The Cheap Train Ride

On Saturday, we caught the train into NYC to spend the day with our friends Chris and Tara. We got a deal on our train tickets and thanks to Jeong, who lets us know about this discount, our tickets were only $6.50 each (normally $19.00).

The weather was great on Saturday, sunny and mild. We were lucky and beat the Nor'Easter by a day. You may have heard of the big storm that hit New York and the North Eastern coast over the weekend. The storm was apparently a 'Nor'Easter', which I am going to assume means a North Eastern wind was causing the storm. It's certainly took on a life of it's own. There was so much flooding in this area.

Here are some pictures of our day with Chris and Tara. These ones are all taken in Central Park.





I finally got into this tea shop that I have been trying to get in to everytime I've gone in to NYC since Christmas. There was always a 45 min. wait to get a table. So, finally, this time we got in after waiting 10 mins. It's kind of a girly place, so a big thanks to Chris (and Jason) for allowing me to drag them into a place that serves finger sandwiches and was hosting a bridal shower in the back room. This place serves the best scones, so I know they didn't suffer. Warning, if you do come to visit me, I may drag you to Alice's Tea Cup.

From tea to hockey....

On Monday, we went to an Islanders playoff game. They lost, but it was still pretty fun to be in an atmosphere like that. The fans got a little out of control at the end of the game. Due to a bad penalty call, the fans were littering the ice with bottles and cups to show their disagreement with the call. I think we will stay away from going to anymore games this season because every game we have gone to, the Islanders have lost.

My obstetrician is a big hockey fan so I am now having dreams (or maybe nightmares) about him and Jason discussing hockey while I'm in labor. At least the playoffs with be done then.

Easter Birthday

That's it- I'm officially 29 years old. This year, I celebrated the date of my birth on the same date as the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Obviously, one event had significantly more of an impact on the world than the other event, but it was still a good birthday. Not a GREAT birthday though. No, unfortunately, last year's birthday is still overshadowing this year's celebration. Last year, I was in Egypt, exploring ancient temples and relaxing by the pool in the desert sun. This year, I spent the morning at church and the afternoon, studying in my kitchen.

Here's a picture from last year's birthday in Egypt. We went to a Korean restaurant for dinner.


But, the afternoon of studying paid off, because I passed my nursing exam! I just got the "unofficial" results today. I am so relieved. There still may be a chance that I will work in this country before I have this baby! I didn't feel so confidant when I left the exam on Tuesday. I had left my house with PLENTY of time to get there, but of course, traffic was horrible and then I missed my turn, twice. So I showed up with pink cheeks and out of breath. Then, the exam went really quickly. The length could range from 75 to 265 questions (depending on how you answer your questions) and you have 6 hours to write it in. Well, I was out of there in 1 1/2 hours and my brain was spinning. I thought I would have an idea of how I did, yet I felt completely confused and unsure of how I did.

Other exciting news- I got tickets for "Live with Regis and Kelly" at the end of the month! I had applied to go with Irene and Esther, when they were visiting. But, only two dates worked when they were here, so the third date I gave was a date in April, when Jason's parents are here. So, it's going to be me, Jackie and Irwin in the audience on April 26th. Make sure to check it out, spot us in the audience and listen for Irwin's laugh!

Colds and Friends

Well, all my visitors have left and now I am trying to study for my exam. We had a great time with our friends who came to visit. Carin and Marcus arrived last week from Sweden and stayed with us for a few days. We had the nicest day in spring so far, which we spent in Southampton, walking on the beach and looking at all the nice houses there. I think I even got a few more freckles. Here's a picture of the cute couple. They are on their way to Guatemala to visit Marcus' dad and take in Holy Week down there. That should be an amazing experience.


After Marcus and Carin left, my friends Irene and Esther arrived from Lethbridge. But (as the title of this blog suggests), I came down with a wicked cold, I even lost my voice for a day! Luckily, there was a day and half break in between our friends coming, so I was able to rest my body and my voice and somewhat recover. What a pain! I haven't been sick all winter and the week that I need to be well, I get sick! Isn't that how it always goes?! Now, we are looking forward to Jason's parents coming for a visit in two weeks. Our spring seems to bring friends and family, which is great.

Here is a pregnant picture of me. As you can see, everything has GROWN, not just my belly. Oh well!


As for a name for the little fetus, we are going with the name "Beans" (only while it's inside me!) Beans? you ask. Well, there is a bit of a story behind it. First, the kid DID look like a little bean in the first ultrasound that we saw. Second, we took the name from this children's tv show called "Even Stevens", where one of the characters gets the nickname "Beans". Jason and I laughed so hard during that episode (it must have been EARLY Saturday morning) that it made an impact in our minds. So, when we were thinking of nicknames, "Beans" jumped into our minds (and into our hearts!).