~day 1~

I will be blogging about my recent trip to New York over the next few posts. It’ll be a lot of information! I’m writing it as an extension of the journal I kept on the trip.

Day 1: Sunday, August 1st

Lance and I started our day at 2:30am. We got ready and drove to his parent’s house. They are usually up by 4am anyway so they were a good choice to drive us to the airport. The self check was being lame so we had to go to the counter but that worked just fine. Lance forgot to remove his phone when he went through the metal detector. Silly. We had many other security checks throughout the trip and he remembered to remove EVERTHING from his pockets, including his Chapstick which he got many odd reactions too. Haha.

We waited about 20 minutes before Dacey, Ryan B (#1), and Ryan N (#2) showed up. We were pleasantly surprised they made it that soon.



We got some breakfast at Burger King while waiting for our 6am flight to Chicago. Smooth flight but I was so exhausted. Once we landed we had a 2 ½ hour layover and had to change terminals twice.

We boarded the plane to New York but had to sit on the tarmac due to poor weather conditions in NY. Luckily it didn’t take long. Another smooth flight (minus the annoying conversation #2 wouldn’t drop. I’ll spare you the details.) We had to circle in the air when we were close to our landing destination due to the same poor weather.

Finally, we made it!

We purchased MetroCards good for 7 days of unlimited bus and subway. They made the week very easy to commute. We happened to catch the bus we needed right away but missed our stop so we walked a little and a helpful guy directed us to the subway. Oh the sights you see! There was a guy in a “wife beater” and boxer briefs only. Yuck! Put some pants on dude. We arrived at the Port Authority Bus Terminal which would be the “middle man” between our hotel in New Jersey and all the stuff we planned to do in New York.

We had to purchase separate tickets between NJ and NY. We got a ticket to North Bergen where our hotel was located. We were dropped off at a park and ride where we could see our hotel less than a ½ mile away. Problem was there were no places for us to walk to the hotel! #1 called the hotel to see if they offered a shuttle to pick us up but they acted as if they didn’t have a clue where we were and didn’t have shuttle service anyway. They told us to walk. That was one crazy maneuver we all had to pull with our luggage to boot! We seriously were jumping medians, walking in the ditch, and running on an interstate! What an experience! We realized we needed to figure out a different bus stop for the rest of the week because we were NOT doing that again.

We arrived at The Holiday Inn Express and had another hiccup. What else could go wrong? They said they only had reservations for 2, not the 5 of us, and they only book 4 to a room anyway. That last part is not accurate according to The Holiday Inn website. I quadruple checked everything I booked! I gave them our Travelocity itinerary and it clearly stated 5 of us in one room. A manager had to come and he said Travelocity only paid them for 2 and charged us for 5. Not our problem. They let us in and said it was fine. Thank God. We were tired and just wanted to sit for a bit and decompress.

The front desk gave us a bus map and $6 hotel shuttle map so after taking a breather we headed in the direction of a bus. On our way a shuttle stopped and asked if we needed a ride. #1 asked if it was the $2 bus and the driver said yes so we hopped on. Those shuttles were a shady operation. We ended up taking one into NY every morning. They charged different prices for different people and it appeared some didn’t even pay. They were basically stealing the business from the buses. It was cheaper than the bus when we bartered so we benefitted and didn’t have to walk as far to the bus stop. And they came every 5 minutes so it was very convenient.

We did purchase a 10 trip NJ bus pass after figuring out the bus schedule not thinking we would be taking a shuttle every day. I felt like Lance and I should only buy a 10 pack while the others obviously each had to buy one. I know that was God directing me because we wouldn’t have needed 20 trips and would have wasted money.

We decided to get dinner at Dallas BBQ. That place was huge and full but we got a table right away! Delicious and very reasonably priced.

We went in search for Planet Hollywood to pick up our 3 day NY Passes that would allow us entry to a ton of sites without us having to pay at each place. We all had pre-ordered online so it was very convenient.

We were in Times Square. Super bright. Super busy. Very cool. We stopped at the Hershey Store. I wanted some candy but it was ridiculously priced so I passed. We were on one of the huge screens too. Very tiny but we were there!

We just missed the 9pm bus so we had to wait until 10:30. Bummer the bus didn’t run more often. Very busy day of transportation issues and lots of walking. It felt good to be back at the hotel.

~books to movies~

Last night I went with my mom and Dacey to see, "Eclipse", again. I was so bummed watching it the first time. There were so many differences to the book that I needed to see it again and try not to compare it. Dacey was on the same page as me. After the movie we both agreed we liked it better having watched it a second time.

Why do screenwriters feel the need to alter books so much? It is one of my biggest pet peeves! EVERY movie adapted from a book just doesn't live up to the book. I don't know why it bothers me so.

For instance, "My Sisters Keeper", changed the whole frickin book! Ages, appearances, characters, and who dies for goodness sakes!! Another one that comes to mind is, "A Walk to Remember". The date was the first change but I could live with that to make it more modern. But the whole point of the name was that Jamie was in a wheelchair and at her wedding she got out of it and walked down the aisle. In the movie there is nothing of the sort in it and for those who didn't read the book they'd have no idea what the title was about. I read, "I Know What You Did Last Summer", in 9th grade. When I saw the movie I was so put off. They made an unfortunate accident into a horror film that besides character names it wasn't the same at all. I just rented, "A Little Princess", for the girls I nanny after we read the book together. They didn't understand why everything was so different and either did I. In the book Sara's dad dies. In the movie, nope, he just has amnesia. What the crap! I could make an extensive list of all the changes in that movie but I'll spare you.

The only movie I liked better than the book was the 2005 version of "Pride and Prejudice". The book was published in 1813 so for me the language is difficult at times.

Is it possible to just take a book and put that on screen? Obviously they have to condense to fit an allotted time but the characters should be the same. They should say the same lines. It should be as close to the book as possible. I get annoyed about this too easily I suppose.

~back to work~

I'm back to work. The family I work for went on vacation so I had 5 scheduled days plus 4 days of weekend to enjoy off. I love getting paid to sleep in and do my own thing. I did get a little bored at times. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have a job. I have to stay busy. However, on occasion, I love days when I can stay in my pajamas all day long and do absolutely nothing.



It was the 4th of July last Sunday. Lance and I decided to stay home instead of going to see fireworks since he had to get up early for work. He ended up going to bed about 9pm as usual and I watched fireworks on tv. Haha. I did see a few outside that our neighbors were doing. I really could care less about this holiday. Probably since my family never really got into it. We'd occasionally go to see fireworks or maybe go to a picnic but it just wasn't a big deal.



I was able to get some much needed gardening done on Monday and Friday which was nice. It was sooooo hot out though both days. Yuck. I was drenched. I filled up the garbage twice! So many weeds. Next to our shed on the left is just a huge weedfest! I cleaned a fraction of that out. We've been trying to figure out what to do in that area since the soil is so sandy. [Idea 1:] I would like to move our shed over but that's not an easy task. Of course Lance just wants to demolish our shed and buy a new one to place where we want it. He's all about the easy route! [Idea 2:] Another thought was to get a dog and put a kennel there. I do not like animals inside. They're dirty! So we're figuring out if we want to get a full time outdoor dog. I want a chow chow or husky. I know myself and that poor thing will be alone all winter! I hate going out in the cold! So we'll see. [Idea 3:] I might just make a huge garden there. I'm leaning towards the last idea currently.



My nephew, Noah Michael, was born on Tuesday. Now I have 4 nephews and 1 niece. I love being an auntie! Caleb will be 11 in August. I can't believe how grown up he is! He'll be taller than me probably within a year or two. Cooper is 5. He's a little daredevil and loves his 4-wheeler! Lyla will be 2 in August. She is a doll. Thank God we have a girl in the family! Joshua is just over a year. He's a little cutie. And of course Noah is tiny and adorable! I can't wait to get to know him.



I also got a chance to go shopping but didn't find ANYTHING I was looking for. It's not like my wish list is outrageous or anything either. I've been looking for a set of 3 or 4 black and white nature prints for the basement wall. I've looked all over! Nothing. I think I am just going to buy a really nice camera and take my own pictures! I have also been looking for jean shorts. All I'm finding are super-short-show-your-butt-cheeks styles. Uggh.



On Saturday we greeted at church. After service we had a Hawaii themed party for the Saturday night teams. We're among the youngest greeters. I've heard on more than one occasion by random strangers upon shaking their hand, "Oh, it's so nice to see young people." I'm not that young. Haha. It makes me feel like they think I'm 12.



So, I'm working right now. Haha. I'm working really hard! The girls are outside with a neighbor catching bugs so it's not like I'm ignoring them. We already went to the library this morning and stopped at Target. We had lunch and rest. I have about 3 more hours until I go home. We were going to go to the pool but they have swim lessons tonight so I am not going to bother.

~my yard~

This lovely daylily was the only plant I salvaged from the back garden.

Here's our front entrance. (Oops, I need to weed the hostas.) We put these in last summer after digging out hideous looking bushes. I filled in the left of the sidewalk with rock after removing nasty faded red wood chips. I absolutely hate the color of our house! Hopefully it will get painted this summer/fall.

The hostas are starting to bloom.

I love my little bench and flowers. Lance did a good job picking out the planters.

~Eclipse~

I'm going to see Eclipse tonight. Andrea already got us tickets so no need to wait in line. That's always a plus. I pray I'm not annoyed by those young "Twi-hards" (what a stupid name!) with all their craziness. I boldly admit I am a fan of the series. I'm wearing a Cullen crest t-shirt today in fact. But good grief must we yell and scream at a theater when someone comes on screen? I never saw Twilight in the theater but at New Moon I missed half the dialogue. Well, maybe not half but it felt like it. Some of my friends are waiting to see it so they don't have to deal with the girly girls but I can't wait any longer! Haha. This is one of my favorite songs on the soundtrack:

~gardening~

When we moved into our home December 2008 I wasn’t quite aware of how horrible our yard was. Spring of 2009 we got a huge shock. The first thing we did was clean it up. There was so much miscellaneous garbage around. Pie tins, pop cans, a head band, cups, tires, wood with rusty nails poking out, car batteries, old fencing, unidentifiable junk, bags full of moldy leaves half buried in the ground…

Our neighbors to the right, Greg and Sue, came out and told us they were so glad we moved in. They had been watching us out their kitchen window in awe and said they felt like they were watching TV.

Apparently no one had taken care of the yard in years. Greg mentioned they were the original owners of their house so they’ve seen it all. The original owners put our grass right on sand, no topsoil. Moronic is all I can say. Our grass is a sad sight compared to everyone else. Lance would like to dig out all our grass then lay a load of topsoil and new turf. That’s not going to be cheap.

Last summer, we dug out three hideous bushes in the front of our sidewalk. While doing so our neighbor to the left, Gretchen, thanked us for removing such an eyesore. She hated them as much as I did! We discovered there was a ton of rock in the area that was so overgrown you would have never known. Thank God another neighbor, Barry, saw we were attempting to dig up all the rock (that was mixed in very deep with the dirt since the morons didn’t bother to put a liner between the dirt and rock) and he loaned us 2 wheelbarrows and a rock sifter which greatly helped us. We put hostas in the place of the bushes and it made it look a thousand times better.

That’s all the yard work we accomplished last year. We were busy staining and putting polyurethane on 7 of our new windows.

This spring I got right out there in the yard and started digging up 7 dead bushes along the garage. Lance had to help me with getting 2 out because the roots were just too deep. And what a shocker they didn’t bother putting a liner in between the rock and dirt again! Urg. So far I am only 1/3 done with that area getting the rock out.

Along the fence in our backyard at one point was probably a decent garden but my oh my what a mess. It was basically all weeds. I think I can save one perennial plant that’s in there out of I’d guess a 20 foot long area. So far I have cleaned up half of that. Thank you Lord that there’s no rock in there! One thing I found very odd was that there was 5 different kinds of edging! Wood, brick, green plastic, black plastic, and black tubing. Wowzer! I ripped all that out obviously.

We have 3 mailboxes for ourselves and 2 neighbors in our yard. The rock in that area was completely overgrown with weeds. It took a good 12 hours to clean that out! There was a liner this time but it didn’t help much when they put a layer of dirt on top of it with rocks and then rocks under the liner as well. My goodness. After getting all the rocks and weeds and liner out I planted marigolds. The neighbors have commented how nice it looks.

I also planted some marigolds in 2 planters to go on each side of our new bench. I bought way too many! I still have 9 more to plant.

There is another area off of our deck with 3 lilac bushes that I would like taken out so we can move our steps to where they are. I’m sure that’s going to be full of rock as well.

Once I finish along the garage, the fence, and by the deck we are going to landscape all around the outside of the house with bushes, river rock, and new edging. I will plant a flower garden by the fence too with perennials. And we’re going to put in a patio where the current bonfire sand pit is located. This will probably be done next spring since there is still so much to do with my limited weekends to do it all. Plus we have hopes of getting the last 3 new windows put in and the outside of the house repainted this summer/fall.

Owning a house really is a never ending job. I still have things to do inside too! New kitchen and bathroom counters and sinks and bathroom floors are at the top of my list. I love love love my house though. It is so me. The decorating is all done I just am now tweaking things a bit.

~feeling blessed~

I just have been so grateful lately. All my needs are taken care of and then some. I continually get blessed. Some people probably write it off to "luck" but I know God is faithful to me because I am faithful to Him.

• A couple weeks ago I did a taste test for $35. Eating pie for an hour is a great way to make some cash!
• I signed up for a Physicians Formula makeup buy one get one free coupon and in doing so I won a daily drawing for a $50 Target gift card (I got it in the mail yesterday). While in the store looking for something to get with my bogo coupon they had a coupon stuck on some items for $5 off. I got an item that was just shy of $5 so I only paid tax! Plus a free item from the bogo! I love a good deal!! I was able to print off 2 of these coupons so another purchase had a bonus item attached so it was like buy 1 get 2 free!
• I had a $10 off coupon at Fashion Bug so I got a $10 pair of underpants for free. I love free!
• 2 weeks ago I spent Friday night at work and made an extra $120! I really love my job. It's a perfect fit for me.
• April 15-19th I'll be staying at work day and night while the parents go on vacation. I'm not sure how much extra I'll be getting but I'm sure it will be well worth my time.
• I found a coupon for an item I was already planning on getting for $5 off plus Target had a promo and gave an addition $5 gift card for buying the product!
• I got a free 14 page photo book I designed and only paid $2 shipping from Kodak.
• I got 2 8x10 photos from Walgreens completely free.
• I am constantly getting free samples and coupons from the website pocketyourdollars.com . I love love love it!

The list could go on but those are the most recent deals and blessings.