Pool Day at Aunt Yvonne's.

These are from when I first got back... but oh well. Yay pool!

Moving back...

I just realized the ridiculous ordeal that me and Joey faced this past weekend was not documented on the blog. *gasp* 

Saturday morning, Joey and I left our friend Ian's apartment for the airport bright and early. We lugged down our 3 suitcases, 2 carry ons, Joey's 2 basses, and our sassy lioness- Lucy to the street. We flagged down probably the nicest  cab driver in the city and he gladly helped us squeeze his cab with all of our stuff. La Guardia is pretty close to the Upper West Side, so the trek should have been 30 minutes and cost us maybe 20 bucks. We thought we were smooth sailing. However, when we approached our exit on the interstate, we noticed it was blocked off with cop cars. The cab driver flipped on the radio, to find out there is a bomb threat at La Guardia.....hooray! So, the driver had to back track with every other cab driver trying to get to the airport to then find out that no traffic is allowed in or out of the airport, causing out trip to be double the time and money.

So we got dumped out about a half a mile from the airport with the 3 suitcases, 2 carry ons, Joey's 2 basses, and our sassy lioness- Lucy. Uggggghhhhh!!!!!! Of all days for this wacko to do this, when we have the most luggage we've ever had. And he couldn't have gone to Newark or JFK? I luckily saved the day by walking across the bridge to grab one of those flatbed roller things to get all of our stuff over there. Then we had to walk another ways to Northwestern terminal since we were at American Airways. The lines were outrageous, our suitcases were over the 50 lb limit, and people were cranky. 

So glad our NY journey ended with a looney homeless man pretending to have a bomb to make everyone else's day miserable! Here's a link to the madness:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/nyregion/02Laguardia.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

The night before we left, Nadya's going away party fell through. So instead we had everyone over to our empty apartment for a last get together. It was kind of nice, because it had rained that day and we had cool air coming through our windows. We gave away any remaining beer and sat in a circle on our hardwood floors with music coming from a laptop. 

In this picture, you can see where I set the "table" for our last meal.

We ordered our favorite food from Ronda's, drank Sangria from plastic cups, and let the open window be our TV. I saved the cushions from our old couch (that we threw away) and used them as chairs, haha.

Lakefront.

Here's a cool shot of the sunset today from the Northshore. Sorry to my peeps I haven't seen yet...things have been kinda crazy.

Cuteness overload.

Today we spent the day with our favorite rugrats: Isabella and Sara! We hungout swimming and sara's only 6 months but she is already feeling the itch to swim! I love to give her kisses on the neck and make her "fly to the sky". I gave her a mohawk :)




I'm attached! She got the hiccups then eventually fell asleep in my arm on the porch.

iPhone posts?

Alli just showed me this new app called blog press... And I'm testing it out. Look how cute Ali ( the dog) is! She was getting bored with me and Alli playing the wii..



-- Post From My iPhone

Wrapping up.

Tomorrow the movers will be knocking on our door at 9 AM! We officially just stopped wrapping everything up...and it's midnight.

We've been trying to squeeze in some of our favorite food before we leave. Today we hit up Shake Shack and Tom's Restaurant(the diner from Seinfeld). Tomorrow Ian is supposed to take us to an Ethiopian restaurant in his neighborhood. Hopefully it is better than the going away party he planned, tee hee.


We went over to St. John the Divine Cathedral on 110'th St. today and it was beautiful. The size was pretty unbelievable, considering it was in Manhattan. It reminded us of either Notre Dame or West Minster Chapel. I only got some pictures with my iphone, so the size isn't expressed very well. We went to get some prayers in before our move, haha. Plus the peace and quiet was very relaxing.




I've been telling Joey that we should go running in the rain some day, and it finally happened tonight. When we got off the subway tonight it was storming! Pouring down so hard that an umbrella didn't do justice. So...we decided to not fight it and just go with it. I ran laughing like a little girl, in my maxi dress and sandals. It looked like we took showers with clothes on when we got home....but totally worth it.

Wish us luck tomorrow!

The Last Chapter to Our NY Journey.

The walls are bare and every shelf and counter in our apartment is naked. You would be able to hear an echo, but the walls busting at the seams with boxes. The reality of our move is officially screaming at us....which is a bit surreal and awkward.

On Friday, Katee treated us to Korean BBQ and asked us what we will miss the most about the city. Got me thinking...

Things that I love/will miss/and am thankful for:

1. Cooking cajun food for everyone.
2. Staying out til' dawn with Nadya and her crazy Russian friends.
3. Riding home in a cab with chatty Ian pestering the driver.
4. Getting annoyed with Freddy consistently being late.
5. Making ridiculous/harassing phone calls to Jessica in Indiana with Beth.
6. Mike and I screaming at tourists from a cab.
7. Thursday nights in the Bronx with those awesome kids.
8. The mutual love relationship with our favorite check out girl, Sophie, at Pioneer.
9. Margaritas at Ronda's.
10. The cute lady at our laundry mat who always laughs when she sees me and Joey. Let's just say we always amuse her somehow...
11. Over hearing ridiclous conversations. For instance: Girl says to guy "Yeah, why would you go to California to kill someone?" Guy replies, "Yeah, I mean you can do that like right down the street!"
12. The lady who hands out nail salon coupons on the corner of 73rd and Columbus every day....rain or shine.
13. Jaywalking.
14. Being able to hail a cab at any hour.
15. Having a bar in the neighborhood that gives you free candy and access to cool games like Jenga.
16. Cheap wine at Trader Joe's.
17. The amazing saxophone players, violin players, and opera singers in the Park.
18. Ella.
19. Having picnics with Joey in the park on a sunny day.
20. Last and not least, every single friend we've made up here.

Things I will not miss:

1. The creepy homeless lady in our neighborhood who wears goggles and used the sidewalk as her toilet in front of me and Joey.
2. Paying way too much for pretty much everything.
3. Laundry days.
4. Walking through the city when you're in a bad mood. There is too much going on....and trust me everything gets on your nerves.
5. While doing laundry, on your last batch of clothes, realizing you are 10 cents short on your laundry card. Then realizing you don't have you're wallet on you, meaning you have to go home. Then getting home and realizing you have no cash, meaning you have to walk to an ATM. Then the laundry lady doesn't have change, meaning you have to walk to Lenny's to wait in a 10 minute line buy a water to get change....
6. Climbing 3 flights of stairs everyday you get home, with laundry, groceries, or Joey when he's drunk....kidding about the last one. :)
7. Bad street performers in Dante's Dungeon....aka the subway station.
8. Tourists.
9. Walking through snow and having 8 month winters.
10. The MTA stealing the city's money.
11. Long lines.
12. Not being able to wear heels....that much.
13. Wannabe 'Sex and the City' women/girls. They are the worst breed of humanity in my opinion.
14. People who don't walk up or down the escalators, causing you to miss your train.
15. High maintenance people!

I took the following pictures today. Each one either represents a story, memory, or something I'll miss:

The grocery we go to pretty much everyday, Pioneer.


Our laundry mat.


The Duane Reade that opened a little under a year ago right down the street making our lives so much easier.


The infamous Dive 75....Jenga and candy!



The craziest supermarket in Manhattan. You deserve a medal when you complete your shopping here.



Cute sundresses from street vendors for 15 bucks or so.


The 1,2,3 subway line!



The over pampered dog population in the city...


Our hangout after kickball games.


The best beauty store in Manhattan.





Buying produce from vendors.



A view we see everyday before we come home.



This guy was running from Central Park....with his Yorkie and driving shoes. *scratched head*


Cool people dressed up on a Vespa.


All of the romantic men bringing flowers home to their partners. (Joey, take note!)


The sophisticated kiddies of the city.


The old men and their socks.


People ranging from 5 to 85 riding their scooters down the street.



Yummy pizza place that beats Lombardi's in our opinion.


Open windows with flower beds.


Our late night go-to for glass bottles of coke, cookies, or milk.


Last, here is a cool shot of our apartment through the eyes of a Vespa mirror.


Hope you enjoyed. Not sure what we are going to do with the blog...but I will keep everyone posted!