new york dreams and schemes

We finally made it happen. 

In May, Ben, Tyler, Shannon and I made a long discussed dream come true when we visited Stewart in NYC. 

I'm not sure any words or iphone pictures can do this trip justice. Stewart was the most amazing host. He and his roommate let us all pile into their apartment for 4 days and made us fall in love with their city. 

Here is a peek into our trip: 

Day 1: 

2 crazy kids who hadn't been on a plane since their Honeymoon: 

>> We made it to our Stewpac!! <<

>> Chelsea Market & The Highline << 

>> Washington Square Park <<

>> Greenwich Village <<

** Celebrity sighting #1 : Katie Holmes!!

** Not pictured : our stop in Soho to explore a cool little book store and grab some coffee and a snack/rest our feet. While at the coffee shop, celebrity sighting #2 happened: Danny Strong - apparently I'm the only Gilmore Girls fanatic..??!!??

Day 2:

>> The Today Show where Mariah Carey was performing <<

** Celebrity sighting #3: Jamie Lee Curtis window shopping...she's behind Shan in the black trench, best I could do :/ 

>> Quick stop in the Plaza Hotel <<

>> Beautiful Walk through Central Park to the MET <<

Posing in Stewarts swanky Upper West Side neighborhood before dinner: 

And shortly after dinner....Ben staying true to himself: 

Day 3:

>> Brooklyn Flea Market <<

>> Exploring Dumbo <<

>> Brooklyn Bridge Walking <<

After a full day in Brooklyn, we headed home to shower and get ready for our last night in NYC. Stewart had already done an amazing job of packing in as much cool sight seeing as possible but he blew us away when he graciously treated us to a whole night of food, drinks, and surprises.

>> Fig & Olive for dinner in the Meatpacking District <<

>> Gorgeous view of the city from the top of the Rockefeller Center << 

**While sprinting to make it to our appointment at the Rockefeller Center, celebrity sighting #4 happened...drum roll...ADAM BRODY. My life is complete.

We ended the night at an actual Speakeasy! We couldn't take pictures inside, duh, but we entered through a phone booth with a secret door through a hot dog restaurant...CRAZY.

After enjoying some amazing drinks/mocktails and fries...2 pregnant women, don't judge...we headed home and crashed.

Day 4:

A bittersweet morning with another amazing breakfast from the corner bakery: 

We got to hang out and recap the weekend a little bit before going to church with Stewart at Redeemer Presbyterian. 

After a great service, we headed to lunch in his neighborhood and sat outside eating while observing an awesome street fair going on all around us. 

This trip with these friends is the kind that just makes your soul happy. 

These relationships are so precious to Ben and I; they are the people who know our hearts, who make us laugh, who we can struggle with, and who make us love and thank Jesus for his grace in giving us people like this to live life with. 

We were so excited to get to share in a little bit of Stewarts big city life and can't wait to reunite again soon. Thank you for all of your generosity, Stewbs. We love you long time!!!