Where Liberty is, There is My Country ~Benjamin Franklin

Last week, the husband and I spent a wonderful day exploring Liberty Island and Ellis Island. The Statue of Liberty has always been one of my favorite places in New York City since I was a little girl. I have dressed up as Lady Liberty twice for Halloween. What an incredible symbol of freedom she is!

Some important information to remember for your trip to Lady Liberty:

1)    Reserve your tickets online and print them before you go if you don’t want to have to stand in line. The tickets can sell out rather quickly so if you’re going to buy them-go in the morning.

2)    If you want to go up to the crown you need book at least three months in advance. Otherwise for pedestal and general access, you can book a couple days before. Just check the website. Obviously some dates are more popular than others.

3)    If you get a timed ticket, then showing up around thirty minutes ahead of schedule will be sufficient. Of course, you will pass through airport security to get on the ferry.

4)    If you are going to BOTH Liberty Island and Ellis Island, I would recommend catching the ferry earlier in the day. We caught the ferry at 11am and returned at 4:30pm. We stayed longer on Liberty Island and went through the museum (available only with pedestal or crown access).  We spent less time at Ellis Island, which is still being repaired from Hurricane Sandy damage. We walked through the museum and saw the informational documentary in the theater before returning to the Big Apple.

5)    We ate lunch at the café on Liberty Island, but had I planned ahead I would have packed us a picnic. There’s plenty of seating to enjoy lunch under the trees.

My photographer husband took some wonderful pictures of our day trip!

Ellis Island

Updates on Resolutions plus a visit from Preston!

Back in January I talked about 14 things that I wanted to do in 2014. I thought I’d update my progress! 

1. Read 14 Books

I began to read Game Change since I had just finished  Double Down, but I wasn't quite in the mood for another political book.  The book is still on the list to finish, just not right now.
 

I turned instead to the faith-based inspirational book, Balancing It All: My Story of Juggling Priorities and Purpose by DJ Tanner Candace Cameron Bure. I had very high expectations before I started this book. Anyone who’s recently gotten married can relate to the new normal that comes with moving in with your husband and figuring out a new routine. It’s challenging to juggle working, taking care of a house and husband. It can feel like working two jobs. There were some good nuggets of information in the book but I would recommend it more so for women who have children because several of the chapters dealt with motherhood. 

Reading now: 
A Plan A Woman in a Plan B World: What to Do when Life Doesn't Go According to Plan by Debbie Taylor Williams

Don't get me wrong, I love reading inspirational and religious books, but I also love historical (both fiction and nonfiction) books and am looking forward to diving into my next book. 

Coming Up:
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough by Kay Warren
The Bully Pulpit: Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin
God is Able by Priscilla Shirer

Any recommendations??

2. Find 14 new Foods

We've started to eat more fish (Flounder & Mahi Mahi) in the Wilson household, because I recently found out my cholesterol levels are elevated. 

Before...

After! 

(I interrupt this blog to bring you a PSA-Go to the doctor and get a yearly checkup. Know your numbers!)

I have also made a couple of freezer meals including Chicken Teriyaki and Chicken Fajitas that we enjoyed. 

Has anyone done one of those epic six hour/20 meal projects? Please share your secrets and recipes. 

3. Blog 14 times.

On track for this one!

4. Run 14 miles 13.1 miles

I am now a week from my half marathon. Not even a year ago, I was the last person to cross the finish line in the Amazing Race 5k with a time of 52 minutes. The only reason I mention my time for that race is because my knee was giving me so many problems I had to ride in the medic cart for the entire 2^nd mile. (A normal 5k time for me would be around 34 minutes.) I never thought my knee would handle running this much, but it has. I'm feeling a mixture of anxiousness and excitement for the race. I may not be the fastest runner but I will finish!

This pier is both the start and finish line for my race next weekend!

5. Find 14 power verses

For this month and for my race,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

I recently read a news story about a 16 year old girl, Cameron Gallagher, who died after completing a half marathon last weekend. This story frightened me quite a bit. Her dad gave a heartbreaking interviewing to a local newspaper where he shared that Bible verse. 

6. Try 14 new things

I'm double dipping, but I've never done a half before ;)

7. Go to 14 new places

My brother Preston came for a visit last week. With a total of four trips to the Big Apple, he remains our most frequent visitor. We always have a great time when he's here!  

My favorite (and only ;) brother!

One night we went to Max Brenner’s Restaurant (near Union Square) for dinner before heading to the movies (we saw The Grand Budapest Hotel. It's going to be a while before I can see Ralph Fiennes in anything and not think it's Lord Voldemort. He was great in the film though.)

Anyways back to the restaurant,  I was pleasantly surprised that their main entrees were so good, considering that this seemed like a dessert place. The desserts were great too! A little rich, but so good!

Chocolate Martini! Cheers!

The three of us didn't even come close to finishing that Peanut Butter/Banana Ice Cream Sundae (with extra PB sauce and Fudge sauce to add) It was yummy though!

I also recently visited The Meatball Shoppe in Chelsea. The restaurant's environment was low key and quiet (sometimes hard to come by in the city) plus there was a place to sit down. I had a chicken meatball sub with marinara and mozzarella cheese. So yummy!

8. Submit 14 pieces of work/articles

.This is a work in progress, but I’m currently working on a piece to submit for Chicken Soup for the Soul’s new book and some other projects..

9. Save 1400 dollars by couponing

I should probably keep track of dollar amounts, but basically I never go into a drugstore and pay full price for anything. This takes more planning on my end, but there’s a satisfaction that comes with saving money on things I would be buying anyway. 

10. Go to 14 movies/Broadway shows

As I mentioned before when my brother comes to visit, we go all out. We added Bryan Cranston (in "All the Way") to our list of stars we've seen on Broadway. Last year we saw (Jessica Chastain in “The Heiress” and Tom Hanks in “The Lucky Guy”)

Chris and I just finished up “Breaking Bad” a few weeks ago so seeing "Walter White" was an extra treat. 

Once again we’re looking for a new show to binge watch on Netflix if anyone has suggestions. 

11. Learn 14 new songs on piano

I need to get on the ball with this one. I'm still working on that Adele piece and "Who I Am" by Casting Crowns. 

12. Make 14 projects from Pinterest.

So I had all these master plans of projects I’d love to make from Pinterest. Then I realized that a) I’m not that crafty and b) Michaels is all the way near Columbus Circle.

However, I did make this Easter vase. 

Confession: There may or may not still be m&ms in the top of my vase. 

13. Make a point of going on 14 dates

Chris and I ventured to Battery Park City to take the ferry over to Liberty and Ellis Island.  I haven’t been since I was ten and Chris hasn’t been at all before. 

Some of the Ellis Island museum is still closed because of Hurricane Sandy damage but we had a great time. 

So great in fact that the trip warranted it's own blog post. Coming soon!

14. Start everyday spending 14 minutes with God.

I have started reading my U-Verse scriptures in the morning on my phone and try to go to sleep reading my devotional. I also have the Love Dare (from Fireproof) calendar that I put on my coffee stand. Every morning when I make my cup of coffee, I turn the page and read that day’s message.

Looking forward to crossing more things off the list in the coming months!!

Small town versus Big city

I just returned from a wonderful visit meeting my precious niece Emery Rose for the first time and celebrating my mom’s birthday!

After spending several weeks in the NICU, she was finally able to go home. We love our little niece so much!

We had a fabulous time at Zumba on the eve of mom's birthday.  We love our instructor Leigh!

It was a great week!

Of course, I get many questions and comments when I’m back in my hometown such as:

“How do you like New York?”

“I’ve been there before for a few days and have no idea how people can live there.”

“What is it like to live there?”

A little background information: Chris and I had both moved quite a few times on our own before we got married. I moved half a dozen times before my family settled in Kingsport when I was in seventh grade. Chris lived in Kingsport until he graduated high school. Then he moved for college and then for work. I would say our history of not living in one place for our entire lives played a huge part in our relationship. We both have a mutual curiosity and respect for the places we’ve lived and have a desire to travel. 

I thought I would do a side by side comparison of my hometown versus my new home to answer those questions I listed above. 

Here We Go!

The Contenders:

Kingsport, Tennessee 

Population: 51 thousand people

Language Spoken: 'Merican or as the rest of the country calls it : English, with a slight southern twang.

Claims to Fame: The Eastman, Pal's , Dobyns-Bennett University

New York City

Population: 8.4 million people (most populous city in the U.S.)

Languages Spoken: More than 800 . English, with various accentuations,  is still the prominent one. 

Claims to Fame: Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, Broadway!, Time Square, Stock Exchange.....the list goes on and on.

The Airport

Flying the friendly skies.

There are three airports in the NYC metro area (JFK, Newark and LaGuardia). With the exception of our Christmas travel last year, we always fly out of LGA.

The only time I've ever agreed with Joe Biden on anything. LaGuardia could be so much better and apparently it's about to have a major renovation so Uncle Joe and I can't be the only ones who think this. 

Tri-Cities Airport is the typical small town, show up 45 minutes before your flight and breeze through security airport. I only wish they had more direct flights. 

My favorite airport is the one where I went to get on my first flight (that I remember) It was from Charlotte to Boston in 1999. Also of course that’s where Chris proposed.


Winner: Neither - Charlotte

People

New Yorkers get a bad rap for being rude and short, but I haven’t found that to be true overall. There's bad apples anywhere.  People do look up and smile a bit more in the south, but there’s also an anonymity that comes with being in a big city that I've come to enjoy. You never have to worry about running into someone you know when you go out into the city. (Although, the first time I ever came to visit Chris, we ran into a family from Kingsport at Rockefeller Center. So never say never. )

Winner: Tie

Transportation 

VERSUS

 

I found myself getting a little road rage when I was driving in Kingsport because of the amount of texting and driving I saw. People know that the left lane is for passing down there right? Or how to use a turn signal? Good grief.  I gave myself heart palpitations on Fort Henry Drive. Whew!

It's a good thing we don't have a car up here. I would not be able to handle the stress of driving in New York City traffic.  I did like being able to escape the cold weather when I was home, by hopping in my car, something that I wish I could do during our many snow storms up here. 

On the flip side, I enjoy being able to read or play Candy Crush on the subway. In warmer weather, I love being able to walk around the city. 

However, an experience last week tilted this answer. (Ask me again next week or when it finally gets warm up here)

Question: It took me 1 hour and forty-five minutes to

A) Fly from Charlotte to New York

B) For the taxi ride from LaGuardia to our apartment in Brooklyn (a usual 30 minute drive with minimal traffic)

C) If I’m asking this question then the answer must be B.

Answer: B and C

The answer to A : Wheels up to Wheels down is 1 hour and ten minutes. So yes I could have flown back to Charlotte quicker than driving from Queens to Brooklyn that night. Yikes.

Winner: Kingsport

Food

I do have a set list of food to eat while I’m in Kingsport, such as:

Cheddar Rounds from Pals

Reese Milkshake from Purple Cow

Roma & Goat Cheese Pizza from Rush Street

However, there’s so many different options just in our little corner of Brooklyn that I can't really compare it to back home. I have yet to eat at a place up here that I did not love. 

Some of my favorite places include:

Little Frankie's (Italian)
Hana (Coconut Shrimp Tempura Sushi roll is my favorite there)
Serendipity 3 (A little touristy, but it's well worth it!)
Crumbs (my favorite cupcake shop-especially the chocolate and peanut butter chip ones)

I'm getting really hungry talking about these places.

Plus I can order groceries online and also order dinner through my iPad or iphone. We got a little too dependent on Seamless last year and have tried successfully to cut down on our food delivery ordering. 

Winner: NYC

Weather

For the simple reason that snow melts and does not linger for days and months on end there.

Winner: KPT

Things to do

Does this really need an explanation?

Winner: NYC

Church

There’s no such thing as a perfect church, but I feel very fortunate to have what I would consider two church homes. I feel welcome at both places and have seen our faiths grow together as a married couple since we joined Cornerstone in Brooklyn.

Our church in Kingsport will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s where Chris and I grew up and got married. It’s where one day we hope to dedicate our children to the Lord. So many friendships that I still hold dear were formed in that building on Church Circle.

Our church in Brooklyn has been a God send to us. We both prayed for a place to worship before we moved and God answered that prayer. This is no small feat considering only 3% of New Yorkers identify as Christian. 
If you would like to help our church plant, consider purchasing some coffee. More information can be found here (https://cornerstone.greatcoffeegreatcause.com)

Winner: Tie

Final Score: NYC- 2    Kingsport-2

So there you have it, some things in Kingsport are better, some things in New York City are better.

No matter where you find yourself:

Bloom where you are planted. 1 Corinthians 7:20-24

The Survivor's Tree

This post is ....

The Survivor’s Tree is my favorite place to be stationed at the 9/11 Memorial plaza when I volunteer.

The Survivor's Tree

Mostly because when people walk over to this callery pear tree that is encircled and tied down, they want to know first that this is in fact the “Survivor’s Tree.”

(There’s no plaque on purpose as the designers only wanted the names of the victims to be a permanent fixture to the memorial. )

Then the visitors want to know the story behind it.

The Survivor’s tree is a symbol of hope for not only the people who survived the attacks on the Twin Towers, but also to a country and world that struggled to move on from this tragedy.

Hundreds of people, including fellow volunteers, escaped by walking down the Vesey street stairs to safety on that fateful day. 

Back to the story of the tree, the Survivor's tree was found a month after the attacks buried under two stories of rubble. By then it was just a little eight foot blackened stump, but it was still alive.  The tree was taken to a nursery in the Bronx to be nurtured back to health. The tree had bark grafts (similar to skin grafts) and slowly grew and became stronger.

The tree survived being hit by lightning twice and 10 years after being rescued, it arrived on the memorial plaza only to be knocked down by Hurricane Irene. A mere eight feet when it was found, it now stands over 35 feet and is growing.

“The Survivor’s Tree” is the only tree that survived on the 16 acre site after the Twin Tower attacks.

Today despite all its trials, it stands under the shadow of the One World Trade Center.

New York City 1999 (the twin towers are on the left)

One World Trade (Freedom Tower) October 2014

***

Sometimes I’ve felt like that tree. Applying for job after job, constantly being beat down, and facing more rejection that I care to count. Lead after lead not turning out how I thought it would. I wanted to give up. I wanted to quit.

And this is exactly where God wanted me.

Last year when I met Abby Rike during the Amazing Grace 5k, she said something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life, she said 

“I do think God gives you more than you can handle, so that you will lean on Him.” 

Abby would know. 

And now, I do too.

I stand on the other side of this experience, more than a year of  unemployment, a year of hard work not paying off, of heartbreak and struggles, humiliation and defeat, to having a faith stronger than I’ve ever had before. 

To give unto them beauty for ashes, [...] that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified. Isaiah 61:3

Life is hard, circumstances are difficult, people sometimes just don’t understand. 

You have to choose:

To quit, to give up when the odds are stacked against you.

Or to persevere. When everything is stacked against you, to trust in God’s plan.

You will face heartache, you will face trials, but if you anchor your soul and spirit to one Who holds the future, you will survive and thrive. 

Joy unspeakable, faith unsinkable

Love unstoppable, anything is possible

(Thrive ~ Casting Crowns)

I'll have a lot more 9/11 stories to tell in the future, because beginning March 24^th,  I’m trading in my volunteer badge for one that says “Staff.”