I Heart NY

I really do. I HEART New York! I have never been to New York and Matt has wanted to take me for years, so we finally decided to do it. Jess and Ben came along for 6 of the best days of my entire life! The feeling in the City is unmatchable to anywhere else. I swear that if I didn't have kids, I would have already moved to NY :). I seriously loved it!

We were able to do so much each day especially because our kiddos stayed home with Marlene, Julie and my dad (thanks, we love you!) It is amazing what you can accomplish when you don't have to feed, dress, change, feed, clean up, change, put to nap, carpool, feed, carpool, feed, church calling, feed, bath, homework, put to bed, clean up, etc, etc all day long :).

We stayed in Times Square which was perfect for a "first trip" to NY. Next time, we will stay where it is a little quieter.We ate delicious food, saw amazing sights and shows and enjoyed the city so much. Upon returning from our trip, everyone has asked, "What was your favorite thing you did?" I, actually, have 4 favorites (in order):

Number #1

"Rock of Ages" starring Constantine

The best Broadway show out there! We were skeptical, at best, going into the show, but thought, "what do we have to lose?" We had watched the season of American Idol where Constantine competed (when Carrie Underwood won) and knew who he was. I, actually, didn't like him at all that season but did like that I was familiar with him for this show.

We were able to score awesome seats (7th row) and were excited about that. Little did I know that I knew EVERY song in this show--almost word for word! It was like a trip back to fourth and fifth grade--think of songs like "Oh Sherrie", "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Hold On", "We Built This City." I could seriously go on and on!

Not only was the music great, Constantine was INCREDIBLE!! I felt like he was acting to me--just he and I in the theater :)! Seriously amazing! Seriously talented! I had a smile painted on my face the entire show.

Following the show, we ran back to our hotel for a minute and then decided to get a late night snack. I suggested we go back by where the show was to pick up a CD of the soundtrack or a shirt or something and to my celebrity-obsessed heart's surprise...Constantine was outside the theater signing autographs! My heart is beating fast just thinking of it! I was star struck!

It's crazy because I don't even think he is good looking, but he did such a great job in the show that he had suddenly become the most amazing celebrity there was! I am truly a fan now. He took a picture with us and I will treasure it always :).

Number #2

Running Through Central Park

The most amazing, perfect park on the planet is Central Park. If I had that park in AZ, I would run 20 miles a day. Surrounded by many other runners, shaded tree's, 500 choices of trails, and perfect sea-level breathing air. A runners paradise--I was in Heaven!

Later, we also took a bike tour of the park
and it REALLY made me miss my kids.
They would have loved Central Park. I wished I could have had them there with us for a few hours and then sent them back home...they'll get to see it someday though.

Number #3

US Open

Matt really wanted to go to the US Open, I was on the fence, but am soooooo thankful he insisted on going! What an amazing experience. The feeling of excitement and anticipation was contagious as we entered the doors. We scalped some tickets off a super shady gangster looking guy, but got in no problem. We got center court and were able to see 2 full matches and half of another. We saw Cibulcova win Kunetsova and Djokovic dominate Fish (Djokovic went on to win the entire Open for Men's Singles!) Awesome!

Number #4

Ground Zero

They are in the process of rebuilding the Twin Towers. One building will be an Education Center, while the other will stand 1776 ft tall thus making it the tallest building in the world and representing the year America became a Nation.

They have leased out a space near the building site where they have objects on display that made it through the tragedy (fireman helmet, a statue of liberty statue, shoes.) Also displayed in this museum is a history of the events according to time that happened on 9/11. I get chills just thinking about it. Reading the details of the events that took place, being where it happened was so emotional and amazing at the same time. It will be something I'll never forget.

They have turned the foundations of the original Twin Towers into large pools that spill over the edge like a fountain. There will be tiles that line the inside of the pools that will display each person's name who lost their life on 9/11. It will be a beautiful sight when it is all done.

So, aside from those 4 events, we saw my Aunt Char and Uncle Sam (sooooo fun to catch up!)
shopped (SAKS Fifth Avenue!),Rockefeller Center, took the city tour, saw "Chicago", rode the Subway, went to a "Yankee's" Game,visited Grand Central Station (it's grand and it's central...hee, hee), Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Empire State Building, and ate and ate and ate! "John's Pizzeria", "Magnolia Bakery" and "Serendipity" top my list.

New York is amazing, incredible, wonderful and every other great word there is!! I CANNOT wait to go back!