Day in New York

Saturday we headed into the city early. Mick dropped us off in Chinatown at our favorite knockoff purse vendor. After passing security, they revealed the secret door and up the narrow stairs we went to the "purse room". We found 3 bags we liked and then off we went to Broadway. We stood in the long line at TKTS for half price tickets to Monte Python's Spamalot with Clay Aiken. After lunch at a Japanese resaurant, we then went window shopping on 5th Avenue at Sony, Tiffany's, etc. We walked over to Central Park where the crowds and street performers were taking advantage of the beautiful weather. The flowers and trees are all in bloom and it is beautiful. We walked the Manhattan (LDS) Temple and then 23 blocks back down Broadway to Time Square for our play. It was great fun.

Joni "shopping" at Sony

Hello Goodbye

YW YA YA SISTERHOOD GANG


Janelle at Newark airport with all our bags. We are officially in New Jersey. It was 81 degrees when we landed.

Packers

The packers showed up Monday morning at 9am to begin the packing. Because we are keeping the Brea house, we moved mostly personal belongings. The most difficult thing about packing was telling them what to pack or not pack. We moved master bedroom set including mattress!!!! (for those of you who heard our rental furniture shopping trip story you'll know my utmost pleasure in knowing I'm sleeping on my own mattress), Janelle's bedroom set, the big screen TV (of course), couch and love seat from the family room and two clocks (got to have my clocks). We didn't take the big grandfather entry way clock though. They packed one set of dishes, glasses, and one set of silverware, and a few pots and pans. HOWEVER, I also packed 2 sewing machines, surger, 5 boxes of fabric and 4 boxes of scrapbooking things. The cars were trailered and hauled away around noon on a carrier and the moving van left around 5pm. I cleaned and did what litttle I could with no vacuum and limited cleaning products. Tuesday we spent running last minute errands, saying goodbye to friends and went into work. Only Gina was there. I will be working the MQS show in Missouri in May for Cranberry. I dropped off the last quilt for market in May. It is a Smore fabric from MODA and Gina said it will be in Moda's booth at market. She is going to send a picture so I'll let you all see it. Our neighboor Jane O"Brien took us out to Shiang Wa (our favorite Orange County Chinese restaurant) Monday night and the Guziks had us over for dinner Tuesday night. Then at 9:30 pm the YW gang showed up with a yummy cake and good-bye. Mick said we could've made a movie, YW YA YA SISTERHOOD with our conversation. Then wednesday morning it was up at 5am for an early morning flight to NJ.

The Mission Begins

Several family members and friends have blogs that we enjoy, so I've decided to do a blog to help keep in touch with all our family and friends during our two year mission for Mars. What? you might ask is a two year mission for Mars. Well, in February Mick accepted a two year position with Mars Snackfood in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The package included them moving us out to Jersey, paying our rent and utilities and then moving us back to California after the commitment is complete. We are excited to experience living on the east coast and all that it brings. Our house hunting trip the first week in April was cold, wet, and everything was brown and appeared dead. My impression was "the lone and dreary world". But we found a nice home, 5 bedrooms, office, and full unfinished basement only 8 miles from Mick's work on 2.2 acres in the community of Green Township. The packers and movers came April 21st, we flew out to New Jersey on April 23rd, and so our story "Two year Mission for Mars" begins.