Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

We love NYC. Every summer, for 2 weeks, a handful of very very expensive restaurants open their doors to those of us in the middle class, who cannot afford to normally eat there. This is called Restaurant Week, and it is incredible! For a flat fee, you get a 3 or 4 course meal.

So of course, Emily and I had to capitalize on this opportunity. We decided to go to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I dont think words can describe our experience. Rob got the Filet Mignon while Emily got the Ribeye. We really had a wonderful time, and are anxiously looking forward to next summer, when we can feast like this again! :-)

Boston

We absolutely LOVE Boston! The city is gorgeous! It is so clean compared to NYC, and is just a really fun town. It is nice how small it is, and how it truly is a walking city. During the summer, there is such a fun feeling. People are strolling along the streets, relaxing in the Boston Common, and of course, wearing their Boston sports shirts.

We went over the weekend with our friends Kevin/Heather Hirst. We actually were pretty pampered, so that probably added to the enjoyment of the trip. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton, in an executive suite. We had access to the Club Lounge, where there was complimentary meals, drinks, etc. It was truly phenomenal.

Our favorite part was of course going to see Harvard. We took a tour, and really had a good time hopefully seeing our future home. :-) We walked the Freedom Trail, and saw Paul Revere's house, the famous church (1 by land, 2 by sea), and many other sites. It was awesome.

It wouldn't be a trip to Boston if we didn't see Fenway Park, and support the Champions the Red Sox. Unfortunately, they were out of town, so we couldn't join in on the fun. Lastly, we had a delicious dinner on the Boston Harbor. Emily and I both got our own 1 lb Lobster! Who could resist? I think the best part was watching us try to get to all of the meat.

We hope you enjoy the pictures below! Hope all is well!

4th of July

So, few of you know how incredible the Macey's 4th of July Firework show over the East River. It is a spectacular 25 minute ordeal, that should not be missed. And, one of the main reasons why we decided to rent our apartment is because we knew we would have a great view from our window. And we were not disappointed!!

We had about 25 people from the ward over (in our small 1 bedroom apartment). We had lots of snacks, watermelon, treats, and cake. It was nice to be inside, enjoying the air conditioning while thousands of people pushed and shoved 26 floors below us, trying to catch a peak of the action. But despite violating every fire code in New York, we had a very safe and fun evening.

Summer Fun & Events

The summer in NYC is so much fun! There are lots of things to do and to keep you busy. Who wants to work when there is so much to do.

The NY Philharmonic & Met Opera give free concerts in the park throughout the city.
The Today show has a free concert every Friday morning at 8:30 am at the Rockefeller center. They have had Cold Play, Usher, & Josh Groban so far, and we are planning on going to Miley Cyrus, Rascal Flats, and Celine Dion in the next month. Bryant Park shows movies every Monday evening.

We are also planning some other fun events. We are going to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. We are going up to Boston to spend a weekend, and want to spend some time in Philadelphia. If we have any time left, we may plan a road trip to Palmyra and Niagara Falls. And of course, you can't forget the beach!!!!

This Friday, on July 4th, we are having a huge party at our apartment. It will be a lot of fun with friends & food, and an incredible view of the fireworks from our apartment window. We are going to a BBQ with some of Emily's co-workers earlier in the day, so it will be non-stop fun.

Summer Fun in NYC

We are doing well. We still do not have a camera, since it was stolen in Jamaica. But we will get one soon so that we can put more pictures up on the blog.

We have had a busy few weeks. Scouts is going well and keeping me busy. We have a campout in a few weeks, so that will be fun preparing for. Emily has Enrichment on Tuesday, so she is busy planning that. Work is going well. Emily is Super Star! She is getting so many compliments on her hard work.

Thursday night we went to a fireside with Gary Crittenden, the CEO of Citigroup. He is incredible. We really had a good time and enjoyed his comments.

Friday night we went to this steakhouse called "Angelo & Maxie's" by Union Square for a friend's birthday. It was a lot of fun - with about 30 of us there. We have a great ward and have made tons of friends.

Saturday we had a ward BBQ that was so much fun. It was at the house of a guy in our ward, and was so much fun. The weather here is pretty good, normally in the 70's, but it is so humid. That has taken some time to get use to.

We are doing really well and are excited for the summer!!

Temple ... Eve?

So Emily and I volunteered to clean the Manhattan temple last Thursday. We were busy cleaning when all of a sudden, the woman in charge walked in, and what do you know, it was the brunette Eve from the video.

Her name is Sister Moe, and we had a lot of fun cleaning with her. Talk about a busy woman - actress by day, cleaner by night. Needless to say, it was a fun experience. Her husband (Adam) is a Bishop here in Manhattan. The strange thing is that their names are Adam and Eve. No, just kidding.

Friday - May 30, 2008 - Swan Lake Ballet

Friday, May 30, 2008:

Tonight Emily and I went to see Swan Lake at the Lincoln Center. It was performed by the American Ballet theater, the premier Ballet company in the world. It was phenomenal! Emily and I were completely stunned and blown away. We loved it! We are having so many amazing opportunities here in New York!

Caribbean Cruise - May 2008

Emily and I just got back from a cruise in the Caribbean. We had a blast - going to Jamaica, Mexico, and Grand Caymen. Check out our pictures below.

Mom & Dad Welch Visit to NY

Emily's parents Bob and Carol came out to visit us in NY. They came for a week starting March 20, 2008, and we had a ball. It was really fun to have them out and to spend some quality time with them. We went and saw the Opera La Traviata at the Lincoln Center. It was incredible. We also went and saw the Broadway play Curtains. Thanks again for coming out! We had so much fun!

Mom & Dad Thornock Visit to NY

Mom and Dad Thornock came out and visited us here in New York for about a week (Feb 13-Feb 19). We really had a good time with them. We played Ticket to Ride, saw Curtains, Wicked, and Hairspray. We went to dinner in Little Italy and at the Stage Deli. It was a lot of fun to have them visit us. Thanks again for coming.

Moving to New York

Emily and I are moving to the Big Apple! Start spreading the news! New York, here we come. We found a wonderful place in Long Island City. We live on the 26th floor and have a fantastic view of Manhattan. We are 1 stop on the subway from Grand Central Station. We live right on the water front of the East River, and could not be happier. We have made a lot of good friends in the ward, and are so happy.

I know, it is kind of crazy, an Arizonian and a Californian moving to New York, but we both found amazing jobs that we could not pass up! I got a job at Goldman Sachs, working as a Product Controller in the Finance Division. Emily got a job at Edelman Public Relations in Times Square. This is one of the most prestigious PR firms in the world. We are both so blessed and so excited for our new adventure.

BYU Graduation

WE DID IT! GRADUATION! Emily graduated from BYU in August 2007. She did it in 3 years! Hopefully our kids will get the smarts from her. She graduated with her Bachelor degree in Public Relations. I am so proud of her! Great job babe!

I graduated in December, 2007 with my Master and Bachelor Degrees in Accounting. It was a great program, and I am glad to have done it, but grateful it is over. BYU was a wonderful experience, and I am so happy that I decided to go there.

In August 2007, Emily and I walked together at BYU graduation. Both Moms and Dads came to support us. It was a wonderful day.