Wednesday, July 29, 2015

#beblessedlovelies

One of the first blogs I ever really "fell for" was A Blonde Ambition by Leslie Sisti. I found her blog through Kelly at Kelly's Korner. Kelly hosted a Dating Match-up and I read that Leslie actually found an amazing guy Stephen through that blog connection. I could not believe that you could find someone that way so i started following Leslie and sure enough...I read her blog through the engagement, marriage and two adorable little baby girls. I feel like she is a part of my friendship circle and her family is important to me although we have never actually met! This is why I love blogging!



Earlier this year Leslie began sharing some very vague information about medical complications with her heart. She never really shared specific details only that she was in and out of hospital stays and also asked for prayers for herself and her family while she was away. She was released from the hospital this past spring and seemed to be doing okay. She posted a few weeks ago that she had a little setback and her medical team felt she needed surgery so she we off to the hospital again in Cleveland, OH. I am completely stunned to let you know that Leslie passed away on Monday, July 27th, 2015. She was only 30 years old and leaves behind a young husband and two adorable daughters both under the age of three.



Today I post in honor of Leslie and thank her for all she has given to and done for the blogging community! She brought light and love and made the blogging community a positive place to meet lifelong friends even if you are never blessed to meet each other in person.  Please join me in sending prayers to her family and friends using the #beblessedlovelies (as that's how Leslie always signed off her blog) and #rememberingleslie hashtags.

A fund has been set up for her daughters college education at http://www.gofundme.com/d53bgd5p8s 

Monday, July 27, 2015

Weekend Wrapup in 8 Shots


 What an amazing weekend! I just can't figure out how they go so darn quick though!!!! Someone posted the above and below pictures on my Facebook wall this weekend and I had to share them with you!!!! 
I am getting ready to hit the beach very soon for a very looooooong awaited vacation and thought the shark cages above were hilarious! Apparently this picture is for real too...Wowsa~~~~
The shirt below sums up my running lately! After I finished the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in May I quit running for a while - I just felt like I needed a break.  Now I am training (along with my sister) to run the Hershey Half Marathon in October and every run is painful...I am hoping that turns around soon!!!


I am still grieving Angelica (my adorable 11 year old cat that I just had to put to sleep) but I could not have asked for a better pair of kittens. They are keeping Kidrock (he lost his sister that he has never spent a day without) busy which I think is helping him immensely and they are all getting along amazingly!!!!!  I am beyond happy and grateful for this!!! 
The kitten below is Nermal (remember the crazy kitten from Garfield?) He is the most vocal, drama king cat I have ever heard - HA


And this is Trouble...trust me, the name fits!!! HA HA...he is so curious!!! And so cute too!!! They are both from the Humane Society. If you are looking to adopt...please please please go to your local Humane Society and don't buy a pure bred cat or dog. There are so many homeless and hopeless animals that need our help...it was hard to pick two.... :-(


This is my picture of them all getting along...HA HA!!! They really do get along - it's just they don't stay in one place long enough to get a picture of them all together.


And I have to share these with you also!!!! AMAZING!!! I cannot say anything else except if you love Key Lime Pie....you will completely die for these!!!! I SWEAR - try them and you will THANK ME (although really you should thank my sister in law, Sara, as she is the one that told me about them)!!!!


My boyfriend and I did a lot of work on his yard and his company's flower beds over the weekend...just trimming, weeding and planting and this awesome guy stopped by for a visit. It's a hummingbird moth. The picture does not do it justice...it was so pretty!!!


And lastly, this is the flower bed at my boyfriend's company that we spent hours weeding and tilling and planting...it is going to look amazing as soon as the plants take off! We have to add four more plants in the front section but this was A LOT of work. I realized after I should have taken a before picture...you would not believe how many weeds we had to clear out of here to get this done-crazy!!!


Hope you all had an amazing and fulfilling weekend! Happy Monday - is that even possible?!?! HA HA

What did you do this weekend? Any planting or are we the only ones that waited this long?!?!

 
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Friday, July 24, 2015

5 on Friday/Friday Fives/Friday Favorites/Hey Friday/Furday

I am using this Friday to make it Furday...

I am now going to link up with all my favorite people for the Friday fun and show my Furday Favorities!!!



1. First is Angelica...she was 11 and I just put her to sleep this week :-(  She is in a better place I am sure.



2. Second is Lucky. She was 17 when I put her to sleep a few years ago...I still love and miss her everyday!



3. Third is Kidrock. He is Angelica's 11 year old brother. Right now he is at home trying to keep two new little kittens under control until I get home from work! HA



4. Forth is my new little darling Trouble. He is 14 weeks young and is into everything!!



5. And fifth is my other new darling Nermal. He is also 14 weeks young and is such a drama king. He is always vocalizing something.



It's gonna be chaos for a while but I would not be happy any other way!!!!

Thanks to all the amazing hosts for hosting this each week!!!!!

Please comment and tell me all about your fur babies...I know how to reply and I promise I will! Also, if you follow me let me know - I would love to follow back!

Happy furday and Friday!




New York 2015-Day Two (Part Two)

Hi everyone!!! Hope you all are having an amazing Friday!!! I am sure you have been holding your breath for Part Two of my New York Trip so here it is! Part two consists of Day Two! Anyone that missed Day One - you can catch up HERE...

We were leaving at 6PM that night and all of our luggage had to be back on the charter bus at 7AM ...we then ran to the subway (trolley as I call it in Pittsburgh, ha) to try to make it down to the 9-11 Memorial by our ticket time of 9AM. This is the one thing we bought tickets to ahead of time as we wanted to make sure we would get in.

This is our subway station selfie...Not sure what was going on with my eyes - ha!



This awesome sign was on the subway...we were laughing so hard! The sign implied to us stripper pole dancing but if you google subway dancing you will see what they are referring to. Apparently this is a thing for people to swing from pole to pole, etc fully clothes of course...HA!

Then this sign below was next to the pole dancing sign...my thoughts were "What better way to make it a better ride for someone than to pole dance for them, am I right?!?!?  Seriously, this signage made my whole trip! HA HA HA - as you see, it does not take much!



This building is the amazing and new One World Trade Center or Freedom Tower as everyone calls it! You can pay to go to the top and get a great view...we did not do that but the building is beautiful!



This was one of the first sites in the 9-11 Memorial Museum. This is the final steel beam ceremonially removed from Ground Zero, marking the formal end of a nine-month recovery effort. It has the numbers that perished from the responders marked it it.You can see a video of how it was removed here.



This is the dedication plaque that was removed form one of the Towers after the collapse.



Steel beams from the Towers...


More steel beams...so very intense...hard to come up with words for this post. I cannot imagine what it was like for all of the people that were connected in ANY way personally with this senseless act!


This is a picture from above of what has been termed "Survivors Staircase". Here is what wikipedia says..."The Survivors' Staircase was the last visible remaining original structure above ground level at the World Trade Center site. It was originally two outdoor flights of granite-clad stairs and an escalator that connected Vesey Street to the World Trade Center's Austin J. Tobin Plaza. During the September 11 attacks, the stairs served as an escape route for hundreds of evacuees from 5 World Trade Center, a 9-floor building adjacent to the 110-story towers." More details Here if you are interested.


Close-up view of the bottom of the staircase.


A foundation beam...


This was a section of the top of the North Tower. It is a 19 foot fragment of the transmission tower that was on top of the building.


This is one of the many elevator motors that were employed in each building...


This is the back end of the Ladder 3 Truck.  Ladder Company 3 received some of the heaviest casualties of any fire company in the  FDNY, losing most of its men in the September 11th attack. The company reported to the north tower of the World Trade Center, where Captain Patrick "Paddy" Brown and his men were last reported on the 40th floor of the tower. The company reported to the WTC running “heavy” meaning that it had more men than would actually be on a shift (tour), as the attacks came during a shift change and both shifts ended up reporting to duty.


And the front...


Most of the museum does not allow photos. It was a very sobering experience and so worth the visit for every American. I cannot imagine the trauma felt by so many people that were here in NYC on that fateful day. My heart goes out to anyone that lost a friend or family member to this senseless act of terrorism. I am crying as I type - you have my prayers and love. This is a photo of one of the Memorial Pools located at the entrance of the museum. More details are Here.


And the second pool...


After the museum, we were starving. If you plan to go to the Museum, allow yourself a lot of time. We spent three hours and still missed some things...you will not be sorry if you visit.  We ate lunch at this little cafe/pizza shop about three blocks from the Museum. The pizza was AMAZING!


Apoparently I have my own street in NYC! See on the left? Ann Street!!


We walked form there down to South Street Seaport...such a cute area! We loved it here!


The Brooklyn Bridge! Love this bridge - it always reminds me of Saturday Night Fever!


Another view of the Brooklyn Bridge...


And another!


Here is the ferry station...I think this is where you get the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. We did not do this...


I had to get this picture. It was a beautiful day out and these two guys were passed out on a garbage can with empty beer bottles between the legs and behind them....so very sad and a grateful reminder "but for the grace of God go I". Any Friends of Bill out there will get that reference...anyway, it made me very grateful!


We walked a little further and guess what we finally came to...The Statue of Liberty! How can you not love this site?!?!??! 

Utfkytchycuycuyc

Oh what I would have given to have this sailboat come pick me up - it looked so peaceful out there on the water with the Statue of Liberty!


 You could actually take a helicopter ride to see the statue also and my friends were too chicken...it was only $30! I still wish I had gone alone! Oh well, since we did not get the ferry or the helicopter to the statue...I found my own in a gift shop!



We walked another 6 miles back from the statue to our hotel (through Times Square which is pictured here) and prepared to board the bus back home! During that walk, we took in the sites and shopped A LOT and just enjoyed the city itself!


Then it was onto the bus for an hour.  After that we stoppped for dinner and everyone crashed the rest of the ride home. We arrived back in PA at about 1AM. It was such an amazing trip.

It was the perfect amount of time with the perfect people! Such a great time and we are already planning another one for this year!!! YEA!!! 


TGIF!!! I hope you all have a great weekend!

PS - I love comments...especially now that I found out how to reply to you when you leave one!!!! I will reply - I promise!!

Anyone else been to the 9-11 Museum...what were your thoughts?


Wednesday, July 22, 2015

New York 2015-Day One (Part One)

I cannot wait to share with you all the amazing time I had with some work friends that have been in my life for YEARS! 
Initially it was supposed to be four of us women that have know each other forever but our one friend had to bail out of the trip so it was just the tree of us. What an amazing time we had though!

This is me, Linda and Sheila (in that order left to right) on the bus at the very start of the trip! It was a bus trip through McCarter Coach and Tour to New York City for two days!!! Awesome!



Sheila brought us each a bracelet so that we matched and they knew if one of us was lost who we belonged with...she was totally serious! LOL! It was the thought that counted! I am wearing it daily now!!!!


Made them take a selfie by the side of the bus!


It was about 8 hours drive in the bus from where we started in PA to NYC. The bus was great - had a restroom and was clean and comfy!!! Our tour guide kept us entertained the entire time to New York. She told stores about what could do when we got there, passed out information and maps, and played some bus bingo for cash prizes!!! 


This is in Delaware and it was beautiful...the picture does not do it justice!


This is the first view of NYC when driving in through NJ.


Little closer...


And we are here!!!!!!!!!! First building I recognized was Carlos (The Cake Boss) Bakery!!! Soooo cool!


Here's a closer shot of the sign...the line inside was CRAZY long!! I could not believe it!


First thing we did after checking into our hotel for the night was go down to the Tickets booth in Times Square to get cheap tickets to a musical that night. We decided on Chicago and bought our tickets for the 8PM show. then we started heading down to Rockefeller Center and ran into this bus -  I had to make them pose - it was fate!!!!


Radio City Music Hall!!!!!! Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city. Its interior was declared a city landmark in 1978.


30 Rockefeller Center and the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon!!!!!!!!!  We did not see ANY stars at all! I was looking!


This is a view down from the "Top of the Rock". It is a tour that allows you access to the roof of Rockefeller Center (well almost to the roof). They make you get off about four floors shy of the top for $30 and then they make you pay $3.99 more to go up further. We were a little annoyed so we stuck with the floor they let us off on the first time! HA! This guy was cleaning the ledge...scary job!


View of the Statue of Liberty in the farrrrrr distance...


Selfie at the Top of the Rock!


A view down into the city....


Central Park in the distance...


And another of Central Park...we could not have asked for a better day! Weather was perfect and the sky was amazing!
 

This was in the Swarovski Store in the lower level of Rockefeller Center...anyone looking to buy me something nice, here it is!!!!!! This was beautiful! All crystals!!! 


St. Patrick's Cathedral...so beautiful! The Cathedral of St. Patrick (commonly called St. Patrick's Cathedral) is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States and a prominent landmark of New York City. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and a parish church, located on the east side of Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, directly across the street from Rockefeller Center and specifically facing the Atlas statue.


Everyone gets this shot in NYC, right?  Atlas is a bronze statue in front of Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, New York City, across Fifth Avenue from St. Patrick's Cathedral. The sculpture depicts the Ancient Greek Titan Atlas holding the heavens. It was created by sculptor Lee Lawrie with the help of Rene Paul Chambellan, and it was installed in 1937.


This is the outside of Trump Tower!!!


Trump Tower has the World's best public restrooms!!! It was a hot day and we were sightseeing and drinking tons of water so we checked out a bunch of restrooms...if you are in the area...go into Trump Tower, past the guard at the elevator on the left and go down the escalator to the right...the restrooms are down there with the restaurant and they are awesome!!!!!!! Spacious and Clean!!!!!


My favorite place in NYC!!!!! I LOVE Tiffany & Co.!!!!! My favorite store ever!!!!!


After browsing, sightseeing and shopping all afternoon ... we found the Ambassador Theater to see Chicago with Brandy!!!! A little history: The plot of land for the Ambassador required that the auditorium be placed diagonally on its relatively small lot. This resulted in a lack of stage-wing space, and a uniquely shaped hexagonal auditorium. The exterior of the building is simple, with little ornamentation other than some brick patterning. The interiors, designed by architect Herbert Krapp, employ more elaborate Adam-style plasterwork in the decoration of the walls, ceiling, boxes, doorways and arches.


We had amazing seats!!!


The show was awesome! I cannot stress enough - if you have not seen this musical, you should! I loved every minute! After the show we waited out front to see Brandy up close and personal. She did not disappoint! She signed everyone's Playbook and took selfies with your camera if you wanted too! she was so cute, little and sweet! Very humble and gracious!!! Such a cutie!!!


Here are a few of the shots I got...


Soooo cute...


Soooo sweet!!!


Soooo nice...


We waited to eat dinner until after the show so at about 11PM we wandered into a pizza shop in New York! Seriously, the best pizza anywhere is NYC!!!! I attempted a selfie and the nice lady photo-bombing asked if she could take it for us....she was so nice - thanks!!!


She did a much better job than I did also! Great friends....


We got back to our hotel in Times Square around midnight...this is a shot to the right out of our window...


And this is a shot to the left out of our window...


Nighty night from Day One of the NYC adventure!!!! Tomorrows adventure includes an entire day of sightseeing and a fall...stay tuned...

Anyone else see Chicago or any other play in NYC that you recommend?!?!?

Anyone else LOVE NYC?!?!

 



ICU Nurse it is

 Hi everyone!! I am just here checking in quickly. I almost feel bad checking in as it has been an eternity since I posted!!! UGH! Life has ...