Good-bye New York

It has been an amazing 27 months in New York. We have loved every minute of being in NYC and have had so many fun experiences. We are now packing up our apartment and getting ready to move out.

We have a busy time ahead of us - but we are excited for each adventure.

Wed, Mar 24 - This is Emily's last day at Edelman Public Relations. She is sad to be leaving a great company and all of her friends there.
Fri, Mar 26 - Rob's last day at Goldman Sachs. He has really enjoyed his job, co-workers, and anxiously looks forward to Wharton/UPenn.
Mon, Mar 29 - we are packing up our apartment into a U-haul.
Tues, Mar 30 - Driving down to Philly to put our stuff in a storage unit until August
Wed, Mar 31 - We are flying to Istanbul, Turkey.
Sat, April 3 - We fly from Istanbul to Egypt and begin an 8-day Egypt tour & Nile River Cruise
Sat, April 10 - We fly from Egypt to Israel and being an 8-day Israel tour to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Capernum, and Tel Aviv.
Sun, April 18 - we fly back to the US to Denver, to spend some time with my 2 brothers and their families.
Thur, April 22 - we fly from Denver to AZ - to spend some time with my family
Mon, April 26 - we fly to Maui, Hawaii to meet Emily's parents and stay with them in their time share (thanks B&C).
Wed, May 5 - we fly from Hawaii back to AZ to spend a few more days with family.
Sun, May 9 - we fly to Philadelphia to start UPenn on Monday, May 10.
Fri, June 4 - Fly to Moscow, Russia for 2 months as part of my International Studies program at UPenn.

We promise to blog some pictures of stories, but not sure when that will be!

Mike, Susie, and Ashlyn

My sister Susie, her husband Mike, and their 13-year old daughter Ashlyn came out to visit NYC. Although the weather was a little less than ideal, we didn't let it rain on our parade.

We had so much fun with them visiting. I dont know if we laughed so hard at the Met Museum, eating at Lombardi's, relaxing at Room Service, enjoying the performance at Stardust Diner, or trying to battle the tornado/wind from the subway to our apartment.

We had an absolute blast, and hope that they come and visit us in Philly! It is only a 2 hour bus ride from NYC - and Philly has a Chinatown! Giddy-up!

St Patrick's Day - Riverdance

Since we dont drink - what is the next bext thing to do on St. Patrick's Day? That's right, head off to Radio City Music Hall and watch a little Riverdance to really get into the Irish mood.

The show was absolutely amazing!!! We really loved it. I guess all those years on the BYU folk dance team paid off - Emily kept having to restrain me from running out on stage and joining them. We absolutely loved the show and had a great time. Happy St. Patty's Day!

And did you know that pinching people for not wearing green on St. Pat's is completely foreign to New Yorkers & East Coasters? I was yapping about it all day at work, and no one had ever heard of it. I still did it anyway though!

Cub Scout Pinewood Derby

This past Saturday our ward & Scouts had our first Pinewood Derby. We only have 2 Cub Scouts, and since our Boy Scouts never had the opportunity to do one when they were younger, we invited them. But to add to the fun - we invited the entire ward. Overall we had 18 cars submitted - and it was an awesome time.

Ironically, the only Cub Scout racing actually won the whole thing. 2 of the other boy scouts ended in the top 4. It was a great event.

I think mine came in at a miserable 14th place - but it was more about the experience. My car design was actually an MTA bus! I must have carved a local bus instead of an express - my bad! Check out some of the pictures below:

Bob & Carol Visiting

Bob & Carol came to visit NYC one last time. We had a great time and are so glad they were able to come out on such short notice. Some of the highlights of their stay:


* Eating at Junior's
* Eating at Lombardi's
* Eating at Stage Deli
* Statue of Liberty - although we have done this before, Emily and I were able to climb all the way to the crown for thhe first time together. The weather was amazing and it was awesome.
* Billy Eliot - we really enjoyed this musical. The music was amazing, dancing was great and the play was really well done.

LION KING!!!

LION KING! Talk about an amazing production! The costumes and acting were incredible. We have never seen anything like it - absolutely stunning!! And of course - after wards, we had to stop by Junior's for some amazing Cheesecake! Yummmm!

In the Heights

This was a great show - about Morningside Heights in upper Manhattan. It was an inspirational story about the American Dream and how difficult life can be in the inner city for immigrants. I think the main take-away message is the unity and friendships that forged in a poor Manhattan neighborhood. I enjoyed it much more than Em did, but probably because I lived there 4 years ago.

So - Republicans beware. Do not attend this show! It will show the true hardships of inner-city life and will reveal true needs by Americans and uncover the many errors in our current economic system. The trickle-down economic theory and pro-big business mentality should not be mingled with this feel-good story of the American Dream. You have been warned.

Jersey Boys

So, in an effort to maximize our last 2 months in NYC - we have decided to buy tickets to the broadway shows we want to see, and hit the museums/other events one last time. Well, it started on Tuesday night, when we went to see Jersey Boys, about Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons. The show was amazing! We really had a great time, and loved hearing all of their hits!

Happy New Year ... & Happy Birthday

Happy New Year!! My favorite part about the New Year is that you can start new/fresh. You can set goals and strive for new heights. I have an extremely strong testimony/belief in setting goals.

We went out to dinner, then off to our friend's apartment for a little house party. It was slightly less intense than the year prior when we partied at Emily's work and then brought in the New Year actually in Times Square, but still a great way to bring in 2010.

On Jan 10, I turned 27 years old. It is interesting, 27 sounds old, but I still feel like a 17 year old. I guess the other side of the coin, 27 still sounds pretty young. ;)

It was a great birthday - I had a scouting meeting, ran some errands, and went shopping with Em. The 2 great gifts I received - 1) 2 new suitcases and 2) memory foam mattress topper for our bed. As it turns out, memory foam is incredible - you just sink into it. And I dont think I have ever slept better. Thanks babe - I love you.

Philadelphia

Christmas in Cali

A Christmas miracle happened Friday night, December 18 at JFK airport. We booked the 7 pm flight, so had to leave work a little early (always a bonus), and despite a ridiculously long security line, we were able to cut to the front and made it 5 min before the flight left (last people on the plane). But that was not the miracle - it was the fact that a blizzard hit NYC that night, and all the flights were canceled the next day. We felt blessed, like a little Christmas miracle!

San Francisco during Christmas is fun. Sure, the ultra-liberals have banished anything that remotely resembles Santa Clause - but we can overlook that minor detail. It was fun going around the city - Pier 39, the wharf, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Union Sq and driving down Lombard st.

It was absolutely wonderful being with Em's parents and fam. We had a total party while there. Some of the Christmas highlights from Cali

1) Sharks game
2) The amazing weather
3) Avatar - in 3D
4) P.F. Changs
5) High Priest party
6) Carol's amazing Apple skills creating a Italy remembrance GFTH book
7) University of Pennsylvania - Wharton sweatshirts
8) Emily's kindle
9) Carol's Jerusalem book????

Life is good. But, as fun/good as all the gifts/food are - the real reason for the season is Christ. It was great to take some time away from the hectic schedule of NYC, and to think about the Savior and what truly matters.

Thanksgiving - AZ Style

We spent Thanksgiving in Arizona with my family. This has sort of become a tradition, with the whole fam getting together and celebrating "Thanksmas." Last year, everyone was able to make it but us (since I had to work Thanksgiving weekend due to the year end of Goldman Sachs.) But due to the financial crisis, collapse of the investment banking industry, GS is now a bank holding company (bless the Fed), and we have a calendar year-end, which translates to Thanksmas in AZ. But ironically, my two Colorado brothers decided not to attend this year (they both promise unrelated to my attendance.)

Regardless, we had a great time, and are so happy to spend some good time with the fam (it had been 2 years since we had been back to AZ). The weather was amazing, the food delicious, and the company fantastic (probably due to the fact that were no political debates & Obama discussions).

Some highlights:
1) Not taking any days off, but just "working from home" from our laptops in AZ.
2) Playing golf - in a t-shirt in 75 degree weather ... in November. Wow! Bless non-New York weather.
3) Playing tennis - and getting completely smoked by my 39 year old brother Mike.
4) Playing racquetball - and smoking Mike/Rick! ;)
5) The Bentley mansion (and indoor slide)
6) Being with mom/dad again
7) Cafe Rio - 5 times in a week ... ah!
8) Seeing our friends
9) Driving again --- and enjoying space

This Thanksgiving we are grateful for our family and friends. Arizona was amazing! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving as well.