Grass Fire

Please don’t let your kids play with matches.  Our neighbor’s son and a few of his friends were playing with matches and caught the lawn on fire.  It quickly spread to our yard and almost reached the landscaping and house.  Thank goodness it didn’t because the scrubs were dry and dead.  I think they would have been gone in seconds.  A HUGE thank you to our other neighbor that put the fire out with a fire extinguisher (not a bad idea to have a few of these scattered around the house), our neighbor for calling the Allen fire department and the firemen for explaining the importance of fire safety to the kids. 

The upside is no one was hurt and the firemen said the burned area should grow back faster and greener than the rest of the yard.  Michael and I are trying to figure out how to execute a controlled burn of the entire yard! (I kid, I  kid).

 

 

New York – Day 5

What an amazing way to spend our last day in New York…to see the city covered in snow!  Michael and I were prepared for cold weather, but for wet, slushy mud puddles and snow…not so much.  The puddles may look shallow, but as soon as you step down to cross the street, it’s up to your ankles.  My poor feet were completely soaked by the end of the day, but it was worth it!  We both feel blessed to have taken this trip together and we look forward to returning to the city soon!   

A special thank you to our friend Kelli that booked the trip for us.  If anyone is looking to take vacation anytime soon, please let me know and I’ll pass on Kelli’s contact information. 

Highlights from day 5 included:

• Central Park
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) – we only had an hour!
• Dinner at Patsy’s
• Dylan’s candy bar
• Dessert at Serendipity (2 hour wait!)

Central Park

 

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New York – Day 4

We decided to head downtown on day 4.  Since downtown was so far from where we were staying, walking was out of the question.  So we did the next best thing…took the subway!  Thank goodness for Michael, his ability to read maps and his amazing sense of direction. Just before we left Soho and headed downtown, it started to snow.  Little did we know what was coming.

It was also our first time to visit Ground Zero.  I didn’t anticipate being overcome with emotions.  At this point, Ground Zero looks like any other construction site, and I see these all the time, especially in Michael’s line of work.  We are rebuilding, and that’s what we should be doing, but to sit across the street looking over and imagining what that day must have been like awoke something inside of me…a reminder that life is fragile and none of us are guaranteed extra time in this world.  I especially thought of my father, a retired firefighter, who is (and will always be) my hero.    

Highlights from day 4 included:

• The NYC subway
• Soho – Lombardi’s pizza
• Battery Park – Statue of Liberty, Korean War Memorial and The World Trade Center Memorial
• American Stock Exchange
• Ground Zero
• World Trade Center Museum
• New York Stock Exchange
• Wall Street
• City Hall
• Shawna visited!

Battery Park (the Statue of Liberty is just over Tamra’s right shoulder)

 

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New York – Day 3

This is the day I discovered Dean & Deluca hot chocolate.  It was so good, I actually preferred drinking it to coffee.  I know…I was shocked too.  I figured out the secret to the hot chocolate…it’s made with Ghirardelli chocolate!  I think Michael’s favorite part of the day was finally getting to try a hot dog from one of the street vendors.  He had 3!  Highlights from day 3 included:

• 5th Avenue
• Rockefeller Center (day & night)
• NBC Studios (we took a tour…saw James Franco rehearsing for Saturday Night Live)
• Dean & Deluca (across from The Today Show)
• FAO Swartz
• Apple store (aka the cube)
• Hotdog on the street
• Dinner at Tavern on the Green (just weeks before they closed the doors forever!)

Rockefeller Center and the largest Christmas tree

 

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New York – Day 2

Michael and I took very few taxis during our trip, so we got a lot of walking  and exercise in!  I really think the best way to “discover” New York is to just go out on the street and start walking.  We did just that!  Highlights from day 2 included:

• Empire State Building
• Macy’s
• JC Penney’s (this was my client at the time so I had to visit the new flagship store!)
• New York City Public Library
• Grand Central Station
• Chrysler building
• 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue (this is where the great stores are ladies!)
• St. Patrick’s cathedral
• Dinner at Scarlatto’s (Thanks for the recommendation Courtney!)
• Wicked on Broadway (Amazing!)

At the Empire State Building

 

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New York – Day 1

Michael and I took our first trip to New York City the week before Christmas. Those that had been before said ‘go during the winter time’ and ‘go just before Christmas’, so we did! Well…we fell in love. Don’t get me wrong…we aren’t looking to sale the house and move there, but we know this won’t be our last visit. We did as much as we could during our short time in the city and we got pictures of most of our adventures. I figured the best way to do this was to document the highlights of each day and include the best of the best pictures. I took over 800 pictures total…

• Arrive to NYC and check-in (Le Parker Meridien)
• Bryant Park
• Radio City Music Hall
• Times Square
• Toys R Us
• M&M store
• Broadway
• David Letterman Show

Times Square

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