this is for Tate

Today is Chick Fil A's "Cow Appreciation Day" and as a special promo they were giving out free chicken sandwiches in various locations in New York. After much deliberation, I braved the heat, followed the cows, and landed a nice (and FREE) lunch...

Let me assure you, it was madness. New Yorkers love Chick Fil A. Shortly before 11 AM, I heard screaming and yelling outside and looked out my window to find this: a bus full of Chick Fil A cows.

Then when I made it to the spot where they were passing out sandwiches at noon, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have my very own picture taken with the cow. Being the 24-year-old "adult" that I sometimes think I am, I hesitated and decided that I didn't really need a picture with the cow. But then I thought of the disappointment on Tate's face if I had opted out and the pure glee and elation he would have when he looked at this picture. Obviously, I chose the latter!

a week at the beach

It's been almost two weeks since I got back from Florida, but better late than never with the pictures, I suppose. The water was beautiful! Actually, it was more beautiful and pleasant than it's been in probably the last three years. We had a fantastic time!!!

All the kiddos.
The annual jumping pic! We actually had more than one successful shot this time.

Abbey's getting better, but she still has her moments where the thought of "Aunt Perryn" is too dreadful to bear.

Until we meet again, white sandy beaches and beautiful ocean waves, I will miss you.

what it's like in NYC today:

In case you were wondering. And, yes, that was at 10 AM.

[via The Today Show twitter page]

farewell

It's never easy...

But, at least, I'm back in the Apple, even after a long day of traveling with delayed flights, sitting on runways, running through the airport to catch a connecting flight and a 100+ degree apartment to greet me upon my return. Whether I like it or not, I'm back.

happy fourth of july!

I hope yours was as good as mine! It's my last day in the South, so I'm packing my bags and headed back to the big city (somewhat begrudgingly...). I shot "fiewuks" with Mayce, McKay, and Tate today and feasted on delicious grilled food yesterday for the 4th, so at least my tenure is ending happily with nice memories of a wonderful holiday spent with my parents, grandparents and oldest brother's family. Thanks to all our veterans who keep us free!

july?

this quote is so fitting, where is this year going?!

How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?

-Dr. Seuss

little fish

As I'm trying to sift through 700+ pictures from my time at home, and more specifically the family beach trip, and decide which ones will make it to the blog, I thought you might enjoy this video of the littlest Pettus showing off his "simming" skills!

And although, he pretends not to know who I am, if you listen very closely you will hear him say "Pewyn" after he turns around...

my kind of pear

rainbow + pear = happy perryn.

[found here.]

beautiful city

If I didn't love New York City so much, I would surely move to a place like this. This is a community in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil where the community was commissioned to help beautify the neighborhood by transforming the facade of 34 houses into a colorful art project to create pride and ownership for the residents. They were given a small salary and an education during the process of turning their neighborhood into a beautiful, bright, cheery rainbow! I love it.

[Found here via Suwatch. Thanks!]

only in New York,

will you find a weenie dog walking in the park wearing a hat and sunglasses! Notice, if you will, the onlookers gazing in astonishment in the background.

[Thanks for the picture, Pamcakes.]

sad, I missed this last sunday:

Kyo's 27th Birthday party, with some of my best friends, good food at Calle Ocho, and Maggie's cake-baking. But, HAPPY BIRTHDAY anyway, Kyo!!

[Thanks for sharing the pics, Maggie!]

fabuloso dress-o

I don't speak Italian at all, and I only speak a teeny bit of Spanish so I'm sure the title of this post is insanely butchered, (Anyone who wants to help- Anna? LA?- feel free to leave a comment...) but the main idea stands: this dress is completely beautiful and fabulous! And something that I would have possibly stolen from the museum had I seen it in person.

Anna sent me this picture from her travels abroad in Italy this summer. She said this is from the Roberto Capucci Museum in Florence. Until I can get there one day and see it with my own eyes, I'm going to be on the hunt for about a million different color silk fabrics to make my own version...

big apple bbq fest

4 years and counting. That's how long I've been going to the Big Apple BBQ Festival in NYC. Katherine, Pamela, LA and I sealed the deal on our friendship in the summer of 2007 when we went to the festival for the first time together. We were four southern girls in the Big Apple and we missed pulled pork sandwiches and sweet tea. Now, I plan weeks in advance to make sure I don't miss this event and drag all my northern friends to Madison Square Park with me.

Brendan's two attempts (above and below) at capturing an artistic photo. We were also trying to portray how much we missed our 4th BBQ-goer, Katherine.

photobooth on the beach

This is just a glimpse of the fun I'm having this week! Tate and I had our very own photobooth session on the beach today. And, he got surprisingly into the "shoot" and kept asking to take more and more pictures...

garage

If you're looking for a great restaurant in NYC, you should try Garage in Greenwich Village. Brendan took me here for dinner last week before I left the city and it was amazing! It had a great menu and nice atmosphere, and the best part was that there was a live jazz band playing the whole time. Nothing too loud or overwhelming, though, which made it enjoyable (I'm not a fan of having to scream to each other across the table at dinner). I also loved the design of the restaurant which had a slightly rustic feel while also being homey and comfortable. If you find yourself in this neighborhood and hungry, I give it a thumbs up!

tate's new best friend

Tate: Caow! Caow! [pronounced Cay-ow] I wuv you Caow.

Cow: [Silence]

Tate: Caow, come 'ere. Come 'ere. Hey Grampaw, 'ere's Caow.

Grampaw: Hey Cow. Gimme Five.

Cow: [Gives Five, Silence]

Tate: Kiss!

Cow: [Bends over to receive kiss, Silence]

Tate: I really wuv you caow.

belay on

I won't lie. I was pretty nervous as I walked into the climbing gym. Especially when Marco, our instructor, told us that we should get at least one size smaller shoe size than we normally wear because the shoes should be uncomfortable and our toes should curl at the end. If I'm climbing high into the air, shouldn't my feet at least be free from misery? Somehow, though, Margaret and I survived and actually loved our rock climbing excursion!

I had a little trouble remembering how to tie the double-figure 8 knot. Luckily, I fixed that before I belayed on...

magic garden

Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven in parables so that it will become more real to us and we can grasp it in our own terms: how we see beauty, wonder, splendor, and treasures since that is what Heaven will be. [Here are a few examples: Matthew 13:31, Matthew 13:44, Matthew 20:1] This is what I think heaven will look like for me:

The Magic Garden is an outdoor garden-like-house-structure with tunnels and grottos that is completely covered in mosaics. Walls, ceilings, floors- all mosaics with beautiful glass, tiles, bottles and other pieces of recycled material. Isaiah Zagar began this as an art project in a vacant lot in 1994. He completed it after 14 years of working on the installation, where it is now a beautiful work of art for residents of the neighborhood and visitors to enjoy. In 2002, when the lot was supposed to be sold to construct a parking garage, the residents of the community raised $300,000 to buy the lot and preserve the beautiful art! I'm glad they did.

i finally saw it!

The first time that I visited Philly, I had one request: to see the Liberty Bell. But as we hopped on the train that night to head back to Manhattan, the one thing we hadn't seen was the Liberty Bell.

That changed with this trip. We walked right in with no line, no problems and snapped a few front row pics:

A few pictures of the beautiful Independence Hall, where the first US Capitol was located.

Although I saw it on the first visit, I couldn't pass by the original LOVE sign:

A beautiful sunset from the bus window to end a fabulous weekend.

"where chili pepper lights meet christmas tree lights"

Lights of every kind.

Christmas. Red Hot Chili Pepper. Little basketballs.

Hanging down 2 feet from the ceiling.

Mirrors on the wall.

That is Panna 2.

I convinced Brendan and Allison to go to dinner there with me.

because I love this place so much.

And believe me.

It's well worth fighting through claustrophobia to enjoy a cheap Indian meal.

It's my favorite.

Just ask one of these two.