Journal Topic #3: Describe a place from your past.

310 Hart St, Brooklyn, NY (2005-2006)

Jeff and I were so blessed to find a fantastic apartment when we moved to NYC. Before describing the actual apartment, I must briefly describe how we came to find it. We had decided that we wanted to move to NYC. We had both dreamed of living there one day, and we decided that since we didn’t have kids yet, the time to move was now. When I told my employer at the time that we were moving out there and we had no jobs, didn’t know anyone, and didn’t have a place to live, they offered me a position managing a bookstore on the Upper Westside. We were so blessed that I was able to move out there with a job, which helped greatly with the moving costs!

We began looking for apartments right away. We really wanted to stay in Manhattan, preferably close to where I would be working. We could find NOTHING! Nearly every lead Jeff pursued was shot down when the landlord found out we were married. No one would rent a studio or 1-bedroom apartment (the only sizes in our budget) to a married couple. We were shocked. We had been staying in a hotel, but our time was quickly come to an end there, so we needed to find something…fast! Much to our dismay, we decided we needed to look outside of Manhattan.

At 6am one morning, we began looking in the other boroughs. Jeff started with Brooklyn. He found something on Craig’slist that seemed perfect. He called on it. The landlord, again, seemed hesitant—thinking it would be much too small for a married couple. Jeff went out to look at it. It was perfect! I went back with him the next day. I loved it, too! We got it because we were the first ones to respond to the ad, come see the prop, fill out an application, and pay a deposit. Renting an apartment in NYC is unique—competition is fierce, you must come cash-in-hand.

Turns out the Lord really wanted us there, in that neighborhood (or at least in that branch’s boundaries), because shortly after we moved, Jeff was called to be the branch Clerk, and I was called to be the branch Relief Society president. What blessings we received from those callings.

But I digress…now to the description of the apartment. It was a brand new brownstone in the Bedford- Stuyvesant neighborhood, I think. It was on the border of several neighborhoods. Anyway, some would say it was scary neighborhood, but we always felt very comfortable there—even when we had to occasionally walk at night. Around the corner was a deli/bodega whose owner/manager really took care of us. Once we went in late at night for some sandwiches. He walked us out and then stood at the door, watching us until we went around the corner. That may seem creepy to some, but it was actually very comforting to know that someone was watching our backs.

Our new brownstone was in the midst of a long line of brand new developments. On the other side of the street were older, somewhat run-down brownstones, but these new ones really cleaned up the neighborhood.

Our apartment was a second floor walk-up. The door into our apartment opened into a hallway. If you went to the left, the bathroom was at the end of the hall. If you went to the right, there was a small entryway that led into the kitchen. The kitchen wasn’t exactly big, but it was open. No one had ever lived in this apartment before us, so everything was shiny and new. There was actually a good deal of cupboard space. The countertops were marble (or looked marble anyway).

The kitchen opened up into the living room. At the other end, there were pop-out bay windows overlooking the street. The living room had hardwood floors and was nearly as big as our tiny 1-bedroom apartment in Minneapolis! We filled this room with a small dining room table set, computer desk, and 2 click-clack sofas. It was the perfect size!

Off the side of the living room was the bedroom. The bedroom was carpeted and bigger than a standard room. It could have easily fit a queen-size bed (possibly king-size), dresser, oversized chair, small desk. We didn’t really do much with this room when we lived there—just an air mattress where the bed would’ve gone. J I don’t really remember, but I think the closet must have been a walk-in. I can’t visualize where else we would have unpacked our clothes.

I wanted to post some fun pictures of the apartment to complement this post, but they were lost when our hard drive crashed a year or so ago. We lost practically everything from our time in NYC. I just remembered that I had some pictures of our apartment in Brooklyn on another blog. Click here for a quick glimpse.

Journal Topic #2: Describe the perfect day. Put in as many details as you can. Make it a possible day, not a "dream" day.

The perfect day would include the sun shining and birds singing for sure! It would begin after a restful night of sleep—waking up, not to an alarm, but to my internal clock. It would definitely begin with some time communing with my Father in Heaven, through prayer and scripture study. Without the Lord, my day would fall very short from perfect. Perhaps after breakfast, my day would take me on a walk outside with my wonderful girl, Sallie (our dog), and my camera. I would take pictures of the glories of God—the flowers, the trees, the birds and the squirrels.

Wait scratch that…

Instead I would pack a picnic lunch and my husband, Sallie, and I would take a drive up north to a state park where we could romp and play. We could hike and take in the beauty of nature. We would find whatever waterfalls might be in the park, because we love waterfalls…at least I do! The rush of the water is so powerful. After waterfalls, my favorite thing is flowers. We, of course, would have the camera, so we would take some great shots of our day. We would walk hand in hand together around the park, soaking in the warm sunshine. We would make plans about our future—where we will live, how we will raise our children. We would share our testimonies and discuss the gospel and how it has blessed our lives.

We would eat our simple picnic lunch—turkey sandwiches with Muenster cheese. Carrot and celery sticks, perhaps some radishes, on the side with water to drink. After lunch, we would return home, drop Sallie off in her crate and grab our temple bags. We would attend a session of the temple together and reflect on our day as we pondered the mysteries of God.

Our day would be capped off with dinner at our favorite restaurant, where we would enjoy a juicy, perfectly cooked steak, a steaming baked potato, and glorious green beans. Ooh, and some cheesecake for dessert. We would look into each other eyes and be filled with love for each other and for our Father in Heaven who made it all possible.

Journal Topic #1: Have you ever tried to find out something that was none of your business?

Definitely! I tend to be a bit nosy, and unfortunately, a bit of a gossip. I know that we are warned against gossiping because it can be very hurtful, but it is so tempting. I think mostly I just like the conversation. Don’t get me wrong, I'm not as bad of a gossip as some people, but I do think it is something that I could/should work on. To specifically answer this question, I cannot think of any particular instances when I tried to find out something that was none of my business, but usually I just ask around—usually someone that I trust. It may or may not be regarding that person. I know that I do not like to be left out, and that is partly why I like to nose my way in. I’m trying to keep this journal entry going for five minutes, but I’m having some difficulty with this prompt. Hopefully tomorrow’s prompt will be more interesting and fruitful. Two more minutes to go and nothing to say. Hmmm…I wonder if I should do this as a blog… I like blogging, but often have nothing to blog about. I’d like to do it more frequently. Perhaps these journal prompts will work. Yes! I think I’ll give that a try…starting with this one. It could be fun, right?! We’re down to seconds now…Whew! I made it.

Tune in tomorrow for, hopefully, something a little more exciting.

I've decided to attempt to be a better journal keeper. In doing so, I thought it would be fun to find a list of journal questions and randomly answer them. As I was doing this first one (as you read above), I thought it would be fun to do these entries on my blog. If you're looking for ideas to add to your blog, go ahead and join me. It would be fun to read your answers as well. If you join, please post a comment, so I can visit your blog and read what you have to say.

Gospel Joy

There is nothing like the joy the gospel brings into our lives!
Look at our smiling, happy faces.

Maria Fernanda Pinner was baptized on February 21, 2009.
We, the Young Women presidency, were so happy that she chose to take this wonderful step in her life.
May the Holy Ghost guide her every day.

Back with Cheer! Day 1

I ran out of winter photos, and then it wasn't so wintery around. I had to take a short break from posting every day until we had a new theme.

Our new theme is...Cheer or Happiness...

I think this new theme will be lots of fun.

Since today was a pretty gloomy day, I didn't get outside to take any new pictures.

This is my niece.

What a smile!

Who couldn't be happy or cheerful with that face smiling at you?!

Day 28

Day 27