I think I’m going to have my Sunday School class pray over everything… because God sure answers their prayers! It’s been so fun to watch Him answer big prayer requests (like healing from terminal diseases) and small prayer requests (like finding roommates). So when my class prayed that sister Sarah and I would have a good trip to New York, I should have known it would be blessed.

Boy was I right!

Every single detail of our trip had the divine hand of God on it. I have never experienced anything so smooth. It was amazing. And fun, and relaxing, and absolutely wonderful.

But before I get all mushy, here’s the highlights, and some deep thoughts from my trip.

1. New Yorkers pretend to be hardcore, but they’re really nice people. And they LOVE the stereotype of being thieves preying on poor, clueless, southern tourists. Not once, but TWICE (within 10 minutes) we had New Yorkers offer to take our picture and then take off running with our camera, only to turn back laughing hysterically. We get it. Don’t give your camera to strangers. We Texans are just too trusting!

This photo was taken right after someone tried to “steal” our camera.

2. Being in New York, surrounded by so many people from all walks of life is good for my spirit. It reminds me that there’s a whole world of people outside my comfort zone of Fort Worth, an endless amount of possibilities. It reminds me that my world is so much bigger than I tend to notice.

3. I’m addicted to croissants. And French bakeries. And New York hot dogs.

4. I had my best pedicure EVER in New York. It included a 20-minute foot reflexology massage. It was my best souvenir of the trip, and was just what I needed after walking around Manhattan all day in my cute flip flops.

5. I love the Subway. It’s so much more fun than taking a taxi, and makes me feel adventurous. And brave. And worldly. I also like to talk to people on the Subway. In fact, I like to make friends wherever I go in New York. I think there’s something fun about being a “foreigner.” And everybody loves to hear about Texas.

6. We went all the way to New York, and we still did most of our shopping at major chain stores–Banana Republic, New York & Company, Williams & Sonoma, Ethan Allen. And you know what? Who cares! It made us happy to shop at the super-gigantic versions of our favorite stores.

7. Speaking of shopping, we saw them film an episode of “What Not To Wear” at New York & Company.

We also saw Jamie Lee Curtis, and met Meredith Viera from the TODAY Show! It was a successful celebrity-spotting trip!

8. Speaking of Meredith, she was SOOO nice! We watched the TODAY Show (and were on for 3 seconds… which means we’re “kind of a big deal” now) and Meredith literally went to EVERY person there and took photos with them. Matt Lauer, on the other hand, waved and quickly went back in the studio. I wasn’t impressed.

9. We saw Mama Mia on Broadway. Sarah somehow scored us 7th row tickets. It was FANTASTIC! Of course, I was singing “Dancing Queen” for the next three days, but it was worth the minor annoyance.

10. We saw someone get beer spilled on their head at the Yankee game. It was just like people said. I didn’t see anyone get pelted with batteries, but I did hear plenty of expletives shouted at my beloved Rangers. Especially when we came back in the 9th inning to WIN! It was probably the most amazing baseball experience of my life, and I’ve been to a lot of games.

But now it’s back to the real world of Texas. Going to New York makes me wonder about what kinds of adventures I need to seek out in my lifetime. Do I want to live somewhere fast-paced and exciting like New York? Or maybe uproot to Europe for a year? Or stay in Texas, where things are safe and comfortable, and leave the flashy cities for my vacations?

Whatever happens, New York, thanks for taking good care of us this week! It was a great trip. I’ll see you soon!

I’ve been neglecting my blog. Mostly because I’ve been so busy I barely have time to eat and sleep, much less think any original thoughts. But my crazy-intense summer school course is almost through, and then I’ll have time to ponder the meaning of life, or at least come up with some funny stories.

Until then…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_nG9-2SC84

Somehow I knocked the “x” key off of my keyboard tonight. I didn’t notice it at first, since I don’t use the “x” very often. If you think about it, “x” is one of the least-used letters in the alphabet. That, along with the “z” can often go unnoticed.

But I uneXpectedly needed my “x” while working on my take-home test.
Imagine my surprise when I realized my “X” had fallen off of my keyboard! No eXaggeration, the “X” can’t be eXchanged for another letter… what eXactly can you do without it? I

Ingredients for my backyard make-over:

6-80 lb. bags of concrete
12-50 lb. bags of concrete
3,000 pounds of Arkansas red flagstone
2 hoes
1 pick-axe
1 shovel
8 bags of rose planting soil (aka–fancy schmancy cow manure)
3 rose bushes
Another ton or two of rock to border my rose garden

And we’re half-way there!

It’s been a busy two days. Yesterday my dad and I worked like dogs all afternoon, ripping out grass, pouring concrete, laying rock, and never stopping to rest. We did make a quick trip to Home Depot half-way through the afternoon, and we were so dirty we were barely recognizable. Homeless people look more presentable than we did. But who cares when you’re having fun? We really did have a wonderful time working together. My dad is really good at projects like this, and I enjoy learning how to do new things.

Tonight I finished off my rose garden… I have three beautiful (although small) rose bushes happily planted and watered and ready to grow to their projected 4 feet by 4 feet in the next 3 years. That is, if they live that long. The folks at Calloway’s promised me they would be fool proof. You basically stick them in the ground and water them every once in awhile, and they live all by themselves. I made friends with one of the nursery emloyees and he taught me all about how to take care of them. Hopefully my flowers will be as independent and low-maintenance as he promised!

I took lot’s of pictures, but I had friends over tonight and we stayed up late talking and now I’m too tired to upload them. But I promise to post before-and-after photos tomorrow! (hopefully)

For the second time this week we had a “snow storm” here in North Texas. This one was as anticlimactic as one a few days ago, but it did leave my yard covered with a beautiful sheet of ice. This morning when I let Harley the Wonder Schnoodle out to do his business, it was so cute to watch him prance around on the icey grass, with his little paws punching through the thin sheet to the frozen ground below. I could tell that he was both confused and thrilled with this foreign experience.

The 10 bags of concrete sitting on my back porch, waiting to be poured into my new patio, also survived the storm. I was worried they might get wet and solidify into something I’d never be able to lift, but luckily

Okay, this may be the funniest video I’ve ever seen. It’s a commercial from last weekend’s Saturday Night Live. You’ve got to check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQL2q-wjAsg

For the first time ever, I’m atually watching a democratic presidential debate. I can’t believe it.