Catching Up

June has passed by so quickly I can hardly keep up with what happened each week. I have wrapped up two very big work events and am desperately trying not to catch the bad cold that has been winding it's way through my overworked colleagues. (Sore throat, just go away please!) I can't believe next week is July but I am thrilled that my summer Fridays will start, Sean will be done with classes, and Miriam and Aaron are visiting us all in one week. Great start to my official summer!

I came to my blog to post something nice about how much we have been enjoying our neighborhood. I was nervous when we moved that it would all be for nothing, that we would still lean towards the hermit lifestyle, cooking dinner and staying in each night. There can be a lot of (self-imposed) pressure in New York to always be out doing something, because otherwise are you really taking advantage of everything the city has to offer? Sometimes all you want to do is sit on your couch and watch TV show marathons on Netflix. Sean and I tend towards that plan more often than not. So I am happy to report that we HAVE been getting out of our apartment and taking advantage of all the wonderful things that are so close by now.

Of course we have the always lovely afternoon or evening stroll in Riverside or Central Park. We are also now within reasonable walking distance to Columbus Circle and all the shopping there. One of my favorite things we have done this month was see a public art project of painted pianos at Lincoln Center (they had been spread around the boroughs but were brought to Lincoln Center for the last weekend of display). Realizing something cool was going on and being able to quickly walk down and see it was amazing. Last Friday after work, Sean and I met for a spontaneous picnic in the Sheep's Meadow of Central Park. It was a beautiful evening, perfect for some cheese, fruit, salads, and being outdoors. I practically had to pinch myself to remember this is my real life.

Lest we forget our old haunts, we went to Astoria last weekend to see Jocelyn and Cory and visit our favorite beer garden, where we of course played Euchre and ate onion rings. Then we went for a walk through Astoria Park and had ice cream cones overlooking the East River. Mister Softee is the standard ice cream truck out here, and he is everywhere. The truck in Astoria used to play music and drive down our block all summer. The trucks on the UWS just camp out in one place and do tons of business. But I digress. It was a truly lovely day, which still, did not make me regret our decision to move, and for that I am grateful. (But Jocelyn and Cory, don't leave us! Are you sure you want to move to Massachusetts? Really??)

I'd say despite the busy-ness, June has been a pretty successful month!