Tag: travel

New York, New York
I don’t know why I thought I would have free internet access in my hotel in New York City this past week, because everything there is a million dollars excluding hot dogs on the street. I originally wanted to update you day by day about this long anticipated vacation, but instead you’re getting this brief recap.

Day One – Monday

We were out of the door by 5:30 a.m. that morning, but by the time we were checked in and settled in our hotel it was 3:00 p.m. We stayed in the Marriott Marquis, which is in the center of Times Square: convenient, but a very expensive area. We ventured out into the giant mass of tourists and I took a direct line to H&M, the awesomely trendy yet surprisingly affordable clothing store which doesn’t have a branch in Texas and doesn’t support online shopping. (Do you hear me, H&M people? There is a huge untapped market down here that I strongly suggest you take advantage of.) Anyway, since I literally shop for clothes maybe twice a year, David let me kind of go crazy. It was quite fun.

Times Square

Afterward we ate some pizza and decided to take it easy since traveling had kind of worn us out. We spent the rest of the evening in the hotel watching Dancing With the Stars and the NCAA basketball championship. We’re crazy like that.

Day Two – Tuesday

Since we had such a limited amount of time in NYC, we decided to do something completely touristy and kind of embarrassing, which was take a bus tour. It wasn’t cheap, but I have to say it was money well spent. Aside from the fact that our guide was a lifelong chain smoker who sounded like she probably has active throat cancer and we had to listen to her for five hours straight, it was an extremely enjoyable experience. There is no way we would have been able to see everything on our own. We saw too many sights to mention while riding the bus, but we stopped at the following places:
- Ground Zero
- NY Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, & Wall Street
- Trinity Church
- South Street Seaport
- Rockefeller Center
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral
- Madison Square Park
- Flatiron Building
- Empire State Building
- Dakota Apartments & Strawberry Fields
- Statue of Liberty (from a boat)
The gates of the Dakota Apartments, and the site of John Lennon's shooting. Yoko Ono still lives here.

A section of Central Park memorializing John Lennon.

These creepy statues were all over the place, mostly on top of buildings, as part of an art exhibit.

The South Street Seaport with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background

My very first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty!

On the boat in front of the Statue of Liberty.

Ground Zero. Just a construction site at the moment.

That night we had the best seats in the house (a Christmas gift from David & my brothers) to Billy Elliot, which won a Tony for best musical in 2009. I loved every minute of it, except for the old man behind us who found the need to loudly smack his gum. My wonderful husband put an end to that by politely informing an usher that we were being disturbed. After David saw how much I loved the show, he told me that we could see one every night. He may not admit it, but I’m beginning to suspect that he enjoys musicals as well. :)

Day Three – Wednesday

This was the only really “free” day we had to do whatever we wanted. We decided to take a Subway down to Greenwich Village, and it was definitely the right choice. I was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic in Times Square, and up until that point I thought that there was no way I could live in Manhattan. Greenwich Village, however, is adorable. I think I could spend a few weeks there just exploring all the little shops, cafes, and historical spots.

Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.

Site of the famed Stonewall Inn.

The best pizza ever at John's on Bleecker Street.

That night we decided to see Promises, Promises, a 1960’s revival based on the movie The Apartment. It was cute and had two big stars in it: Sean Hayes (from “Will & Grace”) and Kristin Chenoweth (who was in the original Broadway cast of Wicked). It was funny, sweet, and even David really liked it!

Day Four – Thursday

This was the day that David had classes for work all day, so I just stayed in the hotel and relaxed. I can’t say that I regret it, because I really needed a break. I read a LOT, watched a movie, took a nap, and repeated the process. After David’s classes we went outside to walk around for a bit and got our tickets to the last show we’d be able to see. After much deliberation, we decided to see The Phantom of the Opera even though the tickets weren’t cheap and I had already seen it twice before. David really wanted to see it and I wanted to share the experience with him. It ended up being his favorite so I’m glad we spent the money.

Day Five – Friday

David had more classes in the morning while I packed us up. Although our plane didn’t leave until the evening, with travel time and preparations we didn’t have a lot of extra time. I didn’t want to leave New York without at least seeing a little bit of Central Park though, so I dragged David through the southern end.

Central Park

Can I have this tree in my yard, please?

Returning Home

I have to say that I was pretty depressed on Friday to be leaving, but I always get that way at the end of vacation. There was so much to see and do that we didn’t have time for, although I think we did a lot for the time we had. WHEN I go back I want to see more of Central Park, visit all the amazing museums, and go to the top of Rockefeller Center for starters.

Over the weekend I was busy cleaning, organizing, running errands, and getting ready for the week. It feels good to be back home with our dogs and our own bed, although I’m not ready to be back at work yet! I’ll just have to look forward to our next vacation. :)
April 12, 2010
new things

There have been a lot of exciting things happening around here. Finally I get to share them with you!

First of all, if you’ll take a minute to click through, you’ll notice my new design. There are still a few odds and ends to clean up here and there, but it’s basically done. I absolutely love it, and I hope you do too. Thanks to my brother for doing all the leg work, and so much faster than I expected!

Now on to the other stuff…

My husband is going to a conference in New York City in April, and for my birthday my in-laws got me a plane ticket to accompany him. My parents got me the guidebook plus some cash to spend while there, and my husband pooled together with my brothers to buy us house seating to Billy Elliott on Broadway. Those tickets aren’t available to the public, and we only got them because of my brother’s theatre connections. I am SO excited.

Meet Oliver, our new puppy. Yes, puppy. He is only about seven months old and is already a hundred pounds (& growing). He has a limp, but it doesn’t seem to slow him down much. We’ve already bid a fond farewell to two pairs of shoes, a dog bed, and cleaned up several smelly presents. Thank God for the crate. Oliver’s not yet neutered, a situation that we intend to rectify as soon as possible, so we can’t leave him around our other dogs for too long because he’s way too alpha.

Despite the difficulties of wrangling three dogs around the house, one of them an enormous puppy, we love it. Oliver is soft, sweet, and one day he’ll make an excellent cuddler – when he learns that people’s arms aren’t chew toys.

On Sunday after church I dragged my husband and my mom to three different dealerships all across town before we finally found one that was open. When I told the salesman I was interested in a Prius, he immediately had me test drive a new one. I admit that I was swayed by the bells and whistles it offered, but in the end it cost $11,000 more than a used car. I found this 2005 model with only 26,000 miles and we got an amazing interest rate, free warranty, AND they’re installing an mp3 connection for free – because I HAVE to be able to plug in my iPhone.

When I was driving it home from the dealership I was so excited and preoccupied that I turned the wrong way on the Interstate and didn’t notice for about thirty minutes. I was almost to Huntsville (which is about 1.5 hours away from my home) by the time I turned around. Good thing I get great gas mileage now! Seriously though, I love this car. It makes my life a million times easier.

I’m having a great week. How about you?

February 10, 2010
#57. Take David To Tabor’s Homecoming

In case you didn’t know, before I became a nurse I graduated with a BA in youth ministry and philosophy from a small school in Kansas called Tabor College. Now when I say it’s a small school, I mean small. Smaller than your small school. Like, 500 people small. And the town? 3000 people, no stoplight. A rotating selection of restaurants that can never stay in business long. In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farmland. In other words, a lot different than Houston.

My experience at Tabor was amazing, and it really shaped me as a person. Not to mention a couple of my very best friends still live in the area. When I tell people that I go to my college homecoming every year, they are kind of confused. But since the school was so small, I pretty much knew everyone, and it’s the perfect excuse to visit friends. I didn’t get to go last year because I was a little busy getting married, but this year I wanted to take David so he can understand a little more of why I am who I am.

I forgot my camera, so I only took a few token pictures with my iPhone. We stayed with my best friend Becca, her husband Micah, and their one-year-old boy Eli, who is adorable.

We watched Tabor get their butts kicked in football, 79-6, but at least it was in a brand new stadium.

Did I mention that it was COLD? I promise I checked the weather before we left, and I saw 40’s. I was forgetting that Kansas is a very windy place, not to mention that hello? Forty degrees is very cold in the first place! All I packed was a heavy sweater, so I had to bum extra gear off Becca. And David? Well, I’ll show you how he coped:

That’s Becca’s hat, a wool blanket, and a blanket/poncho combo. In his words, “I haven’t been this cold in years.”

We spent most of our time just socializing, and it was lovely. Staying with Becca inspired me in so many ways, and I’ll share those things with you soon. But for now, one more item checked off the list!

October 12, 2009
San Antonio, The Rest Of The Story

So anyway, I kind of got carried away with the penguins there, but David and I actually did do other things in San Antonio other than obsess over sea animals.

We stayed in this lovely bed and breakfast, the King William Manor, which I highly recommend to anyone:

I can’t tell you enough how much I loved staying in a bed and breakfast instead of a hotel. I feel like I can’t go back now! I loved how homey it felt. I loved having a host. I loved that each room was unique. I loved being served breakfast in the morning at whatever time I asked. It was just adorable.

On our one full day in San Antonio we spent a lot of time walking around downtown and the Riverwalk. We put a lot more miles on the pedometer, and were so exhausted that we spent the late afternoon relaxing in our room, taking naps, reading, and watching football. Then we headed back out in the evening.

Dorky picture in front of the Alamo.

Apparently San Antonio is one of the most haunted cities in America, so we went on this thing called a ghost tour. Our tour guide led us around to different places in downtown and told us about the creepy things that happened there and the rumors of hauntings. We were also encouraged to hunt for ghosts on our own. We even got ghost hunting equipment.

Yes, I mean real equipment. That rod in my left hand is a dowsing rod. This thing is freaky. You can hold it in your hand and ask it to point to something, AND IT WILL. At first I thought our tour guide was just some sort of magician. But no. We each got to use one, and IT IS FOR REAL. I even asked it to spin in circles, and it did so, OF ITS OWN VOLITION. The tour guide says it responds to energy, including mental energy. So when we concentrated it would do what we asked, and then as soon as we let the thought slip from our minds it went back to the center. Crazy, I tell you!

After sadly checking out of our B&B on Sunday, we stopped at the Natural Bridge Caverns on our way home to explore some caves. Once again we were suckered into buying the picture they took of us.

The trip was a complete success. We had a blast. (And on an unrelated note, our new budget begins next month.)

October 6, 2009
#55. Change Passport to Married Name.

Another easy goal out of the way! All I had to do for this one was shell out the $75 fee and get my paperwork together. It required me to mail in my old passport, and while I was not sorry to see that horrible picture go I was sorry to part with all the stamps I had acquired:

Three examples: France, England, Ireland.

Just the other day I got my new passport in the mail. All clean and blank and empty, full of potential. David has never been out of the country so I hope to take him one day.

Oh, and they also mailed me my old passport back. :)

July 4, 2009