It's all happening

I am officially full time at Hope Clinic AND I had my last day at Centennial! Very exciting and surreal at the same time. My last day at the hospital was rough, but it just confirmed my decision. No more moans, screams, and cussing at me! I'll still hear cussing, just not at me :).

Twihard

Before I post about Boston, I have to talk about Eclipse. It's no secret I am a fan of the Twilight series. It's also no secret that I love to throw parties, so naturally when a group of friends and I decided to go the midnight showing of Eclipse, I had to throw one! Once again, I framed quotes from the movie and threw in some extra what-nots. Last year Traci decorated the room as Bella's birthday and this year is was the tent scene. Not a lot of room for a tent in our house, so I decided to just have the sleeping bag with Jacob and Bella, Edward off to the side, and Victoria looking on. (This is the point where Jack officially says I have lost it. He has said this before, but this time I think he really means it). Side note: Many have asked what I am still doing with stuffed animals. Let me answer. All of these are sentimental. I wouldn't just keep cheesy stuffed animals for the sake of it. I also have a toy drawer for any type of occasions that would warrant toys. Sounds weird, but this has come up many a time. I will explain each stuffed animal and their character for the night:

1. Victoria: Strawberry Shortcake. I loved her and she still smells. Faintly.

2. Edward: Ewok. I, as did lots of 80's kids, loved Star Wars. The Ewok will make Ewok noises when lights go on and off. :)

3. Bella: Cabbage Patch Doll. Not just any doll, but my mom MADE it. She used to make cabbage patch dolls for us. I remember Chad had the best one. It was Mr T. It even had a mohawk and jewelry.

4. Jacob: ET. Why put my favorite doll with Jacob when I am obviously not team Jacob? It just fit. I love that ET is peering out from behind the picture, almost to say "I'm over this." Some of you know I had a picture craze with ET in college and after. That is a whole other post.

Enjoy the pics. We had a great time and I was not disappointed. I've already seen again. Traci didn't go to the movie, but she came over to the pre-party and brought Caroline. It was too late before we thought to put her in a Renesme shirt, maybe at the next premiere.

NY

I am just now writing about our NY and Boston trip. Crazy how time goes by so quickly! In May, Jack and I visited New York and Boston, which we have been wanting to do for a while. We wanted to see the area, but the main reason was to visit dear friends. In Brooklyn, Jack and I stayed with super hosts, Sam and Lindsey. Lindz went to BA with me and was my roomie post college. Lindz is a dear dear friend and I had been wanting to visit to see where she lives all the adventures she's been telling me about. Sam is her super smart and fun husband who also graciously hosted. We arrived on Friday and they took us to their favorite cheap, but delicious, pizza place in Brooklyn, followed by an incredible shopping trip to the local vintage shops. So jealous because not only are these pretty much warehouses full of vintage clothing, it's also cheap! What?! After seeing their adorable place and area, Williamsburg, we headed into the city for a stroll around Rockefeller and 5th avenue. Highlights:

*scary smiley faced mannequins

*NBC experience store-I literally could spend lots of dolla bills ya'll-and lindz next to giant wayne and garth heads

*Big beautiful church, names escapes me

*Underground apple store

*Stroll through central park

Next, we hit up where Sam works, the charming PJ Clarkes, that dates back to 1868. We were in the area and Sam had to go to work, so we took some apps and drinks before heading to MOMA. It was free and thank goodness. Jack would have never let me live this down. I wouldn't describe Jack and I as lovers of the modern art, but I saw some great things. Highlights:

*Nellie hair-see pic. (as in Nellie from Little House on the Prairie. Lindz and I have this inside joke thing because I told her one night at Tallyho that I was afraid of bows on presents that look like curls b/c they remind me of Nellie. She proceeds to throw one on me. Cue screams. Since then she often wraps gifts with Nellies.)

*ballerina with a gigantic nose as her head

*Woman sitting across from people, staring. Yes, this was the exhibit. She comes day in, day out and stares.

*Jack rolling eyes

Street food time. Gyros. Mmm.

Second day, Lindz makes us a DELICIOUS brunch. Out of this world. Homemade pop tarts with Nutella, people. On the veranda. No big deal. In Brooklyn, on the veranda with homemade brunch and great company. Score.

Next, Brooklyn Brewery. Awesome! It was like the middle school cafeteria, but cooler and we can drink. The tour was very short but the tour guide was charming. We then go to sort of market where everyone has booths full of their hand crafted items. This is not a lame flea market, this is a Brooklyn market! Ahh. Very groovy stuff. I got a sweet necklace with a cameo on it.

Beach bar. That may not be the name, but pina coladas were drank and sand was on the floor. All of a sudden it is time to get ready to meet Chad and Jess for dinner, but not before we ride a whale on the sidewalk :).

We meet Jess (high school bud!) and Chad at Lindz and Sam's favorite sushi restaurant. Let me tell you why this place was awesome: 1. no wait. 2. cheap 3. food was unbelievable. 4. Jess and Chad. I can tell you how proud I am to be all four of these people's friends. They are crazy talented and cool. Not just cool, but Brooklyn cool. That is a category all it's own, one that I definitely don't possess. They take us to Barcade, a Bar that has old arcade games lining the walls. I play paperboy. I lose. I think the thing was defective because I owned paperboy as a kid. Old lady chasing after you, grim reaper, barking dog. Bush coming out of no where. Check.

Next day we continue to do things on the "list". Yes, I keep of general list of the hot spots I'd like to see. Central Station. Carnegie Deli. Bryant Park. New York Library. On the way, we see David Letterman's Theatre. I see a sign for free tickets. We walk in and sign up. Hour later, the phone rings. 4 tickets to Dave! Lindz and Sam hadn't been either, so it was a pretty sweet deal.

Sam heads to work and we have extra time, so Lindz indulges me and we go to see Tom's Restaurant from Seinfeld. We get off the wrong stop to Harlem, but it was meant to be. All of sudden we stubble upon this gigantic church near Harlem. It was beautiful. I also saw the diner, got a picture. Too bad my eyes were closed!

I had to see the Dakota on the list, where John Lennon was shot. I thought maybe a special memorial or something would be there, but you wouldn't have known the place unless you've seen a picture. There were no signs and no memorials. Even the mosaic in central park to him was LAME! Oh, well. We had dinner this time at PJ Clarkes and Sam was our waiter. Best waiter I've ever had. Dinner was excellent. We had the full works and we were at Frank Sinatra's table. Everyone wants to sit there, not tonight because the Burg, Lindz, and Jack-boy have it. Smiles.

Next day was Dave time. The stars aligned. Kate from Lost was on. How perfect is that?! The show was so much fun and we were "VIP" because of our age. Only the young ones were in our VIP line. It was interesting and the pre-show was lots of yelling and hyping to get us pumped up for the show. Sam Rockwell, Aaron Kelly, and Million Dollar Quartet were also there. We sat in the front and got a great view of Dave. Paul Shaffer scared me. He looked like a certain male genitalia part. Sorry, I'm just being honest.

After the show, we were riding on the excitement of what we just experienced so we hit up the last bit of requests I had. Ground Zero, Staten Island Ferry, a walk on Brooklyn Bridge. The walk on the bridge was perfect. Almost like Sam and Lindz planned it. The sunset was exactly when we walked over.

Next day, we went to brunch at The Lodge and then Sam and Lindz saw us off. Brooklyn has so many brunch places. Right up my ally. We hated to leave. It was a great trip and one that we needed. The week before was the flood and our emotions were running high. We were exhausted and it was the perfect get-away. Thanks Lindz and Sam. *Special thanks to Jess and Chad, too!