coming back is always rough

wednesday morning i woke up and was just a little bit 'off'. you know how it is, you just don't feel quite like yourself. it was probably due to two things; 1. the fact that i realized the night before that i had lost my license and 2. knowing that i would be going home. assuming of course, they would let me on a plane with no real id.

i got up and packed, hoping that i would find my license in the process. after all, i had my credit cards, money, everything else. i was sure that it had to have slipped out in my bag. but as i finished packing, it was still nowhere to be found, and there was nothing i could do.

so deb and i headed towards the church where we were meeting mihaela at a bakery across the street. deb and mihaela have been friends for nearly the entire time deb has been living there. she and i met shortly after deb had moved. she knew the sister of my boyfriend at the time, so there was an instant connection. of course, the fact that she is an amazing woman who i am always happy to be with, didn't hurt. so every time i go to new york, we always get together with mihaela. it is a strange friendship in that we don't email or call..at all actually. but when we spend time together it instantly picks up where it left off, which is always laughing and sharing stories.


this time was no exception, and it was fabulous to see her again.

after lunch, it was finally time for deb and i to get our nails done. i love getting my nails done in new york. manicures are my most consistent personal grooming splurge, and the ail place across from deb's apartment does the best manicures i've ever had. by far. so nails are always on the agenda when i visit.

and again, i was not disappointed.

we headed back to deb's and chilled out, and finally it was time for me to head to the airport. i admit it. i was nervous. i didn't really know what would happen. i was using my king's dominion season pass with my picture and no name, and my voter's registration card with my name but no picture. and basically, i just got lucky. i was more concerned about the tsa agents than the airlines, and that is where i got the most resistance.

they looked me over a few times and sent me through a special line where they bomb sniffed everything, pulled everything out, patted me down--you know, the works. but they let me through, and i was relieved.

about 45 minutes before my flight i decided i wanted to change my seat, so i went to the desk, where i was told my gate had been changed. no announcements had been made, and had i not wanted a seat change, i would not have had a clue. and that was just the beginning of my problems.

at la guardia each terminal has separate security, so when my flight gate changed from c to d, i had to go through security a second time, with not much time to spare. fortunately, i passed the bomb sniffer again, and made it to my gate just in time. except that when i got there, they were changing the departure time from 6:45pm to 8:15 pm. since i had been there early to make sure i wouldn't have problems, this was not making me happy. what made me even less happy is the flight didn't actually leave until about 9:30pm. by the time we left i had been in the airport for nearly five hours all to take a one hour flight.

oh but the comedy of errors was not yet concluded. when we arrived at national, we were told that our bags would be on carousel x. after waiting for about 10 minutes, the natives got restless. our flight had not been posted yet, so i wandered down to all of the other carousels. it wasn't posted anywhere, so i headed back. after thirty minutes with corey circling outside the entire time, i finally approached an agent who said 'they haven't come out yet. wait, let me check.' as it turned out, they had come out, about 25 minutes earlier, but it had never been posted. i was the first from my flight to figure this out, so i shared the wealth and was finally on my way.

all told, i spent 8 hours in transit. i got home to wet kisses from the puppy and then realized she was virtually covered with ticks. so i spent a good amount of time removing them and panicking over the 'bullseye' she has on her belly. now i've got to get her to the vet asap to see if i can stop lyme disease.

needless to say, i'm ready for another vacation, and fortunately i will be leaving town again soon. this time for work, but it will be low stress. anyone got friends in dallas? i will need to be entertained!

celebrating an anniversary

when: july 4, 2002
where: ida lee park, leesburg, va
who: tara and deb

deb had just gotten a new camera, and we were preparing to watch fireworks celebrating the nation's independence, when our lament began. we realized that the unfortunate result of two people spending time together was the lack of a third to take photos. so we improvised. her camera had a 'self-portrait' mode afterall, so we put it to the test. hence the birth of the self-portrait taking which has become synonomous with my attendance at any social gathering.


so as we now celebrate the 4th of july holiday, deb and i are also celebrating an anniversary of sorts. and we did it in style.

having never been to coney island before, i admit, i was curious. i've seen it in movies, and when my uncle suggested it might be 'interesting', that was all i needed.

so we slept in today. magnificently late. we started our day with lunch at a hole in the wall burger joint called 'the burger joint', where the only things on the menu are burgers, fries, and milkshakes..and we enjoyed two out of three before hopping on the subway to make the hour long journey to carnival land.

i was absolutely delighted at what i found. it was filthy and disgusting and crowded, and absolutely glorious. it was everything i had expected.

we had funnel cake and italian ice. we rode the ferris wheel, which, thanks to a swinging car, was a bit more of a 'thrill ride' then we expected. we watched the throngs of people, and felt as though we were visiting another country. it was perfect.

after a couple of hours, we had 'done' coney island, and came back to the city, where we chilled out for a bit before heading off to the evening's activities, which consisted of a rooftop fireworks party downtown.

we arrived just shortly after the fireworks had started and made our way to the roof, where deb ran into a few people she knew, and where i saw a few familiar faces. i was also introduced to some new ones, including tyler, a graphic designer and would be photographer, and rick, a lurking blog reader.

it was a beautiful evening, and after pondering independence days past, spent sweating in the heat, i was grateful for the cool breeze and comfortable surroundings. nothing can compare to the 4th of july in dc, but there is something poignant about watching fireworks explode over the statue of liberty. a fitting tribute i'd say.

it was truly an enjoyable evening, which as it turned out, wasn't quite over.

deb and i went for a walk in battery park, and before leaving the downtown area, stumbled upon the irish hunger memorial--a very interesting structure that combined the stone remains of what appeared to be a house, and an extremely modern 'attachment' with quotes related to the famine.

after spending some time reading quotes and appreciating the strangeness of the memorial, we walked past ground zero to catch the subway home.

new york truly is an amazing place, and each time i visit, the experience is completely different from the last.

for all the pics, click here.

back to the beach

what is there not to love? the sun, the water, the people watching? as far as I am concerned, pretty much everything about the beach is right up my alley, and today was another perfect day for celebrating the sunshine.

we stopped to grab some snacks on the way, then headed for the train out to long beach. we amused ourselves by taking a series of self-portraits, all intended to diversify the repertoire.






















when we arrived we were happy to find the beach much quieter than on saturday and set up camp in a nice little spot down the boardwalk. we passed the morning with some reading and some sunning. unfortunately the ocean was out to get us, so we were forced to move back several times after having our feet and towels soaked.

the afternoon passed much the same way as the morning. i couldn't help but be reminded how wonderful it is to have friends with whom you can communicate wordlessly--with a nod or a gesture, or a raised eyebrow, or a smile. i had forgotten how comforting and reassuring that is. there isn't much better than being able to look at a very close friend and know how her sentence is going to end. and she knows you know it, and knows she doesn't have to finish her sentence, so she doesn't.

it has been very interesting to note consciously how, while you can be so different from someone, you can be so similar. there are not many blessings more wonderful than the blessing of understanding and being understood.

eventually i decided it was time for a cold drink, so i headed back to the boardwalk. on the way, i saw the two most entertaining things of the day. the first was margaritaville, as i lovingly refer to it. there near the boardwalk entrance, a group had decided to really make a party out of their beach day. they brought palm trees, low lying shrubs, astro turf..the works, and they were set to party.

the other entertaining oddity was the giant bicycles that passed me on the boardwalk. i just love the scenery the beach has to offer.

eventually, it was time to call it a day. we rinsed off and hung out on the boardwalk for a bit while we dried off. the dead time yielded additional self-portraits.











after we returned to the city, we got cleaned up and headed to a great little mexican place for dinner. jen joined us and we stuffed ourselves silly.

then we decided to walk off some of our dinner, but not before we made a stop at tasti d-lite.

then it was off to central park. i love central park, and it seemed to be a perfect evening for a stroll. the temperature was wonderful and there were fireflies in abundance, and tavern on the green looked absolutely stunning in the twilight with all it's lanterns hanging from the trees.

it was about that time however, that the park decided it was going to get us. never before have i experienced what was about to take place. it seemed that no matter where we went, there were swarms of gnats so thick that you couldn't help but eat some of them. the swarms had us running through the park trying to find the quickest exit, and there were times it felt as though we were trapped in a nightmare.

eventually though, we made our way out, and headed up to the lincoln square theater, where we settled on a showing of the lake house. we had some time to kill, so we stopped in duane reade and barnes & noble before heading back for the movie.

i have to say, i enjoyed it. i am no keanu reeves lover, but i thought he did a good job. and it wasn't overly cheesy for my taste. i was hoping i would like it, but i afraid i wouldn't. i did and i was glad.

after the movie, we parted ways with jennifer and deb and i headed back. we were up until the wee hours of the morning just talking about life and love, and all of the things that girlfriends talk about. and we eventually called it a night.

for all the pics, click here.

the surreal life

during the cab ride from the airport yesterday, i thought to myself, 'it's finally happened. i have now spent enough time in new york, that the mystique is gone. it's just another city i am coming to yet again.'

but church today changed my mind.

was it realizing that 'adam' was in the bishopric?

or was it larry king sitting in front of me with his wife, kids, and nanny?

either way, i was reminded that new york will never be 'just another city.'

after getting up and ready, deb and i headed straight over to the church building, hoping to catch an earlier sacrament meeting than hers. and as luck would have it, we arrived just in time for the morningside heights meeting. it was lucky indeed, because as it turned out, it was an excellent one.

today was fast and testimony meeting, and the members who took the opportunity to share their testimonies, brought with them a special spirit. many of the members were visitors, one from finland, another from arizona, one from mexico, several from utah...most of whom shared the same message, that of hope, faith, and a deep knowledge and understanding of god's love for us. deb and i both felt blessed to have had the opportunity to be there.

after church we stopped for lunch at a fabulous french cafe in the time warner building, then headed back to her apartment where we changed into swimsuits and made a visit to her rooftop pool. we did a little reading, a little swimming, and a little hot tubbing. there is something about being able to see the empire stte building from the hot tub that is truly unique.

after more showering to cleanse the chlorine, we decided to take a walk. we headed to central park, but made a stop in columbus circle where we sat and enjoyed the artistry of the fountains, and self-portrait taking. deb and i are attempting to add the 'serious' look to our repertoire, but it needs some work. stay tuned for further details on our progress.

when it started to rain, we walked back to deb's via tasti d-lite, and spent the rest of the evening enjoying some down time in front of the tube.

tomorrow, we are headed back to the beach, and i cannot wait!

for all the pics, click here.

takin' a bite out of the big apple

the morning came too quickly, yet it meant that i would finally be off on vacation for a few days.

after the quick shuttle flight, i landed at la guardia, hopped in a cab, and was off to deb's. the weather was absolutely amazing, which played right into our plan to spend the day at the beach.

when i got to her place, we both changed into our suits and headed to penn station where we boarded the train to long beach. upon arriving, we found our way to a little spot, where we quickly realized we were overdressed. so we decided that when in rome we should do as the romans do, and we discarded our tops (see pic at left).

clearly, i jest.

in any case, we spent a marvelous afternoon doing a whole lot of nothing. in my mind new york has never been synonymous with 'the beach', so i wasn't sure quite what to expect. but i most certainly did not expect it to be so nice. perhaps i was biased by the sheer perfection of the day..temperature, sunshine, cool breeze, but regardless, i was pleasantly surprised.

the people watching was in full effect, and we were especially entertained by the little family behind us which consisted of mom, dad, and boy. after covering himself with sand, dad took a nap, while mom dozed in her lounge chair, leaving boy to his own devices. for the most part, boy occupied himself quietly, but every once in awhile, his need for attention would override his respect for his parents rest, and he would innocently spray dad in the face with a water bottle, or sprinkle sand on his face. eventually, his objective was achieved and mom and dad were wakened to take their rightful places as boy's playmate.

after a few hours of fun in the sun, we decided to call it a day, and headed back to the train. we got back to the city hopped in the showers, and were off to a fabulous creperie in chelsea, where we met deb's friend jennifer.

i instantly took a liking to jennifer, and the three of us started our leisurely meal with some dinner crepes. after letting our meal settle, we capped it off with dessert crepes. both of which were amazing.

we said our farewells to jennifer, and deb and i made stops at the drugstore and grocery store before packing it in for the night. camped out in front of the tv with haagen daz in hand, the evening could not have ended more perfectly.

for all the pics, click here.