tom calls Frank and Ol members of the WWF--wiener wrestling federation.
Here is a little video. :-)
spring has definelty sprung here in the tri-state area! today it got up to 65 and even this evening at around 5 30 it was still that warm--I walked the dogs wearing just a t-shirt, flip flops and running pants! What a great feeling! Tomorrow is supposed to be back down to more reg temps for this time of year (high 40's) but even then, its sunny and that is so wonderful.
Tom is on his way home. He was in Virginia last night for work. His flight there was delayed 4 hours and coming home, delayed 2 hours. Air travel is getting so horrible lately and sadly, the delays become something to count on! But, he'll be home shortly and hopefully he doesn't have to travel for a little while now.
We are in wedding planning mode now and are having so much fun! My sister and friends are all giving me some great ideas (thanks Deb and Melissa who should quit their day jobs and become wedding planners)! We plan on having a very small intimate wedding and we will be sending out announcements and pictures for all to see! More to come on that. We are so happy to be getting married!!! As our friend Dave said to us-- when you finally meet that right person, you really know it. :-) That is so true --we are so lucky to have that knowledge, that feeling. (I know... so mushy!) :-)
Attached are some more pics from Laura's visit. International Pillow Fight, us at the top of the rock with central park in the distance and us in front of the fountain at Bryant Park.
sorry to have waited so long to write again. Laura and I pretty much were on the go the entire time she was here so I had no time. We did so much and had so much fun, this entry can't possibly capture the easy-going feeling we had covering Manhattan nearly from end to end--and by foot! (We only rode the subway once)! Laura, as most of my visitors, fit right in quickly to the fast paced city life. It was Spring Break last week so the city was extra packed.
Friday and Saturday the weather was perfect. Blue sky, hardly any wind and lots to see and do of course. In those two days we hit Central Park (the ice rinks are still open, yet we saw the first sign of blooming flowers), Bryant Park, saw A Chorus Line on Broadway (we bought the tickets Wed night for 100 each and we were center stage 3 rows from the front! Deal!), stopped by the Strand a second time (we are addicted) and the highlight was going to the "Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center). We were up 67 stories and with the weather perfect we could see everything. The view of Central Park is my favorite and Tom and I plan to head up here each season and get pictures. We also made Union Square a main destination. There is always something happening there with the Farmers Market and artists as well as the bands that are coming out of the woodwork now that the weather is getting nice. We witnessed (and dang near joined) a very large Tibetan rally against China (if you want more info on this or my opinions... please email me and I will be glad to discuss) AND in another area of the park the annual world wide pillow fight was going on. It sounds crazy and it sort of was. Mostly college age kids took part and tons of pillows and feathers were flying everywhere. Union Square also is the main area for local artists to gather and sell their art. We chatted up a boy I have bought from before that is from Vancouver, WA. He is a wonderful photographer and trying to put himself thru art school in New York.
We also rummaged thru the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market on Saturday and enjoyed the people watching and some of the antique items. It was such nice weather. We closed out the visit with a very nice dinner with Tom near our house. He spent Saturday at the boat installing some electronic gear and running wires. He loves doing that!
:-)
Attached are some pics from the weekend (central park, empire, tibet rally and the cry to boycott the beijing olympics, the flat iron building) and I will attach more soon.
On Sunday we had the most un-traditional Easter that we have ever had. After taking Laura to the airport, Tom and I headed into the city and went to Spamalot on Broadway. It was so funny. Pretty much non-stop jokes and if you like Monty Python, even just a little, you will like this play. So, instead of Ham for Easter, we had Spam.
:-)
Happy Monday! More to come soon!
hey everyone! happy Thursday! today laura and i got a late start (intentional) and headed into the city at around 1. We wandered aimlessly for the most part but headed uptown to the usual popular spots including madison park, union square, washington park etc, etc, etc--it was wonderful: blueish sky, not too cold and lots to do and see. This is one of the best times i have had in the city. While I love seeing the sights that make NY famous, I love just walking around and finding things accidentally. Lucky for me, so does Laura.
As I said, it wasn't too cold today, but very windy, so at times we'd duck in somewhere to wait the gust out (or to shop). Of course the Strand (famous bookstore with miles of books to browse through) was a stop and we could not depart there without a few purchases each. I picked up a NY coffee table book for all of our visitors to thumb thru (who am I kidding--its totally for Tom and I too gaze at... and our visitors :-) as well as a book on publishing. Laura picked up one of the most classic classics of all time that I highly recommended--A Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde.
We also thumbed thru all of the Strand's recommended books and shared our personal views on some of the books and got ideas for future reading material. Laura has read a bunch of books I have not and likewise so that was a great experience.
After Strand we headed to Greenwich Village so I could show her my new school!!! Thats right--I am officially a student of NYU now! With Tom (and Laura's) support and my own desire, I have enrolled in a couple courses this summer. The classes are in the late afternoon one night a week so my job will not be interrupted. I am so excited to take classes that I want to take rather than what I have to take. They are both writing classes taking me back to my undergrad days as an English major. I am very excited and felt proud and happy showing Laura around the NYU campus (which is the streets of Greenwich Village and the Washington Square Park area).
We ate at 'Mexican Radio', a restaurant I have been wanting to try since Tom and I saw it on our first visit to NY back in August. Its a Mexican restaurant (duh) named after a song by Stan Ridgeway of Wall of Voodo fame (80's music). The atmosphere was great--kitschy mexican cool and they played the Shin's--a band Laura and I love--so all was good, including the food. The waiters were mute we think, or perhaps Laura and I were just talking and laughing too much for them to get a word in... haha.
After dinner we headed to the Soho Apple Store. I encourage anyone that says we are in a recession to take a visit to their nearest Apple Store. Holy cow-- it (and all Apple Stores) was packed and we could barely maneuver thru the tons of customers yet stand in line for a purchase. It was quite the techy NY experience. After that (and plans to go to the really cool glass cube apple store on 5th near Central Park tomorrow) we caught the Q train and headed to Penn Station to come home.
Tom got home just as we did (he flew in from DC tonight) and I was so happy to see him! While he ate some dinner, Laura, he and I visited and then just relaxed and watched some TV. Laura and I are crazy party animals tonight and while Tom decided to head to bed, we stayed up and surfed the net, visited, talked about books and laughed about whatever... real crazy! haha
What a great day. :-)
I will load some pics tomorrow. Have a great Friday.
Wow! hard to believe that the first day of Spring will arrive this week! What a welcome event! It actually seems like Spring already with the trees starting to bloom (actually, our area is behind Seattle--when i was there last week I saw that most of the cherry trees were already in full bloom).
Tom is in Charlotte for quick 2 night trip. I am so glad that most of his trips are short. Tomorrow my friend Laura from Seattle is flying into town! I can't wait! I am taking Thursday and Friday off to hang out with her. We are going to hit the city of course, but in a low key way. Laura has been to NY before and has seen all the main sights so I think we'll hit the museum circuit, head to the famous Hell's Kitchen Flea Market (Hell's Kitchen is an area in Manhattan), maybe see an off-Broadway show (Tom will probably meet us for that!) and wander around Central Park. We are playing it by ear for sure--I am really looking forward to being in the city with no must see destinations.
I am crazy busy at work--but I love it, so that makes things manageable and with Tom gone, I end up working late which benefits me, my boss and the dogs who get to stay up late with "mom". Win-win-win!
I will write later about Laura's visit and all of our great flea market treasures! :-)
hey everyone-- We added a slideshow of some pics that will automatically shuffle thru as you are on the blog. enjoy!
I am so happy to be home. After sleeping for like 12 hours last night, I am feeling a bit better. Tom is at the boat today so I have the house to myself and am taking it easy! Its about 60 degrees right now at 6 pm and I love it! I hope everyone is healthy or getting healthy!
I had a great week in Seattle--except for the plague that has hijacked my body along with nearly everyone else in this area. I came down with a terrible cold on Monday and except for a few outings with friends and family last weekend before it really hit me... most plans I had with friends this week were cancelled; either they were sick, or I was. I was very happy I had a lot of time with Zane and Chloe though. They are so fun! I love hearing Zane's imaginative stories and songs which he is eager to share with "Auntie". As Zane sings, Chloe dances and laughs along. Very cute.
Work, even though I was a bit under the weather, was great. We had long meetings, but the outcome was totally worth it. Our group has grown over the past few months and the time we had really allowed us to bond. We also did events in the evening and we had a lot of fun.
Tom is in Puerto Rico tonight and will be back tomorrow afternoon. I too get back tomorrow after leaving Seattle early in the morning--not looking forward to that flight!
Sorry this entry is so short. More to come when I am off my nyquil/sudafed/afrin cocktail.
:-)
Here are a couple pics though of my time in Seattle: pre-sick.
melissa, lauren, adele(lauren's baby)and me
my sister and Chloe
matty, laura and myself having "blunch" at endalyne joe's in west seattle
I had no time to recover after Malea's visit. After dropping her off at the airport I headed back into the city for dinner with one of my closest friends, Todd (you may recall from a past post that he and his wife Kyla came to visit us in Nov when they ran the NYC Marathon). He was in town on a layover on his way to the Dominican Republic and I was happy I had a chance to hang out with him. Unfortunately, Tom couldn't join us for dinner as he was flying back that night from Virginia.
We ate at an eclectic little Thai restaurant on the edge of Greenwich Village where we were pretty much the only patrons. That concerned us a bit at first, but the food was pretty good tho and since we had the place to ourselves we could laugh as loud as we wanted (and I did that a bunch)!
After dinner we opted to walk back to the train station rather than take a cab. It was a wonderful night for a walk. We covered about 30 blocks but it felt like much less. It was 60 degrees or so at 10pm and the streets were populated, but not crowded.
Seeing the Wash Square Park Arch lit up is amazing. It was a perfectly sunny day and on sunny day nights--the arch looks its best. That combined with the Empire State Building lit up as well as the bustling cafe's and restaurants-- its hard not to love the city on a warm spring night. After a late night coffee at Starbucks, I caught the train home and Todd headed to his hotel for his early morning flight today. It was so great to see him and catch up!
This week Tom travels once more, this time to S Carolina, but thankfully just for one night! I though am heading to Seattle on Saturday to visit with some friends and family before a busy work week. I hate being gone that long from home, but if I don't go a couple days early--I don't get to see as many people as I'd like. I wish Tom could come, but he has to travel to Puerto Rico a couple days next week. :-(
Have a good rest of the week! :-)
pics: the arch at night
Here is part II and we actually did so much these last two days that there could be many more parts, but I will summarize!
Saturday we shopped again, but this time it was warm, well, relatively speaking. It was near 50 and it felt like a heat wave after Friday. Instead of the "regular" shops that the "meek" go to, Malea and I headed into Chinatown. We hopped the subway like old pros and that is such a great way to maneuver the city!
Now I like to think of myself as bit seasoned in this part of town--I feel confident in the black market browsing and the odd sights... but this trip was definitely different than any other time I have been there. First off, Chinatown is an interesting area of the city. Here is some tidbits of this area" in case you have never been: As you head uptown on Broadway past the eclectic Greenwich and shopping mecca Soho, you approach Canal Street. This is the main road in Chinatown and as with every distinct section that the city has, Chinatown has a much different feel and look than its surrounding neighborhoods. Its the largest population of Chinese in the world outside of China. We didn't come to Chinatown just to browse... Malea came with a want list of purses for her friends and family. These aren't just any purses--but the sweet knockoffs that I think make up most of the purses you see people carrying around the city. We were ushered into the normal hidden back rooms of shops, but we also were taken into the bowels of the area, walking for what felt like forever through the most authentic parts of Chinatown including bamboo merchants, little flea market shops that sell pretty much everything you would ever want--and a lot that you don't and very authentic food markets (read:smelly fish and butcher shops) and the scents that escaped from these shops were not always the most pleasant (Poor Malea, being 4 mo pregnant the smells didn't do her any favors in this part of the city--especially when we came across a slightly sour smelling barrel of live large frogs for sale. See pic). All in all, it was a successful shopping day in Chinatown. Right up there with the purses, the HUGE bag of slightly damaged Fortune Cookies that Malea bought for $2 was quite the deal. We closed out the day with a nice lunch at Vincent's in neighboring Little Italy and then headed home.
Sunday Tom drove us into the city and dropped us right in Times Square. It was near 60 and we were so happy to be warm. We did some shopping but mostly sight seeing at Bryant Park, Union Square and Strand Bookstore. The highlight of the day though was Madame Toussards Wax museum. We had a great time laughing and posing and I have posted some of the least embarrassing pics.
We had a wonderful time and Malea really lucked out with the weather! It was great to visit with her and nice to have a couple days off from work!
I attached some pics. Malea with Oprah, the Rock and getting ready to catch F train at Bryant Park. Chinatown and the frogs. Me cooking something up with Rachel Ray and then hanging with Bono. Even in wax, he is just cool.
Watch out Seattle... Malea is crossing the busy streets with no regard to the cross walk signs (a total local move) and bartering with the most poker faced Chinese knock-off purse sellers you'd ever see. She is a fast learner.
I don't know where to begin with my description of our trip to the city. I am going to do it in 2 parts.
Thursday after I picked Malea up at the airport we went to Jersey City so I could proudly show her my favorite view of Manhattan from across the Hudson. It was beautiful weather---but very cold. She was a bit shocked at the painful burning the 7 degree temps brought to her exposed skin. Safe to say, we didn't hang outside for too long and opted to head home and hang out with Tom and the dogs. Frank wouldn't leave Malea alone! He loves her!
That night we were wishing that we would have made reservations to stay in the city at least one night... but we didn't feel like paying the average cost of 400 a night for a dinky hotel (see past post from Melissa's visit).
Just for fun we went online and believe it or not, found a 4 star Radisson with a view of Broadway in Midtown for 200 a night! Whew! Deal of the day!
Friday we took the train into the city. It was again, very cold. Very cold. Sunny... but did I mention cold? We were bundled up with at times just our eyes showing with our hats pulled down and our scarves pulled up, but we pressed on! We did one of our favorite indoor activities to stay warm: shopping. The Macy's in the city is the biggest store in the world--its size is amazing. There are 8 floors complete with a large Starbucks inside the store (in the handbags department, conveniently) and other restaurants on some of the other floors--even a McDonald's.
Malea is the best bargain shopper I know and since that skill doesn't seem to rub off on me, sadly, she protected her title and found some great deals! Looking back, the cold really slowed us down some and we spent most of the day just leisurely shopping in and around Times Square.
Friday night we went to Hairspray on Broadway. Since living here I have gotten to a few wonderful shows but I honestly think that this was the best play I had ever seen. It was Malea's first and she's going to have a hard time topping this one. My aunt Toni (Malea's mother-in-law) got us great seats 12 rows back, center orchestra.
Any other place but the theater, if we were any closer to the actors, we'd be guilty of invading that little invisible bubble of private space we all put around us. The actors never seem to make a mistake and the talent they have and effort they put forth is incredible to watch. We both said later that we caught ourselves smiling many times during the play. Norm from Cheers very successfully was Tracy's mother (a role traditionally played by a man on the stage and movie productions) and everyone loved him. He received a very deserving bouquet of roses at the end.
After the play, around 11, it began to snow. It was such a perfect moment. It was beautiful and we were energized from the play and the lights and sights to see in Times Square. We walked for prob half a mile until the snow (now mixed with rain) started to pick and we decided to just hail a cab. Easier said than done on a snowy Friday night just after about 80 or more shows let out for the night!! After walking a bit more we spotted a soaking wet young guy that appeared to moonlight as a rickshaw. Lucky for us, he had a cover over the cabin. Of course,it cost about 5 times what a cab would of cost, but it was worth it! Everyone needs to see their life flash before them at least once on a rickshaw in NYC--you cannot put a cost to that?! I was very proud of Malea; as our driver dodged taxi's and pedestrians and we said silent prayers that this boy would peddle us safely the 12 remaining blocks to our hotel, I only saw her shut her eyes twice from fear. Pretty good for a first timer--and in the inclement weather! We got back to the hotel and after giving the boy a generous tip hoping he'd use it to purchase a rain hat, we stayed up late visiting, gossiping and laughing and I cannot tell you how great it feels to have some friends from home out here. :-)
end of part I.
*pics: us at hairspray, malea in jersey city with the empire state building behind her, a couple of times square and then again in the hotel. the windows you see behind her once opened so one could go out on the balcony... but the Radisson has since bolted them shut. Probably a good idea for the crazy's-- but for us normals, it was a bummer.
hey everyone-- here is a plug for my cousin cortney and her blog that she just started. she and her boyfriend David are traveling to Japan in March for the famous cherry blossom viewing as well as just touring around. This will be amazing, she is a wonderful writer. she plans to keep the blog going long after the trip so for sure check her out for interesting travel and life tidbits. Cort lives in Hawaii, which in itself is blog worthy! I am so glad she is doing this! The link is to the right in the "other sites we like" column. the pic is of cort and I on our road trip to Sun Valley via the Sawtooth Mountains a few years ago.
Its COLD here! With the windchill its below 0! Tom is flying back tonight from a quick 2 day meeting on the West Coast.
Tomorrow--- I am SO excited---my cousin Malea from Seattle is coming to visit (some of you may be wondering "how many cousins does she have already??". Well--a lot.) and is staying until Monday. I am taking a couple days off from work and we are going to do the normal things I do when friends come to visit including play tourist in the city, go to a show, try and spy movie stars, purse shopping in china town and just taking in ALL that we can!! I will update the blog of course with our wacky adventures and associated pictures!
On Friday we had our biggest snowfall of the year in the NE! We got around 8". Attached is a short video with the dogs frolicking about. Enjoy!
happy Presidents day! hopefully everyone is looking forward to the elections in Nov. Its quite a conversation topic out here in the East and I love it!
Today Tom, the dogs and I decided to drive to the Hamptons to see what thats all about.
Because we were there just for the day, we only hit East Hampton and drove to pretty much the end of Long Island (where the "Hampton's" are). We saw beautiful, large homes and the beach was gorgeous. The waves were quite big today as a storm was on its way in (it hit tonight actually).
Its about a 3 hour drive from our place, but it was a nice one. Traveling through NY is always good--always something to see. We drove thru the Bronx and Queens in route to our destination.
East Hampton is nice. Pretty swanky, but since it is still the off season, the crowds were small. Some of the shops and most hotels are closed until mid April, but there were plenty of things to do and see. The dogs loved it and per usual, they became a reason for strangers to greet us on the street and discuss everything from the Westminster Dog Show to a doctor in the Hampton's that has created a practice solely for dachshunds and offers acupuncture for them (only in the Hampton's...).
We had a wonderful time and our weekend was very full! It got to 68 here in NJ today and it felt like spring (or summer in Seattle. haha). All the snow melted and we are seeing buds on the trees. We are supposed to get snow on Wed though... crazy weather!
today tom and i headed to the shore. tom wanted to do some more work on the boat (install a new ice maker, some speakers, tons of projects that he loves to do)! These were pretty much one man jobs (which I was ok with-its cold out still and the marina is no exception) so I decided to play tourist and check out the shore a bit more intensely. As many of you may know ( i HOPE you know), Bruce Springsteen began his career in Asbury Park. He, being one of my all time fave artists and this city being so close to the marina, it was an ideal destination for me today!
Let me set it up a bit:
There are some areas (most I would say) of the Jersey Shore that are beautiful, but there are also some areas that have, potential; potential to become what they once were a few decades ago. The latter describes Asbury Park. From one angle you see can see huge homes, some along the water, that will amaze and from another angle quaint, tree lined main streets that make you feel like you are in a small town. However, Asbury, I have learned is not what it once was. The most kind way to describe this town is that it is in a remodel--one that it has been in for years. Giant unfishinshed hotels line the shore, condos promising shore living that have had their creation halted due to the mortgage crisis, boarded up homes and hotels littered with graffiti.
Granted, it is Winter and probably not the most beautiful time to visit the Shore: the sandy beaches and vast boardwalks lose some of the awe they hold in the warmer months and I am guessing in the summer sun, just like with most people, everything looks a little better with a tan. :-)
Anyway--I decided to hit some of the hotspots that are famous for Bruce.
As I drove to each destination I was shocked to find that I literally was the ONLY person on the streets (driving or walking). It felt odd. I realize its Sunday, but still--I saw one person signing his own version of Opera in a small corner park and a jogger--that was it.
My first stop was the Stone Pony. This is the most famous Bruce spot in the city as this is where he played most gigs and its noted as his favorite. Looking at some old pics of the place, it still pretty much looks the same now as it did back in the early 80's. I attached a pic. It resides across the street from the beach and in the early days, one could see ferris wheels, huge hotels and tons of people out each night. The view from the Stone Pony look drastically different today. Its sad.
My next stop was the Boardwalk. I cannot wait until the summer! The boardwalk is beauiful and its steps from the beach. It is the one place that hasn't changed over the years. In the summer it will be packed with people as it was in its hey day.
Check the pic.
Next, the Fast Lane. This club can boast that the best have played here, including: Bruce, U2, REM and... Bon Jovi! to name a few. The pics here show the Fast Lane today as well as an early pic I found on the Fast Lane site of Bruce and Jon Bon Jovi playing there.
After driving past the remnants of the Metropolitan Hotel (see vintage before pic and after) which is for sale currently, I decided to walk Main street. I found a great little off the wall coffee shop and spoke to a local about the towns music history and the impact its made on the world. We also discussed what has become of Asbury today and the promises from various city and state governement entities promising to make it again what it once was. I was encouraged to come back and visit in the summer when I will see for myself why the residents here want to belive these promises. As for Bruce, according to this guy, he still makes the rounds a few times each summer, stopping to say hello to many (he lives just a couple towns away).
(side note: I think this guy lost a bit of respect for me when I asked if Jon Bon Jovi ever came in... his answer was a flat "no").
After this full day I went back to the boat, marveled at how much Tom had gotten done there and we headed home. It was a great day and Asbury is now a destination on my "to visit" list that I can mark complete.
I have also added a link (below, copy and paste) to some current news on the status of bringing Asbury back to what it once was. Sadly, its not a very promising article.
Tom and I for sure have the Spring fever thing going today! We cleaned all the carpets for the boat and wow----do they look great! Its a beautiful day here, 100% sun. It really seems like Spring is here---until we go outside and realize its only 32 degrees! We are just running errands today and Tom is enjoying being home-- no traveling at all next week!
I like to put in little factoids about this area as I come across them so everyone can get a better feel for our new home. With the economy in a near recession and mortgages a major issue, the rental market in NY/NJ is booming vs the purchase of a new home. There are some pockets of the city though where you can still get a deal for not too much cash and none better than Jersey City. Although not quite in the city, its just across the Hudson and Manhattan is literally minutes away. Some of my past posts I have blogged about this area--Tom and I love it. Anyway, if anyone is looking for an investment (or to possibly move out here (hint hint L) Jersey City has some screaming deals (300-500K for condos in new developments). Even with some of the deals, the rental market still seems more popular for city living and it seems that this is only the beginning.
Here are some facts I read today in the NY Times:
-New Jersey's population density of 1150 persons per square mile is the highest in the WORLD, even greater than Japan (850) and India (950). This of course intensifies the demand for homes, which leads to higher costs; currently, housing in NJ costs 53% above the national average.
-It’s estimated that 30K people per year make the move across the Hudson from Manhattan to find housing. As this continues to happen, the rental market may be all people can afford out here.
Since we are on the subject of real estate… every Saturday one of my favorite sections of the paper is Real Estate. I love reading about spaces in the city that are so coveted here, but in other parts of the country what is sold/or rented out as living space would be viewed as obscene, even more so when you see the cost associated.
Here is a good one that’s been on the market for 12 weeks.
An Upper East Side studio (nice neighborhood, Socialite status, within walking distance to Central Park and multiple museums) in a pre-war (read= old) co-op building (no doorman which is a drawback), southern exposure, h/w floors, renovated kitchen and bath.
Monthly maint fees in addition to the mortgage are $480.00
The cost: $300K.
Oh yeah, the size… 350 sq feet.
I have attached some new pics of the city. Even with its ridiculous pricing its a great place to be. :-)
nyu, cafe wha?, a frequent gig for bob dylan back in the day, rain in greenwich and frank preparing for tom's bday a couple weeks ago.
:-)
Hey Everyone!! Its snowing here and its so beautiful! It started around 1 and shortly there after I headed home to finish the work day. With Tom in Conneticut, I didn't want to be stranded at work. I know what many of you are thinking... "you are in the NE, it always snows, people are used to it, blah blah"...
I too used to think that and while this area is superb at plowing and de-icing, the people here seem to get just as nervous driving as they do in Seattle. Anyway--so its still snowing and I love it! Although Frank and Ollie would love to play in the in it all day, they get pretty cold so we are hunkering down indoors where its warm, but moods get a bit testy (see pics).
:-)
Hi everyone! Happy Saturday! Today we were greeted with snow falling and it was beautiful. It didn't last long though as it warmed up, but that was ok as we were on our way to the Atlantic City Boat Show. Its about 2 hours away from us and a nice drive. Maybe because it is winter, but what I saw of the city didn't impress me. It was how I expected it actually--like Reno but with taller buildings. Now granted, we didn't hang out there and just drove through the main areas by Trump Tower and Caesar's etc so perhaps I am not giving it a chance. The one thing that we saw briefly that I cannot wait to get back to is the boardwalk. It too is just how I imagined: Wonderful! The sandy beaches surround the wood planked boardwalk with the ocean on one side and store shops selling salt water taffy (among other things) on the other. I made Tom promise that we'd go back here the 1st warm weekend we have so we can lay on the beach and stroll the boardwalk. (It sounds like I am in California, not South Jersey). So I am guessing in April I will have a much more detailed entry on this location! Here is some history on the famous boardwalk: it was built in 1870 and was just 12 feet wide and only intended to keep the sand out of the hotels. Today, it's 40 feet wide and stretches for more than 4 miles and is a main attraction in the NE. Here is a pic of an artists rendition that I like.
The boat show was a feast for the eyes! We saw tons of things to stick on our "want" list. We are currently replacing some of the electronics (more of a want than a need and if you know Tom, that makes perfect sense), recovering the couches, etc.
We brought the dogs on this road trip today and they loved the car ride! Most of the time they sit in the back seat and nap or look out the windows---until they get just too cute and I bring them to the front seat to sit with us! :-)
Not too much else happening. Tom heads on a road show Tuesday for work visiting Connecticut, DC and a couple other spots. Aside from a trip to Seattle in late Feb, he hopes (as do I) that the traveling slows down. I am super busy at work but love my job so I don't mind too much. My cousin Malea is coming to visit later this month so I am taking a couple days off to show her the city and I cannot wait!!!
Have a good rest of the weekend! I hope everyone in Seattle went out and voted...
We hope everyone is ready to cheer on the Giants as they attempt to make history tonight in what could be the biggest upset in Super Bowl history!! While we normally root for the Jets since moving out here, we are jumping on the Giant's bandwagon as frankly, its hard not to! Plus--the Jets didn't have the best season...
Yesterday we celebrated Tom's birthday (actually began the celebration Friday night with cake, presents, party hats, the whole nine yards) by spending some time on the boat and then heading into the city to see Grease on Broadway. It was a great show and we had pretty good seats! I don't think there is anyone who has NOT seen Grease the movie version so you can all relate to how infectious the songs are! (Sadly Grease II never compared to the fame of the original except for in Portland, OR in the early 80's where my sister, our friends Gina and Shannon and I LOVED it beyond words).
Here are a couple pics of the play!
Go Giants!
pics: greased lightning scene, summer nights (summer lovin') scene, grease II billboard (if you are curious...)
as promised, here is a pic of my ring. I feel that I am the luckiest girl alive!
... and it is: Seattle Reigns. Not only is it a play on words, as we all know it rains in Seattle, but Seattle will always reign for us as its where Tom and I met! We are so excited to get the name on the boat. I need to decide what font we want and then its pretty much done. We went down to the shore yesterday. We are getting some work done on the boat getting it ready for Spring. I can hardly wait!! I told Tom that I see us on that boat nearly every weekend!!! We also went and checked on our new Marina where the boat will reside beginning this Spring. Attached is a picture of our view from our slip. Its completely unobstructed which will allow for picture perfect sunsets. :-) In New Jersey you have to be licensed to drive (that can't be the right word) a boat so we have to attend a captains class to get certified. Yes I said we--- you may address us as Captain Tom and Captain Diana after just two short 4 hour Saturday classes. The likelihood of me actually "driving" the boat is slim so I protest a bit at my enrollment in this class, but you never know when I may have to take the wheel. :-)
The weatherman keeps saying its going to snow, but it hasn't yet. Maybe today. We aren't complaining though--- while its still a bit cold, its sunny!!
Tom heads to Denver this week for work and I am very busy too. When Tom travels I end up working pretty late which I don't mind--especially with it being so busy.
oh yeah... after many requests, I will also be posting a picture of my beautiful engagement ring on the blog. :-) Stay tuned for that...
