Los Angeles, Here We Come!

That was our view from our hotel room in LA. We looked east to the Hollywood Hills. You can see the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory!

We did lots of fun stuff, and we got to ride around in a shiny white Mustang convertible that I didn't get a chance to take a proper picture of.

This is a picture of Jay drinking iced coffee and eating a (really good) jelly donut at the Farmer's Market:



This is a picture of the sunset at Venice Beach:



Here is a picture of me in front of the Walt Disney Concert Hall:



Here's a picture of Jay and I with Homer and Marge Simpson, some friends we met along the way:



And here are some pictures from the top of the Griffith Observatory:





It was a great trip, despite the fender bender on the last night. I think we're gonna go back and STAY AWHILE!

Next update I'll talk about what we've been doing since then.

Hey Strangers!

Sorry for the delay in postings, Mom. I got Spring Fever. But I promised Jay if he uploaded all the pictures he's been taking of our travels and adventures lately that I would write a new blog post. Here it is!

There's a lot to cover, so I'll probably be posting over the next few days.

Today I'll post some pictures from me and Jay's trip to Austin. We went for Amber's wedding and to see my lovely family. Here are some pictures:








Oh, whoops. Those are actually just the pictures Jay has taken of himself in the last few weeks. He's so photogenic he can't help himself!

Here are the pictures from Austin:







Austin was awesome. Great hot weather, lots of family time, and a fun city to play in. Amber's wedding was in the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and was really nice, and quite emotional (for me) and a pretty big deal, considering all Amber and I have been through. It was really special to me that I got to be a part of her wedding. She looked great and was so happy. I was so happy for her!

I also got to see my cutie-pies Kylie and Aidan and play with them in the park. Jay got to do some drawings of them, which is one of his specialties. We also got to hang out at Robbie and Ericka's for a bit before we left for the airport. Ericka was looking great with her little baby in her tummy! And Matt Sandlin was there, so it was good to see cousins that I don't get to see that often.

Ok, that's it for this post. Check back soon for the next part--our trip to LA!!

Strong!

I worked out for the first time yesterday. In a long time.

I feel great today! Sore but in a good way. I did some upper body work: bicep curls, chest presses, rowing for my back, and then ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill. I also did a lot of stretching, which is always one of my favorite things to do at a gym.

This is what my biceps look like today:



Today I'm going to go to a yoga class and do some leg and butt exercises. Tomorrow my butt will look like this:



I'm won't write about every workout I do from now on, but I know how much Jenny loves hearing about exercise, so I thought I'd give you all the details.

In other news, Jay and I are planning a little extended weekend vacation to LA. If we move there, we're inviting the family out for Thanksgiving--CALIFORNIA STYLE!! Mark your calendars now.

xoxo,
Matt

Reebok Sports Club

So because I work for Newsweek, I get a free week pass to a fancy gym on the upper west side: The Reebok Sports Club. I decided to kick off my 2009 Exercise Routine with a week here. I figure fancy equipment and a big pool and fluffy towels should do a good job of motivating me through the first week.

Tomorrow I'm going to take a class called Splash Cardio Fusion. It is a group class in the pool! I also want to take a class where they teach you the dances in popular music videos. And I want to BLAST MY QUADS with some free weights.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

Jay and I had a nice relaxing day yesterday. I bought a spring coat (too bad it was 30 degrees this morning!) and we had a great meal at home yesterday: beet salad, roasted yams, brown rice and broccoli, and something else that i can't remember the name of (Jay? what was that?)

Back by Popular Demand!

I've had two people in the last two days ask me to start my blog again. 2 people! That's HALF of this blog's readership!

So since absolutely NOTHING has been going on in my life of any consequence, I'll fill you in on some little things I've been doing lately. I bought a new pair of jeans yesterday. Levis. I watched A STAR IS BORN (Judy Garland, not Barbra Streisand. Although I have seen that one, too). I've been cooking. Last night I made whole wheat pasta with vegetables and tomato sauce. And roasted sweet potatoes. The night before I made baked salman with quinoa and kale in a garlic lemon sauce.

Isn't this all so exciting!!??!

I haven't been reading anything lately except for Newsweek and Time magazines. But the next thing I plan on reading is John Updikes' "Run Rabbit".

I also want to see this movie. It is directed by Sam Mendes, who directed a production of Uncle Vanya when I was in London that made me cry like a baby.



I think that's it. I'm going to try to be better about posting, but please don't be mad at me if I lapse again.

I love everyone who reads this. I really do!

Matt

Disney World!

Jay and I got back last night from Disney World! It was a really really awesome trip, and I got to see why Jay loves it so much. I think Jay and I made a good team there, because we both enjoyed running from ride to ride (or "attraction" to "attraction") and we weren't afraid to elbow little children and elderly couples out of the way in order to be first in line.

The first day we spent the whole day at Magic Kingdom. So fun! Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Moutain Railroad (there are lots of mountains in Disney World). An unexpected favorite was the Winnie the Pooh ride. I also really liked the Carousel of Progress, and Stitch's Big Escape. Unfortunately, the Hall of Presidents was closed (maybe to make room for a certain new President?)



The next day we did Hollywood Studios (used to be called Disney-MGM Studios) and Epcot. At Hollywood Studios, we did the Tower of Terror (so fun!), the Rock 'N' Roller Coaster, and the Muppets 3D movie (we loved this one! They spray water on you in the theater!) The only ride that made me sick was the Star Wars ride. That ride sucked.



At Epcot we searched for a hot dog for Jay (this was a major part of the day) and then went to see the World Showcase. Jay bought some french fries and as he was walking away from the stand, a seagull hit him in the head and knocked the fries out of his hands. Then about 20 birds all swooped down and picked the fries clean in about 10 seconds. Jay was traumatized, but luckily got another thing of fries.

That night we met his friends Colleen and Andrew and their two kids who live nearby. We went on Test Track (which was a really fun car racing ride) and Soarin', which was like hang gliding over California (when you go through the pine forests, they pipe in the smell of pine!) It was amazing.



The next day we went to Animal Kingdom, the newest Disney park. They just opened a new roller coaster, Expedition Everest, so we went on that. Really fun! You go backwards in the dark! Scary. They also have a ride called Dinosaur! which is also scary. You are racing through the dark in a car and dinosaurs jump out at you and scare you. At one point, a scary dinosaur popped out and made a REALLY loud sound and they took a picture of your car right when it happened. So when you get out at the end, you see the face you made. I was horrified!!!! (Jay looked bored).

This trip was really fun, and made me a fan of Disney World for life. I can't wait to go again with you guys!

Also, a special note to Kylie and Aidan:

While in the Magic Kingdom, I was walking near Cinderella's castle, and I ran into Cinderella and Mickey Mouse. They gave me some presents and told me to give them to Kylie and Aidan. So I held on to them and the next time I see them, I'm going to surprise them with it.

Cinderella, by the way, is very beautiful, and Mickey Mouse is very handsome (for a mouse). They were very nice and sprinkled magic fairy dust and me and Jay!!

Travel!!!

The next few weeks are going to be crazy. On Friday, I am going with Jordan and his mom to visit Yale for their Visitor's Day. Then on Saturday morning, Jay and I leave for Disneyworld for 4 days! We are very excited, and the weather looks great. I haven't been since I was in the third grade, so it will all be very new to me. Jay's going to be a good tour guide though, because he's been a couple of times (and by "a couple" I mean 13).

Then after we get back to New York, we are going to travel up to Providence, RI to visit Brown and see one of the student-directed shows there. We come back on Friday and the next morning we leave for Austin for Megan and Dusty's wedding.

Crazy!

I'm not complaining about the hectic schedule, though, because I had a very relaxing Thanksgiving. Jay and Jessma and I watched the Macy's Parade from my office window (it overlooks the parade route), which was kind of fun, but also a tiny bit boring. I mean, we just sat in a silent office with a few of my coworkers and watched the balloons get closer. I don't know why I thought it would be really exciting.

Then we went up to our friend Amanda's place and she cooked the most amazing Thanksgiving meal for us. Then for the rest of the weekend, I did nothing but go see movies and watch DVD's of MAD MEN. (Which, by the way, is an excellent show and I encourage all of you to watch it).