The Bug

How much can you fit into a VW Bug?

TuTu Skirt

Zip Lock Bag

OU Bag

Miniature Vacuum

Carsyn sure can pack it in there. If she had a mattress, she could have strapped that on the hood.

NYC Day 2

As previously mentioned, Day 1 and Day 2 were cram packed with activity.

After losing an hour of sleep to Daylight Savings Time, we were up very early for the Statue of Liberty.

Here were are waiting in the security line. Gotta keep that Lady safe.

 

Lucky us. We made it through security. Here is our crew of 5 on the ferry to Liberty Island.

 

Big Foot. I’m a little unsettled by it.

 

Here’s Emily being super classy ;-)

We all got to walk up inside the pedestal and see a really neat museum about the building of the statue and see examples of life size features.

 

Jenni looking as lovely as Lady Liberty.

 

After the Statue of Liberty, we ferried over to Ellis Island. Smashed on a boat like so many millions of people over the last several hundred years. Thankfully our passage was cheap and short in comparison. Bonus…No Medical Exam when I entered the great all above.

 

Here’s Misty being super teacher. Misty and Jenni were working on a documentary to take back to their students. Way dedicated.

 

Once we got back on the ‘main island’ AKA Manhattan, we grabbed lunch, walked by several churches and wandered are way to the World Trade Center site. Ground Zero.

 

Misty and I were there 4 years ago and they’ve made amazing progress. It was literally just a hole in the ground. Now there is the start of an amazing building.

 

After Ground Zero we crossed the river to Jersey. Hoboken. the Cake Boss’s bakery. The Cake Boss is a show on TLC about this crazy Italian family running a bakery.

What are these pictures you might ask? No cupcakes? No canolis? Why? Because all those people in line got there before us. A line that was over an hour and a half long.       

An hour and a half for some bakes goods.

Here is the end of the line.

Here I am at the end of the line. This is how I feel about waiting in line for almost 2 hours.

 

Our group decided to pass on Carlos’s Bakery and head over to Greenwich Village to Sweet Revenge. I heard about it on a Chase small business credit card commercial. I’m a geek like that. I hear about things on a commercial and I google them.

  

        Sweet Revenge was AWESOME. Loved the neighborhood and the little shop. It felt very NYC. Like we were locals. The place was super tiny.

It’s specialty is paring homemade fantabulous cupcakes with wine or beer. I know. I don’t drink wine or beer, but I was all on board for the experience.

Please take note of the pink cell phone next to super duper yummy peanut butter cupcake. That cell phone was superwoman all week long. Loved the internet, the Google maps, the subway maps, the trip it. Pink Cell phone Power!

After we all go a little pick me up from the Sweet Revenge stop, we headed to SoHo. Found some fancy boutiques (aka DASH), cool sidewalk vendors, and lots of locals. Loved SoHo and Greenwich Village. They were a nice contrast to the history and tourism of the Statue of Liberty.

 

Cupcakes for dinner wasn’t going to cut it for these girls. Nope. The three of us headed out to a local Irish Pub near the hotel. Tried about 6 different beers. Still don’t really like them. Nice memory though.

Holy Moly, that was a long day. You’re probably exhausted just reading this post. We were sure tired too, but New York City is an experience and we didn’t want to waste any minute.

NYC DAY 1

It’s time for a Girls Getaway!!

Misty and I along with our friends from high school headed out for New York City. No babies. No husbands. Just some good girlfriend time.

 

We found an awesome hotel, AKA Sutton Place. We shared a two bedroom suite. Shame on me for not snapping any pics, but I hit the ground running when I landed in NYC. I stole a few off their website.

There was a full kitchen and two full baths.

 

This bedroom is actually smaller than either one we had.

I highly recommend this hotel if your planning a visit with your family or a group of people!

 

We started in Central Park. Only covered 1/3 of it.

  We saw a cool castle built between 1869-1874. This is the meteorological station for NYC. When you hear that it’s 74 and rainy, this is where that data comes from. 

 

We took pictures. Felt skinny.

 

Here is our group(front:Misty, Emily, me. Back: Jenni and Ashley) with Lois. She was an amazing tour guide. Lois participates in the Big Apple Greeter program. A local volunteer shows tourist around one of their favorite neighborhoods. In our case it was Central Park. Lois is a rock star. She is 80 years old. Has been to 148 countries and walked around Central Park for 2 hours.

 

Here I am with Misty and Lois. Stuffing my face with a lunch on the go while walking through Central Park. So New York of me ;-)

 

After Central Park, we spent a little time getting lost on the subway. Seriously frustrated with the weekend schedule!

 

Our evening started in Times Square. Crossroads of the world.

This picture is in front of the Marriott Marque hotel. There is an awesome restaurant on top of the hotel. The restaurant rotates 360 degrees and gives you view of the entire city.

 

This was our very fancy dinner for the trip. Totally worth it. I had duck legs as an appetizer. Filet mignon for the main course and followed up with traditional New York style cheese cake. Loved the experience.

 

   So fortunate to be there at sunset.

 

Then we wrapped up the night with a Broadway show!

It’s Broadway, translation: Fantastic

I know I know. You’re just tired reading about all of it. I had been up since 4:45 EST. By the time we got back to the hotel at 11:30, I was passed tired. We packed ALOT into the first couple of days.

Happy Birthday Cason!

Sunday evening we went to Carsyn’s buddy, Cason’s birthday party. They will be able to say they knew each other in the womb. His parent’s Mike and Catherine are our friends. Catherine always puts together a great party. How fun are these treats?!?

Carsyn coloring with the birthday boy.

Carsyn was chilling out in the pool of balls. She had a great time. I was really worried. Mike is a student pastor at our church and there were a dozen youth there. Big kids. Carsyn is never around big kids. But it all worked fine. She was pretty much oblivious to them.

How sweet is her little hand?? The sun was too bright.

Carsyn with Cason and Jack.

This was a milestone moment for Carsyn. How is it that she is 2 an never attended a birthday party? It’s true though. This was her first. She was awesome. Didn’t snatch any presents or anything. That’s a good day.

Oklahoma

Carsyn spent part of Spring Break in Oklahoma with Granny and PaPa T because our babysitter, Brandy, took a few days off. So that means I drove up there to get her and spend some time with the fam during March Madness.

I’m trying to get a cut pic of Gage and me because we were matching. I had on white and grey stripes and he had on white and grey koala bears.

  His little old man face.

 

Finally got a good picture of me and I his eyes look great, but I think he was so over it.

 

 

Carsyn loves playing at Granny and Papa T’s house.

 

There is sidewalk chalk.

Checking the mail with PaPa T.

Sorting the rocks in the flower bed.

 

Then there is the park.

  Carsyn and Toby (my cousin Katie’s little boy) had a blast going up and down the slides.

 

  Gage and me again. Now were just like twinkies. Both wearing grey and white stripes. Again, Gage has no interest in posing in a picture with me.

 

Hi sweet Stormie Mae. This is my cousin Katie’s little girl.

 

Looks like Gage picked up the rock sorting skills from Carsyn.

 

 

Here is Carsyn on a big kid swing. She’s not a fan yet. She was on the verge of crying at this point. Don’t worry. I took a super quick pic and then picked her up.

Thanks for such a great time Granny and PaPa T.