Thieves

I never thought I'd say the following words in NYC, but... A squirrel stole my lunch. That's right. A squirrel. Thieving rodents.

There I was, volunteering at Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem (yes, I know who Jackie Robinson is- my dad was skeptical but I at least have some sports knowledge) with my ward for New York Cares Day. We were busy scraping and painting the benches so I set my grocery sack by the rest of our supplies to wait for lunch time. After a few hours we decided it was lunch time so I headed back to grab my lunch from the supply pile. On my way a couple people from the ward hollered to me that we had leftover food from breakfast which I declined because I had lunch. Or so I thought.

Upon arriving back to the supply pile I discovered a hole in my bag. And a hole in my sandwich bag with my peanut butter and honey sandwich half eaten. And my tortilla chips completely gone- bag and all. Apparently squirrels are not into eating healthy, they just prefer junk food (can't say I blame them there).

Now you know, in NY you don't just have to watch out for human thieves you have to watch out for squirrels too. Go figure.

Scraping off the old paint and getting ready for the fresh new coat!

Spring... Where'd ya go? I miss you so...

Spring came to NYC. Unfortunately then it left again :( BUT on the days that it was here I made sure to take advantage of it by eating lunch outside at the park. Along with about a billion other people. I'm pretty sure everyone within walking distance of the park was at the park eating their lunch on the day it reached 80- yes 80- degrees.

 



Today was cold again. Yuck. I'm ready for spring- real spring... with warm weather, capris, sandals, and lunch at the park every day- and most importantly NO JACKET!!! Yeah, I'm ready.

Easter Ham and Conference Crepes

I decided to put our living room/kitchen to good use and invite people over for Easter and General Conference. I think we can call both weekends a success!

First up, Easter. Easter means ham. I've never made a ham and I wasn't sure if I wanted to try. But I figured I might as well learn sooner rather than later so I gave it a shot! Since there were only going to be three of us I didn't need to get a big ham (which is practically all the stores sell), so I went looking for a small piece. When I could only find giant hams I was tempted to ask them where the piglets were ;) Just kidding, I wouldn't want to eat a piglet. Just a small portion of a large full-grown ham. I don't think they would have appreciated that question. Luckily I found what I was looking for, and since the small ones don't come with a glaze I made my own.

The small portion of a large ham. Studded with cloves and ready for the homemade honey glaze!

I let the ham sit in the glaze overnight and it turned out surprisingly good if I do say so myself. In addition to the ham I also made my Aunt Marilyn's potato casserole and homemade rolls, and green beans (you have to have a vegetable!). My friend Veronica is a pastry chef at Bouchon Bakery and she brought us delicious brownies, a chocolate bunny, and truffles. Yum. It was a fun night, and a great Easter.

The surprisingly delicious ham.

Homemade rolls. Yum.

Pretty flowers for Easter. So excited for Spring!

Scripture study in the park at one of my favorite reading spots :)

For conference I continued the fun from my college days (girls of 305!) with conference crepes. We had lots of yummy toppings for the crepes, plus my mom's poppyseed bread (one of my favorites).

Poppyseed bread.

Yum. And aren't they pretty?

Nutella, peanut butter, strawberries, sugar... Does it get any better?

 

 

In between sessions we went for a walk in Central Park. I love NYC. I mean how great is that- two spiritually uplifting conference sessions and a walk in the best park ever? Pretty fantastic!

 

 

My roommate Suzanne on the right, and my friend Veronica in the middle.

 

I'd say we did a pretty good job of taking care of all that food ;)

 



Empty shelves and lines out the door

Only in NYC do you have lines out the grocery store doors...

 



That line goes past the Bank of America and wraps around the corner. Small grocery stores. Monday night (always the worst for grocery shopping here). Nice weather. And unfortunately this next picture all contribute to long lines:

This is the grocery store around the corner. It's closing... and the shelves are all becoming empty :(

Although I do most of my grocery shopping at TJ's it was nice to have the grocery store right around the corner for last minute items. Hopefully something good goes in- rumor has it there will be another drugstore. We already have a billion of those around here so I'm hoping for something else. Until then I'll enjoy the close-out sales- I've been stocking up on spices at half price :)

Sometimes I do miss my car...

Seating in my apartment is limited, and since I was having people over for brunch on Sunday we needed a few more chairs. So I took a trip to Target in Brooklyn to get some inexpensive folding chairs. Getting there wasn't a problem... But it would have been very nice to have a car on the way back. Bet you've never hauled a couple of chairs on the subway from Brooklyn to the Upper West Side! Well, I have. Luckily the chairs are very light and not bulky, and the first train I was on from Brooklyn to Times Square was practically empty so I parked my chairs and my groceries (did I mention I also had a full Trader Joe's bag to carry?) and read my Architect magazine until I transferred trains and it wasn't bad at all. Once I transferred to the local train it was packed and I was very squished. Not so fun. In the end, I made it home with the chairs and the groceries all in one piece. Not even a broken egg.

Two chairs and my groceries. On the subway.

 

4 lbs of strawberries. Yum. And they smelled delicious (and made my cubicle smell good)!

Apparently in Brooklyn they don't "throw" pillows, they "toss" them.

He is Risen

This has been the echoing theme in my mind this week as I prepared for Easter. I've had an incredible week of scripture study as I prepared for Easter- actually preparing for Easter for the first time in my life- on my own, and not as an assigned study/lesson for seminary/institute/etc.

As I read my scriptures this week I studied the last week of the Savior's life, reading each day in the four gospels the chronological events as they happened. It helped to think each day of the things the Savior was teaching and doing in what He knew were his last days. I used the time on my daily subway commute to read articles from the March and April Ensigns, which focused on the things we can have in this life because of the Savior's Atonement and resurrection- peace, joy, comfort, hope.

Never have I been more focused, and never has my scripture study been so rewarding. Beginning with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, reading the sermons chosen to be His last messages, and ending with the events of the Atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection it was an incredible journey to really think about the importance and the effect of Christ's ministry here on this earth.

To the testimony given in D&C 76:22, I would like to add my own. "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!"

I think it is significant that this statement ends with an exclamation point- it is a declaration of an incredible truth. Jesus Christ lives! He came to this earth, born of a mortal mother and an immortal father, with the purpose of providing a way for us to return home to our Father in Heaven. Our Heavenly Father knew we would all make mistakes- He gave us the agency so that we could make our own choices- and because He loves us and wants us to return home He created a plan that would allow us to do that. The plan required a Savior, one who would atone for the sins of all the world, who would be willing to die, and to take up His life again.

As the eve of the Passover neared during that last week of Christ's life, He knew what was to come. He prepared His disciples, continued to teach the people, and instituted the Sacrament that we might remember the sacrifice He was soon to make. He went to the Garden of Gethsemane where he bled from every pore as he performed the miraculous and wonderful act of the Atonement, taking upon Him all our sins, all our sorrows. How beautiful and incredible is the love that both He and our Heavenly Father had for us to put in place a plan, and to fulfill a plan that allows us to be forgiven of the things that we will do during our mortal journey here on this earth, to allow us to one day return home and to reach our full potential as children of God.

Willingly he suffered the indignity of the so-called trials during His last night as He was taken and falsely accused, knowing that He must complete the task so that He might rise again- and thus allow all of us to rise again. He was crucified on Calvary, and then His body was placed in the tomb.

On Saturday I pondered what it must have been like the day after the crucifixion, after all the events and turmoil of the day before that next day must have been empty and dark, hollow. They could not have understood how Jesus Christ, the one who was supposed to have been their deliverer could have been taken from this earth. How could this be? How could they have been left alone?

I went to the Temple, and pondered the events of that Easter weekend as I entered the Celestial Room. I was the first to enter and was, for a moment, alone. As I sat in the chair I had an overwhelming feeling of peace and comfort that I was not alone, that truly I was not ever alone. Tears rolled down my face as I felt the love that my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ had for me, as I felt that undeniable truth that Christ's Atonement and Resurrection were for me. Me, personally. Me, individually. This was not just a blanket act with no thought of the recipients or the effect. This was done for each individual on an individual level, because He knows and loves us each individually. His disciples were not left alone, He had promised them before He left that after He was gone He would not leave them comfortless but would send the Comforter to be with them. We have that same Comforter with us today, we do not ever have to be alone.

After that terrible day, Sunday dawned as a new day. Arriving at the Garden Tomb, Mary Magdalene found it empty and the angel declared to her the words that give us hope in this life and for the eternities to come- "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said." (Matthew 28:6)

During the following days He would appear to more of His disciples and give them the charge to take the gospel to the world, to "feed His sheep."

He is risen. I know this to be true. Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer did atone for us, He died and rose again on the third day for us. For me. For you. For everyone. Because of Him we can return home to our Heavenly Father, able to reach our divine potential. We receive the gift of eternal life. And not just eternal life, period. But an eternal life with our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and our families. We can be sealed together for the eternities because we know that even after this short mortal life ends, we will be resurrected and continue on in the eternities. We have a Father in Heaven who loves us, so much so that He sent His Only Begotten Son to die for us that we might be able to live with Him again. I am so grateful for that love, and for my Savior, Jesus Christ.

On a beautiful, sunny Easter morning, this is the joy that I celebrate today. A knowledge of the Savior, of His overwhelming love for me, of the forgiveness available because of His Atonement, of the hope that comes because of His Resurrection, and the joy that we can have now and throughout eternity.

Workin' hard

This week felt like finals week. Seriously. Oh except for the part where I got paid to be crazy busy, that definitely never happened during finals week... Would've been nice.

Here's the scoop on my real job.

Last week was quiet. I was the only person in the office for four days. And I mean the ONLY. person. for. 4. days. I know I'm quiet, but even I was craving some social interaction by the end of the week! Good thing the food delivery people kept accidentally coming to our office instead of the one next door just so I could talk to a human being (on the phone doesn't count). Too bad I didn't get to keep the food ;) To make up for last week being super quiet, this week was crazy. Hence the feeling of it being finals week. Now for what I do...

#1 Draft. Basically drawing on the computer. I either draw new floor plans of buildings we've measured or add to/change ones that have already been drawn by someone else in the office. And if you think you only need one plan for a space, think again! There are lighting plans, electrical plans, construction plan, demolition plans, furniture plans, finish plans, mechanical, plumbing... the list goes on. There are lots of plans. And then once we have plans we have to draw sections (basically cutting through a portion of a wall/building/room/etc.), elevations (drawing whats on the wall- doors, windows, molding, built-in furniture, etc.), and details (showing a "blown up" drawing of a specific connection, material, etc. to really show how its constructed).

#2 Design. Being at the entry level I don't get to do a lot of this, but I actually get to do more than I would have expected at this point which is nice. One of the perks of being at a small firm! Most of the time things are already designed when I receive the sketches to draw but sometimes I get to figure out the details and make the conceptual sketch work, which is fun. I like figuring out if everything is really going to fit/work.

#3 Put together presentations. This is where it felt like finals week. We had a big presentation this week putting together a design package for our clients to show to a developer. We had to have all of the above drawings to try to convince them this was what they wanted.

#4 Talk to the other people involved in the project. Occasionally this is talking to the client, but mostly I talk to the other architects, engineers, reps, etc. to help things move along on the project. The first time the engineers called and asked for me I was a little surprised- if they asked me any questions I wouldn't have had any idea what the answer was. Luckily they just wanted me to send them some files. I can handle that. First engineering conversation- success!

We have lots of projects, and seem to be picking up more every week which is great! Mostly residential with a few commercial projects. I'm learning a TON. Seriously, did I actually learn anything in school? I'm kind of doubting it right now ;) I've basically come to the conclusion that I don't know anything. That's kind of my life conclusion right now actually. I don't know anything, and thats okay because I have a lifetime of new learning every day! Isn't it great :)

Just workin' in my cubicle.

This happened about halfway through the month. Not cool. Luckily I managed to fix my computer speaker so I could listen to music on there.

Some days I get to upgrade from PB&J. Not often, but sometimes.

Some days I pretend like I'm a real New Yorker with my Starbucks muffin and my hot chocolate.

Some days random things happen on 5th Avenue. This is the Mitzvah Tank Parade- apparently each of those is a mobile education center/mini-synagogue.

I can't remember for sure but I think this is my "Yay! I get to see people again" face.