Brooke & Gabe

Our last visitors...

2009-05-19T22:51:00.005-04:00

So Brian and Wendy were our last NYC visitors, unless any of you surprise us! We jam packed the weekend. Those two have got some major energy reserves! I don't think Soph and Jack are giving them a hard enough time at home. We shopped SoHo, ate pizza, toured Time Square, ate Middle Eastern cuisine, got Wicked tickets(hey-oh!), ate bar food, rode on the Harbor Lights Cruise, and then ate some more greasy delicious food. Our New York touring is officially complete after having Bri and Wendy. Hope you had fun!!!

I am so impressed with how great they look. Tan, thin, even svelte. They made me feel a bit too pale and a bit too soft but that's okay because I am motivated.

Brian was a picture taking fool! He was all over utilizing his new camera. He might as well have painted TOURIST all over his forehead. I'm surprised we didn't get robbed. Probably because I am so street smart these days.

Yes this is us taking pictures of each other...nerdiness is in the genes:)

Brian was so awed by the city, I had to practically hold his hand to keep him moving. Like a little kid in the candy store.

Check out Wendy and Brian staring; Wendy at people, Brian at potential photography opportunities. Out of control.

We hope you had as much fun as us. Love you guys!

brookesballbuster.blogspot.com

2009-05-10T00:20:00.003-04:00

I started a fitness and health blog family! brookesballbuster.blogspot.com....now you might be asking why Brooke's ball buster? Well, I owe Bryson credit for the stellar name. Thanks Bruce! These are some pics I took for the blog, I document all the food I eat. It really holds me accountable for the choices I make. Come check it out and support me!

Gabe eating the opposite of a healthy meal.

Me eating overpriced yogurt, just come check out the blog, brookesballbuster.blogspot.com

Time for warm weather visitors...

2009-04-28T21:47:00.007-04:00

Robin stopped in New York on her children visiting circuit and we think we showed her a pretty good time....
Gabe's cousin Gage and his family just moved to New Jersey so they came to visit us. Their little girls Charlotte and Evelyn were the calmest most cuddly kids I've ever met. I was in heaven holding Charlotte....I pray our kids will be cuddly!
We went to the Aquarium in Brooklyn. This picture was taken at the Sea Lion show. The best part was the pre-show dance off between the down syndrome guy and his girlfriend standing a few bleachers down from us....in hindsight I probably looked like I was making fun of them but I was really just loving it. They had some killer moves!

Gabe's ready to be daddy.

We played at the beach at Coney Island. While I tried to nap the girls thought it was a good idea to try to bury me in the sand.

It was a great time and we really enjoyed having Robin with us for a few days.

Hey-oh for life experiences!

2009-04-16T22:58:00.004-04:00

I had quite the life experience today...I got a colon cleanse and wow was is an intense experience! This man was not there but this was the machine that did the magic. To be honest I would not recommend the procedure. To begin with the salon that I got this service done in was super sketchy so I probably should have taken a hint and just left it at that but I didn't of course. I could really go into detail about the discomforts and awkwardness and if anyone is curious let me know, because I am more then happy to fill you in:) But I'm going to sum up the experience as invasive and I've got to be honest I feel a bit taken advantage of. You live and you learn!! and then you don't get a colonics!

Easter, New York Style

2009-04-12T21:48:00.013-04:00

We hope everyone had an absolutely wonderful Easter weekend! We missed the fam but we continued on with some of our old traditions of egg dyeing and we checked out a fabulous easter parade on 5th avenue....so first off we need our viewers to vote on the eggs that we dyed. Batch #1 and Batch #2, you let us know which one wins your hearts delight.

Batch #1

Batch #2

And here goes the Easter parade...

Alice in Wonderland were a big hit.

Don't these guys look like missionaries? Well, they're not. I checked for badges.

I'm just thinking, what encouraged these women to want the attention from ugly hats?

It was starting to get awkward standing next to this guy, because it took forever to get the camera to work. He kept saying in a really munchkin like voice, "we done yet, we done yet?"

This family was so adorable. I am going to make my kids dress up just like this, though I will not make them parade around 5th avenue and have random people take pictures of them.

It was my goal to get a in a picture with a transvestite. Don't ask me why, I'm just fascinated with them!...They were really bitter that we were taking the pictures in the wrong direction of the sun. DIVAS!

Spring has sprung...and so have my eyelashes

2009-04-03T22:18:00.004-04:00

Gabe threw his back out last night, so if it looks like he's got a stick stuck up his bum then that's why.
I absolutely love the smell of spring. This was the first tree to blossom in our neighborhood.
Do you notice my beautiful foe eyelashes?...Yesterday I went with 2 of my students to the nail salon, while they got 3 inch acrylics put on. I opted for the familiar choice of fake eyelashes. They are a little bit out of control and Gabe says it kind of looks like I'm playing dress-up with them on but I think that's why I like them:) Dress up is my favorite...anyways, I have never had so many compliments from the students. Funny, huh?

I'm a proud owner of a Bluetooth

2009-03-26T22:23:00.004-04:00

Thank you Momma for the Bluetooth! Even though you didn't realize what the device was;) I am hands-free and lovin' it! Tonight I came home and opened up my package and I immediately made Gabe take Reggie on a walk so I could talk to him on it. I feel so uninhibited with this new piece of technology that I just want to take a page from Robin's book...(she is a recent owner of a Bluetooth herself and she is looking into getting it surgically implanted to her ear). I can't wait to catch the looks of people on the street wondering if I'm talking to myself or if I am on a Bluetooth...the simple joys of life. Call me!

Friends!!!!

2009-03-14T21:28:00.008-04:00

Our best friends Adam and Tara spent their precious spring break to come visit us. It must be because we are so awesome and lovable that everybody wants to be near us...or maybe it's just because we live in New York City. Either way it's so nice to have loved ones come out.

Tara and I were chatting away on the subway when we notice the boys have been giggling really hard. We start listening in to their conversation and realize that they were unsatisfied with the "1-866-866-MALE" as being the phone number for an impotence advertisement. Here were some of their ideas...1-866-MY-SHAME, 1-866-NO-BONER, 1-866-NOT-HARD....boys will be boys.
Adam was such a sport about accompanying Gabe on Reggie's walks. Thank you Adam! Gabe, why are you wearing my robe outside?

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T14:04:00.004-05:00

I woke up to these beautiful roses! Gabriel was thoughtful enough to wake up early on Saturday morning while I was still asleep to buy these so I could wake up to them:) Sweet, huh?

It's become our tradition to make dinner for each other on Valentine's so that we don't have to battle the crowds. It's a fun tradition because we cook cuisine that we would never make otherwise. This year was Gabe's turn to make the meal for me and he chose Lobster. I am naive and had no idea that you bought them alive! I couldn't bear to look at them before they were cooked, hence the reason why Gabe is taking the self shot.

The lobster turned out delicious! It was a fun meal to eat at home. It was such a mess trying to pry the shells open! Gabriel conquered the art of romance once again!

Late Show with David Letterman

2009-02-12T20:59:00.002-05:00

Brooke and I have really been New Yorkin' it up lately and this past monday was no exception. We scored tickets the The Late Show with David Letterman. It was AWESOME! Martha Stuart was the main guest and I'm pretty sure Dave really doesn't like her. He was really going after her and It was so much fun to watch. I'm fairly certain that Dave was putting on an extra special show because he knew we were in the audience. Ya- we're that cool. And I'm pretty sure paul even glanced in our general direction. The best part is that they were filming the friday show so you all can watch if you want to catch a glimpse of us on t.v. The camera swept over us a few times so be on the lookout. We were about 3 or 4 rows back and right on the isle. Brooke is wearing a bright green shirt. Just look for best looking couple in the audience.

Pasty white and lookin' fine!

2009-02-08T21:46:00.003-05:00

Okay, so Brooke and I got tagged and this is the result. Let me tell you the story behind this particular picture. Brooke recently started a fitness challenge that required her to get her body fat tested and weigh herself and do the "before" pictures. Well, I am not doing the fitness challenge but I am trying to drop a few pounds so I told Brooke that I would do the before and after pictures with her. This is, obviously, the before picture from behind, don't pretend like you don't like it... I know you do. Maybe if you're lucky I'll post the "after" picture too. That will be a real treat.

The Rules:

1. Go to your documents/pictures.
2. Go to your 6th file.
3. Go to your 6th picture.
4. Blog about it.
5. Tag 6 people to do the same.
6. So here we go...

So now we'll tag:

Carrie & William
Brian & Wendy
Mikell & Seth
Brandon & Krystyn
Jed & Brooke
Jane

Born anew

2009-02-07T19:20:00.003-05:00

Last night we won the raffle for $25 front row seat Wicked tickets, originally these tickets sell for $300!!!! All I have to say is that I am a new woman. I am now a believer in Musical Theater. I never expected to be blown away by the theater, but I was and I'm in love. It was seriously so entertaining and out of this world that I honestly didn't blink for 2 and 1/2 hours. For real, it was that awesome.

Casey's NY College Trip

2009-02-03T21:00:00.005-05:00

My brother Greg and his daughter Casey came out to NYC so Casey could audition for several Musical Theater and Vocal Performance colleges. Turns out she's pretty dang good and we had a great time having them out here. The auditions seemed to go well but you never really know with these things until the results are in. We're keeping our fingers crossed for you Casey.

I'm gettin' fit!!

2009-01-25T22:29:00.005-05:00

So family I am participating in a body challenge at my work. My co-workers are totally serious about it. We had to get all our measurements, weight and body fat analysis recorded by a physical trainer and we even had to take a before picture! Yeah, Gabe took one with me to make me feel more comfortable. Sweet hubby:) I have to say that I have been inspired by The Biggest Loser. I'm sort of pretending that I'm a participant on the show. The fact that I'm not obese to begin with may work against me as far as winning the entire challenge but my "can do" attitude will indeed get me far. I am not dropping below the yellow line! So feel free to encourage me. The end date is in June so the pressure's on!

Phantom

2009-01-18T20:25:00.003-05:00

This year for Brooke's birthday I got her tickets to go see Phantom of the Opera. It was a little cold as we waited outside but once we got in, it was great. It was Brooke's first experience seeing a broadway musical and she really enjoyed the show.

It was absolutely freezing! Humidity cold is so much different then dry cold. I am such a wimp with it too.

Just seeing the phantom sign had me a little frightened.

I shave!

2009-01-12T21:41:00.009-05:00

I don't shave, ever. I left that business behind shortly after returning from my mission. The reason for this being the ingrown hairs, razor burn, and irritation I consistently get if I shave. This occurs whether I use an electric, disposable, or mach 3. However, recently my nephew Jed informed me that there is a better way. And it just so happens that it's the old school way. Thats right, lathering up with real shaving cream (not the goo that comes in a can) and a badger hair brush and shaving with a double edge safety razor. So I did some research and it turns out there is a whole community of die hard wet shavers out there that swear by this style of shaving. So thanks to a generous birthday gift from my wonderful mother-in-law Diane, I was ready to give it a try.
So here is all the new gear: A badger hair brush, a Murker extra heavy double edge razor with Derby blades, Nancy Boy original shaving cream and arter shave gel, and a bar of pure block alum.
Step 1: this may be the nicest part. put some hair conditioner on my face and then wrap it in a hot towel for a few minutes.

Step 2: Creat my lather. Apparently it takes some practice to get the lather just right but I think I did pretty good.

Step 3: Lather up. Mmm nice hot lather on the face.

Step 4: Start shaving. This is more difficult than you might think. It is nothing like shaving with modern razors. I'm told it taks a few weeks to really get it down.

More shaving
Step 5: After splashing some cold water on my face, I rub it with the Alum. this helps to close the pores and stop the bleeding of any cuts.

Step 6: Finish it off with some witch-hazel based after shave.

Ahhh a nice clean shave. this first time wasn't perfect but like I said, it takes a few weeks. But it feels great and the irritation is way less than the old days. It's time to grow up and start actually shaving. Thanks again Diane!

Chipotles...yumm!!!

2009-01-11T22:16:00.004-05:00

Did you guys know that Chipotle's originated in Denver, Colorado? Maybe that's why we love it so much! Or maybe it has crack in it. Either way we sure do love those chicken burrito bowls!! Thank you so very much Krystyn & Brandon for our gift certificate to Chipotles. We have already put it to good use...twice.

Another interesting fact about Chipotle's...Over 500 restaurants have opened since 1993 throughout the United States. All are company-owned, rather than franchised. In 1998, McDonald's made an initial minority investment in the company. By 2001, they had grown to be Chipotle's largest investor. The McDonald's connection allowed the firm to quickly expand, from 14 restaurants in 1998 to 480 at the end of 2005.

Our Holiday Adventures

2009-01-03T02:16:00.001-05:00

It was so great coming home for the holidays. Here are some of the adventures that took place over the two week vacation...

THE POLAR EXPRESS

It was freezing, but we cozied up together waiting to be warmed by the stoves inside the train.

Gabe felt just like the little boy in the book.

I think Gabe was trying to keep Sophie's head warm?

Gabe caught Mom and Dad off guard to snap a picture with Santa. Big Brent was lovin' it.

Pampering ourselves with Pedicures

We treated ourselves to a pedicure. The women were loving Gabe and David. "Gabriel, you look so smart and so handsome. David, you so tall and so strong." Or so the vietnamese women said.

Pedicure + Praise=David's Celestial Kingdom.

Go-Kart Racing at Fast-Kart

We has some healthy family competition at Fast Karts. No one believed in me(thanks a lot Daddy!), but I showed them! I got 2nd place to Wendy. If Gabe and Bruce didn't cut me off then I would have won. You better watch out Wendy!

Here's everyone lining up. All bets were on Bryson. Too bad the woman had to take the victory home!

Those go-karts got going up to speeds of 40mph! That's really fast when you're that low to the ground. Afterwards we were all quite sore, our ego's for some others just our bodies.

Overall the racing was quite the bonding activity. Prepare yourself for next time Brandon!

Christmas with the O'Neil'sGrampy couldn't resist getting his newest grandson a baby motorcycle. Too bad he's a bit young for it but he'll figure it out soon.

Doesn't everyone heart NY? At least Brooke and Gabe were hearting giving them as inexpensive gifts:)

Christmas with the Anderson's

The Anderson's house at the holidays means lots of games and puzzling. Ah, good times had by all.

We finally met Annie!! She's even more adorable in person, if you can imagine!

Cindy was gracious enough to have us over for dinner & games multiple times. I have to say you can always count on a good time at the Madsen's.

We also got to meet Chummy. Gabe and I have decided that our next family pet will be a havanese. Chummy is charming and I know Reggie will adore him!

Gabe doesn't think he'll ever be able to consistently beat David in cribbage. He has the most ridiculous luck ever. Or maybe he's just better than Gabe, sorry babe.

Playing Dress-Up

It's not a quality vacation until Brooke has played dress up.

Hotel Night

Uncle Bryson is the best uncle ever! He spoiled his niece and nephews to a sleep-over at the Holiday Inn. Swimming was the highlight of the evening.

Jack was big on flexing for us all night. If I had muscles like his then I would be too!

I've never seen a baby love the water as much as Chase. He kicked his legs so hard I'm convinced he thought he was swimming by himself. It was too cute!

Holiday Adventures cont.

2009-01-03T01:58:00.006-05:00

Brooke's 23rd Birthday

I turned the big 2-3. I celebrated by discovering my first gray hair. Seriously, on my birthday. Thanks for the poster Soph & Jack!

New Year's Eve @ the Madsen's

We ate and ate and ate. The result a combined weight gain of 15lbs. Awesome.

We rocked out on Rock Band. I have to say, we are quite the talented crew. If all else fails in life, we can always fall back on a career in professional rocking!

Gabe did some serious rocking out.I held my own in the family band. Given time and practice I could contend for best rock singer as of now, Gabe holds that title.

We are hard core runners!

2008-12-14T00:13:00.008-05:00

This morning Gabe and I ran a 4 Mile Holiday Race in Central Park. We are kind of hard core to run in the middle of December so if you guys want to commend us we'll take it. This was Gabe's second race ever. 4 miles is now officially the farthest he has ever run and he rocked it, minus the fact that we are embarrassingly sore and I pulled a muscle in my back. Other then that we seriously conquered.

A weekend in Poughkeepsie

2008-12-04T20:40:00.006-05:00

One dapper fellow

And one beautiful dame

Makes for a stellar honeymoon.
Two wonderful years.

Thanksgiving Celebration at Brooklyn H.S.

2008-11-30T22:35:00.001-05:00

We had a Thanksgiving feast at school on Wednesday. The students love to have their picture taken! As you can notice there are lots interesting hand signs. I thought they were just creative interpretations of peace and love. Nope. They're gang signs. I'm still very much naive.

TWILIGHT was the HIGHLIGHT of our weekend!

2008-11-23T22:34:00.003-05:00

Twilight, the movie was everything I dreamed it would be and more! The characters were cast perfectly! The Cullen's are as beautiful as I pictured them to be except for Carlisle. He's not quite hot enough and the fact that he played Mike the jock from Can't Hardly Wait kind of ruined it. Bella was exactly was I imagined. The story line didn't stray from that of the books, which I am pleased with. Some say it was cheesy, but I am not that some one. I'm totally happy with having paid $25 to see it with my sweet husband (whom also enjoyed it). Gabe was a bit embarrassed to see the show but he wanted to see it just as bad as me. Has anyone else seen it?

See Gabe run.

2008-11-19T23:47:00.005-05:00

Gabe and I are officially running partners. If you are wondering what makes us "official" it is the fact that we have run 3 miles, 4 times together in the last week. As most of you know, Gabe has never expressed much interest in the sport but now that he is well over the 25 year+ category he is finding that his metabolism is just not as forgiving and the fact that he doesn't love to work out is over-ruled by the fact that he loves not being fat. We wanted to solidify our commitment to running by signing up for a race together so on December 13th we are going to run a 4mile Fun Run. Wish us luck!! (especially Gabe;)

Field trip to National History Museum

2008-11-15T21:14:00.014-05:00

Michael, Quandell, Henry, and Tyquan acting all hard

Quandell, Vidal, and Henry adding a little bit of entertainment to the mineral exhibit

Representin' outside of Central Park

Dimitri, Cameron, and Mazin trying to hide from the camera

Quandell and I bonding

Quandell, Henry, and Cristina standing inside of an exhibit

Danasia, Henry, Quandell, and Vidal giving me their best poses

On Friday I chaperoned some of the students on a field trip to the Museum of Natural History. I really enjoy being able to bond with the students so it was nice to go out into the community with them. We had a great time at the museum although I don't remember learning a thing. I probably let them get away with more then I should, as you can see they are breaking multiple rules in these picture but I'm certain we couldn't stand out any more considering most field trips to the museum are taken by 4th graders.

Political Pumpkin Response

2008-11-04T18:35:00.003-05:00

We finally got a response out of our political pumpkins, very respectfully I must say. Notice that whoever did this left our McCain & Palin pumpkin intact. It seems that they just wanted both sides to be represented. Fine with us! We just completed our civic duty as voters and now we anxiously await the outcome...

New York's Village Halloween Party

2008-10-31T22:09:00.010-04:00

This year Gabe and I opted out of dressing up. We made up for it though by attending the big Halloween parade. These pictures hardly capture the insanity that was Halloween in NYC. There was blasting music all over the city and everyone was in character. It felt like we were the only ones not dressed up! Maybe next year we'll go as Parents...j/k. Enjoy the pic's!
p.s. Gabe and I argued over posting some of these provocative pictures. But I obviously won with the argument that what good is having a blog about our life with out posting what our the life is really about. Am I right?

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-28T21:23:00.008-04:00

It's time once again for all the ghosts, and ghouls, and goblins, and witches to come out. But this year there is something far scarier than all those things; Obama winning the election. So being the good citizens that we are, Brooke and I decided to show our support of McCain by making Republican-O-Lanterns. We put them proudly in front of our apartment building fully anticipating that they would be smashed on the street within hours. However, about 24 hours later they are still intact. We'll see how long they last. So, what do you think?

Daddy came to visit

2008-10-21T21:07:00.002-04:00

Big Daddy came out to visit us last weekend after having a business trip in New Jersey. I don't think the trip was nearly as fun for him as it was for us. He took us grocery shopping, twice! Our mini cart couldn't take the bulk all at once. We did take him on the Staten Island Ferry...we would have taken him to do more but he didn't seem all that interested. Which was fine for us. Oh yeah, we did eat out a lot. New York didn't offer him a wide variety of his preferable healthy dishes butcha get whatcha get when you come to Brooklyn. I'm sure he went home with tired ears, I spent most of the trip telling him about everything we are doing that would make him proud. I'm kind of ridiculous like that. Thanks for coming out Daddy!

Am I letting myself go?...

2008-10-13T19:35:00.005-04:00

I didn't think twice about pairing these socks with these shoes but Gabe brought it to my attention that they are quite the heinous match...I seriously don't have cankles, these socks just don't flatter.

This is my outfit of choice when I am home. I wear high heels every day so I feel entitled to wear whatever is most comfortable once I leave work. Not that this is anything new for me, I have always based my wardrobe on comfortability. I have just taken this concept to the next level now that I am forced to dress up for work. Am I not allowed that?

Celebrating my insurance kicking in

2008-10-04T13:49:00.007-04:00

My insurance kicked in this week, and what better way to celebrate then to strap on a pair of roller-blades? I have obviously not mastered the sport, if you couldn't already tell that then check out the pro-blader behind me. That's what I'm working towards. I should probably be more embarrassed, considering I'm 22, I wear more pads then a 5 year old and I haven't figured out how to stop so I just plan on falling. All I've got to say is, no pain no gain.

Brooke isn't the only one who can't find a decent hair stylist...

2008-10-01T19:07:00.008-04:00

So in our on going effort to save a little bit of green, Brooke and I decided that I should try my hand at dog grooming. Unfortunately, cutting Reggie's hair is about the equivalent of cutting Bob Marley's hair. It's not the easiest to get through with the cheap clippers that we have. But Reggie and I struggled through it together and after three hours, Reggie had a haircut. It isn't a good haircut, but Reggie doesn't seem to mind too much.

Bryson's NYC vaca

2008-09-28T17:55:00.013-04:00

So, last weekend we had our fourth visitor since moving to New York. I think we showed Bryson a great time. We went to the Yankees game with some of his friends from Denver, which was absolutely awesome! We did some shopping(Gabe & I shopped vicariously through Bryson), our favorite shopping was custom designing puma shoes. We just had a lot of fun spending time together. Robin is already planning her second trip so that means that those of you who haven't made it out yet are past overdue!!

Yankee Stadium

2008-09-21T20:32:00.007-04:00

Baseball has been a big part of the city of New York for a lot of years. In the early 1900's the owners of the Yankees decided they needed to build their own stadium in an effort to outdo the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. So they did, and on April 18, 1923 the doors were opened to Yankee Stadium for the first game. At the time, most stadiums could seat about 30,000 people but Yankee Stadium was built to house about 60,000 and every one of those seats was filled on opening day. The fans weren't disappointed when the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox or when, during that game, the first Yankee Stadium home run was hit by none other than Babe Ruth. Some of the greatest players to ever pick up a bat have call Yankee Stadium home including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Micky Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, and Tony Lazzeri just to name a few. Yankee Stadium has been a New York City icon ever since it's opening but it's time in the sun have come to an end. Today the Yankee's played their last game in the historic stadium, which is being torn down. However, Brooke and I were able to go see a game on Friday with Brooke's brother Bryson. It was a lot of fun to be there to experience the magic of Yankee Stadium before they bring it down. The Yankees won, and we had a great time. And of course we had to get peanuts and cracker jacks.

Date night on the Staten Island Ferry

2008-09-13T21:47:00.007-04:00

Tonight we went out to dinner at a burger joint and rode the Staten Island Ferry. The weather is finally starting to cool down, so the temp. was perfect and there weren't many people riding on the third level deck. It was quite the romantic spot. I tried to get some p.d.a. out of Gabe but I didn't get far. He's way too concerned about what other people are thinking, we are in New York for goodness sakes!!

Daddy Doggie Time

2008-09-13T21:42:00.004-04:00

Is Reggie not the best dog ever??...since we started working and being gone all day Reggie has been especially needy.

Weekend with Danny & Lynlee

2008-09-06T22:20:00.004-04:00

We had a fun filled weekend with Danny & Lynlee. We toured the city, the National History Museum, the Met, Little Italy, walked the Brooklyn Bridge and ate at a couple bueno restaurants. Needless to say we packed a lot into 2 days. We are so glad that they got us out to see so much but mostly we're just happy that we got to spend time with them...although I am kind of bitter cuz they won the lottery tickets to see Wicked. You know, the most famous show on Broadway right now that costs at least $100!! Out of about 100 people they won orchestra seat tickets for $25! Lucky dogs!! Ridiculous.

We are a GREAT aunt & uncle!!!

2008-09-04T00:13:00.006-04:00

We were a pretty good aunt and uncle before Jed & Brooke's baby was born but our greatness became official on Sunday afternoon. Our beautiful GREAT niece is named Annie. She is absolutely perfect.

Alcohol + no home=peeing on the street

2008-08-30T16:54:00.004-04:00

Ewwww gross! Gabe & I were just leaving Chipotles, when I saw this man holding his crotch. I thought he may be peeing his pants but he actually went to the trouble of pulling his junk out to relieve himself. It was too much for him to stand up or maybe he thought he was being more discreet this way, most likely he just didn't care. Either way I'm glad we had our camera to capture this scene.

Brooklyn High School for Leadership and Community Service

2008-08-25T20:24:00.002-04:00

This is the counselors office. We're kind of crammed in this room but I have my own space with room for a mini-fridge. That's all that matters...it's a mess in this picture, we're just moving in.

2008-08-25T20:04:00.003-04:00

This is Shawn. I tend to butt heads with him more then anyone else. He epitomizes cocky. Despite the arrogance factor, we have a good time making fun of each other.

2008-08-25T20:00:00.003-04:00

Here's Lindy. She is my New York life coach. She is also the main contributor to my new found attitude.

2008-08-25T19:54:00.003-04:00

La Toya has profound life advice for me every day. Sometimes it's welcome, sometimes not. Either way it's entertaining.

2008-08-25T19:49:00.003-04:00

Susana(Sue-sauna), not to be mistaken with Suzanna. I try so hard to say her name right that I feel like I'm trying to be hispanic.

2008-08-25T19:47:00.001-04:00

This is Dan. He's my lunch buddy.

2008-08-25T19:42:00.002-04:00

My "colored brother" Lawrence...He told me that he's my colored brother. Don't worry I don't call him that.

Salon Disaster

2008-08-14T21:02:00.004-04:00

Since we have moved here I have been dreading having to get my hair-cut. It is such a pain to find a decent salon & stylist. I loved my stylist in Logan so much, especially that she charged me 1/3 of the price that it costs to get your hair-cut here! On Saturday I bit the bullet and ventured to a salon that has good reviews on kelp. Ruthie sat me down and as I tried to explain to her how I like my hair done, she is telling me that she doesn't think that's the best way of handling my fine hair. Alright, she is a New York stylist she must know better techniques then Logan Utah. Nope. What's extra crappy about this experience was that my hair wouldn't have been so bad if I would have moved on after the first screw up (that happened on Saturday) but since she charged me $60 I felt that it was her responsibility to salvage it. So I went back in and she chopped my mop into an uneven mullet. I'm just grateful I've got enough time to grow this back out before any of you can really make fun of me.

It's official, I have arrived.

2008-08-12T22:55:00.003-04:00

So, the other day I received the best compliment since living in New York...I was reading in Bryant Park waiting for Gabe to meet me after work to go to Chipotles. This woman was carrying around "her story", she supposedly lost her job, her home was recently burned down, she has 4 children to feed, blah, blah, blah. Beggars flock to tourist areas where they can prey on the innocent. The beggars that are targeting tourists usually just stand uncomfortably close to them holding up their "story" or telling some sort of pathetic excuse for why they need money, until they get some kind of reaction. This sort of method doesn't work anywhere else in the city. New Yorkers will straight up cuss you out and maybe try to physically hurt you. We have both seen it happen, lots. Anyways, this woman was preying on a group of young girls who looked like they were from the west. The girls were really uncomfortable and the beggar would not back down. This sort of thing really fires me up because I see myself in these timid individuals. I told the woman to leave everyone alone or I'm going to get the cops. She turned my way, and shuddered, "cold hearted new yorkers!" It was the proudest day of my life.

NYC with the fam

2008-08-05T22:02:00.010-04:00

Robin, Cindy, and Caroline just came to visit us. They stayed with us for about a week. Most of the time we just relaxed, I think everyone is tired from having such a crazy summer! But we did manage to tour Central Park & Bryant Park, Cindy & Caroline saw the MET, we dined at some of our favorite restaurants, our visitors were also able to tour Ellis Island. BEST of all we saw Cirque Dreams, Jungle Fantasy!!! It was aaaammmmaaaazzzziiiinnnng!! Seriously, I have never been so entertained. I am now Cirque's biggest fan. Other then that we chilled in the luxury that is our apartment. Dominioes, Phase 10, and up and down the river or "oh hell" were played in plenty. Overall we made the must of the difficult circumstances considering Dave planned the trip. Gabe and I are grateful that we had some quality time to spend with our loved ones.

Good Morning America

2008-07-26T20:37:00.009-04:00

Gabe & I have been excited about seeing Feist for quite some time now. We fully anticipated that this event in Bryant Park was a free two hour Feist concert. We wake up at 5:30 to take the 45 minute train ride into the city. We show up at 6:45am (maybe we should have thought something was up because this concert was so early, but we didn't), so we show up and realize it's Good Morning America. It was cool to see how the show works but it was also kind of annoying because we only heard 3 short songs for the 2 and 1/2 hours that we were there but we were able to see Diane Sawyer and some other famous people. All in all, we were on Good Morning America, we saw Feist, and we are big time.

Run For Central Park 4M

2008-07-19T18:44:00.011-04:00

This was my first NYC race. There were so many people there and the energy was outrageous! I didn't win the race but I had a lot of fun participating...p.s. I didn't mention that it was 95 degrees by 9 this morning and again, 100% humidity. There were volunteers along the race hosing runners down, at first I was kind of humiliated that someone was spraying me down but I quickly embraced it. In fact, by the third mile I was so disgustingly hot that I stood mouth open in front of the hose. There is something about the weather here that makes me completely shameless.

"TAG" I'm it...

2008-07-10T21:58:00.000-04:00

Alright Carrie, I've finally gotten around to it. (Carrie "tagged" me to answer the following questions). This is a very very very long post, so I totally understand if most of you don't attempt to read it at all. I will not be offended. Upon Carrie's request I have to tag 5 friends, which I will get to later on...Gabe is a supportive husband so he will be participating as well.

Joys,
Brooke) 1.Fountain diet pepsi. One of New York's greatest downfalls is the lack of fountain drinks. I have only come across 3 places that supplies pepsi fountain drinks; apple bees, taco bell, and ikea. Gabe and I are seriously considering installing a fountain drink machine in our apartment.

Gabe) 1.I also have take joy in a delicious fountain drink but for me it's the good Dr. that holds the key to my heart. The problem is that New Yorkers haven't yet figured out that Dr. Pepper is the greatest drink in the world. In fact, most places that actually have fountain drinks are missing Dr. Pepper and it's replaced by Fanta. Fanta? Seriously?

Brooke) 2.Sitting in our living room on summer nights with the windows open, listening to the sounds of the little Jewish children playing and the faint sound of the subway. This is my favorite part of the day.

Gabe) 2.One of my favorite things comes right after that moment Brooke just mentioned, when we close all the windows and turn on the air conditioner. It's hot here...really hot. And it's usually about a million percent humidity. I spend lots of time on activities like wiping sweat of my face and moaning about the heat so when we turn on the AC, my whole world comes into perfect balance.

Brooke) 3.Exercising to the point of exhaustion. There aren't too many things better in life then puking after working-out. And I truly mean that! The O'Neil's are known for their overactive gag reflect and I am no exception. My work-out only proves success if I end with some good dry heaving.

Gabe) 3.I love making the walk from the subway to our apartment often passing kids playing baseball on the sidewalk or the firemen hosing off their firetruck. It really hits me that I actually live in Brooklyn New York.

Fears,

B) 1.One of my greatest fears right now is starting my new job. I'm not afraid of the work, I'm actually really excited but I am truly afraid that the students will not respect me.

G) 1.I'm afraid of French people. Well maybe not all French people, just one, The senior designer who heads up my team at work. She's terrifying.

B) 2.Sewer rats. They are the devil incarnate.

G) 2.New York city bums. They don't just sit around drinking and not having homes here. Though they do plenty of that, they also do plenty of getting in your face and lots of smelling like excrement right next to you on the subway.

B) 3.Riding my bike on busy streets, I'm only afraid of the busy streets. I think as long as I am afraid I will be safe. Three more months till my insurance kicks in, pray that no harm will be done till then, I mean ever.

G) 3.Being shot.

Goals,

B) 1.Become a "real" adult while living in New York. Being a "real" adult means having a career, be taken serious (at least by the kids that I am supposed to be guiding), manage finances without calling Dad for every decision, and try not to screw up. That sort of thing.

G) 1.I want to become a senior designer before we leave New York.

B) 2.Wake up at a decent hour on my own. I have not adjusted to eastern time yet, simply because there has been no reason for me to and as a result I sleep in till noon on a regular basis. I am shooting for the stars on this one, but my goal is to work-out before work which means waking up at 6am. I have high hopes here in New York.

G) 2.I love not getting mugged. In fact, it's pretty much one of my favorite things ever and so far I have a perfect streak going of not getting mugged. So my goal is to keep that streak alive and running while living in the big apple.

B) 3.Try to translate what the people in our ward are saying. On a good Sunday I might understand 40% of what is being said. Our ward is made up mostly of Jamaican's and Haiten's and I simply can not decipher what is coming out of their mouths. Most of it is either incoherent or inaudible. It's pretty bad, so we've gotta do something or at least should do something.

G) 3.It's really hard to think about goals right now since for so long I've had the goals of finishing school and finding a way to get to New York and get a job with a top interior design firm. It's so crazy to stop and think that I've actually won those things (with a lot of help from my beautiful wife). So I guess now I'm just focused on not screwing it up.

Current Obsessions/Collections

B) 1.Making our apartment feel as much like home as possible. Being in an unfamiliar city, so far from home makes it that much more important to create a safe haven.

G) 1.I am totally obsessed with New York street vendor blueberry muffins. I have one every day for breakfast.

B) 2.Figuring out how to organize all of our stuff in such a small space. New York living is a true challenge for anyone that prides themselves on their organizational skills.

G) 2.I am collecting the calories from those wonderful blueberry muffins. But in my defense, I walk a lot more than I used to so I'm burning them off as well as putting them on.

B) 3.Fighting the urge to put myself in danger for the sake of good blogging material, for example; asking bums to sing happy birthday to Brandon(it was really hard for me when Gabe didn't let me), videoing subway acts, taking pictures of freaks on the streets, etc. It's all in the name of good blogging!

G) 3.Well It isn't much of a collection yet but I'm working on it and I'm always on the lookout for more, but I'm collecting original art. I have a piece that I bought in Paris and a couple that I bought from an art student back at Utah State. My small collection may not be worth millions but I love it and thats all that matters. So if any of you more artistically inclined people (Jed) are wondering what to get me for my birthday...

Random/Surprising facts.

B) 1.I'm pretty sure that I'm lactose intolerant. At least partially. Maybe it's just that dairy is never fresh here, but lately I get sick whenever I eat a lot of it. I'm thinking I am going to adapt my diet similar to that of a vegan, for awhile at least.

G) 1.I am a lone heterosexual male in a sea of gay guys. Thats right, I'm the only straight guy in my office. It's quite a different experience but I don't mind. Everyone is very nice. They all treat me with respect.

B) 2.I really wish I could sing. Like, I'm seriously sort of bitter that I wasn't born with a good voice. The fact that I don't have a good voice doesn't stop me from giving it my all in church. I think it really embarrasses Gabe.

G) 2.I have never ridden a farris wheel!! That's right, not once in my 26 years on this planet have I gone round and round on the iconic "Farris Wheel" and to tell you the truth, I don't really feel like I've missed out on anything special. It looks kind of boring to me.

B) 3.I've got a nickname at work that I'm really happy about, "Utah"....except I'm not happy about it at all.

G) 3.I've read the entire Twilight series which I believe classifies me as a fourteen year old girl. Brooke made me do it. You all know how ruthless she can be. I had no choice!!!

Tag you're it!...Brian &/or Wendy, Krystyn, Mikell, Tara, and Rachel. Here are the rules: Post these rules on your blog. Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog. List 3 Joys, 3 Fears, 3 Goals, 3 Current Obsessions/Collections and 3 Random/Surprising facts. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Thank you for participating friends and family! I love you guys so much!

where's the rest of my head???

2008-07-05T00:22:00.002-04:00

So, after the fireworks display I was trying to take a picture of Brooke with a patriotic empire state building in the back ground (note the red, white , and blue) when this really drunk and obnoxious old man insisted on taking the picture of us both . I tried to say no because one of my most favorite things is not having my camera stolen. I also like having all of my head in pictures which really isn't that much to ask but when your drunk... So, it's obviously not the best picture but it's a great memory.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATION!

2008-07-04T23:57:00.007-04:00

Gabe and I celebrated our first 4th of July in New York with 3 million of our friends. It was an absolutely incredible fireworks show! The Macey's firework display on the east river is the biggest show in America and the Danish people standing next to us said it is the biggest in the world. It was quite the event.

New Do

2008-07-01T22:15:00.005-04:00

So as most of you know New York is disgustingly humid. Gabe has wanted to shave his head for some time now, but I have adamently discouraged him from doing so. The other day I came home drenched in sweat (not from working out but from walking Reggie down the street)/Gabe wouldn't get a hair cut, and it was then that I agreed to shaving Gabriel's head. It is just too freakin' hot to worry about hair here. What do you guys think?

2008-07-01T22:09:00.006-04:00

We own bikes!

2008-06-28T18:35:00.002-04:00

If for nothing else, the bike contributes to gabe's style.

2008-06-28T18:23:00.002-04:00

Taking the bikes down the subway was quite the feat!...that is after we rode at least 7 miles through the streets of Brooklyn. With Gabe leading the way it's not so bad, but it's going to be a entirely different experience finding my way alone. Especially on a bike, having to ride on the rode following street rules...yikes!

2008-06-28T18:22:00.000-04:00

I'm lovin' my pink/purple road bicycle. It's perfect.

2008-06-28T18:19:00.001-04:00

Proud owner of a 1970'ish orange road bike. It's completely fitting for Gabe!

2008-06-28T18:16:00.002-04:00

Searching out the bikes...(we already know these are the ones we want and we are willing to pay the full price, but Gabe quickly told me to put the camera away and stop looking like a tourist cuz we need to do some New York bargaining). I believe we were able to bargain about $10 off, we came out paying $150 each. We got a killer deal!

Customizing

2008-06-23T22:03:00.002-04:00

So I've decided to up the ante a little bit with the blog customization. I'm cracking out photoshop, illistrator, and even trying to write my own html code. I just feel like Carrie & William and Brian & Wendy are really trying to "keep up with the Jones's/Andersons" so I'm trying to give y'all a run for your money.

Brandon, Krystyn, & Chase's first trip to NYC

2008-06-22T23:10:00.002-04:00

We had such a fun weekend with Brandon, Krystyn, and Chase. They were only able to come for the weekend, but we got a lot in! We ate at the infamous Di Fara pizza joint, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, shopped China Town, toured Time Square, ate at my fav Chipotle, visited the Brooklyn Aquarium, and ended the trip with a concert at Central Park. We did a lot of sight-seeing in between all these events and we rode the subway plenty. Gabe and I truly enjoyed being tour guides! Chase is so precious. He thinks his Dad is the funniest person alive, he will eventually learn that Brandon is rather goofy but that's alright. Reggie and Chase got along great. Reggie was patient as Chase tried to get the hang of "petting" rather the "yanking". We enjoyed a game of Ticket to Ride, Brandon & Krystyn did an all right job for their first time. I had to show them who's the boss in new york though:) All in all, we are so grateful that Brandon and Krystyn were such great sports about making the 8 (10 in Brandon's case) hour trip from North Carolina!! We love you guys!

Chase and Reggie are best friends!

2008-06-22T22:38:00.002-04:00

Chase and Reggie love each other so much! They are new best friends.

Our Utah Package

2008-06-19T01:58:00.003-04:00

Thank you so so so much to Cindy, Caroline, Jed, and Brooke for our wonderful Utah package. It was extremely thoughtful of you guys to put it together. I think I know what missionaries are talking about now, just how amazing it is to receive packages. That's the first one I've ever received and it was too much fun! We love you all so much. We miss you tons and we just can't wait for everyone to come visit. Thank you family for your thoughtfulness. Cindy, you are my hero.

2008-06-19T01:49:00.001-04:00

Utah salt, "The seasoning that put the spice in Utah", that's gotta be good! I hear you haven't lived until you've tried Utah creamed honey, so I'm really glad that I have the chance now. Thank you!

2008-06-19T01:44:00.003-04:00

I've never had honey bee lolly pops. I love the intracasy, they are shaped just like bees!

2008-06-19T01:42:00.001-04:00

Whoops, I got caught! Utah chocolates are too yummy to eat one at a time! Thank you Jed & Brooke! Honestly, thank you. I love chocolate.

2008-06-19T01:37:00.004-04:00

Hey-oh for Canadian candy bars! I thought Gabe was going to pee his pants he was so thrilled!

Summer Fitness Challenge

2008-06-14T22:29:00.002-04:00

Is anyone interested in participating in a summer fitness challenge? Most of you are probably on track and don't need to change anything but for anyone who is interested we should get together some kind of challenge with a goal in mind, maybe a race we could participate in together at some point:

(I'm sure we could rent bikes in New York.
If not gabe and i could find friends to borrow from)

July 27th NYC Half-Marathon

Sept. 7 - 24th Annual NEW YORK CITY BIATHLON
Central Park - Run-2 mi. Bike-12 mi. Run-2 mi.

October 5 - 24th Annual CENTRAL PARK BIATHLON
Central Park - Run-2 mi. Bike-12 mi. Run-2 mi.

Nov. 2nd NYC Marathon

I think it would be a really awesome experience to participate in a more extreme event such as these in New York. There are plenty more to choose from if anyone is interested. Like I said before I think that this could be a really neat experience to do together as a family. Let me know what you think.

Afternoon in Bryant Park

2008-06-12T17:09:00.001-04:00

I had an interview today in Manhattan, which I think went very well. I have another interview with the same agency on Tuesday. I will tell more about the job if I get it! Afterwards I went to Bryant Park to people watch. The weather was actually bearable today so I thought I should take advantage of that. The parks are beautiful here, they are one of Gabe and my favorite parts of the city...oh yeah, a dirty pigeon pooped on me today! Right before I went into my interview. All over my arm and down the side of my shirt! Brian told me in some cultures pigeon's pooping on you is good luck, so let's hope that's the case! Dirty, pesky pigeons!!

Manicuring difficulties

2008-06-11T13:57:00.001-04:00

So, for those of you who don't already know this, the Anderson males have especially bushy eyebrows. They can really have a life of their own. Gabe eventually gave in to allowing me to manicure his fury brows after months of badgering. The first time I got a bit too trim happy. Gabe was not pleased. Then the next few times I did a descent job, not as much was trimmed as I would have liked but we compromised. Then last night I decided that I was getting good enough at it to do some free trimming. This obviously didn't work out so well. I gouged his left eyebrow to the point that he will definitely not let me near his face with trimmers ever again. I still blame the slip up on his impatience...whoops!

93 degrees 100% humidity

2008-06-08T00:33:00.004-04:00

So i know that the temperature hit 93 degrees today and i'm pretty sure that the humidity was 100%. I have already taken 2 showers today, and you know how i am with showers! I'm certain at this point that I will never get used to humidity...This was us at Double Dragon tonight, we wanted to eat chinese food before viewing Kung Fu Panda, which was awesome!

We have friends!

2008-06-06T21:05:00.001-04:00

We got our first invitation to a party!! We got the invitation before we even gave them the cookies! We are pretty much awesome, and everyone wants to be our friend.

Bribery

2008-06-05T22:45:00.009-04:00

We are bribing our neighbors to be our friends. If double chocolate cookies don't do it, then we don't even want them as friends.

The Flight of the Concords

2008-06-03T16:13:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5hrUGFhsXo

This show is kind of like The Office, just a New Zealand version. Check it out. It's hilarious.

New York, New York

2008-05-30T23:05:00.001-04:00

New York, New York

2008-05-16T19:19:00.002-04:00

Brought back by high demand...Byron the math geek. Isn't he hot?

2008-05-16T00:26:00.002-04:00

Here's us at the end of the moving day. We still love eachother after all the chaos that has been this past two weeks:)

2008-05-16T00:24:00.002-04:00

Here's our little bathroom. Surprisingly when we moved in, it was spotless. I was very grateful!

2008-05-16T00:23:00.000-04:00

This is our dining area. Keep in mind this is the first day we moved in!

2008-05-16T00:21:00.002-04:00

Here's our gally kitchen. This is really the only part of our apartment that we got jipped on.

2008-05-16T00:16:00.002-04:00

The first thing we did when we moved in was set up the bed! Our bedroom has progressed since this picture but it's not all put together yet. We'll post completed home pictures here soon.

2008-05-16T00:14:00.001-04:00

Reggie was perfectly happy the entire trip. Him and mom(me) napped about 90% of the time.

2008-05-16T00:10:00.002-04:00

This is one of the two times that I drove throughout the trip...for those of you who don't already know, I'm kind of terrified of driving and that 's probably because I've been in lots of accidents that I caused.

2008-05-16T00:03:00.001-04:00

Gabe was fresh at this point! This was at about mile 400 of the 2200 mile adventure.