"I want to be a part of it.. New York! New York!" -Frank Sinatra

Oh.. Happy Tuesday.

Ready for another week?

It seems like they are just flying by.

 I'm really glad you're here visiting me.
I've felt really blessed lately for all of the sweet people in my life.. so thank you for making my life so much richer.

So anyway.

Ready for a little adventure?

:)

[If you are just wondering when the heck is this girl going to post wedding pictures.. the answer is..

Soon.. I promise my friends.. Soon..]

SO.. here is my little request for you today..

Go to my music on the side and pause it.. 

and then play this music video above..

[& if it's over before you are done enjoying yourself.. START it again..]

Because I feel like it gives you soo much better of an idea of how I was feeling today.

For our day off the husband and I decided to go with some of our sweet friends and explore
 NEW YORK CITY.
[& although we are only an hour away.. this was our first time so it was pretty surreal]

We started our adventure by doing something that if it isn't on everyone's bucket list it was definitely on Blake and I's..

Having a Picnic in Central Park!

Central park is only 2 1/2 MILES long.. and 1/2 MILE wide..

So we were around it in no time..

& it really was just amazing.

 

In this world.. Cops ride horses

People wear whatever they want,

 There are people and shows everywhere..

& There is lots of time to walk and exercise & soak in that you are actually in 

New York City.

I think the thing that was the best about New York for me was that it was everything that you've ever seen in a movie coming to life..

& I kept having to remind myself that it was real and I was blessed enough to be there seeing everything!

& Then because walking around the Gotham streets and seeing all of the taxi's and the business weren't awesome enough..

As we are walking down the street I look across to the other side and there is 

Ben Stiller!

Just filming a movie or something..

I don't know.. no big deal.

[AH.]

Yes.. this is the first movie actor I've seen in real life..

Can You Tell?
:)

But.. um..  also if you were also wondering.. Yeah.. Ben Stiller and I are in the SAME picture.

Then if you can believe it I think the feeling this gave me took the cake..

Walking into Times Square absolutely gave me the stomach dropping/ first kiss butterflies feeling...

which I definitely wasn't expecting.

But it was bright and busy and beautiful.. 

And everything I had seen every year on New Years Eve!

 

 

Then after walking around and taking everything in..

& Gawking and Turning around and around Awe Struck.

We noticed that just below us was being filmed on the hug TV!

So we took the liberty of becoming the center of attention.

& Being broadcasted across Times Square for those few minutes..

Was just as exciting as you would think it would be. haha

We were pretty sure that if the people who bought things from American Eagle and got to be on a Times Square screen for a few seconds thought they were famous..

Then that meant we were basically famous too. 

:)

& Just in case I didn't think the moment could be more wonderful..

I had this perfect man reminding me how loved I was.. broadcasted across Times Square or not.

Boy am I one.. lucky girl.

Then to our [my] delight we found out that 
there was an M&M store in New York!

So we kept the M&M store tradition made in Las Vegas and played our "Be an M&M" game..

Dave was really good at it..
We thought he should probably go pro.

We saw Broadway Street..

& I am PRAYING that while we are here we can afford to sell our apartment and all of our most loved belongings to go see a play!

Then we took the subway, or the metro, to the rest of our adventure.. 

Which yes if you've ever been to France it's exactly identical.. I didn't even know that we had them in America!

[So to those who also didn't know.. don't lead those poor French kids astray like I did.. fix my mistake!]

& We got to ride the Staten Island Ferry!

[Which is free.. if you're ever planning things to do in New York City]

That took us on a ride next to the Statue of Liberty!
Which was also DEFINITELY on our bucket list.. so I was pretty breathless the whole ride.
[How fun would it be to get to go inside of it!?]

& we were able to see the whole BIG bright city at once..

Isn't it amazing what people have been able to build and accomplish through the years..

This city is pretty impressive.

 

Then this here is Battery Park..

It has water fountains that spit out and places that you can step on and make music..

& Shane here was showing every body up!

There were all kinds of little diddy's being played by these feet.

Everyone had such a good time exploring and playing..

& Eventually made up a tune we could all play together, and I'm sure watching you would have thought we were little kids at recess again.

But I think that those are the moments that I really am grateful for lately..

I hope that they never end.

& After our Play Time at the Park..

We decided we couldn't leave until we saw something in New York that we had all seen on the TV when it was happening and I think has made a profound impact on each of our lives..

For the 9/11 Memorial they built Two Waterfall Memorials where the building had been standing and had all of the names of the people that were lost that day engraved in stone all the way around..

I couldn't help but tear up seeing all of those names go on and on and thinking about not only those sweet people.. but the people that loved them and who's lives that that day changed forever.



I felt and still feel so blessed to live in America and to be free and in a country who is able to build up even after bad things happen.

Seeing them building the new world trade centers is such a good feeling..

Like even though something horrible happened.. that I'm sure there will always be a big scar from.. we are not letting it get the best of us.

We are taking what we have and making the best of it.

I love this country.

Then to finish our long day full of rain and sunshine and honking cars and new exciting.. exhausting things..

We had dinner.. of New York Style hot dogs and Italian sausage..
From a genuine New York City street vendor..
& dang.. this coming from someone who would much rather have a salad than a hot dog..
They were really good.

& If you ever go to New York.. you should definitely try them if for nothing but the experience.

:)

My final opinion of New York City..

I think that Central Park is so huge because it's making up for the yards that no one has..

I think that it's probably a waste of money to have a car because there is no where to park it and every other car is a taxi anyway..

& I think that you will never get away from people no matter where you are.

I think that you will see a lot of famous people and be around a lot of neat things..

I also think it is a really fun place to visit and see.

But.. I think most of all.. nobody could pay me enough to actually live there.
:)

I think that maybe the city is for some people.. but if you are anything like me.. 

Don't let the hype and the lights and excitement fool you into moving here.. 

Because it seems like it would be really easy to get caught up in the busyness and lose sight of what matters.


 So there is my experience..
I hope you all get to have your own and that I can hear about it..
:)

Have a wonderful Tuesday my friends.