that promise of a new future began for millions of hopeful of people.













Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Lady Liberty

Here are some photos taken of our one and only Lady Liberty. These are the first pictures taken with the beautiful blue sky as a backdrop, however it was so cold I think I would have preferred good ole gray!

A Little Night Music (or how I saw my first "celebrity")

Last night I saw my first Broadway show, Sondheim's A Little Night Music. Considering it stars Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones I'd say I started my new Broadway habit off with a bang. It was also a real treat to hear Send in the Clowns in its proper context. I've loved Barbra Streisand's version for years, but now I really get it!

After the show we waited by the stage door so Christina could see a friend who was in the show. providing the catalyst for me to see my very first celebrity: Catherine Zeta-Jones! She spent a few minutes signing autographs, and let me say, she is as beautiful in person as she is on screen. Naturally, I decided this would be an excellent time to take photographs, however my perfect shot (and I mean perfect. I was approx 4 feet from her!) was foiled when an over excited fan stuck her head in my frame the second the shutter clicked. Disaster! To prove we really did see her, I offer a recognizable, albeit blurry, picture of Catherine exiting the theater. As for it's blurriness, it was snowing, my hands were almost numb, and apparently, I didn't focus before taking the picture. :-/ Angela had already left the theatre so I missed seeing the legend up close and personal. She must not have gotten the memo we were waiting for her!

Happy New Year Everyone!

To ring in the New Year Christina, Peter, and I decided to venture onto the Brooklyn Bridge to watch the "supposed" impressive firework displays. Per my research we should have seen up to three sets in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey, however at midnight only one went off thanks to weather conditions. Regardless of the impromtu change of plans, the display we did see lasted for ten minutes, and the finale was amazing. And now we can say we walked the bridge not once but twice, toured DUMBO on New Years Eve, and saw the impressive Manhattan skyline as the clock struck 12:00.

Yours truly posing on the bridge. (cars are below) After our little tour

I have a hankering to watch Kate & Leopold again.

This photo was taken seconds after midnight. We called family back home to

wish them a Happy New Year from the future!

Observation

I love how I post when I'm out of town, but now that I'm back (and have been for 2 weeks) you don't hear a thing from me. Is this a sign my life is too busy?!

The Met

Original piece of the Ishtar Gate - Assyria

The Met's Christmas tree. (Apparently, I wasn't supposed to take pictures of this, but since I did why not share.)

The facade.

Inner pathway of the Cloisters.

Interior stained glass window. Breathtaking.

Say hello to Alvin!

This is Alvin. He lives in Central Park and has lots and lots of friends. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, yours truly started naming every chipmunk we saw Alvin...I think I was up to Alvin the XVI. Then I decided the numbers were getting to high so we started coming up with new names (such as Ben Franklin, Genghis Khan -Khan for short- Alexander the Great...you get the picture) This photo is either Alvin V or VI. :-)

November 24: The Met

We got started with a bang. We were up and out by 9:30 (meaning I got up at 4:15 California time...two days in a row) and headed for the Cloisters. We used public transit and our very own two legs to get around so I started feeling like a true New Yorker. If memory serves it was approximately a 2 mile walk to the Cloisters, a medieval inspired recreation of five French religious buildings which are part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We then walked/public transited ourselves to the Met itself and spent several hours browsing the museum. There is SO much to see. We basically had to select the highlights and hope to see a fraction of their collections by wandering from place to place. Afterwards Christina and Peter treated me to a delicious dinner at Frankie Spuntino's. It was a delightful evening of yummy food and fabulous company. (the ricotta cheesecake was amazing...)


Here's a brief sampling of our tour! (see next post.)

November 23: The Flight

Here I am in New York City for Thanksgiving. My trip here was no less eventful than in the past, and I experienced more traveling firsts...a canceled flight! Things got off to a great start, but when I checked the departure board in Denver (what was supposed to be my one and only layover) I noticed a flight to LGA leaving at the same time as mine was canceled. It didn't click it might actually be my flight, and I started scoping out the area looking for lunch and a place to charge my laptop. Fortunately for me, (although I didn't know it at the time) none of the outlets worked, and I had this nagging feeling I should check the board again. That's when I discovered my canceled flight. There was no one around for me to ask about booking on another flight so I trudged down to the other end of the terminal to inquire at the gate. No one was there either, and when I finally found personnel to ask, I was told to re-trace my steps to the customer service desk which by this time had quite a long line of passengers just like me.

Fast forward an hour and I'm on a plane headed for Chicago sitting next to Mr. Talkative who is already 3 beers down. Another one on this flight turns him into Mr. Obnoxious. :-( More flight delays in Chicago prevented me from landing in NYC until 8:30 (an hour and a half behind schedule), and lo and behold my luggage was not waiting for me! Will this never end?! Actually, I wasn't really upset about any of it. Granted, it wasn't the ideal situation, but things happen and at least I reached my destination. Since my suitcase was on the next flight Christina and Peter picked me up, and we drove around Queens until we found a coffee shop to wait in. My luggage arrived right on schedule, and we were off to Manhattan.

A Momentous Week

This week marks a first for me. After twenty-five Thanksgivings with my family I am spending the week with my best friend and her awesome husband in...New York City! Am I excited? You bet! Time with Christina and Peter, cooking, shopping, and fun touristy excursions await, but I'm also feeling a little bittersweet about not spending the holiday with my family in So. Cal. Part of the fun (and challenge) of adulthood is creating ones own traditions, and Thanksgiving '09 definitely fits the bill. :-)

Prayer of St. Theresa

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be confident knowing you are a child of God..
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love..
It is there for each and every one of us.

Celebrating a life. Remembering a friend.

Vicki & Larry, 2008

Vicki, Feburary 2009
Words: Deborah D. Smith
Music: Michael W. Smith

Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
Can't believe the hopes He's granted
Means a chapter in your life is through
But we'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends.

With the faith and love God's given
Springing from the hope we know
We will pray the joy you'll live in
Is the strength that now you show
But we'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

Eleanor Roosevelt

"Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life."

-Eleanor Roosevelt