Lunch Date!

Lunch with friends at the CFA corporate office! That's Me, Amy Cathy, and LeighAnn! Good times! :)

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Reminiscing....

My best friend, LeighAnn, recently had a birthday...and her awesome husband surprised her with a trip this spring to her favorite city (and mine!) New York!! The last time he surprised her with a trip to "the city" (our affectionate name for it) was Christmas of 2006 when he collaborated with my husband for a joint gift. They sent the both of us for a weekend trip....GIRLS ONLY! It was fabulous! I can't believe our weekend was 2 years ago this week! We had a wonderful time and had a great getaway. I posted a blog about it on my myspace page shortly after we returned....so, seeing as it's the anniversary of our trip, (and in honor of LeighAnn's upcoming trip) I thought I'd repost my blog detailing our trip. Enjoy!! :) [By the way, Leigh...I think it's time for another girls only trip!!]

So...you all know that LeighAnn and I took a trip to NYC this past weekend courtesy of the sweetest husbands on earth. I just thought I'd "spill the beans" on our trip. (Don't worry LeighAnn...I won't spill all of them!!)

So, we left for New York early Thursday morning -- earlier than we had planned because Delta cancelled our original flight! OH NO! We were able to secure seats on the flight that left an hour earlier than our original flight. So, despite some pretty heavy turbulence about half-way through we made it to NYC by about 11:00 or so. We took a cab to our hotel and seeing as how check-in isn't until 3 and it's wasn't even noon yet, our room wasn't ready. We stayed at the Marriot Marquis in Times Square and fortunately for us, they had a baggage holding area so we didn't have to hold on to our luggage for 4 hours!

Since we had to wait to "check-in" officially, we decided to walk down to Grand Central Station for lunch. We ate at Juniors and then went to "stand-by" at Rachael Ray....sadly, there were no tickets available. They even turned away people that had tickets!! Apparently, they overbook to ensure a full audience. So...after freezing while standing in line for about an hour, we warmed up w/coffee at Starbucks and then headed back towards the hotel. We were finally able to check-in (our room was on the 42nd floor with a partial view of Times Square). We shopped for a while in Times Square until it was time for dinner (at Carmines! -- they have delicious Chicken Parm.) and then of to Mary Poppins -- which was PHENOMENAL!!!! I was very impressed w/the show! It is definitely one I could see again and again!

On Friday...we decided we would go sight-seeing. So...we hailed a cab to go to the World Trade Center. I had chills all over the whole time we were there. We walked around for quite a while....looked at all the memorial photo's....then walked over to South Seaport. There we had the BEST Mexican lunch at "Red." It was FAB!!! SO yummy! From there we walked all over the city.....and I mean ALL over. Miles and miles!!! We went to see the Statue of Liberty -- from a distance anyway, we didn't go on the Ferry because it was a very overcast day, sort of dreary. We did walk around Battery Park a little...then we made our way towards the Empire State Building and along the way saw the Book Store that was used as a model for You've got Mail. It was very quaint, complete with dancing cupcakes in the adjacent snack shop. We also stopped at the Scholastic book store. We went inside the Empire St. Bldg but didn't go up because the visibility was only 1 mile. It's not worth the $20 if you can't see anything! From the Empire St. Bldg. we hailed a cab back to the hotel to get ready for Lion King. We went to Bubba Gump for dinner because of our Pizza fiasco. We were told by the Conceirge at our hotel there was a great (reasonably priced) pizza place 2 blocks down -- turns out, it was not so reasonably priced! We knew of another pizza place closer to our hotel (and the Lion King -- it was right across the street from the hotel) but it was PACKED and we only had an hour. So we scarfed down our Bubba Gump and made it to The Lion King with 15 minutes to spare! The show was GREAT! We had awesome seats...center front row on the balcony. It was quite a night of entertainment!

On Saturday we went SHOPPING! We walked down to Central Park for breakfast then walked all around Madison for the shopping. We went to both Trump Towers and went to so many stores! We probably had the most fun shopping in Bloomingdales...the "concierge" there really helped us out a lot and we learned you really have to be in shape to try on spanx! (enough said!). We basically shopped all day....finally made it back to the hotel at a good time for dinner. We ate at Johns Pizza (the place that was packed the night before) and chowed down! It was the best pizza! We had a yummy garlic, spinach, and tomato pizza.....So yummy.... After that, we shopped a little more at Times Square...went to Toys R Us, M&M World, and the Hershey Store. From there we decided to go have a nice dessert and ended up at Bubba Gump again. The waitress was EXTREMELY chatty....turns out, she was from GA and she and I went to the same college...AND her name was Angie! Weird!!! After dessert we just went back to the hotel. On the way back to our hotel (a total of 1 1/2 blocks) we stopped to take pictures of Times Square and that's when a couple of strange men wanted us to take their picture (see my pic's!)....we obliged just so they would leave us alone. They were obviously quite intoxicated and wanted to know why people told them they should not wear pink! There really is never a dull moment in Times Square!!!!

Sunday...we had to leave the hotel by 8:30 to get to the airport in time for our flight and we encountered one of the worst cab drivers ever! He had NO idea how to get to the airport and spent the entire trip holding a map and talking (more like yelling) on the cell phone (I guess to a dispatch operator or something)!! He talked in his native tongue which I didn't even recognize, drove about 90 miles an hour and if that wasn't bad enough, he was a spit talker!! GROSS! So, anyway...the trip to the airport was $33 and since we were really surprised we made it there we decided to just give him $35....the guy looks at the cash and says...the fare is $33 and you only give me $2 tip???? We were SHOCKED! So, LeighAnn says "Have a nice day" and we walked away!!!! I was trying so hard not to crack up laughing in front of the guy! He's lucky he even got any tip at all! And we thanked our lucky stars that we made it to the airport!

We really had a great time (can you tell?) and have decided we must take a trip together annually! It went by so fast we weren't ready to go home!! However, we did get the warmest welcome any Mommy could ask for....as we entered into the baggage claim area in ATL we were greeted by those wonderful husbands of ours....ALL 5 of our children (my 3 and LeighAnn's 2) complete with "Welcome Home Mommy" signs.....it was precious!

Book recommendations??

I'm in need of some new books to read. I just finished Same Kind of Different as Me (I know book titles are supposed to be underlined, but I can't figure out how to do it!!). I've also already read The Shack (I was not impressed). I don't care for Science Fiction or Fantasy Books. I do love Christian Literature.

What do you recommend?

Ipod Shuffle...aka Go Light Your World

I saw this on another blog I follow and thought that it would be fun to try it out on my blog. It's the Ipod Shuffle!

1. Put your iPod (or MP3 player) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag friends who might enjoy doing the note as well as the person you got the note from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Shout to the North -- Delerious

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Jive Talkin' -- The BeeGees

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Jewels -- The Peasall Sisters

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Remember Me -- Mark Shultz

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Our Last Summer -- Mamma Mia Soundtrack

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Peace of Mind -- Boston

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Tonight The Heartache's on Me -- Dixie Chicks

WHAT IS 2+2?
When There Was Me and You -- High School Musical Soundtrack

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
You Do All Things Well -- Chris Tomlin

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
How Great Is Our God -- Chris Tomlin

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Soak Up The Sun -- Sheryl Crow

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Lifesong -- Casting Crowns

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Clumsy -- Fergie

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Amazing -- Janelle

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Fergalicious -- Fergie

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
When a Man Loves a Woman -- Percy Sledge

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
What About Love -- Heart

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Life is a Highway -- Rascal Flatts

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
I Wanna Know What Love Is -- Foreigner

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Chasing Cars -- Snow Patrol (lol!)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Don't Matter -- Akon

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Love of My Life -- Jim Brickman

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
To the Only God -- David Crowder

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
For Good -- Wicked Soundtrack

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Take On Me -- A-ha

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
This Man -- Jeremy Camp

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Summer Love -- Justin Timberlake

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
There's Your Trouble -- Dixie Chicks

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Go Light Your World -- Chris Rice

I tag anyone who reads this!!!! So, if you are willing to do it, let me know by leaving a comment and I'll come read your shuffle! :)

"Her lens popped out"

So today, I'm sitting on the couch watching "The Women" when I get a phone call from the Elementary School. As a mom, when you see that number pop up on caller ID you know it's usually not a good thing. So, I answer and hear, "Hi Mrs. Lindley, this is Nurse Liz, don't panic everyone is okay." Whew, that's a relief. The nurse then says, "I just wanted to call you and let you know Emma was just in my office and her lens popped out." At this point, I'm totally confused. Her lens popped out?? What?? The nurse, having no idea that I have no clue as to what she is talking about, goes on to explain that Emma had been in the lunchroom when it popped out so they sent her to the clinic to have it fixed. So, finally I say, "What lens are you talking about?" and she said she was talking about Emma's glasses. So, I tell her, Emma doesn't wear glasses....are you sure you called the right mother (there is another Emma in her class that does, in fact, wear glasses). Fortunately, Nurse Liz was a great sport...she knew she had the right Emma (and the right Mom) and just laughed it off. Poor thing spent 15 minutes fixing those glasses! Turns out, Emma had taken a pretend pair of glasses to school with her today without my knowledge! I was just thankful it was something simple as a popped out lens, and not anything more serious like a stomach bug. Fortunately, we've been spared from those!

Zumba, anyone??

I tried Zumba out 2 weeks ago. It's a new class that is being offered at my gym, Bodyplex. So far, I really like it. It's more fun than actual exercising, but don't get me wrong...it burns some calories! I've burned over 500 calories each time I've taken the class. (I wear a HR monitor watch during class, that's how I know how any calories I burn.) I'm hoping they add more classes to the schedule. Currently, it's only offered at 4:30 on Tuesday afternoons. I'd like to see it offered in the morning one or two days a week. If you want to get "physical" but aren't looking for standard aerobics, look for a Zumba class near you! It's SO much fun!

Off to Zumba!!!

Rough weekend....

Saturday was a bittersweet day for our family...as I guess it will always be. It was my Dad's birthday, but also the 9th anniversary of my brother's death. Time is a strange thing. It does not heal all wounds. The death of a loved one creates a void, an emptiness that can not be replaced. It's like a missing puzzle piece. There is not a day that goes by that we don't think of Robby. It's amazing...my kids never met him, I was 20 weeks pregnant with Emma when he died, but they each have a little "Robby-ness" to them. Amy is the most like him. She's never quiet, and she has a bit of a mean streak. She's even left handed like he would have been if he hadn't of had a stroke as a baby.

Each year feels a little different. I'm thankful that I'm another year closer to seeing him again, but sad that it's been so long since I've seen him. He was an awesome brother, always willing to take care of his little sister. I'm thankful for all of the fun memories I have with him and I love how sometimes something will pop in my mind at just the time I need it most. I always enjoy hearing other peoples stories about Robby. Sometimes it's things I've never heard before, others it's things I may have forgotten. I'll never tire of talking or hearing about Robby. If you have any memories to share, please do!

I hope this post isn't too jumbled. My head has all sorts of thoughts swimming around. I just felt like writing some of them down.