Monday, August 27, 2012

New York City!

Waaaayyyyy back in the end of June, beginning of July, Lee and I took a very spontaneous trip to NYC to see Wicked and enjoy a night in the Big Apple!  It was so great to get all dolled up and head out for a night on the town.  Of course, a BIG thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for taking Olivia for the day/night/day so we could head on our mini vacation!

The drive up was VERY slow.  We hit so much traffic and we felt as if we would NEVER get there!!  I snapped a few pictures from the car, but they didn't come out too great.  Not even sure what I was trying to take a picture of!  A small glimpse at the new Freedom Tower I guess!



And, of course, traffic entering the Lincoln Tunnel.  And,  no, we did not see Buddy the Elf!



When we finally arrived, we had about 15 minutes to change and get ready for dinner.  Our reservation was at 5:30 so we could make sure to get to the show on time!  Lee snapped these before we headed out the door.



We were ready for the walk over to dinner.  I probably should've planned my footwear a little smarter!  I wore 4 1/2 inch platform heels to walk around the city!  Granted, we didn't have to walk TOO far, but those blocks seemed to last forever in those shoes!  Here I am, pretending to be comfortable!!!


The place Lee chose for dinner was called 44 1/2.  I think it's safe to say, we had the best meal we've ever had at that place!!  For starters, we both ordered a drink.  Lee had a Manhattan while I tried a Soho Skinny Bitch Margarita!  Boy, was that yummy!


Then we ordered our starter.....Crispy Duck Ravioli - cranberry, chevre & sun-dried tomatoes.  Um, this was unbelievable!  We ordered our entrees next.  Lee ordered the North Atlantic Cod - applewood smoked bacon wrap, hazelnut grits & pomegranate reduction.....deLICIOUS!  I ordered the Main Lobster Risotto which was just spectacular!  We each ordered another drink; Lee stuck with the Manhattan while I tried their "Pinkwich Village, Fit for Queens".  Apparently this was their "healthy" drink!  Made with 3 Vodka that is made with soy, so no carbs...and crystal light pink lemonade with a splash of sprite!  It was pretty tasty and definitely looked pretty!!  What better way to end the meal, than with dessert!!  We shared the Warm Molten Chocolate Cake....it was definitely delicious, but no better than the one I make at home!!  :)

Time to head over to the Gershwin for the show!!  I was SO excited to see Wicked again....and this time on Broadway!  Lee hadn't seen it yet, so I was definitely excited for him too.

Can you see the excitement?


As I figured it would be, the show was awesome!!  I loved every minute of it.  Lee enjoyed it very much as well.  After the show, we headed to a little piano jazz bar that was recommended by a friend who happens to be a local!   The place was called The Rum House.  We walked in, and a girl was singing some swanky jazz number with a trumpet, bass, and piano player.  It was great!  We sat at a little table, enjoyed a few (ok, a lot) of cocktails, met some really nice people and just enjoyed the night out!  After a while, we started seeing a bunch of people line up with drums like they were part of some kind of drum line or something.  We later found out they were the drum line from Michigan State about to do a performance in Times Square!  We headed out and watched them.  They were great! 

We walked around Times Square for a bit before heading back to the hotel for some much needed sleep! 


Here is some proof that Lee was actually with me on this trip!  It was a whirlwind trip, up and back, in the city for less than 16 hours, but it was well worth it!  Can't wait to go back (maybe stay a bit longer)!!



Dash4Dad 4 Miler

June 17th, I participated in another running event.  This one was a charity run that supports ZERO - The Project to End Prostate Cancer!  The event was called Dash4Dad 4 Miler and you can see all the photos here!  One cool thing about this race was that Lee was photographing it and it was on Father's Day.  Andrew came and helped Lee by snapping a bunch of the photos with him.  This was the farthest distance I have run, to date!  And, I ran the whole thing....no stopping!  I couldn't help but run when I was being passed by men and women 3 times my age!  And, cancer survivors at that!  Here is proof that I actually ran!



I look like I'm running fast.....right?  Anyway, I do look forward to running it again next year!

The North Face Endurance Challenge

On June 3rd, I participated in an off-road 5K running race.  I signed up for it months before, and started my training.  It was a tough race, but I finished pretty well!  The race was The North Face Endurance Challenge and it was pretty tough!  Now, I just did 5K, or 3.1 miles.....the longest distance was 50 miles!  Are you kidding me?  Ha!  At any rate.....my official results - 36:25.  I will take it!  It was off-road and very up and down, so finishing was really enough for me!

Olivia and Lee came and cheered me on!  Olivia even helped me warm up!





Then the real running started.......



Finally.....time to relax!


Olivia's First Haircut!

As I'm posting these, I'm realizing just how much has happened since May!

Olivia had her very first haircut on May 29, 2012.  I took her to Julie who has been cutting my hair for a very long time!!  I know she was excited to be the one to give her the first haircut!!  I really wasn't sure how this would go.  I envisioned her squirming right out of the chair and clinging onto me.  However, she climbed right up on the chair and just sat there....quietly.  She kinda looked like a deer in headlights!  But, she sat still and let Julie do her thing.










What a trooper!!!


4th Annual Tommy's Run for a Reason

This year was the 4th Annual Tommy's Run for a Reason.  If you remember from the past 3 years, a friend of mine from high school lost his 2 1/2 year old to SUDC - Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood; basically the toddler version of SIDS.  Where this has always been such an incredibly sad story to me, now that Olivia is around that age, it hits home even more.  I have attended all four of these events and will continue to support it as long as they host it!  It is also great to get out and see a bunch of folks from high school. 

This year was a little different.  I actually ran the 5K this year!  In fact, I was enjoying myself SO much that I decided to tack on about 1/2 a mile extra by missing the turnaround sign and heading back.  Oops!  Oh well, was a great run (even if I was one of the last to come through!)  Hey, at least I ran it, right??

Before the race started, we walked around and Olivia got the chance to hang out with a princess, swing with daddy, get her face painted and play some fun games! 









And, I'm off!!!!


Once the race started, Lee and Olivia got to hang out and hit up some more games and even a pony ride!!!  When I got back from running, Olivia and daddy were there to cheer me to the finish line!



Olivia told me all about her first pony ride and wanted to "ride da horsie" again!  So, we headed over there and I got to walk with her while daddy took pictures!






She loved it!!!  It was so cute to see that big smile on her face.  Ahhhh......to be young!

After the second pony ride, we headed over to the fire trucks that were there for kids to look through.  Olivia and I even got to sit inside!




All in all, a great day.  Great cause, great fun!


 Can't wait for the 5th Annual Tommy's Run for a Reason!!!

Olivia being Olivia

Here are a few photos I snapped back in May that I think are blog worthy!  At least her Aunt 'Reen will think so!

Olivia received this awesome apron from Aunt 'Reen for Christmas.  For some reason, she wasn't too into it at first, but she will ask to put it on a lot now when helping mommy and daddy in the kitchen! 




I realize this is a hodge podge of photos, but hey, at least I'm blogging!  We were always very interested in seeing what kind of hairstyle Olivia would come home with when she was attending the home daycare with Fiorela......this was a favorite of mine!


And, here she is posing in her new chair from Grandma and Grandpa!!


Always a ham!

Memorial Day Weekend

Yes, before you say it, I DO realize it's been quite a while since I blogged.  Work has been crazy busy and I haven't wanted to get my laptop out once I get out of the office and land softly on my couch!  So, I'm a bit behind.....now, you'll just get hit with a bunch of posts all at once!

Memorial Day Weekend was the BIG reveal of all the work done on the house at Wintergreen!  Mom was super excited for us to all come up and see all the big changes.  We were excited too!  We decided at the last minute to drive up Friday evening vs. Saturday morning.  This gave us a chance to get there and wake up there Saturday morning.  Was a great choice even though we got caught in some traffic.  The weekend was a blast, playing with the kids, got in a round of golf and just sitting and chatting with the family.  Here are a few photos from the weekend!

Just a few of us posing for Lee's camera!







The kiddos enjoyed a LOT of water time on the newly refurbished deck!










Watch out Maureen!!

Olivia is explaining to Aunt 'Reen that if you're gonna sit that close to the water table, you're gonna get wet!


What a great time we had on the mountain....looking forward to the next family gathering at Dogwood Road for Thanksgiving!