Rome - My First Visit

Garrett is now in Rome, NY for the summer. He's working with AFRL on a research project, so I only get to see him on the weekends. :( But like my coworker stated - if you can't get quantity time then go for quality with the time. That's what we are going for. Every weekend will be full of memories and bonding time. Sounds like an okay summer.

So this is my first visit to Rome. We also went to Palmyra, NY to see the Hill Comorah Pageant. It was so beautiful.

A beautiful lake at Rome

The Hill Comorah Pageant

Palmyra Temple

My Hero :)

You might not be able to see it but the Victory USA on the concrete block is made out of pennies.

Full Month

Our month has been VERY full so not much has been written. Garrett has been racking up the sky miles with all of his travel (Paris, California, Rome-NY, Utah). I was fortunate to be able to tag along for the Paris trip. Besides that both of us had interesting work stresses. However, in this very full month I am filled with more with gratitude and love. I have felt so much support that it is amazing. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and has a work for me to do. I'm just trying to stay open and focused for what that might be.

Now that Garrett is in Rome, NY...I will finally focus on getting pictures posted. We have had so much fun that I feel sad that it has not been shared.

Happy Birthday Garrett!

Now that he's older and wiser, here are a few thoughts from Garrett:

1) I like steak. (we went to BLT Steakhouse to celebrate and had some amazing food)

2) I love my wife. (maybe because I bought him the steak - j/k)

New York Library

Garrett and I took advantage of the beautiful weather to go to Bryant Park. Unfortunately it was being renovated and all the grass was torn up. But that didn't ruin the day - just the sitting on the grass part. We then had lunch and walked to the library to get our New York Library cards. The first books we checked out...an autobiography (A Backwards Glance) and a book on learning French.

Am I now a New Yorker?

I've now changed my name on almost all records/IDs except for my passport. Just this weekend, I received my driver's license for the State of New York. Does this make me an official New Yorker?

No more Utah driver's license (which I've had for my entire driving career). It's a mixed emotion day. It's cool to be Elizabeth Rose, but I'm starting to lose my Utah stuff. Now to get the passport!

Salmon Pinwheels

We had this dinner on Sunday and it was delicious! It was in EatingWell.

• 1/2 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat (Saltine Crackers also work)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon chopped rinsed capers
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 1/4 pounds center-cut salmon fillet, skinned and cut lengthwise into 4 strips
• 4 teaspoons low-fat mayonnaise

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Mix oil, mustard, shallot, lemon juice, capers and thyme in a small bowl until combined.
3. Working with one at a time, spread 1 teaspoon mayonnaise on a salmon strip. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the breadcrumb mixture over the mayonnaise. Starting at one end, roll the salmon up tightly, tucking in any loose filling as you go. Insert a toothpick though the end to keep the pinwheel from unrolling. Place in the prepared dish. Add breadcrumbs on top. Repeat with the remaining salmon strips.
4. Bake the pinwheels until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

7 Month Anniversary

It's our Seven Month Anniversary as well as the anniversary of our engagement. Yeah! In addition, our fabulous event was published in the Martinsville Bulletin. It looks beautiful!

http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=22755&back=accent

Visitors

My niece, Sarah, sent us a fun visitor to enjoy New York. He was so flat that he flew over via the US Postal Service. We also had friends from Australia visit. They had to fly via Delta. Here are a few pics from our fun weekend.

The Opera - La Fille du Régiment

Garrett and I went to the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. The opera was fantastic with an amazing tenor. We were all the way at the top, but it was still great. The average age of those around us was 55 (and that was including us). It was probably because we went to a matinee showing.

Blizzard in NYC - Feb 10th

It can't compare to DC, but we had plenty of snow to write messages in them. It did snow all day on Wednesday, so schools were cancelled (even Garrett's university). Most people didn't go into work, but I did! Garrett was sweet enough to walk me to work. Here are some memories of the day.

Celebration

For our anniversary and Valentine's Day, Garrett took me to a lovely restaurant called The Russian Tea Room. It was so amazing! Garrett had stroganoff which consisted of fillet mignon with an amazing sauce with mushrooms over noodles. It was a deconstructed meal - best ever. Our desserts were pretty cool too.

The art around the building was fabulous also. It was just a lovely evening. Thanks sweetie!

Crystal Bear that is an aquarium. So beautiful

Faberge Eggs hung from a gold tree.

6 Month Anniversary

Where were you 6 months ago? We were at the Manti, Utah Temple getting married. Yeah! It's fun to remember the beautiful day as the world is windy and cold around us.

Welcome Elizabeth Hales Rose

Well the long process of changing my name has begun. Who knew the complexities of the entire process, but it all began with the Social Security Card and hopefully will end by April with a passport.

I went to the Social Security Office near China Town and may have been the only person who did not speak fluent Chinese. It was great because it wasn't crowded. The 20-degree weather and time of day worked in my advantage and I only had to wait 10 minutes. Then I tried to change my driver's license or bank accounts, but everything needs to have a copy of the new Social Security card first.

However, when I start my new job on Monday, my office and telephone will say "Betsy Rose". Yeah!

Christmas doesn't end yet

To celebrate our relaxing weekend together, Garrett and I decided to go to the American Natural History Museum and see if their tree was still up. It was still very festive with the dinosaurs made out of large pine-tree branches and the TONS of people there. It wasn't as bad as Time Square at New Years, but we were amazed at how long the lines were.

When we mentioned that all we wanted to see was the Christmas Tree a worker took pity on us and showed us a faster way. And there it was the origami tree!
I was so excited. I had no clue about this until this year when I googled a few "must see" things in NY. But don't worry this wasn't the first and only year. "For over 35 years" OrigamiUSA has designed and decorated a tree to herald the beginning of the holiday season" for the museum. This year the theme was Origami A to Z. As you look up close you'll see dinosaurs, birds, letters, etc. So much fun!
The top was also very impressive. Maybe we should decorate Mom & Dad Hales' tree this way next year. Are you game?

Just a close up to show all the amazing detail. I love the centipede.