I HEART NY

So we didn't just go to Boston and then to New York, but I post with pictures and I don't have pictures from in between, so on to New York!

Blake's dad works in New York during the week and Blake's brother, Jared, and his wife, Mindy, were coming for an information session, so we decided to make the short trip north on the Bolt Bus which is a great deal if you're going to New York from DC. Sometimes you can get tickets for a dollar!

We arrived:

Blake and I relaxed in our hotel room until dinner. We had delicious sushi. The next morning Stephen took Mindy and I to pick out some birthday presents at the Pandora store and I'm really excited to fill up my charm bracelet!

We went on a ferry ride and saw the beautiful skyline of New York before we headed to our first Broadway show ever, GODSPELL!

Godspell was amazing. The music is spectacular and everyone was perfectly cast. Jesus and his disciples act and sing the parables and it was a really fun production. 

We rested for a little while and then got geared up to go to Del Frisco's. Best steakhouse I've ever been to. Despite being full out of my mind from crab cakes, salad, bone-in filet and vegetables, I got creme brûlée since it was a sort of birthday dinner. I'm glad I didn't hold back. It was delicious.

The next day we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the 9/11 memorial. Both were amazing. The MET is incredibly large and we didn't even get to see a small fraction of everything, but Blake loves art and it was so fun to see him so happy and enjoying everything. 

The 9/11 memorial is really breathtaking. They have two large fountains. One for the North and South towers that collapsed. There are names etched into the stone for everyone who was lost in the towers and responded at the scene. 

Blake and I had to board the bus soon after, but it was such a fun visit to the Big Apple and I hope we get to return sometime soon! Thank you Stephen for treating us to a fun weekend in New York City!

I Think I'll Go to Boston

Does everyone remember that popular song from years ago? Well Blake and I did just that. We went to Boston for Presidents' Day Weekend with our friends Adam and Amanda. Amanda found some awesome  flights sometime in January and after a few computer clicks and dollars we were booked for Boston. 

First Stop: Fenway

Blake loves baseball so this was the HIGHLIGHT of our trip. It is the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball and the tour was so fun. 

Later that evening we went to Little Italy and went to a delicious dinner at Giacomo's Ristorante.

Photo by Amanda Anderson

 It was pretty darn delicious. Then we walked a couple blocks to an improv comedy club for the rest of the evening. It was funny, but I still love Comedy Sportz, so everyone in Provo, take advantage of it!

Saturday Morning and into the afternoon we went on the most amazing tour of Boston called The Freedom Trail. We had the best tour guide. 

He was so knowledgeable and made everything really fun and interesting. We ended at Quincy Market which is really cute and if I was better at taking pictures I would have featured a picture right here. Haha. But it has lots of food and shopping and is a great way to spend an evening. Blake and I decided to eat at Capital Seafood for dinner and we had delicious crab cakes, fish, and Boston Cream Pie. 

We visited the New England Aquarium and had so much fun looking at all the animals. Sometimes I forget that those awesome creatures are real until I see them at the zoo or aquarium. It always leaves me in awe. Penguins!!! They're real!

We visited the Harvard campus and had lunch and got back to Boston and visited some more historical sites like Old North Church where they hung the lamps noted in Paul Revere's Ride. One if by land and two if by sea. 

We went on a fun little ferry ride back to Long Wharf and are happy to report we used all modes of transportation in our Boston trip: Air, land, and sea. 

We left Monday morning and headed home to DC. It was such a fun and exciting trip, but I love the feeling of being back in familiar places.

Happy Birthday to ME!

My oh my, I'm 22! I still feel like I did when I turned about 17, but lots of things have changed. I got engaged, graduated, got married, and moved to Washington, D.C. Blake's family really knows how to celebrate birthdays. It involves waking up early, eating cake for breakfast, lots of decorations, and opening presents. My special day was no different. 

I thought it was pretty darn cute that Blake went all out on the decorations. He enlisted the help of our friend, Amanda, to make my BTS cake and it was delicious! My one request on my special day was that he make dinner for me and our friends. (My birthday fell on a Sunday this year, which meant eating in.) He made delicious Filipino food--adobo, rice, and lumpia. It was perfect. We had more cake after dinner and Blake made sure we all wore our party hats =).

Here's to another great year of life!

A Saturday on Capitol Hill

I am a sucker for farmers' markets. Eastern Market is "DC's Oldest Continually Operated Fresh Food Public Market." I had to look that up because I wasn't sure how to describe it. Anyway, it's super cute and picturesque. There are indoor and outdoor vendors. Everything from fresh meat and produce to crafts and apparel. We went mostly for the food but the alpaca hats were fun to try on too. 

From the top left, clockwise: the Andersons, delicious crepes,
lovely produce, and blake with some fresh mini donuts.

Afterwards we went on a tour of the Library of Congress. It is gorgeous and so neat. I've come to terms with the fact that I have the worst memory ever and one day I'll have to have Blake do a guest post and write about all the things we learn when we visit different museums or historical sites. It was a gorgeous  day in DC.

First DAY on the Job

Pun intended. So, Blake is interning with Senator Orrin G. Hatch. He gets to work with three legislative assistants who work directly with "The Boss," as he's called. I felt like a proud mom on the first day of kindergarten. Here he is before he hopped on the Metro for work.

I was unemployed for my first week in DC, so I had plenty of time to make sure the table was set and dinner was ready right when he got home. I bought him a few treats from Sprinkles Cupcakes and Godiva to celebrate.

I love living right next to Georgetown!