Skirting Around It

I am sure that several of you have noticed how slow things have been around here. I will admit, I have been skirting around something major. Right after I came home from New York, I was diagnosed with a debilitating illness. This is why it has taken me so long to post about my trip to NYC. I have kept it a secret because I was not sure how I wanted to share this information with friends and family. I was afraid that there would be more questions than I could answer and that others may not understand what I am going through. Mike has been amazing. Sure it is the hunting season & he has to leave for several days at a time, but he is not rude or demanding when he is home. He seems to really appreciate me more:) He is really good to let me nap and gives me words of encouragement like "Someday you can go back". If you have been through it, you may know what I am going through....

I am sick with New York City Fever. It has taken over my heart:)

For every picture I took, you could get a better one on Google Images, but there is not one picture that could capture the experience. The smells, the tastes, the people, the architecture, the energy, the lights, the shows, the details, the Taxi, the jokes, they are NY, they are my memories and they can't be described in words. NY is an essence.

And these ladies were so fun to experience it with.

The first day we spent some time navigating Connecticut and the trains, but that night we took a taxi to Brooklyn where we ate at Grimaldi's. We ordered too much food, so Taleese asked the guys next to us if they wanted our calzone. When they said no, she asked them if we could have the rest of their anti-pasta. After dinner we had icecream at the Brooklyn Icecream factory. Don't worry, we walked it off by way of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The structure was amazing. There was a walking lane and a biking lane. The night was beautiful and the weather was very pleasant. It was very humid and muggy, but I love that.

We ate at The Shake Shack. There were 83 people in line in front of us... the wait was worth it.

This was actually the second time (this trip) that 3 out of 4 of us saw the Statue of Liberty.

I loved the buildings, with their detail.

When we walked Canal Street we were tricked into a shop and Taleese made the most of it.

FAO Schwarts was so fun, but I almost lost control when I saw the "build your own muppet" and the Newborn Nursery babies with their own nurse.

It seemed like every morning we got out later than we hoped. So we ended up staying out later and later. After we saw Wicked and Taleese's good friend from the plane, we headed to the Meat Ball Shop. It was such a fun atmosphere.

I had my first New Yorker experience when I had to set the Havana Cafe lady straight. We were trying to order and she was too busy to listen. The Cuban sandwich was indescribable.

We went to Max Brenner's Chocolate Shop for dessert. We got our kids large syringes of chocolate. They were a huge hit with my kids. I thought the pipes of chocolate were a fun touch and the pipes led to vats or mixers of different chocolate.

Cool Taxi, but not the one where Taleese and Heidi smashed their faces. I thought it was funny that all these Taxis were trying to fill up at what seemed to be the only gas station in NY. This man in the subway was singing and his voice was unreal. It was so deep and strong.

These pictures were taken at or around 30 Rockefeller Plaza. That tree was made of different types of lettuce. The cathedrals mashed in between the large buildings made them that much more beautiful and intriguing.

I love dolls so a 4 level store dedicated only to dolls may have taken control of my camera. I did however maintain control of my wallet.... well mostly. I got a little distracted and bought a darling outfit for a doll I don't even own. After Mindy took one for the team and purchased a doll, brush and outfit for her own baby, I came to my senses and took the outfit back (for a bitty baby American Girl Doll) and bought one for a doll (American Girl Doll) that we actually do own.

These pictures I took for Jake... and maybe myself. Can you imagine putting one of these together? I like Legos too.

I think because I grew up with horses I might go out of my way to act unimpressed when people offer a "horse experience" but I had to take a picture of the numbers melted into the hoof, like a VIN.

Sometimes taking pictures of your trip takes away from just enjoying the vacation and sometimes you take your camera and leave your battery in the hotel room charging. So, these were the only pictures I got. However there were so many more things that we enjoyed. We spent Sunday in Connecticut. We went to church where the McKay's attended while Scott was going to Yale. We took the Yale tour and that was one of my favorite parts. We drove through the country and ate more NY pizza and sushi at a little restaurant in a quaint town that reminded me of Maryland.

Maybe my illness will be less debilitating with time, maybe I will just have to go back. Someone asked something about going back as a tour guide, "what would you make sure you did again?" I don't want to go as a tour guide, I am not done touring:)