And so.

I've been saying that word a lot lately - the word "so".
Sometimes twice in the same sentence, or thought. Maybe I've always had a habit of doing that, but I just noticed it this week. I really don't know why I say it, except that maybe I just feel the need to explain myself; especially in light of the whirlwind of change that seems to be going on around me. Nothing is really changing for me - just for people of somewhat close association with me. I can't keep up, so I've just found myself content to just sit in the eye of the storm and observe everything happen around me. Since I've remained un-involved, I have to preemptively think up some creative excuses for my laziness, somehow making my life seem busier and more interesting than it really is, sitting here in my calm little bubble. That's where the "so"s come in.
So anyway, here are just a few of the little things that have gone on in my life as of late:

• I saw an alpaca today rolling around in a grassy field. This made me very happy.
• I got a Canon 5D!! I ordered it on Sunday and just received it yesterday. Bought it from a private seller on Amazon.. $845.00 - a screamin' deal for a full sensor camera. I was not prepared for the fact that I would need to invest in another type of memory card for it and that my Rebel kit lens would not be suitable for it. Just some of the details to work out :)
• I tore out the cardi I was working on, and started on another pattern: Concur cardigan. I don't want to have to explain why I did it. I shall have this done possibly by next Spring.
• A guinea pig got his sweater!! Yes, sweet little Mac finally got to sport his tailor made sweater about a week and a half ago. 

• Two very important people in my life got married just a few weeks ago!!! Josh & Rhianna of J.michel Photography. I had the privilege of photographing the event alongside two other inspirational and talented photographers: Natalie Braham of Natalie Bee Photography and Ifong Chen of Ifong Photography. I am now in the process of editing my shots. I hope I can get them all done soon!!!

• oh oh oh, and upcoming trips: 
• Coastal camping adventure with my little brother over Memorial day!! 
• My cousin's wedding in Wisconsin in mid June!!
• And a friend's wedding in Portland in mid July!!

So, for now, I feel pretty content to just remain in the eye of the storm. Something big is going to happen soon, I just know it ;)

I'm Back!

From my trip to the Northeast, that is... Well, I've been back, for a little over a week. Thought it be about time that I write about my trip! This was my first time traveling to New York without my parents and little brother, so I was a little nervous about it - but I'm glad I got a chance to venture out into the city on my own!!

I arrived in New York City Wednesday morning, about 9:00am EDT, after an overnight flight in. I took a little bit of a nap when I got to my grandparent's apartment, then spent the afternoon and evening catching up with them and just relaxing! The next day, I decided to explore a little bit of Manhattan. I walked up to the Starbucks on 78th and Lexington, got my SF vanilla latte and headed over a few blocks to Central Park. This was most fantastic! I got to sip my latte and knit and just enjoy the amazing-ness that is Central Park! I wandered through the park taking pictures, stopped to listen to some street musicians, had some Swedes ask me about the settings of their camera that was the same model as mine... except it was in their language, so, uh, I really couldn't help them... then meandered up 5th Ave to Rockefeller Center.

 

From there, I decided it was time to check out a yarn shop! So I hopped on the subway, made my way down to SoHo and visited a lovely little yarn shop called Purl SoHo. Very bright and trendy shop - they seemed to have a lot of merino wool and alpaca, some exotics, and some of the artsy novelty yarns. Very fun place. I purchased two skeins of 100% baby alpaca by Blue Sky Alpacas - sport weight in "Petal"' and "Cappuccino". I've already started knitting a lattice lace scarf with them :) I walked out of the shop without them wound, then got halfway down the block and decided to go back and have them wind up the skeins for me. When I was waiting for my yarn, I spotted a project I've seen on the Purl Bee: Whits Knits Colorblock Wand Warmers. I adore these hand warmers and would love to make them some time. Although, I would probably go for some kind of self-striping yarn in this same color combo, because buying all four colors of yarn would be a little spendy for me. Alas, I was so blessed to see those there at Purl SoHo. Upon leaving the shop, I realized I had a voice-mail from my grandmother asking where I was, so I made my way back up to their apartment on 73rd and Lexington, and spent the remainder of the afternoon/evening finishing up and blocking the scarf I knitted for my cousin! Got it finished just in time!

The next day, Friday, I rode the MegaBus up to Providence, Rhode Island to see my cousin who is a PhD student in the econ program at Brown University. She was organizing a folk concert featuring her good friend, Anthony da Costa and his friend, Anna Vogelzang. We had Thai food and spent the evening enjoying wonderful music. When we got back to her apartment for the night I presented her with her newly knitted scarf and she loved it and wore it the whole weekend! We spent our Saturday doing pilates, having gluten free pancakes & bacon (YUM!), walking around the Brown campus, shopping, and hanging out with her economist friends! What a delightful time! :) The next day, we tried to hit up brunch at this place in the hipster part of Providence known for their giant mimosas and awesome hashes. After waiting too long though, we decided to instead have brunch at an Italian deli. I then rode the bus back the NYC just in time to enjoy a scrumptious dinner with my grandparents, my aunt and another cousin of mine and her boyfriend.

Monday, I took the subway down to Brooklyn and spent the day with her on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, taking pictures of downtown Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. We had lunch at a pub then did a little shopping, making it back to Manhattan just in time for dinner. The next morning was my last in New York and I spent it wandering around my grandparent's neighborhood. I went to a yarn shop called String that was just a few blocks south of their apartment between Park and Madison Ave. Very upscale, indeed :) They feature quite a lot of cashmere and cashmere blends. The staff was very helpful and it was fun to browse their fibers and their finished knitted projects. They offered free patterns with yarn purchase. I bought a small skein of merino/cashmere/nylon blend in "Shadow" - I think I will call them and order another skein or two, should be really fun yarn to work with! Once I got back to the apartment, it was time for me to make sure I had all my stuff together and flag a cab to LGA to catch my plane home.

This just occured to me...

So. I've been planning this fabulous trip to New York City and Providence, RI to see family. I'm pretty excited. I leave the night of the 18th .. I think ... whatever next Tuesday is, arriving at LaGuardia at 9am on Wednesday, staying with my grandparents in Manhattan, traveling up to Providence to stay with my cousin for the weekend, then coming back to stay in New York until I fly back to Spokane on Tuesday the 25th. Whew! Yes, I'm pretty excited. I've let family know I will be around their neck of the country, but have no solid plans yet. I am actually hoping to enjoy a quiet, relaxing trip. If that's possible in NYC, I am determined to find out!!
Oh! And about my sudden occurance, I'm thinking that Manhattan *should* have some pretty fantastic yarn shops :) While I am accustomed to the down-home feel of the yarn shops in my neck of the woods, I am curious to see what an uppity SoHo shop is like. Does it have an extra measure of sophistication? Do they have more greyish colors? How much more expensive could they possibly get in the world of specialty yarns? Are there coffee shops near by? Are they extra artsy? I had more questions pop into my head earlier, but I've forgotten.

Another thought for now... Starbucks bags work well for carrying some of your small knitting projects around. Gave me an excuse to go buy some really expensive coffee :)