Watson

My best friend died.

I've been trying to write this entry for about a week, but quite frankly, I'm still kinda in shock about the whole thing so please forgive its tardiness.

Of course you know about my sweet Watson. He was such a big part of my life that it would be difficult for you not to know about him.

Typically, after someone would ask how I was doing the next question was always, "How's Watson?"

I miss him.

Every year, he would make Santa's "Naughty" list, but he was still the best dog out there.

I miss the way he would follow me everywhere. His soft ears. His innocent eyes. The way he would run in his sleep. His bark at the doorbell. How he'd play ball with himself. His excitement about anything. His silly dances. His morning "doga" moves as he made stretching noises like Chewbacca. I even miss how he would try to eat everything off the street.

Watson was a very stubborn, determined rascal. He had many fights over chicken bones and bit many people in his pursuits. Somehow, people managed to forgive both of us for his naughtiness. He always meant well, but somehow that appetite and big nose of his always got him into trouble.

He was destructive.

Soon after I got him he ripped up my specially-designed couch from Ethan Allen. He ate the backseat of my car -- and most of the seatbelt. He ate my iPod. He probably ate your lunch at some point.

He was good at being bad.

So why do I miss him so much?

Because in the midst of it all, he was worth every sacrifice I made for him. He was very loving and (surprisingly) obedient (sometimes). His personality was like no other dog I'd ever met.

When I first saw him at the pound, he was caged with a beautiful golden retriever. I wanted a beagle because I'd read that they were good with families and I figured I should be safe and get a "child-friendly" dog in case I had kids.

There sat Watson. Quiet and serene. He was kind.

I found out after adopting him... he was also high. He had been neutered that day and was still feeling the effects from the drugs.

But by that time, we had already become attached to one another; he quickly turned into a velcro dog, complete with every aspect of separation anxiety when i would leave him.

He was a handful.

And I miss him.

His sister-kitty, Bonnie, and I have been adjusting to the silence of our home. I still hear the other dogs in the hallway and wake up saying his name. I still feel sadness when I don't get to walk him. And I just miss seeing his sweet face around.

His death was extremely sudden and unexpected. He was diagnosed with visceral hemangiosarcoma -- an extremely cruel and aggressive cancer that appeared as two lumps in his heart. The doctors believed that he'd had it only a few weeks at most -- which is how long most dogs survive with it.

He showed little signs. But last Wednesday night, he was unlike I'd ever seen him. I took him to the Pet E.R. and I honestly thought he'd make it. They removed 90mL of blood from around his heart. He perked up and was his usual sweet self. But the next morning the bleeding returned, worse than before.

Watson's breathing had slowed, his disposition soured... he was an unhappy puppy. And it was time.

All too quick for me.

I will never know how old he was.

I hope he's saving a spot for me in Heaven. We often speak of the Celestial Kingdom, but honestly, I am aiming for the happiness of the Animal Kingdom to be near my best of friends.

I miss you sweet boy.

This Christmas I will watch "Marley & Me" and think of him. That lil rascal touched my heart in many ways I never thought possible. Pets just have a gracious way of teaching us how to live in the moment and to love and forgive no matter what.

If you have any stories of Watson from the naughty or nice list, please share them with me. He was a bonehead for sure, but... to me he was the best bud I had.

This is what it's come to...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch-hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (next goal!)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury (just got out of jury duty! thanks Maren!)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

(thanks rustin!)

Thankful

pretty much happy as could be.

:)

thank you for being in my life!

Explain Yourselves...

And now from the files of Tam's Dating Tips...
(many years have gone into this investigation, so try not to judge too hard here, people.)

Do you Mormon types remember back in the day when Elder Oaks said this little ditty:

"If you don't know what a date is, perhaps this definition will help. I heard it from my 18-year-old granddaughter. A 'date' must pass the test of three p's: (1) planned ahead, (2) paid for, and (3) paired off."

So, I ask...
How far ahead do you think it means when he advises one to "plan ahead?"

I have recently been a witness to something... and I'm wondering if this is a syndrome of sorts.

Guys are asking girls out at the very, very last minute.
"What are you doing after work? Wanna go to a movie?"

Ummm....

What should a woman assume from this?
a.) he thinks she doesn't have plans
b.) he thinks she should dump her friends and hang out with him instead
c.) she is totally jonesin' for a date with him that she'd drop anything last-minute
d.) he's desperate for some female companionship and thought of her
e.) his friends ditched him and he's looking for a back-up plan
f.) something else

What's the deal here? If he really thinks she's that desperate, then why is he asking her out anyway?

Another question:
What goes into whether a guy will ask a girl out on a second date? And how long should he wait?

Also pulling from the "Back-in-the-day File"...
please take another look-see at this and lemme know what you think.

Comments, friends. I'm lookin' for some feedback here.

Fall. Fun. Friends!

Heart you Sara!


Our Fall adventure northward. Funny... we didn't take any pictures of leaves on our foliage-finding adventure!

How bout them apples?!!!

Trick or Treat?!

What was Watson for Halloween?



Why, Sherlock Holmes, of course!!!


Since he didn't get any candy, he opted to eat my old iPod instead.
Atta boy!

Off the Radar

A few of you have asked about the blog.
I'll be in absentia for a while.

Where exactly is Absentia?... :)

My Wonderful, Bitter Friend

Melissa Bitter is one of my friends here in the city. She also happens to be a great photographer. She also happens to have done a shoot of me in January and just posted the pics.

What do you want???

My thoughts as of late have been pretty simple. I've been trying to figure out what I want: out of life, love, work, play. All the good stuff.
It's been pretty great thinking and acting on all of it.
I've been debating a couple jobs and wondering if either is what I actually want. Or do I want something totally different?
Anyway, this journey of joys and desires is fun so far. It includes learning some new skills, continuing my current loves, enhancing my strengths, taking some trips, lots of pampering, and adding in a few (or maybe many) risks. :)

It's also made me think a lot about one of my favorite scenes from one of my most favorite movies, "The Notebook" (Don't judge!), and I keep hearing Noah Calhoun asking me sternly, "What do you WANT?!!"

Um... I want Ryan Gosling. Does that count?

Offer Up a Prayer

About the Nielsen's (according to their site):

On Saturday, August 16, 2008, Stephanie Nielson was in a plane crash with her husband, Christian Nielson, and his flight instructor, Doug Kinnear, near St. Johns, Arizona. Doug Kinnear passed away soon after arriving at the Maricopa County Hospital.

Christian & Stephanie remain in critical condition at Maricopa Burn Center. Christian has sustained burns on over 30% of his body. His wife Stephanie’s body was burned over 80%.


Feel free to check out their site to learn more about their situation. And please, offer a prayer for their lil family.

One I'm Workin' With

Ether 12:27

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

My Boyfriend, My Hero

We started dating about four years ago. It was true love. Honestly. There was just something about him that I absolutely adored. I knew he was like none other.

And then. Well. He had a little mishap. And I had to break up with him.

But recently I took him back. And he continues to amaze me.

Isn't it nice to know that after receiving 8 medals in Beijing, he can also have me as a prize?
What a lucky boy he is.

Braincation

I have decided to go on a braincation.
I will not be thinking until further notice.

But check this out... look how smart my brain is... I mean, it did come up with that clever little ditty, "braincation"...

Oh wait, no. No, it didn't.
Our friends at UrbanDictionary.com say that it already exists! So maybe my brain was already on "off" and my cleverness is just a lil behind the times!

Interesting.

braincation: A vacation for your brain to escape stress.

No Plan = God's Plan...?

So... is that what letting go really is about? Deciding that I will not make any plans and see what God brings me? Or do I make a plan, have a desire, and say, "If that's Your will, then I'm in?"

I've realized the No-Plan Plan has been in effect for a while... and all of a sudden all these opportunities are presenting themselves to me.

Thoughts?

Thank you Lord...

for the crisp breezes in the morning reminding me that Fall is near... and the sweet sense of changes ahead.

NY Housing

To my NY Peeps...
I have a friend who is moving to the city soon and is looking for an apartment. She's really, really great: smart, fun, and genuine. She'll be studying for her M.A. out here for the next couple years.
Anyway, I have no idea who reads this blog, but I figure it's just one more way to get the word out. Let me know if you hear of anything!

The No-Plan Plan

Recently I've been discussing the Plan of Salvation, the Plan of Happiness, my own game plan... and I've realized that I have no plan!

Interesting.

Is this really possible? No plan? No goals? No crazy "what-can-I-get-my-hands-on-next?"
ME?
How did this happen?!

I "plan" to relish in my newly-adopted irresponsibility! Ha!


"If you wanna' make God laugh, make plans."
-Laura's mom, back in the day.

May I Retract My Choice Now???

John Edwards... Are you freaking kidding me????

Voting

Do you know who you're voting for?
I seriously have no idea. Which is actually a surprise to me.
Neither of my candidates (one a Republican, the other a Democrat) won the spot in their primaries, so now I'm not really sure which of these guys I'm leaning toward.

Let me know. I'm putting up another poll on here, so if you feel to respond that way, that's great. Or feel free to make a quick comment or shoot me an email on who you're supporting and why.

I'm not looking for you to sway my decision. I'll be making that on my own.

What I'm most interested in knowing is this:
How heavily do each of these weigh in your consideration: his policy and his personality?
(Please actually think about that question before answering)

So far, I'm voting for Paris Hilton.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Brick Walls

A few days ago Randy Pausch died. He was a professor at Carnegie Mellon who gave his Last Lecture last Fall, soon after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It was recorded and downloaded onto youtube, where it has been viewed by millions. It was also turned into a best-selling book.
I quickly hopped onto the Randy Pausch bandwagon, joining the 10 million viewers of his moving talk about the importance of life and achieving your dreams.

Our network did a few long stories on him, and I was actually supposed to interview him once but apparently that didn't happen.
Anyway, stories like his are those that move me and remind me why I got into the business in the first place... and what life is really all about.

One of the things he talks about is the brick walls we face in life. He says that the brick walls are there not necessarily to stop us but to see how badly we want something. The brick walls help weed out the weaklings. And they help prove to us our own strength.
Randy mentions that sometimes those brick walls are people! He uses his wife, Jai, as his biggest example. He was 39 when he married. He says it took him so long to find someone who he cared more about than he cared about himself.
And their marriage was extremely admirable.

I've been thinking about brick walls recently. What are my own brick walls? And how badly do I want those things that they are standing in front of? Am I willing to do what it takes to knock them down?

If you have an hour or so, check out Randy's inspiring talk. He lived a life - at least in his last years - with his priorities straight. At the top was love.
I hope to do the same.

Bon Iver

This is Russ's current fave from Bon Iver.

Bon Iver

Last night Russ and I cashed in his birthday present -- tix to see Bon Iver. He's pretty rad! The show was sold-out at the Bowery Ballroom, but we managed to get ourselves in! And it was SOOOO GOOD!!!



The artist is Justin Vernon, who has taken the pen name, Bon Iver -- from the French words "bon hiver", meaning "good winter."

A couple winters ago, he spent four months in his father's cabin in northwestern Wisconsin after a breakup. He says he headed there because he "just didn't know what to do with his life." He tells Reveille Magazine, "It was the first time I could really hear myself. I had my finger on the pulse of what was happening as it happened. Having the time and space allowed me to listen to my inner voice. When you’re in a city and constantly playing shows and are worried about how your band’s doing it’s too easy to get distracted. "

He had a few tools: one guitar, a baritone guitar, bass drum, a snare drum, a horn, and reverb pedals. And out came his album, "For Emma, Forever Ago."


Check him out!!!

You can hear my fave of his on my playlist to the right -- the song is called "For Emma."

And Russ's fave is here, "Stacks."

Most Amazing Blog Poll Ever

Goodness. After much dispute that I should split up the dating poll because the numbers would allegedly show a HUGE difference if we divided the questioning among men and women... alas, the numbers are STILL divided.

THE RESULTS:
Girl Poll: If a guy asks you out and you know for a fact that you're not interested and there is NO chance for a future, what is the proper response?
Go anyway! It could be fun! And you could end up liking him!
7 (36%)
Go anyway! No harm there. And he might have cute roommates!
6 (31%)
Don't go. And be honest that you're not interested. Don't waste the poor boy's time getting his hopes up!
5 (26%)
Don't go. Be kind. Even if that means making something up!
1 (5%)
If you really don't want to go, then don't. And if you can't come up with a reason, don't call him back.
0 (0%)

Boy Poll: If you ask a girl out and she knows for a fact that she's not interested and there is NO chance for a future, what is the proper response?
Go anyway. Give me a chance to work my Man Magic. I could cast a spell you didn't expect!
3 (30%)
Go anyway. We could have fun and that way I don't have to go alone to something I'd do anyway.
2 (20%)
Don't go. Why waste anyone's time? Just be honest. I respect that more.
5 (50%)
Don't go. But be kind. Even if it means making something up.
0 (0%)
Don't go. And it's okay if you don't return my phone call to let me down.
0 (0%)

Forgive me for not contacting our polling unit to interpret the data. My experience from stat classes in undergrad and grad school will have to do.
I am curious now... what are the intentions of the pollees?
Are people more interested in:
hanging out?
or finding someone to marry?

This is largely a rhetorical question.

Mostly, we can deduct that we all agree that it's not cool to ignore someone when he has the guts to ask you out. I've been given thank you upon thank you for being real with a guy and letting him know my interests lied elsewhere. So ladies, please... if a man puts his Friday night on the line for you and you're not interested, please have the decency to tell him your dance card is full.

Having Fun with Failure

I've been thinking that fantastic query, "What's next?", once again.
I feel as if I do this all the time... trying to find more excitement and ideas in my life. I have a few ideas brewing and have given myself some deadlines to get started... and those days are creeping close!

Mostly I'm grateful for the "real life" I have created outside of work.
Don't get me wrong, my job is fun. I typically downplay how much I enjoy it, but I suppose that's because I enjoy the other aspects of my life even more... like playing with friends and such.

As I was searching for some inspiration today, I ran across J.K. Rowling's commencement speech at Harvard. I'm not typically on the "I heart J.K." bandwagon, but this is a great speech if you're looking for a little boost to follow your dreams... or to figure out what dreams have yet to manifest themselves.

Sunset

Why I am the "Cool Aunt"

Deconstructing Dating

So... in regards to the poll...

I'm posting another poll. This time I'm splitting it up for men and women respondents. I've had a couple guys tell me to split it up. They both said, "I bet if you poll just guys they'll say such-n-such." Their assumed answers were complete opposites. :)
I find this funny.
How come we haven't talked about this unsaid "rule" before?

Here's the poll question again:

If a guy asks a girl out and she knows for a fact that she's not interested and there is NO chance for a future, what is the proper response?

The poll results (from men and women):

Go anyway. At least it helps you both practice dating. (And who knows - he could have cute friends!)
12 (40%)

No way. Don't go. Be honest. Why waste anyone's time?
12 (40%)

Don't go and let him down easy, even if it means making up a reason.
6 (20%)

So what's the deal here?
I tend to believe that if I'm not seeing anyone else at the time and the guy doesn't give me the creepy vibe, then I'll go. Why not? It'd be a good time.

But then there's the other argument: I'm not looking for any other guy "friends". I have plenty of friends. I'm looking for a keeper, not just a "good time." So if I'm not interested, then why waste my time -- or his?

So please, let's continue to discuss. And please vote!
And all you "marrieds" -- please weigh in too. What would you have done? Or what have you done and regretted/celebrated?

My Grandma always said...

"Only boring people are bored."

Dating Poll

For those of you who read through the Reader, will you check out my latest poll? This was the result of a recent conversation I had with a couple friends. So please vote, give me your feedback on this, and we will hopefully discuss in a couple days. What do you think?

If a guy asks a girl out and she knows for a fact that she's not interested and there is NO chance for a future, what is the proper response?

Fun and the Ferry

Lumina came into town this weekend!!! And can you believe, the only proof I have are the beautiful flowers and the toothbrush she left behind. Sheesh!



Sunday we had another lovely family dinner. Quite fantastic. Plus the picnic for the Halls.

Nope.

No pics of that either.


But last night Russ and I headed over to Staten Island on the ferry. It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time. And I caught a few pictures as we waited for our ferry on the way back to the Better Borough.

Here are the VIPs (very informative pics) I'm sure you were dying to see...

The Best Answer to Keeping Something...

Let go.

Mark 14:34-36

(thank you Krikava)

Spooning With Russ

Last week was Russ's birthday. It was a blessed day for so many reasons... the primary reason of course being the celebration of his existence. Another reason: discovering that the World Record for the Most Spoons Balanced on the Face stands at 16... and that our dear Russ has a solid chance of beating it.
Leah only had 10 spoons... and Russ put 'em to work.
I give you...
Spoonman.


And now you understand why he's so awesome don't you??

(p.s. Micah, sweet job on the editing. We should hire you at the ABC.)

4th of July

Best 4th BBQ ever!

Something Amazing Just Happened

And it was all because of one man.
Thank you so much, Ryan Simmons.


Something very strange and beautiful happened in the mix of Mormons at a gay bar. (ahem... a "cabaret" mind you... with rainbow flags outside... but still, I suppose not technically "gay." Thanks for the correction Ryan -- who is not gay, but makes me happy.)

As a side note, some new computer program changes the word "gay" to "homosexual." Last Sunday the site using the program changed Olympic hopeful Tyson Gay's name to read "Tyson Homosexual". Um... yeah...

And look! I finally got to meet Andrea's sister!!!

Such a great night! Congrats on such a great show, Ryan!

I had to...

Thank you Micah for sending this my way... It has brought much joy (and sadness!) to the people here at the ABC.

Happy Birthday Darren!!!!!

I love you Bro! You're the best ever!!!!
You're numbers 1, 2, and 3 in my book! :)
Cheers to another year for the Greatest Bro on Earth!

Feeding God's Army

When I lived in Portland, one of the things I looked forward to most every week were Sundays. I loved going to church and hearing about the gospel, seeing many of my friends in one place, and then heading down to my brother's for a family dinner. It set a great precedent for me, keeping Sundays the day for those things most important.
In New York, I've been able to create a pretty awesome family of friends. (Seriously, these people are way rad.) Every now and then we've been able to have a really great family night on Sundays... and now we're trying to pick that back up and make it a weekly event.

So this past Sunday, we went to Connie's. A few of us receive vegetables every week through our local CSA group, and Connie cooked up the entire lot. Um... YUM!!!!!
The big guests of honor were our ward missionaries, who are some of the neatest guys! I absolutely adore missionaries. I so wish I'd gone on a mission (oh!!! Some day!!!! It will happen!)

I'd been wanting to meet with the missionaries and have them over for dinner for a while, so this was a really exciting evening. It was so great talking about their lives as missionaries and how we could help them as ward member missionaries. (For those of you in my Sunday School class, I'm sure you'll get an earful!) :)
I loved our family night!!!

A Hunting We Will Go...

This weekend marked the First Annual Inwood Scavenger Hunt Extravaganza. The lovely Corina spent several hours scouring the northern part of the island looking for tidbits of history and mystery. On Saturday morning, we split into groups and tried to conquer the quest.


Our group, which Holly appropriately named Team Frisky, was on a roll. We quickly spotted all the clues and enjoyed some really great conversation along the way. We even saw some cool things that weren't on the list, like this lil' WigWam! The day just verified that Manhattan - and my friends - are pretty much the greatest ever.

We were pretty much the best team to ever scavenge a hunt. We were headed for a win as we wandered up to the Cloisters, but as the day dragged on, our feet seemed to drag a bit more slowly. The deadline to return was quickly approaching and we decided to avoid the rush to the finish, keep our friendships intact, and declare ourselves winners no matter the outcome.
Upon our return we found that the other teams were equally as exhausted and educated. It was such fun times!!!

Blind Date

Lately I've been in the mood to do some service acts. Yay! It's been keeping my schedule packed, but I enjoy it!
This week was Youth Conference for our stake. As part of it, I spent Friday downtown with one of the greatest guys in the world, Marcus.
We were there to help out the youth from the stake who were on a scavenger hunt.
We headed out early and met up at City Hall Park with our fearless leaders.

We then headed down toward an area called Old Slip. It's not too far from a spot where we got to see the Brooklyn Bridge. And the Waterfalls exhibit had just started up. I was glad to see it! Last month I had the chance to interview the artist, Olafur Eliasson, about the project. His accent was so thick and I could barely understand him, but I was still pretty impressed with his huge "green" art! Check it out!

Next assignment -- food. (Thank you buttered bagel.)

We then waited for several groups of youth to find us.
The kids were given clues based on the song "Amazing Grace." Their clue for our assignment:
Amazing Grace!
How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
was blind but now I see.
Head to Old Slip and help someone who appears to be in need!

So... Marcus pretended to be blind while the kids tried to help him down the street. Thus, he was my blind date for the day.
Get it?!
BLIND??!!!
Ha!

sigh

The youth didn't really seem too hyped about helping Marcus. Some of them even let him fall to the ground! Talk about the blind leading the blind!

We also talked with them about the history of the area and its links to the LDS church. I was so stoked to learn this stuff. I quickly committed the facts to memory and was so happy to share it with them.

But check this next picture out! I'm all excited about talking to these kids about church history... and are any of them looking at me?? That one girl looks asleep! Glad to know I was so entertaining.

We'd then give each group an envelope which contained another clue, sending them on their way to learn more about the history of our church in the city. How fun!

As the day lingered, it grew hotter and hotter. Some of the kids found a bit of relief from the fountain.


This was actually a really great day. I met some new people in the stake, which was SOOO exciting!!! And would you believe... I made a really great contact for my book project AND I was invited to the stake history dinners every month. Fun!!!

Another really, really cool part was that I got to learn a bit about church history in New York. So here are some facts for ya!

*In 1832, Joseph Smith traveled to the city with Bishop Newel K. Whitney. He stayed at the Pearl House on Pearl Street (now replaced with a parking lot). Joseph wrote to his wife, Emma, about the buildings that were "truly great and wonderful". He was speaking of the three and four story brownstones, which were the tallest in their day.

*In 1845, more than 200 Latter-day Saints boarded a ship at Old Slip called the Brooklyn. Each family paid $75 for each adult and half of that for each child. They sailed from New York, down to the southern tip of South America, and up toward the west coast. They left in November and - SIX MONTHS LATER - arrived in Yerba Buena, California (now known as San Francisco).
About one-third of those Saints eventually traveled to Salt Lake City.


And now you know!