back to dana point & laguna

for our 7th anniversay last weekend, janell took us back to our honeymoon spot in dana point, ca. we spent our time on the beaches in laguna, swimming, talking, lying in the sand, watching the sunset, and enjoying paradise. it was hard to stop and take pictures, but got a few. 89 degrees in november. hard to top that.

just his style

we knew it was coming. jacob his first black eye and stiches, in his left eyebrow, a few weeks ago. he did it tripping while running, and we won't be surprised if it happens again, soon. he hated the stiching part, and screamed holding onto janell. the doctor said that he likely won't remember it, thankfully. within a couple of days he was back to normal, and it cleared right up for our family pictures a couple of weeks later. he was looking handsome as ever.

the st. george

my goal to run a marathon came on my mission in mongolia. 9 yrs later, it happened, and i got to run it with janell, her 2nd, and dan, his first. us before, during, and after. i'll probably do it again. i know janell will. dan said no, even though he made great time. thanks to lissy for standing out in the rain all day to cheer us on.

to the "u" and the "h"

yes, we're byu fans, but not opposed to hiking up to any letter on the mountain. a couple of months back, joshua, jacob, and i hiked up to the "u" and then followed it with a hike to the "h", close by our house. we didn't get a picture of the "h", but the last 2 photos are the view. not bad.

climbing

joshua at jenny's soccer game. i was a bit concerned the tree would fall over, but joshua was determined. fun guy.

first day of kindergarten

handsome guy on his first day of kindergarten.

life elevated

mandy, one of janell's best friends from high school, and mike, one of my new best friends, came to utah this summer for some high mountain air. they were kind enough to invite us to enjoy the weekend with them, and we had a terrific time. mike and mandy are the best. thank goodness for good friends.

lagoon

a few months back, we went to lagoon, and the boys had a blast. joshua was up for trying every ride. jacob got scared on most of the first rides we took him on. it took most of the day for him to gain his confidence back. he finally did the kiddie bumper cars all by himself, even though he was terrified at first, and ended up loving it. i like the middle picture because it is classic joshua. never goes to the bathroom until he absolutely has to.

boyhood dream come true

when i was 12 years old, our family took a trip from maryland to see new york city. i was awestruck by the city, so much life, so much going on, and so many professional-looking people. in the financial district, i remember standing and watching men in dark suits going in and out of buildings and getting in cars and thinking, these guys look really important, i want to be like them someday.

this week i went to new york, stayed in an apt across the street from battery park in the financial district and found myself working in 4 different downtown buildings. the boyhood dream reached fruition, and it was more fun than imagined.

what a city, so many people from so many backgrounds. my taxi driver from jfk, norman, was jamaican and to jfk, simon, was haitian. the city was large, clean, friendly, and active. probably my favorite thing to see was guys playing basketball on courts in the upper east side; i wanted to jump out and play with them. i stopped in a small market to ask directions, and the latino guy behind the counter walked around, took me outside and down the street, and pointed me in the right direction. and he wasn't the only exceptionally nice person i met.

one morning i went for a run and found a path along the west side, next to the hudson river, that went through parks and included a boardwalk. what a view! tugboats, cargo ships, ferries, and sailboats, with looming buildings in the background (most impressive of which was 30 Hudson). lots of people were running, rollerblading, walking with small children, and giving their dogs a break.

on the way to the airport, we went through brooklyn. there were communities with peoples of all races, a jewish neighborhood, and then a predominantly black area. i couldn't have asked for a better drive.

view from triborough bridge

outside apartment, the smithsonian, and battery park to the right
entrance to apartment

apartmentsailboat on hudsonstatue of liberty from aptbrooklyn, manhattan, and williamsburg bridges, from worku.s. flag on the brooklynto the north, from financial district.my friend galit helped me take the subway up to mid-town so i could walk through central park and go to columbia.

east mid-town apt

belvedere castle, central park
baseball in central park.
columbia unversity library