It's time ...

... for this year's annual Christmas/dog/shopping video. This one is really sweet ... and a tear-jerker, too!

Minners got her hair cut yesterday and when I was waiting to pick her up, I saw a group of 5 dogs that were there, looking for their forever homes. If you are looking for a dog to join your family this year, you should check out the adoption events at your local PetSmart. Such cute babies!

I'm actually excited about grocery shopping!

I've never been a fan of grocery shopping. Do you remember when I diagnosed myself with Grocery Store Sensory Overload? It's a real thing. I promise. I have a hard time planning a menu for the week and sticking to just the things on my list.

When Trader Joe's opened here, I thought for sure I wouldn't care or become a shopper there. The first time I went, Jill & I went just to look around. I was annoyed by the crowds, but it was still new at that point and everyone was super excited about TJ's.

Then, I asked Molly if they'd meet me at the Ward Parkway TJ's to do some shopping and give me suggestions of what to get. 4 weeks later, I'm completely hooked! For someone who used to typically hate my grocery store trips that happened every 3-4 weeks, I'm now excited about going once a week to get what I need for lunch and dinner. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites (so far).

Chocolate-covered banana bites - $1.99. These are in the frozen section and stay frozen. Just take out & enjoy as-is. They are pretty filling and usually, I can get over a chocolate craving with just one or two of the bites.

Bananas - $0.19/banana. Pretty cheap for bananas! They also carry organic bananas for a little bit more money. I love bananas, but I got burned out on them after peanut butter banana sandwiches for SEVERAL meals in a row.

Mini heirloom tomatoes - $3.49. So yummy! The last time I was there, they didn't have the heirloom tomatoes, but had regular cherry tomatoes for the same price.

Whole wheat slim sandwich bread - $2.49. These taste just as good as the Thomas' whole wheat slims I was buying at my other grocery store, but a bit cheaper. One of my coworkers told me today that all the bread from TJ's should be kept in the fridge (and they recommend that) because there aren't any preservatives. Just an FYI for you.

Half-gallon of fat free milk - $1.99. I normally drink fat free skim milk, but TJ's didn't carry it. this milk is significantly cheaper than the price of a half gallon at Walmart where I normally shop. I have a hard time drinking my entire 1/2 gallon, so sometimes I have to pour out half of it. I don't feel nearly as guilty when the milk is less than $2.

Organic brown rice - $3.49. There are three 10 oz. packages inside this box. It's found in the freezer section. So far, I've only made one of the packages, but when I mixed it with a bag of organic frozen veggies ($1.69), it was a great "side" to add to my lunches.

Turkey meatballs - $2.99. Frozen & fully cooked. This is next up on my list of things to make with pasta for some easy lunches for school. I haven't tried them yet, but Molly has and they are getting great reviews.

Chicken & vegetable potstickers - $2.99. These can be cooked quickly in the microwave and they are super yummy.

Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal - $2.99. I didn't actually buy this at TJ's. I'm sorry I didn't, because the day before I bought it at Walgreen's when doing some quick shopping for $4.99. Ugh. I'm still getting over the lack of taste, but attempting to like it because of the high amount of protein it has.

Organic fruit wrap - $0.49/each. I'm a hugh fan of fruit snacks and roll-ups. I used to buy the fruit wraps at Whole Foods, but I rarely shop there. Target's Archer Farms brand has great fruit wraps, too. I really like these, even though they are a bit expensive.

Quinoa duo with vegetables - $3.99. Have you ever tried to shop for quinoa at your grocery store? Of course, my Walmart didn't carry it. When I finally found some in the organic section of a Hen House, a small container cost a small fortune! I left it on the shelf. This is found in the frozen section and it's already pre-cooked. You just need to quickly warm it up in the microwave or a skillet. I got about 3 portions out of this bag and I added a little bit of cheese to it for some flavor and to tone down the spice. I'm sure most people wouldn't think it's too spicy, but I noticed it had a kick to it.

I'm also now a fan of the What's Good at Trader Joe's FB page, with the hopes that I'll get some other new ideas. With a little bit of searching, you can find plenty of blogs & twitter accounts where people share suggestions of what to buy at TJ's and what foods reviewed well (or not so well).

I hope you can find a few things to get next time you're there ... or maybe this will entice you to take your first trip to Trader Joe's. Let me know what you like to get when you are there!

Barbie, I love you ... but what happened!?!?

When I was little, I LOVED playing with my Barbies. I dressed them up. I sang to my Barbie & the Rockers cassette tape. I brushed & braided their hair. I made a Barbie mall with my childhood friend, Sarah. I took their heads off to swap bodies and then was very sad when they never went back on the bodies correctly. I had favorite Barbies: Peaches & Cream Barbie, Rocker Barbie, Crystal Barbie, California Barbie, Jewel Secrets Barbie and Tropical Barbie. I played with her canopy bed, shop, Corvette and pool party accessories. I still have most of my Barbies and her clothes in Mom & Dad's basement.

In a recent trip to Target, I found myself strolling through the aisle of dolls and Barbies. I immediately started to oooh & ahhh over the pretty clothes & hair found on current-day Barbies. I also like to look at the fancy Barbies that should really be kept in their boxes. I saw the Happy Birthday, Ken doll and couldn't get over how beautiful her dress was! Mattel also came out with a line of Barbies called Back to Basics Barbies. Her dresses are simple LBDs (little black dress), but you can choose to buy a set of accessories to add to her dress. These dolls are really pretty. Some others in this collection come in simple jeans and a white t-shirt.

I'm okay with all of those dolls. Then, I came across a new line of I Can Be ... Barbies. I thought, "Oh! How nice! Barbie in different jobs to show girls that they can do many different things when they get older." Then, I looked a little closer. You should, too.

Teacher Barbie:

Why is her skirt so short? Why is her shirt ruffly and satin? Does her computer have a picture of herself on it? Oh, and the glasses? Stereotypical image of every teacher. At least Barbie can be beautiful in glasses ... right?

Kid Doctor Barbie:

Are we not allowed to call them "pediatricians"? I don't know too many doctors that wear pink capri pants and a fitted white coat, but I'll let it fly. At least she's not showing too much skin. However, I don't think her heels are very practical, and I'd like to think that a doctor would carry more equipment with them other than a stethoscope and a big brush.

Doctor Barbie:

This one also seems to be a "kid doctor" ... so I don't know why they are different. For the same price, you get the Barbie and her small patient. The small girl apparently GROWS, but I'm not sure how that happens. Now that I'm comparing this outfit to the "kid doctor" outfit ... I'm suddenly very okay with the pink capris. Doctor Barbie is actually wearing a satin coat, mini-skirt and shiny pink tights with her white heels. VERY impractical. Grrrr.

Lifeguard Barbie:

She gets a free pass for her skimpy outfit for her job since she spends her time by the pool. I didn't notice until I got home and looked at the pictures that her lifeguard chair acts as a catapult so she can dive in to save the swimmers. The description on this link says: Your daughter can play out her dream of being a stylish, heroic lifeguard. Yes! That's just what all girls want to be. Stylish AND a hero!

Snowboarder Barbie:

Her outfit is pretty cute, minus the mesh, see-through shirt she has under the cropped snow jacket. But look! She won some sort of an Olympic medal. Way to go, Barbie!

Pet Vet Barbie:

Again, can't we just call her "veterinarian"? There is another one online called the Kitty Care Vet Barbie. She has more equipment with her, like a slide for the cat to slide from the scale INTO the bathtub. Right. I think this one has the same tights as the Doctor Barbie.

I found many more I Can Be ... Barbies online. Dentist Barbie. Babysitter Barbie. Computer Engineer Barbie (who has a totally cute outfit that I approve of). Chef Barbie. News Anchor Barbie. Ballroom Dancer Barbie. Architect Barbie (I also approve of her cute outfit). And Pizza Chef Barbie.

One of the last Barbies I saw before I left the aisle was this pretty, Princess Barbie. I really liked her. Although, when I took a closer looks, I noticed something about her outfit. She has a pretty ballroom skirt on. And no top. No seriously. Look. She has glitter painted on her top, but that's it. I guess you can't change her clothes ... but you could cover her up with a cute cardigan :)

Enough of my rant. I took these pictures on June 2nd and I just now got around to writing about them. I knew I had something to say about each of the outfits, but this post actually turned into a trip down memory lane. When looking for links for the top of this post, I had a lot of fun remembering all the fun I had with MY Barbies. I played for hours and refused to give them up, even though I haven't played with them for years. Jill was here as I flipped through literally hundreds of pictures online and we talked about which accessories we each had. She had Barbie's Dream Apartment and I had Barbie's Dream Shop. After hours of looking, she said, "I could go to my Mom's house to get my Barbies so you could see them ... and maybe we could play! Ha!"

I appreciate the attempt to open up every occupation to little girls. I just think that there is a long way to go. Slowly but surely, Mattel makes changes to make Barbie more PC for little kids. Her body has changed to be a more realistic shape (so they say) and the names on the dolls are no longer "Blonde Barbie", "Hispanic Barbie" and "Black Barbie". You might find her fictional history interesting ... and definitely read the controversies listed on this page. I learned a lot about the company.

As much as I made fun of some of these Barbies, I hope that she's still around when I have kids. I hope that Ellen wants to play Barbies some day with me and I'll be interested to see how much more she's changed by that time.

Shoe Review #3

I called Mom last Friday afternoon, asking if she would join me at DSW to look for some new shoes before my $10 off coupon expired on Sunday. She had a coupon, too, so we braved the cold on Friday night and visited the newly made over DSW close to us.

I went, looking to replace 2 pair of black leather sandals that I've worn out. They are very comfortable, but the straps have stretched out from numerous wears and I needed something new for work and this spring/summer. Sadly, I didn't find exactly what I was looking for ... but ... I did try on these sandals made by Crocs. {The straps look navy in this top picture, but they are actually black.}

I know that many people are anti-Crocs, but I really do think they're comfortable. You get used to the bumps on the sole and the soft base make them nice to walk in. I bought this black pair for $29.99 (and then $10.00 off) and I'm already loving them. Originally, I thought they would just be for bumming around this summer, but I think they look a bit nicer than my regular Old Navy flip flops.

I wore them to school today (I did touch up my nail-polish after taking these pictures) and my feet felt great all day. These came in brown, too. I'm tempted to go back & get that pair, but I rarely wear brown in the summer. If you are looking for comfy sandals and you can get over any issues you may have with Crocs, then you should check these out.

Violet, you're turning violet, Violet

I thought this was pretty funny ... I'm just like these kids!

I mostly blame Jill. She's the one that made me get my MacBook Pro when I went to buy a new PC laptop ;) And then, I blame Apple for sending me a free iPod Touch and new printer when I bought my MBP with my educator discount.

However, I might be the only tech-y person I know that doesn't have a smart phone. I even went to the Sprint store this weekend since I was due for an upgrade on my phone. I was thisclose to actually buying something fancy, but Mike Teavee (do you see what I did there), was the salesman I was stuck with and he was so ADHD he couldn't answer any of my questions or look at me long enough to help me buy said smart phone. Therefore, I walked out empty-handed.

Enjoy this video, and then take me with you when you go shopping for your next Apple product. Ahem, Molly, ahem.

What an improvement!

I've been a shopper at Kohl's for quite a few years. They always seem to be having "The BIGGEST Sale Ever", and I can find great deals. As a teacher, I need to find nice-looking clothes, that don't cost a fortune, and can be both trendy and classic.

I have a Kohl's credit card, although I probably got it later than I should have. I think I must have waited until a back-to-school shopping spree to get the giant percent discount off my total.

They have a big clothes section in addition to great home goods, kitchen supplies, cute baby clothes (perfect for gifts!), jewelry, perfume and more! I don't typically shop in the purse or shoes section. I know, I know ... that's probably shocking, but I am picky.

In the past, I've been frustrated by sifting through racks & racks of clothes and I don't think the sale racks are as organized as they are at Target. The dressing rooms were always a giant mess! The doors hung off hinges or didn't close. The floors were cluttered with hangers, trash, and a pile of clothes. YUCK!

I went to Kohl's this past week on a snow day to look for a way to spend a gift card I got for Christmas (thanks, Ann!). I knew my local Kohl's was going through some construction on the outside of the building over the last few months, but I don't know that it had changed on the inside, too. Most of the time, I shop at the 119th & Metcalf store. I was SO impressed! They rearranged the layout of the store and things seemed to be easier to locate. THEN, when I was ready to try on clothes, I found myself in a brand-new dressing room. The outside had nice husband/boyfriend/son lounging benches, and artwork on the walls. The dressing rooms were BIG and nicely designed and CLEAN! The new wood floors, leather benches and 3-way mirrors are a nice addition.

One of my pet-peeves about dressing rooms is when there aren't enough racks, hooks or places to hang the clothes you want to try on. I bet department stores hate when their slatted doors are all scratched up, but that is what happens when you don't have enough hooks inside the room, and your customers will instead hook hangers through the door slats.

Kohl's has now fixed this problem with a large hanging bar (see the above picture) and then 3 hooks on the wall that are labeled. "Love it", "Like it", and "Back on the rack". What a GREAT idea! Don't most women make these piles on their own when trying on clothes? Now half the work is done for you? All you have to do is try on endless amounts of jeans and swim suits! :)

For those that are wondering, I spent my gift card on that brown sweater on the left, the gray one in the middle, 2 cards, 2 baby/kid gifts, some new pj's, and a bottle of perfume for myself. Not too bad! Go visit, trying on clothes will actually be enjoyable!

Don't let me go here ...

I might come back with everything I see!

Ha!

P.S. That baby in the drawer looks exactly like Minners when she was a puppy! So cute!

P.P.S. I laughed out loud at the saleswoman taping the tissue paper around that pug! Go back & watch again ... you'll laugh, too!

Try to contain yourselves!

It's time for ...

Betsy's Favorite Things!

I was reading a few of my favorite blogs this week/weekend. Many of them were doing their own version of "Oprah's Favorite Things" in the form of a blog post, and then sharing what they came up with. I missed my chance to post on the starting day AND I couldn't narrow my list down to just 5 items. So, here you go ... in no particular order!

My DVR: It's hard to believe that just a few short years ago, I was taping my favorite shows on VHS if I couldn't be home when they were on. Now, I record anything from Oprah, to SNL, to my new favorite show, Auction Hunters. {Check it out on SpikeTV!} Oprah's last Favorite Things show aired on Friday ... but she's doing another on Monday! Haven't watched yet, but I bet there was some great stuff!

Apothecary jars: I collected these over 2 years and waited patiently to put them up until I had my own place. Love how they can create great decor pretty easily, and for not too much money.

Bath & Body Works candle: It's my all-time favorite scent! The store doesn't always carry this passion fruit & guava scent, so when I find it, I try to stock up. I'm always happy to get this as a gift. (Ahem ... hint, hint).

Beautiful painting: Passed to me from Aunt Susan. It's giant, and unique, and I love it! Oh, Minnie likes to hang out by it, too!

OPI nail polish: Lots of favorite colors (for my toes), but my MOST favorite is "Ladies and Magentamen"!

Canon Rebel XS: I still love, love, love my Canon PowerShot, but I feel like this new camera has made me a much better photographer. I have to work harder at getting a great picture, which is frustrating at times, but good for the process.

Rings: You can see how they take over the majority of my jewelry box. Some are from family members. Some were gifts. Some cost $1.00. One was bought in Italy. Most were bought at stores around town. I like to wear rings every day, and when I don't, it feels strange.

Bootcut cords from New York & Company: These are a new favorite. I bought the khaki-colored pair first. I got so many compliments on them the first time I wore them, that I went back right after work and bought the green pair. I just went this week to pick up the gray pair. That's how I typically buy things ... find one I like, so I buy all they have. They still have them in the stores.

Eyeliner: I love all kinds of make-up, but I tend to really experiment with eyeliner. I'm not a brand snob, and most of these come from drug stores. My current favorite is the ULTA store brand. I'll wear any color ... I think it's fun to change it up every once in a while.

Diet Coke: No explanation necessary. I'm not a coffee or tea drinker, so I need to have some caffeine to start and get through my day.

Perfume: I've never had fancy perfume. My two favorites are Clinique Happy and Tommy Girl. I still get compliments when I put one of them on (which I don't remember to do every day). They last me a long time, but I'm actually out of Tommy Girl, after several years. I'm a sad girl ;)

Panera: Not only do they have good food, but they have free WiFi and I enjoy working and grading papers so much more when I am out of my house.

Double Twelve Dominoes: If you haven't gotten on the Mexican Train bandwagon, errrr train, then you're missing out! Great game for the family during the holidays!

Garden Veggie Straws & Chips: Of course, my Wal-Mart doesn't carry these, but I picked up a box of the lunch bag size when I was at Costco with Mom. They are yummy & a bit better for me than the other kinds of chips I normally pack in my lunch. I thought I would hate the rosemary olive oil flavor, but they were my favorite.

Top Sites: This is the home page on my MacBook Pro (another favorite). It picks the sites that I visit the most often (you can also set them) and then it notifies you when the site is updated with a blue star. It took me far too long to realize that was what the blue star was for! Are YOU featured on my top sites?

Wrapping paper: I have a ridiculous amount of wrapping paper (and bags, and tissue, and ribbon, and boxes), but I LOVE wrapping presents! I'm dying to wrap what few presents I've already purchased, but promised myself I'd wait until I had my Christmas decor up.

Fuzzy blanket: This picture doesn't really show just how soft this blanket is. I have a few of these (picked up from HomeGoods or TJMaxx) and Minnie and I curl up with one of them most nights during the winter.

Pens: All colors, all brands, anything that makes grading hundreds of papers more enjoyable. Last year, I purchased a set of fine-point LePen markers online that are great colors, but I still like this basic set of Flair Pens.

Vaseline Lip Therapy: No flavor, no color, inexpensive and works miracles for chapped lips! Found at most drug stores & grocery stores at the check-out counters, too! So easy to find :)

Target store brand vitamins: I've NEVER been a girl who takes vitamins. I have good intentions and I'll buy a bottle of them, but then the taste and size of those huge multi-vitamins scare me off. A friend suggested the fruit-flavored gummy daily vitamins to me. I bought them and I actually remember to take them every day! The last time I was there, I thought I'd look at the other kinds and picked up the gummy calcium supplements, too. Mom thinks they're disgusting, but I feel better knowing that I'm taking something ... and I think they are yummy, too!

Didn't realize I was going to end my favorite things post on such an exciting item (ha!) but here we are at the end. Hope you found something you might like ... or something you didn't know about. Maybe you can even get some gift ideas for someone on your list. Maybe YOU should write a post of YOUR favorite things to share with all of us! :)

Here is the link to the original start of the Favorite Things Post.

Yummy lunch or snack!

I actually planned on making certain recipes when I went to the grocery store last week. It makes my shopping so much easier, but when I get home, I actually have to set aside time to make said recipes.

This time it was Tiny Tuna Melts. I LOVE a good tuna melt, and love tiny foods ... so what's not to like? These were so easy, those of you with kids could have them help!

Gather the following ingredients:

* 1 can (3 ounces) of tuna, drained

* 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (I only had the fake stuff)

* coarse salt & ground pepper

* small crackers (melba toast, wheat thins, etc.)

* 1/4 cup shredded cheddar

Step 1:

Stir together can of tuna, mayo, lemon juice. Season with salt & pepper.

Step 2:

Heat broiler of toaster oven (or oven). On a foil-lined baking sheet, arrange 16 small crackers. Top with tuna mixture and cheese.

Step 3:

Broil until cheese has melted, 2-3 minutes. Serves 2.

YUMMY! Enjoy!

Who needs toys?

Just for the record ... if you are an Aunt and you have nieces ... don't EVER feel like you need to buy her toys.

All you need to do is show up with your purse in tow and let your niece play all she wants!

Here is Ellen, playing with my "walrus" or wallet, for those of you that don't speak 18-month old!

And here she is with her other new obsession, glasses!

New York - Things to see & do!

Here's the next installment of my report on our trip to NYC. Keep reading to see all that we got accomplished in our VERY short time in the city.

Technically, we didn't go to Phillips in New York. It was actually in Baltimore, Maryland at the airport. We had a longer layover, so we stopped here for a late lunch of 4 fabulous crab cakes and 4 beers. Our bill? Just under $80. No joke.

After our layover and a delay, we got into NYC and had a chance to check into our hotel, change clothes & walk about 10 blocks to meet up with Uncle John & Aunt Dinah, Katherine & Bruce, and Reagan for a late dinner.

We had a fabulous dinner at Trattoria Belvedere and our waiter was nice enough to have the kitchen put a small sample of all the things we ordered on each of our plates. It was a small restaurant that had the front doors open so we could see people coming & going late into the night.

We got to finally meet Katherine's fiance (now husband) and catch up with our family, which is always fun! There were drinks ... and lots of them. They may or may not have been the reason we didn't get up for the Today Show the next morning!

After dinner, the "kids" wanted to go out for more drinks. The Bride & Groom joined us, even though they both had to work the next day! We walked for blocks & blocks & blocks to find a place to go, and when we finally got here, we indulged in more beer. Who's idea was this? ;)

Once we finally got up & moving the next day, we had lots of things we wanted to see all over town. First stop was the New York Public Library. It was a must since we were with the twins, who are former librarians. The inside was BEAUTIFUL and we got to walk through an exhibition on early New York maps, which I found interesting, because I teach about early maps and explorers like Henry Hudson (Hudson River & Valley) in my Social Studies curriculum.

Then, we strolled over to Rockefeller Center to see the sights & watch as they took the railings down from that day's Today Show summer concert.

Then we took the subway to get across town faster & cheaper than walking or a cab. The man in the subway booth was VERY helpful & told us the most economical way to buy passes for 5 of us. It was a nice break for our feet, too!

When we climbed the stairs out of our subway stop in Soho, we saw the Prada flagship store across the street. Aunt Dinah insisted that we walk inside, because you don't often see stores like this ... especially coming from Overland Park, Kansas. I was thrilled, because I'm always happy to drool over gorgeous & pricey purses!

We also went to the Pearl River Market to see what sort of neat things they had. Molly walked out with the cutest pair of panda shoes for Ellen. I got Japanese erasers for my students. I should have purchased this tote, "First Lady of Fabulous" ... I agree 100%!

We kept on strolling after some yummy lunch at Porchetta to go to 3 John Derian stores that were all along one street. They had GREAT housewares and lots of things that were WAY out of my budget, but fun to look at! Isn't this display of simple black paintings fabulous?

We walked for what seemed like miles & miles. It was way more than I've ever walked without a dog attached to the end of a leash. And in flat sandals, no less. Feet. Killing. Me. Need. To. Rest.

So that we did. We went back to the hotel and enjoyed sitting out on Uncle John & Aunt Dinah's 15th story terrace. Well ... some of us enjoyed it more than others. Molly & I were antsy to take pictures from the terrace and Mom spent the majority of the time thinking we might accidentally jump over the 4ft wall on the edge and fall to our death. Here she is crying, and here is Dinah laughing at her. Hilarious!

Around 5:00, Erik convinced us to head out on the streets again to get a 1st dinner, since the dinner for the Bride & Groom wouldn't take place until 9:30 or so. He assured us if we went with him, we would get a cab and forego any more walking. Little did we know, the cabs change shifts around the same time, so we walked for probably 20 minutes just looking for a cab. I thought Erik was going to cry. Mom & I almost gave up. It was a good thing we didn't!

We headed to The Pony Bar, which Erik read about on a friend of a friend's blog. It was a tiny bar, but we were lucky enough to snag a few seats to take in the people watching, make some new friends & enjoy fabulous food & beer.

I had lobster rolls for the first time (AMAZING) and an apricot wheat beer. Can we go back, please?

That night, we went to Pasita for an engagement party for Katherine & Bruce and we got to meet some of their friends, and Bruce's family for the first time. The food & wine was excellent (can you believe how much we've had to eat & drink in just 1 day?) and we made friends with a former coworker of Katherine's and her Neil Patrick Harris look-alike boyfriend. It was a fun night! The only bad part of the evening was walking around from 12-1:00am looking for a cab to take us home. I was thisclose to cutting my feet off. Erik was thisclose to kicking the next cab he saw that wouldn't take us home. We couldn't believe how many people were out doing the same thing we were! That city never sleeps!

When we finally got up & at 'em the next morning, we used Erik's iPhone to find a bagel place for breakfast. So, we walked to Ess-a-Bagel ... and my whole wheat bagel with walnut raisin creme cheese was a perfect way to start the day. Erik had TWO bagels, because he knew he's regret it if he didn't order the two things he really wanted.

Next we walked to Bloomingdales to browse around a bit. The time limit we gave ourselves went by VERY quickly, when I realized that we'd been walking around the housewares floor for a whole hour & came away with nothing! A few floors down we found a Vera Wang couture wedding dress display. Each one was more amazing than the last, but this one was my favorite. It was laser cut leather. Unreal!

After a small lunch with the Bride, we walked to see her apartment! Katherine & Bruce's street was so nice & their place was great! It's amazing to see how New Yorkers live. Kind of makes me feel selfish about filling all 1500 square feet of my condo ... by myself. Yikes.

They even have a rooftop patio, which they use for entertaining, dining, (now) puppy playground, and relaxation. Left to Right: Me, Katherine, Caroline, Aunt Dinah, Molly.

After we left there, Mom & Dinah went to have their hair done & get ready. Molly, Erik & I went a bit further down the street to Central Park.

We saw a fashion photo shoot happening.

And sat down long enough to watch the roller-skaters and street performers.

And then walked a bit further to see the sight! This was just like every movie I've seen that takes place in Central Park. BEAUTIFUL!

If we had more time, I would have liked to sit in the park and do some more people watching. I'll plan on it for my next trip.

They spent a lot of time doing this! We then had to find our way out of the park and attempt to get to the last few stops we had planned.

But ... we happened upon Mister Softee as we exited the park. We HAD TO get a couple sprinkle cones to walk with. It was pretty hot that day, so it was the perfect mid-afternoon snack!

Then we got lost trying to find our next stop, but we did walk past Trump Tower. Just as gaudy & obnoxious as you would think.

When we passed Trump Tower, we were on our way to momofuku, a cookie & milk bar. We split three amazing cookies and were sorry we didn't take some home to the rest of the family. Quite an experience!

Our last stop was to M&J Trimming, which was a crafty girl's dream store! Buttons, ribbon, lace, sequins, tassels, beads GALORE! We walked away with empty hands, but I think if we weren't dragging Erik along with us, Molly and I might have spent some more time there.

Okay ... part 2 of 3 is finally done. It only took me about 2 hours to write! See why I stalled so long? I hope you enjoyed reading ... and maybe found some fun things to do on your next trip to the Big City!