As i mentioned before Travis and i rarely make it into the city, however we had another really great excuse motivating us to go. Our best friends from church are moving to Utah tomorrow. As a last hoorah we decided to spend a day in the city. we met them at their apartment at 9:30 AM and then we all took a bus into the city together. from there we split up (they had some friends they needed to see) and we headed down to Chelsea for breakfast. we saw a place called Petite Abeille on breakfast paradise on travel channel and we decided to check it out. the food was really good and extremely light and fresh. i wouldn't say it knocked my socks off, but i did enjoy the meal.
afterward we went to times square to buy tickets to a matinee show. after some investigating we decided to buy our tickets from TKTS for ROCK OF AGES. it is a musical featuring classic rock ballads from the 80's, let me tell you it was so incredibly funny i couldn't help but laugh for 3 hours. seriously, it was such a great time. the theatre was really small and so it was really easy to get completely sucked into the story, plus we had PHENOMENAL seats, row H on the main floor DEAD CENTER!!! and to top it all off we sat right in front of the main character's parents.
When the show was over we quickly met up with one of my friend's from BYU-I who was in town, and although we only talked for about 30 minutes it was still really great to see him!
After that we met back up with Mike and Michelle for dinner at a restaurant called Buddakan, which is this modern Asian Fusion restaurant. it was pretty pricey, but the food was REALLY good and we had such a fun time just chatting with them. Once dinner was finished we went to a chocolate shop near Union Square called Max Brenner for dessert, again, super good!!
from there we headed back home to New Jersey. We had such a great time together and will definitely miss them both, however, they are the type of friends that we will probably keep in touch with the rest of our lives, so its really not good bye, its more, until next time :)
Sunday, July 24, 2011
NYC
Since we've moved here we've been so busy that its hard for us to find time to make it into the city to explore, even though we only live 30 minutes away. However, right after we got back from visiting our family we had some friends come into town and it was a great excuse to motivate us to take a trip in.
of course it was SO great to see our friend Cameron again and for the first time we were able to meet his fiance Kate. all we have to say is that we LOVE her!! and we are so happy that cameron was able to find such a great girl.
On our trip into the city we decided to make it a food tour. We drove our car in, and we picked cameron and kate up from Battary Park. From there we headed to brooklyn for pizza at Grimaldi's which is located right under the brooklyn bridge. In our opinion, this is quintessential NYC pizza, and we were happy to hear that they loved it as much as we do. After that we headed down to China Town to the Donut Plant (technically its not in china town, but you have to go through it to get there). OMG the donuts are SO SO good, especially the coconut cream. And the best part is that once they found out Kate works for the washington post they started just handing us free donuts to try. AWESOME! From there we went to serendipity 3, unfortunately there was a long wait so we didn't stay. However, its close to central park so we went for a walk around the park. Afterward we took them back to their hotel. It was a crazy fast paced day, but we did have a really great time!
of course it was SO great to see our friend Cameron again and for the first time we were able to meet his fiance Kate. all we have to say is that we LOVE her!! and we are so happy that cameron was able to find such a great girl.
On our trip into the city we decided to make it a food tour. We drove our car in, and we picked cameron and kate up from Battary Park. From there we headed to brooklyn for pizza at Grimaldi's which is located right under the brooklyn bridge. In our opinion, this is quintessential NYC pizza, and we were happy to hear that they loved it as much as we do. After that we headed down to China Town to the Donut Plant (technically its not in china town, but you have to go through it to get there). OMG the donuts are SO SO good, especially the coconut cream. And the best part is that once they found out Kate works for the washington post they started just handing us free donuts to try. AWESOME! From there we went to serendipity 3, unfortunately there was a long wait so we didn't stay. However, its close to central park so we went for a walk around the park. Afterward we took them back to their hotel. It was a crazy fast paced day, but we did have a really great time!
IDAHO
After our last Competition, we took 2 weeks to go home and spend time with our families (especially since we haven't seen them since we moved here). It was so nice to see everyone again, and we had such a great time!!
We flew into Boise on monday July 4th which was great since we were able to spend the 4th with Travis' family. Right when we got in we went to the lake, i was so tired from the competition over the weekend that i couldn't do much except sleep while we were there. Travis however had a great time on the jet skis. After we left the lake we had a barbecue at Jason's house. After dinner the annual TUFT FIREWORK EXTRAVAGANZA began, and let me tell you, it was spectacular!!! The rest of the week was fun, we were able to spend plenty of time with everyone in his family and it was so great to relax and see them all again.
On Friday we went to Idaho Falls to visit my family. However, it wasn't quite as relaxing to see my family, but we still had a really great time. here are some of the activities we enjoyed while we were there:
We flew into Boise on monday July 4th which was great since we were able to spend the 4th with Travis' family. Right when we got in we went to the lake, i was so tired from the competition over the weekend that i couldn't do much except sleep while we were there. Travis however had a great time on the jet skis. After we left the lake we had a barbecue at Jason's house. After dinner the annual TUFT FIREWORK EXTRAVAGANZA began, and let me tell you, it was spectacular!!! The rest of the week was fun, we were able to spend plenty of time with everyone in his family and it was so great to relax and see them all again.
On Friday we went to Idaho Falls to visit my family. However, it wasn't quite as relaxing to see my family, but we still had a really great time. here are some of the activities we enjoyed while we were there:
- whistle pig hunting
- horseback riding
- fixing fence
- beaver dam destroying (they built a dam that flooded the road we needed to drive on)
- cattle round up
- barbecue with family
more competitions
so... its been a while since we've updated our blog, but we have been crazy busy. here is an update on how competitions have been going for us:
March 18-10 Tri State Challenge. This was a smaller event in Stamford, CN. We took 1st in Rising Star, and 3rd in open pro smooth. we were supposed to dance showdance but had a 24 hour flu bug and was throwing up all day and we weren't able to dance the event. in fact we scratched showdance because i didn't finish throwing up until the event started and that left us just enough time to get ready in time to dance open pro. and let me tell you, it was the worst round ever, all i could think about was making it through the event and not falling over, so its pretty miraculous we even made it to the final, let alone 3rd. so yeah, not a great weekend for us :(
April 1-3 San Francisco Open. This was such a fun weekend!!! we didn't not dance all that well, but we had a really great time!!!! we took 5th in Rising Star, 3rd in Showdance and we didn't make the open pro final (the first final we didn't make, and it sucked!! oh well, i'm sure it won't be the last time we don't make a final, but it still doesn't feel good) however, we had so much fun exploring san francisco. i'd never been before and it was such a fun city to walk around in. we went to ghirardelli square and down to the fisherman's wharf for lunch. then we went to that crazy steep hill with all the switchback roads (i can't remember what it is called). i have to say, i LOVE san francisco.
April 8-10 Costa Rican Classic was incredible. It wasn't a huge event, but it was really fun to have a reason to travel to costa rica :). we took first in Rising Star, 2nd in Open Smooth and for the first time we competed American Quickstep, which was a surprisingly fun event. Also, last minute we danced Open Standard and didn't take last, we took 3rd place!!! Overall we didn't do much except hang out at the resort we were staying at, and the weather wasn't that amazing, but we had a GREAT time with our friends Azamat and Christine.
May 20-22 American Star ball. This was a smaller competition held in Atlantic City. We were really anxious going into the event because travis was sick and then i got sick so we weren't able to practice and feel very prepared for the it, but we had a great weekend!! we took 1st in Rising star, 1st in open smooth (which was a HUGE surprise to us) and 1st in show dance. so pretty much we couldn't have had a better weekend. plus on top of that we got to wear costumes from our sponsors for the very first time!!! and our costumes turned out AMAZING!!!!
May 27-29 A La Carte. This was an even smaller event held in Springfield Massachusetts. However, still a good weekend for us. we took 1st in rising star smooth and 1st in open pro again. :) i think it really helped our confidence knowing that we had such great costumes and a sponsor that believes in us.
June 17-19 Yankee Classic. this was a great event held in Boston, MA. (we love going to boston since it means we get to stay with our friends the baldwins) this was another great weekend. we took 1st in rising star, 4th in open pro smooth and 1st in american quickstep (yeah for the quickstep, i just wish we could compete it more often) we were very happy with our dancing, but more than that we had a great time hanging out with richard baldwin (charisse was out of town and we missed her). on saturday afternoon we went to a steak house featured on the travel channel (our favorite place to find new restaurants) and although the quality of the meat wasn't fantastic (they go more for quantity there) it was a fun experience and a great excuse to get out.
June 29-July 3 Manhattan Dancesport Challenge. this was a HUGE event and Definitely our BEST and most exciting competition in our professional career. We took first in rising star, which was exciting since we were able to beat a couple we've never even come close to beating before. then the next night we took 6th in open professional smooth, which was mind blowing since the other 5 couples to make the final are all established US finalists!!! it was also exciting because we did NOT expect to make the final (of course you're always hopeful, but it doesn't mean it will happen) and after we did make the final most of the other finalist came over and gave us big hugs and congratulated us, so it was really exciting to be grouped and seen with all of them on the floor with us, and also knowing that they were excited for us too. i can't even put into words how incredible it felt. we have never danced as well as we did that night!!! It was also really cool because we took 5th in the Viennese Waltz (my absolute favorite dance). then the next night we took 3rd in Cabaret. unfortunately we didn't dance our cabaret as great as we have other times. But we still felt good about it and received good feedback, so we are motivated to continue working hard.
March 18-10 Tri State Challenge. This was a smaller event in Stamford, CN. We took 1st in Rising Star, and 3rd in open pro smooth. we were supposed to dance showdance but had a 24 hour flu bug and was throwing up all day and we weren't able to dance the event. in fact we scratched showdance because i didn't finish throwing up until the event started and that left us just enough time to get ready in time to dance open pro. and let me tell you, it was the worst round ever, all i could think about was making it through the event and not falling over, so its pretty miraculous we even made it to the final, let alone 3rd. so yeah, not a great weekend for us :(
April 1-3 San Francisco Open. This was such a fun weekend!!! we didn't not dance all that well, but we had a really great time!!!! we took 5th in Rising Star, 3rd in Showdance and we didn't make the open pro final (the first final we didn't make, and it sucked!! oh well, i'm sure it won't be the last time we don't make a final, but it still doesn't feel good) however, we had so much fun exploring san francisco. i'd never been before and it was such a fun city to walk around in. we went to ghirardelli square and down to the fisherman's wharf for lunch. then we went to that crazy steep hill with all the switchback roads (i can't remember what it is called). i have to say, i LOVE san francisco.
April 8-10 Costa Rican Classic was incredible. It wasn't a huge event, but it was really fun to have a reason to travel to costa rica :). we took first in Rising Star, 2nd in Open Smooth and for the first time we competed American Quickstep, which was a surprisingly fun event. Also, last minute we danced Open Standard and didn't take last, we took 3rd place!!! Overall we didn't do much except hang out at the resort we were staying at, and the weather wasn't that amazing, but we had a GREAT time with our friends Azamat and Christine.
May 20-22 American Star ball. This was a smaller competition held in Atlantic City. We were really anxious going into the event because travis was sick and then i got sick so we weren't able to practice and feel very prepared for the it, but we had a great weekend!! we took 1st in Rising star, 1st in open smooth (which was a HUGE surprise to us) and 1st in show dance. so pretty much we couldn't have had a better weekend. plus on top of that we got to wear costumes from our sponsors for the very first time!!! and our costumes turned out AMAZING!!!!
May 27-29 A La Carte. This was an even smaller event held in Springfield Massachusetts. However, still a good weekend for us. we took 1st in rising star smooth and 1st in open pro again. :) i think it really helped our confidence knowing that we had such great costumes and a sponsor that believes in us.
June 17-19 Yankee Classic. this was a great event held in Boston, MA. (we love going to boston since it means we get to stay with our friends the baldwins) this was another great weekend. we took 1st in rising star, 4th in open pro smooth and 1st in american quickstep (yeah for the quickstep, i just wish we could compete it more often) we were very happy with our dancing, but more than that we had a great time hanging out with richard baldwin (charisse was out of town and we missed her). on saturday afternoon we went to a steak house featured on the travel channel (our favorite place to find new restaurants) and although the quality of the meat wasn't fantastic (they go more for quantity there) it was a fun experience and a great excuse to get out.
June 29-July 3 Manhattan Dancesport Challenge. this was a HUGE event and Definitely our BEST and most exciting competition in our professional career. We took first in rising star, which was exciting since we were able to beat a couple we've never even come close to beating before. then the next night we took 6th in open professional smooth, which was mind blowing since the other 5 couples to make the final are all established US finalists!!! it was also exciting because we did NOT expect to make the final (of course you're always hopeful, but it doesn't mean it will happen) and after we did make the final most of the other finalist came over and gave us big hugs and congratulated us, so it was really exciting to be grouped and seen with all of them on the floor with us, and also knowing that they were excited for us too. i can't even put into words how incredible it felt. we have never danced as well as we did that night!!! It was also really cool because we took 5th in the Viennese Waltz (my absolute favorite dance). then the next night we took 3rd in Cabaret. unfortunately we didn't dance our cabaret as great as we have other times. But we still felt good about it and received good feedback, so we are motivated to continue working hard.
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