Monday...back to the grind!

Well so much for a rested vacation...it sure doesn't take long to have all the R&R from vacation drained away. Who am I kidding? Even though I thought I had prepared myself for what would be a busy week, I clearly had no idea just how long today would be. And on top of that, we travel to West TN tomorrow so I can't even enjoy being home and sleeping in my own bed. Oh well...such is life. At least with work being busy this week will hopefully fly by just as fast. Nothing like unpacking a suitcase only to pack another one.
Since today was long, I skipped the gym and went to get some groceries from Trader Joes, especially since I was working late in Green Hills. I had a giftcard from Christmas that I got at a gift exchange and after having some Trader Joe goodies at Matt & Ruthann's over the weekend, I figured I would do my grocery shopping from there. AND I was actually surprised that there prices on a whole weren't as expensive as say Publix or Whole Foods. After talking shop (health food/exercise) with Ruthann while in NY, I shopped with an eye out for things high in protein and I found some pretty tasty things that I cant wait to try. And for the sweet tooth, I bought the yummy Coffee Ice Cream. Who cares that it's 20 degrees outside....it's never a bad time to have ice cream. Now, if I could just cut out the soft drinks and coffee. Eh, you got to start somewhere, right?

Farewell NYC

Time sure does fly when your having fun and it's already time for me to pack my bags and head back to TN. Sunday was my last day and we decided to sleep in and listen to a sermon from home...after all it's freezin' up here and the 7 train isn't running this weekend so it was easier to enjoy the day in. We did venture out for a little fresh air especially since Ruthann and Matt live on the waterfront and have a great view of the city across the Hudson. I had to take some last photos to remember my trip by.

Can you tell that we are freezing our butts off. The wind made it almost unbearable.
Nothing like New York City

A view of the city and the Queensboro Bridge

From the waterfront, we wandered to their local grocery store since they needed some more milk and also wanted me to see how expensive your everyday groceries were. Ridiculous, indeed but nice that they have a grocery store across the street from their building. It definitely makes me appreciate the fact that I can hop in my car and get anywhere I need to go with little hassle or effort. Once we got back in from the cold, we enjoyed a lazy afternoon and watched a movie before we had to part ways. It was a wonderful trip and I had some much fun spending quality time with Ruthann. I can't wait to visit her again, when it's warmer outside and of course I can't wait to meet Little Bean. Aunt Terah is excited to see you!!

Saturday in the city

We enjoyed another morning sleeping in and were heading to the gym but were delayed when Ruthann received the call from her parents that her grandpa had passed :( He has been battling poor health for quite some time and they knew this was right around the corner but it never seems to make the passing of a love one any easier. And because Ruthann is about to have her baby, she will not be able to travel to the funeral in OH next week. We all cried together and she shared fond memories of her times with her grampie!

We managed to get down to the gym for another workout but we didn't have too much time because Ruthann's baby shower was at 1pm in the city. I did manage to get in another 3 mile run and it was great. We all hustled and bustled around the apartment to get ready just in time. We had to take a black car into the city because the 7 train isn't running all weekend but it actually was much faster getting in to the city. It was fun to see another NY apartment layout and this one being a 4 bedroom spacious apartment on the upper east side. Ruthann told me it probably cost around $3.5 million...WHAT?!? It's so ridiculous!! Anyways, it was fun to meet Ruthann's NYC girlfriends at the shower.

We were at the shower till almost 4pm and then Ruthann and I made our trek to SoHo (downtown) which is an area I had yet to see. It's like everytime you take the Subway and pop up to another part of town, it's like being in an entirely different city. It's so fun. We went to a young designers market on Mulberry Street (between Prince and Houston) and it was very cool to walk through. I saw lots of jewelry that were one of a kind pieces that I liked but nothing that struck me as a must-have piece. From there we walked around the shops of SoHo which was fun but I have to say that weather yesterday was miserable. First off, we were dressed up from the shower so we weren't dressed very warm. The wind was so bad and it felt like 15 degrees outside and it was brutal. Ruthann did introduce me to this shop called Sabon and going in any store to get out of the cold was a great idea. I am a sucker for new and fun bath and body type shops and this one did NOT disappoint. Matt met up with us there and we walked several blocks to Little Italy where we enjoyed an authentic Italian dinner at Matt's favorite restaurant called "Il Cortile". It was delicious. We then walked up to Cafe Roma and had coffee and dessert before catching a cab back home. It was another great day in the city.

Central Park & the City

Another fun day spent in the city! We enjoyed another day of sleeping in and Matt made us pancakes this morning for breakfast....they were so delicious! I could get used to having someone make me breakfast at home :) We then got ready and headed into the city. We walked around Ruthann's old neighborhood and went to a couple fun shops. We popped into JG Melon to enjoy lunch and once again, I was not disappointed. They have the best "real" hamburgers! From there we headed decided it was time to walk off all our meals, so we headed to Central Park. The weather today was perfect to be outside and we took full advantage of it. Here are some fun pictures from the park.

The Bethesda Fountain in Central Park

Ruthann and I in Central Park

I love Central Park

From the park we headed over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was spectacular and I will have a separate post so you can see some of the variety of artwork and exhibits I was able to breeze through. This museum is totally overwhelming and there is no way to be able to see it in one visit but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Some of my favorite exhibits were the Musical Instruments, Medival Art, Arms and Armour, European Paintings, 19th and Early 20th Century Paintings and Sculptures and the European Sculpture Court. I have pictures from all of these areas that I will post later.

After spending another full day out and about in the city, we headed home for a relaxing evening at home. Matt once again was our hero when he brought home the most delicious pizza ever! Don't get me wrong, I have had some great pizza while in Chicago but this NY style is also quite enjoyable. We rented a movie called "Appaloosa" which from the previews looked like a great western but it was totally lame. We gave it a 2 (if that tells you how bad it was). After some computer time, we got ready for bed and for another full day tomorrow.

Live from New York...

Greetings from New York City! I am so thrilled to be in the city and hanging out with my friend Ruthann. The city has been everything I expected it to be beginning with the cab ride from LaGuardia Airport to Ruthann and Matt's home in Queens. We all know that I have "on-star" abilities but I am clueless when it comes to trying to navigate around this city! Thank goodness I have Ruthann who knows where she is going.

Ruthann and Matt have a great building that includes a gym so we took advantage of this first thing this morning. The view from my treadmill where I got in a 3 mile run overlooked the Hudson River right into Manhattan. I could see the Empire States Building and Chrysler Building in the skyline. After a good workout, we got ready and headed into the city via Subway. Once again, I am so glad that Ruthann knows where we are going! It was funny to have such anticipation while walking up the stairs from the Subway when we actually got into Midtown. We came out around 59th and Lexington into a great shopping area. We walked around for a little while and did a little shopping at Zara, a store Ruthann recommended and it did not disappoint.
From there we headed to Dylan's Candy Bar and it was just that...a bar that had every possible type of candy ever. It was SWEET! I bought some...you guessed it...candy and we took some pictures. Here is Ruthann and I in the staircase which you can see that candy was in the flooring. So cool!

Right down the street from there was the ever infamous Serendipity. The movie is one of my favorite NYC movies next to "You've Got Mail" and it was so fun to be able to go in and have the experience.

After a little break at Serendipity, we walked back over to the grandiose shopping areas of 5th Avenue, Park Avenue and Madison Avenue. Oooh to see all the designer stores and I mean every designer you can possibly imagine....Prada, Gucci, YSL, Dior, Escada....and the list could go on forever. Of course, I didn't go into any of these stores...my heart and wallet wouldn't be able to make it out alive! We then walked back over to Park Avenue to check out this Chocolatier called Pierre Marcolini. It did not disappoint. From there we made our way over to Times Square, via the Subway and took plenty of pics.

We hung out around Times Square and then made our walk over to 45th and 9th for dinner at Marseille. We made our reservation for 5:30 because we had tickets to see "Wicked" at 8:00 pm. I was excited to eat at a nice restaurant in NYC and also excited because Ruthann had never been to this place either. It was a new experience for the both of us and it did NOT disappoint. The ambiance of the restaurant is what I expected from NYC and the menu had great options. I enjoyed the Grilled Lamp Top Sirloin with merguez, apple and goat's cheese crepe, brussel sprouts & quince vinaigrette. Ruthann had the Cous Cous with braised Lamb with krefta and merguez with a sweet and spicy onion sauce. The presentation was superb and the food was delicious. My lamb was grilled to perfection and Ruthann's Cous Cous was probably the best cous cous I have ever had. It was a great dinner and I enjoyed getting to talk with my friend. We timed finishing dinner just right and then walked over to the Gershwin Theatre for "Wicked". Thanks to my boss who purchased our tickets (and we were in the Orchestra section, left of center stage) it was the best Broadway experience ever. You could see the faces of the actors/actresses and the music was phenomenal. It was the best way to end the first day of being in NYC!

NYC....Here I Come....

I cannot even begin to tell you how EXCITED I am to be heading to NYC this afternoon and I am excited for multiple reasons. First and foremost, I get to see my friend Ruthann and we'll get to spend lots of quality time together. Ruthann and I met as freshman back in 1993 while attending Pensacola Christian College (we agree our friendship was the only positive thing that came out of that school experience) and we've been kindred friends ever since then. We've been through 16 years of life together and she's about to be a mom for the first time and I am simply elated that I get to share in this chapter of her life...it only makes my visit that much better! And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Secondly, it's New York City. Other than a quick 3 hours spent back in the summer of 1996 while attending a wedding, I basically have never been in the city. I have a short of list of things that I want to do and see. I can't wait to walk in Central Park, go to a Broadway show, ride the subway, eat yummy food, see all the fancy stores (i sound like a country bumpkin), etc. etc.

And, Since I can't seem to maintain my blog these days and Ruthann is much more on top of things than I am, I am sure that she'll be posting pics faster than me...simply go to Ruthann's Blog.

Busy Busy Busy...

Whew...how come things always have to move at warp speed? One would think that I would be use to the hustle and bustle of the family I work for, but I think when there gone I get too used to a routine and steady rhythm. It's just been a really busy week and it's not even Wednesday. The family is leaving tomorrow for the rest of the week and I am following behind them since I am going to NYC on Wednesday afternoon. The days before the family leaves town is always cram packed with stuff to do and it's the same way when they return. Needless to say, next week is going to be INSANE, but I am going to enjoy my trip to NY and not think about all that next week will hold.

I am still making time to work out and on Monday night I finally got to go to spin class (it's my favorite instructor). I also weighed in and have lost another pound and a half. That's 3 lbs in 2 weeks...it feels good to see progress being made but mostly it just feels good to be back to running and working out. And when I left the Y on Monday night, they are getting in those Pilate machines and are going to be offering classes so I am super excited to start that in February. I have heard amazing stories about people that do Pilates. I still hate that the Y makes you pay additional fees for classes but this is something that I am willing to invest in. I am not going to run away and hide this spring when it comes time to buy a new swim suit.

And here we go....

Back to the routine of life. The holidays are over and my travels has ceased, momentarily and now it's time to get back into some sort of routine. Work has been good mostly because my boss is still out of town so our communications have been via email and phone calls...and while I still have plenty to do, it has allowed me to create my own routine. I must say it's so nice to pretty much be your own keeper of the schedule. I don't have a rigid work-day schedule or specified lunch breaks...its nice to just let my day unfold on it's own accord. Then there is the much needed routine of getting back in shape. I currently have planned 5 days each week that I can work out and of course, if things should come up that would not allow me to workout, backup plans have been devised. So far so good!

Monday was a day spent with travels to West TN for work and thankfully, I made it back in time to get in a run and also meet up with friends to see Joel & Luke perform at the Exit Inn. It's been about a month since I got out and saw live music and I must say that I love doing that. It's great to get an up-close view of musicians and to be able to study them while they perform. It's no shock that I love all things musical and that's why I am so excited that my friend Patrick is going to give me guitar lessons. I have a musical background but have always longed to learn to play the guitar....so there is no better time than the present!

Last night my friend Cathryn hosted our book club. We didn't meet in December because of the busy-ness of the season and yet, I still managed to NOT read the book. I know....I know.....what the point of being in a "book club" if you don't read the book. I can throw out many excuses but reading has always been a challenge and maybe...just maybe this will be the year that I finally get into reading....year round. Don't get me wrong...I do read books....it's more the issue of being consistent. I pick up and start many a books...it's the follow thru that gets me. Maybe I am a bit ADD when it comes to reading. Who knows....

Happy Birthday Elaysha and Holly

This weekend I once again traveled to Indiana to celebrate some birthdays with the family. My niece Elaysha had a birthday on January 5th and is now 8 years old. I can hardly believe that she is 8 already. I remember vividly being in Colorado working and getting the phone call that she had been born.
Holly's birthday is actually today, January 11th so we celebrated after church by the traditional family lunch, presents and cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday Holly!

I could not help but give this cake the nickname of "Ghetto Cake"....They had cake left over from Elaysha's birthday on the 5th and Holly didnt want another cake so my mom used this cake...really the candles on the slice of cake...well it's just priceless.

Elaysha was on this kick of Jazz Hands so I had to capture the moment on camera! Silly girl!

A New Year...A new adventure...

So I guess it's no shock to you that I enjoy traveling. My sister, Robert and myself headed over to New Orleans, Louisiana on Friday to meet up with our friend Jennifer and friend Michelle. Amy and I had never been to Louisiana before so it was a fun thing to experience together and with other friends. It's only about 3 hours east of Pensacola so the drive really was nothing. We got there around noon and after refueling on a much needed Starbucks, we took to the sights. One thing we forgot about was the fact that the Sugar Bowl was on that Friday night and the game was Alabama vs Utah so the city was crawling with those college football enthusiasts....the people watching was FANTASTIC! I had talked to my friends and knew what places I wanted to see/experience. The Audubon Aquarium was our first stop and it was okay. I wasn't overly impressed but I would definitely say the highlight was the Stingray Touching pool....it was basically filled with stingrays and you could put your hand in the water and touch them when they would swim by (naturally...they didn't have their barbs or teeth so they were harmless). It was pretty cool....I would describe their texture as a slippery velvet...very interesting texture. They also had a baby nurse shark that you could touch and that was cool too. It's texture wasn't as fun as the stingrays. We piddle paddled around in the aquarium and then headed down the riverwalk to grab a quick bit to eat before seeing more of the french quarter.

Amy, Michelle and Jen

Amy, Jen and I

I told you what we had some fun. They had a small frog exhibit and I was teasing my sister about kissing her frog so she could find prince charming....

But what she didn't expect to find...was that it was Robert! Only kidding but it was this funny moment that I just couldn't help but get on camera!

They had this HUGE aquarium that had the "big" fish in it including the sting rays, a sea turtle, schools of large fish and none other than the sharks!

Once we grabbed a bit of lunch we walked around the square and then over to the infamous Bourbon Street. Some things I thought that were interesting about being out and about was there was always music in the air....the architecture to me seemed very old world/European and I loved the building structures...some of it reminded me of the stylings I saw when I was in Charleston. There was also plenty of palm readers and voodoo shops/temples and of course bar after bar after bar. Like I said...it was definitely prime people watching.

Amy and I at the "Court of Two Sisters" restaurant. Sadly my camera would not cooperate with Jen and so you can't see the sign :(

The only place Robert wanted to visit was the House of Blues so that is where we had dinner. The atmosphere did not disappoint and I had to snap a picture of this artwork that was in our booth....something about it just struck me.

After we indulged ourselves on more than enough food, we walked back down Decatur street because I absolutely didn't want to leave New Orleans without enjoying a beignet & coffee from Cafe Du Monde. It was the best dessert and the Cafe Au Lait was delicious....I mean really any dessert with that much powdered sugar can NOT be bad!! It was a full day but a fun one. I can't say that I'd be rushing back to visit anytime soon but it was a fun, new experience.

Amy, Me, Jen and Robert

Happy New Years

Wow...I can't believe that 2009...a new year...is already here. What happened to 2008? I was just getting used to that year and as in life...just when you get comfortable, things change!

I rang in the New Year in Nashville with a bunch of friends from church. Tim was a gracious host and had people over to his house. It was a great time. I restrained from partying with the best of them as I got up early on New Years Day and drove down to FL to spend the long weekend with my sister and other Pensacola friends. Amy and her roommate had their Seven22 Community over on New Years Day for an evening cookout and it was a great way to start off this new year. They have such a great community and I have new friends because of it. It was a great night of fun and fellowship.

Amy and her best friend Charity

Sweet Baby Brayden, the son of my friends Derrick and Kaye

Amy's roommates dog, Chloe Monster...but she is so cute!

The girls hanging out

Some of the guys hanging out