Monday, August 30, 2004

Well, I don't really love New York, I don't even sorta like New York. The state that I love is Washington State but I would never live there, it is just to far from all my loved ones. Unlike others I know, I just REFUSE to live on a different coast then that of my loved ones! But, this quote just totally fits the occasion, New York did go from bad to cute this weekend and I totally felt like Carrie Bradshaw (for those of you who have no clue who I am talking about you really need to brush up on your pop culture!) with my fabulous dress and the eclectic ambiance. I do realize that this picture is not the best, not only because Derek's eyes are shut but the quality of this digital camera is not great, to say the least. This is why I am begging for a new one for Christmas (hint hint Dad!!). But I didn't want to wait for all my pictures to get done before posting again, so this will just have to do. All the pictures from our weekend will be posted whenever Sam's Club gets them back!

The weekend was superb, awesome, amazing........I could just go on and on! We left Albany around noon on Friday and arrived at the hotel in White Plains at 3:00 pm giving me plenty of time for a quick party makeover and to paint my bare toe nails. Derek, Jenn and I got to the wedding at the exact moment that Carrie was walking down the aisle. Now, we would have gotten there 5 minutes earlier, but Jenn had a toe nail emergency ~ she scraped her freshly painted nail and we had to turn around to fix it. It just looked to hideous to hide for this type of evening, poor Derek! But atleast we sorta got there in time! The ceremony was beautiful and perfectly quick! It only lasted 20 minutes tops. I was fully prepared to sit through the typical marriage sermon by planning my meals for the week. I barely got time to get comfortable before the priest announced the newly married couple and we were dismissed! Short and sweet, just how I like these things! The drive to the reception was quite the adventure, Derek was able to drive in the perfect Cloverleaf style around the beltway thanks to the grooms father, Hans. Now, for those of you who where raised in the city, D.C. area specifically, ya' all know when you're driving on 495 and you hit traffic, you might as well just sit back put on a good CD or call a good friend b/c you are now here for the ride. But Hans decided that he was going to find one piece of the NYC beltway that no one knew about that didn't have any traffic on it ~ he didn't succeed, but atleast we finally arrived at the reception. Let me tell you, that family knows how to host a party! The appetizer was good enough for dinner alone and the whole evening was filled with great food and lots of fun. For me, it was nice to be able to see my Great Aunt's Ceil and Lonnie and my Aunt Margaret. I sometimes forget that I have so much family that really is interested in my life. It reminds me that I really need to be more aware of keeping in touch with them also! We finally ended the party at midnight and all crashed back at the hotel. I was so tired that I actually slept all night on a double bed with Derek! This is very unusual, whenever we travel, especially for the holidays, getting a good night sleep is never in the picture. For me it is impossible to sleep on anything smaller than a Queen size bed with my over 6 foot tall husband. So, it was very shocking to realize, with the aid of ear plugs, that I slept over 3 hours!

Saturday was spent in NYC with my Aunt Margaret, Dad and Pam, Jenn and Tom and my cousin Maryann (Rockebyes mom). We headed straight from Grand Central down to the Stage Deli (my Dad's favorite spot) for a Pastrami sandwich, Cream Soda and Motza Ball soup. From there we walked to the WTC site and spent time just reflecting. For those of you who have not been there, I highly recommend getting up to see it. For my friends in my hometown, we all experienced the devastation of the Pentagon. For me specifically it was very real working down the street from the Pentagon and smelling the fumes, to only drive by hours later stuck on 395 just staring at it smoldering building. I thought for me it would feel the same as it did just living in the area and driving past the destruction each time I would head down to National. But it was very different and surreal experience to see what used to be the Towers. We also had the opportunity to go into St. Paul's Chapel where many workers would go for comfort and prayer. For those of you who don't know, the Chapel is located directly across the street from the site and unlike all the surrounding buildings that where damaged, the chapel went untouched! They have set up a room with a display for the public to leave their condolences for the victims. Jenn and I were able to leave our thoughts amongst all the others who visited that day. With that being an emotional 2 hours, we decided to pick up our spirits and walk down the street to Century 21, a fabulous department store that carries closed out brands from some of my favorite stores. With some successful shopping done, we then headed to China Town where we ate at a delicious Chinese restaurant. After dinner we ended our downtown fun in Little Italy where I was able to get some scrumptious treats to bring home. By now, it was 7:30 pm and we were all wiped out, so we took the Subway to Grand Central then caught the train back to White Plains. By the time we got back to the hotel it was already 9:30 pm and Derek was wanting to get on the road to head back home. But, I knew I couldn't leave without going over to my Aunt Ceil's to pick up a handmade afghan she had knit for me and her old recipes that she was passing down to me. While Jenn and I were there we were able to sit with my Great Aunts and learn fascinating things about our Italian family history and hear stories about my dad when he was a baby! I finally gave in and agreed with Derek that it was time to leave. It is always hard to leave my sisters even when it is just one of them there with me, especially since I have NO family here! But, it was 11:30 pm, so we left and got back to Albany at 2:00 am. I will admit though, it was nice to fall asleep in my own KING sized bed and wake up to fresh brewed coffee.

So, I am sitting here watching the VMA's (again, refer to the pop culture comment) feeling not a bit sleepy even though it is 11:14 pm. It is the normal Sunday quandary, I am never sleepy until midnight. I hope to get the pictures from my weekend posted by Thursday before I leave for VA. If not, I will get them posted when I return. To my good VA friends, yes, I am returning home, my last trip just wasn't long enough. Everyone, you are more than welcomed to join my family and me at Cameron Run on Saturday, we will be there all day. Friday Mom has claimed for a girls day out with my sister and I. But, I will be in town until Monday evening. Hopefully someone will be able to visit me at my house, you can call for directions. But don't worry, if I miss you on this trip, I will be back in October for my mom's surgery, then of course for the holidays!! Okay, well, believe it or not, this is the 2nd time I have written this whole entire ~~ my stupid computer battery died on me while I was publishing this post and it all got wiped out, yeah, I was quite annoyed to say the least. My poor little fingers are starting to get carpal tunnel syndrome so I think I will end this. I hope everyone has a great Monday and a quick work week. Many hugs and much love to ALL!!

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