The Blue Ribbons: June is Here Already?!?

6/1/10
The girls are getting ready for their pictures for dance. Here are the ones we took in the yard.

These are the poses the girls picked on their own! hehe

Now Sister's turn...

Now here are the ones from the studio. They did a great job, I think!

Oh how I love my girls!!!

6/11/10

SOOOO... it finally has arrived!!! I am going to NY/Philly/DC!

Angie and I have our tickets, and we are ready!!! BRING ON NY!

We had an overnight flight, and I don't sleep well as it is. And, as you can see in the picture above, I was tired already. I didn't sleep at all. The man behind me kept talking, the man next to me was snoring, and the recline of the seat just wasn't enough. So... I was up.

By the time we got there, it was a day earlier than planned, so we went to see if our hotel would accept us early, and lucky for us they did... but, if we checked in early, we would be paying 10 bucks an hour early... So, we checked in our luggage, and then went on our way. haha We headed in to NYC to see some of the sights!
6/12/10

And, we even saw Harrison Ford, a few days before he got married. This is what happened...

Angie (in a not so quiet voice, but not loud either) - Hey, is that Harrison Ford?

Diggy (looking over in his direction, in the same tone) - Yeah, I think it is... I don't know...

Harrison Ford looks over our direction, and smiles an amazing smile, nods his head as if to verify that it was him, and then turned his head back toward his direction. Toward Central Park.

Angie- Oh my GOSH! We just saw HARRISON FORD!!!

Diggy - I can't believe it! Where is my camera?

Here are the shots I got... and what I get for trying to take a picture on a fast NYC street!

He is BEHIND the bus!

Trying again...

Hmmm... that didn't work out too well! hahaha It was fabulous to know we saw him, though! And, he was so handsome. His hair was longer, and all platinum/grey... just gorgeous! :) What a cool thing!

So, we head into Central Park and took a Taxi Bike. After all, we were tired, and didn't have much energy after not sleeping from the plane ride. So...

Here was Enign (said Enyen).

And, here are our pictures from our tour on bike.

There was a birds nest in the light... pretty funny!

This was Balto, was a Siberian Husky sled dog who led his team on the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome, in which diphtheria antitoxin was transported from Anchorage, Alaska to Nenana, Alaska by train and then to Nome by dog sled to combat an outbreak of the disease. (I really didn't know all of this, but just wanted to sound knowledgeable. haha Wikipedia, darlings!)

Just a beautiful tree.

This little quaint area that people were renting canoes and going out in the water with them. If you were to look over to the right side, the restaurant Serendipity is nestled in between some trees... if I am remembering correctly, that is. Remember... going off of NO sleep here! haha

Engin working hard... poor kid! haha

New money, or old money... either way... money! rofl

~Time to take a break.... insert music here~
DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH...
DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH, DAH...
♪♪♬♩♫♩♫ So no-one told you life was gonna be this way?
*CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP*
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love lifes DOA! ♫ ♪♪♩♫

♫♪♪♩♬♫It's like you're always stuck in second gear
And it hasn't been your day, your week,
your month, or even your year but... ♬♪♩♫♩♫

♫♩♫♩I'll be there for you
When the rain starts to pour
♪♬♩♫♩I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you ♩♫♫♩
'Cuz you're there for me too ♪♩♫♩♬

Imagine all the people ♫
♫♪♬ Living for today...
Yoohoooooo
You may say that I'm a dreamer,
But I am not the only one. ♫♪

I hope someday you'll join us ♬♫♪
And the world will live as one!♫♬♩♫

♫♪♬♩♫ Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out. ♪♬♩♫
It doesn't matter much to me. ♫♪

♫♬♪♪Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
♩♬♫Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever.♫♪♬♪

Ok, really... it was a FUN and eventful day, but we went back to the hotel at this point, and went to sleep. It was good to be in a bed to sleep... more to come!☾

6/13/10

Today is the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I am so excited! It has been a long time. I did, however, forget that along the way I got to walk past the site of where the Twin Towers once stood, along with the others that are gone as well... I had a lump in my throat as we walked to this place that I remember VERY differently. WOW... that was hard.

We walked by the old American Stock Exchange building as well...

So many memories!

I don't know what it is, but I love memorials... I feel a sense of peace, gratefulness, and liberty when I see them!

This was above this...

On our way out to Lady Liberty, we also saw some amazing views of Manhattan. Here is one of them. It was a hazy day, but still just so pretty!

And, this is where we headed first. =D

Isn't she beautiful? I love her!

Here we are... very happy to have been able to go there. We didn't go inside because we weren't able to. We were told that we had to reserve the tickets a month or so in advance, so that stunk!!

Now on our way to Ellis Island!

It was amazing to walk through this building and to hear everything people had to go through to become a citizen of this country. I am so grateful to be here... You first walked into this huge room!

Then you saw some stairs that you needed to walk up to start the tour. There were three levels... this was the way of knowing if people were in good health so they could make it to the next phase.

Then into this huge room with many people in it. All waiting...

After this desk, they went in through some doors that are on the right... and thus started their journey. Questions asked to see if they were mentally stable, tests by doctors to see if they were healthy, or had anything communicable that could be passed on, then if they were not mentally stable, it would go as far as appearing before people in a room in the kind of setting that you would see in a courtroom... these were only a couple of the things. It was incredible to see all they went through!
Then we went to the gift shop, and honestly, as much as I wanted a German Beer Stein to take home just because of my hubby's descent, I decided upon this gorgeous mask. :)

And then I made Angie try one on with me! hehee

Ok, I really didn't make her, but... they were cool!
Then on our way back in another cool pic!

We then went and took a tour from the Fire Fighters Tours of the Twin Towers.

This was a pretty cool panoramic that I got from one place that overlooked the whole site. The white tunnel you see on the right is the only tunnel that stayed standing throughout the whole thing. We walked through it to get to the building we were at, which was a Mall, but used as a hospital for people who needed to be treated afterwards. It was so sad because they didn't have (if I remember correctly) any people (maybe one) come in to be treated, and they expected thousands.

Then this was created for the 11 employees of American Express. It is called 11 Tears made of a 600-pound, tear-shaped Brazilian quartz, carved with 11 sides (one side for each employee lost), is suspended at the center of the memorial. The quartz hangs from 11 thin cables over the center of an eleven sided black granite pool. The names of the victims are inscribed on the sides of the pool. And there are 11 drops (the tears) that fall from the ceiling into the pool... It is gorgeous!

. Here is what it looked like when looking at the ceiling. One of the lights was out, but still... you get the picture! ;)

Then we went back to the memorial at which we started. It had things inside as well.

The little sign next to this described a witnesses account of how they saw the pandemonium right after it happened, and how they stepped over this large piece of metal, and being someone who worked in aviation, they knew it was a row of windows from an airplane.
These were things just found all around the wreckage. Notice the spoon and fork... for some reason, those freaked me out...

This one was the most horrific for me.... a lamb. :`(

The sign below it read...

This is where we had to stop because the memorial was closing, but we were told to come back the following day to finish the tour. This was the start of the wall of all the missing people posters...

We then left to go to Little Italy to see if my old favorite restaurant was there... and it was gone! I was so sad!

But, we were famished, so we went to this little place called Sal's Pizzeria. These are everywhere, and Sal has good Pizza (though not the best), and so we got a cheese pizza and garlic knots. Anyone who has been to NY knows that the garlic knots are the best thing ever... well, next to the Pizza, that is! ;)

Then as we were walking back, I realized that we were some place I REALLY wanted to be... BLOOM STREET! This is where my favorite actor lived, and died (unfortunately). Heath Ledger! :)

This was it... 421! And, I bet the person inside being the security guard was wondering what I was doing! haha

And, here is from across the way... I now have it forever! hehe

Then, we went back to the hotel for the night. Time for more sleep!

6/14/10

We got up and went to the 9/11 Memorial again... It really is so touching, and heart wrenching.

Some of the missing... I am sorry these pictures are blurry. We couldn't take flash photography.

This was going downstairs... if you don't know anything about Origami Cranes, then here is the reasoning for it. The design impetus arises from an ancient Japanese legend that promises that anyone who folds a thousand 1,000 paper cranes will be granted a wish by the crane honored in origami form. A creature that has assumed mythical significance partly due to the popular belief that it has a lifespan of a thousand years, the crane has become associated in Asia with healing properties. In Japanese popular culture, the Thousand Origami Cranes (Senbazuru or Zenbazuru) has come to reference world peace through the poignant story of Sadako Sasaki, a girl who contracted leukemia as a result of radiation from the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II. "Please treasure the life that is given to you," Sadako said before her death on October 25, 1955. "It is my belief that my small paper crane will enable you to understand other people's feelings, as if they are your own." Chains of brightly hued paper cranes were a familiar sight decorating firehouses, respite centers, neighborhood schools, and the border areas around Lower Manhattan's “'frozen zone”' in the weeks and months after 9/11. I encourage you to visit this page and take a look at it as well... it is amazing!! Origami Gifts

I was very touched by this.

And, the last thing I have from the Memorial site we visited.

It meant so much to me. I believe that we as a Country can still be held together, no matter the storms that arise. It told me that we are stronger than what we realize, and that nothing can tear us from each other and what this Country was built upon.

This was a sculpture called The Sphere that was located in the Plaza in the middle of the area in between the World Trade Towers and it had remained structurally intact from the collapsing of the buildings, and also the debris from the airplanes that had hit the buildings.

It was moved into Battery Park, and an Eternal Flame was placed by it as well.

Here is what the plaque says.

Now, onto things that are more fun... This bull is a big sign of Wall Street. :)

Here I am, with the bull, and taking it by the horn... hahaha

Across from this is a statue of George Washington.

And this was engraved below him...

And this was just a beautiful chapel when you looked back up Wall Street!

We then met my friend for food, and chatting! I have missed him! It was great to meet up with him! :)

And then, another on our way out...

Angie also was talking on the phone, and noticed a billboard of Yoda, and apparently, she calls her hubby this, and that is who was on the phone with her! hahaha So, we took a pic of it.

We also ran into the Church of Scientology, and I had to take a picture! haha

Sorry, though... didn't see Tom Cruise! ;)
We went over to Greenwich Village to walk around and ran into the other tiles that were sent in after 9/11.

What a magnificent day! Tomorrow has more in store! :)

6/15/10

We were on the Today Show today! It was so exciting!

The space there is SO much smaller than it looks on TV! It was crazy!

Such a CUTIE!! Love Ann Curry!

Then Jillian Michaels came out too! YAY! I just told her she was a doll, and she said, "Oh, THANK you! You are so sweet!" in a very sincere voice. But, I didn't know she had a tat, did you??

Photo Op... taking advantage of documenting! ;) hahaha

Mr Al Roker... gotta love him!

Our time with our bestest buddy! We are like thistight! ;)

And you can't forget the lawyer man that stands out there EVERY day... we had to get our pic with him as well!

R A D I O C I T Y M U S I C H A L L

Empire State Building!

This is a cool panoramic pic that I had Angie take of me with it!

Inside, and going up!

Tickets, please? This picture got the lady in front of me and my nails better than it did the ticket! hahaha

And, even though you can't see it yet... Angie is terrified!!!

This is the 'What was I thinking? You let me do this?' look.

But, then it became 'What the HECK are we doing here?"

And, it is no lie in saying she was TERRIFIED!!!

She was a bit calmer when she met the really nice elevator lady.

I liked her too!

Then we met Kong! He seemed pretty nice...

Up at the top was amazing!!!

Angie made it through! :) YAY!

My FAVORITE pizza that I really want to learn how to make!!!

On our way to Coney Island... LOVE the beach!

The beach! YAY!

It was a bit crowded...

But I didn't CARE!

Can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store!

6/16/10

Today was a day that I have been excited for! Going back to my old place where I used to live. I miss it there. We had to go to a place I frequented often as well... Grand Central Terminal! :)

I think it is interesting how I could actually miss this hustle and bustle... ???

After this we went and rented a car, and saw this sign... we don't know how enforced it really is...

We then went on our way to see a class that Angie had corresponded with over the last year as a pen pal system, but, I am not going to put up pics of this because I don't have authority to with the minors, or the teacher... but, they were all really sweet!

On our way to my old home, we passed by a bridge... what is it with me and bridges?

Then we hit my place. Ok, my old place! hahaha

I miss this place so much!

And, then we went and picked up a pizza from my fave Pizzeria, and then headed to the park that I used to frequent. Mmmmmm

And, the scenery was just like I remembered!

Had Angie take a picture of me.

This is just a section in the middle of this park.

On our way out, looking back in.

Another of a different angle/area.

And, on our way out in the car I had to take a picture of the little brown building that is a beach club that I used to take the kids to. If you look close enough, you can see the beach area behind the brown building.

This was just a way I used to take to get to a friends house... and I always loved this bridge.

We drove around for another hour or so to places that I used to frequent, and are now heading home... tired as all get out. Tomorrow awaits, and on to Philly!

I <3 NY!

6/17/10

We stopped in Hoboken, NJ for a little R&R... at Carlos Bake Shop... aka The Cake Boss's place. ;)