happy thanksgiving!

There are so many things we are thankful for. Here are just a few:

Our wonderful family and good friends who love and support us.
The gospel of Jesus Christ and the peace and joy it brings into our lives.
We're grateful for our home, to have a roof over our heads and food to eat.
For great jobs in a time of economic distress.
For the opportunity to live in such a unique and interesting place and all the learning experiences it brings.

We have many reasons to thank our Heavenly Father for all we have. I hope you're all enjoying your holiday today and counting your many blessings!

we're coming...

The bags are packed.

The countdown is finished.

We are coming to Utah.
(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
I absolutely cannot contain my excitement. We leave our apartment at 4:00 am and I've never been so excited to get up so early in the morning. I love New York but I also miss home.

Family! Mountains! Utah! I cannot wait!!!!

birthday celebrations, continued...

Abbie and I are both November babies. So we've started a tradition of celebrating our birthdays together (this being the first year). :) Our celebration involved many of our favorite things; shopping, dessert, more shopping, good wholesome entertainment, twinkle lights, Shake Shack, candles, singing... and more dessert.

I love Abbie. Our birthday month is just one of the many things we have in common. She made our celebration so much fun! I would've never sang Happy Birthday so many times in so many public places if it hadn't been for Abbie... and I loved it!!

After shopping at H&M, we stopped at the MAC store.
I was feeling wild and bought red lipstick.


We went to a musical fireside at the Lincoln Square building
about the women in Jesus Christ's life, put on by the stake.

Afterward we found a table outside between Broadway and Columbus, where we broke out cookies from Levain, lit candles, and sang Happy Birthday to each other. It was great fun.




Shake Shack was our dinner spot of choice.
Of course the candles came out again, and another birthday song was sung.



Our last stop was Magnolia Bakery for more icebox cake and banana pudding.
Since it's our birthday we're allowed two desserts in one night.
And more candles and singing, of course.




It was so fun running around the West Side with Abbie all evening,
chatting and being crazy and celebrating.

Thanks again, Abbie, for such a fun night and a great birthday!

i love my birthday.

I shamelessly admit that I LOVE being celebrated and loved and remembered for a day (or a few days). Whoever invented birthdays was a GENIUS. I loved hearing from so many of my close family and friends on my birthday. Thank you so much for all your well-wishes you sent my way all day. I love you all! You made it such a great day!

My only regret is the shameful lack of photos I took. All on the iPhone, none with important people in them.

At work they got me a cake (and another girl whose birthday is Friday), and sang to me and everyone wrote in a card and the doc gave me a birthday check! I love my job!

My aunt Barbara and cousin Heidi were in town and came to my office to see me! That was so fun and I was happy to get to see them, even if it was just for a few minutes.

After work Klane took me to dinner at a secret location. I had no idea where he was leading me. It was so exciting. We were walking down a quiet street when suddenly Klane turns us down this little alley. Seriously?! (Yes.) Tucked away at the end was this cosy little romantic restaurant with twinkle lights, candles, rustic decor, and amazing food. It was amazing!

We decided to wander around to find a place for dessert. Luckily we were near some of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. It was a perfect night. The weather was gorgeous and the streets weren't too busy, so we got to roam around enjoying each other's company and admiring the cobblestone streets and beautiful architecture of SoHo and the West Village. I loved every minute.




Magnolia Bakery ended up being our dessert place of choice. I've been there once for cupcakes and wasn't impressed, so I always thought the bakery was overrated. But oh my heavens. Their other desserts are fantastic. We tried the banana pudding and the icebox cake. Both desserts were amazing. We sat on a park bench across the street eating and making "mmmm" sounds the whole time. I am now a believer of Magnolia. So good!

So overall I think it was the best birthday ever. I say that every year but it's always true. They just keep getting better. I think that's the way it should be.

holiday lovin

I'm excited for winter, more specifically the holidays. We got our puffy down coats. I'm now the owner of several scarves. And I got a 30% off coupon for Gap/Old Navy and went crazy this weekend stocking up on sweaters. Lots and lots of sweaters.

(Happy birthday to me! That is my excuse.)

I look at them and envision myself wearing them, curled up on the couch at the cabin at Sundance drinking hot chocolate, or gathered with the family in Cedar City for Thanksgiving dinner (wearing red lipstick, Erin :), or on Christmas morning eating pancakes at my parents' house. Sigh... in Utah.

Every night for the last five days I've had dreams that I was in Utah over Thanksgiving or Christmas break. In my dreams I'm so happy! I can't wait. We leave one week from Wednesday!! I cannot wait!

30 rock

Sometimes Klane and I get off around the same time in the evening. The other day I walked down to his office to meet him after work and head home together. We were walking past Rockefeller Center and came upon a fun surprise...

30 Rock from Angie Harding on Vimeo.

So basically we saw Tina Fey and Alex Baldwin filming a Christmas episode of 30 Rock. It was cool to see! They had a lot of huge lights all along the street, lots of cameras and equipment, and the street was decorated with Christmas stuff.

It was funny, before we noticed they were filming, Klane and I were just walking and talking and ignoring the crowds, and I thought, "Wow, this street is so nicely lit! We should always walk home this way!" Haha.

wrapping up...

I've dragged out posting pictures of Dave and Kaylene's visit because doing it all at once was overwhelming and this week has been quite busy. And it was such a great weekend I want to drag it out as long as possible. But this is the last post. Please excuse even more Central Park pictures. We just love it there.

We went back to the park on Sunday to see Belvedere Castle and wander through The Ramble, enjoying the sound of leaves crunching under our feet. No raccoon sightings this time, just beautiful weather (mid-60's!) and beautiful leaves.




On Monday morning we took the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty. Kaylene thought ahead and reserved tickets for us to go up to the pedestal, including walking through the museum inside. It was really neat!



It was windy.


Up close and personal with Lady Liberty. This is the view from the pedestal.


We also made a stop at Ellis Island and went inside the museum there.



I hate asking people to take pictures for me. Rarely do they do a good job of framing. Where is the bridge? Oh well.


Later we found an exceptional Thai place near the Brooklyn Bridge. Some of the tastiest coconut curry I've had!


Went to SoHo to walk through a few shops and appreciate the beautiful architecture and cobblestone streets.

And finally, we went to Burger Joint, and determined that Shake Shack's burger is not only $1.50 cheaper, but it tastes better too. Also the shakes can't be beat. Sorry, Burger Joint. We may have stopped at Shake Shack on the way home from Burger Joint to grab an FHE treat.

sometimes i love new york

On Saturday we went downtown. We had goals. Doughnuts. Pizza. Shopping. USS New York. Shake Shack.

We managed to accomplish all our goals with time to spare. We even had time to catch the BYU game that night!

Doughnut Plant. Would it be wrong to say my life has changed for the better since experiencing this place? I think it has.



Walked through Chinatown. It's very cool to pop out of the subway and suddenly feel like you're in a different country.



Skipped the 45 minute line at Lombardi's and enjoyed authentic Italian style pizza at L'asso down the street.

(Went shopping along Canal Street.
Scarves! Bags! Hats! Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!
I love Chinatown.)



(notice the new scarf which was not present in first photos. thanks kaylene. i love you.)

Made a stop to see the USS New York. Parts of the ship were built using steel from the World Trade Center. It was very cool to see.

Afterward we headed to Shake Shack for a delicious dinner. Then Brandon was kind enough to video chat us the BYU game. Thanks Brandon!

day one with dave and kaylene

Dave and Kaylene left yesterday morning. We were sad to see them go! We had such a fun and relaxing weekend with them. We ate at a lot of delicious restaurants, enjoyed great conversation, laughed a lot, went to Shake Shack twice and Central Park three times. The weekend was definitely a success.

Here are some pictures from day one, last Friday. We hit Midtown, Central Park, the Met during the day, and Harlem in the evening. Thanks Kaylene for letting me steal some of your pictures!

We went to the park almost every day. It's probably my favorite place in the city, and you have to take advantage of the fall leaves!



We took Dave and Kaylene to see where Klane works, so of course we stopped at St. Patricks and Rockefeller since they're next door.


Always fun to stop at FAO Schwartz. We really almost played the big piano. We just felt bad about pushing little kids out of the way to do it.


The Apple Store was a must-see.


And if you walk right past Crumbs, you pretty much have to stop and grab a cupcake (or two) for the road, right?





Also a must-see, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Not pictured:
Lunch at THE best Halal food cart in Midtown (on 53rd and 6th, southeast corner). Yes the street carts are different, yes this one is the best.
Going to see This Is It, the Michael Jackson movie, at our theater in Harlem. The movie was so good! Highly recommended.
Dinner at Zoma, the ethiopian restaurant down the street. So unique, so delicious!