NYC 2013

Before I begin this post I would just like to say congrats to my (future) Brother-In-Law, Frankie who is graduating from Basic Training today in SC.  I am sad that we can't be there with the family but we are so proud of his accomplishments and everything that he is doing for his family.

Kayla (step-niece), Frank, Maria (SIL) and Alaya (Niece)

I will start this post by saying that though I had a good time, this day really tested my patience and made me believe that there is definitely something to be said for solo traveling. 

This trip was my third time to NYC but it was Josh and Amy's (my sister) first time.  We were dropped off right by Penn Station and made our way down to the Flat Iron Building.  It is one of those buildings that I just wanted to see just because.  We stopped by, took pictures then made our way towards the Empire State. 

The Flat Iron Building

*Frustration #1*  I had been wanting to go up to the 80th floor of the Empire State for a while now but my sister refused to stand in the "long" line.   I was a little annoyed but figured that I'd just do it next time and we could do Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center later in the evening. 

Then we headed over to the area of Grand Central Station.  We passed by and headed down to see the Chrysler Building and the UN Building before making our way back up to have lunch at Grand Central. 

We got lunch at Grand Central and looked around for a bit. 

Hummingbird Cupcake

After lunch we began to make our way towards central park.  On our way, we passed the Nike store which Josh wanted to spend some time in. After checking out the Nike store we continued to Central Park. Although we didn't spend as much time in central park as I had originally wanted to, I was still glad to be able to see areas that I had not seen before.

Bethesda Fountain

The Boathouse

The Alice in Wonderland Statue

After Central Park we headed to Rockefeller Center, which we ended up skipping all together after me and my sister had a little "squabble".  This was perhaps the most frustrating part of my day, but we left the area and headed to Time Square for the rest of the day.  We rode the Toys R Us Ferris wheel, went to the Disney store, shopped at Forever 21 and ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (which I do not recommend).

Our "cart" on the Ferris Wheel

This little day trip turned out to be okay and I did end up having a good time.  Next time, Josh and I are planning to go see the 9/11 Memorial as well as the Statue of Liberty.

Bucket List: Alice in Wonderland Statue

First, I am guest posting here today about my travels in Costa Rica!

Anyone who knows me knows that Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite books.  I like the Disney movie as well but the book is better, obviously.  Anyways, I have been to NYC several times but have never really gotten the chance to explore Central Park.  Once I found out that there was an Alice in Wonderland Statue in Central Park, I was all over it!  I researched where it was got directions and put it on our list of must see things for the day. 

We went to NYC this past week and although we didn't spend as much time at the statue (or in Central Park) as I would have liked, I am still glad I got to see it and am glad that I now know a quicker way to get to it for my next visit. 

Me and the Statue

For those who don't know much about the statue: 

This statue was donated to Central Park in 1959 by a publisher and philanthropist named George Delacorte.  The statue was both a gift to the children of NYC and a tribute to his late wife.  The sculptors name is Jose de Creeft who was a Spanish-born and french-trained sculptor.  Also, the face of the Mad Hatter is actually a caricature of George Delacorte.  For those who would like to check out this statue, it is located on East 74th Street, North of the Conservatory Water.

May Challenge: School Can't Teach This

Things You've Learned That School Wont Teach You

1. Nobody will care who you were in High School: So many kids concentrated more on the clothes they wore, the people they hung out with and the boys/girls they dated.  Fact is, no one else actually cared and it really makes no difference in the grand scheme of life.  I am glad this was a lesson I learned before high school because my main focus was school and I had amazing friends that I am still friends with 6 years after graduation.

2. Nothing Can Prepare You For the Death of a Friend or Family Member: Especially a young one.  I lost my cousin who was 19 to a single car accident and my friend Brent at the same age (different years) to a motorcycle accident.  Nothing could have prepared me for either. 

The rest of my lessons are best said by quotes:

May Challenege - Favorite Blogs

Five of your favorite blogs and why you love them.

In no particular order:

1. We Took The Road Less Traveled: Casey's blog was one of the first I found when I started this blog and started reading blogs.  I love reading about her adventures living in Germany as an Air Force wife.  I love the way she writes and I usually end up laughing at some point during almost all of her post.  She always has some new adventure to share and a positive outlook on life.  Casey's blog is definitely one of my all time favorites.

2. True Colours: I recently stumbled upon Casey's inspiring blog.  Casey was born overseas in Saudi Arabia to expat parents and currently resides in Portland but is always exploring somewhere new.  She is completely in love with Paris and it shows in her writing.  She is honest about her travel experiences, both good and bad and is a very genuine person and writer.  I never get tired of hearing about her stories from overseas. She also shares my view that traveling and experiencing other cultures is the only way we will ever truly understand each other.

3. In the Pink and Green: I just love everything about Jane's blog, which I started reading right around the time she moved to Tahoe.  She lives a healthy lifestyle and is definitely up to speed on the Paleo Diet.  She also does quite a bit of exploring in her own town as well as overseas.  Her and her husband do a lot of outdoorsy things such as camping, hiking and paddle boarding! I love that every time I read her blog I never know what I am going to get because she is such a diverse writer.

4. This Battered Suitcase: When I found Brenna's blog a few short weeks ago, I was in absolute awe and I am pretty sure I spent hours reading through her posts (does that make me weird?).  Originally from Canada, she has traveled to 80(ish) countries and is such an inspiring person.  She strives to understand different cultures and fully immerses herself in her experiences and is a very honest blogger.  She is about to relocate to London to get her Masters degree and I am super excited to read about her European travels.  I can't even express how happy I am that I found her blog a few short weeks ago, what an inspiration for a travel lover such as myself.

5. Life's A Beach: Nicole's blog is another one of the first blogs I found.  I love her blog because she is a country girl like me and is content with her life.  She is a farm girl who loves her horses, pets and family and also trying new recipes.  Her's is another blog which is very diverse in topics from farming and horses to scuba diving.  I am also biased towards her blog because she was one of the first to read my blog.

Honorable Mentions:

Never Ending Footsteps:  Holy Hilarious!  Just go read, I can't even explain. You'll thank me later.
Luxe Land Yacht
Have Chashley, Will Travel
Explore.Dream.Discover
Peace Love Wander

A reason I love all of these blogs ... For one reason or another, I could see myself being Real Life Friends with each and every one of them.  They are all the type of people that I try to surround myself with on a daily basis: Genuine, fun and adventurous.

I hope y'all enjoy their blogs as much as I do!

May Challenge: Childhood Memories

Tell a story from your childhood.  Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt. 

OK, so for this day I am going to tell a funny story.  First because that is the kind of mood I am in and second because it is one of only a few vivid memories that I have. 

Meet my best friend, Alex:

We have been best friends since we were about this big:

Actually we were younger when we met but this was the only one I had on my computer

One day sometime in late elementary school/early middle school, Alex and I went to spend the night at her Mom-mom's house which is about 20 minutes away from where we were living.   At the time we were real big into rollerblading and riding our bikes.  We took our roller-blades to  Mom-mom's because we obviously couldn't fit our bikes into her Mom's car. 

So, there is a cul-de-sac which is right off of Mom-mom's street which look like a great place to go rollerblading.  It was a hill and since we were professional rollerbladers, we could handle said hill.   

Also, we were big kids who didn't need to wear pads anymore, so once we got out of Mom-moms sight, those puppies came off and went in the grass.

Then we braved the hill.  Bad Idea.  As soon as we started moving, we gave each other the "oh shit" look as we started flying out of control.  Alex fell on the street and I decided that I was going to jump off into the grass, which SHOULD hurt less ... emphasis on should.   I ended up busting my knee wide open and scratching up my elbows.  Alex scraped up her hand but  my injuries were bad.

I still have the scar from that day and that is the day that I learned that maybe the grown ups do know a thing or two.   Needless to say, after getting us cleaned up and bandaged, Mom-mom was not happy.  Neither were our parents.

But we lived to do more stupid things such as jumping off bridges (which was actually fun)

Book Club Friday: One Shot

One Shot

By: Lee Child

Pages: 496

Read: 1/23/12

"Six shots. Five dead. One heartland city thrown into a state of terror. But within hours the cops have it solved: a slam-dunk case. Except for one thing. The accused man says: You got the wrong guy. Then he says: Get Reacher for me. And sure enough, from the world he lives in--no phone, no address, no commitments-ex-military investigator Jack Reacher is coming. In Lee Child's astonishing new thriller, Reacher's arrival will change everything--about a case that isn't what it seems, about lives tangled in baffling ways, about a killer who missed one shot-and by doing so give Jack Reacher one shot at the truth....
The gunman worked from a parking structure just thirty yards away-point-blank range for a trained military sniper like James Barr. His victims were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But why does Barr want Reacher at his side? There are good reasons why Reacher is the last person Barr would want to see. But when Reacher hears Barr's own words, he understands. And a slam-dunk case explodes. Soon Reacher is teamed with a young defense lawyer who is working against her D.A. father and dueling with a prosecution team that has an explosive secret of its own. Like most things Reacher has known in life, this case is a complex battlefield. But, as always, in battle, Reacher is at his best.
Moving in the shadows, picking his spots, Reacher gets closer and closer to the unseen enemy who is pulling the strings. And for Reacher, the only way to take him down is to know his ruthlessness and respect his cunning-and then match him shot for shot..." 
{GoodReads}

I figured that with the new Jack Reacher movie out, I should probably do a review on it.   There are many Jack Reacher books and I think this is the ninth. I also read The Enemy which is the 8th. The book was not bad.  Like the movie, it drug on a little too much; at points I was just like come on just tell me who did it!  However, the story was good and he was good at keeping the reader guessing.  I never suspected it to end the way it did.  Also, I love Reacher, I think he is one of my favorite book characters. Also, this is the first book where Reacher is no longer an MP so it is a little different from the others (you'd have to read the Enemy to understand that).


I gave this a 2/5 because I was annoyed when I finished but now I think I'd give it a 3/5 on my GoodReads.

Places I've Never Been

Brenna from This Battered Suitcase wrote a post a few weeks ago which I though was interesting.  She has been to almost 80 countries and still loves to travel!  She did a list of the top 5 places she wants to travel and why, I thought this was a great Idea, so I am going to do the same!

1.  Slovenia

Ever since I read this post I have been dreaming of this country.  Lake Bled and the castle look incredible and hot air ballooning over Lake Bled is definitely on my must-do list!  Also, Ljublijana looks like a very interesting city to visit. I have a ridiculous fascination with castles and both of these cities have beautiful castes to visit.  I also love that it isn't super high on many peoples travel list. I have heard that it is not very touristy, which I absolutely love!

2. Cambodia

All I have to say is Angkor Wat ... The Anthropologist in me neeeeds to see this! 

3. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

This should actually be number one.  I have been dreaming of this place ever since I was in middle school.  I love marine animals and considered studying marine biology.  I mean, how could you not want to see all of the different wildlife that lives there?? I would be in heaven! I totally want to scuba dive here and see all of the marine life! I say with absolute certainty that if someone told me I could travel to one more place and then I was never allowed to travel again, I would pick the Galapagos.

4. Zimbabwe/Botswana

As I mentioned before, I am a huge fan of wildlife.  I would love to do a safari through Zimbabwe and Botswana.  Elephants in Chobe National Park and Big Cats in Hwange National park, yes please!! Then, of course there is Victoria Falls.  For someone who loves wildlife as much as me, this is a must!  Also, I have never been to Africa and would really like to go and experience that culture.

5. London, England

Really, England in general but definitely London.  I want to visit London mostly because it is one of those places that I could actually picture myself living.  I want to go to London so that I can either realize its not for me and stop wasting time dreaming of moving there or so that I can figure out some way to live there.  Also, all of the castles in and surrounding London make it even more desirable for me!

Those are my top 5 (...for now).  Honorable Mentions: Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Kenya, Brazil, Peru, Greece and New Zealand ... and all of the other hundreds of countries in the world ... that would be great (waiting on the winning lotto ticket)!!