2nd Anniversary Trip

May 16th marked our second wedding anniversary. We had a nasty cold and didn't feel too great that day, but luckily we celebrated the previous week when we went to New York City...

We arrived late on a Friday night, so we weren't able to do anything until Saturday. Big Apple Greeters are an organization in NYC that take you around the city. You apply to get a greeter, and like a job, you just wait and hope they pick you. Well, we were picked! So we had a great morning in the city. We spent half of the morning visiting different neighborhoods and the other half checking out Central Park. We passed this building on the way to Central Park, the Dakota, the infamous building where John Lennon was shot.

Central Park by the fountain

Central Park is so beautiful in the spring! The tulips and azaleas had bloomed. It was a nice change from Seattle, where it feels like we're between winter and spring (and have been) for months.

Tulips in the British garden

We went to the gardens in the park. I love tunnels of trees! There was a British, Italian, and French garden here.

Joanna, our Big Apple Greeter, and me in front of the Italian garden

Grand Central Station--I love the hustle and bustle of the city!

Times Square is a madhouse, which is why this photo was taken from the Minskoff Theater.

There's a new park in the city, The High Line, located in the Meatpacking district. It was the most unique park I've ever been to or seen. It follows the train tracks where meat used to be distributed to various businesses.

You can see how the train tracks go through this building.

You can see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. This was taken from The High Line.

View of the Empire State Building from our hotel room

Another view from our hotel room overlooking the Hudson River

Manhattan Bridge

We walked the Brooklyn Bridge. It was designed with pedestrians in mind. We walked in the middle of the bridge, with cars on either side of us.

On our last day we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

We went to one of Mario Batalli's restaurant, Del Posto. It was one of the best meals we've ever consumed! We were given an amuse bouche for dessert and one for an appetizer as well, so we had a five-course meal.

The dessert I ordered, chocolate ricotta torta with olive oil gelato...yummy!!! We had a great anniversary trip!

Psalm 102

A lot has happened since I have last posted anything on here, but I only have one thing on my heart. The devastation occurring throughout the south, particularly Alabama, has been constantly on my heart and mind. Since I haven't seen the destruction with my own eyes, it feels unreal. I've only seen photos and videos, but what I've seen is unrecognizable to me. I can only imagine what it feels like to have lived through the tornados. I'm so grateful that my loved ones are safe and okay with minimal damage. I'm also grateful that God protected our house in Alabama. The tornado was about a mile away from the house, and our house was a few feet of being flooded. I am praying for those who did lose all they had. The only way they'll survive and truly live again is by the grace of God. I can't wait for the day when God rebuilds the cities and people's lives!

Psalm 102 is such a comfort to anyone overwhelmed with troubles. When I was reading it the other day, anytime I saw Jerusalem, I would replace it with Tuscaloosa. This psalm was written with you in mind.

Lord, hear my prayer!
Listen to my plea!
² Don’t turn away from me
in my time of distress.
Bend down to listen,
and answer me quickly when I call to you.
³ For my days disappear like smoke,
and my bones burn like red-hot coals.
⁴ My heart is sick, withered like grass,
and I have lost my appetite.
⁵ Because of my groaning,
I am reduced to skin and bones.
⁶ I am like an owl in the desert,
like a little owl in a far-off wilderness.
⁷ I lie awake,
lonely as a solitary bird on the roof.
⁸ My enemies taunt me day after day.
They mock and curse me.
⁹ I eat ashes for food.
My tears run down into my drink
¹⁰ because of your anger and wrath.
For you have picked me up and thrown me out.
¹¹ My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows.
I am withering away like grass.

¹² But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever.
Your fame will endure to every generation.
¹³ You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem
and now is the time to pity her,
now is the time you promised to help.
¹⁴ For your people love every stone in her walls
and cherish even the dust in her streets.
¹⁵ Then the nations will tremble before the Lord.
The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory.
¹⁶ For the Lord will rebuild Jerusalem.
He will appear in his glory.
¹⁷ He will listen to the prayers of the destitute.
He will not reject their pleas.

¹⁸ Let this be recorded for future generations,
so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord.
¹⁹ Tell them the Lord looked down
from his heavenly sanctuary.
He looked down to earth from heaven
²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to release those condemned to die.
²¹ And so the Lord’s fame will be celebrated in Zion,
his praises in Jerusalem,
²² when multitudes gather together
and kingdoms come to worship the Lord.

²³ He broke my strength in midlife,
cutting short my days.
²⁴ But I cried to him, “O my God, who lives forever,
don’t take my life while I am so young!
²⁵ Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth
and made the heavens with your hands.
²⁶ They will perish, but you remain forever;
they will wear out like old clothing.
You will change them like a garment
and discard them.
²⁷ But you are always the same;
you will live forever.
²⁸ The children of your people
will live in security.
Their children’s children
will thrive in your presence.”

In the first part of this psalm, the writer is pouring out his heart to God. He's telling God all of his problems. I can picture him down on his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks, crying out for help. I love how verse 27 begins. It begins with the simple word "but." Even though all of this destruction happened, God is still God. He is still worthy of all our praise. He is always the same. I love the last line, "We will live in security." We can't be secure in our circumstances, but we should be secure because of God's character.

I'm believing in this psalm. God