The Royal Wedding

How many of you (like me), have been waiting for this? I think I set my DVR a month ago to see The Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. I guess all of the talk about it and the excitement has really gotten me into it. It's a fairytale. I set my DVR to record it, because it aired from 3am-9am. And although I wanted to see it, I didn't want to see it at 3am. I do love my sleep :)

The important part of this wedding is that it's a part of our history. This probably won't happen for another 30 years. Prince William is in line to be King of England, and then after him would be his heir - if he & Kate should have a boy.

I watched the entire thing - all 6 hours. Not all at once - but all in one day. I loved the coverage of all the pre-wedding stuff. It was great.

I thought the wedding was really beautiful and classy. I couldn't believe how calm Kate looked. It was like she was so happy to be marrying the man of her dreams and nothing else mattered. And as if she was getting married in front of 50 people instead of the entire world - such as it was. She seemed really, really happy.

We know for us girls, it's about the dress, right?. Didn't you love Kate's? I thought it was beautiful and fit her perfectly. It was timeless.

I loved when Prince Harry and Prince William were driving in the processional. The cars were really awesome with the clear glass all the way around so you could see them clearly. They were saluting, what seemed to be randomly. I still haven't figured out what they were saluting at? Maybe Flags? It was super cool and humbling.

Kate and Prince William looked so happy. She was smiling the whole time.

This is after the wedding, going to Buckingham Palace for their balcony viewing and their kiss : ) As they are along their journey - Prince William salutes and Kate bowed her head. This happened several times. I wish I knew what they were saluting at. It was very humbling.

 And the first and second kiss. It was pretty cute to watch them b/c they would nod and each other like "Okay, now?" It was really sweet.

I thought it was a great wedding and a great part of history. So happy I was able to watch it.

Congratulations to The Royal Family!

New York!

I went to NYC the week of Thanksgiving with my friend, Dena and her kids. Dena's daughter was chosen to perform in the Macy's Day Parade. I have always wanted to see the Macy's parade - and was so thankful to be able to go along.

David and the boys stayed home. I was there for 7 days (November 21-27) and got to see much of NYC. It was a great experience.

Here's a photo of me, Ashlyn and Dena on the plane before take-off ..... (not a good angle for me - makes my head look gigantic!); and then Dena and I with our matching shirts we had made for the trip. Anytime we do something together - we make a shirt : )

This was my 4th trip to NYC so I didn't take part in a lot of the touristy things (Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, etc.). I have seen all of that at least once, so I wanted to spend more time enjoying the city.

I started out the first few days hanging with Dena and her kids. We walked around and saw alot. One of the highlights of my trip was when we were in Times Square and went into the Hershey's Store just to look around. I turned a corner and there was Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis on General Hospital). I couldn't believe it! She was so awesome and really super nice! She chatted with me a moment and allowed me to take a photo with her. Although not a good shot of me - here it is.

Another place we went into was Toys r Us - which is the biggest in the world (i think). It has a HUGE ferris wheel right in the center. Totally cool! Here is Ashlyn, Dena, Rylan and I standing in front of it.

As I was walking around the store I came across Barbie's House (Yes - Barbies House!) - it was HUGE. Of course I had to go in. They had this huge case of old barbies on display and sure enough they had a barbie in the case that I had and played with as a kid and actually still have. Don't play with it anymore - saving it for my grand-daughter one day : )

More exploring - Here I am in the M&M store. My favorite FAVORITE candy! Yum! Although didn't buy any. Too expensive : )

After a few days, I separated from the others and really started exploring. I was able to stay in 3 different hotels - which was great. I love experiencing different parts of NY. I rode the Tour bus all over the city. It was awesome! I did the night tour as well. It was beautiful - but cold and rainy. Here are some photos taken on the tour!

Radio City Music Hall - My friends and I were able to see the Rockettes and sat on the front row (it was awesome!);

a vendor on the street : )

This photo was from a staircase that is heated and has a great view - it's in the middle of Times Square;

a hot dog vendor in Central Park : )

 

Central Park (closest I got to it - it was so cold outside);

The Ball that drops on NYE;

and Macy's decked out for Christmas

I love this first photo .... read the sign in red "Don't Honk $350 penalty" ... seriously?

How do they enforce that in NYC; WALL STREET : )

Wall Street :)

a very congested area (don't you love it?) ... it's fantastic!;

the Flat-Iron building. Pretty cool, huh?

I got tickets ahead of time for Good Morning America and was able to be a part of the audience

- which was totally cool!

Here I am before the show - in the wee hours of the morning, waiting outside to go in.

I was so early I was 2nd in line : )

Still early - but the line was starting to get long. I made friends, so was able to step away

to go to Starbucks, snap a picture and still get back in line : )

Here I am with Robin holding the awesome sign David made me. It even got on TV for

a split second. Robin was so nice and I couldn't believe how tall and skinny she was.

The main reason I went to NY was for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - which was a dream come true for me. My whole life I have wanted to go to NYC for the parade and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to go and experience the parade and New York at Thanksgiving. It was beautiful!

Here's the the start of the parade - taking down street signs and lights to make way for the HUGE balloons; the marching band; and the Statue of Liberty balloon

Two of my favorites ... Cydni Lauper and the Pillsbury Dough Boy : ) I loved Cyndi Lauper as a child and I still love the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Something about him - he's so cute : )

I tried a NY deli sandwich for the first time - and lets just say ..... I have been missing out my whole life. Fantastic! If you ever go to NY - you must have a deli sandwich. I don't know what it is - but they are phenominal! You have to look past the dirt and grime in NY. If I walked into a restuarant here that looked the way the restuarants do there - I would turn around and walk out. But it's NY and everything is dirty! It's fantastic!

Here's a photo of the skyline of NY as I was leaving in the cab headed to the airport to go home. So beautiful!

What can I say? I LOVE NEW YORK!

Here are my hotel reviews:
The first hotel I stayed in was NY Hilton and Towers on 6th avenue. (http://www.newyorkhiltonhotel.com/). I stayed there from Saturday - Tuesday. It was close to Times Square and definitely walking distance to all the touristy things. Rooms were pricey, hotel amenities were great (4 restuarants, bar, Starbucks, convenient store, salon...) . It had crazy amenities. It's like it's on city. However - the rooms were just ok. It definitely was not worth the rate. However - I did get to see the International Emmy Awards Party. That was pretty cool to see lots of famous people come off the red carpet - even though I didn't know who they were : )

Only photo I got of the Hilton....

Second hotel was the Radisson on Lexington Ave (http://www.lexingtonhotelnyc.com/?gclid=CNGi5vvZh6ACFRohnAodNUbWrQ). I stayed I stayed there Tuesday - Thursday. It was alittle ways away from Times Square but was close to the 5th Avenue shopping. It was an older hotel, reasonable rate, the room was remodeled but the bathroom was old and alittle smelly. There was a restuarant in the lobby as well as a Bar and Starbucks. I would definitely stay there again.

Third hotel was the Belvedere Hotel (http://www.belvederehotelnyc.com/?mcid=gc40k2). I stayed there Thursday - Friday. It's on 48th street and it is close to Times Square - walking distance, but the opposite direction of NY Hilton. It is an older hotel that's been remodeled. It had a restuarant in it as well. This hotel was my favorite. The hallways to the rooms were very narrow (very NYish), but the room was awesome. Very modern decor, bathroom looked like that in a model home. It was beautiful. There was a huge closet, and a little area with sink, microwave, coffee maker, refrigerator. It was very reasonable. I will definitely stay there again! It was fantastic!