Michelle Obama meets Malaya!
Today, my niece Malaya was held by the Future First Lady Michelle Obama! Here's the story: Nathan and Julia were attending a fundraiser for the Congressional Black Caucus where Michelle Obama was the keynote speaker. She was eloquent and inspirational. After her speech, she shook hands with some of the attendees. Michelle was slowly making her way down the line, and when she spotted Malaya, she yelled "Baby!" and then grabbed Malaya. The above picture is of her shouting and grabbing Malaya. Malaya is perfect and adorable, so you can understand how Mrs. Obama could not resist her =)
Everyone surrounding Michelle Obama started taking pictures of Malaya. You can see in the above picture all the cameras pointed at the two of them. I thought we were bad in all the pictures we take of Malaya!
Look at Malaya's cute little giraffe outfit.
All those flashbulbs upset little Malaya and she started crying. Then Michelle gave her back to Julia, but not until after Nathan and Julia took their own pictures of the two of them together.
Who else can claim that they've been held by Michelle Obama? Malaya is only 3 1/2 months old and she's already mingling with the powerbrokers of the world! She'll probably be invited to regular teas at the White House for other great photo ops =)
Chicago and wedding decisions
In August, Pierre and I spent a week in Chicago checking out wedding venues. Julia's mom Charlene hosted us and we had a wonderful time hanging out with her and visiting some beautiful spots in Chicago. The above photo is from the Morton Arboretum. The Arboretum was pricey and not very easy to get to, so we nixed that option fairly quickly.
We also checked out the Brookfield Zoo. That seemed fun and a good back up option. Here's a baboon playing with a smooshed plastic bottle.
Me posing in front of the Amphibian Ark and Year of the Frog poster at the Brookfield Zoo.
A photo of a lovely butterfly at the Morton Arboretum.
Bug sex!
Practice wedding shot from Promontory Point. Nice and cheesy!
Dorky kiss pose =)
We've decided to get married in Oak Park, one of the first suburbs just outside of the Chicago city limits. You can get there by two different L lines, which is very convenient, and it is close to both O'Hare and Midway. Here's a picture of the Oak Park library.
Pierre looking goofy. We were so excited about finding a venue that we spent the day cavorting amongst the flowers! Pierre is trying to express that sentiment here.
We want to get married at the
19th Century Club, which is located in the heart of Oak Park. It is right next to the Frank Lloyd Wright historic district and a few blocks from the Ernest Hemingway birthplace and museum. The Frank Lloyd Wright studio and home is a few blocks north of the Club, so our wedding guests can all make a trip up there if they want. Here's a picture of one of the houses in the Frank Lloyd Wright district.
An example of a Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass window.
Crazy mass of ants on the sidewalk.
Another Frank Lloyd Wright home.
Across the street from the 19th Century Club is Austin Park. We were thinking we could have our wedding photos taken there.
An apartment birdhouse in Austin Park.
Bust of Frank Lloyd Wright on the corner of Austin Park.
Wildflower area in Austin Park.
Another shot of the Frank Lloyd Wright sculpture.
Me paying my respects to Mr. Wright. =)
Front driveway of the 19th Century Club.
Pathway in Austin Park.
Front entrance of the 19th Century Club.
Another shot of the front of the 19th Century Club. This is where our smart cars will pull up!
Parking garage located next to the 19th Century Club. We don't have to worry about parking!
Beautiful ballroom where we'll hold the reception and dance party!
Bring your dancing shoes =)
We also visited Millenium Park while we were in town. They were having a dance festival with free performances by some of the Chicago companyies. Here are some flamenco dancers.
The Crown fountain.
Some of the dancers did a contemporary routine in Wrigley Square. We enjoyed that piece, because they really utilized all the features of the space.
Cloud Gate, also known as "the Bean". Nice reflection of the Chicago skyline.
I took this picture for Jamie since it is of King Lear. That is Jamie's favorite Shakespeare play.
Pierre in front of a metal moose.
Shot of beachgoers on the Lake Michigan waterfront. We had lunch in the Signature Room at the John Hancock tower. We are thinking of going there for our rehearsal dinner.
The Gold Coast and waterfront. We are getting married in June 2009. Woohoo!
New job
Pierre and I both started new jobs in September. I am the "Environmental Interpreter" at Old Westbury Gardens. I think that title is pretty long, so I usually refer to myself as the "Environmental Educator" or "Education Coordinator".
Old Westbury Gardens is a historic house and gardens that is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was once the home of John Phipps and his family. It has been open to the public since 1959 and docents offer tours daily to the house and gardens. Many movies and tv shows have been filmed there, like North by Northwest, the Age of Innocence, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, 8MM, the remake of the Manchurian Candidate, Cruel Intentions, Hitch, Wolf, Love Story, American Gangster, and an episode from Sex and the City. Also, the final wedding scene from Kal Ho Naa Ho was filmed there. Apparently there were a lot of fans of Shahrukh Khan who showed up and tried to sneak on the set to wave at him or get a glimpse of him. Shahrukh Khan is a big movie star. I think he is like the Tom Cruise of Bollywood. As some might recall, Rakhi taught my Peace Corps friends and I the Mahi Ve
dance from that movie.
Old Westbury Gardens is also a common spot for wedding photography. The above picture is of the West Pond, with a wedding party just visible in the background.
Here is a picture of the gigantic 150 year old American beech that shades the west porch, right next to Westbury House.
Pierre's new job is with the Natural Resources Defense Council. He is their clean technology analyst, working on renewable energy and energy efficiency. He has his own
blog on their website, devoted to energy issues. Pierre is really enjoying his job. He likes the work that he is doing and his co-workers and supervisors are great. Three family (or extended family) members have worked at
NRDC so far, which is pretty cool.
An all important polliantor doing its job in the Garden.
Another wedding party in the Walled Garden. The Walled Garden is an Italian Renaissance Garden. It is an herbaceous, perennial garden with a fountain and a lotus pond. The displays in there are changing constantly. In May, there will be thousands of tulips. Right now there are mostly mums.
View from the north entrance into the Walled Garden.
I think Pierre saw this pretty flower in the Walled Garden.
Another picture from the Walled Garden.
Central fountain in the Walled Garden.
The spider flower. I like to point this plant out to the kids, since they can see that the plant does look like it has spider legs.
More pretty flowers, probably from the Walled Garden.
Lotus Pond in the Walled Garden. There are lots of goldfish and frogs in here.
Final picture of the Walled Garden!
Front driveway of Westbury House.
Another shot of the American beech and the West Porch.
The interior of the house is decorated with antiques and art work.
I am also volunteering at the Bronx Zoo on Saturdays when I can and volunteering at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). I work full days at the Reptile House, helping to feed, water and care for the animals in their collection. The AMNH work is mostly stuff on the computer that I can do from home. The perks for volunteering are great! The only problem is that I have less free time than I would like. I am not blogging as much as I used to.
For example, I have been meaning to blog about something that happened in the beginning of September, and I haven't been able to do that until now! When my friend Carrie visited Pierre and I in New York City, we decided to see if we could get tickets to the Colbert Report. We waited in the standby line and got in, which was super exciting. I knew the schedule of the show, since I had gone to one taping earlier in the summer (I am not a stalker). I knew that before the show started, Stephen Colbert would come speak to the audience out of character. This was our chance to ask him questions. I was too shy to ask him the first time I went to the show, but I was ready to ask him something this time if I could.
When he came over to our section, I shot up my hand and he called on me! He said, "Yes, young lady?" And I said "What's your favorite dance move?" He said "This" and then he threw up one arm and kicked back one leg, and said "Now I've probably broken my spine demonstrating that to you". It was magnificent. Me and my crush connected. Communicated. Shared a moment together. And Carrie and Pierre were there to witness it! Carrie said I did a very good job asking my question =)
Last month I bought myself a stylish Stephen Colbert bookbag. Isn't it wicked cool?!?!
Today, my niece Malaya was held by the Future First Lady Michelle Obama! Here's the story: Nathan and Julia were attending a fundraiser for the Congressional Black Caucus where Michelle Obama was the keynote speaker. She was eloquent and inspirational. After her speech, she shook hands with some of the attendees. Michelle was slowly making her way down the line, and when she spotted Malaya, she yelled "Baby!" and then grabbed Malaya. The above picture is of her shouting and grabbing Malaya. Malaya is perfect and adorable, so you can understand how Mrs. Obama could not resist her =)
Everyone surrounding Michelle Obama started taking pictures of Malaya. You can see in the above picture all the cameras pointed at the two of them. I thought we were bad in all the pictures we take of Malaya!
Look at Malaya's cute little giraffe outfit.
All those flashbulbs upset little Malaya and she started crying. Then Michelle gave her back to Julia, but not until after Nathan and Julia took their own pictures of the two of them together.
