Less then 48 hours in NYC

I have looked forward to Andy and Bethany's visit for over 6 months. Bethany had asked for suggestions on her blog as to what to do for their 10th wedding anniversary. Many suggestions were made, including mine to come to DC and see our part of the world and all the east coast family in their homes. I was blown away that it had been 10 years. That is the last time all 4 of my siblings and I were together. April 15, 2000. They were babies and we all wished them well. Had a fun rehearsal dinner in a Chinese restaurant you had to take your shoes off and climb on the floor to the tables.......authentic is what you'd call it I guess. She was a beautiful bride in her white sneaker's and Andy the cherub groom. She 19, he 20, oh youth!

(Andy is my brothers 4 child, 3rd son of a total of 6)

So as I had casually suggested they come to DC and see all our sights, I knew that Bethany thought east was Mt. Rushmore (in the west). She, having never been near, must less across the Mississippi river. I never in a million years thought we would be so lucky to have them actually come! They talked it over, decided yes and we were a go! Wahoo! Bethany and I e-mailed back and forth for months, picked times, when they could come, how she would line up care for her 4 sons. (Her Mom and Dad are gems to take on 4 under 9 for 6 days!) Then Bethany casually throws in they want to go to NYC too and see a show and have Lombardi's Pizza. Andy had seen a blurb on the food network about the best pizza in NYC (turns out I had seen the same one, cause I recognized the numbers in the bricks once we finally got there). OK! I've been around the world and somehow NYC has always intimidated me. Time to get over my fears and bite the bullet and do this! We picked a weekend, I bought the tickets, Bethany found the hotel and we were a go: 2 days DC, 2 days NYC. Hold on to your hats!

Fun is an understatement. I hope my old brain holds on to these memories for a long time. From the moment they arrived (half an hour early) to the moment they left everything worked out perfectly.

Below are just a few of my faves from NYC, more on the trip to follow.


Holland Tunnel, a long one.



Andy and Bethany in their first EVER cab ride! NYC



Andy and Bethany in time square hours before the SUV arrived! 5-1-10 (Anyone know how to turn this? It is right in my photos......)


We stumbeled upon Bubba Gumps for lunch in Times Square. Fantastic meal and fun stuff in the shop. The shirt says: "My Momma says I'm special"!


Proof we made it to Phantom of the Opera, amazing. Bethany looked smashing in her dress.


It truely is the best pizza ever, nothing will ever come close!

That is all for tonight, I am beat. Night.

Bethany is 30

Today my neice-in-law is 30. She is feeling old. I am not sure I can have much sympathy for her as I stare down half a century and would give anything to be at my 30 year mark rather than pushing 50 in a big way. I have gotten to know her through her wonderful ramblings on her blog. Thus she has inspired me to do the same with my humble blog as well.
Her post today is heartfelt and once again shows the depth of her thoughts, memory and emotions. I could not begin to cover each year of my life with such thought and conviction.
Tomorrow she and my nephew Andy arrive in DC/NYC for a whirlwind tour of 2 major cities in 4 short days that will zoom. How can you do DC/NYC in 4 days. Not sure but we will try and succeed to our contentment. I am so looking forward to being able to spend time with her in person and get to know the woman she has become. As we celebrate her 30 years of life and 10 years of marriage to my nephew Andy.

Panel 3

So, we are moving along.
Panel 3 is above, minus the borders, they may all look alike to you, they should. But Mom and I can see major differences. I am not sure we will get panel 4 done by May 4. But we will be darn close.
Bethany and Andy arrive on Wednesday (YIPPEE!)and the week will zoom and I'll get nothing done!

I was looking at all my stained glass posts and I see I have the Iris in the winter, here they are in the spring. I'll have to get summer and fall too, though the difference will not be so noticeable.

Sunday night and time for work already

Where does the time go?

This seems to be a recurring theme on many of our blogs. I say "Our" blogs as I look at my brothers children's blogs daily, save Susan who is only on facebook, which has far too many viruses for my taste, just wait till you get one. Thank heaven for Mr. computer husband o wonder who saved my computer and all my photos. Anyway.

An interesting thing has happened as of late. My nieces got me "into" this blog thing, which is kind of neat and much more fun that the jabber on facebook. So, I go for it, get addicted and every day hope for new posts from everyone. But no. Andrea has not posted since January 11, 2010 and now she is on some adventure to Florida leaving Todd with 6 children, one would think that Gideon is with Mom the main source for food. But who knows as I only gleaned that from facebook, and try to get Todd on the phone....good luck. They treat the phone like the TV, bad juju. Quite understanding about Andrea as she does have 7 children and a small zoo to tend to (other than her children), she was the first one to try to get me hooked. A very long time ago on another blog site that was not so user friendly. So I bit and now everyone else is too busy to post.

Marcy did turn me on to the cool blog back rounds and she is getting better about posting as I think she is like me. "Hey everyone, Where are the daily posts?"

I admit it was Bethany's daily stories that got me interested and then willing to play too. But my life is not so full of so many fun stories. Mindy is at least keeping us up to date on her diet (good for her, the brat! :) ), and an occasional post about the children. And Holly is good in fits and spurts. So, I'll try to be better, but my life is not so full of children, or animals or adventures. Work and snow lately.

I've started a mini cross stitch for a friend who just has a baby boy. Case Elijah Oppenheim. Chase I like, Case? Not so sure he won't be teased about his name, but think it is a family name from someone who survived the Nazis so that is a good honor.

Otherwise the weekend has zoomed by. Tim was in school Sat AM to make up for a missed class from snowmaggeden here in DC. I had the house cleaned and ran car errands; filled the tank, had the car washed and went to jiffy lube. (You can print $5.00 coupons on line anytime you want to go...$5.00 is $5.00). Went to the grocery and came home to veg in front of the Olympics. Today was really a blurr. Only got dressed to dig out the recycle for the trash on Tuesday. All our cans are in 3 feet of drifted snow......hear a recurring theme here. SNOW SNOW SNOW!

Bethany did get our reservations for NYC! YEA! So looking forward to their visit, which will be a total whirl wind, at least I am off from work, so that will be nice, just too short. Ten years of marriage. WOW. And Bethany will be 30! Where does the time go? I remember her in her sneakers as a bride in Utah at the temple. She seemed so young, oh, she was 19!!!!!! She was young, and look at her now, 30 and the mother of 4 sons!

So off to work on Monday. Kate is going back to Haiti on Wednesday so have found a few household things to send with her. When you have nothing, anything is good.