brooklyn cyclones.

If you ever want to see Brooklyn at it's finest, you gotta go to a Cyclones games. The ballpark is right off the Coney Island Boardwalk, and the Cyclones are actually names after the old wooden "Cyclone" roller coaster at the amusement park, built in 1927. It's humid and sticky, and the food is pretty crappy- but you'll find the best people watching, let me tell you.

We got tickets right up front, surrounded by season ticket holders. There was a man in full Cyclones gear with a long beard that rode the subway with us, the woman and her grown son who sat in front of us and wrapped up her hot dogs to save for later, and the man who constantly yelled "Let's go Cyclops!" off key and never at the right time. He shelled peanuts off the ground, and you had to be sure not to accidently look over when he was bending over because the elastic in his sweatpants had seen better days. His friend next to him slept the entire game with his chin on his belly, and only woke up once or twice to join in on the chant. "Let's go Cyclops!"- It really never got old, Sam and I were cracking up.

People were yelling at the players, "Come on, Ponce! Hit it, Ponce!" And, "Peanuts! Cracker Jacks!" All in the very best, most-authentic Brooklyn accents you'll ever hear. And, at the end of the game, they were throwing food and yelling at the emcee (who was wearing a large crown and a fat suit) to get the fireworks going. But, the fireworks show was put on hold until after the emcee raffled off every single players' jersey- right off their back. The cheerleaders (yes, cheerleaders) were holding the sweaty jerseys with the tips of their fingers, and nobody was claiming the raffle tickets. It was just too good. And, the fireworks were actually pretty darn impressive.

I love Brooklyn.

island beach.

So, we have these really great friends- Maggie and Myron- who are always up for an adventure, and somehow it ends up being slightly nautical. (The deep sea fishing trip was a Myro+Mae creation, to celebrate Myron's birthday.) They live up in Stamford, CT- which we have come to discover is only a 45 minute train ride out of the city. So, last month they invited us to spend the weekend in their beautiful loft apartment, and gave us the grand tour of Connecticut. It was the our first time in the state, and the whole time I had that guy from Holiday Inn in my head saying, "How can I stop him sir if I don't know which was in Conn-ect-i-cut!?" Because for real, it is so geographically embarrassing and Manhattan-y of me not to know where Connecticut actually is.

If you ever find yourself in CT (Greenwich, Stamford area):

1. Stew Leanard's- Yes, it's a grocery store. But, imagine the Disney Land of grocery stores. Every kind of food you can think of- farm fresh, free samples at every corner, animatronics and walking mascots. Ok, it sounds a little creepy when I write it down. But, it was one of the absolute highlights of the trip.

2. Island Beach- We took a little ferry out to this island, and fell in love a bit. It was small enough that you could walk across it in less than 10 minutes, and covered in picnic areas and camp sites. One side of the island was smooth, pebbly beaches, and the the other was surrounded by soft, tall grasses. It was Moonrise Kingdom. Maggie's sister had the great idea to collect mussels right off the beach and we went home and made the biggest pot of seafood linguini. Except, right as we were about to eat it, Sam's got his iPhone out researching the deadly effects of eating fresh shellfish out of the Long Island Sound. After that, everyone was too scared to eat them and we chucked the rest of the mussels. But, I ate the pasta anyway, and it was darn good.

lately.

Skyscraper Edition:

1. View from the TH office.

2. Brooklyn Bridge on the 4th of July.

3. Penthouse view from the Hotel on Rivington.

stoop books.

In Brooklyn, when you don't want something, you usually drag it out to the curb and assume that someone else will take it away. All you have to do is shop around the neighborhood, and learn to be really good at distinguishing trash from treasure. Keep away from furniture that may carry bed bugs, anything that smells, or might be missing parts and pieces. The best day is usually Saturday, because it is garbage pick-up and the streets are dotted with stoop sales.

And almost every day you can find books lined up between the stone pillars on the stoops in Park Slope- like a street level library. When people de-clutter their bookshelves, they leave them outside for the taking. And almost every day Sam comes home with another book in his hand. I must say, they are good finds. But, we really are running out of shelf space...

deep sea.

Last weekend we went deep sea fishing. Sam caught a shark- and we ate it for Sunday dinner. That's the end of that one. Now, someone please kick me from behind and tell me to start blogging again, eh?

lately.

1. My view from the F Train, to and from work every day.

2. My tower- some day. 7th Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn.

3. High Line Park, Chelsea- made from an old high line train track.

4. New (old) dress.

5. Shakespeare in the Park, "As You Like It"

6. Riding to church.

7. Times Square.

8. Rainy days in SoHo.

9. 9-11 Memorial.

10. Graffiti wall in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

11. Violinists waiting for the F Train.

12. Sam Gray.

13. View of Manhattan from Williamsburg.

14. Sunflowers from the corner store.

15. Strung up lights in the back garden.

leafy greens.

Let me tell you something about New York City- everything tastes good. Everything from the swanky restaurants to the corner dive delis. It's just so easy to pick something up to eat, instead of making the trek home in time for dinner. And, even though it's pricey to eat out so much- it's about the same price as buying food at the grocery store. Mmmm I miss, H-E-B. But, that's not an excuse to get chubby, eh?

It's getting a little out of hand here, and Sam and I are making new resolutions to treat our bodies better. We don't get nearly enough produce and whole grains in our diet, and we are definitely lacking in the exercise department. The result- absolutely no energy! We're dragging ourselves home on the train everyday (or falling asleep on the train- risky!) So, here's the new plan- leafy greens, whole grains, and exercise. We're making it happen. We are going back to the basics.

We've been pretty good with spinach- salads, smoothies, sandwiches, quiche. But, we need a little help. Recipes, ideas? Keep in mind, we're looking for fresh and easy- dinners and packed lunches. Ready, set go...

park slope.

We moved in to our new apartment two months ago, and we're slowly (very slowly) setting up house. I thought that it would be so easy! When we first got married and moved into our little house in Utah, it took us forever to acquire all the necessary things to really make it feel like a home. I thought that since we had everything already, it would just take a couple of weeks of unpacking boxes. Right? No.

I guess no matter where you move, and what time in your life you do it- it's never very simple. It is absolutely impossible to fit one home into another home. Nothing quite fits-- walls are different lengths, cupboards are different sizes, and curtains drag the ground. And, it goes without saying that New York apartments are just not quite as spacious as... anywhere else in the world. And, many of them do not even have closets. So, we bought a few wardrobes, scooted the furniture around a bit, and we're making it work.

Someday, I'll get pictures up of the apartment. But, for now I take pride in introducing you to our beautiful neighborhood: Park Slope. Everything is totally worth this neighborhood. Whenever I stand in the bathroom and stare at that ugly purple wall that we still haven't had time to paint; whenever it rains and we are chasing after the (ants!) that take refuge in our kitchen; and whenever I regret the day I compromised for a garden apartment that has absolutely no sunlight-- I just take a step outside and look around. I live in the most beautiful neighborhood in Brooklyn. The tree-lined streets slope up to Prospect Park, snug with the prettiest brownstones you've ever seen. There are Park Slope mamas and nannies scooting strollers, hip kids running around in Salt Water sandals, and Brooklyn-ites zipping down the street on cruisers with baskets full of fresh groceries. And there is a gorgeous, old church on every corner. The church on our corner plays the bells every hour, and I've never heard them play the same hymn twice.

So, when life gets hard- and trust me, it does. I have to remind myself of the beautiful things in my life. Today, it's Park Slope.

(Our apartment is the garden level of the third picture, right behind the lamp post, with the squiggle bars.)

brooklyn botanic garden.

This last weekend Sam and I took advantage of free admission at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It's only about a 10 minute bike ride, just past Grand Army Plaza and right next to the Brooklyn Museum (peeking through the trees in that first photo). It was a gorgeous day, and the place was huge. It made me kind of homesick for England, wandering huge lawns and well-manicured gardens.

They were celebrating the grand opening of a new visitor's center, so they were offering free admission, kids booths, wandering musicians, and art installations. There was a beautiful installation called Sun Boxes out on one of the lawns. It's like a huge solar-powered instrument that just makes you want to lay in the grass and fall asleep. Really peaceful. There was a fiddler in the rose garden and a hammer dulcimer player in the Japanese tea garden. I think Sam liked the indoor climate controlled rooms the best. There are some pretty amazing plants in this world. And, that is the biggest lily pad I have ever seen in my life.

After the garden we hit the farmer's market at Grand Army and bought a cold liter of fresh apple cider, then biked home through Prospect Park. I missed the turn off and didn't complain when I rode an extra 15 blocks through the park. We had about five other things we had planned on doing that day, but sometimes you just have to take whatever NYC dishes out. I watch tourists stress out every day about trying to hit everything on the list in two days. I'm pretty grateful that I am in no big of a hurry.

You know, you are always welcome to come and visit- we have a pretty awesome couch. Summer vacation, anyone? Get out here!

mrs. starr

My mom is retiring this week, after a 29-year teaching career. I am so proud of her, and I owe so much to everything she has taught me. She was always my mom and my teacher, but it's humbling to realize how many other lives she has touched.

Mama was attached to that watermelon pink sewing machine, and so many important pieces of my life came through that machine. There were tiny doll dresses whipped up in minutes, yards of ribbon on a tedious dance costume, and matching Easter dresses every year. I was a fabric snob, a design junkie, and just couldn't possibly wear a store-bought Halloween costume. I can remember special afternoons when she let me pull on all her old prom dresses she made for herself when she was 17, and that dress I made "by myself" only because she cleaned up after my efforts. And, there are still always late night chats laying on the bed staring at the ceiling fan, while she sits at her machine guiding every stitch into place. That is what home sounds like to me. That's what I grew up falling asleep to.

Awhile back, she took a job at Thomas Jefferson High School- where she grew up and graduated. She has built an amazing fashion design program at Jeff, which culminates each year in a final fashion show. For her last ever show, my sisters and I pulled together a little presentation to celebrate her career by inviting all of her old students and showing a slideshow of all her achievements. I wish I could have been there. But, you can read about it on my sister's blog. And, just because my mom is such a star(r), you can also read about it in this San Antonio Express News article- which was printed in color in the Sunday paper! Love you, Mama. You deserve it.