New York was amazing!

Let me explain all these great pics.  I took just over 400 on the 5 day trip.  Yup, I'm a photo hound.  :)

Our first view of the New York City skyline. Incredible!

Meg and Alexa seeing each other for the first time since September!!!!!  Happy Day!

Steel Girder from the Twin Towers.  Very moving visitor center.  Left there with tears in my eyes.

A few flowers were placed by names at the Sept 11 Memorial.  Also very moving.  Our Choir sang the National Anthem and one other patriotic song.  Very moving and appropriate.  Several visitors thanked the choir for singing and paying honor to those who we should remember.

Times Square . . . fun, amazing and zany.  Lots and Lots of people.  Some were questionable.  Naked Cowboy - Yes, Naked Cowgirl - No.  They each had bottoms on - neither had tops and the Cowgirl was over 60.  Yup, not a pleasant sight.

Here the 3 of us are at a castle in Central Park.  Cool place.  Right there you couldn't here any city noises.  Pretty impressive for a city of over 1.6 million!

Chrysler building - If you have watched the Sorcerer's Apprentice with Nicholas Cage - those are the metal birds that they fly in the movie.  These don't really fly, but it was fun to see them glisten in the sun.

The 12+million $ clock in Grand Central Station.  Incredible place.

Brooklyn Bridge at sunset.  Pretty fun to watch the sunset behind the Manhattan Skyline.

Statue of Liberty.  Took this picture while on our dinner cruise.  Very nice way to end the day.

Near the end of our cruise, it was fun to watch all the lights come on in the city. 

Steve, our tour guide for New York.  Very fun and entertaining.

Megan singing a solo part for their concert on Madison Ave in the atrium of one of the Trump buildings.  You Rock, Girl!!!!

Meg and Alexa posing in Rockefeller Square. 

Meg and Evy finishing up shopping on Fifth Avenue!!!!

Yes, we did shop at Tiffany's & Co.  Nice jewelry that I will never be able to afford, but it was immensely fun looking.  I wouldn't have any place to wear that fancy stuff anyway.   :)

Meg and Alexa just before we walked to see the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.

Awesome evening!  

Love ya and happy travels this summer!

Bren

Busy, Busy, Busy & More Busy

Track season was kinda crazy.  I had fun with the workouts and those middle school students had no excuses - especially if a 'grandma' could do the workout!  I was the core conditioning coach.  I used P90X, Boot Camp, and Yoga exercises to create my 20 min workouts with them.  We split the group into 3 smaller groups and each coach would have 1/3 of them for about 20 min.  So, I would do it with them, which meant my workout was X 3.   I'd like to say I ended up in great shape and trim, but no.  Now that the season is over I have been super busy and no motivation for working out.  I will start again next week when I get back from the HS Music Tour to NY.

Yes, I am not the brightest.  I have traveled with the teenagers before and let's say I am not looking forward to the trip like the kids are.  I signed up for it and paid - my own choice.  Ouch!!!!   I am not going for my sightseeing, I will be OK where ever we go and will try to just be a positive force on the trip.  Wish me luck!

Anyway, getting ready for the trip, I wanted a purse with a longer strap and didn't have one.  I also didn't want to spend a small fortune on a new one - have you seen what a new purse costs theses days?  Yikes!

I went to a good will type store Wednesday at lunch, found one with a Prada label but the straps were too short.  (It really isn't Prada, but the idea was amusing - inside it says Made in China)  I bought it for $7, took it home cut off the straps, drilled two new holes (on on each end), braided 3 colors of ribbon, doubled the braid and tied them to the body of the purse.  Voila!  A fun purse with the length of straps I want!

 

Before                     After

Didn't it turn out perfect?!!!

Gotta run, we will be on the tour bus in an hour!!!!

Have a great week!

Love Ya,

Bren