Happy Love Day!

This is the first year since Brandon and I have been married that I didn't bake the over sized heart cookies on Valentines Day. It just didn't work out this year with a busy day helping out with joy school, and juggling plenty of other things. It was still a fun day. Tay had her Joy School valentines party which she was super happy about. Lots of sugar, smiles, and love.

Positive Power

Teagan got positive power last Friday at school. She's been waiting patiently all year and was very excited to have it be her turn. She said she had been working extra hard in class to pay attention and do what she was asked, and it showed with a 100 percent on her first spelling test and receiving positive power. Way to go Teagan!

NYC

My sweet friend Tessa treated me to a trip to New York. She spoiled me rotten! Bought my ticket, hotel, all taxi and tour cost, food, and shows. It was a great time. We got to see Broadway Spider man which was an awesome show. We sat front row in the Broadway show Stomp which was crazy good, and then caught a live comedy show one night. All the food was super yummy. The shopping was endless. The sites were so neat to see. We saw Ground Zero, The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, went to the Top of The Rock, went to the pier, and Soho. We walked a TON, but also took Cabs, and the Subway which were experiences in themselves! The people in New York are so busy, they don't say excuse me, they go around honking and driving like madmen to get to where they are going. I honestly was in fear for my life with our one cab! Our hotel was the Sheraton a block down from Times Square, we were on the 31st floor. By the time we got there every night there was enough energy left in us for Roxi's Cheesecake (my new favorite dessert from NY), and then lights out feeling our exhausted bodies sink into deep sleep. It was my first trip without the girls, Brandon was nice enough to take off work Thursday and Friday and was obviously home with them Saturday and Sunday, and they all survived!

I am so grateful for Tessa. She is a light in my life and such a dear friend. What a great friend to share such a great trip and experience I will always cherish!

PS. I'm a bit bummed I didn't have my big camera, there was a lot more I would have photographed, but I'm also glad I didn't have to worry about having it on me all the time too!

9/11 Monuments and Ground Zero

We went to Ground Zero on Sunday. It was a very humbling sight to see. The monuments themselves where very very simple, but neat in the same way. The museum isn't open yet. But there was a small visitor center/gift shop, that's were the motorcycle picture was taken, the place was so crowded I couldn't take a few steps back to get a good picture! There is also a picture here of the Fire Station that was just a block or so away from it where most of them ended up dying trying to save lives. There was pictures of some of the fireman on the wall with notes from their families, some of them noting when their bodies were actually found months later. The fence with the tiles is actually a ways away but is a tribute to those lives lost. I'm really glad I got to see this piece of our history that changed our lives here in America forever.

Statue Of Liberty & Ellis Island

We took the fairy to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Since the Statue of Liberty was closed and you could only go to the base, we decided to spend our time at Ellis Island. It was really neat, I learned a lot I didn't know about its history and there was a lot of neat things inside to see. The one picture is the hall that over 5,000 people would wait in with all their earthly possessions waiting to be "processed". Lots of heartache happened there and a lot of dreams come true as well for people in those days.

Shopping NYC

Since I was a little girl I've dreamed about shopping in New York City. And it definitely was more than I had ever imagined! So many BEAUTIFUL stores. Lots of super crazy expensive stores, and lots of great bargain stores. Fashion everywhere you turn your head. Most of the stores where multiple levels. One of my favorites H&M was 6 stories tall. We shopped the time square area which had a 3 story tall store that was all M&M's, there was a fantastic Disney store, and much more. I got to go into Anthropologie just to drool at things, no way I'd be able to buy anything there but it was neat to look. We went into FAO Schwarz Toys and got to see the BIG piano, we got lost in there for awhile! There was a store just for Lego's with crazy clever things they built out of them. We also got to shop SOHO, which is a legendary shopping district, and it lived up to its name. I saw a consignment shop and got all excited to see what it held inside. To my disappointment it was VERY high end, there were purses in there for $1,000.00, and church style dress clothes for over $200.00 a piece, used! There were stores in SOHO that had bargains too, I got a great pair of high boots there for $20.00. There were vendors everywhere you turned on the street, some of them black market trying to do it inconspicuously selling Rolex's, and purses. I almost looked at one of the guys purses but he wanted to do it in a dark alley way so we said no thanks! I did however score some real Oakley's for Brandon and some D&G sunglasses for me for $22.00 for the two, that was fun, thanks to Tessa for helping me bargain and know how to see the real stuff. So so much to see and take in! It seriously was a girls dream come true!