Update.... NYC through Penn

Whoo.... s'been a while.

Rest of New York: Highlight - spending a couple hours talking to a Hare Krishna monk. Awesome guy, and I hope I run into him again some day.

Pennsylvania: Wow, I'd forgotten how awesome my extended family was. I had an absolutely fantastic week catching up with Aunts and Uncles and cousins. I spent most of my time with my uncle Dan and aunt Mim in suburban Lancaster, a couple days with my aunt Lois and uncle Tom - who brews his own beer. I biked through beautiful farmland, startled a couple cows, ate the best pretzel of my life, hiked up a small mountain, spent more time with a house cat than ever before, volunteered for the Obama campaign, saw the church my grandpa preached at, saw the motel my grandpa built, watched a ballet, and visited a life size model of a wilderness tabernacle.

I also really felt part of a bloodline. Everyone I met out there told me I looked just like a Wert - and everyone compared me to my cousin Doug. I also got to see my cousins Doug, Cindy and Heidi - it's been years and years since I've seen any of them. I sat down and chatted with Cindy for an hour... I don't think I've ever spent that sort of one on one time with her before.

I also got to meet Heidi's kids. One for the first time, the other for the first time since she was... only a couple months old, I think... Maybe a year...

All in all, it was an amazing week. NYC was fun and memorable... this was family, and important.