Lately

Here are a few random photos from the last month or two.

Blizzard Juno was not the only snowstorm we've had this year. After that one, it seemed like every three to four days, we'd get another storm through the rest of January and midway through February. I think it's funny that the Weather Channel names all of the winter storms. After Juno, we had Kari, Linus, Marcus, Neptune, and Octavia, some of which gave us more snow and some didn't hardly bother us. Overall, we've gotten quite a few inches of snow, but nothing too crazy. Once all the snow storms stopped coming so frequently, the temperatures dropped and we got the freezing cold temps. It was below freezing for a good week or two with windchills of -5 to -14. It was really miserable, especially combined with limited subway service on the weekends due to construction. It's no fun to walk around out in that. One day after church, we walked home when the windchill was -5. Luckily we each had worn a thick scarf (which I knitted!) that day. We wrapped them around our heads like mummies, and they saved our faces from freezing completely. When we walked in the door at home, Brian tried to wiggle his eyebrows, but he couldn't move them very fast. It was a slow motion wiggle, because they were so cold. Brrr....I'm getting chilled again just thinking about it.

I stopped by the Lion Brand Yarn Studio's flagship store on 15th Street near Union Square. I love dropping by here when I'm in the neighborhood. I usually don't buy anything, but it's still fun to look at what yarns they have. This time though, I wanted to buy some double pointed knitting needles using the amount I have left on a gift card my parents got me for Christmas. I forgot that the store closes early on Fridays though, and I got there too late. :( I'll just have to make another trip in sometime soon. I still got to enjoy their window display, which is always really cool. 

This "Mayan Ruins" piece was quite impressive. It's part of a series of pieces that they made for Vogue Knitting Live, a huge fiber arts (knitting, crocheting, etc.) convention that is held every so often here in New York. I've never been, because tickets are a bit spendy, but someday I would like to go. They knitted/crocheted the 7 wonders of the world, including the Taj Mahal, Easter Island Heads, a sphinx, the Tower of Pisa, the Great Wall of China, and Stonehenge, along with the Mayan Ruins. I would love to see the others in person. Below is a picture I found of them online.

Source

Just down 15th Street is a building used by the LDS Church. The LDS employment offices are housed here and various Manhattan wards meet here for church services on Sunday. A lot different than the traditional-type church buildings out west.

While we were out and about near Union Square, we stopped by the Trader Joe's to pick up corned beef for our St. Patrick's Day feast. Both of Brian's grandmas have Irish in their blood, so we like to celebrate the holiday. Also, St. Patrick's Day is my brother Luke's birthday. He's always been a little leprechaun. I cooked this up with some cabbage and red potatoes in the crockpot on the Sunday before St. Patty's Day. It was delicious, and we had leftovers to enjoy throughout the week. Yum!

March 20th, the first day of spring, dawned overcast and chilly. Snow began to fall in the early afternoon. I was out and about running some errands when it really started coming down -- big, wet flakes that stuck to my coat and eyelashes. The snowfall was quite thick for awhile there, and very pretty. I couldn't help but laugh as the snow just kept coming. Snow, on the first day of spring. We got a good bit of it too -- 3 to 4 inches. It snowed all day, stopping only just before midnight.

     

I dropped my wedding ring off at Kay Jewelers to be cleaned, polished, and re-plated the same day I stopped at Lion Brand a couple weeks ago. I take in in to get cleaned and inspected regularly, but it was overdue for a full service. It's white gold, so the finish wears off and needs re-plating every year or two. It doesn't cost us anything, because Brian bought the warranty and service plan when he initially purchased the ring from Kay, so it's not that big of a deal, I just have to remember to take it in to have it done. Brian stopped by the store to pick it up last night after work. I love how brand new and shiny it looks afterwards! Not having a ring on my left-hand ring finger for the last two weeks has been bugging me...it just feels so weird without it. I'm glad to have it back.

Other than work, church, and everyday life responsibilities, we haven't really done much this year. It's just been too cold, and all we've wanted to do is hibernate in our warm apartment. The weather is slowly getting warmer, and we're getting glimmers of spring as time goes on. The warm, sunny days we've experienced here and there have been tantalizing, and make us excited to get out and have some adventures. So, hopefully the blog posts will get more interesting and plentiful as spring comes on.