i heart NYC!!

OK, so our trip to the Big Apple was actually last summer but its worthy of a blog update since it was our first trip without the kids.... ever! In May of 2010, my cousin Annie married Conor in Salt Lake City. Sadly,  we weren't able to attend the wedding but since Conor is from NY, they had a second reception on the East coast later that summer. Conor and Annie bought a beautiful home in Brewster, NY, about 45 minutes from NYC, where Conor works as a firefighter for the NYFD in the Bronx. After months of planning, we booked airfare and hotel for August 5th through the 10th. To keep costs minimal, my sisters came along as well. The reception was so much fun, and I was able to see family that I haven't seen in years. My mom flew to Seattle to watch the girls while Jason and I took our much needed vacation. Our flight left Seattle around 11:00pm, we landed at JFK around 7am. We coordinated flights with Katie and Morgan, who arrived about 30 minutes before us, then we all hopped in a taxi to our hotel. After much consideration, we chose the Holiday Inn Express at Times Square. It was SO expensive at a whopping $1,305 total for 5 nights but was the cheapest we could find in Manhattan. Our location was perfect. We bought unlimited metro cards so that we could take the subway everywhere- unlimited also being good since we got lost a few times :). I used the navigation app on my phone and it got us around very well, even telling us which trains to take. I will note that I had ZERO cell reception in the subways so I had to remember to look at the directions list before going underground to see what stop we would be getting off at. NYC was having record- breaking heat while we were in town with temps soaring into the 100's, that mixed with the humidity made for almost unbearable heat, especially underground in the subway stations where it was over 115 degrees! We packed a lot in during the trip including; Serendipity, The World Trade Center site and museum, The Statue of Liberty, The Jekyll and Hyde Club, Times Square, Central Park, shopping on Canal St. in Chinatown, and getting lost in Queens- got on the subway heading in the wrong direction, oops, sorry! And since we were on somewhat of a budget, we ate ALOT of hotdogs and pizza!!! Here are some pics from the trip.

 

Officially a Daisy Girl Scout!!

Savannah had her Investiture Ceremony on Monday for Girl Scouts. She was so excited to get her pins! She did a great job and we are so very proud of her.

Seattle. The new Vegas.

When it comes to turning 24 that is. My sister Katie has celebrated many- a- birthday in Vegas but this year wanted to do something a little different. So a trip to Seattle was planned. Oh, and Morgan came too :)

They arrived on Friday the 18th and stayed until Tuesday the 22nd. It was a short trip but we sure packed a lot of fun in!

We began in Kirkland at Purple for a delicious bowl of soup, salad and sandwiches. Later that evening it was prime rib at The Keg Steakhouse in Lynnwood.

We got an early start on Saturday (Katie's birthday) and we decided to spend the day in Seattle. Our dad even booked us a hotel room for the evening. We decided on lunch at Blue Moon Burgers in Fremont near the troll. We couldn't find parking to take pics at the troll but Katie and Morgan were happy to see it for their first time. After we checked into the hotel, we rode the monorail from the Space Needle into downtown where we shopped and stopped for a minute to watch a protest for Libya. We hailed a cab back to our hotel for our ghost tour.

The Haunted Happenings Seattle ghost tour (operated by Private Eye Tours) was definitely the highlight of the trip. Our private tour began at 6pm and lasted three hours. Whether you are a believer in ghosts or are a skeptic, this tour is a must do for visitors and locals alike. It was packed full of Seattle history and spooky stories. We visited various locations of at least 15 ghost stories. All of which scared the crap out of us. But between myself and my sisters, we all agreed the story about the Wah Mee massacre in Seattle's Chinatown district was the scariest. We sensed something spooky and unexplainable while standing in the cold dark Maynard alley.
Here is a pic I found online at the site of the massacre. (it was too dark for us to take our own pics)

These doors have been chained up since the massacre happened in February 1983. No one has been inside since.

After the tour, we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner, then back to our hotel for drinks and a movie.

The last few days of my sisters visit were spent mostly at our house spending much needed time together. Savannah and Madelyn were so excited to see their aunties and were very sad when it was time for them to leave.

Happy Birthday Katie!

A day of love....

"I can hit two birds with one stone" as Jason would say about Valentine's day since it's our wedding anniversary as well. Today marks two years as husband and wife (even though I still accidentally call him my boyfriend sometimes) we have actually been together more than 8 years. Still madly in love, I look forward to many more anniversaries for years to come.

Sometimes the hardest part is getting started

When I was younger I wanted to be a nurse when I grew up. As I got older I became more undecided and never actually decided on anything. I got a job soon after high school and stayed there for 8 years until I was forced into unemployment. Thus making me wonder" "what the hell do I want to do for the rest of my life?". I still want to become a nurse and now is the time to get it started.

After being "promoted to custy" from Sprint, I have had plenty of time to think over these last few months. I made a goal and I put together a plan: School. Well that was the easy part. I missed winter quarter and am not sure I'm going to make spring quarter. I applied to and got accepted to the local community college. I submitted my FAFSA, and financial aid apps to the financial aide office. Before I can register, the final step is to take the placement exam. This I haven't been able to do. A huge reason why I haven't been able to is lack of a babysitter while I take the test. I can pay for on- campus daycare with my student loan while I'm in school (once I'm registered) but I can't find anyone babysit while I take a stupid test? After talking to my sister, she said to me that there will be many more bumps in the road while going to school and I can't let this be the reason I don't go. Brutal, but empowering. I suppose I can't quit if I haven't even started.

 

Ode to Abby....

Everyone remembers their first car. I remember my first 3 cars. (Maybe cause I've only had 3 cars??) Each were better than the last but all were loved just the same. So I wanted to share a pic of my Japanese princess...

2005 Acura TL W/ Navigation-- (I affectionately  call her Abby)

As much as I love my car, I want a new one, I need something bigger. I want to stay in the Acura family and I love the MDX. So this is on the top of my to- do list of when I start working again!

Luxury at its finest. Doesn't get any better than this...

Nothing in life is free

Today as I was folding laundry the doorbell rang. It was around 5pm so I assumed it was my friend coming to pick up her son, even though she usually knocks. A nice looking girl stood there saying they are in the area doing a free carpet cleaning. "One whole room free" and "don't worry, I'm not selling anything" was all she said. I said OK, sounds great! Next thing I know a gentleman came in with a few large boxes clearly marked "Kirby" on them. I knew right then and there I was suckered into a demo. I knew someone a long time ago that sold Rainbow vacuums with a very similar concept. ( An in-home demo of a product not sold in stores for a ridiculous $3,000!!). We hadn't had the carpets cleaned since we moved in so I thought; what the hey, I'll listen to the deal and in return have clean carpets in the living room. Sounds easy enough.
I had seen this routine before and as much as this Kirby vacuum did a really good job, there is just no way we can afford it- even with the financing they offered at $120 per month.
So, three hours later....

This is all the icky dust/sand/dirt/grime that the Kirby pulled from my carpet in my living room.

 I finally got this....

A clean carpet... That defiantly wasn't free. No, I didn't buy the vacuum but 3 hours of my precious time just isn't worth it. 

Moral of the story? It's time to buy a "No Soliciting" sign.