Saturday, July 10, 2010

Happy 4th of July!

wow! i am back. and hopefully won't disappear like that again for a few months. sigh.

june is o-v-e-r! and i am somewhat relived. it was a non-stop work month. crazy, crazy, crazy days of running around like a chicken with no head. by the end of it (because May was totally insane at work too) we were ready for a serious BREAK! one thing i knew for sure i wanted OUT of the city. every city.

if you know our travel habits, you know, we book last minute almost every.single.time. i think i've mentioned before we booked our honeymoon two weeks before the wedding. when people asked us where we were going, we'd smile & say we are tossing around some different options. their mouths would drop to the floor, like we had just attempted to break into their home. okay, maybe not that dramatic but you get the idea. it's just how we seem to roll.

but, this trip takes the cake, on the last minute front. we booked it thursday night at midnight. so technically, friday morning?

so let's get to it.
we hailed a cab early saturday morning and headed to the airport.
 yep...that early.
who's excited?? i am. i am.
what time is it?
time to fly...
almost there...eek. so excited!
oh, i forgot to mention. where this flight was taking us...the BAHAMAS!!!
sweet heaven. you have no IDEA how ready i was to have some sunshine & relaxation.
here is the view we scored from our room!

one of the pools.
are you catching the trend?
lot of laziness going on. lot of LAZINESS!
at dinner the wait staff broke out into a happy birthday song that lasted for about 5mins. they went from happy birthday to a LOUD drum performance.
funny side story, i was so nervous the whole performance that someone was going to get mad at them for being so loud because people of the subway get so irritated when performances get too loud.
that night we wandered down to the beach and enjoyed watching a thunderstorm right on the water.
this was before it really got dark.
us enjoying the show!
and then the magic started happening...
what happens when thunderstorms move closer? the turn into crazy tropical down pours.
the end result...being soaking wet.
can you see how wet we are? we literally ran, maybe 100ft, a we were dripping wet.

so you know how i said some serious laziness was going on?
well, it got even lazier. so photos are kinda all over the place from here on out...
it is NOW the 4th. we rotated between the pool & beach almost all day.
that evening, we decided on room service. proof, we are lazy! :)
that cobb salad was sooooooo tasty! with salmon on top!
after room service we ran down for the start of the firework show.
our failed attempt to get a photo of us with fireworks behind us.
yes, i realize that this photo is horrible!
the finale!
the next day (monday) we did more of the same. explored dowtown nassau and had a tasty lunch.
our trip ended early tuesday morning. it was so nice to get away & relax!
our trip ended on a wonderful note!
thank you so much jason for spoiling me with this trip.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

city of brotherly love

jason & i hopped on a bus (for get this, $20 round trip, $40 total...can't beat it) for a quick trip to philly. it is only 2 hours away! so crazy coming from california. we scored a great hotel for a killer price.

we kept it moving in our slightly over 24 hour trip. first stop, eat something! j & i saw a show on the food network that showcased killer food spots in philly. we attacked ALL three of them.

reading terminal market is really cool. imagine the best food court ever mixed with an incredible indoor farmers market. we enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich with broccoli rabe & sharp provolone. mmm...mmm...good!
seriously, i ate so much i was hurting. i just couldn't stop! 
one thing that is awesome about living in NYC is we are not afraid of public transportation. for us, subways, buses, cabs and our legs have become a way of life. 

jason scored tickets for us to see the US National Soccer team play Turkey before they left for the world cup! such a great game!
final score 2-1 USA! 

beth, one of my co-workers is from philly and she recommended a great tapas restaurant for dinner. 
it was so stinking tasty! not to mention the incredible decor. i was head over heels in love with the feel in that place. all the different styles mixed and combined to perfection.
yes, i am getting this excited over the way a restaurant looks...can't help myself.
the next morning, we were up & out, ready to explore some more!
elfreth's alley. the old residential street in the united states.
i, of course, was smitten!
cobble stone street, shutters, old street lamps...heaven.
we wandered over to Betsy Ross' house. 
technically, they don't know if this is her house 
or the house next door that has already been torn down.
there is so much history packed into this city!
we saw benjamin franklin's resting place!
the line for the liberty bell was SO long & we just didn't have time to wait. 
so we snagged a photo through the window and admired it from there.
snapped a photo in front of independence hall
we headed to the tomb of the unknown soldier
it was special to do ALL of this on memorial day weekend. 
so much history, so old, so different than california.
special.

between the heat & humidity! 
we were ready to eat. 
now everyone knows. you can't visit philly without doing what?
that's right. philly cheesesteaks!
check out the line.
last stop before catching the bus back to NYC...ice cream.
franklin fountain is a cute little old fashion ice cream parlor. 
a banana split please!

it was a great trip & a nice escape from NYC!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Geoff & Marcia

good heavens! it is about time that i shared this with you! my cousin geoff & his awesome wife marcia came for a visit. it was so nice to see them & have them here. we had to work but luckily enjoyed some fun activities during the weekend.  can you see how spoiled we have been with visitors?

the girls
the boys
green day entertained us for an evening with their new hip broadway show, "american idiot"
still feeling bad about the seats, geoff & marcia. hope it wasn't too terrible!
for our last supper we chowed down at an agrentine restaurant.
thank you for coming out geoff & marcia.
we loved having you guys and hope to see you both again soon!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Happy 3rd Birthday Laney Mae!

we scored when we were home last month (technically two months...can you believe it is already june?) for michelle and tim's wedding. why? because we not only got to see an amazing couple get married, we also got to celebrate laney's 3rd birthday!

lindsey planned every little detail to perfection. i love watching littles celebrate their birthday.
lindsey's mom made laney this drop dead gorgeous Cinderella dress.
complete with perfect blue pearls on the birthday girl.
the perfect princess cake.
the perfect princess castle.
the perfect princess book.
and no party is complete without the perfect princess!
oh and EVERY princess needs a frog! (julia won the hot potato aka frog game)
i love this picture of jules telling laney a secret.
look closely and you can see jules whispering in laney's ear!
ah how i miss getting to see this little princess...
two adorable pics of the gorgeous mama & the birthday princess
happy, happy 3rd birthday princess laney!
we love watching you grow & love the little girl you are!
thank you linds & justin for having us!