New York, New York

Wow - what a couple of weeks it's been. NYC with my two best friends was a blast. Crazy though! Our first day there a huge steam pipe burst a couple of blocks from our hotel near Grand Central Station.


The subways were stopped for a while and we had a hard time getting from Chinatown all the way up to 45th street near Broadway to see "Spamalot" - we finally got a taxi -- God Bless taxis!


We also had a great time at The Metropolitan Museum the next day especially at the costume exhibit and the pyramid exhibit:


visited St. Patrick's Cathedral:


took a fun ride in a horse drawn carriage:

walked through Central Park:

went to Times Square:


We did eventually ride the subway:

And of course went shopping!!

Kerri is in the blue striped shirt and Karen in the teal shirt.

So, this was our trip to NYC - we had a fantastic time celebrating turning 40 and being friends for more than 25 years.

All Hybrid All the Time

Well, we just got our second Hybrid - we now have the Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape. I don't know why everyone doesn't have a hybrid! Cost effective yet sporty and fun -- and some are luxurious!! I Love my Hybrids!! And, I'm so glad that we no longer have the BWM to deal with, and the Windstar is now gone also. So, we're back to two cars and a motorcycle.

Kerri and Karen are coming today - WOOHOO - we're going to have such a great time in the city - I'm so excited.

I did do some new scrap pages:



On Friday Alexandra will be riding on a plane from NYC to Rochester all by herself - her first unaccompanied flight. I think we're all a bit nervous! But she's also excited because she'll be able to spend the weekend with our friends and several horses! Not much makes her happier than horses. I look forward to getting photos back from her trip.

Twinderella Oops :(

Tonight Alexandra completed her 3 week term of Children's Theater Camp by performing the show Twinderella. She did a great job with the lines she had and her chorus songs and dance. And I caught it all on tape -- I thought. Unbeknownst to me the DVR crapped out, and I forgot to put the disk back into my still camera, so we have no digital footage of any kind of her role in Twinderella. Oh well, it was cute and she did a great job and that I'll always know. And, since she had a pretty miserable time at theater camp we really didn't need the reminders! So instead, I'm posting some of my newest scrapbook creations :)

Domo arigato

Not domo arigato Mr. Roboto (although every time I go to karate with the kids I can't help but sing that) - it's domo arigato meaning thank you in Japanese. Today the boys joined the ranks of the mini dragons, and now I am the only one in my house not doing karate. They have done quite well and are listening. I think this will really be helpful for Philip and his sensory integration disorder. He is having to still himself in order to participate - it's obviously not been easy but he's doing alright! And Andrew is having a heyday. He's really pretty good with his kicks and punches -- give him some time and he'll be giving daddy a run for his money! They were quite adorable in their little gi outfits and white belts!

Slip and Slide

The kids got their first Slip and Slide today. I remember what a fun time we had on the Slip and Slide as a kid, we even tried to make one out of garbage bags. But on the hot summer days there was nothing quite like making a run for it and sliding through the cool water on the yellow plastic to the end of the Slip and Slide.
I also saw a rainbow today. I haven't seen one in so long. There were so many times when I couldn't find a rainbow and I wondered..... We really couldn't blame God if he felt like taking back his promise not to flood the earth, after all we have not done a very good job caring for each other, the earth and the creatures who share it with us. But then today, I saw a dim pink bow that spanned the sky in the east, and then a bright blue and pink end to the south. This reminded me that God truly is awesome and hasn't given up on us, so we need to not give up one each other!

Independence Day

Well, it's day 3 of single momhood while Anthony is away at confirmation camp. Things are going pretty well, but it has been a bit chaotic! It's Independence Day, but we really didn't do anything. Alex went to Eli's for his birthday and went to a movie with him another friend and Eli's mom - they had a lot of fun.

Just a cute photo from a few days ago:

One Proud Mommy

Today I took Alexandra to a horse show. She did a fantastic job, getting a second and a fifth place in the two flat classes and a second and a third place in her two jumping classes. For the overall Short Stirrup division she placed as Reserve Champion -- i.e. 2nd place over all. She was focused, and worked hard but still had a great time.