surprises surprises

I know, I know. I promised travel updates a looong time ago.  I promise I will get to them soon. 

But first, I am going to have the time of my life this weekend with my beautiful sister who flew in on a redeye flight just to spend 2 days with me in NYC! 

Plans include shopping...brunch...decorating...leaf peeping...Central Park...& unlimited laughs for sure! 

home at last...

17 days

6 countries

6 flights

8 high speed train rides

2 water taxis

3 cable cars

1 missed Chunnel Train

1 transportation strike

metros, and subways, and buses OH MY!  

2 parachutes

1 BMW motorcycle

2 scooters

and over 10 gelatos later...

we are home.  

we had the time of our life.

we wish we were still there.

luckily, we have over 1,899 photos to let us relive 

the moments of bliss 

over & over again.

stay tuned for photos, adventures, laughs,

& of course, some travel mishaps too.

and we're off...

adventures from london, paris, switzerland, greece, rome & venice coming soon!

Let's hit the road...

For a 1 year anniversary surprise,

I wrapped up keys to

 this Sweet Thing

 for a weekend getaway!

We saw...

the beautiful gardens at Wave Hill

the quaint small towns along the Hudson

& even drove through the famed Sleepy Hollow

before stopping to enjoy dinner outside at

the cutest restaurant and a night

at a charming old b&b,

where we awoke to the rising sun over the Hudson-

not a sight we get to see in the city.

We loved the wind blowing against our faces

and the freedom we felt, road-trippin'

on the scooter.

Happy one year!

one year ago today,

i married my best friend.

life has never been the same.

never have i smiled so much,

never have i laughed so hard.

our "happily ever after" is the best dream come true.

thanks for making me the luckiest girl ever.

i love you babe!

Sleepin' on the streets of New York...literally...

This past weekend, Kyle and I waited in this...

& slept on this...

to see this... (with Al Pacino himself, mind you)

at this amazing venue!

Yes, it's true.  Kyle & I have been wanting tickets to see Shakespeare in the Park (Central Park) all summer long.  The only catch is that you must wait in line for tickets.  At the beginning of the season, showing up at 6 am would pretty much guarantee you tickets at the 1 pm handout time.  But due to popularity, Kyle and I showed up at the corner of 81st & Central Park West at 9:30 pm, the night before & were still 100th in line! We toted our air mattress, blankets, pillows, games, and snacks and set up camp for the night. 

It was a little scary at times as we were literally sleeping on the streets of NYC with...well, those who usually sleep on the streets of NYC.  However, when else would we ever get to "camp" under the stars in this city?

After much waiting, sleeping, and many card games of golf (you cannot leave the line ever except to use bathrooms)...we proudly got our tickets and enjoyed a fabulous performance in lovely Central Park. 

Three words.  Totally worth it.

Nope...I am not pregnant...

So, in a response to my last blog post, my cousin Jen said,

"hmm...when my sister-in-law took a 6 week break from blogging, she was pregnant."

Nope...I am not pregnant.

So why the 6 week blogging hiatus, you might ask?

• 13 visitors, 23 days playing host in the big city
• 3 beach trips to 3 different beaches & even an island! (can we say beach=paradise??)
• 1 weekend getaway to Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, & West Virigina complete with amusement parks, a Victorian B&B, exploring small towns, and camping in the beautiful national park at Camp David (Kyle surprised me for my birthday and even packed my bags!)
• playing the "cheerleader wife" role at Kyle's weekly soccer games
• 2 goodbye parties for some wonderful friends leaving the city
• a night at the Yankees vs. Mariners game with friends
• 2 completely amazing outdoor concerts in lovely Central Park (featuring the Met Opera, the Philharmonic Orchestra, & the Shanghai Orchestra)
• more than a half dozen picnics in the park
• Ellis Island day trip to see the Red Bull Air Races
• countless bike rides
• a weekend camping trip with friends...hammocks...tin foil dinners...s'mores...lakes to swim in...
• my first ever race in Central Park the "Corporate Challenge" where I ran alongside 24,999 other people
• booking tickets for our 17 day escape to Europe & planning all the "must sees" in London, France, Switzerland, Greece, Venice, & Rome, which just happens to be less than 5 weeks away! 
• and now I am taking off to camp outside of Central Park with Kyle ALL NIGHT LONG to get tickets to see The Merchant of Venice at Shakespeare in the Park!

Maybe tomorrow after we get our tickets (and after I crash for a mid-afternoon nap), I will post some pictures of all our summer adventures...

I am not promisin' anythere here...but just maybe I might.

So there you have it? Good enough excuse for my lack of blogging? Maybe not.  But it has been one wild and crazy summer that is for sure!