It's been a very busy last couple weeks. We've torn up the basement, and repainted everything from ceiling to floor. It's been a lot of hard work, and a lot of missed hours of sleep, but I think it's going to be worth it. Our house will be officially on the market Friday evening, just in time for us to leave for our trip to Costa Rica. It will be hard to communicate to our realtor while there, but we will try to touch base once a day or so to see what progress has been made. Our realtor seems to think we will get multiple offers fairly quickly. She also has said she thinks we will end up in a bidding war...which would be wonderful. The quicker we get this place under contract, the quicker we can close and not have to worry about a property in another state. We've already had to do that one before. It's really not that fun!
So Saturday early morning we will be flying from DCA to MIA. Then to SJO. Once we land in San Jose, Costa Rica, we will be meeting Jamie and the family at the airport, picking up our rental vehicle, stopping at Jamie's place to take a look around and then driving to the hotel. All in all after landing, we will probably be on the road for 5 hours. We will see if that estimate is accurate. Mike and I have no specific plans while there. I think it will just be nice to relax for a while after such a hectic last few weeks/months depending how you think of it. Jamie and the family will be joining us at the hotel starting Monday-Thursday for a little mini-vacation of their own. When I talked to her on the phone the other day, she seemed excited just to relax on the beach. I'm not sure how Allison will feel about this plan, but Jamie is all about it.
Once we fly back from Costa Rica the following Sunday early morning, we will be home for that day and then fly out to Beaumont, TX on Monday morning. We will be searching, and hopefully finding, our next home while away. Our goal is to have a contract before we fly back home the next Sunday. It's going to be another crazy couple weeks, but I think they will be productive.
The kitties are going to be boarded together away from home. It's the best idea for us at this time since the house will be on the market and this is really the only way the house can be shown while we are gone. I know they will be scared for a while, but they will all be together, and the room they will be staying in is HUGE! And it looks very comfy as well. There's even a cat tower already in there. Hopefully they will feel right at home quickly. I feel so guilty leaving them.
OK. There's my update. I most likely will not have another update until I return from both trips, but the cyber world may get lucky! Anything is possible!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Anniversary/Independence Day Weekend
On July 3rd, Mike and I had our 2 year anniversary. I had planned to surprise him with a day at the shooting range, but I was informed that he had made us plans to go away Thursday night-Saturday morning. Of course, he didn't tell me where we were going. All I knew was that I was to pack some hiking clothes, a bathing suit and something nice. So, we left Thursday late afternoon to travel someplace. Three hours later, we were in Staunton, VA near part of Shenandoah National Park. We stayed at what was labeled a "small" hotel which was several historic homes turned into hotel rooms. They also included homemade breakfast in the morning, so it was almost like a bed and breakfast, but with multiple houses. They upgraded us to a suite so our room was two times bigger than we could ever utilize with just the two of us. The building we stayed in was built in 1912. There oldest house was from 1809. Pretty neat and historic...and clean!
The city of Staunton was very small but had a very cute downtown historic district. Everything closed early with most restaurants only open until 9pm-ish. But we were both surprised to see quite a lot of places to eat for such a small city. And there were some pretty nice places too. Since the first night Mike didn't have any specific plans for us, we just went out to dinner to this very nice eclectic place that gets all their ingredients from local growers. They made me a special vegetarian dish of fried green tomatoes, beets, carrot puree, goat cheese, marinated trumpet mushrooms and small onions. These things were not all mixed together but plated in a nice arrangement. It was very yummy.
The next morning we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel. I ordered the buckwheat waffle with fruit and Mike got the apple and cheese quiche. My waffle was very good and Mike said his quiche was yummy too. We then made the trip out of Shenandoah to a swimming hole that Mike had found online. The drive wasn't very far, but some of the roads we were on were in the middle of nowhere. The directions said to "turn left at the neighborhood watch sign". Yes, that is where we were! After finding the trail head for the hike to the water hole, we got our stuff together, put on our bug spray and started out. The hike was only 1.7 miles so we knew it wouldn't take us too long. 35 minutes later we were at the "primo" swimming hole as the website called it. Since the temperature outside wasn't more than in the mid-70's, and the creek was shaded, I knew this water was going to be cold. And boy was I right. Just putting our feet in felt like they were going to fall off. But after walking around for a few minutes in the water you would get used to the cold. I estimated the temperature of the water to be in the 50's. It was quite chilly. My wonderful husband who had the plan to go swimming, decided against this when he made it into the water up to his thighs, and they told him not to go any further. However, his usually timid wife decided to go for it and swam in the water up to her head for maybe 5 minutes or so. This was definitely the coldest water I've ever been in. At first, my whole body stung. It felt almost like a burning sensation. But after a while, although I knew it was cold, I didn't feel cold. It's interesting how our minds work when we are in uncomfortable situations. I almost wanted to do an experiment to see how long it would be until I started feeling the beginning signs of hypothermia and started slurring my words, but I decided against it. After getting out of the water, that is when I started to feel cold. My jaw started chattering and I started shivering. So just like Bear Gribbell (or whatever his name is on that survivor show) I started doing jumping jacks. And then I put on the clothes I came in with. By the time we started walking back, I was warmed back up and fine. It was quite the experience. And I did something my Marine hubby was too chicken to do.
Once we returned to the hotel, we relaxed for an hour or so and then took showers and went to dinner at this Italian restaurant. It was good, but nothing too spectacular. Then we went to the Shakespeare Theater in town and saw Much Ado About Nothing. It was a cute show even though the first half was spent trying to translate what they were saying. By the second half, Mike and I both were able to understand their speech much better.
We were both very tired so we just went back to the hotel and went to sleep early so we would be able to get up early and make our way back to Springfield so I could take care of the Petsmart kitties around 9am. It only took us a little over 2 hours to get back, so leaving the hotel around 6:30am worked out fine. I was tired taking care of the kitties this morning, and it didn't help my condition when one kitty decided to bite me very hard and scratch up my hand when I put him back in his cage. Not a very nice cat at all. I bandaged myself up and kept on cleaning, although in my head I was wondering if I was going to need to go to the doctor for this one.
After my Petsmart escapades, Mike and I worked on the house after taking a well deserved 2 hour nap. Then we got ready to go watch the July 4th DC fireworks overlooking the city. We went to the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, VA which has a great view of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial and the Capitol. Another 50,000+ people had the same idea. But even with that many people around, it didn't seem overly crowded. No one was pushing and shoving, and we even had space to move around a little bit once we found our spot. And, in my opinion, it was worth the effort. The fireworks display overlooking the National Mall was great. It was a different experience to see fireworks in our nation's capitol. I could picture the British troops burning down Washington in 1812. I'm glad we fought the people to be there. We went to a late dinner after the fireworks show to try and allow the masses to die down a bit on the Metro before heading back, but even after waiting over an hour, there were still Metro trains stuffed full of people. We probably waited to get on a train for 30 minutes before we lucked out and they opened up an empty train that wasn't in use to bring us home. We probably would have been waiting there a lot longer and would have been smelling the people's underarms next to us on the train, if they hadn't opened up the empty one.
Sunday was a work day. We got up ate breakfast and started painting. Around 1pm, a guy I have previously given a couple of my fish to, came over to get the rest of my fish. I figured it was time to break down the tank to get ready for the move. And this guy has 15 huge tanks so I know my fishies are going to a good home. After he picked up the fish, we painted some more and then went to Home Depot to try and set up our new carpet installation. We decided to try a few other places before we go with Home Depot because in my opinion, they have too many stipulations that we don't need. They have a warranty, but we are moving so we won't need the warranty. It costs an extra $0.56 per square foot for them to remove and haul away the old carpet. That will almost double the cost. Anyways, I wasn't convinced this was the place we could find the best deal, so we are still looking. We are getting to the point where we will need to find a place quick though, because we are running out of time. With our trip to Costa Rica coming up in a week and a half, and then our trip to Beaumont following that, we need to get this carpet installed by next week. We hope to get the house on the market by mid-July.
Oh, and my hand that was bitten by that cat, well, it started getting infected. There was a 2 inch diameter around the bite wound that was red and slightly swollen. It was extremely tender to the touch. I had planned to go to the doctor today to get on some antibiotics, but when I woke up this morning, the redness has significantly decreased and the wound is finally healing and not looking pussy. Thank you immune system for saving my hand!
The city of Staunton was very small but had a very cute downtown historic district. Everything closed early with most restaurants only open until 9pm-ish. But we were both surprised to see quite a lot of places to eat for such a small city. And there were some pretty nice places too. Since the first night Mike didn't have any specific plans for us, we just went out to dinner to this very nice eclectic place that gets all their ingredients from local growers. They made me a special vegetarian dish of fried green tomatoes, beets, carrot puree, goat cheese, marinated trumpet mushrooms and small onions. These things were not all mixed together but plated in a nice arrangement. It was very yummy.
The next morning we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel. I ordered the buckwheat waffle with fruit and Mike got the apple and cheese quiche. My waffle was very good and Mike said his quiche was yummy too. We then made the trip out of Shenandoah to a swimming hole that Mike had found online. The drive wasn't very far, but some of the roads we were on were in the middle of nowhere. The directions said to "turn left at the neighborhood watch sign". Yes, that is where we were! After finding the trail head for the hike to the water hole, we got our stuff together, put on our bug spray and started out. The hike was only 1.7 miles so we knew it wouldn't take us too long. 35 minutes later we were at the "primo" swimming hole as the website called it. Since the temperature outside wasn't more than in the mid-70's, and the creek was shaded, I knew this water was going to be cold. And boy was I right. Just putting our feet in felt like they were going to fall off. But after walking around for a few minutes in the water you would get used to the cold. I estimated the temperature of the water to be in the 50's. It was quite chilly. My wonderful husband who had the plan to go swimming, decided against this when he made it into the water up to his thighs, and they told him not to go any further. However, his usually timid wife decided to go for it and swam in the water up to her head for maybe 5 minutes or so. This was definitely the coldest water I've ever been in. At first, my whole body stung. It felt almost like a burning sensation. But after a while, although I knew it was cold, I didn't feel cold. It's interesting how our minds work when we are in uncomfortable situations. I almost wanted to do an experiment to see how long it would be until I started feeling the beginning signs of hypothermia and started slurring my words, but I decided against it. After getting out of the water, that is when I started to feel cold. My jaw started chattering and I started shivering. So just like Bear Gribbell (or whatever his name is on that survivor show) I started doing jumping jacks. And then I put on the clothes I came in with. By the time we started walking back, I was warmed back up and fine. It was quite the experience. And I did something my Marine hubby was too chicken to do.
Once we returned to the hotel, we relaxed for an hour or so and then took showers and went to dinner at this Italian restaurant. It was good, but nothing too spectacular. Then we went to the Shakespeare Theater in town and saw Much Ado About Nothing. It was a cute show even though the first half was spent trying to translate what they were saying. By the second half, Mike and I both were able to understand their speech much better.
We were both very tired so we just went back to the hotel and went to sleep early so we would be able to get up early and make our way back to Springfield so I could take care of the Petsmart kitties around 9am. It only took us a little over 2 hours to get back, so leaving the hotel around 6:30am worked out fine. I was tired taking care of the kitties this morning, and it didn't help my condition when one kitty decided to bite me very hard and scratch up my hand when I put him back in his cage. Not a very nice cat at all. I bandaged myself up and kept on cleaning, although in my head I was wondering if I was going to need to go to the doctor for this one.
After my Petsmart escapades, Mike and I worked on the house after taking a well deserved 2 hour nap. Then we got ready to go watch the July 4th DC fireworks overlooking the city. We went to the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, VA which has a great view of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial and the Capitol. Another 50,000+ people had the same idea. But even with that many people around, it didn't seem overly crowded. No one was pushing and shoving, and we even had space to move around a little bit once we found our spot. And, in my opinion, it was worth the effort. The fireworks display overlooking the National Mall was great. It was a different experience to see fireworks in our nation's capitol. I could picture the British troops burning down Washington in 1812. I'm glad we fought the people to be there. We went to a late dinner after the fireworks show to try and allow the masses to die down a bit on the Metro before heading back, but even after waiting over an hour, there were still Metro trains stuffed full of people. We probably waited to get on a train for 30 minutes before we lucked out and they opened up an empty train that wasn't in use to bring us home. We probably would have been waiting there a lot longer and would have been smelling the people's underarms next to us on the train, if they hadn't opened up the empty one.
Sunday was a work day. We got up ate breakfast and started painting. Around 1pm, a guy I have previously given a couple of my fish to, came over to get the rest of my fish. I figured it was time to break down the tank to get ready for the move. And this guy has 15 huge tanks so I know my fishies are going to a good home. After he picked up the fish, we painted some more and then went to Home Depot to try and set up our new carpet installation. We decided to try a few other places before we go with Home Depot because in my opinion, they have too many stipulations that we don't need. They have a warranty, but we are moving so we won't need the warranty. It costs an extra $0.56 per square foot for them to remove and haul away the old carpet. That will almost double the cost. Anyways, I wasn't convinced this was the place we could find the best deal, so we are still looking. We are getting to the point where we will need to find a place quick though, because we are running out of time. With our trip to Costa Rica coming up in a week and a half, and then our trip to Beaumont following that, we need to get this carpet installed by next week. We hope to get the house on the market by mid-July.
Oh, and my hand that was bitten by that cat, well, it started getting infected. There was a 2 inch diameter around the bite wound that was red and slightly swollen. It was extremely tender to the touch. I had planned to go to the doctor today to get on some antibiotics, but when I woke up this morning, the redness has significantly decreased and the wound is finally healing and not looking pussy. Thank you immune system for saving my hand!
Monday, June 29, 2009
New hot water heater...check!
So the plumbers got to our place yesterday at around 3:20PM. They didn't finish everything until 8:30PM. Yes, it took them 5 hours to finish the job. I'm pretty certain most of that time was spent at Home Depot trying to get our new hot water heater. They called us once, and then we didn't hear anything again for another couple hours, then another phone call. Mike then went down to Home Depot to try and figure out what the problem was, and within 10 minutes was done and the process continued. I'm still not sure what those guys were doing over there for such a long time and not calling us to let us know that there were some snags. It doesn't really matter to me though. I'm just glad that we have hot water again. We had so many dishes that needed to be washed it was ridiculous. And being that I cooked a lot last night didn't help with the overflow of things to be washed.
So, after the initial $95 for the guy to tell us what was wrong and the $350 for the new installation, we paid $445 for this new water heater. And back in November when we had a hot water heater problem, we paid about $250. So, I'm glad to be done with that thing. At least we can say that we have a brand new hot water heater when we put the house on the market.
So, after the initial $95 for the guy to tell us what was wrong and the $350 for the new installation, we paid $445 for this new water heater. And back in November when we had a hot water heater problem, we paid about $250. So, I'm glad to be done with that thing. At least we can say that we have a brand new hot water heater when we put the house on the market.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Waiting on the plumber
We have had more trouble with this stupid water heater. The most recent trouble happened on Friday when I went into the utility room (which houses our washer and dryer, furnace and hot water heater) and there was water all over the ground. This has happened numerous times before and the cause has always been the drain tube for the washing machine has somehow managed to fall from the utility sink to the floor, in turn causing a flood. So I immediately looked to the washer. But the drainage tube was still in the sink. No way the water could have come from there this time. When I looked a little closer, I noticed that something wet (that had a yellow color to it) was dripping out of the exhaust tube from the gas water heater. This was quite strange as this should not have any water involved at all. We called a repair guy and he found that the water heater was leaking and we would need a new water heater. In addition, there was that drip from the exhaust. He didn't know what that was from, but put that problem aside to fix the big problem first. He told us that our water heater was probably still under warranty and that he couldn't do anything else for us that night. $95 out the door.
The next day Mike called the GE manufacturer and had them give us the OK to get a new replacement for free under warranty. We still have to pay for installation. And the new tank needs to be picked up from our local Home Depot. So then Mike started getting quotes for the uninstall of the current tank, bringing that tank to Home Depot, getting the replacement tank, bringing it back here and then the install of the new tank. Quotes ranged from $350-$1000+. The guy that said he would do it for $350 could come out here on Sunday morning and fix everything if we paid him in cash. So, he scheduled the guy for 8AM this morning. Poor Mike got up, waited, waited more. Painted while waiting, called them, called them again, waited more, called again, and still hasn't heard anything from this person. So he started calling other people today. He found another place willing to do it all for $350 and they are supposed to be here between 1-3PM. We are going on two days now without hot water. I showered Friday night, but that was the last time. I'm starting to feel kind of gross especially after taking care of the cats at Petsmart yesterday, sweating around the house, and sleeping two nights now. I refuse to workout during this non-shower period. That would be utterly too disgusting. And yes, I could take a bath and heat up the water on the stove top. But I honestly don't feel like our tub is in good enough shape to take a bath. We would end up with pieces of paint chips all over our "clean" bodies. Mike took a cold shower last night and I'm pretty certain that wasn't too much fun. I don't think I'm brave enough for that one.
Well, after starting this blog about 2 1/2 hours ago, having 3 different cats take turns using my lap as a bed, sanding some spackle, and painting the downstairs bathroom again, the plumbers have arrived. They were a little late, but they at least called 45 minutes out from when they would be here. Hopefully we will have a hot water heater by the end of tonight and will be able to take a hot shower later on.
Skye just jumped up here again, so I must do what my master tells me.
The next day Mike called the GE manufacturer and had them give us the OK to get a new replacement for free under warranty. We still have to pay for installation. And the new tank needs to be picked up from our local Home Depot. So then Mike started getting quotes for the uninstall of the current tank, bringing that tank to Home Depot, getting the replacement tank, bringing it back here and then the install of the new tank. Quotes ranged from $350-$1000+. The guy that said he would do it for $350 could come out here on Sunday morning and fix everything if we paid him in cash. So, he scheduled the guy for 8AM this morning. Poor Mike got up, waited, waited more. Painted while waiting, called them, called them again, waited more, called again, and still hasn't heard anything from this person. So he started calling other people today. He found another place willing to do it all for $350 and they are supposed to be here between 1-3PM. We are going on two days now without hot water. I showered Friday night, but that was the last time. I'm starting to feel kind of gross especially after taking care of the cats at Petsmart yesterday, sweating around the house, and sleeping two nights now. I refuse to workout during this non-shower period. That would be utterly too disgusting. And yes, I could take a bath and heat up the water on the stove top. But I honestly don't feel like our tub is in good enough shape to take a bath. We would end up with pieces of paint chips all over our "clean" bodies. Mike took a cold shower last night and I'm pretty certain that wasn't too much fun. I don't think I'm brave enough for that one.
Well, after starting this blog about 2 1/2 hours ago, having 3 different cats take turns using my lap as a bed, sanding some spackle, and painting the downstairs bathroom again, the plumbers have arrived. They were a little late, but they at least called 45 minutes out from when they would be here. Hopefully we will have a hot water heater by the end of tonight and will be able to take a hot shower later on.
Skye just jumped up here again, so I must do what my master tells me.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
It's raining and cool
Skye is sitting on top of the cat tower cleaning himself by the open window. Surprisingly, that is the only cat I can see at this time. Usually there are at least 3 in my view. I guess all of the kitties are utilizing the open windows to sit and watch the outdoor life.
It's raining steadily outside but it's a nice streaming rain. It's not very windy and there is no thunder or lightning so I can definitely put up with this kind of rain. With the windows open, and no wind, water is not getting everywhere inside. And it would have been a shame to have to use A/C in high 60 degree weather. I am dreading going outside to feed the ferals today though. It's always so muddy and wet when it's been raining in their feeding spots. The one positive though, will be that the mosquitoes will not be out right now. Tomorrow though, they'll be out in full force. I've been having to use mosquito repellent everyday before going out there lately. And I still come back with at least 2 bites. They usually end up on my upper thighs, face or neck where I don't cover well enough. The cats are worth it though.
I'm on my last week of the 30 day challenge on the Wii EA Sports Active. I am definitely feeling stronger since beginning but the only complaint I really have is that they don't focus on the abdominal muscles at all. They do some standing crunches, but not enough to really have any effect. (Which brings me to something I was just trying to grasp a little better. When do I use Effect vs. Affect? I'm usually pretty good with my grammar usage, but these two really give me grief. Apparently, Affect is usually used as a verb and Effect is usually used as a noun. Does that mean that I used Effect correctly in the last sentence? I'm still confused.) I'm going to start using my ab ball I bought a couple months ago tomorrow in addition to my Wii workout. I decided on tomorrow to be the start date so that I will have exactly one month before my trip to Costa Rica to get my abs back in better shape. Oh, and after the 30 day challenge is completed, there are hundreds of other exercises you can continue to follow each day. I haven't tried any of them yet, but from online reviews I've read, they seem to be just as good. Now if I can just get my ankles feeling better.
Stumpey just tried to get on the top of the cat tower. She jumped up the side and saw Skye, then settled on the second tier. She is now cleaning herself by the open window while Skye sleeps. I love my cats.
It's raining steadily outside but it's a nice streaming rain. It's not very windy and there is no thunder or lightning so I can definitely put up with this kind of rain. With the windows open, and no wind, water is not getting everywhere inside. And it would have been a shame to have to use A/C in high 60 degree weather. I am dreading going outside to feed the ferals today though. It's always so muddy and wet when it's been raining in their feeding spots. The one positive though, will be that the mosquitoes will not be out right now. Tomorrow though, they'll be out in full force. I've been having to use mosquito repellent everyday before going out there lately. And I still come back with at least 2 bites. They usually end up on my upper thighs, face or neck where I don't cover well enough. The cats are worth it though.
I'm on my last week of the 30 day challenge on the Wii EA Sports Active. I am definitely feeling stronger since beginning but the only complaint I really have is that they don't focus on the abdominal muscles at all. They do some standing crunches, but not enough to really have any effect. (Which brings me to something I was just trying to grasp a little better. When do I use Effect vs. Affect? I'm usually pretty good with my grammar usage, but these two really give me grief. Apparently, Affect is usually used as a verb and Effect is usually used as a noun. Does that mean that I used Effect correctly in the last sentence? I'm still confused.) I'm going to start using my ab ball I bought a couple months ago tomorrow in addition to my Wii workout. I decided on tomorrow to be the start date so that I will have exactly one month before my trip to Costa Rica to get my abs back in better shape. Oh, and after the 30 day challenge is completed, there are hundreds of other exercises you can continue to follow each day. I haven't tried any of them yet, but from online reviews I've read, they seem to be just as good. Now if I can just get my ankles feeling better.
Stumpey just tried to get on the top of the cat tower. She jumped up the side and saw Skye, then settled on the second tier. She is now cleaning herself by the open window while Skye sleeps. I love my cats.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Back from Manhattan
So I got back from my trip to NY on Sunday night. The trip was a lot of fun, but I think I've learned that I like DC better. The subways are cleaner, the city is cleaner and there are more trees around. It's just overall a prettier place. But NY does have it's perks. There are lots of things to do and lots of vegetarian restaurants around. But all of the vege restaurants besides one were in other parts of the city outside of Times Square. You can reach every place in Manhattan by subway and walking a couple blocks, but it would have been nice to be able to try more than just a couple places without making a whole trip out of it.
On Thursday night when I got in and got settled, I went to a nearby Asian vegetarian restaurant. I don't really know what I ordered, but it was very good. It was some sort of rolled up soy thing that was tempura battered over seaweed and then smothered with a yummy sauce. It came with broccoli, rice and two spring rolls. And the plating was lovely as well.
On Friday morning, I woke up at 2:45am and got ready to go stand in line for the Fan Pass holders for the DMB concert. When I got to the line, there were probably 30 people in front of me. I got there at 4:10am. They didn't start letting people into the area for the concert until 6am, but the crew started checking names around 5:30am and then we knew things were moving along. When they finally let us in, I ended up behind some tall dude (which always happens) but I was close enough to the stage to see everything that was going on. It started raining early this day, but I brought my trusty rain jacket so the rain didn't bother me. When I watched some of the show on YouTube I actually saw the back of my head a few times. The concert was a great experience. The only down side was that they played one song a total of 4 times, another song 2 times and 3 other songs once each. I guess they were getting the sound corrected before going on live. It was still a good time and I was surrounded by like minded people which is always nice. Lots of hippieish young people. I was in MY crowd.
The rest of Fr
iday I just walked around the city trying to see whatever I could in the rain. I went to another vegetarian restaurant where I got a "bacon cheese burger" and curly fries. It was really good as well. I think if I ate meat I probably would be fat because I wouldn't be able to control myself with all these bad for you dishes. Luckily, I don't consume flesh which saves my soul and my stomach. Later on this night, I went out and got dessert at a nearby restaurant. The Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding with toasted cashews was delicious.
On Saturday morning, I woke up and ate some brunch where I ordered the eggs florentine and potatoes. Then I went over to the Top of the Rock. I took lots of pictures from at the top of the building. It's pretty amazing that so many buildings are built up in such a relatively small space. Central park looked amazingly big from here, but unfortunately, I never was able to visit it.
After leaving the Top of the Rock, I walked over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. This was a beautiful church with lots of architecture. Then I went over to see Marilyn Monroe's subway grate. I went to a grate where the location was supposed to be, so I can only assume it was "the grate". It wasn't labeled though so I can't be sure. After picking up a cannoli, I then went to stand in line for an hour to get 50% off tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera. It was hard making up my mind which show I wanted to see, but since I have never seen this one, and it is a classic on Broadway, I chose it. And the ticket cost me, including taxes and fees, $66. Not too shabby.
After getting my ticket, I went down to the World Trade Center site. I really expected more, but they were just starting on the memorial. It was blocked off so really all you could see was rubble under ground and a blank sky above. It was a pretty sad sight. I then walked over and got a slice of NY style pizza. It was pretty good. I went back to the hotel to relax and change and then headed to the musical for the 8pm performance. The show was great! The costumes and actors were amazing. The voices these people had were beautiful. I would love to see another one. I wish I had more time while there to see more shows.
On Sunday morning, I packed up all my stuff and stored it at the hotel. I walked next door and got a chocolate and banana crepe for breakfast, and then went to the American Museum of Natural History. I got there as soon as they opened at 10am and I figured that I would have time to go across the street to Central Park for a little while after viewing the museum. Well, after an hour went by and I had only moved two rooms, I knew I needed to speed things up. This museum was 4 stories tall! And they had extra exhibits going on in addition that I didn't pay for. I could literally spend all of two days in that place and still not get all the details that I wanted. By 1:45pm, I was rushing around trying to glance at anything I could before rushing to the subway to get back to the hotel. I needed to get back to the airport by around 3:30pm and the subway out to the hotel took 1.5 hours. Luckily, the trip back to the airport took less than an hour so I was able to make up the time I lost at the museum. It's a good thing I got to the airport an hour and a half before my flight though because that place was big and confusing. With international travel, and 8-10 terminals, it was easy to get confused as to where your flight was supposed to take off from. And after getting on the plane, we waited on the flight path for another 1.5 before getting cleared for the runway because so many planes were taking off at that time. JFK airport is insane. But I made it back only a few minutes late.
Overall, my trip was a success. It just would have been better had my husband not missed his flight out there and I would have gotten to spend the weekend with someone I love other than just myself.
In other news, my sister had her second baby on Friday, June 5. Allison was born around 5 pounds and will be a duel citizen of both Costa Rica and the USA.
On Thursday night when I got in and got settled, I went to a nearby Asian vegetarian restaurant. I don't really know what I ordered, but it was very good. It was some sort of rolled up soy thing that was tempura battered over seaweed and then smothered with a yummy sauce. It came with broccoli, rice and two spring rolls. And the plating was lovely as well.
On Friday morning, I woke up at 2:45am and got ready to go stand in line for the Fan Pass holders for the DMB concert. When I got to the line, there were probably 30 people in front of me. I got there at 4:10am. They didn't start letting people into the area for the concert until 6am, but the crew started checking names around 5:30am and then we knew things were moving along. When they finally let us in, I ended up behind some tall dude (which always happens) but I was close enough to the stage to see everything that was going on. It started raining early this day, but I brought my trusty rain jacket so the rain didn't bother me. When I watched some of the show on YouTube I actually saw the back of my head a few times. The concert was a great experience. The only down side was that they played one song a total of 4 times, another song 2 times and 3 other songs once each. I guess they were getting the sound corrected before going on live. It was still a good time and I was surrounded by like minded people which is always nice. Lots of hippieish young people. I was in MY crowd.
The rest of Fr
iday I just walked around the city trying to see whatever I could in the rain. I went to another vegetarian restaurant where I got a "bacon cheese burger" and curly fries. It was really good as well. I think if I ate meat I probably would be fat because I wouldn't be able to control myself with all these bad for you dishes. Luckily, I don't consume flesh which saves my soul and my stomach. Later on this night, I went out and got dessert at a nearby restaurant. The Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding with toasted cashews was delicious.On Saturday morning, I woke up and ate some brunch where I ordered the eggs florentine and potatoes. Then I went over to the Top of the Rock. I took lots of pictures from at the top of the building. It's pretty amazing that so many buildings are built up in such a relatively small space. Central park looked amazingly big from here, but unfortunately, I never was able to visit it.
After leaving the Top of the Rock, I walked over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. This was a beautiful church with lots of architecture. Then I went over to see Marilyn Monroe's subway grate. I went to a grate where the location was supposed to be, so I can only assume it was "the grate". It wasn't labeled though so I can't be sure. After picking up a cannoli, I then went to stand in line for an hour to get 50% off tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera. It was hard making up my mind which show I wanted to see, but since I have never seen this one, and it is a classic on Broadway, I chose it. And the ticket cost me, including taxes and fees, $66. Not too shabby.
After getting my ticket, I went down to the World Trade Center site. I really expected more, but they were just starting on the memorial. It was blocked off so really all you could see was rubble under ground and a blank sky above. It was a pretty sad sight. I then walked over and got a slice of NY style pizza. It was pretty good. I went back to the hotel to relax and change and then headed to the musical for the 8pm performance. The show was great! The costumes and actors were amazing. The voices these people had were beautiful. I would love to see another one. I wish I had more time while there to see more shows.
On Sunday morning, I packed up all my stuff and stored it at the hotel. I walked next door and got a chocolate and banana crepe for breakfast, and then went to the American Museum of Natural History. I got there as soon as they opened at 10am and I figured that I would have time to go across the street to Central Park for a little while after viewing the museum. Well, after an hour went by and I had only moved two rooms, I knew I needed to speed things up. This museum was 4 stories tall! And they had extra exhibits going on in addition that I didn't pay for. I could literally spend all of two days in that place and still not get all the details that I wanted. By 1:45pm, I was rushing around trying to glance at anything I could before rushing to the subway to get back to the hotel. I needed to get back to the airport by around 3:30pm and the subway out to the hotel took 1.5 hours. Luckily, the trip back to the airport took less than an hour so I was able to make up the time I lost at the museum. It's a good thing I got to the airport an hour and a half before my flight though because that place was big and confusing. With international travel, and 8-10 terminals, it was easy to get confused as to where your flight was supposed to take off from. And after getting on the plane, we waited on the flight path for another 1.5 before getting cleared for the runway because so many planes were taking off at that time. JFK airport is insane. But I made it back only a few minutes late.
Overall, my trip was a success. It just would have been better had my husband not missed his flight out there and I would have gotten to spend the weekend with someone I love other than just myself.
In other news, my sister had her second baby on Friday, June 5. Allison was born around 5 pounds and will be a duel citizen of both Costa Rica and the USA.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
I'm getting worse and worse about updating this thing
So here it is. The beginning of June and I haven't posted since May 22. I'm becoming such a slacker. But I guess this just isn't the highest thing on my priority list of things to do. Number one, calculated by the amount of time I spend doing things throughout the day, must be sitting on the couch searching the internet while the TV is on in the background. Next in priority would be feeding the feral kitties. And last (and sometimes is VERY far down at the bottom) would be taking a shower. Yes. I am a busy woman these days!
Newest thing to report: I'm leaving for New York City tomorrow afternoon. I got tickets to see Dave Matthews Band on the Today Show this Friday, June 5, so I'll be making the trip out there for this once in a lifetime opportunity. I hope they put me in close proximity to the guys, but with my luck, I'll probably be in the back behind all the tall people. But at least I will be able to say that I was there. Michael will be joining me on Friday night and then we are going to stay the weekend. I'm not sure exactly what we are going to do just yet, but I think heading to Central Park and going to the "Top of the Rock" (top of the Rockefeller building) will be on the list. I'd also like to indulge in some yummy food since we will be in one of the best cities for wonderful cuisine. There are numerous vegetarian restaurants around, so hopefully I'll get to dine in at least one of those as well. We'd like to go to a Broadway show, but tickets are about $125 each. Michael said he heard that if you go to the ticket booth the day of the show, tickets are half off so we may try that. If not, an Off-Broadway show would be fine with me. I just have to pack something nice to wear.
The EA Sports Active that I mentioned in my last post I'm still using...and it's still changing things up daily and kicking my butt. On Monday it made me do swats and hold them. OUCH! My legs were shaking! I could use some more upper body tension though, as the workout band they sent with the program just isn't tight enough for most of the upper body exercises for me, but I've been trying to double it up so it gives a little bit of a tougher workout. When they make me punch the punching bag though, I'm definitely out of breath. It's a great program and I really recommend it to anyone who has a Wii and is looking to workout at home. And if you have a Balance Board from the Wii Fit, they will incorporate some routines using that. I don't have one so I don't know how they would change things up, but they somehow utilize the board.
I just bought a new set of luggage at K-Mart on-sale for 50% off of $100. It's a three piece set, and I'm sure it's fairly cheaply made, but it will do the job. On my last trip up to Michigan, my smaller luggage got ripped on the side so you can stick your hand through it. So yes, I needed a new one. I could have just bought a small luggage, but those were $25 a piece. I figured, for another $25, I can get two more bags with it. And we'll be needing more bags for our trip to Costa Rica as well.
So, I'm off for now. I'm sure I will write after getting back from Manhattan. Oh, and we are staying at the Westin in Times Square so we will be right in the middle of the action! I'm looking forward to the trip!
Newest thing to report: I'm leaving for New York City tomorrow afternoon. I got tickets to see Dave Matthews Band on the Today Show this Friday, June 5, so I'll be making the trip out there for this once in a lifetime opportunity. I hope they put me in close proximity to the guys, but with my luck, I'll probably be in the back behind all the tall people. But at least I will be able to say that I was there. Michael will be joining me on Friday night and then we are going to stay the weekend. I'm not sure exactly what we are going to do just yet, but I think heading to Central Park and going to the "Top of the Rock" (top of the Rockefeller building) will be on the list. I'd also like to indulge in some yummy food since we will be in one of the best cities for wonderful cuisine. There are numerous vegetarian restaurants around, so hopefully I'll get to dine in at least one of those as well. We'd like to go to a Broadway show, but tickets are about $125 each. Michael said he heard that if you go to the ticket booth the day of the show, tickets are half off so we may try that. If not, an Off-Broadway show would be fine with me. I just have to pack something nice to wear.
The EA Sports Active that I mentioned in my last post I'm still using...and it's still changing things up daily and kicking my butt. On Monday it made me do swats and hold them. OUCH! My legs were shaking! I could use some more upper body tension though, as the workout band they sent with the program just isn't tight enough for most of the upper body exercises for me, but I've been trying to double it up so it gives a little bit of a tougher workout. When they make me punch the punching bag though, I'm definitely out of breath. It's a great program and I really recommend it to anyone who has a Wii and is looking to workout at home. And if you have a Balance Board from the Wii Fit, they will incorporate some routines using that. I don't have one so I don't know how they would change things up, but they somehow utilize the board.
I just bought a new set of luggage at K-Mart on-sale for 50% off of $100. It's a three piece set, and I'm sure it's fairly cheaply made, but it will do the job. On my last trip up to Michigan, my smaller luggage got ripped on the side so you can stick your hand through it. So yes, I needed a new one. I could have just bought a small luggage, but those were $25 a piece. I figured, for another $25, I can get two more bags with it. And we'll be needing more bags for our trip to Costa Rica as well.
So, I'm off for now. I'm sure I will write after getting back from Manhattan. Oh, and we are staying at the Westin in Times Square so we will be right in the middle of the action! I'm looking forward to the trip!
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