Student Loans Paid OFF!!

Just had to share our good news!
Gabe and I have paid off our student loans...If you have seen us the last two years no doubt you have heard us say " Sorry we can't, student loans"....our friends here will tell you that we have livied pretty frugaly the last few years to get these out of the way!
It feels pretty good...
You may ask what we will be spending our money on now...The list is a bit to long though, JK, we need to put away some savings and fingers crossed we will be getting a dog this year! That depends on many things and we most likely will need to move in order to make it happen...Will keep you posted...
For those that have been praying for us THANKS!! and for those friends who have just come to our place to hang out instead of going out and spending money, THANKS for being patient!!

Christmas Glimpses....

What a fun Christmas season this has been! December was a whirlwind of things and we are a little shocked that 2008 is on our doorstep. We had some out of town company at the beginning of the month and then it seemed like one thing led to another and we found ourselves in MN to see family. Gabe's brother and sister-in-law (along with their three children) live in Rochester so we met Gabe's folks there this year. It was a really wonderful trip...
Some highlights...
1. Obviously seeing everyone...bc we are all spread out it seems we only get together once a year (if we are lucky!)
2. Playing with the kiddo's! Kate is 7, Quinn 4, and Paige 1 1/2...seeing Christmas through their eyes was almost magical.
3. Seeing Gabe round house kick a piece of ice...hmm, okay I didn't see it but I saw him hopping afterwards (Seth witnessed it, and I guess it wasn't so pretty). Gabe meant to kick the ice with his foot but guess he kicked it with his shin...a large bump and black and blue mark proved that it didn't' feel to nice!
4. Ice Skating with the ladies Friday night. Donia, Kate and I had a girls night! Kate was so fun to watch, she did a terrific job and was a such a champ when she fell! Donia and I were able to skate behind and catch up!
5.Cuddly-woosky...don't be scared, I tend to make up words for just Gabe and I and this came out...the kids kept saying "Aunt Meg lets cuddly woosky...so cute!! We would just cuddle on the couch while the boys played Wii
6. Wii- Gabe and I do not have one but the MN Rob's are professionals and taught us all their tricks. Gabe's favorite game was some crazy monkey ball game, and mine was the shooting at targets game.
7.Hearing Kate and Donia play the piano at church
8.Eating, there was lots of food and desserts...Donia is an amazing cook and we gained a good 10 pounds each!
9. Singing around the piano. Seth and Donia played Christmas carols and we sang along...I LOVE stuff like this! It was really a highlight for me!
10. Just all being together! Sue and Dave arrived on Sunday and we really just hung around the house and enjoyed being around each other!
Those weren't in order but just wanted to give you a little glimpse into a Robinson Christmas!
Here are a few pics to go along with them...
Donia and Kate









Christmas Morning!

Merry Christmas!

IT has been a while since we posted but the holidays seem to bring with it a little bit of craziness! Gabe and I are in Rochester MN to celebrate Christmas with the Robinson's! We are enjoying time with the kiddo's, yummy Christmas cookies, and catching up with the adults. We will post pictures once we are home.

Hope you are all having a very joyous holiday!

I'm going to bed....

Yes, it's only 9:09 on the dot and I am knackered! I am shocked I made it this long...
I thought I would post a quick one before I hit the bed, and hopefully Gabe will be back from his b-ball game by then!
So today I was actually looking forward to going into work, I knew I would be able to sit at my desk for hours and just work...to much running around this weekend, when work becomes relaxing we've got problems.

Friday night I babysat for someone that got my name off of Jen's mommy and me groups in LA. It was a really good night. I sat with a 10 month old in the most beautiful apartment overlooking central park. The little girl was so good and I enjoyed being with a little one. What I didn't enjoy was the hour and a half it took me to get back to Brooklyn at 1 in the morning. Note to self, next job will require transportation expenses. I could have easily taken a car home but it would have cost me what I just made~ babysitting in NYC isn't as easy as babysitting in the suburbs with a car.

We woke up Sat. morning and went right out. We were looking at an apt. in the cool part of the neighborhood. It was a bit more money but it was dog friendly (Gabe and I are aiming at getting one by our 4th wedding anniversary in March). It was also in a Brownstone and right across the street from one of our closest friends....BUT the apt. was smaller then where we are now. We had gone for bagels before we met the broker and then she was late so we stopped for coffee closer to the place. Afterwards we met our friend and got muffins and more coffee....I was on a sugar high and Gabe was just about right!
We then ran home, showered, and left to meet our friend in the city....We were really dumb and thought it would be a good idea to go see the Christmas windows and all the lights...Ya' seen that we all work in the city and pass Rockefeller daily not sure why we threw ourselves into the throngs of mad tourists... We left pretty quickly not before we ran into Bergdorfs so I could use the restroom (what a crazy store- do people actually spend $300 on a tie?)

Bethany and I in front of Bloomingdales

Gabe and Bethany in Dylans candy shop!



We went to our churches coffee shop bc a few bands were performing, it was pretty chill and we had a good time but Luigi's (PIZZA) called so we headed home...Bethany still in tow (what a trooper, coming from Queens- the land of tree-less-ness). J joined us and we just talked and by 11:30 he house was empty and we were in bed...you guys keeping track of this girls bed times...I know I am almost 26 but by Sunday morning I was a walking zombie, and life didn't slow down.
It snowed during the night so we were all excited but unfortunately did not have time to play in it! We ran to church and then afterwards Gabe went to the laundry mat and I went to the grocery store...hmmm, walking home 20 blocks in the snow with my granny cart- that was a sight and at one point I needed to ask a stranger to give me a push bc I couldn't get up the little incline after crossing the street;)
We unloaded the groceries, folded the clothes, laid down for 30 minutes, woke up and ran back out the door!
We were off to the Golden Compass premiere...but that will have to be next posting...this girl's head is getting heavy!

Thanksgiving celebrations....

Because we stayed in NYC this year for Thanksgiving, the day was spent at the parade and then hanging with our friends. We decided we wanted to go out to eat so we could enjoy the rest of the day just relaxing. I felt like such an adult going out to eat on Thanksgiving. We all met at the restaurant and had a traditional thanksgiving meal.

The weather was so nice that after the meal we went home to get more comfy and then headed to the cemetery to see the beautiful fall leaves. That may sound strange but we live right next to a huge cemetery that is pretty amazing, we go for walks here often.
We were a little silly so hope this doesn't offend anyone...if so please don't look at the pics~

Here is the gang...J and K with us.





Air guitar....


The leaves changed so much later this year. The colors are so amazing!

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

We weren't sure we wanted to brave the parade this year bc we know it is kinda crazy with thousands of people trying to get the best view. When we woke up at 7:15 Thursday morning and the sun was shining we thought -- What the heck, we live close enough to go for an hour and head home!...
And we are both glad we went. Gabe and I both don't tolerate people pushing on you for to long so we did head home after an hour but it was a fun experience. Those that brought kids sure had a fun experience too. We have some funny stories about the parade but as lazy bloggers you will have to give us a call and ask;)But none of the stories involve Gabe and I yelling at people so you can be proud.

Here are a few shots of the balloons, bands, and floats....


That's Dolly Parton!


Everywhere we looked there where clowns...It made the clown lover in this family very happy;)


JOJO! If you don't know who that is, join the club! The kids sure went crazy over him though.




Miss USA...


US!

Gobble Gobble Turkey, Gobble Gobble turkey...

If you sing this to the tune of the William Tell overture you have just heard the song that Gabe and I taught the kids in nursery last week. When we went to sing songs about thanksgiving Gabe and I realized we didn't know any so I whipped this out and Gabe started dancing around with the kids. Glad none of the parents were there bc they may have thought we lost our minds, I love that kids give you the excuse to act totally silly! I guess Gabe and I never really need an excuse do we?

We started this holiday by going to the upper West side to see the balloons for the Macy's parade being blown up. Even though we got there at 4, it seemed that they were already blown up so we just walked around and looked at the balloons. The weather was perfect and it was a nice afternoon bc we both got out of work early and just strolled around.



HA! Can you hear me saying "Come on Gabe, for the blog!"

Great Food, Great Friends, and one Great city!

I apologize, I have become a very slack blogger! I am one who likes to check other peoples blogs for daily updates and yet, I only update once a month!
Here is what our life has looked like the past two weeks...
Last Saturday night our bible study got together for a great meal and some fellowship. Gabe and I have felt really blessed by this group. We are reading a book on prayer and each week we leave challenged and encouraged.The pics of the whole group came out blurry so here are a few shots of the gang.







Then Sunday our church had a pot luck! This is our table right after we stuffed our faces! What a fun time of year....we can eat all we want and never feel sorry about it (until my pants feel a little tight!)

Marathon Madness!

The family chilling after we made them stand outside for a few hours cheering on strangers! My dad, step-mom and Katie were in town to visit...we had a really nice time!

Oliver cheesing for Uncle Gabe....he sure loves Uncle Gabe, aka: Scary Monster...


Gabe and I get into watching the marathon each year...Next year we are going to have a little marathon party! We cheered on Paula Radcliffe who won it for the ladies but not sure if we spotted Lance or Katie Holmes...We watched for over two hours!


Katie and my dad checking it out! Katie almost lost her voice she was yelling so loudly!

Halloween Fun...

Well it has been a while since we have last bloggged, we have been super busy but nothing really worth sharing and we surely haven't taken many pictures. This past weekend was the beginning (and end) to our Halloween fun.

Friday night I worked one of my disco's and brought Gabe along for the first time. We were having our Halloween party and a haunted house. We danced for a few minutes but we were in charge of bringing folks through the haunted house...now this wasn't the scariest thing (especially bc my job was trying to narrate as we walked around...can you hear me saying "This was our last victim if you aren't careful you may become one of them") but they really got into it!
Here is a picture of them while they were announcing the winners of the costume party...There are some pretty good ones!





Then Saturday night we went over to some friends and are lots of candy!!
Here are a few pics of our costumes....We have some creative friends...If you can guess what Gabe's full costume is you win a prize!
(Ok no prize but Gabe will sure be proud of you!)

Misc. things over the last few weeks~

Our good friends from church are leaving NYC. That is one of the hard things about living here. It seems that everyone is on a 5 year plan. They are going to DC so it gives us a great place to visit but we will really miss them!

Taryn and Meg



Goodbye lunch for Patrick and Taryn!


Gabe and Oliver swimming in our apartment:)


Gabe and oliver playing ball at their home away from home....


This picture is of some random girls on the train enjoying their candy from China Town. This poor kid at the end (he is the guy in the white hat)got on the train and stole one of the little girls seats. For the rest of the ride I just sat and watched as the girls stared at him and giggled.
I enjoy the simple things!

Guess who lives across the RIVER?

Sunday afternoon Gabe and I went to the Village and stopped at a Whole foods grocery store. Guess who we ran into?


Yup, that is my nephew Oliver! Andy, Jen, and Ollie are going to be living in the city for the next two 1/2 months. We are pretty darn excited about that....

Gabe and Oliver! The third person is an innocent shopper.

Apple Picking and whatnot~

Well I have been pretty slack lately but I guess by the time I get home from work the last thing I want to do is sit at the computer....We have been pretty busy and this weekend isn't any different. Can't complain though bc we have enjoyed all the things that keep us busy!

Last Saturday a group from our Church went apple picking. We went to Princeton NJ (what a lovely snobby little town). When you live here, without a car, it is a really big treat to escape to SUBURBAN HOOD for a while. It took about 2 hours to get there and it was a nice, scenic route. Our friends had just gotten back from India the day before so it was cool to hear all about there trip.

Once we got there it was just a free for all....We went with our buddies and leisurely walked around and ate the apples before deciding if we wanted to pick them to bring home. Gabe ate a million apples and in each picture had an apple in his hand. Our friend, Bryan, was getting sick of actually eating them so he would take a bite, taste it, and spit it out....he would then pass the apple around so we could all taste it. Crystal and I would just steal a few bites here and there. We picked a ton of apples (about 10 pounds;). When our other friends Andrea and Aubrey joined us trouble began. Aubry attracts the bee's....Gabe and Andrea both almost ate one as they opened there mouth for a big bite of apple and noticed the bee flying towards them. We all escaped unharmed though!

We then went to the farm and had apple cider doughnuts, went through a corn maize, pet a horse, saw a gross dog (Gabe pet him before he saw the nastiness on the dog- sorry no pics of that) And then made our way home....
It was a really good day! And again so nice to be out in the country.

Here is Gabe, Bryan, and Crystal.....the first taste test,


More of the gang, Gabe's apples is hiding behind someones back.


US!


Can you spot our friend Will in the maize?


Crystal and I in the pumpkin patch!