I am currently sitting with my windows open gazing at the beautiful sunshine that is coming through while I work. Ah, nothing better. 70-degree-weather, please don't leave me! And thank you for showing up just in time for spring.
[These are the beautiful flowers on every corner in my neighborhood these days!]
Last Thursday night I went to a screening of the movie Blue Like Jazz (the movie comes out in theaters on April 13)! It's based on the book by Donald Miller that came out in 2003 while I was in college. I remember lots of friends reading the book (and raving about it), and even one professor in college who offered his testimony on the last day of class and referenced this book and Don Miller. But, I never got around to reading the book. However, I jumped at the chance to see the movie after hearing all the rave about it since college. I certainly plan to read the book now, but was glad - for the purpose of seeing the movie - to go in with a fresh mind and no expectations. I loved the movie, and thought it was incredibly done. It offered a real and challenging perspective of what happens to many people who grow up in and around the church (ahem, and in the South) and how they often become jaded and cynical. After the screening, there was a Q&A with Donald Miller and the director of the movie, Steve Taylor, which was fascinating to hear the story of how this movie came to be. I highly recommend! Warning: you might cry, though...
Not only was he in New York City today, he was on my BLOCK! It was a spectacle, for sure...but pretty neat thinking about the president being right outside in my neighborhood!
crowd waiting to catch a glimpse
just a few of the police barricades to close the street
what I assume to be the president's motorcade!
the street entirely blocked off with the police force. (this is before the sanitation trucks full of sand arrived)
Tonight was the second night of Redeemer's Open House for the new home of Redeemer West Side's congregation and building on W83rd Street. For those of you who don't live in New York, this is a pretty big deal. Not only is every inch of space you can barely-call-your-own extremely tee-niny anyway, it's rare to even be able to legitimately call a place your own (aka, own it). Redeemer's new very-own building that has been in the works for years and years is finally opening. There were open houses last night and tonight and the first church service(s) will be this Sunday!
I volunteered with the children's ministry to help people check in and get acquainted with the new very-hi-tech system for registering. (There is mostly sarcasm in that statement, but some seriousness. It's very hi-tech for Redeemer.) In return for our volunteer services, they kindly required that we wear these buttons as big as my face that said "Ask Me a Question!" Very lovely.
In Tim Keller's brief address to the congregation and guests tonight, he reminded us of the days when Redeemer met on Sunday afternoons in someone's apartment on East 73rd Street in 1989. In those days no one was talking of a superstar pastor of a church with 5,000+ attendees every week. This very blessed church sure has come a long way! Psalm 127:1 is mighty powerful.
[by the way, I took most of these pictures from Bethany!]
I met some friends for dinner last night near Times Square and glanced over to see this view of the Chrysler Building as I was heading there. As much as this crazy city wears me out at times, I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing these sights on my way to a casual Tuesday night dinner with friends....
"Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn't work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos."
I'm literally clicking "refresh" on my browser every 15 seconds to see if Rose's plane has landed yet! I'm looking forward to a very fun weekend in store, I'm sure. After several flight delays today, bad weather, and a Newark to Penn Station train ride between us, it will be a sweet reunion (soon).
A few Fridays ago, Trinity Grace Church and some other churches in NYC hosted a city-wide praise event. This is a photo that was snapped and posted on Atlantic Cities from the final prayer of the evening. I became aware of this picture because I posted it on our new #TPFperspective photo blog yesterday (for The Park Forum, check it out!).
I can't stop looking at this photo. How powerful and beautiful. Seriously.
(and ps, can you find Brendan and me in the photo?!)
Except for one brief, freak snow day in October, we haven't seen the white stuff all winter! Until today. And there was a lot of it! Surprisingly, I found myself rather joyful to see it, at least for the first few hours. It's so beautiful as it's falling and until the cabs are back on the streets to ruin it. I think I've had my fix for the year now, so if it didn't snow again I would certainly be ok with that...
Last Saturday I ventured over to the other side of the Hudson for a few hours because my former coworker Andy was having a baby shower. I got off the bus a few stops early and found my way to this door: 927 Willow Avenue. I know, from the looks of this picture it may only look like a hideously ugly brown door (and, it is.) but this door has so much more meaning than meets the eye.
This is the door to my brother's (and shortly thereafter, sister-in-law's) first apartment in the New York/New Jersey area. Buck moved to Hoboken in December of 2006, and for Christmas that year I got a trip to New York City...finally (!), and to visit Buck's new pad. My mom, Monica and I visited the week between Christmas and New Years, helped Buck move and settle in a little, and did quite our share of galavanting in the city...
5 months later, I moved to New York for a 3 month summer internship. 1 year and 5 months later, I moved back to New York for good. And now, here I am. Still.
So you can imagine what a beautiful sight this door was to me when I found it again on Saturday. It was the start of my journey here in the Big Apple! Thanks, 927.
The one above is by designer Lindsey Harper, who I happened to work for last fall. She is an amazingly talented designer (as you can see) and has lots of spunk and pizazz to back up her use of color and bold graphics. I feel thrilled to have had the opportunity to work on this project a tiny bit last year while she was completing it (& this is the first finished photo I've seen of it!). Definitely check out the whole article in this month's House Beautiful. The interview is fun and spirited and will give you an idea of what a blast it was working for Lindsey!
A rainy day in New York City on the day I return from Christmas "vacation" on a 6 AM flight out of Birmingham to go straight to my office means there isn't too much that could make this girl smile today. Ironically, using my new umbrella was about the only bright spot in my day. You understand why.
