Today, I taught a group of 12 church ladies how to cook 3 different Japanese meals. We made somen, gyoza and tonkatsu. It went really well! I set up three different cooking stations and the ladies chose where they wanted to go. At the end, we ate all three meals! It was so fun and everyone really enjoyed it.

On Saturday Dan and I decided to go down to the beach and have a picnic. We went to this great place called Captree Park and found a little secluded area and layed out our picnic. It was so romantic! Here are some of the pictures.

Coffee Time!

This past Friday night Dan's cousin, Laura, took Dan and I to this great coffee shop called The Cup in Wantagh, NY. It was great and we had such a nice time catching up!

The Apple Festival

I know it's been a LONG time since I have blogged anything, but that's because we haven't been doing anything except working, eating and sleeping. We are pretty much always exhusted and just now, do I find myself with some energy. It just so happened that this past weekend we were busy with lots of fun things too!! Great timing...

On Friday Dan and I decided to treat ourselves and go out by ourselves to the Olive Garden. We had a great time and it was so great to spend time just the two of us!

On Saturday a friend of ours took us up to the North Shore of Long Island to an Apple Festival that was raising funds for the deaf and hard of hearing. It was a fun new experience for Dan and I! They had everything from fresh apples to apple cider to pies! The most interesting thing was to be around LOTS of people who were communicating by sign language. It was a whole new experience for me.

Here is Dan and I eating bratworsts. Yummm....
This is the building that is now a school for the deaf and hard of hearing. It is an old renovated mansion! It was gorgeous!!
Stephanie and Dan tried out the grilled corn on the cob.

Oktoberfest

On Sunday afternoon we went to an Oktoberfest party. For those of you who are German, you probably know what the is, but I had never heard of Oktoberfest until 3 weeks ago. Oktoberfest
is a celebration of making beer in Germany because in the 1800's they could only make beer in the summer, so they made it and drank it within a month. Our friend Stephanie and her mother are German and had a huge party. Stephanie's mother is actually first generation to America.
The desserts....
Me and my German princess....
Dan and his nephew Ryan.

Kick-off Sunday BBQ

Today at Peace LB church we had rally Sunday and and all wore football jerseys to kick-off the new fall season. The pastor wore one too!! Dan and I were thrown into the mix of BBQ preparation and were so happy that they put us to work right away! The huge blow-up Giant and some church kids.
We had a great turn out for the service and BBQ. This picture was taken by me from behind the grill. Today was the first time I ever grilled burgers. It was great!!
All the food (salads, chips, etc.) were in the trunks of these vans.

BBQ Party!

Our nephew and godson, Kenny was in such a good mood during the afternnoon, so I got to snap a few good pictures!

Kenny was all smiles!
CUTE Kenny and Kristi
Dan, Jason, and Phil standing around the fire pit.
Me, Dan and all of his friends right after finding out that the couple at the end just got engaged!

Construction

This past weekend Dan drove me all the way out east to one of the million dollar houses that he worked on this week. And since I love construstion sites and dreaming about building my own home, Dan took me out to some of the beautiful homes on Long Island. He is currently doing construction with Gordon Stedjan out here and really enjoying it. This particular house is 10,000 sq. feet on the ocean in the backyard. MUST BE ROUGH, HUH!? It's had a 20x20 foot skylight that open from the roof to the main floor. It was unbelievable!! It also had two double-sided fireplaces, a home theater and an elevator. Phenomenal!!

Being a Nanny

For those of you who don't know, I am currently working as a nanny out here in NY. I am taking care of two boys, a 3 year old 4 month old. They are great and I am really learning a lot. Everyday I drive about 45 mins. to an hour in rush hour traffic to and from work. For those of you who have driven out here, you know how these CRAZY New Yorkers drive. It's been quite the adjustment!! But after two weeks of driving in it, I've learned quickly!

A Day at the Beach

After the party on Saturday, the family went to Robert Moses beach and spent the afternoon. This was the first time that we were able to see Kenny (Kristi's baby) at the beach. Grandpa Bob and Kenny sitting on the beach waiting for the waves.
Bob in the freezing cold water!! What a great face!!
Bob and Karen swimming in the huge waves.
I was getting swept by the waves and holding on to Dan for dear life. Me and my sweetheart!

Welcome Home/ 90th Birthday Party!

On Saturday we had a big party to celebrate Dan's grandfather's 90th birthday and our arrival home from Japan. We had a great time seeing family friends and meeting

Chinese Dinner

Bob and Karen Lawson came to Long Island last weekend for a Welcome Home party for us/90th Birthday party for Karen's father. We went out to chinese the night before the party. For those of you that read this that are still in Japan, the rice in Japan is MUCH better than here.

Our Room

The day after we arrived to Long Island, I painted the room that we were moving into. Could you take a wild guess why? :)

Before.....
During............
After..........
We are living with Dan's grandparents in a small bedroom for now and will look for apartments once we get our feet on the ground. We are so thankful we have a place for now.

First week in NY

Dan and Kenny! Both have on cute faces!
Dan, me and "Pops."
THE BEACH!!!!!! Only 15 minutes from our front door!
Me and Dan and our WHITE bodies on the beach for the first time all summer.

Our Journey to NY begins

On Monday morning, Aug. 27th, Dan and I headed out of Fergus Falls in our new car making our way towards Iowa to visit our good friends, Paul and Betti Lang. The drive took about 9 hours, so with little mishap we made it there about 6:00 p.m.
Some beautiful Iowa and Minnesota scenery. It was a beautiful day for a drive.
The Lang's treated Dan and I to an amazing dinner along the Mississippi river during sunset. It was unbelievable. We really enjoyed our evening together with lots of fabulous food and great conversation. We appreciated the wonderful dinner they gave us and the time that we had together!