Our Trip to New York!

Hello all! I know most of you, if not all, were privy to our recent vacation but if not we just got back from 7 days in Manhattan, Midtown to be specific.

Day 1: We arrived in the Big Apple, actually Jersey but no matter, around 3:00 and got in our first cab to the hotel, the beautiful Park Central Hotel right in Midtown. We checked in and headed to our room. I will admit I was a little scared because of the price but we were very happy with our accommodations. We rested and showered and took off to see Times Square, four blocks from our hotel. What a chaos, tourists EVERYWHERE but we were still overjoyed to be there. After a quick bite to eat, pizza of course, we went back to the hotel and rested.

Day 2: Our journey to Greenwich Village... well it was more of a search for Greenwich Village and we couldn't honestly say we knew we were ever there until the end of the day... After our journey down town, we ate some lunch and headed back to our hotel and took a nap. That was one thing I loved, we took a nap everyday! After the nap, we headed to Columbus Circle and to the Winter Festival. Good times with the Mariachi band and the adjacent mall. On our way home we walked, briefly, through Central Park, it was dark but an experience we won't forget!

Day 3: Liberty Island, here we come! Jose's favorite part of our trip was visiting Ellis Island because you can feel the spirits around you. Kinda freaky but neat at the same time because you can feel a little bit like they did at the time. So much fun history there, and sad history too. Did you know 2% of all the immigrants that traveled there were turned away? Sad... After that we walked up Broadway, by Wall Street, Trinity Church and Ground Zero. Not much to see at Ground Zero since they are starting to construct the new monument but still interesting to visit and remember. After that we journeyed up to Chinatown and Little Italy. We didn't stop for Italian food as we weren't hungry but we did get some good shopping in around Chinatown. After our nap we went out for dinner and walked around 5th Avenue a bit.

Day 4: Ice Skating in Central Park, Idyllic huh? It was so fun but Jose was a bit nervous on skates. I had taken lessons when I was younger so I just needed to warm up but after a couple of laps he was done and enjoyed the view while I got some exercise in. After that we went to FAO Schwartz and walked to the hotel, only a couple of blocks away. After our lunch and nap, we went to try and see the tree lighting in Rockefeller Center and how silly that was... Lines to get in lines to be in lines... We stopped trying after about 15 minutes of standing in the rain. We went back to the hotel and watched it live, Jose was sad to see that he could have seen Shakira but I told him tough :)

Day 5: Downtown to the Empire State Building, Macy's, the Met, tour of the Upper East Side and Madison Avenue. Let me just say that the ride up to the top of the ESB is FREAKY, I'm not one for heights but I didn't want to miss out... Macy's is just like any other Macy's but the Met was amazing! I saw a real Picasso and mummies and a whole lot of other really interesting stuff. I could have spent all day in there but after everything we were a bit tired so we journeyed back to the Hotel. We rested and then went out for some much needed Chinese food and the best I have ever had!

Day 6: We realized that we needed to bring stuff back for people so Friday was our shopping day. In the morning we went to Central Park and walked around a bit and sat out in the sun. There was an outdoor market that we visited and then journeyed to 5th Ave, which was crazy busy. We napped and went to Columbus Circle, after our Chinese food, and just enjoyed our last night in the big city. Excited to go home, we were eager to start our journey back.

Day 7: Last day, happy and sad at the same time. We went for our usual stop at the corner deli for a breakfast sandwich and just waited for time to pass. We finally checked out and they suggested we take a car back since Taxi fares can be unpredictable. We took the offer and the bellman took our luggage to a white stretch limo... hmmm... we really hoped it wouldn't be more than what they told us and to our surprise it wasn't! We had fun but I would say that was the best part of the day, that and seeing our babies when we got back. To briefly describe why it was bad... We got to the airport at 12 pm ish EST, and checked our bags... Found out the flight was delayed an hour... then another hour.... then another 30 minutes... Finally boarded and had to sit in the plane for another 45 minutes as they ran tests and de-iced the plane... finally got off the ground around 8 pm EST... Arrived around 11 pm PST and drove home from LAX to get the dogs... Finally got home around 1 am PST... So to sum it up, we were traveling for 17 hours... We were tired when we got home and spent all day yesterday sleeping, running errands and trying to make sense of our clothes...

We had a great time and are already thinking of when we might be able to go back, we love NYC! Pictures will follow soon!

Wise Words

Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing!


And remember: "Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another , Even Though Sometimes It's Hell in the Hallway"

Live, Laugh, Love!

11 days and counting...

We have been kinda lagging on getting clothes for Jose for New York. Now that it is getting closer and closer we realize, oh crap, he is going to freeze! Not really, he has quite a few flannels and jeans but he needs another coat and would like new shirts and jeans before we go... Goodness...

Other news, Thanksgiving will be pretty quiet this year, compared to last year and I am excited to eat turkey! Other things on the menu:

Chex Mix (old family tradition)
Turkey
Ham (it has become a tradition...)
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Sweet Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Mac N Cheese (weird I know)
Cranberry Sauce
Rolls
Pumpkin Pie (fresh baked, yumm...)
Oreo Pie (for the pumpkin haters, they are crazy!)

I can't wait to make all that this year! It is going to be fun, since I won't have to do it all in bulk for 30 people! Yay :) It's making me hungry just thinking about it... hmmm...

I wish you all a nice holiday and I hope it is fun and relaxing, as they are meant to be!

Live, Laugh, Love

Heaven is a cal-king bed with a pillow-top :) That's what is sitting in our new bedroom right now and I am sure Blue and Bear are enjoying it, while I can't :(

Since the rearranging, our lives have been crazy, once everything migrates into our new space we will be done! Yay! I am thinking, now that I have a dresser all to myself, that I need more clothes, otherwise the drawers will be very empty, and that is just not right :)

The countdown begins... 34 days until we are in NYC! We are still not feeling it but once we start to pack, I figure it will hit us... I can't wait to eat pizza, ice skate in Central Park, go to the Met and eat Italian food in Little Italy. I am trying to convince Jose that it will be best to Christmas shop while we are there because of all the little shops everywhere but we'll see. For those who are interested in what we will be doing here is a short list:

• Ice skating in Central Park
• Visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Going to the Natural History Museum
• FAO Schwartz (need I say more?)
• Seeing the Statue of Liberty
• Paying our respects at Ground Zero
• Eating Dim Sum (never had it before, but I feel I gotta do it)
• Having a romantic dinner in a little Italian restaurant drinking good wine
• taking in the sights in Times Square
• Going in the Plaza Hotel and poking around :)
• Visiting my old friend Matt
• Eating at Stardust Diner
• Going to the Empire State Building (all the times I've been, I haven't gone there...)
• Going to Macy's & Tiffany's on 5th Ave
• Hmm.... Think that's about all I can think of for now...

That makes me a bit more excited but we still have a month but I feel this month is going to go by so fast but I love this time of year so I don't want it to go by that fast...

I hope everyone has a good Halloween and don't forget to change your clocks!

Live, Laugh, Love

Something to remember...

James 1:
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.
Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.


I think this about sums up advice I should take and remind myself, it all will work out. Through the hardships and difficulties we are faced with, in the end, "what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger." (From the wise words of my Mom)

Updates, Updates!

We are rearranging our house!!! That's right... For those of you who know the situation, we convinced Jose's Mom to let us arrange the house how we want and in exchange, we forfeit the two-room family room.

So here is the low down. Our house is a four bedroom home with two bathrooms, but what is confusing is on the first level there is a very large room that we considered the family room, for the main reason that we didn't need the extra bedroom but desperately needed a place to have people hang out and watch TV. The "family room" was actually two rooms but instead of a door way adjoining the rooms they took out a wall so it is one very large room. Previously, Jose's Mom had taken the front room for her "sala" or formal living room. She has the very nice Victorian chairs and couch set and wanted it in the front room to display. For those who haven't experienced them, they are very hard and mighty uncomfortable, purely for the visual... she was also a little concerned about the dogs getting on them, since we are ok with them getting on my couches. We have also been eyeing the largest bedroom on the second level and keep wishing we could have that as our own. So we offered a switcheroo and convinced her to let us have that room and the front room in exchange for our family room and she went for it! Now we are in redecorating mode and what a better time to get new furniture! We found some things we liked and now are just looking forward to the final outcome. I like to paint but goodness, it is going to be tedious.
See below for some images to help you visualize...

First Floor

Second FloorNow we have plenty of places for people to sleep, yay!

Live, Laugh, Love

I love fall!

So it has finally come, that's right... FALL!!! I love it, I love having to use a blanket at night and I love having an excuse to eat candy corn every day :) It only comes one time a year so why not take full advantage right?
Last night we had two of our favorite gals over, Rosa and Lili. It was so much fun to hang out with them and it seems to have become a weekly occurrence, which I love. I love how we can convince Jose to watch girly movies, since there are more of us... I have someone who is interested in cooking and learning to cook. We have been trying to get at some of my recipe book recipes so I can finalize them, my next venture is stew and I have made it before so it won't be a huge thing to tackle. My most recent one was from a friend from my old job at the OC Cresa and they are so easy to make and so delicious and fun!
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Cakies:
1 box of cake mix (this can be ANY kind you want)
1/3 cup of softened butter
1/8 cup water
1 egg
Combine all, the dough will be pretty stiff, I tend to use my hands at the end.
Scoop with a tablespoon or I use a very small ice cream scooper and spread out on a parchment lined cookie sheet.* Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes. The range is so large because it really depends on your oven.
*Size can vary, I have seen them made double the size above and come out great too, I like the bite size version because it makes more and I usually make them for Jose to take to work.
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Other then just having friends over and doing a lot of cooking, we have been trying to save for our NYC trip. We are counting down and it is at just about 8 weeks. So close yet so far. I am really trying not to make that my main focus because I love this season and if it gets here quick the whole season would have passed me by and then we are back in January and I will have to wait another 9 months for it to come back again...

So the parents haven't moved in yet and we are going on one year being in this house and living together. Quite a milestone if you ask me, but we are happy and still enjoying every minute. The dogs are happy and Blue is getting bigger, I think. He is still on the small side of what we were hoping but I'm ok with that. I like big dogs but I also like how medium dogs can snuggle with you on the bed and not push you off...

Lots of love to you all!

Live, Laugh, Love

Some new pics

The boys are sleeping and we are still awake... hmm... Notice how Bear is sleeping and note they are both on Jose's side of the bed :)

Our furniture is so ghetto, our TV is larger than our dresser.... Time for some new furniture...
I am so happy Fall is here, I just wish the temperature would follow suit. I love pumpkin pie, candy corn and soup and I can't enjoy them without the Santa Ana winds and cooler weather.

That's about it but we are excited to now be able to watch TV in our bed and not have to sit up to do so... Yay :)

Live, Laugh, Love

Sorry for the delayed post...

So what have we been up to? Not too much except, getting ready for Sarah's wedding, doggy training classes for our babies, trying to hang out with friends more often, and compiling a recipe book of our favorite recipes.

Sarah's wedding is a mere 18 days away. We are going to be leaving in only 15 days and we are getting pretty excited to go on this small journey. We will be driving up north, to Eugene, OR, with my brothers in tow. It should be an interesting drive and I will need to stay up all night to make sure Jose does too, he is driving. We are both taking that day off so don't worry, we will be resting for most of the day. I must get on finalizing the details for her Bachelorette Party and I will be stressing a bit to make sure Sarah doesn't have to so much. I am happy to make this a special day and what ever stresses I go through will be worth it so, Sarah - don't worry!

Doggy training classes have proven to be successful; given, they aren't finished yet, but Blue is almost always sitting on command. He has separation anxiety issues, which the instructor pointed out (I already knew) but now we are training them apart and this is helping Blue's success. Bear is a sweetheart and at times can be considered a selective listener, he is getting there and if there is a treat involved he will do anything. That is why I think he doesn't sit on command at times, he knows there is no treat :) Very smart dogs can also be way more difficult...

Hello friends, again. For a while we were unable to hang out with friends due to home improvements, financial issues and just stress making us tired. So now we are done, for now, with home improvements and have less stress on our shoulders and this makes it more fun and way easier to hang out with friends. Mitch and Cindy finally took us out on our boat and we went to Palos Verdes, Julio is trouble but definitely fun to visit with, and Rosa and Lili crack me up and it is nice not to have to negotiate to watch a girly movie with someone :) Next on the list is Jolene (and maybe Mike), Cara and Jana. I'm happy to have friend time again!

Lastly, this recipe book. I have been going through my mom's old recipes and slowly, making all of them. It will be a very slow process but I am hoping by October I will have the book in my hands. I am doing it through Taste Book, for those interested. This website allows me to type out my recipes, maintain rights to them and not allow others to see them. Once I have entered all the recipes I would like, the books only hold 100, then I order it. I have about 97 in one of the books but I still need to try about half of them, to make sure the proportions are correct. I think I may make two, part one and two, so I can have even more recipes together. What is great is you can add pages later so I can continue to add to the books but the downside is the pages are front to back so I'm not sure how that would look when adding... I will update you all on my progress. I would like to thank Rosa for helping me make many of the recipes, she is a beginner cook but very fun in the kitchen and helpful to bounce ideas off of.

Till next time, Live, Laugh, Love!

Eugene, here I come!

So it turns out that everything seems to be working out so I can go to Sarah's Bridal Shower. I have no issues getting there, but getting back may be hairy so I pray it will all go alright and worse case scenario, I have to fly home Monday... The reason, some of you may be wondering, I have such iffy plans is because I fly standby. It is much cheaper, I actually only have to pay the taxes, but it can be a bit stressful. I am happy to go to the shower and be there for Sarah, I just hope I can get home Sunday!

Updates:

Europe is a maybe. Jose and I were discussing things and we feel that it may be too much for us to be gone for that long of period of time. I would love to go to Europe but we need a more relaxing vacation and we also want to visit family. We are thinking maybe a road trip next spring but we'll see. Our focus is on our trip to Eugene and the New York trip. I can't wait to see NYC again, it will be fun! I hope it snows when we are there...

Jose's dad is working again! This relieves a lot of stress for everyone. So yay :)

I think that's about it.

Till next time!

Live, Laugh, Love