New York Day Two

If we were there for longer AJ could have slept in and enjoyed his bed more, but we only had until 3:00 to explore before taking a train to West Point. Once he was up it was worth it! I hailed my first cab :) We meet some gym friends for breakfast at Max Brenners Chocolatier in Union Square and OH. MY. GOSH. For starters Aj ordered make it ourself hot chocolate. It was a cup of milk heating over a tee candle to keep it warm, a bowl of fabulous chocolate chunks, and a bowl of milk to refill. You use the spoon to put in as much chocolate chunks as you want then the spoon is actually the straw as well. Of course I got a side of marshmallows as well. He had so much fun, I really should have bought the set because he loved it so much. Then for breakfast Aj ordered Chocolate, Chocolate Chocolate pancakes. They were chocolate pancakes with chocolate chips, with chocolate sauce in a beaker to pour over the top and chocolate krispys to sprinkle, oh and sliced bananas in a carmel sauce. So beautiful to look at it, it would be a fun birthday breakfast idea. I got a omelet with spinach and goat cheese, with a biscuit sprinkles with cinnamon and sugar and a pot of chocolate to dip it in. And I did. Then we walked through Strand which I'm told is the largest book store in New York and I wanted everything.

Next we went to Rockerfeller Center. This was the toughest part of the trip for me, I really wanted to go to the top of the Empire State Building, but it was twice the cost as the Top of the Rock and said to take 2 or 3x as long to get to the top. So we decided to do the Rock. Totally cool. we could see everything up there. And there is a app that you download and when you open it you point your phone toward the skyline and it shows you through your view finder all the names of the buildings you are looking at. I loved it. Aj loved looking through the viewfinders and seeing the Statue of Liberty. And of course we got the picture of AJ and buddy doing handstands with the Empire State Building between them :)

Our friends left us at that point and we walked up 5th avenue to Central Park. I don't know if Aj enjoyed that as much as I did, but boy did I love it. He was more interested in watching the cab drivers and seeing the homeless people sitting in boxes. We went through St Patricks, I guess it's the largest cathedral in NY and he hadn't been in one before. It was beautiful and so different from what he is used to. People were kneeling on the benches in front of their chosen saint and praying with hands lifted. He lit a candle because of course, it meant he got to play with fire for even a minute. Central Park is so big and we did not have the time to see more then the pond and walk through the zoo really quick, we saw the gates that Poppers Penguins used and the clock and statue gate from Madagascar :) Then on our way back we stopped through Fao Swartz, can I say WOW?  We met our friends at GCS at took our first train ride up the Hudson river to West Point. Of course after we took the hand stand picture in GCS. West Point was so cool, but we got to see very little of it and mostly at night. I would have needed a whole other day there. We had to choose between spending our first day in Manhattan or West Point, it was tough but we had fun. We went and say the collegiate level gymnasts competing and wow is that a site to see. I've never seen such muscles in my life! The aerials and tricks they do defy gravity for sure!

The gate into West Point

 

New York with Aj day One

Aj had I whirlwind trip to New York this weekend for a gymnastics meet. When I tried to pull our my favorite picture from each place we saw I ended up with 27 pictures.

First off the shuttle from LGA dropped us of at Grand Central Station which was celebrating it's 100 anniversary that day. They had Caroline Kennedy speaking, the Philharmonic Orchestra played some pieces, dancing, singing it was amazing. We were supposed to be meeting some friends at the 9/11 Memorial site at 4, and I couldn't check into our hotel until 3 so we walked around the station then went and explored the city around us. We found;

 New York City Library! We took a picture outside what we call the Ghostbuster door, since this is where they ran out of the library :) I tried to get AJ to sit on the Lion but he agreed to lean on the lion. In his defense there was a lot of ice. Did I mention it was 20 outside?
                                        

I had no maps yet I had no idea where I was going and so missed the Empire State building by 3 blocks, but don't worry I found it later. Instead after the library I made a turn and found the Chrysler Building. By then we were frozen and went back to GCS where we stood inline to get a free commemorative train whistle. Then we checked into our hotel. Some friends were staying there and said it was a "experience". It was like living in a IKEA bedroom. It had bunk beds with just enough room to stand beside them and a small bathroom with a partially frosted glass door. No I didn't shower there :) Aj LOVED it! And it was cheap, and we had our our tvs.

After playing in our room we took our first subway ride, it was packed and nerve wracking and no one really was helpful. Luckily I got on the right one and then managed to get off at the right station. It was cool to be to be at the site that I have seen so often on tv. I know I will never completely understand what it looked like when the towers fell. The 2 pools are a beautiful tribute. I think they are unique, the water continuous flowing down the water fall and then into the pool below that you cant see into, the names written in the bronze around the pool with lights underneath so they glow, was so beautiful. The museum isn't open yet but you could look into the windows and see the Tridents that were on the front of the towers displayed there. To see such massive metal twisted was amazing. Inside the small temporary museum store there is a short video and a picture timeline on the wall that I could barely look at it's still so poingant. Cool mementos that were typically expensive. Our friends hadn't arrived yet so I got Aj who is the best sport ever to run the 5 or so blocks to take pictures at the Raging Bull statue! I would have liked to go a little farther and see more financial district but it was so freezing cold.

The new Freedom Tower being built next door.

After playing in our room we took our first subway ride, it was packed and nerve wracking and no one really was helpful. Luckily I got on the right one and then managed to get off at the right station. It was cool to be to be at the site that I have seen so often on tv. I know I will never completely understand what it looked like when the towers fell. The 2 pools are a beautiful tribute. I think they are unique, the water continuous flowing down the water fall and then into the pool below that you cant see into, the names written in the bronze around the pool with lights underneath so they glow, was so beautiful. The museum isn't open yet but you could look into the windows and see the Tridents that were on the front of the towers displayed there. To see such massive metal twisted was amazing. Inside the small temporary museum store there is a short video and a picture timeline on the wall that I could barely look at it's still so poingant. Cool mementos that were typically expensive. Our friends hadn't arrived yet so I got Aj who is the best sport ever to run the 5 or so blocks to take pictures at the Raging Bull statue! I would have liked to go a little farther and see more financial district but it was so freezing cold.
After that our friends arrived and we rode our first taxi to Little Italy where we ate amazing food and paid too much. Our friends then went to see Spiderman in Broadway but Aj wasn't really interested and I didn't want to spend that much if he didn't care. We walked up and down Times Square, freezing our butts off but it's an amazing site. The Toys R Us store there is so incredible they had lego displays that had our 500,000 bricks. We liked the Empire State building in legos complete with gorilla the best!

Solid legos!! Aj wants to know how to get that job!

The 2013 crystal ball is till up there but it's glowing so you can't see it :)

And that was day One.

Knoxville Meet

Last weekend Aj had a competition in Knoxville Tennesee. Its a pretty big meet and there are kids competing from all over the country, which means really tough to earn anything.  Anyway, Aj did very well, he posted his usual type of scores for this season which is good. It got him a 7th place over all and a few 4th and 5th places. Unfortunately they only gave out medals to the 3rd place which is strange and unfortunate. ANyway once they were giving out the medals a boy on AJ's team who is in a different age group was accidentally put in his group and then won a medal AJ would have gotten if the boy wasn't there. It was I think the first time we left a meet with no medals and Aj who is always a good sport was pretty bummed. And bummed to know he should have gotten at least one. Well last night at practice the boy gave AJ the medal he should have earned, Aj tried really hard to not take it, saying of course it's ok and not to worry about it. But what a nice gesture by this little 9 year old boy!

Wall ideas

I'd really like to make a few things that my kids can see on a daily basis to show them love, and encouragment. I have things on my fridge and pictures of them around the house to show I'm proud but I'd really like to make something like this. I read the blog and it doesn't look hard, they used adobe illustrator and then printed it as a 11x14 at costco, how cool is that!! Anyone have Adobe Ill and the knowledge to use it??

Title picture

OK the picture at the top of my blog is old, maybe 6 years or so. But I love it so much, and it's so a classic, I really think I should just leave it. Granted the children are older and I have cute pictures but isn't a classic picture good? I would miss that picture.

Numbers are low 2012

Wow I was just looking up how long I've been blogging and I noticed that the past 3 years I have done over 100 posts during the year but this year was only in the 40's. Thats kinda of a disappointment!! I will try to do better next year!!Perhaps I was a bit of a hermit this year, keeping everything in and to myself instead of sharing with anyone who stumbles across my blog!! This has been a fun way to share all the good, the bad and the totally desperate! Plus it's kinda of a cheater way to journal since I completely stink at it!

Kiawah Island Half Marathon

Before the race, gorgeous morning!!

Just after we finished with our beautiful blue beach glasses medals!!

This is the ultimate ice bath! We froze in the water then basked in the 70 degree weather on the sand!! Heaven!!

I've been wanting to run this race since I started racing 4 years ago, but it's always on the weekend of Kirks work party and since it's 6 hours away it would be hard to get back in time for a black tie event! But this year the party was cancelled and so off to South Carolina mom and I went!! The race is on Kiawah Island, one of the many little islands off of Charelston. Spanish moss, huge Oak trees and palm trees everywhere! We had the best weather ever at a balmy 71!! We even splurged and stayed in a condo with a beach view!! The down side?? I had a fever and was really sick. I don't actually remember very much of the race, I was concentrating really hard to not cough, because every time I did it felt like I was severing a lung. usually mom and I talk to each other and all the volunteers we pass, but we ran  pretty much in silence. It just shows how crazy we are!! I do remember finishing and getting to rest on the beach! The food and the race end was amazing, they had white bean soup, 3 types of pasta, muffins, brownies, hot chocolate, lemonade it was amazing!! We had a little bit of energy to walk around down town Charleston but not a lot, I wish I had more but that what it is. All in all a good time!!