Harper Valley

A Night in NYC

Business travel is bittersweet.  It's usually a welcome distraction to get out of the office and break up the everyday monotony.  But while you're out schmoozing, the e-mails stack up and the voice mails linger.  The piled up work is always anxiously awaiting you.  But who cares about all that when your work trip lands you just 20 minutes from New York City?!?!?!

So after a full day of client visits and kissing babies, Steve and I darted to the city for some down time.  We only had a few hours in the Big Apple, but they were awesome.  We ran into a local guy in Midtown who gave us the scoop on a hot spot where lots of Broadway actors hang out.  It was one of those incognito places with no door sign to throw off eager tourists like us.  When we arrived, I thought the hostess might ask us for the secret handshake, but luckily she just directed us to the last two empty barstools.  So we settled in and tried to act cool. 

The crowd: Chill.  The bar snacks: Wasabi Peas.  The drinks: Pricey.  The TV entertainment: Classic Hollywood Films.  The celebrity: Keanu Reeves.  He wasn't in the bar, but he was outside on the curb.  Some of the locals at the bar pointed him out to us.  I commented that he just looked like a good ole homeless person with a big coat.  They said...yeah, that's how he rolls. 

Here are a few pics from our jaunt through the city after we left the no-name bar.  I would have taken pics there too, but we were trying to act like locals and not blow our cover.  heehee

Our first encounter in the city was with Ebony & Ivory Santa Clauses.  Apparently, they traded in the sleigh for these nifty donkeys.  Looks like they should be more careful with their Viagra.  They done grown horns!

Next up...the corner market.  Still open well after midnight and full of fresh flowers.  I LOVE this about NYC.  Somehow, the royal blue-tipped roses at 7-11 just don't compare.

 

We couldn't leave the city without pizza.  Even their bad pizza is good.

 

Extra grease for me, please!

 

After a ridiculous amount of pizza, we hopped on the last bus out before we turned into pumpkins.  Note to self: do not arrive at the bus station with a full bladder.

 

Wordless Wednesday

A few shots from my recent trip to Colorado...

Beach Bums: Part II

 

While we loved chillaxin near the ocean, we also did a bit of floating in the pool.  The pool was grody, but it gave Hunter & Meagan a chance to swim around a little better.  And we actually met a real nice lady there, Miss Vicki.  She was very engaging so the girls latched on to her, literally.  They told her their middle names, last names, birthdays, cousin's name, hometown, teacher's names, favorite movies, etc. 

Meagan got real comfortable with our new friend.  So comfortable that she asked Miss Vicki....Have you ever seen The Farting Preacher?  It was hilarious, especially in her adorable, innocent, four-year-old voice.  Now I'm the first one to laugh uncontrollably and even snort-laugh at TFP, but it's a little awkward when the youngins mention it to strangers.  Janet and I quickly explained what it was and brushed it off, but I was dying with laughter on the inside.  I'm sure Miss Vicki looked it up on YouTube when she got home.  Meagan's our friendly little diva....

I had big dreams of building a giant sand castle on this trip.  But once I plopped down on the beach, I just didn't feel like thinking and digging and being creative.  Luckily, our fellow beach buddies did feel like it.  Check out their masterpieces...

 

 

I was pretty careless with my sunscreen application on Monday, so my shoulders and chest felt like fried chicken by Tuesday morning.  Therefore I spent most of that day wearing a t-shirt, sitting under the umbrella, guarding our beach toys, snapping shots of my feet, and shooing the birds away.  Not as exciting observing the crew, but I'll take a bad day at the beach over a good day at the office..any time.

 

 

 

After a few hours of umbrella hibernation, I came out of hiding and helped Avery gather more shells for her collection.  We found quite a few treasures. 

 

On our last night of the trip, we went to see the movie, UP.  Might seem like a weird thing to do at the beach, but the kids wanted to go <me too> ..and it was nice to sit in a clean, stench-free theater, a welcome departure from watching a 13-inch TV at the Bates.

I'll say this about going to the beach with little kids.  It's in no way relaxing, but it sure is fun.  The wee ones had their typical meltdowns, and I think that triggered a few meltdowns in me.  Guess I'm just not used to the additional yelping, jumping, crying, and whining that comes with children.  I told my sister...I can't believe you don't hit the bottle every night? 

Throughout the trip, Janet and I were reminded of Summer Rental, the 80s classic beach movie starring John Candy.  Our adventure mirrored many of the scenes in this hysterical film.  The trip was lots of work, but I laughed a ton, and now I have my own irreplaceable 'Summer Rental' memories. 

 

Beach Bums: Part I

 

I survived my first beach trip with three small children (and their mother/aka my sister).  Our trip was full of non-stop action, sandy toes, salty mouths, seafood, and sunburn.  With every millimeter of the minivan occupied, we ventured out for a three-day stay at Madeira Beach, on Florida's Gulf Coast. The drive is about two hours, but the kids were troopers and kept us in stitches with their excitement and amusing questions. I think Meagan's inquiries won first prize: Mama, did you pack my clothes? ...Mama, have I been to the beach before? (x4) ...Mama, are you gonna throw me out to the sharks in the ocean?

Our excitement bubble burst rather quickly when we rolled up to the Surf's Inn.  From the outside, we thought..it's not so bad.  Just a little old.  One of those good old fashioned Florida beach motels.  Wrong observation.  How can I put this nicely?  Hmmm..I can't.  The place was a dirt hole.   The 'large' studio was crammed with over-sized, uncomfortable, shabby furniture.  The air from the A/C unit smelled like vinegar, which only enhanced the stale, eternal smoke smell permeating from the walls.  The floors were so filthy that our feet turned black within minutes.  The bathtub was full of mold.  The sink had old crusty toothpaste in it.  The bathroom door lock was loose, so we accidentally locked ourselves out.  And as dumb luck would have it, Mr. Maintenance punched out 10 minutes prior to the incident, so we jimmied the lock with a bobby pin. 

The pool was also very interesting.  Seemed like most of our neighbors enjoyed staring at the pool for hours at a time while chain smoking.  I couldn't blame them for not wanting to wallow in hot, salty, moldy water.  I could go on with more gory details, but I shan't.  The only saving grace of this dank dive was its close proximity to the ocean.  Score 1 for the Surf's Inn.

 

After the shock of the room wore off, we got down to business....the BEACH.  The waves were calling our names and we answered.  There were only a few hours left in the day, so we wasted no more time complaining about the hotel.  Meagan and Hunter were a little apprehensive about the waves, so they spent more time on the shore, digging holes.  But Avery jumped right into the ocean like a little fish.   

 

The next day, we hit the beach bright and early, complete with four chairs, two umbrellas, a giant beach mat, a plethora of toys, and plenty of snacks.  After an hour of jumping and riding waves with Avery, she said...Aunt Lisa, what happens if you need to poop?  I've never run that fast through sand before.  Whew.  Score 2 for the Surf's Inn.

  

We worked up an appetite after our first full day in the sun, so in the evening, we cleaned up and cruised on over to John's Pass for shopping and seafood.  I couldn't resist purchasing the classic beach souvenir: Salt Water Taffy, made fresh in Clearwater.  Avery & Meagan went for another beach classic: the sea shell necklace.  Avery just couldn't get enough of that shark tooth.  I started to think it might have magic powers. 

 

With souvenirs in tow, we moved on to Sculley's for dinner.  Their Rum Runner {on the rocks} was killer.  It paired very nicely with our lump crab stuffed mushrooms, crab cakes, and blackened Grouper.  After dinner, we enjoyed the birds and fish around the boardwalk.  Lots of pelicans everywhere.

   

 

Next on the agenda: Sunset.  You simply can't visit the West coast without watching at least one sunset.  And watching it go down over the ocean is even more breathtaking.  The kids loved it too.  Our sunset walk was one of the few times they seemed completely calm. 

 

 

Stay tuned for Part II of our beach adventure.........

NYC & Poconos Adventure

 

I'm baaaa-ack!  After a week in the snow and ice, I came home to 30 degree weather.  What's that about???  I suppose my trip prepared me for this freezing week in Orlando.  =)

I had quite the adventure up North last week.  My friend, Julia and I trotted ALL over NYC for a few days.  That city will tear you up!  There is so much activity and culture and life to soak in **whew** I was worn out after three days in the Big Apple.  The rest of our group joined us later in the week, and we all drove over to PA/The Poconos for skiing and snow tubing.  Our resort in PA was...hmmmm, what's the PC word?  Rustic?  Let's just say we used the term resort very loosely.  But we survived and had a blast!  Your accommodations don't matter so much when you're with friends who can make the best of it.  Good Peeps = Good Times.

What a jolly ole time I had away from home!  Even though the trip was exhausting, just being gone for a week was good for my soul.  My normal life barely crossed my mind.  I laughed a ton, observed different ways of life, interacted with people from other countries, admired beautiful art and landmarks, ate some fabulous meals, ate some gross meals, rode in lots of subway trains, experienced the snow in a whole new way, and reconnected with some friends I haven't seen in a while. 

The picture above is one I took in Central Park.  It was snowing when I snapped this shot.  See below for a slide show of my entire trip.  Enjoy!

Snow Sabbatical

Hellooooo out there!  Just wanted to let you know that I'm taking a little break this week -- a Snow Sabbatical, if you will.  On Tuesday, I'm heading up North to spend three days in NYC...and then over to PA to play in the Pocono Mountains.  Yes, I am leaving this absolutely gorgeous Florida Winter to experience a real Northeast Winter.  The predicted highs in NYC are in the 20s, and down to the teens in The Poconos.  Yowzah!

I finally broke down and invested in some decent snow boots.  After traipsing around Colorado in Skechers tennis shoes, I learned that falling, sliding, and fear of frostbite can really put a damper on one's fun.  Imagine that!  Check them out...I fell in love with this shade of green!  Aren't they cute? 

I'll be back soon, so don't stay away too long.  Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Jasper is my trusty packing assistant....

 

....while Stella supervises the whole operation.

Chinese Christmas Tree

While in China last year, I had the opportunity to stock up on some wonderfully whimsical Christmas ornaments.  So for the past two years, I've created a Chinese Christmas Tree by filling up my three-foot Colorado pine with these unique finds.  I love gazing at the tree and reminiscing about my life-changing trip to China.  Mostly, I'm reminded of the people who crafted these ornaments by hand.  Such sweet and humble people!  If you'd like to stock up on some of these hand-made ornaments or other Christmas items, check out the two websites below.  Might as well get a head start on the 2009 holiday season!

Hearts & Hands

Threads of Yunnan  

 

 

Lovin' Franklin

Just got back from some time in Franklin,TN.  My friend Denise took me in for a few days and showed me around town.  Franklin is the friendliest, most charming place!  Here are a few highlights from my trip:

• I drank an enormous amount of sweet tea
• I ate an enormous amount of Southern staples - fried chicken, fried okra, corn muffins, ho cake, creamed corn, cheese grits & shrimp, bbq sandwich, pecan pie, creamed chicken, cranberry congealed salad
• I shopped at the farmer's market that Keith Urban frequents (Denise has seen him there)
• I saw lots of historic Civil War sites
• I ate a gourmet gingerbread cupcake
• I saw Barbara Mandrell's estate
• I saw Carrie Underwood's neighborhood
• I made some new friends at Kimbro's, a local dive bar
• I tooled around The Factory, a shopping and dining area housed in a 1929 building
• I ate THE best guacamole on the planet at SOL (in TN...who'dathunkit?)
• I shopped in downtown Franklin and bought a vintage spoon necklace
• I drooled over the amazing antique shops
• I ate a fabulous Southern-chic meal at Cabana, a restaurant near Belmont University 
• I visited Cross Point church
• I hung out at the emergency vet's office for a few hours
• I drank the best champagne I've EVER had
• I saw lots of green leaves, and just a sprinkling of orange, yellow, purple, red
• I sweated vs. wearing sweaters
• I read an entire book
• I barely made my connection flight on the way home