why am i sad?

I heard on the news today that the famous Tavern of the Green in NYC is closing. It made me sad. Then i wondered, why am i sad? I've been to NY several times, and not once did i even try to find the Tavern, let alone try to dine there. (i'm sure it's out of my price range) So why do i care? Hmmmm...

If it's possible to miss your own birth date, i think i missed mine by about 50 years. Well, i love anything vintage, old, or retro and when i hear about an old landmark/kitschy tourist trap/historical building it make me sad because i can't experience it now. When i find vintage clothing at goodwill - i snatch it up (if it fits!). I mostly listen to recording artists that are dead - that sounds morbid. And i think movies are better in black & white. But when a "landmark" like the Tavern is closing, i can't do anything about it. But instead of staying in that "sad place", i looked up the history of the Tavern of the Green and found out that it has actually closed several times! But after some renovation, it always opens up to new life. So maybe one day i'll get my date at the Tavern :-)

Here's some of the history with pictures...

Built in 1870, the rural Victorian Gothic structure now known as Tavern on the Green was designed by Jacob Wrey Mould as a sheepfold. It housed 200 South Down sheep, which grazed across the street in Central Park's Sheep Meadow.

It served admirably in that capacity until 1934, when legendary Parks Commissioner Robert Moses decided the building had a higher calling - that of a restaurant. Moses banished the sheep to Brooklyn's Prospect Park and assigned their shepherd to the lion house in the Central Park Zoo.

The first incarnation of Tavern on the Green -- the restaurant -- was launched on October 20, 1934. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia opened the restaurant with a brass key and, in the company of a proud Moses, took a tour of the facility. After chatting with the chef and sampling a breakfast sausage, Fiorello and Moses pronounced their satisfaction with Central Park's newest attraction.

Embraced by New Yorkers as a gathering place and Tavern on the Green quickly became an integral part of the city's summer social life. From the late 1930s until 1943, it was the headquarters of the Civilian Patrol Corps, until it was taken over and renovated by the Claremont Inn to become a year-round restaurant. By the 1950s, Tavern on the Green was showing some wear and tear and the brilliant designer Raymond Loewy was engaged to renovate the building, yet again.

A succession of management companies operated the restaurant until 1962 when Restaurant Associates took it over. By the early '70s, Tavern on the Green was a restaurant no longer in sync with the times, and Restaurant Associates shuttered it in 1974.

Rather than signaling the end of an era, however, its closing was the beginning of an exciting new one for the tavern. Warner LeRoy acquired the lease and embarked upon a spectacular $10 million renovation. With LeRoy's addition of the glass enclosed Crystal and Terrace Rooms, his lavish use of brass, stained glass, etched mirrors, original paintings, antique prints and, above all, chandeliers, Tavern was reincarnated. It became a glittering palace, Central Park's most spectacular structure.

The reincarnated Tavern on the Green took New York by storm from the moment it re-opened on August 31, 1976. It dazzled the city with its decorative whimsy, its eclectic menu and its playfulness. Tavern, once so "out" that it had to close, was now very "in" indeed. Celebrities flocked to the restaurant to see and be seen.

Always a fantastic work in progress, Tavern on the Green underwent yet another renovation in 1988 to expand its popular Tavern Store, relocate the bar, and create the lovely Park Room and Garden.

Subsequently, the beautiful Crystal Garden overlooking the Sheep Meadow was remodeled to accommodate dancing during the summer months. And, in 1993, a celebrated "Menagerie of Topiaries", created by the Hollywood wizards who fashioned the fantastic greenery for the hit film 'Edward Scissorhands', took up residence in Tavern's gardens.

Since LeRoy's death in 2001, Tavern on the Green has continued to thrive under the direction of his daughter Jennifer LeRoy. She has also commissioned new hand-painted murals and installed additional antique treasures to dazzle the eye of the next generation of Tavern diners.

well, hmm...

Ok, so i want to start blogging again. I'm back from Switzerland and i'm in Texas doing... well, nothing. I've been asking God 'what's next' and He seems to be telling me to rest and wait. In other words, take a chill pill :-D I don't want to waste all of time so I'm painting some, doing a little reading and, hopefully, working here and there. So, I don't have a whole lot to write about but since I have the time, i would like to blog a little.

This afternoon i had a post already to go and Photobucket was giving me some issues with resizing my photos. hmm. I could either have really massive photos that wouldn't show up entirely on my blog, OR i could little-itty-bitty thumbnail-size photos. What's the deal yo? Then I tried resizing to photos in iPhoto and that didn't seem to do the trick either. Is it just operator problems? hm. I'm hoping to have this sorted soon. Until then, please don't hold your breath...

these are a few of my favorite things...

my (current) favorite pair of shoes... purchased in south africa at Mr. Price, for real, that's the name of the store...

my new "toy", yep, a nintendo DS, nice...

in south africa i told kathryn that i wanted a bag that said, "i heart samwise", so i made one myself...

i wear this shirt almost every other day, yeah, i'm a geek...


i LOVE this soundtrack, i really liked the movie too, but the soundtrack is awesome! i'm listening to it right now...

a freshly made bed; it just doesn't happen everyday...

she is me...

this is my newest painting. my inspiration was... me, somewhat... if you know me at all, you know how much i would love to be a lounge singer... night and day, you are the one, only you beneath the moon or under the sun. whether near to me or far, it's no matter baby, where you are, i think of you, night and day...

lone star..

I haven’t felt quite myself lately. I’ve been missing my friends, Amy, Heidi and Kathryn. I could be my goofy-old-self with them. it was easy. We were all goofy. We could watch zombie movies and laugh at them together. We could take goofy myspace pictures together. We could just hang out and have a good time. They all moved away at the beginning of the summer. Amy back to Ohio. Heidi and Kathryn to Washington (state). I knew that I would start really missing them about this time. You see, last year, all 3 of them were gone for the summer too. H & K were visiting family and Amy was working at a camp in MO. But everyone came back to New Haven by the fall. Well, this year they all left at the beginning of the summer and I knew that they weren’t coming back in the fall this time. But I knew that’s when I would REALLY start missing them. Well, I’ve notice that the last couple of weeks, I’ve felt a little off. With those girls, I would laugh to the point of crying, probably once a week! (which, by the way, is one of my favorite things to do!) I haven’t done that in a while. It’s been a while since I’ve watched a zombie movie; it’s not much fun by your self. Don’t get me wrong. I still have some good friends to hang out with. But it’s a little different now. My closest friend in New Haven is married. So it’s a different dynamic. I don’t go and buy a frozen pizza and ice cream and rent a cheesy zombie movie to spend the night with her. She’s allergic to dairy. Plus at the end of a work day, she may want to spend some time with her husband. Anyhoo, it’s just different. I guess I’m a little lonely and I’m definitely missing my good friends. I may see Amy by next month and I will be seeing Heidi and Kathryn in the early part of next year. I’m definitely looking forward to that.

p.s. as I went to bed last night, I was starting to feel a little better. Not so lonely.

A Day in the Life of... Kelly

Meet my new room-mates...

This is Olivia and Silas Harke. The first part of August we (YWAM staff) spent getting their family moved to their new house. The house was previously owned by YWAM but now is being bought by the Harke Family. The Harke’s are also on staff with YWAM. The house is still the dorm for the girl students of our (YWAM) current school. It’s nice to have a family in the house; it makes it feel like a home.

The month of August was quite the busy month. Besides moving the Harke’s, a wedding in New Hampshire and a trip to Vermont, I had a friend from Germany visit. Anne was a former student. The last time I had seen her was last summer. I dropped her off at the airport and I started crying as soon she left my sight. With all the students and staff that come and go through YWAM, it’s really hard to get close to everyone. There are those that you do get very close to and when they leave, you’re not sure when you may see them again. That was Anne. It was so VERY nice having her in my world again. Now it’s my turn to visit her!

Currently…
Our new DTS (Discipleship Training School) started two weeks ago. It’s a smaller group than we normally have, only 8. 4 guys and 4 dolls. My participation this school is a little different than the past. I have been a small group leader for the past 6 schools here and I have been a dorm mom for the past 3. I love being both. But it’s hard being both at the same time. When you are a small group leader you grow closer to your group, but that leaves the other girls in the house. So it’s an awkward position for the dorm mom to be in. It had already been decided that I would be the dorm mom again so I was hoping that some of the other female staff would want to lead the small groups so that I could step back and take a break. There was. So I’m just a dorm mom for this school, not including all the office work I do. :-)

Future plans...

Well, I will be working with the DTS until the end of the year. I will not be going with them on outreach because I have a different opportunity. I have been asked to join up with the team in South Africa for a few months to work with Ten Thousand Homes. www.TenThousandHomes.org It’s a not-for-profit organization that brings hope and homes to orphans affected by the AIDS pandemic in southern Africa. Many of you have heard of them through New Hope Christian Church or Jeremy and Jen Price. I worked with Jeremy and Jen in New Haven before they moved to South Africa. Jeremy had asked me back in May if I would consider coming for a few months to not only work with them but to paint as well. Paint what I see, paint what God shows me, paint to bring some of Africa back to the States. I was very intimidated at first. What if I go there and I don’t paint anything good? I haven’t had very much training, I’m mostly self-taught. But I’ve spent the last year learning how I have kept my talent, somewhat, hidden. It’s very embarrassing for me because I don’t feel adequate. God is slowing helping me grow in my confidence in the gifts that He has given me. I decided that this opportunity to go to South Africa was just the next step. I’m getting very excited now. I’ll have a chance to go to a country I’ve never been to, work with people that I know and love, and go with the purpose of painting how God reveals South Africa to me. It’s really too good to pass up! So, the plan is for me to go sometime in February of next year and I’m really looking forward to it. I am getting ready to raise funds and I would appreciate all your prayers!

I hope this newsletter finds you all well! I TRY to update my blog weekly so keep checking. Also, if you would like to be on my email list, please email me @ andimvanessa@hotmail.com As always, I GREATLY appreciate all of your support! I consider myself very lucky to have so many wonderful people in my world.

a little gift...

God is good. He knows that i wasn't having a great day. I've been looking for my address book for three days now. I'm trying to be a "good missionary" and send out my newsletter so everyone knows what going on in my world. That address book holds a LOT of addresses. So i was starting to feel a little stressed today. As i was getting ready this morning i noticed that i was running very low on my favorite Bath & Body Works Moonlight Path Body Splash. I use it everyday but i try to make it last because it's $10 a pop. That's kind of pricey for me. So i went to work(the Loft) and while i was there i started talking with a lady that lives in our community. She was on staff with us for a couple of months and she still drops by. At the end of our conversation, she mentioned that she had a bag full of lotions that she hadn't use and they were up for grabs. Well guess what i found in her bag? Bath & Body Works Moonlight Path Body Splash! woo-hoo! What a great little suprise from God! He knew i needed a little pick-me-up...

"kelly day"

Last Saturday, i decided to spend some time with me. Partly because everyone else was busy, or not intown. But partly because i like having 'alone time'. But that doesn't mean just hanging around the house, oh no. I got out and about. I took some pics so you could tag along!

Here's me starting out. Got my music and my backpack...

Well, it's Saturday so the first stop is a tag sale. I saw a shirt that i liked, but i didn't buy it. One of my favorite parts about "kelly day" is to see how little money i can spend. I know, i'm weird.

Then i stopped at Nica's Market. I already had a sandwich but i needed some 'chippies' and water. p.s. these chips are TASTY!

This is just a house i really like and i finally took a picture of it!

This is Audubon Street; one of my favorite streets in New Haven. There's a great coffee place, a sweet (but expensive) bead store, and the school where i took my painting classes, all on this one street!

Next stop: the New Haven Free Public Library!! Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite place in New Haven! I can "waste" a lot of time here.

Here's me in the art sertion. I spend most of my time there and the dvd section.

I found myself a couple of books...

After the library, i walked across the New Haven Green. They were getting ready for a concert that night. i think it was Patti Austin.

Another picture of the Green.

I just kind of like this part of the sidewalk...

Yes, it's the Bow Tie Criterion Theatre! i decided to go to the movies by myself. i've probably only done it 3 times in my entire life. it's not what i prefer but i had fun today. p.s. i also had a gift card for $5 so i got to see the movie for $2!

Here's me in the women's restroom. Ok, strange. But i liked the tile colors, though you can't really tell in this pic.

Do you think i'll find a seat?!

While waiting i decided to read some more of my book. Don't laugh, the book is WAY better than the movie!

Here's a pic i took on the way home. Kind of nice...

Another pic on the way home...

A pic of my slightly tired feet.

I had a friend's birthday and i was in charge of making the cake. So "kelly day" only ended up lasting till 4ish but that's cool. I'll make it up to myself later! :-)