Count our Blessings........

We are blessed in many ways.....a firm belief in a Supreme Being, families that love each other unconditionally and friends that make our lives so very complete .... these are just a few of the very special ones that come to mind! In the friends department, we are soooooo very blessed ..... because we have "the best"! While friends are an important part of every person's life, we make sure that our friends know how very important they are to us! So with that being said ...... here is why we feel we are exceptionally fortunate in this department. You see, we have dear friends who just happen to have a son that is a professional athlete. So when he is in season we travel to stadiums that we want to see and cities that we have not been to and have a longing to explore. We have been to San Francisco, Seattle, New York and Boston ..... and have just loved each city more than the last. The Golden Gate Bridge was on my personal "bucket list" and it did not disappoint ....... Seattle was just breathtakingly beautiful at every turn (I think this is by far my personal favorite (stadium too!) ....... New York, well whats not to love about New York ...... Broadway (I personally do not recommend the show Memphis ...... just in case you care) shopping, and exploring the subway (that's another whole post in itself) and then Boston .... with all the history and beautiful sights.......it was fabulous also (2nd favorite for me). So with all this being said ...... the wives accompanied our dear husbands this year on the annual "guys" trip to New York and Boston ...... we actually told them they couldn't go unless we accompanied them (and they listened) ...... thanks guys you are all so very special to us! :) But, let's just really focus on New York for a minute......we had a blast......

• We got lost explored the Subway


• Ate and indulged in adult beverages



• Explored Grand Central Station and tried to figure out just how they produced the scene from the "Untouchables"



• Ate and indulged in great beverages




• We made new friends (Tilman the skateboarding English Bulldog check him out on youTube)he was staying at our Hotel......unbelievable! He was also a contestant on the reality show the "Great American Dog"!!!




• Ate at Carnegie Deli
• Ate and again indulged a little bit more
  




• Saw Tiffany's......FOB did not feel it was necessary to indulge me :(
  



• Watched Baseball
• Ate yet again and you guessed it .......

• Walked around Battery Park and saw the Statue of Liberty and explored Central Park

• Saw a Broadway Show




• and while walking back to the hotel from Broadway decided we were .......yes, once again hungry and witnessed something that was just unbelievable ....this involves a street vendor!
  

While returning from "Memphis", we decided that maybe we hadn't had quite enough to eat and we were on the prowl for "something". Not knowing what this "something" might be ..... we just walked and walked and ........ walked! As we were walking there are a lot of street vendors selling their goodies and if you have ever been to New York you are well aware of GYRO'S. This is a mixture of ground lamb or chicken or both, rice, lettuce, cheese and a yogurt/mayo sauce that goes over the top of said ingredients. Most of these vendors had one or two customers around their carts at any given time ..... until we turned the corner and right beside our Hotel was a line of customers that extended down the block ....... all waiting for a GYRO from this one vendor. This peaked our curiosity ....... what's so special about this particular vendor? Why would people wait in a line like this when they could just walk a half a block and get the same thing with no wait.......WHY???? I happen to be with two other women who can strike up conversations with a mannequin and have it talk back ...... so they decided to "interview" people in line, while I (the most quiet and reserved member of the trio) went and got in line just in case we decided this is where we might want to indulge. The line moved fairly quickly and I could sense that there was commotion near the "cart" all the while knowing exactly who was causing "said commotion"! Not only did she interview people, she had them giving her samples off their plates to try ..... by the time Bruce and I got somewhat near the cart, she made life long friends with the vendors and probably exchanged Christmas Card addresses! This vendor has been written up in papers and has been promoted on the local news and even though the vendor directly across 6th Ave had the same shirts on ....... there was no line at that cart ...... everyone that Lisa talked to insisted that this cart was the best in New York ...... period! So after having pictures made with the vendors, exchanging hugs and thank yous ...... and sending the guys off to find a six pack of the "High Life" we headed back to our room to eat ....... yet again. Now I am here to tell you that this was one of our tastiest meals in NY and it only cost $6. We didn't eat at shabby joints either ..... Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill (which was very good don't get me wrong) Lindy's for breakfast (again delish......) but this Gyro stuff was greatness!!!! I have no idea of the calorie content or fat content of this dinner ......and I really do not want to know ..... we were on vacation anyway! But we can personally verify that this was "delicious"! So after spending 4 great days in the "City that never sleeps" we were off to explore Boston for for 3 days ...... and watch Baseball in Fenway Park! How great is that? Like I said we are Blessed ..... I will catch you up on our adventures in Boston in another post ....... but, what a great city it was too! Here's a great big thank you to our "Dancin' Fool" friend and her sweet husband ...... we so appreciate our friendship and Head Ho ..... travelling with you makes ...... everyday an adventure!

Diet and Exerise....Part 2

In one of my very first posts, I mentioned that FOB and I could stand to lose a few pounds. FOB was well on his way to his goal weight, while I on the other hand ....... well, not so much! Nothing has changed in this scenario except for the fact that FOB has lost 25 pounds and still continues to get up every morning at 5:45 am and get on the treadmill.....(and I don't).... now walks about 4 miles daily, incline set to 4.5 and speed set at "mach" while I on the other hand ... really have done nothing....... I will find every excuse known to man for not exercising ..... my legs hurt, heel pain.....shin splints.....hips are killing me......ankle (I really do think I have arthritis in them......) is a little swollen and maybe I need to rest it, oh.....and don't forget that this allergy season has been horrible too! Regardless, no matter what the symptom may be ....... it's definitely an excuse for me not to exercise. I know I said that I would not be a "frumpy" MOB ..... and I won't....hopefully..... and mini me Bob and Jillian FOB and side kick daughter have now made it their personal mission to get me on track and in shape ........ puhhh....leassseee.....put me out of my misery! Really this "push" started to kick into full gear last weekend ..... while I have one SIL running frickin' marathons on a weekly basis (I am sooooo very proud of you LA!) and yet another SIL and BIL shedding lb's like a snake sheading skin in the spring ..... I was shamed gently nudged into starting some type of workout regimen. First I was told that I was not wearing the correct shoes for walking....no arch support....whatever!!! This could be the reason for all the leg, ankle, hip, shin....pain ..... put me out of this misery please!!! None the less, I walked with them, kept up and with very little complaining walked the total 4.5 miles (we did stop at the in-laws house along the way for water and a brief rest....ONLY because SIL needed sinus meds....not on my account :) but I was sooooo very happy she was sneezing a lot!!!)

Now you may be asking yourself why did I bring all of my short comings to print again???? Well, yesterday was this MOB's birthday and it was also Mothers Day so my sweet, sweet family made my day extra special in a number of ways! First Kadie made breakfast (which was just delish....) and while we were enjoying each others company over breakfast they presented a B-day card.......being almost moved to tears by the sentiment on the front of the card....I opened it only to have a "coupon" fall out! My initial thought was oh no... it's one of those "one free night of cooking/dishes"..... smile Diane, be thankful for this wonderful day.....but it wasn't...not even close... it was a Gift Certificate for a new pair of walking shoes!!! I was so excited.....then I was told to take note of the expiration date ........ it expired on May 9, 2010 ...... get dressed Luke's Locker opens at noon, you have 45 minutes! No more excuses, I can exercise and walk now, I have the correct equipment.......(happy dance going nuts in my heart ..... are you making a big mental picture of this??) Crap, what excuse can I use now.....sigh :(

So off we go....FOB, Kadie, David and MOB .... Luke's Locker here we come! We walk in and are immediately greeted by Brandon who wanted to know my name and what type of exercising did I do .... not much Brandon.....can't you tell? OK Diane, lets take your shoes off and let me watch you walk.....just pretend I'm not watching you and walk this track up and back at your normal speed and we'll see what shoe works best for you ..... yea right ... just another sales pitch to sell you over priced shoes made by those poor children in Malaysia ..... but I did as I was told! To my amazement this was the first question out of his mouth ..... Do you have heel pain? Yes..... Do you have tightness in your calves, do the outside of your legs bother you when you walk......ankles sore......???? How the hell does he know all of this by just watching me walk...!!! My family told him all of this I'm sure...... they set me up....... but I was wrong .... this wonderful young man put me in a pair of walking shoes that were heavenly! Not only that, he informed me that I was wearing shoes that were a 1.5 too small for me.....and then......not done yet......preceded to sell me socks that grip your arch and help with blisters..... unbelievable! He gave me instructions on how to deal with the heel pain.....I am in love (even though we are both happily married) he made my feet do a happy dance like never before.....BLISS! So not only did we purchase new walking shoes for me ........ we purchased FOB a good pair of walking shoes too ...... and in our bright new white sneakers we walked yesterday ........ over 4 miles .... and I hung with him......I'm sure I held FOB back some, but he didn't complain and I slept like a newborn last night ...... legs were sore, heel still hurts, but it is just magical what the correct shoes will do for your feet!

I love my husband and children (and their significant others) they made my day so very special. Dinner was prepared for me and clean-up handled too, flowers, perfume, cell phone accessories and new walking shoes ..... my day was glorious! So I now have no excuse but to walk.....and that's what I am about to do ...... they will all be so proud! Don't be surprised if you see the walking shoes under the MOB gown, not only are they comfy ..... they are stylish too!

The Powder Room.....

As most of you will remember ..... back in oh...say....February....I mentioned that I wanted to start demolition a small remodel of the powder room off the kitchen/family room area. I had found the perfect antique vanity for the space, ordered the copper sink that I wanted for the vanity and knew with absolute certainty the color scheme that I wanted to use....I was ready to start!!!! However, there was one very important step that I was missing from this scenario....FOB! I needed his help to start the process and after our past experiences with bathroom remodels......He wasn't sharing the same amount of enthusiasm as I was in starting this process! So I patiently waited and waited and waited.... finally two weeks ago we started and I am happy to announce that as of today several steps in the process have been completed! First the hideous old brown carpet vintage carpet was removed..... this in itself is a major part of the remodel for me!!!! The ceiling was scraped of that dreadful stuff that they sprayed on ceilings in the 80's called "popcorn" (again, another major step for me) and the sunflower border wallpaper that I so meticiously cut out ..... was scraped off the walls.....the angels were singing and my heart was doing such a "happy dance"!!! Next the old built in vanity was removed and all pieces were quickly carried to the front for curbside trash pick-up..... including the old cultured marble vanity top (another song and dance in my heart)!!!!!! I was sooooo very excited about the enthusiasm FOB was showing for this project....I carried all demo items out of the way (I did it so quickly that Waste Management would have hired me instantly for sanitation duty)....... that by late afternoon demo was "almost" complete! Next step was ..... lighting ..... the old "box" light that housed 3 light bulbs was to be torn out and replaced with the much more chic "can lights" and I am happy to announce FOB completed (well semi completed...) that step last weekend.

So possibly this weekend we will have can lights installed, and flooring started..... this would be the best Mothers Day/Birthday present ever!!!