{Life as we live it}

NYC...

{photo heavy post} i haven't really made a lot of solo trips in the last year, especially since i knew this year was packed full w/ family trips & lots of home projects, too. i remember when Tyler stated that he wished he could go to a lot of the places i've (&Tim) been & one of them being New York. so, i thought it would be cool to take them there for an overnight stay. but then Tim mentioned he had to travel to CT for work & that we could just stay w/ him & take the train into the city...HELL YEAH! we jumped right on that. we couldn't wait for August to arrive.

Tim took the train up on a Sunday & that early Tuesday morning, the kids & i eagerly packed our bags & left town w/out looking back. we met Tim at his hotel & enjoyed dinner out at PF Changs. i gathered some maps & picked out places to visit while in the city later that evening...

off to the train station in Stamford we went. i love my kids. i love that they do silly stuff like this w/out me telling them to!! it's such a nice surprise :)

kids enjoyed their first ride in a taxi, a taxi that had a tv & an debit/cc machine, haha!

ironically, after posting a photo of the kids on Facebook, my two girlfriends, Robyn & Becky, mentioned they were going to be in NYC the same day we were. talk about coincidence! we were all so excited!!! we met w/ them at the American Museum of Natural History & began our journey w/ them :)

us mom's being silly imitating the rather naked statue in the background...

the subway was a nice little venture. held up the line to purchase our tickets, LOL!

almost got lost on the subway as we kept second guessing ourselves about which train to take to FAO Schwarz store...finally asked someone for verification...

the kids enjoyed the fast ride on the subway as we all almost missed out stop & nearly scared the pits out of a passenger as we all ran off the subway freaking out we'd lose someone...

there is always at least two photos i snap that are wicked washed out b/c i forgot to change my settings...

this is as close as we got to the Statue of Liberty...

very cool display...we couldn't figure out if she was real or not...

oh yes, a trip into Tiffany's was much needed...so lovely!

the one & only food photo during our trip at the Stardust Diner, which was so darn cool! we loved it. the burgers were out of this world, it was crazy loud & extremely entertaining. loved dancing in our seats & singing to songs as the wait staff performed. i devoured the Blue Suede Burger...so yum!!!

group shot at M&M World, our last stop before heading back to Grand Central Station and parting w/ our friends. we had such a great time, it was bittersweet & so much fun!

we had the hardest time picking out treats to take back w/ us. i didn't even get t-shirts, maybe next time.

one of the things i wanted to do was visit Time Square. but we knew that being out too late would not be a good thing when you're a female traveling alone w/ two kids. since the day had been raining off & on, we were lucky that the cloudy day made it even more memorable to see the billboards light up a little early as we were heading back to the train station. i was SO excited. i couldn't stop snapping pictures. i wish we had extra time to sit & just watch people in passing.

we still have the Rockefeller Center, Liberty Island, World Trade Center & the Empire State Building to visit on our next trip. the best part of the trip was the excitement in the kids eyes, which made me even more excited sharing the experience w/ them.

ok, this is a LONG post. i didn't intend for it to be wordy w/ all the photos, ha. oh well. happy hump day!

our life in pictures...

i have a LOT of photos to share from over the summer, which includes a lot of editing to get them up on the blog. so, i am going to use Wednesday's as my day for photo sharing instead of wordless wednesdays. thought i'd change it up a bit...

our summer has been packed w/ activities. we practically lived in our suitcases. i didn't even bother putting them away when we arrived back home, b/c i knew we would have to repack w/in a week or more, ha. the kids & i drove to my parents for the Labor Day weekend. Corinne was still getting over her cold, but she was a lot better & then i ended up catching her cold that Friday...yuk! not fun, but i made the most of it.here are some photos from the trip to Sandbridge beach & my parents cookout...

my favorite photo from the trip...that's a look i'm sure she will give me for the rest of my life...sigh!

he would've stayed in the water until sunset if i had let him, lol...

it was really nice to sit back & relax in the sunshine...

that's pretty much our last trip to the beach this season...good times...

Sunday, my parents hosted a cookout at their house. they have a group of friends they hang out w/ each month and on a weekly basis they enjoy getting together, eating, drinking, laughing, playing card games, etc.

caught Pop's on camera w/ his beer...hehehehe ;)

deep fried whiting...i had one. it was good. i've not had fried fish in a very long time, so good...

Ty w/ his Uncle Isaiah...

my bro has some wicked cool tattoo's. i love this collage of bats on his left arm. he's had it for several years, too. i so want one, just need to figure out what & where to put it. i think next time i'm going to do a photo shoot w/ him showing off his tattoos. that would be fun...

really going to miss summer, now to be back to reality...

i miss OBX...

our last day at OBX, we enjoyed our last big breakfast at the b&b...i think i 2nds & 3rds each day, which probably explains the 9lbs i had gained upon our return ;) hahaha! i think this two seater table had our name on it, b/c we ate breakfast & enjoyed happy hour there every single day!

quite honestly, i am all beached out, but would love to be back in the OBX again...like SOON!!! there are so many more places i want to visit & restaurants to try. i really want to take the kids there, they would love it so much!

view from our room...not the best, but you could at least see the ocean!

the b&b...

this was a nice & quiet place to sit...

each room was named after a colonist that traveled from England to the US in the 1500's & we lucked out w/ John Spendlove :)

last couple selfie pic...i think Tim was so glad i didn't make him pose two or more times a day to snap photos of us, LOL.

on our way back to my parents, we stopped off a few shops to pick up a gifts for my parents & the kids. lots of t-shirts were bought, too. it was great to be back seeing the kids & my parents & bro.

being back home has been nice. i think we stayed inside for three days straight, that's how tired we were. the back to back beach vacations wore us out! now to enjoy the rest of our summer at the lake, day trips to D.C., hanging out at the neighbors pool & as Tyler would say, chillax, all before our next week venture to NYC.

xo!

 

OBX day 4 - hang gliding...

hang gliding was probably the best adventure during our OBX vacay! it was something new, different & exhilarating FUN! it was a HOT Sunday morning when we trekked up the sand dunes. a whopping 131 degrees to be exact. there was plenty of water for everyone, but we also brought our own. we both managed to finish 6 bottles by the time we headed back down to receive our certificates & honestly, i could have had more.

i wish i had a better photo of the instructor pictured above, b/c he looked & sounded like Matthew Mcconaughey. he could easily pass as his brother for sure. it was surreal. i was going to say something to the guy, but i didn't. i'm sure he's been asked or told many times before, ha!

i had awesome take off & flight, but my landing was sure horrible, LOL! as you can see above, i'm about to crash into the sand, hahaha!

Tim had much better landing...he's got skillz ;)

oh, i can't wait to do this again. even though it was extremely hot, it was well worth the five flights!

when we headed back to the hotel, we quickly showered & rested. we were so burnt out, i couldn't think of doing anything else, LOL. i ended up napping for almost 2 hours...woke up just in time for happy hour ;) hahahaha!

for our last meal, we had dinner at the Black Pelican. their food was YUM! very cool setting, right off the by the water, which was nice!

before we went to see Savages, we stopped back at Trio to pick up a t-shirt for me. they had beer 50% off, too. we couldn't refuse, so we indulged in some cocktails before the movies :)

it was a GOOD day!!!

 

 

OBX day3 - cape hatteras + wine & beer...

in the past 30 days, i've been lucky to cross a few things off my life list & one of them was to visit & climb the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, 248 spiral steps all the way up to the top...that is high.

 

another extremely hot & humid day. but once we made it to the top, the strong winds cooled us off. if you leaned against the lighthouse, you could feel it slightly move...freaky, but so cool at the same time.

breathtaking views all around!

Tim is afraid of heights...the fact that he got that close to the edge to film the view took a lot of guts, that's for sure.

& we didn't stay on the balcony for five minutes, it was more like 20. the ranger there was really nice & answered a lot of our questions.

down below, we visited the two homes where it was nice & cool before heading back to OBX.

during our drive back, lots & lots of cars were lined up on the side of the roads along the islands with vacationers & locals checking out the beach views, kite boarding, basking in the sun & kayaking. it was pretty wild, but not so good for some who's vehicles were stuck in the sand.

after the hour drive and a quick stop for lunch, we headed back to the hotel to relax and i spent some time with my long time girlfriend, Lori & her daughter, Lauren, by our Inn's pool. it was a fun time and VERY relaxing. the water was extremely warm.

during our vacation, i picked out all the restaurants where we'd dine for dinner & one of them was at Trio Wine, Beer & Cheese...MY HAPPY PLACE ;)

this is new to me, tasting wine through a dispensing machine. they give you a card, you select a taste, which was around 1 or 1.5oz, half glass or full glass if you like it a lot. the price varied from low to high end. there were four that i just LOVED & i even bought a bottle, a 2009 Ferrari Carano, Cab Sauv, Alexander Valley. it's rich, smooth, no tannin aftertaste and a perfect summertime wine. a California wine that i am going to have to try & find locally.

food was good, too. they have lots of paninis to try even a cheese bar, that i didn't get to try. maybe next time. it was a great place that i hope to visit again some day soon.

they also have a huge selection of draft beers and other specialty beers. Tim really enjoyed the Banana Bread Beer...i tried it & it was really delish. not heavy at all, crisp and clean, so light! many others that were in the bar area bought it as well.

OBX: days 1+2

a photo heavy post...while the kids stayed w/ my parents, Tim & i celebrated our 10th anniversary down in OBX for 5 days. we had an awesome time!!! this vacation was a much needed getaway for the both of us.

we stayed at First Colony Inn, an adorable and cozy bed & breakfast. i've always wanted to stay in a b&b & so glad i did...i'm now spoiled!!!

the first day we kept it simple, picked up a few things at the local market for our room, drove up & down the strip to see where everything was, had a super light dinner, planned out the rest of our visit & enjoyed happy hour at the Inn while relaxing on the back deck.

on Friday, day 2, we ventured off to the beach, which was not crowded at all. it was perfect.

the water was pretty, so blue & so clear. nice size waves, lots of splashing in the water for us. i didn't want to leave when it was time to go.

got the hubby to snap one of me jumping, ha.

this is the back of the Inn where we stayed. our room window is the the second one from the right on the roof.

after lunch, we visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial. definitely something Tim loved & i enjoyed it as well.

that monument in the background is far away from where we are standing...instead of walking from the museum area, we drove closer. it was a VERY hot & humid day!

here we are closer, before we began our trek up the hill.

view from half way up the path...

made it up, sweat & all...

there were a LOT of self portraits of us during our vacation :)

after the extremely hot & humid, long walk, a pitstop for some ice cream was much needed, at Logan's.

there was a nice variety of ice cream to chose from & the best part were their quirky signs throughout the shop :)

i had their cappuccino crunch topped with chopped peanuts (the crunch was pieces of taffy & dark chocolate chips-HEAVEN)...so so good & they did NOT skimp on the ice cream. our belly's were so full!!

back at the Inn, we partook in happy hour, this is something the Inn had every day for two hours, wine, tea, fresh lemon aide and a variety of snacks to indulge in. each night the food was different. the white & red wines were delish, too. i should have bought a bottle, maybe next time.

(photo courtesy of Blue Moon Beach Grill)

after much needed rest from all that hot & humidity, we stopped at Blue Moon Beach Grill for dinner. i'm glad we ate there, the food was extremely yum!!! i could have eaten here for dinner every night, ha! yes, it was that good.

since i snapped a TON of photos, i'll share the rest tomorrow in a separate post.

be sure to check out Lily Bee's CHA preview event on their blog, LOADS of inspiration & exciting goodness you won't want to miss!!!

xo!

our ocean city trip...

warning: photo heavy!!!!

trying to play catch up on my blog. lots & lots of photos to share from over the last month or so of summer. this year i decided that we needed to do a little family beach vacation with just us four & we spent it at Ocean City, MD. at first Tim wasn't interested in going, until he had found out several of his co-workers were talking about going & he finally gave in to the idea, LOL. so, we packed our bags & headed north!

as you can see, the kids were super excited to be in the hotel after the semi long drive...lol. they jumped all over the bed for quite a while until we headed off to dinner.

we visited Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, which was really cool. some of it was a bit scary for both kids, but it also had some other fun things for them to see.

then of course, we spent hours on the beach :D

 

Tim catching some waves.

as usual, Tyler made a friend...that boy, i tell you. he can always meet a friend wherever we go & start up a conversation as if he's known that kid for a long time. it's so cool!

tried talking them into going on the ferris wheel but everyone chickened out. i'm the only one not afraid of heights!

FUNNEL CAKE! up, i wasn't leaving this place until i had funnel cake :D

of course, i also had to have Maryland's crab cake sandwich, which cost more than i wanted to pay. but it was a vacation & it was well worth it!

there is always a little whining happening.

look at the sweat bead down his face, it was HOT! nothing like italian ice to cool them off.

i had fried soft shell crab for the first time. it was the most interesting thing to eat. it was so so so so so good!!!!

i swear these kids overdosed on sugary treats the entire 3 days!

i've gotten into the habit of making sure we snap some family pictures together, more than we used to. my hair is a mess, it was VERY windy the last day of our trip.