tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47798223582571487042024-02-02T10:30:39.936-05:00Everyday LifeStories about my life, the people in it, and everything in between. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-28477895451542268922016-02-08T10:48:00.002-05:002016-02-08T10:48:52.359-05:00And New Baby Makes FOUR! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Matías Mendoza was born Sunday, November 29, 2015 at 4PM at Providence Health Center in Waco, TX., just 3 days short of his due date. :) He weighed in at 7 lbs. 13.8 oz. and was 21 inches in length.<br />
He is absolutely beautiful and has been another wonderful godsend and addition to our family.<br />
<br />
As you hear everyone say, no two pregnancies are the same, the same will go for labor and delivery. :) I got to feel "real" contractions this time - not fun.<br />
I actually went in to the hospital the night before. I had felt a little off that day and by that Saturday night, I called my doctor's office and they advised me to come in and get checked out...just in case. We dropped C.J. off with his Tío Pete and Tía Holly at around 10pm and headed over. I was there for only a couple of hours and was told that everything was okay and I should just head home.<br />
<br />
Sunday morning, Erick went off to work as usual and I took advantage of sleeping in a little since C.J. was off with his cousins. I awoke around 9AM and thought to myself about what I wanted to get done that day - shower, go pick up C.J., run a couple errands. When I roll over and hear a "pop." (The only way I can describe it is, it sounds like when you pop a leg or arm joint.) I quickly got up and ran to the bathroom - my water had broken! Considering that I did not experience it like this the first time, it was a bit of a surprise. And everyone says it doesn't happen like the movies, well it felt that way to me. There was a gush of water all over my clean bathroom floor!<br />
I called E and told him what happened and that he needed to come home. I got in the shower and finished getting my hospital bag ready and was packing the SUV just as E was pulling up into the driveway.<br />
<br />
I was prepped and in my private room by 11AM. My nurses were all really helpful. I felt confident and safe in their care. The only time I was a little anxious was soon after I was admitted. My nurse, Sarah, asked if I was going to get an epidural which I replied yes to. But then she told me just to let her know when I wanted it so they could call the anesthesiologist because it would take about half an hour for him to get to me. This made me nervous because when I went through labor with C.J., they called the doc for me and got everything going, it wasn't a "you let us know when" situation. I knew I didn't want it too soon because I didn't want it to wear off but I didn't want to wait too long either and then not be able to get it at all. It was about 30 minutes later when I could no longer take the contractions and I had them call the doc. The anesthesiologist arrived around noon and my contractions were already pretty intense and less than every 7 minutes. He introduced himself as Dr. Manning and I made a face because that was my obstetrician's name. He smiled when he saw this and said, "My wife must be your doctor." :) Super sweet guy and he talked me through everything he was doing. Within 15 minutes he had given me my dose. He headed out while I waited for the meds to kick in....they never did.<br />
<br />
I called Sarah back again after about 30 minutes and told her that I was still feeling my contractions and they were getting worse. She called Dr. Manning back and he showed up around 1PM and administered more medications into my morphine drip. And we waited, again. Sarah called him back at 1:30PM. For some reason, my body just didn't take the first epidural.<br />
<br />
Dr. Manning was confused because he said he had pumped me with enough drugs that I should have been out, but I could still feel every single pain and only had my right foot numb. By this point, my contractions had become completely unbearable. I could not speak through a single one and was really using my breathing techniques. He then began to give me my options: he could either redo the epidural, wait it out, or begin process for a C-Section. This all just made me extremely uneasy and scared but I decided on redoing the epidural. So he prepped me again and inserted the needle a second time. This time I felt a strong vibration shoot all the way down my left leg unlike the first time where it shot down my right but only up to my knee. With Dr. Manning and my nurses waiting, I finally began to feel the numbing. It started in my feet and quickly worked its way up. After a few minutes passed, my nurse commented, "I think it's finally working because you didn't feel that one, did you?"<br />
The epidural had finally taken affect! Dr. Manning was delighted as well. :) He wished me luck and headed off.<br />
<br />
Everyone advised me to get some rest which of course did not happen. I was told to turn on my right side because they were monitoring the baby and I think I may have drifted off for an hour, when I felt an immense pressure on my back. I called my nurse back and after she checked me, she said we were ready to begin pushing. This time it worked a lot differently too.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qEhQyC-Doee87C_UfkoY89JJ0VC___JXsO3LULtN8oeCbNUwtrBWzeSxOzNvy2FHtb-m4gDH9A7o35jOdFs0EqDA0Q5-EJSnuRzdnU04qIe877vOKiEPMbD4fdfRpkihLvM0YS3nflQ/s1600/IMG_2884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qEhQyC-Doee87C_UfkoY89JJ0VC___JXsO3LULtN8oeCbNUwtrBWzeSxOzNvy2FHtb-m4gDH9A7o35jOdFs0EqDA0Q5-EJSnuRzdnU04qIe877vOKiEPMbD4fdfRpkihLvM0YS3nflQ/s200/IMG_2884.JPG" width="150" /></a>I did most of my pushing with my labor nurse. They called the doctor on call, Dr. Chancellor, and he did not arrive until about 10 minutes before the baby was actually born.<br />
I began pushing around 3:30PM and at exactly 4, Matías was out. :) I actually didn't know, I was concentrated so much on pushing I had my eyes closed shut until Dr. Chancellor said, "Hi Mommy." I opened them to see him holding Matías and waving his tiny arm. <3<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-IwTPUyn_ng6N93oC0evY6ouZE7le-4ryFUNC8SEBGPAu_de4P8komdTPx2PF6Hdb7RIcKU8TEJXhyphenhyphenXrWkdpK_MS7sZbFyigrJCG27EDPTIobABXKtg69QD_8FgALohWMtV7RtKElQg/s1600/IMG_2886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-IwTPUyn_ng6N93oC0evY6ouZE7le-4ryFUNC8SEBGPAu_de4P8komdTPx2PF6Hdb7RIcKU8TEJXhyphenhyphenXrWkdpK_MS7sZbFyigrJCG27EDPTIobABXKtg69QD_8FgALohWMtV7RtKElQg/s200/IMG_2886.JPG" width="150" /></a>After a few hours we were moved to recovery. He was able to stay with me the entire time. They have a nursery but they recommend the baby staying with the parents which was more than fine with me.<br />
<br />
With so many drugs pumped into me, it took a while to finally start getting the feeling back in my legs. By that evening I could finally move. That is until my nurse tried to pick me up and walk me to the bathroom - my left leg just wasn't ready to be stable. I basically collapsed all the way down, luckily she caught me! Just needed a few more hours to get its' strength back. That night the hospital did something really sweet for us. They let us choose from a special menu and they made us a special dinner where they set up a nice table for Erick and myself. My nurse explained it as they like to think the birth of a baby is a celebration so they like to do something for the parents to congratulate them on their joy. It was very nice.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQNrbXodjBk0eAeN1xxh6woBFEP1zz1JW0KZQ1kjXz0MBBKzexwvzh2-yxvW_mkVDZiS1jK6CW-Y_qpGuU2D0yTFEmpQRAFvZXXytmU1q20HlXN6P1x76mmCAKAQmLc4QuQwrAU738Dg/s1600/IMG_2896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQNrbXodjBk0eAeN1xxh6woBFEP1zz1JW0KZQ1kjXz0MBBKzexwvzh2-yxvW_mkVDZiS1jK6CW-Y_qpGuU2D0yTFEmpQRAFvZXXytmU1q20HlXN6P1x76mmCAKAQmLc4QuQwrAU738Dg/s200/IMG_2896.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
The on-call Pediatrician came in to check on Matías that night and gave us an all clear. I was checked as well and we were both doing wonderfully that they told us we could head home the following day.<br />
It was surprising how quickly I bounced back from the delivery compared to the first time.<br />
<br />
On Monday afternoon, Erick went to pick up C.J. from school and to bring him back to finally meet his baby brother. He was so sweet and seemed a little nervous as well. But he was all smiles! He has been amazing with his little brother! There's been no jealousy or animosity and C.J. is always so helpful. He talks to Matías all the time and even loves to sing to the baby.<br />
They are both such a blessing.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmsGPVm0pcL3mQ8b2yoVS1KkgWSSdbuQAx2J5KxQ_LWEncPIHqLtOnz20zQI961K56HYIrbIEFASxjhYV0ODS1pCEXJMP4gv7G-YUM8vIDJokgj_cVHx8OmdlGQpr9JEu5D1Zgcf7Ap8/s1600/IMG_3292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmsGPVm0pcL3mQ8b2yoVS1KkgWSSdbuQAx2J5KxQ_LWEncPIHqLtOnz20zQI961K56HYIrbIEFASxjhYV0ODS1pCEXJMP4gv7G-YUM8vIDJokgj_cVHx8OmdlGQpr9JEu5D1Zgcf7Ap8/s200/IMG_3292.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCDr9ZH906Xp02VpczVwPT-JOYVqMRxT5wx8l6Rq9KSO1olAEoeDMz4CrB2xf1T9CFr3CiT1AzMnlIi6vZub8cT3A9c8MObuTI0VSGCgapjPT15F6KjHebK0BnajRtFxMBm6DR68dh9Y/s1600/IMG_3318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCDr9ZH906Xp02VpczVwPT-JOYVqMRxT5wx8l6Rq9KSO1olAEoeDMz4CrB2xf1T9CFr3CiT1AzMnlIi6vZub8cT3A9c8MObuTI0VSGCgapjPT15F6KjHebK0BnajRtFxMBm6DR68dh9Y/s200/IMG_3318.JPG" width="150" /></a>It is now 10 Weeks later and life could not be better. We are all still adjusting to having a little one in the house but are enjoying every second. Matías is cooing and babbling, rolling over, and still eating every two hours! We are practicing more tummy time and sitting in our Bumbo seat. We can be a little grumpy at times but quickly adjust. :)<br />
We love our boys and cannot get enough of them. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Robinson, TX, USA31.4676687 -97.11472249999997131.3593042 -97.276083999999969 31.5760332 -96.953360999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-70313401113805868582015-10-05T14:15:00.003-04:002015-10-05T14:15:25.811-04:00Birthday Number 7<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
20 Questions for the Kid on his 7th Birthday :) </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lKWzE7rU0V3fagj4qUuSsWGxO_oGAvmU6c0T-vTNQ-HwRmnAKFpXB4onkhJ3f3UEVcyybk-F_-OVX4X9h2mqtnMNOmnIPPVKic4yDEUyF6VuWZoje50gUB2T-CjGQooY2sYlKT7v7Xc/s1600/IMG_2714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lKWzE7rU0V3fagj4qUuSsWGxO_oGAvmU6c0T-vTNQ-HwRmnAKFpXB4onkhJ3f3UEVcyybk-F_-OVX4X9h2mqtnMNOmnIPPVKic4yDEUyF6VuWZoje50gUB2T-CjGQooY2sYlKT7v7Xc/s320/IMG_2714.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10-05-2015</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">What do you want to be when you grow up? </span><!--EndFragment-->A
FireFighter<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
It's amazing to see how much he's grown and changed in the last few years. He brings me so much joy and I'm so proud of the little man he is. I know he's gonna be a great big brother! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Robinson, TX, USA31.4676687 -97.11472249999997131.3593042 -97.276083999999969 31.5760332 -96.953360999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-43534826479480693822015-06-14T20:40:00.000-04:002015-06-15T09:47:25.567-04:00Coming December 2015<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
Once again, it has been a while since my last post.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
So much has happened since January!</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
I attended our Church's Deimal Ball on the 31st which did not go according to plan. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great gals!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
I ordered a dress online, something I always do but for some reason this time had too much difficulty with it. The first I ordered had a torn seam by the zipper. So I called in for another to be sent. When that one arrived, I tried it on, steamed it and hung it up. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
The night of the ball though, the zipper decides it's had enough and completely breaks apart. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
I was in tears and fuming!!!</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
The babysitter had already arrived and I was laying on the bed trying not to yell. LOL Erick just advised me to put anything on because we were still going out. So I put on my little black dress and headed out for a much needed drink. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
We went into a simple wine bar and had a lovely red from France. But of course, boss-lady Jocelyn and my friend, Heather kept texting me asking me where I was and why I hadn't arrived. They didn't care about my dress and just wanted me to go. :) Boss-lady said, "So put something else on! We can't have fun without you." haha</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
We finally showed up an hour late but still managed to have a decent time. I was running on wine and dessert for the entire night. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Jacksonville</td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
February came and went and I took a hiatus from all social media for the entire time of Lent. To be honest, it felt really good to get away from the computer and my phone. Even now that Lent is over, I find myself not reaching for the phone as often as before. I think everyone needs to take a break at some point from Facebook and Twitter and anything else they use. I promise, you won't regret it. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgdSTNOCGtSN3592MZGwN4b97pbvRnm2plVzOx9ud21ALfC30kwF8JPd7NRaB80809N4COGtzDW5PhR9fnq5tYbATzsn1Pdru6EXbojSThgFKj3ncN7P0kDaZ5HGCc5Gi95e2PNstfLk/s1600/IMG_1666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgdSTNOCGtSN3592MZGwN4b97pbvRnm2plVzOx9ud21ALfC30kwF8JPd7NRaB80809N4COGtzDW5PhR9fnq5tYbATzsn1Pdru6EXbojSThgFKj3ncN7P0kDaZ5HGCc5Gi95e2PNstfLk/s200/IMG_1666.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids ready to go!</td></tr>
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We spent a nice long weekend in Jacksonville with our good friends, The Thompson's. It always nice to try and make yearly visits with them. The kids have so much fun and we get to hangout with our friends we've had for many, many years. We had our normal parents night out and shared lots of food through the weekend. </div>
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March was just as busy as always at work. We were getting ready for Spring Break and it seemed everyone needed something done "ASAP." </div>
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I also had a not so fun time with the flu in March. I felt myself getting sick on the weekend. On Sunday, everything felt off and I knew I had it. We went to an Urgent Care and sure enough...flu. The only good thing was that it didn't hit me as hard as before. I was even back to work on Thursday. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bub enjoying a cupcake I<br />
bought him. :)</td></tr>
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Spring Break was spent in Savannah with my wonderful brothers and my friends. It had been a much needed trip. The kid and I spent most of our time with his Uncle Mike at his home, just hanging out. It was still too chilly on most days but I was able to take the kid to Tybee just for a couple of hours to play in the sand. He didn't care either way, he enjoyed it. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David and C.J.</td></tr>
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I got to visit my favorite Savannah Trio (minus one) as well. It was so good to see my Bub! He's grown so much and oh the talking...! He and C.J. had a great time playing while Megan and I had some wine and caught up on everything. I was able to have dinner with my good friend Sarah. I miss our bonding over wine, nights. I love her. </div>
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On our last day there, we were able to see Monique and C.J.'s best buddy, David. We met up for a few hours over frozen yogurt. You could tell the boys completely missed each other. Monique and I could not stop laughing at how silly they are and how much both had changed since the year before.</div>
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In April, the kid came down with a virus and was out of school for 3 days as was I to care for him. He had fever spikes that began Thursday afternoon and continued through until Monday. I took him to the doctor twice but just got the same response - "just have to wait it out." It is kind of a disheartening message to have to listen to when you are worried for your child but he had no other symptoms other than the fever. So I continued to do what I had to, to make sure he stayed comfortable. </div>
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But at that time, I was dealing with horrible allergies and nausea and was unsure what I was dealing with. Then we got our surprise....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRzbWH728DpJA4Y22uK4gKj46RTK2BJwXxe1LROjbiCIJyxPW22afkwB1betUG-lDTD53z3ha_7Pp0rzwzztJJNp4cLyPqY-e8StSafc0zWKzNk98PCocSYYlQryOaIB8PyKsNghjMDs/s1600/image3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRzbWH728DpJA4Y22uK4gKj46RTK2BJwXxe1LROjbiCIJyxPW22afkwB1betUG-lDTD53z3ha_7Pp0rzwzztJJNp4cLyPqY-e8StSafc0zWKzNk98PCocSYYlQryOaIB8PyKsNghjMDs/s320/image3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#babypeanut 9 weeks</td></tr>
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So as most know, I am expecting our second child! After feeling so cruddy, my husband made a comment about maybe being pregnant. After I shook my head and said nah, my mind kept wandering - and sure enough, it was positive. (I ran to Walgreens to grab another just to double check.)</div>
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I was able to book an appointment with my doctor pretty quickly and found out I was 9 weeks along.</div>
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#babypeanut was present and due December 2nd! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 Weeks</td></tr>
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Turns out my nausea was morning sickness which was completely new to me since I did not experience that with the kid. And I had the 24 hour kind - the nausea. never. went. away. :( </div>
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Plus I was having a huge aversion to coffee. E had to stop making it in the house because it made me so sick! (I am finally over that, thank goodness.) And I've even begun to drink some decaf. </div>
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My "cravings" I would say is that everything I drink has to be ice cold. Meaning everything has to be filled to the rim with ice. </div>
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I've been eating a lot of fresh stuff too. Salads, fruits, veggies, things like that. And I'm also eating about 6 times a day. I eat very small snacks but I'm eating all day. I do not have full meals anymore. </div>
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I think that's a good thing because it did help with my nausea while at work. I would eat a snack every couple of hours and could keep the morning sickness under control. </div>
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I am currently 15 weeks and on Tuesday, we will get to know if #babypeanut is a boy or a girl.</div>
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Most of my office staff is on Team Pink, while of course we would like another boy as it would just be sooooo much easier for us. LOL We will see.</div>
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Other than the always being tired thing, I am doing okay. I've been trying to go out for walks again but this baby is kicking my butt and draining all of my energy. I'm hoping at least by the next month, I'll get a surge of energy back. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiK70QVF4Fx_UsI5tFyLnh0CKoC7ngx2IDIVoxyzj4dGRqL0YPsG59mcQRlRgLx7mNUXscSVbdHQ7_sM2d_jJwnlyIoRC7t8y07CekFZd5IHzAjenv6Lg4uMOPxsUB4t2ZS5r1J6imqXM/s1600/image1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiK70QVF4Fx_UsI5tFyLnh0CKoC7ngx2IDIVoxyzj4dGRqL0YPsG59mcQRlRgLx7mNUXscSVbdHQ7_sM2d_jJwnlyIoRC7t8y07CekFZd5IHzAjenv6Lg4uMOPxsUB4t2ZS5r1J6imqXM/s200/image1.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C.J. and Mrs. Dalelio</td></tr>
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This May, the kid graduated Kindergarten and we could not be prouder! He's come a long way from where he began last year. Mrs. Dalelio works wonders :) She is an amazing teacher. I'm so thankful he was placed with her.</div>
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He was so excited for his last day of school. They all put on a little ceremony where they sang songs and then they each walked up to the microphone and said what they wanted to be when they grew up. The kids' response, "Firefighter." :) </div>
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Good for him. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRl8lXujA79weWnfoybowrkPo9b0BW3sbaeffZyC_HVFgJ-1TGIBcK96vWnSD8Xg0IFyotpjJjin9O8Bs_ErMXYk8SH1KZ3ViK64VBn5GwK5zWEtyRK7AgyiML-AHyE9-cP79IIiTss4/s1600/image2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRl8lXujA79weWnfoybowrkPo9b0BW3sbaeffZyC_HVFgJ-1TGIBcK96vWnSD8Xg0IFyotpjJjin9O8Bs_ErMXYk8SH1KZ3ViK64VBn5GwK5zWEtyRK7AgyiML-AHyE9-cP79IIiTss4/s200/image2.PNG" width="112" /></a>My favorite Pacelli senior also graduated which made me incredibly happy. He had a bit of a rough year. We all have big plans and expectations for him. He's a good kid. I pray he continues to make good choices. I'm nervous and excited for him because come July he begins his extensive training in the Army Rangers boot camp. </div>
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The kid and I are definitely going to miss him. Cade has been a wonderful friend and babysitter for him; he was always someone I could rely on. </div>
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The kid and I are out for summer vacation and just enjoying it leisurely. The time off is very much needed.</div>
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We don't really have many plans as of now but maybe something might come up later. </div>
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I'm thinking a trip to my lovely PA is needed.... ;) </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Columbus, GA, USA32.4609764 -84.98770939999997232.2466844 -85.310432899999967 32.6752684 -84.664985899999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-28742863381589410212015-01-03T13:44:00.000-05:002015-01-03T13:44:08.653-05:00New Year.Yet another year has completely flown by.<br />
I've been a little MIA lately...this past year has not been much for writing for me. Not that there isn't much to write about, I just haven't made the time. (Tsk, tsk, tsk.)<br />
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Monday, the kid and I return to school (and work). These last two weeks have been very enjoyable and also a bit boring at times. I'm actually looking forward to going back to work. You get back into the rhythm of working and then you get time off and it's not what you expect... But I shouldn't complain, I've gotten more than most have. :)<br />
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Christmas and New Year's was spent here at home, just the three of us. I love our little family holidays - no drama, no entertaining, no worries.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCehOPeIaF0w8wJGPQ1DFqrLVY64DZAjfabbGeKtZTPJYuExaj7GsmqskAzgQbvZp9QQMKYXI5R_lz3PoQZ0-x0ZA-uB5-_ALYRsKacq6n9QIfTWjmHWq139znD8nWiDRUwEINfFiAxZE/s1600/10411262_10152652736472879_4504317277526405855_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCehOPeIaF0w8wJGPQ1DFqrLVY64DZAjfabbGeKtZTPJYuExaj7GsmqskAzgQbvZp9QQMKYXI5R_lz3PoQZ0-x0ZA-uB5-_ALYRsKacq6n9QIfTWjmHWq139znD8nWiDRUwEINfFiAxZE/s1600/10411262_10152652736472879_4504317277526405855_n.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><br />
NYE started with dinner at the Bonefish Grill, thanks in part to my two lovely bosses who handed me a gift card a few weeks ago. I love that restaurant - their food is absolutely delicious! I had the Filet Mignon with a side of White Truffle Mac & Cheese - Oh..My...God! Divine!<br />
We came back home to the Gigi's Cupcakes I had waiting for us and to watch the NYE specials on TV and enjoy some fresh Piña Coladas and Champagne. All in all, a good night bringing in the New Year. A very different and calm night compared to last year in Italy. :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzTpANmh9x38fj_xMIAELMOybKyNeICdrCD-VKoyY837hUWiHK7bRZXU7uvuljL1BTiKLuM6yDWel0IdfQagOfB_5c5RNOqWilSzC-TKMnm_r2KCZoqQWEIxsu9jPylLexqAv6SyFiCs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-01-03+at+12.25.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzTpANmh9x38fj_xMIAELMOybKyNeICdrCD-VKoyY837hUWiHK7bRZXU7uvuljL1BTiKLuM6yDWel0IdfQagOfB_5c5RNOqWilSzC-TKMnm_r2KCZoqQWEIxsu9jPylLexqAv6SyFiCs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-01-03+at+12.25.40+PM.png" height="200" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Facebook post.</td></tr>
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As far as New Year's resolutions go, I never really make them. But I have made a promise to myself and my family: I'm just not going to allow others' negativity, affect me. I am going to continue to live my life, happy. With those that want to be included in our life. And even though I never received the apologies I would have liked, I'm moving past it. I will make an effort to talk to these people and just move forward with all our lives.<br />
As much as I've been hurt, or pushed aside, I will do what is right and just let it all go. Life is short. It's pointless to live with hate or hurt. So if you're still mad at me for whatever reason or if we haven't spoken in years...<br />
It's done.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought it was over and then it came <br />back at 3 in the morning at 102°.</td></tr>
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We had a little issue with the kid being sick for most of the first week at home. He ran a fever for the first few days, no other symptoms really. (I learned his 6 year molars were breaking skin when I was helping him floss, so I'm assuming that was the culprit.)<br />
The second day it got a little too high for me so I had to throw him in the tub - he was not happy.<br />
Christmas morning did not start off great but I got his fever down quickly and by the afternoon, he was all better. And then just<br />
like it came on, it was gone.<br />
It's always so strange when the kid gets sick (not sure I can even call this being "sick.") I'm thankful he has a strong immune system because I rarely have to deal with these circumstances.<br />
This is the first time he's had an issue since last April.<br />
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For Christmas Eve dinner I made some traditional Pork Carnitas with a side of green beans and spanish rice (of course). We broke out the new dinnerware and the kid used his Snoopy Christmas Plate - as he does every year thanks to my best friend, Koren. :)<br />
We pulled out the sofa bed and watched Christmas movies the rest of the night. <3<br />
Our perfect family Christmas.<br />
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There's nothing like spending Christmas at home but like I always do, I miss my family and friends.<br />
I have a new nephew to meet, hopefully one day soon.<br />
Koren and I need to plan another trip or visit.<br />
Mike and Mike need to make appearances as well. ;)<br />
Or I need to make a trip over to them to also visit my favorite Savannah Trio.<br />
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2015 looks promising for all of us. Our marriage continues to grow. Our son is happy and healthy.<br />
We look forward to all else God has in store for us.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com1Columbus, GA 31909, USA32.5371089 -84.929720632.4300259 -85.0910821 32.6441919 -84.7683591tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-40387192308048122762014-10-09T18:23:00.002-04:002014-10-09T18:23:42.136-04:00Birthday Number 6! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0HntIlxntp0agPXixpJBANfgtBFsL-Jmh1w27G5kJjxtIyRhzKKgW-N6NO-NmJgpxWuA-uEx7PzQs8yZJQGreeBB3FI16JpKIEk-K5g8G0jdRYQsF94n3Qq6AL_OY2ujM_fnM8oYzVk/s1600/IMG_1055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0HntIlxntp0agPXixpJBANfgtBFsL-Jmh1w27G5kJjxtIyRhzKKgW-N6NO-NmJgpxWuA-uEx7PzQs8yZJQGreeBB3FI16JpKIEk-K5g8G0jdRYQsF94n3Qq6AL_OY2ujM_fnM8oYzVk/s1600/IMG_1055.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
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Another year, another birthday! This past Sunday, my LiL Man celebrated his 6th year on Earth. :)<br />
We had a great weekend in Atlanta with his Uncle Mike's! I can't thank them enough for driving the 4 hours over to spend a couple of days with us, especially for C.J. They really know how to spoil the kid.<br />
We had a busy Saturday! First at Lego Land, then some shopping and dinner at Medieval Times.<br />
The Hyatt made our stay memorable as well. The concierge was so sweet; he even gave the kid $10 as a birthday gift!<br />
<br />
So I asked another round of questions and here are his answers:<br />
<br />
20 Questions - Age 6<br />
<br />
1. What's your favorite color? Green<br />
2. What's your favorite toy? Cars<br />
3. What's your favorite fruit? Strawberries<br />
4. What's your favorite TV show? Ninja Turtles<br />
5. What do you like to have for lunch? Pizza<br />
6. What is your favorite outfit? PacMan T-shirt<br />
7. What is your favorite game? Mario Bros<br />
8. What is your favorite snack? Fruit Bars<br />
9. What is your favorite animal? Dog<br />
10. What is your favorite song? TMNT Song<br />
11. What is your favorite book? Green Eggs and Ham<br />
12. Who is your best friend? David<br />
13. What is your favorite cereal? Honey Nut Cheerios<br />
14. What do you like to play outside? With my Baseball<br />
15. What is your favorite drink? Juice<br />
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween<br />
17. Who do you like to take with you to bed at night? Dave and Angry Bird<br />
18. What do you like to have for breakfast? Eggo's<br />
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pancakes<br />
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I don't know.<br />
<br />
Slight change from last year but still fun each time. :)<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Columbus, GA, USA32.4609764 -84.98770939999997232.2466844 -85.310432899999967 32.6752684 -84.664985899999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-3199647247564047482014-07-30T10:39:00.002-04:002014-07-30T10:39:59.250-04:00The Happening....There is so much going on now!<br />
<br />
Let's start with the kid.<br />
Since our move, there's been so many changes it needs to stop. Seriously. LOL<br />
He has his first loose tooth which immediately made me super emotional! It is the front left center tooth. He is so excited! Everyday he says it's moving more and more. :)<br />
I had to go through his clothes again and remove all the stuff that is too small. He still had 5t clothes in his dresser and closet. hahaha Everything has to be size 6 now and his shoes are size 12. WOW!<br />
And lastly he has outgrown his convertible carseat and is now only in a booster. He is about 45 pounds now and 3.75 feet.<br />
Stop growing!!!<br />
<br />
Then yesterday, I was able to complete a life dream of mine, for him anyway. I've always wanted to be able to place C.J. in a private school and yesterday I was able to complete registration. I even got him his uniforms already. I am so excited for him and am thankful that God has opened this door for us. I think this is going to be a great path.<br />
<br />
Now the reason I was able to do this for him is that I got a job!<br />
I will be the Health Room Assistant/Receptionist at St. Anne Pacelli Catholic School. I am so excited for this opportunity. I begin work on the 11th.<br />
Everyone seems super nice. I've met a lot of employees this week when I went in to finish up my paperwork. I even met a coworkers' daughter whom I may use as a babysitter for C.J. !<br />
Not only is this going to be great for me, but it works out perfectly with the kids school schedule cause I will only be at work while he is in class.<br />
We will have the same days off which will make it even easier on Erick and I since we don't have to pay for after school care.<br />
<br />
This is the job I've been waiting for.<br />
God has blessed us.<br />
<br />
Things are going so well for us, I pray they continue this way.<br />
<br />
Erick's job is going well. He's moving forward in his position and hopefully by the start of next year will move up in tiers. (Pays and positions have 3 tiers each.)<br />
<br />
Our only main concern right now is making friends. My poor kid has been asking to see his best friend David, who lives 4 hours away. :(<br />
I feel so bad for him.<br />
But thankfully the school year begins in a couple of weeks and hopefully he will make some friends quickly.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Columbus, GA, USA32.4609764 -84.98770939999997232.2466844 -85.310432899999967 32.6752684 -84.664985899999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-20025195069419003932014-06-23T10:29:00.003-04:002014-06-23T10:29:47.788-04:00I'm bad at goodbyes.So this past Friday was my last day at my job. And although it started out like any day, it didn't end that way.<br />
<br />
You see in the 9 months I was there, I became very close to a few people, but one family in particular. I began work, as their son, William was only 2 months old and had recently come in as well. I quickly began a texting and notification liaison between Megan and Justin for anything William related. :)<br />
In the months to follow, William quickly became known as "my" baby. We truly bonded.<br />
He would laugh and crawl to me (or walk, as he learned to do in my last month) as soon as I would walk in the door.<br />
I would send texts and photos daily to Megan and Justin whenever possible just so they would know how our "Bub's" day was going. If he was in a good mood, feeling ill, or just needed extra cuddles, I would let them know.<br />
It's been like this every day for 9 months.<br />
And then Friday came around...<br />
<br />
Bub usually didn't come in Fridays, so it was a nice surprise to see both Justin and Megan dropping off William.<br />
I could tell Megan had been crying but I forced myself to keep it together.<br />
They said, they wanted to drop William off with me for a few hours since it was my last day and then they handed me a gift. I gave them both hugs and told them how much I was going to miss them, especially William.<br />
I opened their gift as they left and immediately began to cry. It was perfect! And their card - so very sweet.<br />
I was left wishing I had said more. I immediately sent them a message to thank them.<br />
After that, my tears would come and go throughout the day. The floodgates had been opened...<br />
<br />
William was able to stay with me 'til about 2 in the afternoon when Megan returned for him. I could feel the knot in my throat start to form as I began to gather his things. I gave both him and Megan another big hug and thanked her again for the gift. And watched them leave for my last time.<br />
<br />
I'm not socially awkward, I never have been, but I'm terrible at goodbyes. I never say what I truly mean to. I never get what I want to known, across. I'm always left with, "I should've said this..."<br />
<br />
So for Megan and Justin and Bub:<br />
<br />
Being able to care for William these last nine months has been a pleasure! I've seen him grow for only a short time and am truly saddened I will miss out on more. We've laughed and played so much together; I will not forget the time we've spent.<br />
<br />
Being able to connect with someone so tiny can be difficult at times but he chose me from the start and I am honored. He made all my bad days, fun. He always put a smile on my face. And I sincerely missed him every Friday and weekend.<br />
I will truly miss not seeing you all daily... You have become my family. And this is exactly how I feel, like I am leaving my family.<br />
<br />
I'm thankful for social media, for text messages, and photos so I know we can keep in touch, although it won't be entirely the same.<br />
<br />
I'm grateful for our friendship.<br />
<br />
I know we will see each other again. So until then, I love you all.<br />
<br />
xoxo - L<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com2Columbus, GA, USA32.4609764 -84.98770939999997232.2466844 -85.310432899999967 32.6752684 -84.664985899999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-60036515863257437552014-06-10T18:50:00.000-04:002014-06-10T18:50:05.569-04:00Let's play Catch Up!<br />
<br />
So here's the skinny.... (Does anyone even say that anymore?)<br />
<br />
Today's been a day of packing and cleaning - So much fun. And Sex and the City episodes.<br />
Last night was spent cleaning my oven; My weekends are amazing guys! LOL<br />
<br />
We have our new apartment in Columbus, GA. Erick came home Memorial weekend to pack a few things to take with him. We move officially, at the end of the month.<br />
Yes, it is annoying to have to move, AGAIN, but I'm hoping this one will be it for a while. :) (Unless Italy calls)<br />
<br />
My last day of work is the 20th. All of my babies have moved up and we've had 4 new ones enter. I'm just left with my bub, William and my squishy, Ava. I'm really going to miss them but I'm so thankful I've gained a friendship with their parents. I can keep in touch with all of them.<br />
<br />
C.J. will be attending North Columbus Elementary in the fall. I can't believe we've hit the elementary years...<br />
We've missed deadlines for private school, so we're thinking kinder at the public school for this year and then private next.<br />
<br />
I'm planning on making a trip to Columbus on the 24th to spend a couple days before our big move, and get to see the city beforehand. So far I hear good things from Erick.<br />
<br />
Don't have much else going on...same ol', same ol'. It's work, home, dishes, laundry, cleaning, and packing. :) It's glamorous, I know.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Savannah, GA, USA32.0835407 -81.09983419999997531.6528257 -81.74528119999998 32.5142557 -80.454387199999971tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-79299978897467344122014-03-14T14:11:00.001-04:002014-03-14T14:11:04.605-04:00Hello!Wow! I hadn't realized how long it's been since I was last on here!<br />
Things have been pretty non-stop..<br />
Between work, C.J. and Erick, my day is jam-packed. :)<br />
I'm at home today because unfortunately I came down with the flu earlier this week. I'm doing much better, on my last 2 days of Tamiflu. Only dealing with a cough and some congestion.<br />
<br />
My toe is there….<br />
I had an appointment yesterday for another check up and now I need an MRI. Doc still doesn't like the way my toe is healing. There is still a lot of bruising and I cannot step on it without having pain.<br />
The one good thing is that it is mobile again.<br />
Still can't go run (which I am really not happy about) but maybe in a few weeks.<br />
I had a couple other check ups yesterday but I'll get into those another day.<br />
<br />
Work is work. Things have been a little upside down since my injury and other work related issues. But hopefully come Tuesday (we're off on Monday - YAY!) things will start to be in order again.<br />
My babies are getting so big!! They are ALL mobile now.<br />
I have walkers, crawlers, and rollers :) There is never a boring day.<br />
<br />
My boys are great! C.J. is still growing and being his silly self. :)<br />
He's been participating in gymnastics for the last month and is having a ball! He loves the tumbling and the trampolines.<br />
We start soccer again at the end of the month as well. We're all excited!<br />
<br />
Erick is helping out so much at home - thank God for him. I don't know how we could've gone through these last few weeks without him.<br />
He's waiting to hear back from some jobs too but he's been great at home! Fixing our old stuff and getting new things together. <3<br />
The 3 of us are spending all our time together which makes me super happy.<br />
Life is the same :) for the most part, and I'm loving it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Savannah, GA, USA32.0835407 -81.09983419999997531.6528257 -81.74528119999998 32.5142557 -80.454387199999971tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-20505964042844154372013-11-20T21:25:00.001-05:002013-11-20T21:25:47.955-05:00My JobI love my job! I really do. Granted I'm only going on two months of employment, but still, it's a nice feeling to actually enjoy where you head off to in the morning.<br />
I've met some great people, and some not so much. (I try not to let those get to me.) But of course, what job doesn't come with it's downs…<br />
<br />
My favorite part is that I get to see my kid throughout the day as well. Every once in a while, even for just a second, I see him. I know this is going to be extremely difficult come next fall, but for now I'm enjoying the heck out of it. ;)<br />
I so love that all the kids know me as "C.J.'s Mom." And yell to me, every single one, every time they see me, "Hi, C.J.'s Mom!" It makes me laugh. They are slowly, coming around to Mrs. Laura.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6WUx2LAebxCCKHLWluxFvt5pDtG-3GHJTmwj0sRHUZNeTuBWEFNCWPES4OsERWEORjNyFAh2HpBlBsMEuPWmemSLazkgyOjiAQeZ6VNHc_9q2Biwm03vza0oav-6LF8m2vv41sS3ZRc/s1600/IMG_7840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6WUx2LAebxCCKHLWluxFvt5pDtG-3GHJTmwj0sRHUZNeTuBWEFNCWPES4OsERWEORjNyFAh2HpBlBsMEuPWmemSLazkgyOjiAQeZ6VNHc_9q2Biwm03vza0oav-6LF8m2vv41sS3ZRc/s200/IMG_7840.JPG" width="200" /></a>C.J.'s best friend is David and he gives me kisses every time he sees me too. (He sees that I give C.J. kisses all the time so he thought he should get them too.) He also calls me Mama. <3<br />
His parents are the nicest people too and we've even exchanged information to get the boys together on the weekends.<br />
<br />
Things are going well. I'm exhausted, but I take that as a good sign.<br />
I take an hour break Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 30 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I run on my hour breaks, (I have a free gym membership so I take advantage) and make quick errands on the other days. Sometimes, I just head into the office and sit and chat with my directors, Candace and Sarah. It's a nice change from the room and good company.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNS3HhY3O4gMMfu6WyyJ4c9O9SJgD8zSw6j_cfjBW_DeBH8_1eVYklKq_Fjathu2w1ONXx0F1Ho99I45QYb8-jm33aW1BvjqaqjifDi3qNgGrkW9HiLzLo4AFbI0bWtGhRXfjVQ8BeiQ/s1600/IMG_7709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNS3HhY3O4gMMfu6WyyJ4c9O9SJgD8zSw6j_cfjBW_DeBH8_1eVYklKq_Fjathu2w1ONXx0F1Ho99I45QYb8-jm33aW1BvjqaqjifDi3qNgGrkW9HiLzLo4AFbI0bWtGhRXfjVQ8BeiQ/s200/IMG_7709.jpg" width="150" /></a>My days tend to go by pretty quickly. I'm in by 8:30am and out by 4:30pm on most days.<br />
My coworker, Britney, is the lead teacher, she arrives at 7am and there is usually one or two babies and their parents waiting. By the time I arrive, there are 5. By 9am, all 10 babies have made their way.<br />
Our schedules are pretty hectic, between feeding schedules, diaper changes (as needed or every 2 hours), unscheduled naps, stroller walks, park play, and lesson plans - our day is nonstop! We try to have as much fun as possible. We have rough days, after all we are dealing with infants, but for the most part things go well.<br />
<br />
All our teachers our CDA certified and some have their Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education. C.J.'s Lead Teacher, Mrs. Sherri was a Kindergarten teacher at a private school a few years ago. We love her!! She is amazing and C.J. adores her.<br />
<br />
Both of the centers directors are also wonderful leaders. They have an open-door policy and keep in constant contact. They were wonderful enough to accept C.J. into their school and even more generous to give me a job. They understand how important our home lives and our families are, and accommodate all of us as well as possible.<br />
<br />
Since I am now the assistant, I am working on all my trainings online to meet state requirements. :)<br />
Things are going well and I couldn't be happier.<br />
This is definitely something great that is helping me get back into the workforce.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Savannah, GA, USA32.0835407 -81.09983419999997531.6528257 -81.74528119999998 32.5142557 -80.454387199999971tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-38497530948955162912013-10-05T05:30:00.000-04:002013-10-05T07:23:38.130-04:00My, My, Look who's Five. We have reached yet another milestone! 5 Years Old!!<br />
My goodness - the blink of an eye.<br />
<br />
I know I write a blog about my LiL Man every year but I wanted to share something new with you this year. I actually did this with him when he turned 4 but he didn't quite understand most of the questions,<br />
<br />
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But this year he is wiser and better prepared ;)<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lNKTnwx0tHULr2NdGkdQt7ANWP4B5cWU2nJAM8S3Vp2MsKVdeg6qNF6e_14CUhytVt_FwGorgh9aGXS89bwipNYZ-t89IaK-KuXLQlZjxu5tO91fhvG8JSb_UZXHYDlmu-prEb4s-EY/s1600/Unsaved+Preview+Document.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lNKTnwx0tHULr2NdGkdQt7ANWP4B5cWU2nJAM8S3Vp2MsKVdeg6qNF6e_14CUhytVt_FwGorgh9aGXS89bwipNYZ-t89IaK-KuXLQlZjxu5tO91fhvG8JSb_UZXHYDlmu-prEb4s-EY/s400/Unsaved+Preview+Document.jpeg" width="133" /></a><br />
20 Questions for C.J. :<br />
<br />
1. What is your favorite color? <b>Green</b><br />
2. What's your favorite toy? <b>Rex the dinosaur</b><br />
3. What's your favorite fruit? <b>Strawberries</b><br />
4. What's your favorite TV show? <b>Mickey Mouse Clubhouse</b><br />
5. What do you like to have for lunch? <b>Burgers</b><br />
6. What is your favorite outfit? <b>Green Lantern T-shirt</b><br />
7. What is your favorite game? <b>Star Wars</b><br />
8. What is your favorite snack? <b>Pretzels</b><br />
9. What is your favorite animal? <b>Elephants</b><br />
10. What is your favorite song? <b>Xbox Songs</b><br />
11. What is your favorite book? <b>Pirates go to School </b><br />
12. Who is your best friend? <b>David (from his class)</b><br />
13. What is your favorite cereal? <b>Fruit Loops</b><br />
14. What do you like to play outside? <b>Play at the park. </b><br />
15. What is your favorite drink? <b>Milk</b><br />
16. What is your favorite holiday? <b>Halloween</b><br />
17. Who do you like to take with you to bed at night? <b>Dave Darinko (Ugly Doll) </b><br />
18. What do you like to have for breakfast? <b>Toast with Jelly</b><br />
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday?<b> Pizza</b><br />
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? (<b>He doesn't seem to understand this question yet. He says "bigger.") </b><br />
<br />
Here you go; A little something about C.J. :)<br />
I'm excited to try this again next year and see how much his answers change.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Pooler, GA 31322, USA32.088338100000009 -81.26289609999997831.87314060000001 -81.585619599999973 32.303535600000011 -80.940172599999983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-60776287298866646632013-09-28T10:28:00.002-04:002013-09-28T10:28:21.346-04:00I've been hired! And I have a job!!!<br />
<br />
I am officially an employee of the Habersham YMCA Pre-School and the Child Care Center.<br />
Although I have to admit that I was becoming a tad discouraged, I continued to pray and God answered me.<br />
I am thrilled about this position!<br />
The best part is that for the rest of this year I will be working at the same place C.J. attends school. I will go in after he does and be out with him as well.<br />
It just fits perfectly into my expectations and my time.<br />
All next week I will be working in the infant room - I LOVE BABIES!<br />
This is going to be great!<br />
<br />
Now to find us a home.. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Savannah, GA, USA32.0835407 -81.09983419999997531.6528257 -81.74528119999998 32.5142557 -80.454387199999971tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-4460017930149689022013-09-25T10:08:00.001-04:002013-10-28T19:06:22.135-04:00♫ These are a few of my favorite things... ♫My Boys. <3 (All 4 of them.) ;) I honestly do not know where I would be without these guys.<br />
Hand written letters in the mail - A wonderful and warming surprise to find one of these when I open that mailbox.<br />
Pedicures<br />
Family photos - Year round and on special occasions. I need to think about where I want us to do our photos this year and when!<br />
Reading - I LOVE BOOKS!<br />
Crossword puzzles<br />
Running - My escape. Doesn't matter how tired, pissed off, or sick I am, a run can fix it anything.<br />
Blogging<br />
The Sutliff's - My favorite family of three. I love them more than anything. Phone calls, texts, photos, cards, gifts, and trips are always something to look forward to.<br />
WINE<br />
Acting - My passion, my dream.<br />
Traveling<br />
Coffee - It completes me. And yes, this includes Starbucks. Hello my name is Laura and I am an addict.<br />
Dance<br />
Cupcakes<br />
Champagne - Mimosas in the morning or bubbly at night, one of my favorite drinks.<br />
Movies - Horror<br />
The Truex's<br />
Music - Goo Goo Dolls, 311<br />
SHOES (I own about 60 pairs, I think.)<br />
Potatoes - Fried, Mashed, Whipped or Baked<br />
Soccer - It makes me so happy the kid is so into it as well.<br />
My LiL Sis - I love my sister so much! We didn't always have the best relationship but nothing can break our bond now. <3<br />
FRIENDS<br />
Sex and the City<br />
Will & Grace<br />
C.J.'s GodMother and my favorite cousin, Monica.<br />
The Thompson's<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com1Pooler, GA, USA32.115481 -81.24705740000001732.007889500000005 -81.408418900000015 32.2230725 -81.085695900000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-38534349377348093302013-08-26T10:49:00.002-04:002013-08-26T10:49:59.090-04:00Officially a Pre-Schooler :)Last week was C.J.'s first "week" of Pre-K. We got a call last Tuesday about an opening at the Habersham YMCA Pre-school, where C.J. had been on a waiting list since late June. Of course we accepted and went to get all of his paperwork filled out and his registrations completed.<br />
He was so excited when we told him he was going to be starting school. :)<br />
When we arrived at the school, we had a nice meeting with the Director and got a quick tour of the school. Then the paperwork. I guess since I never did it before, it didn't seem like such a big deal until now. So much paperwork....<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTl91cnE8uSrJ5NCpuU75VE6MZyO94lVpqRGhmm6iZ-juVEDmM6pgatAsJxODaWX838eJszaUZO9E6NXZ5AwGfwC_CE-vWT4QiKNZwnpM4OxDZJeh904TwpbSiLw8CKD7VRF4Pkav7qY/s1600/IMG_6772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTl91cnE8uSrJ5NCpuU75VE6MZyO94lVpqRGhmm6iZ-juVEDmM6pgatAsJxODaWX838eJszaUZO9E6NXZ5AwGfwC_CE-vWT4QiKNZwnpM4OxDZJeh904TwpbSiLw8CKD7VRF4Pkav7qY/s200/IMG_6772.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So excited!!<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We had to make a stop at the Savannah Health Dept. to get an Ear, Eye, and Dental check for C.J. and get his immunization record switched from Texas to Georgia. He ended up having to get a Hep-B shot but other than that it was no problem. It was also <i>only</i> a 2-hour wait to get these two documents. (I hope I never have to return there again.)<br />
We went to Target to get his school supply list - many supplies..haha Easily $100 spent. All worth it. I wanted him to be prepared and set for the school year. He was very happy with his Super Mario Bros. backpack. :)<br />
He was a little upset though after he realized he wouldn't be starting that day but quickly got over it as we explained he could start the very next day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCzyM94oRtkauqB3dS8PFluDxlCmYRrrJ6lCA1xDD4dvZlrEa3xa32XR2uBfwV00qXkvXJc1d9zb0VVss74KVKkN4u99J3Jcj__CvJ3DnNQbt4NQR-HVBGIuNzKDeJv7yoR-NQZ3zOl8/s1600/1176384_10201519084692117_2020254328_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCzyM94oRtkauqB3dS8PFluDxlCmYRrrJ6lCA1xDD4dvZlrEa3xa32XR2uBfwV00qXkvXJc1d9zb0VVss74KVKkN4u99J3Jcj__CvJ3DnNQbt4NQR-HVBGIuNzKDeJv7yoR-NQZ3zOl8/s200/1176384_10201519084692117_2020254328_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading to drop-off.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On Wednesday, bright-and-early, (7am to be exact) we were up and getting C.J. ready for his first day <br />
of school. He was happy and in the best mood the whole time - made the day so much easier for me. I was on the verge of tears at every moment but he kept it together like a big boy for his Mommie and that in return made me keep it together.<br />
<br />
The school is about a 25 minute drive from we currently live <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQLuDVUt1EiMqY0EcLR9WWpeXRWOMnUc5mbfnzrepCSMwc08kLd0p7UoeQ1gtuorOBJW8cUAXtpn1yMjiQ5l2nFEk1_oU8FCN7YlxjnoTmwjwa16bJyRiLvhZO5mlh2XkVqRg0lWm5KY/s1600/IMG_6777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQLuDVUt1EiMqY0EcLR9WWpeXRWOMnUc5mbfnzrepCSMwc08kLd0p7UoeQ1gtuorOBJW8cUAXtpn1yMjiQ5l2nFEk1_oU8FCN7YlxjnoTmwjwa16bJyRiLvhZO5mlh2XkVqRg0lWm5KY/s200/IMG_6777.jpg" width="150" /></a>but it's fairly easy and we don't hit too much traffic until we are down the road from the school itself.<br />
<br />
We walked into the school and headed straight for his classroom to meet his teachers - Mrs. Sherri and Mrs. Katrina. Both sweet, delightful women.<br />
He found his name, sat at his seat, and was ready to go.<br />
No muss, no fuss.<br />
I was so proud....and so emotional. :)<br />
<br />
He had a great first day! He didn't nap at school that day but all went well. He told us about what he ate<br />
and how his day went and when we asked him if he made any friends he said no, but it's okay. LOL<br />
We had to laugh. He was so nonchalant about it!<br />
It's like he understood it was just the first day and tomorrow he could make friends.<br />
I can't believe how much he's grown up. And how mature he can be about situations...<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlmi6tVDVVsTFVgjn1B4DioBay1_6U31ElDa29yj50yin_ORSiNpybFIcdT2ci71bxJAIJ_w-SSR9qHkSXMTYgGSYCHkP6a0Ib2DzT0HwFJZQlmzwmeO3H-HPnb6oFa1vG4BYoH05p0c/s1600/IMG_6788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlmi6tVDVVsTFVgjn1B4DioBay1_6U31ElDa29yj50yin_ORSiNpybFIcdT2ci71bxJAIJ_w-SSR9qHkSXMTYgGSYCHkP6a0Ib2DzT0HwFJZQlmzwmeO3H-HPnb6oFa1vG4BYoH05p0c/s200/IMG_6788.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Uncle Mike showed up about 4:30 at the apartment, walking through the door with a cake in hand and a candle lit. :)<br />
C.J. was ecstatic! And I was in complete awe - he is the best.<br />
It was a "Happy 1st Day of Pre-school" cake!<br />
This kid is too spoiled by his Uncles. <3<br />
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He did so well all last week, every day at drop-off. And every day we pick him up his teachers always have good things to say. He behaves well and does what he's told and he doesn't fight with the other kids (one thing I'll admit, I was a little worried about). He's really been enjoying it. He asks every day if he's going to school. This weekend was tough for him, he kept asking why he wasn't in school on Saturday or Sunday - next week is gonna be worse with the 3-day weekend. :)<br />
<br />
He loves school! And I'm so glad he's having so much fun. I hope he continues to do so.<br />
I know it's only the beginning and he still has a long way to go but I want him to continue with this anticipation and excitement.<br />
I pray he makes good choices.<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Pooler, GA, USA32.115481 -81.24705740000001732.007889500000005 -81.408418900000015 32.2230725 -81.085695900000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-55011855235953534622013-08-16T11:51:00.002-04:002013-08-16T11:51:39.106-04:00I need a job...We've only been in Georgia a few weeks now but I've been actively searching for employment since before we left Texas and still....nothing.<br />
Not even a phone call for an interview.<br />
I know I shouldn't be inpatient and things will fall into place on their own.<br />
God is waiting for the right opportunity.<br />
I'm just hoping to get some news soon.<br />
C.J. is going to be heading to school soon and I've just reached the point where I'm ready to return to the workforce as well.<br />
I've filled about 50 applications and sent my resumé to countless companies as well - I pray someone finds me. :)<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Pooler, GA, USA32.115481 -81.24705740000001732.007889500000005 -81.408418900000015 32.2230725 -81.085695900000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-54115723306008452482013-07-11T17:46:00.000-04:002013-07-11T17:46:15.414-04:00And we're moving! I am so excited to announce this new chapter in our lives. We're packing up and leaving Houston in just a couple of weeks and heading to Savannah, Georgia. I am really looking forward to this.<br />
It will be a new start, a new city, and definitely something we need.<br />
I have been actively searching for employment in the area and haven't had much luck, so I hope once we get over there it will make the search a little easier.<br />
On top of this, I can't wait to see my Mike's. ;) I've missed them.<br />
We are praying that our transition is smooth and this will only continue to move our life forward.<br />
Everyone please wish us safe travels and good thoughts for new career opportunities.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Pearland, TX, USA29.5635666 -95.28604740000002929.342548100000002 -95.608770900000025 29.7845851 -94.963323900000034tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-32940088556071045422013-05-29T23:30:00.000-04:002013-05-30T12:31:44.163-04:00Had Enough<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Have you ever just reached your breaking point and thought to hell with everyone and everything. After all, there is only so much a person can take.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love this song. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The group is Breaking Benjamin and they can completely describe my feelings at this moment about a lot of issues and people right now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;">¶ </span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Milk it for all it's worth </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Make sure you get there first</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>The apple of your eye</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>The rotten core inside</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>We are all prisoners</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Things couldn't get much worse</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>I've had it up to here</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You know your end is near </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">♪ </span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">♫ You</span> had to have it all<br />Well have you had enough?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>You greedy little bastard</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>You will get what you deserve</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>When all is said and done</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>I will be the one</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>To leave you in your misery</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And hate what you've become </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">♫</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">♪ Intoxicated</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> eyes</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>No longer live that life</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>You should have learned by now</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>I'll burn this whole world down</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>I need some peace of mind</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>No fear of what's behind</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You think you've won this fight<em><br /></em>You've only lost your mind </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">♪</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">♫ You</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> had to have it all</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Well have you had enough?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>You greedy little bastard</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>You will get what you deserve</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>When all is said and done</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>I will be the one</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>To leave you in your misery</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And hate what you've become </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">♫</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">♪</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"> Hold</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> me down</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>I will live again</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Pull me out</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>I will break it in</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Hold me down</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Better in the end</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hold me down </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">♪</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">♫ You</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> had to have it all</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Well have you had enough?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>You greedy little bastard</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>You will get what you deserve</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>When all is said and done</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>I will be the one</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>To leave you in your misery</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And hate what you've become </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">♫</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">♪</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"> Heaven</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> help you</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Heaven help you </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">¶</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Pearland, TX, USA29.5635666 -95.28604740000002929.342548100000002 -95.608770900000025 29.7845851 -94.963323900000034tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-48115996201158631582013-05-01T18:27:00.001-04:002013-05-01T18:27:06.858-04:00The Big AppleBeautiful! Overwhelming! Everything I hoped it would be! I would move there tomorrow.<br />
I joke with Erick and tell him that even if I could convince him to move, we could never afford it because I want to live on the upper east side and he's never gonna make that much. ;)<br />
I've wanted to come here all my life and now my dream was finally coming true.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTppj47mlfFibZcJFSvFS1v9JEx3OxLsSdt30Bkx-RYoom1P8dOT_QotgU-nA_hB7J8iGd7n9N50WLb3iPbusNY4TLN44biYDqUjLcbQcyZuSuN6wfOwx56UhtNiRmVEFV1Cy1yPFxYw/s1600/IMG_4804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTppj47mlfFibZcJFSvFS1v9JEx3OxLsSdt30Bkx-RYoom1P8dOT_QotgU-nA_hB7J8iGd7n9N50WLb3iPbusNY4TLN44biYDqUjLcbQcyZuSuN6wfOwx56UhtNiRmVEFV1Cy1yPFxYw/s200/IMG_4804.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My best friend, <a href="http://mybatchofhappiness.blogspot.com/">Koren</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We had been planning this trip for over a year. Koren and I were in desperate need of a girls' trip and her sister Keri needed a place to celebrate her turning 21. So NYC it was!<br />
I have to give many thanks to Koren and her mom, Patsy. They were generous enough to pay for our hotel and Koren paid for my dinners. She is the best! Super sweet and thoughtful, this trip couldn't have been possible without them. So THANK YOU, again!! :)<br />
<br />
I packed my heavy coat as I looked at the forecast and saw that a lot of my weekend would be in the upper 30's. Even in the cold, I had the most amazing time - and would gladly go back. We took cabs and rode the subway, even getting on the wrong one that took us to Brooklyn, but we quickly returned to our correct stop. We walked a lot, more than I did in Vegas, and saw a lot of interesting people. Our favorite moment was while we were walking back to the hotel and some guy on the sidewalk told Koren that she looked, "Like a sexy bottle of Pepto-Bismal." LOL!!<br />
<br />
But of course no trip comes without some kind of dilemma..I did the most boneheaded thing I have ever done in my life! We had been staying in Waco with family just days before my trip, to make the drive to Houston easier. We awoke at 2am to get in the car and drive the 3 hours to Houston from Waco so I could make my flight on Thursday. I had everything ready and together so as I could grab it all in the morning without having to worry about missing anything.<br />
We drove the 3 hours to the airport and as I was grabbing my carry-on, I realized I had forgotten my purse!! No cards, no cash, no license!! I, of course immediately began to panic and almost burst into tears. I just could not believe I had done that. Erick of course, being the calm person he is, helped me to relax and told me just to try and get through worse case, I would board a later flight. He called my brother-in-law and had him take photos of my license and passport and send them to my phone.<br />
So as nervous as I could possibly be, I checked-in and headed to security. When my turn came, I walked up to the TSA and said, "You're gonna hate me for this but I just drove 3 hours from Waco to make my 7am flight and I completely forgot my purse. I have no identification with me."<br />
The agent was super helpful....and nice!!!<br />
He told me not to worry, that they couldn't use the pictures but he just had to call a number to verify who I was and my information. He made a quick call and after just a few minutes of questions he signed a sheet to let me go forward, but I would need a pat-down.<br />
I told him I didn't care. As long as he let me get on the flight, it was okay.<br />
The woman that handled the extra security check was also extremely nice.<br />
I was so thankful that I was able to get such understanding TSA agents, most of them won't even smile or talk to you. They even held conversations with me the entire time and assured me not to worry, that I would make my flight.<br />
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I flew into Newark Airport on Wednesday morning. Leaving at 7am to arrive just before 3pm in NYC.When I arrived in New Jersey, I took the Newark Airport Express to the city. I got to see the Lincoln Tunnel and was immediately surprised at its' size. It is tremendously tiny! I thought the cars were going to run each other off the road. I guess camera's and television really do make things look bigger than what they truly are.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLz-DqoMwm0b7bXo9EhQpUci6qq6YQFtnuswsqTeS-5s_KvJUU5fmPS-itCcq7oGLoB-hn-2kd8cTAlHczgln2whL4DLHUGdUZLPt8v8oK3gIS92C_yRga4GktXDcePZSuHodTfANJNg/s1600/ThumbNail.ashx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLz-DqoMwm0b7bXo9EhQpUci6qq6YQFtnuswsqTeS-5s_KvJUU5fmPS-itCcq7oGLoB-hn-2kd8cTAlHczgln2whL4DLHUGdUZLPt8v8oK3gIS92C_yRga4GktXDcePZSuHodTfANJNg/s200/ThumbNail.ashx.jpeg" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nycparamount.com/?gclid=CNu66MfR9bYCFYFo4AodhEoA6w">Paramount Hotel</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNcbyJOrygrgRKXWud-X6Sd3PD9dXcPTji4cXx2mLMHKraO0EvDulZpC4bCQznADtA_qNaTmewDRosImcWtkoBWYwrP9x59eTeeq2UDCp55IhO5y5i2ZxLVH91k4jgeN9SCDjjuxxH-w/s1600/IMG_4806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNcbyJOrygrgRKXWud-X6Sd3PD9dXcPTji4cXx2mLMHKraO0EvDulZpC4bCQznADtA_qNaTmewDRosImcWtkoBWYwrP9x59eTeeq2UDCp55IhO5y5i2ZxLVH91k4jgeN9SCDjjuxxH-w/s200/IMG_4806.jpg" width="150" /></a>After I was dropped off at the Port Authority, I walked the seven blocks to the Paramount Hotel on<br />
46th. The hotel is literally right off of Times Square and is such a beautiful hotel. The lobby was incredibly romantic, (not that any of us were interested as we were 4 ladies.) But there were comfortable couches, dimmed lighting, and a quaint fireplace towards the back.<br />
Our room was on the 15th floor, right out of the elevators. The hotel had these really cool mirrors that were located next to the wall of our room. They displayed the weather for the day. Needless to say, they did not change our <br />
entire weekend. ;) The room was quite quant and actually reminded me a lot of the European hotel rooms. We had two beds and a bathroom which in all honestly is all we needed. We spent majority of our time walking around New York, we were only in the room to shower and sleep.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMppZ0Z3euh5-76cHQpjArX6dQ9RgQfgCHL5lpDpdDkGk9Y4aEmuCfNW6Aj56KjuJel1SpH0jnHfOQQMZiE4ldrfdVVCMEtrWmco_JSSfSYEN7vyB8PWNaysIyLw7lw89-YINBFXmz1ac/s1600/IMG_4797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMppZ0Z3euh5-76cHQpjArX6dQ9RgQfgCHL5lpDpdDkGk9Y4aEmuCfNW6Aj56KjuJel1SpH0jnHfOQQMZiE4ldrfdVVCMEtrWmco_JSSfSYEN7vyB8PWNaysIyLw7lw89-YINBFXmz1ac/s200/IMG_4797.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDfGNzvOAvi116pDWpjsXNPehLerhQ3kUKFosog4_FmZZmGR70k2i0tM1kPzYWLoEj6otGjGnGjeZqVTOtjH5KCSKVlAZUsN8mwjcjkChG2FqCtegS1N-cld9p7h9RTZtarty_pO7GOQ/s1600/IMG_4796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDfGNzvOAvi116pDWpjsXNPehLerhQ3kUKFosog4_FmZZmGR70k2i0tM1kPzYWLoEj6otGjGnGjeZqVTOtjH5KCSKVlAZUsN8mwjcjkChG2FqCtegS1N-cld9p7h9RTZtarty_pO7GOQ/s200/IMG_4796.jpg" width="150" /></a>After we checked in and dropped off our baggage we headed out and visited Times Square. We basically just walked around and took a couple of photos. Of all the places we visited and walked<br />
around New York, Times Square was definitely the most crowded - ALL THE TIME! There was always hundreds of people. This is definitely a tourist location.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7qwyYF9Par4iG0P5KDu4ou7iUT3S7AKB-X-hSgN1vT2ewzTPIV72kHQ8d7KQx6jR4Om-hsGQ07REB-6Pqp0I9G-LCqV9jq0BWCD3gHzK_4-RiGiq8_YQUmVa3ZvO15Ri2numlFnKAhg/s1600/IMG_4802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7qwyYF9Par4iG0P5KDu4ou7iUT3S7AKB-X-hSgN1vT2ewzTPIV72kHQ8d7KQx6jR4Om-hsGQ07REB-6Pqp0I9G-LCqV9jq0BWCD3gHzK_4-RiGiq8_YQUmVa3ZvO15Ri2numlFnKAhg/s200/IMG_4802.jpg" width="150" /></a>We were all pretty much starving so we hit up a small diner for a little snack. One thing I really loved about any of the places we went to eat were that the portion sizes were huge! Everything was of course pricier, but the serving size really did make the difference. I ordered some fried macaroni & cheese potatoes, Koren and Keri both ordered the fried chicken tenders and Kristi ordered the popcorn chicken. All of our "snacks" turned out to be full course meals - and we had all ordered off of the appetizer menu! It was all delicious but definitely more than we had expected.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKu3S27VoVnDV96VTgFlTagacjXd4bLlCfmGTCOdpG7JWIVb29S8EyhL0w6ib98kWy4Xd_71-ts2FPSGm8FfsPqPA9UG2whraH4DTv_GePxKWKLDlZ072bm7eeP3zKP-IxAaVSrAYTcw/s1600/IMG_4810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKu3S27VoVnDV96VTgFlTagacjXd4bLlCfmGTCOdpG7JWIVb29S8EyhL0w6ib98kWy4Xd_71-ts2FPSGm8FfsPqPA9UG2whraH4DTv_GePxKWKLDlZ072bm7eeP3zKP-IxAaVSrAYTcw/s200/IMG_4810.JPG" width="200" /></a>We walked around a little more after that just taking in the city and then decided to do some shopping too. We had dinner that night at an Italian restaurant named, Sophia's. Then went out for drinks with a friend, Amy, to celebrate Keri's birthday. (Amy went to school with Keri and is currently an intern at The David Letterman Show.) We hit up a quiet bar had some wine and just chatted away.<br />
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Thursday was mostly spent walking around Manhattan. We saw the Rockefeller Center and I got see <a href="http://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/">St. Patrick's Cathedral</a> from across the street. They were in the middle of renovating and had scaffolds all around the church. We also visited many shops, where the girls and I got a few souvenirs and clothing. We grabbed coffee and then headed for lunch at a restaurant named, <a href="http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/lindys/">Lindy's</a> that was definitely not worth the wait. The service was absolutely horrible! And the food was terribly overpriced. This was definitely our least favorite place in all of NYC.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNg0oUM1EW_CvefQSP6dx515Ck7Ue1z1WDFvkvIOxNRGOhYegByaoyqJndVl9SU14U6bPIN2hCbSSoa7pHdWLrQSNpnV5KOyZMpp2WUVJPxjAlerNIvCWPzsZyvZzxzocLqgGrXmP6f0U/s1600/IMG_4849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNg0oUM1EW_CvefQSP6dx515Ck7Ue1z1WDFvkvIOxNRGOhYegByaoyqJndVl9SU14U6bPIN2hCbSSoa7pHdWLrQSNpnV5KOyZMpp2WUVJPxjAlerNIvCWPzsZyvZzxzocLqgGrXmP6f0U/s200/IMG_4849.JPG" width="200" /></a>That afternoon we had the <a href="http://www.screentours.com/tour.php/satc/?gclid=COrFyIPf9bYCFcbb4AodBC8A1A">SATC Tour</a>, which Koren had totally scheduled and planned herself. We had to make a quick walk to the other side of town to the Plaza Hotel where the tour bus would be waiting. Only a true SATC fan can understand my excitement. The tour included information from all 6 seasons and the 2 motion pictures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrS_3cIJAGhiOznMscFyWud1Yf1OiR9WiWmt4fENBhkdXNFeV5uwhIAZpgzdss8W4rIkSY5-b8ipeoXvEq4xAEud3HdXBEUpvB07zdRKTLoP34UN-zpH64vOVR04RZI-nr7yitlNgXMM/s1600/429393_10151476520843654_1001017252_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrS_3cIJAGhiOznMscFyWud1Yf1OiR9WiWmt4fENBhkdXNFeV5uwhIAZpgzdss8W4rIkSY5-b8ipeoXvEq4xAEud3HdXBEUpvB07zdRKTLoP34UN-zpH64vOVR04RZI-nr7yitlNgXMM/s200/429393_10151476520843654_1001017252_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>Koren had been on it once a couple of years back and raved so much about it, I knew I had to do it too. :) It was definitely a ton of fun! Our guide was witty and got everyone involved in the tour. We had little show quizzes where she handed out little paddles for anyone who guessed the questions correctly. We also saw clips from different episodes and they took us all around NYC pointing out places seen on the show. We stopped at a sex toy shop where unless you've watched the show, they sell something specific that was shown. Then we stopped in Greenwich Village at <a href="http://www.magnoliabakery.com/">Magnolia's</a> bakery where our tour guide got us all a delicious cupcake.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjy543Pz11VU59VcMPfPLLHABqr5EORRZ4yOb_6gWCwh4JN2Q4A9TaPW8Uzk5JAD8HA9_QfvYmB1v-wVOaDlsbBVwrlHaJ9CMFW2NHZMS45uwzzSDbkhINoRR_nRTNzqnZ-4vKKHP3gw8/s1600/IMG_4904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjy543Pz11VU59VcMPfPLLHABqr5EORRZ4yOb_6gWCwh4JN2Q4A9TaPW8Uzk5JAD8HA9_QfvYmB1v-wVOaDlsbBVwrlHaJ9CMFW2NHZMS45uwzzSDbkhINoRR_nRTNzqnZ-4vKKHP3gw8/s200/IMG_4904.JPG" width="200" /></a>We also made a stop at <a href="http://www.buddakannyc.com/">Buddakan </a>where Big and Carrie's rehearsal dinner was held.<br />
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Our last stop was at Steve & Aidan's Bar "Scout" that is really named, <a href="http://www.onieals.com/">Onieal's</a>, where we enjoyed, you guessed it, a Cosmopolitan. The bar is absolutely <br />
gorgeous - the design and decor is absolutely exquisite. I have never seen a place like that before.<br />
Our tour ended at the HBO studios.<br />
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After that we walked around lower Manhattan and walked towards ChinaTown and Little Italy. Very interesting to see. It really reminded me of downtown Brownsville the way the shops are set up down the street. We took a cab back to Union Square and picked the first pizza place we found to sit down and have dinner. We were not disappointed. It was a tiny restaurant that sat about 20 people so it was a little crowded but the pizza was great.<br />
When we got back to the hotel, we were kind of tired and decided on staying close instead of heading out walking again and just went downstairs to the bar in our hotel for more drinks. We ordered a bottle of sparkling wine and shared between the four of us. It was something mellow that we all needed from that day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nLqpqsVFR-DOO30Hdc65NdR6-oNzifAeSMLztkx3yJInChPtNsFqvgB8Y1dbgMeswi-DNllAE6w0o29ha2QW3aBoF9g81z0UZs3_oXTqGDBT5uRWSw8jYQ0ShGAFhe9lhftyUL9oRqo/s1600/77182_10151489258783654_831032156_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nLqpqsVFR-DOO30Hdc65NdR6-oNzifAeSMLztkx3yJInChPtNsFqvgB8Y1dbgMeswi-DNllAE6w0o29ha2QW3aBoF9g81z0UZs3_oXTqGDBT5uRWSw8jYQ0ShGAFhe9lhftyUL9oRqo/s200/77182_10151489258783654_831032156_n.jpg" width="150" /></a>On Friday we visited more places we took the 6 and headed towards the South Ferry and walked to the <br />
9/11 Memorial. It was actually kind of surreal standing there. I just kind of stood there and took it all in. Where the towers once stood is completely fenced in and covered with black tarp - no one is allowed to look inside. You pay or can order tickets online, to enter the museum - we did neither. Just being there was enough. I also didn't realize how much of a tourist attraction it is. I thought there was way too many people but what can you do.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSi0TTubv8oRYBulBZ1kEy4T9C_3jAd0MZv35GoT9PM9qq-gCUzTFxB16ehM-n3mHw-i0S9wQBoQR6XPw8HuSCsN8DAV62V7mu_D_LulVwRBE7SgD2bIa5vBak-7V9KTZhyPY4l_5p1YU/s1600/IMG_4972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSi0TTubv8oRYBulBZ1kEy4T9C_3jAd0MZv35GoT9PM9qq-gCUzTFxB16ehM-n3mHw-i0S9wQBoQR6XPw8HuSCsN8DAV62V7mu_D_LulVwRBE7SgD2bIa5vBak-7V9KTZhyPY4l_5p1YU/s200/IMG_4972.jpg" width="150" /></a>After that we had lunch at a lovely diner called, <a href="http://www.georges-ny.com/contact.html">George's.</a> Food was delicious! I would gladly return to this restaurant. Even with the crowding, it was certainly worth it.<br />
We then took a short train ride to the South Ferry where we walked a short distance to the Statue of Liberty. I admired her from afar as there was too long of a wait to get to and from the island. Ferry's take a while to load and cruise over and then it takes about another 2 hours or so to get back. So we just took a couple of photos and admired the scenery.<br />
Next we walked towards the subway again to head uptown to see<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9dyufg2pkw5tf44qH29E2BzU2BmXZ8HNHDhIyDIgM6bNI2Muu0j1cV5tzXlN17nFzO08KVaHpYbQZb9u4erZtudLfHAzI-fd-CImWT7r42QHiUBzOU2Xdx5Ud8LM2hzEZSp_cFUSvFk/s1600/IMG_4988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9dyufg2pkw5tf44qH29E2BzU2BmXZ8HNHDhIyDIgM6bNI2Muu0j1cV5tzXlN17nFzO08KVaHpYbQZb9u4erZtudLfHAzI-fd-CImWT7r42QHiUBzOU2Xdx5Ud8LM2hzEZSp_cFUSvFk/s200/IMG_4988.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
The Empire State Building. Another tourist attraction that was full! It literally <br />
reminded me of airport security and I overheard an employee say that it would take about 2 hours to get trough security alone. So I sighed and headed back out. Our time was scheduled and we really did not have 2 hours to wait in line. At least I can say that I've seen them. :)<br />
Once again we headed for coffee and then went out shopping. Koren was insistent on finding a Kate Spade store which we were all for. We did a lot more walking and subway riding that afternoon - there is just so much to see and we had nowhere near all the time we wished we had.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WzAFNaTvbmt8iKIubJhc7E-WZVJDnaXQLH425yUNRhCnP3O8dbPjyoNxhpDk3hdC72C90wqVQq3kNQtO4DkHsA4V0gaSqMwZGO6zcCj0pSq_28z9cxSY4RDNknu0amiB32LwmJEL_8E/s1600/582398_10151825862828312_1114352105_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WzAFNaTvbmt8iKIubJhc7E-WZVJDnaXQLH425yUNRhCnP3O8dbPjyoNxhpDk3hdC72C90wqVQq3kNQtO4DkHsA4V0gaSqMwZGO6zcCj0pSq_28z9cxSY4RDNknu0amiB32LwmJEL_8E/s200/582398_10151825862828312_1114352105_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
That night we met up with a cousin of Keri's, Natalie, at a macaroni and cheese diner in the east Village known as <a href="http://www.smacnyc.com/">S'MAC</a> - Sarita's Macaroni & Cheese. It was the best mac & cheese I have ever had! I ordered the Garden Lite that had a variety of vegetables mixed in. They are all made to order in iron skillets and this small place gets packed so come early or be prepared to wait. After dinner, Natalie took <a href="http://www.ottosshrunkenhead.com/">Otto's Shrunken Head</a> where they make specialty drinks in fun, weird, and cute mugs that you get to keep. They had great drinks and while the girls were catching up I was able to watch an episode of Ghost Adventures I had missed, on the tv. hahaha We all had a really good time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcl5S7KJJM7EivZuOUe8TpuoF9xhmYyYHA7dgfIlpGcpZ1SNI6TZGvjRKUYOeLMmHx1b2UxcYt-jM_dFG5WU8b6bwaddWO5kbpxR4hG7iXHV_aGnyBvColz_jcTNWLm27Yk38CTIWIzs/s1600/IMG_4993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcl5S7KJJM7EivZuOUe8TpuoF9xhmYyYHA7dgfIlpGcpZ1SNI6TZGvjRKUYOeLMmHx1b2UxcYt-jM_dFG5WU8b6bwaddWO5kbpxR4hG7iXHV_aGnyBvColz_jcTNWLm27Yk38CTIWIzs/s200/IMG_4993.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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Our last few hours: Saturday morning we got up and finished packing. We headed downstairs and <br />
walked a block to have brunch at the <a href="http://www.bluefinnyc.com/?gclid=CLbx75D49bYCFUJN4Aodmm8Arw">Blue Fin</a>. I had the french toast - it was divine! This restaurant was definitely upscale. The decorum was fabulous! The walls had paintings that almost gave a sense of "pop-up" art. It was really beautiful.<br />
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Once we got our baggage and checked out, we all headed to the port authority and said our goodbyes. Our buses were heading in different directions at different times.<br />
It was very difficult. I tried not to cry but that didn't happen. Not only would I miss the city but I would miss my friend more than anything. It had been at least a year and a half since the last time. She is someone who means so much to me, she is someone I can always rely on and confide in. I hope and pray that I get to see her soon, again. <br />
And one day, go back to the city.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7143528 -74.005973140.3291728 -74.65142010000001 41.0995328 -73.3605261tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-18029079719685746572013-02-21T18:48:00.005-05:002013-02-21T18:48:53.355-05:00Cruise 2013<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Erick wanted to do something nice for his parents, after all
even through all our disagreements; they’ve done so much for us. He wanted to
do something nice for them…something different. We were torn between Vegas and
a Cruise. We decided to do things as a family. We looked around and found
fairly good deals at <a href="http://carnival.com/">Carnival.com</a> and we booked a 5-day cruise in September to
the Yucatan and Cozumel. We scheduled the trip for January 19 just a week from
returning to the states from Italy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjO3VO1XkdKqr0iTzVIDl9XTPK69gLJoMxm1jvBUuywOg1smrBn9FqHxdW1fLX5zjjodXOsdXmp8ostdymffcQx8An_Vc84d0mshht15jxy7CuG9F5r91n4AjSnf_CggbX9KUw4lsFqBk/s1600/IMG_4010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjO3VO1XkdKqr0iTzVIDl9XTPK69gLJoMxm1jvBUuywOg1smrBn9FqHxdW1fLX5zjjodXOsdXmp8ostdymffcQx8An_Vc84d0mshht15jxy7CuG9F5r91n4AjSnf_CggbX9KUw4lsFqBk/s200/IMG_4010.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo taken before boarding</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our port of call was Galveston, TX – about half an hour from
where we had been staying that week. We
arrived at noon that Saturday to begin registration and boarding. We were to
set sail at 4pm and it took us about 3 hours to get through boarding…CRAZY!<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was basically the same procedures as going through the
airport. We had baggage drop-off, then got in line for security checks, then in
another line for cruise registration and then finally on the ship. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At registration they take your passports, finished any extra
changes you needed to make and then every person is handed a key card. This
card is used to enter and exit the ship at docking, it is used to open the room
doors, to open the safe in the room, and finally as a credit card to charge all
expenses to. Your photo is also taken before boarding to monogram into the
card. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We headed straight to our rooms to drop off the little extra
bags we had with us and then to explore the boat a little. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When booking, we asked that our staterooms be close by; we
were able to get some right next door to each other.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We had balcony suites and we asked that the partition that
divided the two be removed to make it one large balcony as we were family and
didn’t mind.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SVkYIWTDKj8iIlhzzOwiSAJFGF3fDIeSB44xfL4CrF4qWAlvE9SbcUwv6T2pb4csFBILdFUmoVEeeFJ1_Mnvu2HaJ-7GwZMNiM-zZ4arJBb8xdFxVnTFN5h2gTwHfU5hBC03wljHOxs/s1600/IMG_3687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SVkYIWTDKj8iIlhzzOwiSAJFGF3fDIeSB44xfL4CrF4qWAlvE9SbcUwv6T2pb4csFBILdFUmoVEeeFJ1_Mnvu2HaJ-7GwZMNiM-zZ4arJBb8xdFxVnTFN5h2gTwHfU5hBC03wljHOxs/s200/IMG_3687.JPG" width="200" /></a>Our rooms were located on Deck 6, one floor above the meeting
floor for emergencies. It was a little bit of a maze at first, we took the
elevator to the 6<sup>th</sup> deck then as you exit you can either go left for
odd numbers and right for even numbers (of course depending on which elevator
you exit from). Well you had to walk
down one hallway and turn into another small corridor, but I would always
forget which one and would end up walking all the way around! I think I finally
got the hang of it on my last day. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5AhpsqMb2NUFwPgHKJt8IFyjQLnscYxE5u56nq89HognOZiqCPmavCXo_FlxuR0ElD0URKtXTnId0H0ulJnZ4G9lHhRMJKEzFzYjD1LHGmRPjZ-Ae5w2_-qdUEjkmFPHQ3Sn0A04BGM/s1600/IMG_3685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5AhpsqMb2NUFwPgHKJt8IFyjQLnscYxE5u56nq89HognOZiqCPmavCXo_FlxuR0ElD0URKtXTnId0H0ulJnZ4G9lHhRMJKEzFzYjD1LHGmRPjZ-Ae5w2_-qdUEjkmFPHQ3Sn0A04BGM/s200/IMG_3685.jpg" width="150" /></a>The room basically reminded me of the hotel we stayed at in
Rome. :) There was enough room to walk through and that’s about it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As you open the door, to the left, there is a cabinet where
the safe is found, followed by two small closets. The bathroom is to the right,
with a standing shower. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrbSY9kdrwwOSoccq9t6YI0HCbMGsCifiJZzHI-Q9J-3ILQOCFy6YbDoHidXTw2f8nkgJC9Q9ZbXqwO_wuMVoplFU1MyALV7GALaKHymNOVqnGuxeR6Z-v-Uem_iagcq6MaIs8vuCc64/s1600/IMG_3686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrbSY9kdrwwOSoccq9t6YI0HCbMGsCifiJZzHI-Q9J-3ILQOCFy6YbDoHidXTw2f8nkgJC9Q9ZbXqwO_wuMVoplFU1MyALV7GALaKHymNOVqnGuxeR6Z-v-Uem_iagcq6MaIs8vuCc64/s200/IMG_3686.jpg" width="150" /></a>You take a couple of steps and there is a large mirror on
the left with some drawers. To the right of that is a small sofa that would be
turned into a bed for C.J. every night. And of course our bed was right next to
it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A couple more steps after that to the left was another
cabinet where the television was placed and that also provided more storage
underneath. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Shortly after that was the door to exit onto the balcony
which contained a small table and 2 lounge chairs. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We actually really enjoyed our rooms. We were able to store
everything away so nothing was lying around and the bed was extremely
comfortable as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our bags had still not arrived at our rooms so we headed out
to explore. Lunch was being served on the Lido deck (9<sup>th</sup>) so we
headed over to grab a small bite. There were a couple of stands throughout the
9<sup>th</sup> deck. They had a Chinese restaurant, and Italian, a Grill, a
Sandwich shop and a buffet. You could eat all day at any of these or if you
wanted to sit in the main restaurants, (there are 2, London and Paris Dining
hall), only breakfast and dinner are served here. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After lunch, we stood on the top deck for a while taking a
few photos and headed back inside before realizing we had already begun moving.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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An announcement was made shortly there after about having
ALL passengers meet on Deck 5 in our designated areas. (On your ship card there
is a letter imprinted, that is the designated area you are to go to incase of an
emergency.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once everyone was down there, they made an announcement over
the intercom about what rules to follow. Just a quick “know-how” about what to
do; it lasted about 15 minutes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We returned to our rooms to find our bags waiting outside
for us. We all decided to unpack and get completely settled.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSVP8hKIYK-4qj8Wy8FDLn4E9VP9FcgvQmGdUJFsohXIG03gsxv5wMcFO8hE-6cunsEGt9cXXBVqjRuIsJLo3_l8Atc8745hlOnJ8DQe8SPgt02mzWisUqJd8yyfe7YeDwTU2QVKJBcg/s1600/IMG_4004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSVP8hKIYK-4qj8Wy8FDLn4E9VP9FcgvQmGdUJFsohXIG03gsxv5wMcFO8hE-6cunsEGt9cXXBVqjRuIsJLo3_l8Atc8745hlOnJ8DQe8SPgt02mzWisUqJd8yyfe7YeDwTU2QVKJBcg/s200/IMG_4004.JPG" width="200" /></a>We were able to catch just a little of our first show before
dinner. (We signed up for “late” dinner, which was at 8pm).</div>
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We would have our dinners in the Paris Dining Room every
night – I loved it! The food was fabulous. Every night there was something
different on the menu and it was definitely 5 star qualities. From the 5
nights, we had different selections such as filet mignon, lobster, frog legs,
crocodile, steaks, fish – you name it, they had it. And the desserts –
AMAZING!! They had a lovely wine selection as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The staff was wonderful! They always knew to place a booster
seat on C.J.’s chair, and knew he would ask for fruit. :) They were super attentive and
even learned our names. In the middle of dinner, they would even put on little
shows of singing and dancing. They were very entertaining! <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4CGv31YC63L8Xe2piytjoALM4aWu4sPnjywGzqZ4yPItLtTKgaflQun5vbYdCjb1LE5wlReUi-dVVZsSdQPGE48tQrvQI6-5KTe4Fma_fx0wQp83FKaaGznjn2eJlMsRBtUs9D6hP18/s1600/IMG_3763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4CGv31YC63L8Xe2piytjoALM4aWu4sPnjywGzqZ4yPItLtTKgaflQun5vbYdCjb1LE5wlReUi-dVVZsSdQPGE48tQrvQI6-5KTe4Fma_fx0wQp83FKaaGznjn2eJlMsRBtUs9D6hP18/s200/IMG_3763.jpg" width="150" /></a>After dinner, we explored a little more, took more photos,
and decided to drop C.J. off at the Camp Carnival. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->The ship had a daycare available from 10am to
10pm, free of charge, called Camp Carnival. They separated children by age;
C.J. was included in the 4 to 6 years. They would give us an itinerary everyday
of what they would be doing throughout the day and when pick up times were. We
were assigned a cellphone directly from the staff to call us incase the
children needed us. After 10pm began the Night Owls program which was a babysitting
service. They staff charged $6.50 an hour and were open until 3am. - <o:p></o:p></div>
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C.J. LOVED Camp Carnival and the Night Owl program, he would
ask to go back every day!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQkYDYOT_qUU8240jiNwx0em7vO1yXwTBhvXzBKKuWRt1g6bhXHBdhd8ArCEFQZJ25JzHuXWxcqDTcPKWimc6O7J-wrZuXUJ8kb-VdKHPy7mimYikMIJzYb6WEcWxhFsks26DbDpkJxI/s1600/IMG_3760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQkYDYOT_qUU8240jiNwx0em7vO1yXwTBhvXzBKKuWRt1g6bhXHBdhd8ArCEFQZJ25JzHuXWxcqDTcPKWimc6O7J-wrZuXUJ8kb-VdKHPy7mimYikMIJzYb6WEcWxhFsks26DbDpkJxI/s200/IMG_3760.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDH4US347got_QPnEnLTG8el4nTPK8eu5bsD1mc9yPLQj_iYXoTNhEoJ82N91qXJEaDPTS6GnAg7zA_GFdKmMuKDZtj-uSHh4l5jGNVSVpbwPxEX2_N2UIJKTbodLqULunLZlCS-jj7k/s1600/IMG_3714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDH4US347got_QPnEnLTG8el4nTPK8eu5bsD1mc9yPLQj_iYXoTNhEoJ82N91qXJEaDPTS6GnAg7zA_GFdKmMuKDZtj-uSHh4l5jGNVSVpbwPxEX2_N2UIJKTbodLqULunLZlCS-jj7k/s200/IMG_3714.jpg" width="150" /></a>After dropping him off that first night, we headed to a
couple of the clubs and the casino just for a couple of hours. One club we
returned to every night was a Latin club. There was a live band that played a
lot of music we’ve grown up with and all still enjoy dancing to. When we
returned to our room, C.J.’s bed had been made and we had a little towel seal
waiting for us with chocolates. :) (Every night a different towel animal was placed on our bed with more
chocolate.) <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrOj45Opmm38LoSi1Kz_rcOKSW0vGzl29MasdCr8oLD15d7pjUxgy5u1H5IWiYwBzF7BMJqAtFgXggb_VXtcO3D9-Du8f-1sw1T7KFwc9dXpX0u4sLnKZCfBzUJw4-0ZBnFIfQj4L80g/s1600/IMG_3738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrOj45Opmm38LoSi1Kz_rcOKSW0vGzl29MasdCr8oLD15d7pjUxgy5u1H5IWiYwBzF7BMJqAtFgXggb_VXtcO3D9-Du8f-1sw1T7KFwc9dXpX0u4sLnKZCfBzUJw4-0ZBnFIfQj4L80g/s200/IMG_3738.jpg" width="150" /></a>The next day was a day sent at sea. I woke up early to head
up to the 11<sup>th</sup> deck to run. There was a small track up at the top – 11
laps equaled 1 mile. My run was amazing! The sun was warm and the sea
surrounded us for miles. There was a soft cool breeze. I wish I could have runs
like that daily. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiK5hcc4fEH5AI6-F51N0uuardPzmC3tCRx-isOm5L9DqzVUVbllJv-2C9lhyphenhypheny6rC4w-jrMH9ajcX1QxlX8oevU2G8UI2r0VK7vrS5wp5UUD6Az4PD9dcyP3b3h-8akasdWJRSmpxLdjw/s1600/IMG_3752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiK5hcc4fEH5AI6-F51N0uuardPzmC3tCRx-isOm5L9DqzVUVbllJv-2C9lhyphenhypheny6rC4w-jrMH9ajcX1QxlX8oevU2G8UI2r0VK7vrS5wp5UUD6Az4PD9dcyP3b3h-8akasdWJRSmpxLdjw/s200/IMG_3752.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rome Theater Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Later that day we headed to the London Dining Hall for a
wine tasting. We had 8 different kinds of wines, some cheeses, fruit, and
crackers. It was a delicious hour! :)<o:p></o:p></div>
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We caught another show that night before dinner. The
entertainment staff – singers and dancers, would put on little Broadway type
shows. We all really enjoyed them. They had a different one every night. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The next morning we landed in Progreso, Yucatan. We ordered
room service early enough to be off the boat by 8:30am. Our tour guide was
waiting for us just out of the shops at the port. Our guides’ name was Russell
and he did a fantastic job! He drove us about an hour until we reached the
pyramids in Uxmal. They were amazing to see. A local himself, of Mayan
heritage, Russell explained a lot about the Mayan culture and life and also
what each pyramid represented or who lived there.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_YvspsTMcJvhwhWe9pLR2ZwEvYRh_VFlxdm4563hJ6ZOnj4aGO3Wx5TFApMQxi8ENPxWhNEbVWKcycyskYwSajyTN-gFvWksI0hUu_Uj8ZfvHM4fiuQ2XVEmvktBcHDRhxeV5u5K_ug/s1600/IMG_3776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_YvspsTMcJvhwhWe9pLR2ZwEvYRh_VFlxdm4563hJ6ZOnj4aGO3Wx5TFApMQxi8ENPxWhNEbVWKcycyskYwSajyTN-gFvWksI0hUu_Uj8ZfvHM4fiuQ2XVEmvktBcHDRhxeV5u5K_ug/s200/IMG_3776.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Uxmal was settled in 500 B.C. There is believed to have been
about 25,000 inhabitants. There are underground cisterns and a complex drinking
water system that utilized rainwater. The structures are arranged around the
courtyards to form quadrangles. All their decorations included: gods, animals,
dignitaries, and even geometric forms. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsIsqv5LcfgnTAL4EH60u3K3f8n81TIlq5tVP4c-eVr1sAqKmTlEfPhHm4dMUfDBQrV2UiYyZ3W6FNUTZhzUKW2tOsmcHJnh3SwK_QIAGtzMmf4iF4NfnxEisRSSJzJ6lJnsPPlA3_AEk/s1600/IMG_3813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsIsqv5LcfgnTAL4EH60u3K3f8n81TIlq5tVP4c-eVr1sAqKmTlEfPhHm4dMUfDBQrV2UiYyZ3W6FNUTZhzUKW2tOsmcHJnh3SwK_QIAGtzMmf4iF4NfnxEisRSSJzJ6lJnsPPlA3_AEk/s200/IMG_3813.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russell explaining the calendar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We saw a large pyramid as soon as we walked in and then
headed to a section of 4 structures arranged in a large square; we saw an
actual Mayan calendar. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We got to see a run down section of where “The Ballgame” was
held. (The game was played by rulers and at times included captives to
humiliate. The ball could only be touched with hips, elbows, and knees.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMQAg76GC4z7HhAaEQFFRP4vATtbaZfHHzff1bATUEQAZn11Mzqpyrq5qheuRkGpScgbBEeVYq-lAkDYnJDJhakzsoxxn0gpMy0I8Kb2JX6HyVPaGzy0zkZ0gjJThuiAif6hPDtsd6q4/s1600/102_2739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMQAg76GC4z7HhAaEQFFRP4vATtbaZfHHzff1bATUEQAZn11Mzqpyrq5qheuRkGpScgbBEeVYq-lAkDYnJDJhakzsoxxn0gpMy0I8Kb2JX6HyVPaGzy0zkZ0gjJThuiAif6hPDtsd6q4/s200/102_2739.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
One thing I thought was a trip were all the lizards found
everywhere. They are so used to visitors that they don’t even run away as you
near them. There were so many of them! I think I counted about 30 from all
sizes. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7rtcVdJXXiy23Q2PKEBZI2aP97Ek5lAKWeZfFflit8zALZubf6PYcu5ujAj4rbDJPHToVyuwXXL_arpHsj0f21qD4r5CHXhOQNSXHmp30pSDrTOyaMHRi4h3vtbFySAqEMGE4ifVunU/s1600/IMG_3866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7rtcVdJXXiy23Q2PKEBZI2aP97Ek5lAKWeZfFflit8zALZubf6PYcu5ujAj4rbDJPHToVyuwXXL_arpHsj0f21qD4r5CHXhOQNSXHmp30pSDrTOyaMHRi4h3vtbFySAqEMGE4ifVunU/s200/IMG_3866.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<br />
The largest pyramid was the Governor’s palace of course; it
was massive! We counted over 100 steps. Erick and his Dad along with Russell
decided they would climb to the top – we had a nice view from the ground. :)<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrgF8NeryiIRUdiNKQcZo5AEpNNKtO6__atnBq5lahE254ofcgZF82MMmp1ziAzOAVoOUkTNy-FzKnVUJ_M8xtrIipf3kaaD0MsP6_4sC3eFqGF-HYjkElBSYP4cQiqgpnRj9HGBzkr4/s1600/102_2758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrgF8NeryiIRUdiNKQcZo5AEpNNKtO6__atnBq5lahE254ofcgZF82MMmp1ziAzOAVoOUkTNy-FzKnVUJ_M8xtrIipf3kaaD0MsP6_4sC3eFqGF-HYjkElBSYP4cQiqgpnRj9HGBzkr4/s200/102_2758.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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We saw an actual home used by regular town people. There
were small holes in the corners of the ceiling used for ventilation and heat.
The Mayans were a very intelligent people.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanXTts_MVvtPM2Ragur6qByKsLnG8ei4OJ2p9blHxAnHCwJd9aXNwuIzy-2jgtNeBSg6v_bmL9jh3tmyOHgdRYUDRBDBeRTlRvcT9hToiOZ61aOjn_Pur50P01uIcuGbOdMMGK9AdKjY/s1600/IMG_1815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanXTts_MVvtPM2Ragur6qByKsLnG8ei4OJ2p9blHxAnHCwJd9aXNwuIzy-2jgtNeBSg6v_bmL9jh3tmyOHgdRYUDRBDBeRTlRvcT9hToiOZ61aOjn_Pur50P01uIcuGbOdMMGK9AdKjY/s200/IMG_1815.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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On the way back we stopped in the market and C.J. and I were
able to take photos with a baby jaguar and a small long-tailed monkey. They
were absolutely adorable! And of course I wanted to bring them back with me. I
held the baby jaguar and fed it milk from a bottle; the little monkey sat on
C.J.’s head. :) The jaguar was heavier than I expected but beautiful. His claws were long as
well but he didn’t scratch me. What gorgeous animals!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYaAjQMGQ0ppeTYjS7ZRohRm9Towc6fZB6Rxh_WAIGFSm2Idy9h37u8_TQDOwrCbtRQe4Wc5XhouKFmU_vdI_7F5xQUBjl_1DMh2IneKoXGCBXTa2-vY3x8xSDfe7zdYfMiEXKWTBXhk/s1600/IMG_3905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYaAjQMGQ0ppeTYjS7ZRohRm9Towc6fZB6Rxh_WAIGFSm2Idy9h37u8_TQDOwrCbtRQe4Wc5XhouKFmU_vdI_7F5xQUBjl_1DMh2IneKoXGCBXTa2-vY3x8xSDfe7zdYfMiEXKWTBXhk/s200/IMG_3905.jpg" width="150" /></a>The next morning we arrived in Cozumel. It was a little
cloudy but the sun was very warm. We exited the ship just before 9am and
stopped at the local market at the dock to take some photos and look for a few
souvenirs to purchase later. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqLZ0p6kFyE-4oigeIqKW3A0oKES4K5H6SCGIadfvGDslgPNO6dmvMwdukVoXj6Q_bPDneud0D7cMJMaEFaotcewNLtwQCOOnOn61cJJVg7KSNDFTDb0Smkep_-RhoGo6g36XmcK4PM0/s1600/IMG_3912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqLZ0p6kFyE-4oigeIqKW3A0oKES4K5H6SCGIadfvGDslgPNO6dmvMwdukVoXj6Q_bPDneud0D7cMJMaEFaotcewNLtwQCOOnOn61cJJVg7KSNDFTDb0Smkep_-RhoGo6g36XmcK4PM0/s200/IMG_3912.jpg" width="150" /></a>We took a taxi to a private beach just 10 minutes down the
road. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It was $2 per person to get in, except C.J. And if you paid
$10 more you had access to everything available: life vests, canoes, jet skis,
parasailing…everything. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Erick paid for himself since he would be doing most of the
activities with C.J. The rest of us got comfortable on the beach chairs, under
an umbrella.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqA1pH2NtxC-uvqy90jXvIglLOHXpjSGZtQxlnIzAhBwsb_ek5d5i99x9By-7UoyXsazvqgNd9Qn5-0F2I4J3XDCEwXdhk6PM-lEYSzy8cS6dqr-Guc23UYl8Ix87GHnZwlcm97iU5Kk0/s1600/IMG_3907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqA1pH2NtxC-uvqy90jXvIglLOHXpjSGZtQxlnIzAhBwsb_ek5d5i99x9By-7UoyXsazvqgNd9Qn5-0F2I4J3XDCEwXdhk6PM-lEYSzy8cS6dqr-Guc23UYl8Ix87GHnZwlcm97iU5Kk0/s200/IMG_3907.JPG" width="200" /></a>The water was absolutely gorgeous; beautifully clear,
turquoise water! I have never seen anything like that. The sand was white and
soft and wouldn’t stick to you either. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMYKUi3nDjtW4SQl_y2vJbpB5AYBL1H_fOrrnTA4kIUTWNsT8JpxREFqvPq0YpchqKOC1AYoDhmCVDnf3uqWmpAjXEUZUKpY6WEL9gUqeBGj0HMR0V_R-bnamDSjSzWaFMX6_DzrixA8/s1600/IMG_3948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMYKUi3nDjtW4SQl_y2vJbpB5AYBL1H_fOrrnTA4kIUTWNsT8JpxREFqvPq0YpchqKOC1AYoDhmCVDnf3uqWmpAjXEUZUKpY6WEL9gUqeBGj0HMR0V_R-bnamDSjSzWaFMX6_DzrixA8/s200/IMG_3948.JPG" width="200" /></a>My in-laws and I sat and soaked up the sun while the boys
played in the water and on the slides and other inflatable contraptions that
were laid out in the water. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After a good while, we decided to head to the pool section,
found just before heading on to the beach. We ordered drinks and played in the
heated pool while waiting for the food we had ordered.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYT8JSrsoR65Tg6IDaPeyxJcKwX40f8cGNClpdJAT90b7aHC5qx-uSJ88ev_CD1k-hfKHgam9odiaYTyK5F_Q4XAtfmE5m6XAZ2Bl2hSOKAu_ncZuk5sXWjKI6jll-SnNzbnF2mDTPUY/s1600/IMG_3962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYT8JSrsoR65Tg6IDaPeyxJcKwX40f8cGNClpdJAT90b7aHC5qx-uSJ88ev_CD1k-hfKHgam9odiaYTyK5F_Q4XAtfmE5m6XAZ2Bl2hSOKAu_ncZuk5sXWjKI6jll-SnNzbnF2mDTPUY/s200/IMG_3962.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I have to say that we were all very impressed with the
drinks and the food at this little local restaurant. Portions were astounding
and the prices were even more than reasonable. We would gladly return to this
private beach just for the food alone. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtbx9grFkZ2WHcSfSHx26vVrstpXKMm_600g72zPaQ2IHHgzrLBmdum-HyGU4vcUGggmjEoRTchne265Bb0e_1g-bVahUMe49Zpc5WM05SWQ6j0Bezv0TwW0EU3JMF8W537OQEzJlRGE/s1600/IMG_3998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtbx9grFkZ2WHcSfSHx26vVrstpXKMm_600g72zPaQ2IHHgzrLBmdum-HyGU4vcUGggmjEoRTchne265Bb0e_1g-bVahUMe49Zpc5WM05SWQ6j0Bezv0TwW0EU3JMF8W537OQEzJlRGE/s200/IMG_3998.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Our final day at sea was just relaxing. We walked around the
ship a little more. Enjoyed some more cocktails and later that night got
dressed for an elegant family photo. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our return was just slightly bittersweet. We were ready to
head home and see our families but really enjoyed our 5 days aboard the
Carnival Triumph. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
NOTE** <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In light of recent news coverage, I feel so incredibly bad
for the passengers that were stuck on the cruise ship, just after we had
disembarked, but I am super thankful that my family and I were lucky enough to
have gotten a sooner cruise and not have to go through this horrible
experience. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That being said, I had an amazing time on the cruise; we all
did. And it was a first time for all of us – even C.J. loved it!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The food was wonderful – I am super picky. And the entire
staff was super attentive, (my father-in-law is a diabetic and we thought he
had a mini fridge in his room but turned out he didn’t), they made sure to
constantly have fresh ice rotated in his room for his insulin. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even with everything that has happened I can say that I
would still want to take another cruise in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just like all other companies, especially those that travel,
something can always happen. This to me is an “isolated” incident (of sorts)
just like airlines, or having a car accident, or a train derailing – no one has
a perfect track record.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am still WAY more afraid of flying than I am of getting on
another boat and I do that all the time!<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico20.4310062 -86.9080654-7.8643388000000023 -128.2166594 48.726351199999996 -45.5994714tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-39159604980409676062013-01-10T06:05:00.000-05:002013-01-10T06:05:10.166-05:00Heading back....for a little bit.Today is my last day in Italy. Tomorrow begins our 24 hour long journey back to the States. :)<br />
Our flight out of San Vito is at 2:30pm; we arrive in Milan to connect to Paris, at 6:00pm. We will spend the night in Paris as our flight is not until 10am, Saturday. Our flight to Houston will be 10 hours....ugh...<br />
But I am excited! It's hard to believe, I've been out of the country for 9 months now...Wow!<br />
I can't wait to see all my family and as many friends as I can. I am thrilled to meet the new baby boys in the family. I will be so happy to see all my brothers and sisters - it's been a while.<br />
Our first week will be spent in Houston as C.J. has his 4 year check up and I also have doctors' appointments.<br />
I am excited and a little nervous about our cruise too. (On the 19th we head out of Galveston with Erick's parents for a 5 day cruise to Cozumel.) It will be the first time for EVERYBODY. I am hoping we all handle it well, especially C.J.<br />
After we get back we will be in Brownsville for a couple of weeks and then head up to Austin the second week in February to visit my older brother and his family.<br />
We want to make trips out to Florida and South Carolina too but we will see.<br />
This will be a nonstop visit..<br />
So much to do, so many people to see.<br />
We have plans to return to Italy in April but it may be sooner, it all depends on the work. Right now we are just playing it by ear.<br />
<br />
I have packing to finish :)<br />
<br />
I appreciate good thoughts for our trip.<br />
<br />
See you all soon!!<br />
xoxoAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com072019 San Vito dei Normanni Province of Brindisi, Italy40.658316 17.70646599999997840.634223999999996 17.666125499999978 40.682408 17.746806499999977tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-18423441634038159122012-12-31T06:53:00.001-05:002013-01-03T08:07:31.064-05:00Paris<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVEaHp6DRMHpah2tt42HsL-SPmxBY9hZkK2R7PUNCk7AhvJaelFuAxXjKB96WrS-jxX2t5Axn31bA_mKQ5IsxbJbBsnlnD_O_sxVUEBL0gGgR2y-eBNJjh52WnPOK561HnLzMiptOORg/s1600/IMG_2959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVEaHp6DRMHpah2tt42HsL-SPmxBY9hZkK2R7PUNCk7AhvJaelFuAxXjKB96WrS-jxX2t5Axn31bA_mKQ5IsxbJbBsnlnD_O_sxVUEBL0gGgR2y-eBNJjh52WnPOK561HnLzMiptOORg/s200/IMG_2959.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our hotel</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
Gorgeous views, fantastic places and oh so exceptionally delicious sweets!<br />
Paris was marvelous!<br />
We arrived around 6pm, Thursday, December 13th in Paris but it took over an hour to get to our hotel with all the traffic. I haven't seen traffic like this since Houston!<br />
It was COLD and rainy when we arrived so we decided to just settle into our room and order room service.<br />
We stayed at the <a href="http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-2175-mercure-paris-centre-tour-eiffel/location.shtml">Mercure Paris Centre Tour Hotel</a> on the rue Jean Rey. Now there are a lot of these type of hotels all over Paris but this is the only one this close to the tower - hence the name.<br />
Our room for the week was located on the 5th floor and although we didn't have a great view from our location, the room was still more than we hoped for. We unpacked and we ordered a few basic things off the menu - a burger and a club sandwich and I ordered a chocolate cake with English cream that was divine!<br />
My first taste of Paris dessert - I was instantly hooked.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmHbg9DdHwvIY1Gov1Kork-F3FM2jn8qiF6Y127EPR2V3MtMcOlcyGIDINB9bQ94b7I57G56Ln_9aDSbJ7B6DbQriyau83FoIiS0a_Z2k4IQcBQQjtWsamLsXbQ6publEU5YcUrC7Ur0/s1600/IMG_2968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmHbg9DdHwvIY1Gov1Kork-F3FM2jn8qiF6Y127EPR2V3MtMcOlcyGIDINB9bQ94b7I57G56Ln_9aDSbJ7B6DbQriyau83FoIiS0a_Z2k4IQcBQQjtWsamLsXbQ6publEU5YcUrC7Ur0/s200/IMG_2968.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree in the lobby</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AJJWYn6Qo2NDlXLsHaabPyw3sZvf9zpIVcQgI2IS6RTMufOOgl_LJmTFIUfy4LBEK3vAFnqo-_hMkC0dtPa6O87t0cSsBhIiwM_bRAa2laUsGs2k5GcN-F0LhLWOs7Evu67m9b_ouIE/s1600/IMG_2962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AJJWYn6Qo2NDlXLsHaabPyw3sZvf9zpIVcQgI2IS6RTMufOOgl_LJmTFIUfy4LBEK3vAFnqo-_hMkC0dtPa6O87t0cSsBhIiwM_bRAa2laUsGs2k5GcN-F0LhLWOs7Evu67m9b_ouIE/s200/IMG_2962.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our room</td></tr>
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Our hotel was located literally just a few blocks away from the Eiffel Tower. I really liked our hotel. It was really pretty with purples and pinks everywhere!<br />
Our room was a decent size and the beds were extremely comfortable. Everything about this hotel was wonderfully modern. Our bathroom was the coolest space - Erick and I both got really excited about the design. The light in the bathroom was a touch button on the mirror, so neat. And the shower was a large square in the ceiling of the shower space that literally poured down on you as if it was raining. The shower was big enough for all 3 of us to stand in!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the entrance</td></tr>
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The entire staff was friendly and courteous and everyone spoke English, which was really helpful to us. (I only know about 10 words in French and they are your basic mannerisms.) I still spoke the little I could but everyone was super nice about speaking to us in English to help out.<br />
They had a breakfast buffet every morning - with everything you can imagine. And the absolute best croissants I have ever had in my life!<br />
{Now the coffee I was a little disappointed with, it just wasn't as good as I thought it would be. And that is everywhere we went. Luckily, we were able to actually find a Starbucks on our last night in Paris and I had a decent cup for once. :)}<br />
They would set up for lunch, then dinner and of course you could order room service at any time.<br />
They were all set for the Christmas holiday. Really made me smile. They had lovely Christmas trees all over, with "sweet" decorations.<br />
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It was raining still on Friday, but we decided to head out anyway. Our first visit was to the <a href="http://www.arcdetriompheparis.com/">Arc de Triomphe</a>. We were able to catch a train with the exit being right across the street. This Arc was built to honor all those that fought for France and it has the names of all its' soldiers engraved into the stone. Right underneath it you find the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame that burns. It is lit and placed there to represent all those who perished that were never identified. It is a beautiful monument to visit. You can buy a ticket to walk through the walls and up to the top. Something that should be done on a sunny day. :)<br />
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We later met with our tour group at <a href="http://www.eglise-lamadeleine.com/">La Madeleine Catholic Church</a>. It was a wonderful day for a walking tour. (Note the sarcasm.) <br />
Lauren, our guide gave us a quick history about the church and we then headed off.<br />
Our first "stop" - Literally the BEST place in Paris to get Macaroons - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MacaronsPH?ref=stream">Pierre Hermé Paris</a>. Absolutely delicious! Now Lauren states that there are a few ways to make these yummy treats but the best way is the Italian way, which they do here. I chose the<span style="background-color: white;"> C<span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">rème</span></span><i style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> </i></span>Brûlée; C.J. chose the Infiniment Chocolat; and Erick chose one with a special liqueur.<br />
We walked through quite a lot of Paris, each way she told us a little more. We walked through the <a href="http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Monuments-Paris/Obelisque.shtml">Place de la Concorde</a> to see the Egyptian Obelisk that is topped with a gold-leafed pyramid cap.<br />
We also walked past the <a href="http://www.grandpalais.fr/fr/Accueil/p-93-Accueil.htm">Grand Palias </a>and <a href="http://www.petitpalais.paris.fr/en">Le Petit Palais</a>, two palace museums right next to each other. Continuing on, we passed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_Alexandre_III">Pont Alexandre III</a>, which leads directly to Napoleon's Tomb. There are huge bronze statues all along this bridge - truly amazing to see.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEIRfNzwTWHELNjgl6fVR-80ieDdLXmCtZ7fyMR6BE7l7ITs9mQvjWzLVmGfNaStvDMWT5esp7LD7WP595QWyb2dlaOfraVHUH8bHTq9JYCjd3lxBc_OmHpMlQKi3xJ05flbit562-Ik/s1600/IMG_3359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEIRfNzwTWHELNjgl6fVR-80ieDdLXmCtZ7fyMR6BE7l7ITs9mQvjWzLVmGfNaStvDMWT5esp7LD7WP595QWyb2dlaOfraVHUH8bHTq9JYCjd3lxBc_OmHpMlQKi3xJ05flbit562-Ik/s200/IMG_3359.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
We passed through this section for a quick rest as the rain and wind starting getting a little heavier. This monument stands in memorandum of Princess Diana. It is known as the Flame of Liberty and sits above the exit of the tunnel the Princess died in.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuOWLNVM8ohaKKZimtmGO-w33Szltj1mdQXkIO0RceYKlP8cxxr4hgoSt7s3DsKeObI4H7JulkwUgKv8ou83FctedSrs1WWVmulKrJMrtl_hwTQ7O2LgC-T69rFh3Bkfu2bJ_obNQu5c/s1600/IMG_2992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuOWLNVM8ohaKKZimtmGO-w33Szltj1mdQXkIO0RceYKlP8cxxr4hgoSt7s3DsKeObI4H7JulkwUgKv8ou83FctedSrs1WWVmulKrJMrtl_hwTQ7O2LgC-T69rFh3Bkfu2bJ_obNQu5c/s200/IMG_2992.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
Our final stop ended at the <a href="http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/">Eiffel Tower</a> itself. C.J. had just woken up from a nap so he looks a little funny. :) There are 3 floors to the tower and you can take the lift all the way to the top, on most days. Since this day was rainy and windy, we were only able to go to the second.<br />
There are 2 restaurants in here and about 300 stairs but these are mostly used for maintenance purposes. It is a wonder to view! And this was the most crowded area we had been too all day.<br />
We were up there for about 10 minutes admiring when it was time to go. After all, you do get a really great view of the entire city. But we were already all wet and the wind does not help being that high up. We enjoyed our tour but we had, had enough that day.<br />
Luckily for us, our hotel was only a couple of blocks away.<br />
We were able to catch a few glimpses of the guards walking around with their overly unnecessary equipment, (in my opinion.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIGFrYVnIKKmmGLyuidL6NxRvkW4dD6VJU-sv3pyg4-M4ERi_jG4DE0vHji539dZ7fLkGqXnfGMylW4B8oXz1NnXp_RttzpiWYAMkhwmuHE4ppHiv5fh7LZ5dYizle8BACOmJCUM1gKU/s1600/IMG_3009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIGFrYVnIKKmmGLyuidL6NxRvkW4dD6VJU-sv3pyg4-M4ERi_jG4DE0vHji539dZ7fLkGqXnfGMylW4B8oXz1NnXp_RttzpiWYAMkhwmuHE4ppHiv5fh7LZ5dYizle8BACOmJCUM1gKU/s200/IMG_3009.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
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Since we were all still pretty exhausted from that day we decided to stay close. Dinner was held at this lovely restaurant - Chez Ribe. Found just a block down from our hotel, this was my favorite place by far. The food was superb. I had the scallops, Erick had the duck and C.J. had a pasta. (He loves pasta and doesn't care where he's at, that's the first thing he'll order.) Everything was absolutely delicious! The food was cooked perfectly, with so much flavor. I was very impressed!<br />
For dessert I had an apple tart with vanilla ice cream - so good!<br />
I would gladly go back to Paris just for this restaurant.<br />
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Saturday was spent of course at <a href="http://www.louvre.fr/en">The Louvre</a> Museum. I had no idea the extensive size of this museum! And SO confusing! You are given a map when you purchase your tickets but there are so many sections closed for renovations that when you walk to an exit, it's closed off.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Venus de Milo</td></tr>
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Any who, so you enter through the pyramid at the center of the square and take an escalator down to the main floor. You purchase tickets, you can check your coats, and then you're off. There are 3 wings to the museum and one ticket allows entrance to all three. They are : the Richelieu, the Sully, and the Denon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winged Victory of Samothrace</td></tr>
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We chose to enter the Sully Wing first. I was on a mission to see the Mona Lisa. :)<br />
Now this museum is just as gorgeous as the Vatican but it was at least somewhat less overwhelming. There was still so much to see but not as excessive. We took tons of photos of everything we possibly could and all the paintings and statues we really admired. We got there at opening time so it wasn't extremely full but still had a good amount of tourists. Our first "big" attraction was La Venus de Milo. She stands in the center of the room surrounded by other Greek sculptures. The Goddess of all Goddesses, she is truly beautiful. As we walked through another hall we took some steps up to the Winged Victory of Samothrace said to be sculpted of another Goddess, Nike and also to honor sea battle as she stands on a "ship." This statue is also something else to see. It stands alone at the very top of the stairs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjof5agOyaxpX6lNUMp6YhGxFq46O2P4NgUDpqx4_MyAby5yDZbPexyePlQUZb6a1tm_vRcaza4JuEoIAoSpJJ6KLZSqs3eD9q4oUuYEU_BUDwRv6t-UGfOck_yk50MExBELfVINQu2i8/s1600/IMG_3101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjof5agOyaxpX6lNUMp6YhGxFq46O2P4NgUDpqx4_MyAby5yDZbPexyePlQUZb6a1tm_vRcaza4JuEoIAoSpJJ6KLZSqs3eD9q4oUuYEU_BUDwRv6t-UGfOck_yk50MExBELfVINQu2i8/s200/IMG_3101.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mona Lisa</td></tr>
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After getting a little lost, we made our way to the grand finale. As I stated on my Instagram, "The Saucy Minx, herself," The Mona Lisa. She is hung on a wall in the center of the large room. A few other paintings hang around the walls but not as many as the other corridors. She is behind plated glass, a wooden bar, and velvet rope. She was absolutely the most guarded of all in the Louvre. And one of the most popular as well. There were many people standing around the bar as I worked my way to the front. She is a sight!! I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that I would be standing about 10 feet away from da Vinci's masterpiece. She is beautiful!<br />
I had already been told to prepare for her size; (I had to look up her dimensions: 30in by 21in.) I guess with stuff we see in movies or on TV, we always imagined her to be huge - she's not.<br />
After spending a few minutes in there and over an hour and a half in the first Wing, we decided it was time for lunch. We walked to the cafeteria found in the Louvre called the <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Cafés de la Pyramide. It wasn't the best of food but we were hungry and needed a sugar rush. My favorite part of the meal was the chocolate tart I grabbed for dessert. :/</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVB9s0ts9WkvNsNe7JWyqz1dHHlD2kAhIPwhH7SHiaxvp9xNpqie3WVg7P_d_nXY5VdwVAmP_v7Ojw6VIZz4pdfxqnfb-ZQiRigi4T4S0V5J_0v5j2uYmm5Ey5SoJaqqkVzmzzfVs8hk/s1600/IMG_3182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVB9s0ts9WkvNsNe7JWyqz1dHHlD2kAhIPwhH7SHiaxvp9xNpqie3WVg7P_d_nXY5VdwVAmP_v7Ojw6VIZz4pdfxqnfb-ZQiRigi4T4S0V5J_0v5j2uYmm5Ey5SoJaqqkVzmzzfVs8hk/s200/IMG_3182.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egyptian Antiquités</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">After an hour of rest, food, and chugging a Coca Cola we headed off to the Denon Wing. </span></span><br />
We walked through most of Napoleon's section and worked our way to the Egyptian <span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Antiquités. They really do have an extensive collection of Egyptian history here. From small tiny artifacts to a large Sphinx. They had scrolls, tools, jewelry, even weapons. I really loved the pottery! So simple, and old but so beautifully decorated. This also took up a large section of the museum as I believe it stated, 9 rooms were dedicated to these artifacts. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iwzD273q5wXPVpY5UL-k_Eb_lVJ1lv1FP2UQANJczjpiBHRPtmGkTYKnhh8lXMz6EaBIh0FfEThbc-ZFIk_TIZFyj6lr3MdZrYs6oWnEvM2i0HZP4cri30Q1WJVEHlymzL-jkgfZbc4/s1600/IMG_3221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iwzD273q5wXPVpY5UL-k_Eb_lVJ1lv1FP2UQANJczjpiBHRPtmGkTYKnhh8lXMz6EaBIh0FfEThbc-ZFIk_TIZFyj6lr3MdZrYs6oWnEvM2i0HZP4cri30Q1WJVEHlymzL-jkgfZbc4/s200/IMG_3221.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Mary Magdalene</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We turned back around to finally head to the Sculptures section where all or at least most of them are from a Romanesque era. There were so many </span>sculptures<span style="font-family: inherit;"> representing Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. So many others about His </span></span>crucifixion. There were also soldiers. This section made me a little sad.<br />
I did get a great photo of the one sculpture in this section that I was very interested in viewing. The sculpture of St. Mary Magdalene. According to scripture, Jesus saved her of her sins and they became close friends. She was at His crucifixion, his burial, and also the very first person to see Jesus after His resurrection.<br />
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After our long, first half of the day, we exited the museum and then caught a cab to head over to the <a href="http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/-English-">Cathedral de Notre Dame</a>. Such a beautiful church!<br />
It's design is immaculate. The entrance is absolutely breathtaking. There are columns, and statutes of saints and the Virgin Mary, and the gargoyles - everything is gorgeous. The stained-glass found through the entire church is not like any I have ever seen before. This church was truly built for kings.<br />
Once again, as we had in Rome, we walked in to give a donation and lit a candle. Saying a prayer to give thanks for being able to walk into such a wonderful place of worship.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the center of the mall</td></tr>
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Later that day after some much needed rest, we decided to do some shopping. Only to step out into pouring rain...again. We caught a cab to the, <a href="http://www.paris.com/paris_landmarks/monuments/les_halles">Forum des Halles</a>, an underground shopping mall located in the central market. I was not impressed. There are about 5 underground levels to this mall but since it does intersect directly with the train station everything was dirty and dingy and yes, many sections - stinky. The only good thing I found in here was the Starbucks!<br />
We walked around for an hour when it was just time to leave. Definitely one place I would not recommend or would ever return to.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My little reminder <3<br />
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When that turned out to be a bust we headed to the <a href="http://www.galerieslafayette.com/">Galeries Lafayette</a>. Now this was certainly my kind of shopping mall! <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hermès</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, Prada, Jimmy Choo, they even had a Baby Dior section - OH MY Goodness!! Everything </span></span>about this establishment was impeccable. Except for the overuse of perfume spray, which my allergies were not to happy with, I enjoyed our walk around this mall. As much as I was tempted to just charge it, I decided against it. :) I love these stores but just the fact that everything is the same number just in euros, basically doubles the price. I'm not that frugal, but I refuse to pay double for something I can easily get on sale online or back in the States.<br />
I did get a really cute tee at one of the local stands before we returned to Italy.<br />
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Our final day we woke up early and headed towards the Napolean museum or <a href="http://www.napoleon.org/en/magazine/museums/files/Invalides_and_Military_Museum.asp">Les Invalides</a> and we were able to see his tomb. We didn't actually walk into the museum, more like through it. :) Towards the back where the tomb lay. We did get some nice pictures of the outside and great views. We could see the tower, the obelisk, and the bridge just by standing in the front. They have a really nice garden around the outside as well. The trees are shaped and trimmed nicely. They also have cannons all along the edge of the wall entrance.<br />
The tomb itself is actually a little overzealous. I think it's a bit of an over compensation. It is directly under the large golden dome. I looked up a little information about this and the tomb is made of red quartzite (my first initial thought was wood) and it sits on green granite.<br />
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The paintings inside the dome are gorgeous! They are all along the walls - beautifully painted. I especially liked the giant angel statues placed all around his sarcophagus.<br />
Some of Napoleon's family is also buried there. Along with some of the higher ranked military that served with him. There are also vaults with Generals and Marshals. And there are hearts buried there (the bodies are buried elsewhere) of some Major Generals and Lieutenants. These though are all found in the back not at the center where Napoleon lays. You have to walk through a couple of tiny hallways to see them.<br />
It wasn't something we were very excited about visiting but at least we can say we've seen it. :)<br />
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We had a great time in Paris! A wonderful reminder for our 5th Wedding Anniversary. I would gladly encourage anyone to take a trip here at least once in their life if it's possible.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Paris, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894665 2.0294984000000178 49.0237615 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-31086491847401848932012-12-22T11:53:00.003-05:002012-12-22T11:53:42.758-05:00C.J.'s "Uncle" Mike's Okay, so I've had a few people ask me about two certain young men in our lives that are constantly in my pictures. So I thought I'd take a little time and let you know a little about them. I am referring to C.J.'s, Uncle Mike's. Yes, there are two of them. :)<br />
We met both while living in Japan and they are the only two great things I got from being there. They both work for the same company Erick works for.<br />
What makes this relationship even better is that Mike and Mike have known each other for years now - they are really good friends.<br />
And now they have become so dear to us that we most definitely consider them family.<br />
And they are so good to C.J. - someone of course who is not related to them but they do so much for him and care for him as if he was blood.<br />
I am always touched by their generosity and love. But I constantly have to get after them. I think they spoil C.J. more than we do!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Uncle Mike in Ostuni, IT</td></tr>
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This Uncle Mike is Mike Nation from Alabama. Literally a kid at heart. He comes from a great extended family. We share so many things in common and are constantly making each other laugh. We have a lot of fun using <a href="http://www.instagram.com/">Instagram</a>, tagging each other in funny photos that remind us of one another.<br />
Mike and I can talk about absolutely EVERYTHING - religion, politics, people. Something I don't and can't do with a lot of people, really. He laughs at my sarcasm and how blunt I can be.<br />
He is determined and driven and has a "good head on his shoulders." He carries lots of ambition, that I definitely see huge successes in his future.<br />
We talk and say when C.J. is older he will spend summer's at Uncle Mike's house and give us a break.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Uncle Mike in Nagoya, </td></tr>
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This Uncle Mike is Mike Holtorf of Minnesota.<br />
And the second youngest {next to C.J. ;) } in our group. Born in '86, I am another "Mom" to him - not literally, mostly figuratively, we joke.<br />
We spend our days chatting and playing Words with Friends or Domino! (He'll cut me off from playing against him sometimes because he hates when I beat him.)<br />
Next to my best friend, he has turned into someone I am very close to and can rely on. We can talk about our lives and always have good advice for one another. I've truly come to trust him in all aspects.<br />
He is one of the nicest people I have met; a true sweetheart.<br />
He has the best time with C.J. playing cards or phone games.<br />
He has traveled everywhere and will soon be joining us here in Italy! I can't wait to see him!<br />
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These two men will definitely continue to always be a huge part in our lives. They've proven to be more reliable, giving, and helpful than a lot of people we've known our whole lives.<br />
And always in competition to see who will get C.J. the better gift. haha<br />
I love them like brothers.<br />
Another plus is how they will ask me to cook for them. If you really want a compliment to go to my head, ask me to cook or bake for you. I love doing it already as it is but it's an awesome feeling to have someone other than my husband and child ask for something specific.<br />
And to the single ladies - these handsome men are still up for grabs so if you are interested in these hard working guys, let me know. ;)<br />
I can always put in a good word.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com2San Vito dei Normanni Province of Brindisi, Italy40.658316 17.70646640.6462705 17.686725 40.6703615 17.726207tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-64522699556254733812012-12-19T04:46:00.000-05:002012-12-19T04:46:01.950-05:00Braylon is #11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My newest nephew was born on December 12, 2012. He was 9lbs. 8 oz. - Big Boy! He is the latest edition to the Picazo Family. My older brothers' mini-me! His daughter Allie will have 8 years over her little brother but I have no doubts they will be great to each other. My sister-in-law, Vickie could not be happier and my brother is ecstatic. I am so excited for them! Braylon James is now the 9th child to be born in my family.<br />
Congrats again big brother!!! Love you all and cannot wait to meet him!<br />
And I am now officially an Aunt to <b><span style="font-size: large;">11</span></b> lovies. <3<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com0Austin, TX, USA30.267153 -97.74306079999996729.828486 -98.388507799999971 30.70582 -97.097613799999962tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-44173418838719472012-12-08T15:23:00.001-05:002012-12-08T15:23:21.173-05:00Roma ♥What can I say besides - AMAZING!!<br />
So much to see, so much to do. Completely overwhelmed and on the verge of tears through every turn, I smiled from ear to ear just as soon as our plane touched down on the runway.<br />
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This has been a place I have wanted to visit my entire life - my dream come true. A place of true beauty and astonishment.<br />
We picked a decent weekend to visit, although there was still plenty of tourists it was easy to handle and nothing insane like the summer months in Rome.<br />
I have to say though, Rome is a very crowded city - I got a pretty decent experience from the bus ride to Metro station. The traffic was horrendous and there are buildings built entirely too close with too many people living in them.<br />
We didn't take cabs anywhere as Rome has a train system and it is fairly easy to use. They only downside I would say is that the entrances/exits are pretty far from most places we wanted to go to. Like to our hotel for instance, from the train exit, we had to walk about 10 blocks to get there.<br />
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Our flight was early on Friday morning - 8:30am and we were in the air for less than an hour. We arrived in Rome and we were also able to check in early into our suite at the hotel.<br />
We stayed at the <a href="http://www.atlantehotels.com/">Atlante Hotel</a> just a couple of blocks down from the Vatican.Their slogan is "The best place to see Rome."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Room Key</td></tr>
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We received great service and it was a quiet and cozy room. Truly European as you only had enough space to take 3 or 4 steps into the next room. But it had a comfortable bed and working plumbing which is all we cared about. We didn't spend much time in the suite anyway as we completely took advantage of our weekend stay in Rome.<br />
We could not stop laughing at our room key though. A tiny regular key ridiculously attached to an overly dramatic key chain.<br />
The staff was friendly and helpful - all-in-all made a great place to stay.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wall that surrounds the<br />
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After being situated, we heading straight to the Vatican to visit the museum. We picked the perfect day and time too. (On Sunday, as we headed to Mass we saw a line that wrapped around the entire Vatican wall for people trying to get into the Museum.) We had no line and very few tourists so we could spend our time leisurely.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many ceilings<br />
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Everything about this institution is completely astounding! We were fortunate enough to be able to take photos of so many exhibitions. I look at them almost everyday. There is so much detail and care into each and every painting, and tapestry, and sculpture - it amazes me. We followed each sign to make sure we didn't miss any of the many, many rooms in this museum all the way down until we reached the true marvel - The Sistine Chapel.<br />
There were signs everywhere as this is a holy place, so you are supposed to be respectful and quiet and NO PHOTOS. You also have to be dressed appropriately. Which means, no shorts and no tank tops.<br />
I can't even describe the feeling that came over me as I stepped in this room. It is a lot colder than the other rooms and does not get much light either. There are also a multiple number of guards standing throughout.<br />
But what can I say other than it is absolutely breathtaking! It truly is a gorgeous masterpiece.<br />
My neck got a little sore from having to look up and keep turning my head, but it was definitely worth it.<br />
We stood in there for a while before we started noticing more and more people coming in and getting louder. The guards were telling people to be quiet - it was getting a little annoying. You are there to admire not yammer on. Anyway, we were there for about 15 minutes before we finally exited. This is basically the last stop on the "tour" of the museum. We stopped at a gift shop before leaving and I purchased some more postcards and a magnet (we collect magnets from every place we visit). I got a postcard that actually has the Sistine Chapel on it - the only "photo" to have as my little reminder.<br />
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Dinner was held that night at <a href="http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/cafe.aspx?LocationID=50&MIBEnumID=3">The Hard Rock Cafe</a>, a place I have not visited since my stay in Vegas with my sister earlier this year. It was bad in Vegas but it was delicious in Rome. :) We ordered the nachos and a burger and shared them between the 3 of us and C.J. also ordered some Mac & Cheese (his favorite). I completely adore this atmosphere; reminds me of my early days at Applebee's in Brownsville. The music is awesome, the staff is super friendly and chatty and everyone speaks more than one language. We had a fun night.<br />
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We woke up early on Saturday morning and had breakfast on the top floor of the hotel called Les Etoiles. For those who speak some French this is translated to: The Stars. :) Too cute! They also have an amazing roof top garden where they claim you sit, "On the top of the world." It has a great view of the Vatican!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbMzNZ1gMfEcdu8sZr7TeqEMcKUYjJjdJ4o-K801acssbG4ruInkB6reT-OQM_7C8EkQQIkiDdzvgUm9ug7qGGwt-5I3t6g3NeUXim6_qNbk-3q-XVJScB8sX9-kegIltbK5bAC056IY/s1600/IMG_2523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbMzNZ1gMfEcdu8sZr7TeqEMcKUYjJjdJ4o-K801acssbG4ruInkB6reT-OQM_7C8EkQQIkiDdzvgUm9ug7qGGwt-5I3t6g3NeUXim6_qNbk-3q-XVJScB8sX9-kegIltbK5bAC056IY/s320/IMG_2523.JPG" width="320" /></a>They had a yummy buffet of coffee, juices, milk, water, fresh fruit, pastries, breads, meats and cheeses. They even included cereals and jams for toast. Just a little bit of everything for everyone. After that, we finished getting ready to head to the Colosseum. This was one of the short trips - just 2 stops away on the train. And the exit, literally right across the street. This is where I took the first photo from. This monument is magnificent! The size of it is just massive! We met a tour guide before the entrance and purchased tickets for an actual tour this time. (At the museum we just went on our own.) And boy am I glad that we did! The line to enter - goodness!!! P.S. The tours can be a little pricey but I would much rather pay for them and get inside than stand for hours in a line.<br />
Our tour guide was an older woman who was completely enamored by C.J. She basically carried him everywhere and of course, he loved it.<br />
There is so much history to this place and so much to learn about it; it was an hour long tour but they try and fit so much into it. I really want to get a book about the Colosseum just so I can read up on it more.<br />
She gave us so much information - how the construction started about AD 70 and how it was covered completely in white marble, it once sat up to 50,000 people - so it is assumed; there really is no way to count or know, how it also stood as a church (there is a cross in the center that has stayed up to represent this time). She told us about the Gladiators and slaves and how the underground was where they lived and slept basically. There is very few spots where you can still find the white marble which is now found over at the Vatican. Apparently over the years, the marble was torn down from the Colosseum to be placed on the floors and walls when the Vatican was being built.<br />
We walked around and took many photos and our tour went by very quickly. We didn't make it to the bottom as that is part of another tour but I'm told you get an eerie sense while down there. I can imagine as the many countless that have perished there. Next visit though...<br />
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We had about a half an hour break before our next tour of the <a href="http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/palatinehill.htm">Palatine Hill</a>, basically just ruins of what was once a Roman Palace. This is supposed to be one of the most ancient parts of Rome. It was a place where many emperors lived. Our tour guide was a younger man who was a student at the local university. He had been studying all about this for years. He did a great job and was also very informative.<br />
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We headed to the Fontani di Trevi it was a good 15 minute walk from where we were but easy to get to. Tourists had already begun to settle here as we arrived. There were quite a few people standing around but we were still able to make our way to the front and do the traditional coin toss. The saying is that if you ever visit the fountain, you are supposed to stand in front with your back to it and toss a few coins into the fountain to ensure you will come back and visit. Something cute and sweet so with each having a few Euro cents in hand we tossed in our wish to return. :) We took plenty of photos and just sat and admired this beautiful landmark. The water is gorgeous and "pure" and is said to be brought in through special aqueducts.<br />
We walked into a Chiesa right next to the fountain. We gave a donation and lit a candle to say a prayer. Just being thankful to be in such an amazing city and place.<br />
We walked around for a good bit after, even getting a little lost along the way. Thank goodness for Iphone Maps, no? :)<br />
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Later that evening, after a nice nap, we headed to the <a href="http://www.rome.info/vatican/castel-sant-angelo/">Castel Sant'Angelo</a> that was also just down the way from our hotel. This castle is built next to the Tiber river. The castle was closed for the night but we were able to cross around 3 bridges nearby. The main bridge to gain access to it, is known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Sant'Angelo">Ponte Sant'Angleo</a>, and it has so many gorgeous statues of angels along the way. (It's name is derived of angels.)<br />
My favorite statue on the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II is on the right. There is an angel standing over a group but there is a man and a woman holding a baby. I thought it was lovely.<br />
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We decided on a local restaurant for dinner that night, <a href="http://www.pastarella.it/">Pastarella</a>. Nothing fancy just traditional Italian food - pizza and pasta. Their Sangria was absolutely delicious!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Papa</td></tr>
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Our last day was saved again for the Vatican, only this time we headed to St. Peter's Basilica. From the moment we began planning the trip I made it abundantly clear to Erick that I wanted to attend Mass at the Basilica.<br />
We originally were under the impression that there were 3 Masses - one at 7am, at 9am, and at 11am. We were heading to the last Mass. We arrived about 10:30am only to find an incredibly long line because little did we know, it was a special Mass with The Pope! We had entered through a side entrance so we spoke with one of the guards and he explained what was happening. We told him we came to participate in Mass and he let us through without having to wait in the line.<br />
I'm not sure what time exactly this Mass had started but it still went on for about another hour and a half more after we got there. We ended up sitting pretty far back but I did not care - I was just so happy to be there! It fills me with such emotion - only a true Catholic can really understand my feeling of joy about being able to participate in something this memorable. And to be able to actually see The Pope....<br />
Mass was held in about 5 languages, if I remember correctly; we had our Mass scheduled reading to follow along. Communion was a little crazy though. When that time came the priests made their way down the center aisle and visitors just pushed to the front to receive Holy Communion. I waited until every one in our row sat down and made my way forward I was still able to receive it.<br />
My favorite part, besides getting to see The Pope of course, was the choir. They are magnificent!!! Literally, angels singing on earth! I have never heard a choir sing as they did. It was peaceful and beautiful and uplifting all at the same time. I want to go back just to listen to them!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">(We returned later that evening to get some more photos of the alter and the rest of the church.)<br /></span></td></tr>
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After Mass finally ended and they guards pushed everyone out, we walked out into a sea of people. There had to have been at least 1000 people standing outside waiting. The Pope then made a special appearance through his window.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLofUfKGYgSUxZQCXz-n_WFa0eRGc9fby4QDSpkJ9n9f2fnm4lNDdDc-mPDBGtHZ16_2oiT_0B5YblQP6iOg-gX7zxvCHqZ0vRIKxF9ydmtl-3lthcaRiP2sz2ixQnNFYvP_wj3EJeQ4/s1600/IMG_2742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLofUfKGYgSUxZQCXz-n_WFa0eRGc9fby4QDSpkJ9n9f2fnm4lNDdDc-mPDBGtHZ16_2oiT_0B5YblQP6iOg-gX7zxvCHqZ0vRIKxF9ydmtl-3lthcaRiP2sz2ixQnNFYvP_wj3EJeQ4/s320/IMG_2742.JPG" width="240" /></a>After we made our way through everyone we headed to a different section of town to look at another fountain and another church at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_Navona">Piazza Navona</a>. This is basically a city square with 3 fountains and an Egyptian pillar in the center. The fountain that surrounds the pillar is known as the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of Four Rivers). This is supposed to represent the four rivers and the four continents where papal authority began. There was a small carnival set up with lots of fun games for the kids and tons of yummy snacks. C.J. asked for a cotton candy. He was so happy that they made it right in front of him. He was such a good kid all weekend. He walked the entire time and was so well behaved in Mass. He deserved a special treat. And this carnival was just what he needed.<br />
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We stopped at a little cupcake shop - <a href="http://www.madebakery.com/">Made Creative Bakery</a> on the way back to our hotel room. Super cute and so extremely delicious!<br />
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This trip was probably one of the best I have ever been on. I LOVED everything about Rome and hope for the day to return. Honestly, I wish I could live there! It truly was the experience of a lifetime. I am so grateful to have gotten this opportunity and lucky enough to have spent it with my boys.<br />
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Now like any strange city, you should always be careful of your surroundings. We were warned by a few of our friends to just be extra careful. Rome can be a dangerous place to outsiders. There are a lot of pick-pockets and people willing to steal right in front of your face. Nothing out of the ordinary for us after visiting places in Mexico. So it was fairly comfortable for us to turn people away. We had a very enjoyable experience - I am so thankful for that. But we've heard stories from other people we know who visited Rome at some point.<br />
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So for future visitors - don't talk to strangers, don't walk around dark streets, do not wear a lot of jewelry, beware of crowds (that's where most pick-pocketing happens), if someone comes up to you to show you something - a card/rope trick, or if they want to sell you something, politely say, "No, Grazie" and keep walking.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com4Rome, Italy41.9015141 12.460773741.7124251 12.144916700000001 42.0906031 12.7766307tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779822358257148704.post-79243714329047748872012-11-27T10:45:00.000-05:002012-11-27T10:46:26.783-05:00Buon giorno!!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I know I've slacked off a little since we got here, my days seem to end so much faster than before and I don't feel like I'm doing anything much different. Anyway, so we've been here over a month, going on two basically and we've done and seen so much and yet it still feels like I haven't seen everything!There really is a tremendous amount to do here; there is so much to see.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />We got to San Vito
on October 14 at about 2am. After over 24 hours of traveling we were
extremely exhausted! It was a very, very long trip.<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our apartment is located basically out in the country. It is quiet
and trees surround us everywhere. One thing I love to watch at least once a
week or every couple of weeks is the sheep and goat herders that walk through
the city; Makes me smile every time.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We live on the 1<sup>st</sup> floor and have a 3 bedroom, fully furnished
apartment. Everything included is fairly modern and up-to-date. I LOVE my kitchen
– lots of space to cook. And I have a gas stove!!<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another thing I am absolutely enjoying is the housekeeper. Her
name is Ana and she comes once a week, on Wednesdays to clean the apartment.
She dusts and wipes counters, sweeps and mops the floors, cleans the bathrooms
from top to bottom, and changes our sheets. It is awesome to get a break from
having to do this all the time. She is amazing!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />The only downside I would have to say is the laundry room. It is
located downstairs and outside kind of in a basement area. It’s not ideal
when it is raining. But I am just thankful we actually have a washer and dryer so I do what I have to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have a local grocery store just right across the street that is
super convenient for milk and bread and any little things I may need.<br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5WC0XhP5lO0W5TntqvCMxRkjbbJge5QnKmnSC1nXw-3xjOftCJKl1UNhtjpytG0im4lIl3QLWc-L8gkSY3spazRrZZkeuM2h0IYMQHMvTuBH_yMAse3UmbLPt_aJUraTQeI9-5K7FRs/s1600/IMG_1912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5WC0XhP5lO0W5TntqvCMxRkjbbJge5QnKmnSC1nXw-3xjOftCJKl1UNhtjpytG0im4lIl3QLWc-L8gkSY3spazRrZZkeuM2h0IYMQHMvTuBH_yMAse3UmbLPt_aJUraTQeI9-5K7FRs/s200/IMG_1912.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Our main road</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our town is just a 10 minute walk down the road. And I walk to it
almost on a daily basis. I joined a gym there and I walk to it to warm up and
then jump on the treadmill when I get there. I run about 5 or 6 km (for now, working on increasing my stride), depending
on the time and then walk back to the apartment as my cool down. So far, I am
really enjoying our living arrangements.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of our favorite restaurants is in town called El Vulcano. We
like to go here at least once a week.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It takes about 25 minutes or so, to get to the bigger city of
Brindisi. We drive here a couple times a week to head to the mall, the larger
grocery store or just for dinner. There is a Chinese Restaurant we love to go
to and a Seafood Restaurant found by the water.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We have a few other towns near us including Mesagne and
Carovigno. We have a nice restaurant in Mesagne we like to go to and our dry
cleaner is found in Carovigno.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Dinner with Mino</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The food here has been delicious, of course and the wine –
WOW! There is always so much to choose from. I never thought I would ever eat
this much pizza or pasta in my life! Italians have BIG appetites! And also, eat
very late (most restaurants do not open until 8pm and even then are barely
setting up.) So if you come here, be prepared for the late hours and heavy
meals. :)<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One type of pizza I've really enjoyed is something I had
never tried before – pizza with tuna. It is absolutely delicious and I can even
find these frozen at the grocers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
One of our first weekend trips was spent in the town of Gallipoli - about a half an hour drive from San Vito. Our friend Mike tagged along for the trip and we all had a great time. This is one of the many towns found right on the water. We were able to walk around the beach of this beautiful city and even had lunch at a restaurant surrounded by sea. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We later stopped at a Cafe for some coffee and wine, where we sat along the edge of the cliff - literally. The water was beautiful and the day was amazing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This would definitely be a place to return. </span><br />
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uEZBLXYeBXC4FA7Qjb0591yYe4YSqr9rV7m0VkuewA1TS37cHVKMcJsn3A_WnJWw_l6rsgZ6ey4ye4dYOZnEHTaQt61Cl3aMVPZpZ_LS23bQxnVKMZ-cw-U9iJaRAe7C_1eeIutwl1o/s1600/IMG_2083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uEZBLXYeBXC4FA7Qjb0591yYe4YSqr9rV7m0VkuewA1TS37cHVKMcJsn3A_WnJWw_l6rsgZ6ey4ye4dYOZnEHTaQt61Cl3aMVPZpZ_LS23bQxnVKMZ-cw-U9iJaRAe7C_1eeIutwl1o/s200/IMG_2083.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A few weekends later we headed to Ostuni, here known as La Citá Bianca. This City in White is located at the top of a hill basically and is only a 20 minute drive from where we live. It was amazing to see from a distance - all you see is the white! We were able to walk around the town for a little bit, grab some lunch, and then head back. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK8jQL-r6_-BL8cNR68Mz9PjO-cYPdcSCnahflIEkh_pRJm2inaGR7KYzmVAQ68Llvad9Et3b7Ov2mGlsU_VRfPaZcWydsDvBGucj6JWZk-qGI8-1VfJWkM7TANKsTYaHR09g2BExHCk/s1600/IMG_2220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK8jQL-r6_-BL8cNR68Mz9PjO-cYPdcSCnahflIEkh_pRJm2inaGR7KYzmVAQ68Llvad9Et3b7Ov2mGlsU_VRfPaZcWydsDvBGucj6JWZk-qGI8-1VfJWkM7TANKsTYaHR09g2BExHCk/s200/IMG_2220.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We've also recently traveled to Otranto - another city found on the water. This part of Italy was just gorgeous. The water was crystal clear and just so nice to look at. We were able to walk and view the Castle here - Castello Aragonese. We also walked around the small city streets of vendors. They set up a market behind the church were you can get all kinds of really nice souvenirs. There was even a tiny carnival set up and C.J. got excited to ride a couple of them. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4iKwvmOOXyRVkagX-BdGePK27qDepI8eejgNZ6s3f_3iBA-Oo0YXH9YmppXFlEe2MH-4K7K6U5Roz5atp5zeMxpublGtvU5HGlGslyYZIwjUM8fyKTKukbfpM5m2HhOnjZ19eUnic70/s1600/IMG_2075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4iKwvmOOXyRVkagX-BdGePK27qDepI8eejgNZ6s3f_3iBA-Oo0YXH9YmppXFlEe2MH-4K7K6U5Roz5atp5zeMxpublGtvU5HGlGslyYZIwjUM8fyKTKukbfpM5m2HhOnjZ19eUnic70/s200/IMG_2075.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Happy Birthday to Me!</span></td></tr>
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Celebrating my 31st Birthday here was really a special treat as well. I was able to get together with my old friends: Mino, Stefano, and Matteo and some of my new ones as well: Luca, Antonella, Andrea, and Viviana. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I met Mino, Stefano, and Matteo in Charleston, 4 years ago. They were working with Erick then. It's been a blessing being able to see them again after so long. They are a great group of guys. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Luca is an Engineer who also works with Erick AND he is our landlord :) He is married to Antonella and they have a baby boy, Andrea. We've been very lucky to have this sweet little family here with us. Luca and Antonella are super helpful with everything and anything. I'm glad I've had the opportunity to know them. </span><br />
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYFSkg5bw_QwK6nj8YQn23RBae7P-pI6449LFslTgB1nUy7OQMkI0dmYNOsO9lU8LhEvuIslBuxB-IeFXPL-ND2HD3jp_NxQ6IBDVWX6XnE5iC__MvZ6rNRqqeMz539QB2TCxs2LAQA8/s1600/IMG_1967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYFSkg5bw_QwK6nj8YQn23RBae7P-pI6449LFslTgB1nUy7OQMkI0dmYNOsO9lU8LhEvuIslBuxB-IeFXPL-ND2HD3jp_NxQ6IBDVWX6XnE5iC__MvZ6rNRqqeMz539QB2TCxs2LAQA8/s200/IMG_1967.JPG" width="150" /></span></a><br />
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Halloween is not really celebrated here, so C.J. did not dress up. But I still did want to make the day fun for him so we watched Scary movies and cartoons all day; I made him little ghoulish treats and snacks and we decorated the apartment with some fun hand made decorations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thanksgiving was also wonderful! We had a family style dinner and we all got together with our dishes at Luca's grandparents' home. Luca and his older brother, Marco deep fried a 26lb turkey! It was awesome! There was about 16 of us all together at dinner - We had an amazing meal and fun conversation with their coworkers and their families. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I did a ton of cooking this year!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I made 2 pumpkin pies completely from scratch! Luca helped me by buying the pumpkin for me at a local market. I carved, baked, scooped and pureed. The pie was delicious. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also made a green bean casserole, my mother-in-law, Irma's special stuffing, and a gravy - ALL FROM SCRATCH. It was hard work but so worth it! </span><br />
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All in all, I would have to say that living in Italy has been good for me. I am really enjoying myself, I'm thankful to spend it and be here with my family. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16176292748847100929noreply@blogger.com2San Vito dei Normanni, Province of Brindisi, Italy40.6501563 17.704408540.5537803 17.54648 40.7465323 17.862337