A Real Vacation

Finally, I know it's what you've ALL been waiting for :)

I had the best week ever. I'd forgotten what it's like to spend real time alone with my amazing husband. And can I just say I must be 5 lbs lighter - even pregnant - with all the walking we did.

Here's the rundown of Thursday - Friday - Saturday
***WARNING***TRAVEL LOG AHEAD***SUPER, SUPER LONG***

Thursday
Roger had training so I went shopping!! It was super nice to shop sans Sarah. I got some fun maternity clothes (Which I'm sure my sisters will appreciate with their future pregnancies.) I went Macy's, to the largest store in the world and found some good sales in their Pea in the Pod Maternity section (I just can't justify spending $100 for a top - no matter how cute it is!) I was also pleased to find out that H&M and Ann Taylor Loft also have maternity clothes!


After Rog got done with training we headed over to TKTX to get some half-priced Broadway tickets. Phantom was sold out so we went with Hairspray. After changing into our "Broadway attire" at the hotel, we were off to dinner. I'm almost embarrassed to admit we didn't seek out the local restaurants but instead headed for familiar (and close to the theater) Applebees. We were running late and almost to dinner when Roger realized he left the tickets on our hotel room nightstand - A mere 10+ city blocks away! I went ahead to the restaurant and ordered an appetizer for us while I waited. It arrived just as Roger slipped into his seat. We had 20 minutes to eat and head to the show. It's a good thing we were in the mood for soup and salad :) We made it to our seats with 5 minutes to spare and enjoyed the production. We both loved the songs and the energy of the cast!

Friday
We had great plans to get up and out of the hotel by 7:30 am to have breakfast and go to the Empire State Building, but alas, I set my alarm to 6:45, but did not turn it "on," so we lazily rolled out of bed at 9. I can't remember the last time I slept in that long! After getting ready for the day and eating breakfast, we went with plan "B" and headed down to the financial district.

Rog showed me Ground Zero where the twin towers used to stand. For the first time since the incident I truly was able to grieve. (I was in Japan on Sept. 11, 2001 and seeing in on TV and hearing about it felt much more like a movie than reality to me. I tried reading books and news articles when I returned to the states, but I never felt the true impact of the event. It was humbling to see the gaping hole (which is now a construction zone) and feel emotions of true sadness and a new kind of unbelief. "How could any human beings do this kind of atrocity to others?"


We then headed to Wall Street and the NY Stock Exchange. (I did try taking pictures of Roger in front of the building, but the building is in focus not Roger ...) We went up to Bowling Green and took a picture of Roger IN FRONT of the bull (Not with his behind like quite a few sick-and-twisted people...) I totally felt like I was part of the HITCH movie down there.



We missed the 12:00 Statten Island Ferry by 30 seconds (I had to go to the bathroom - A necessity for pregnant women.) But since the workers had a schedule to keep Rog and I headed out to the street and picked up two NY Hotdogs. I had to be able to say I ate one while in NY! We caught the 12:30 ferry (it was even 4 minutes late) and enjoyed the view as we passed Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty. Since we had no time (or desire) to see Statten Island (What's over there anyway?) we headed on the next ferry back. This time we struck up a conversation with a New York Post employee. (I think he said he was in charge of a team of delivery personnel?) He insisted on taking a plethora of pictures of Roger and me in front of the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately, the one I thought was going to be the best ended up focusing on the statue and left us fuzzy ... We need a new camera :)


Next we headed back to our hotel to change our clothes. We had a 4 pm appointment at the Manhatten Temple next on our list (well, after we picked up our tickets for Phantom). The Manhatten Temple was WONDERFUL. We definitely took advantage of being childless and enjoyed our time together there. As we opened the doors to leave the building the contrast of the quiet, peaceful temple and the busy streets of Manhatten was night and day. It reminded me of life and how the world can get sooooo crazy that we need to remember to take those quiet moments to ponder and remember what life's really about.


We had dinner at a nearby Pizzeria - it was sooooo good. I was skeptical of the thin crust, but it did not disappoint! Next we strolled through Central Park. It was perfect weather. By the time we got back to Times Square, it was off to The Phantom of the Opera. Now, to say I LOVED it would be an exaggeration. It was good, but definitely not as good as I had anticipated. I felt that the connection with the actors wasn't there and the special effects left a lot to be desired. I mean, when the chandelier very, very, very slowly descends it just doesn't have the same effect. And you know that part when the Phantom says, "Sing for me" and Christine goes on to do so .. isn't she supposed to hold out her final chord for more than 3 bars? Other than that, it was fine :) I do want to see it in Vegas. Apparently, they do a little different take and the special effects are AWESOME. I'll just have to put it on my "to do" list.

Saturday
Even with the super late night, we were up by 7:30 to go to the Empire State Building. It turned out that we didn't need to be such eager beavers since when we got there the visibility level was ZERO. We decided to walk around for a bit but after 15 minutes we decided the now "Limited Visibility" would be better than waiting in super long Disneyland lines for possibly a better view. As it was, with no lines, it took 35 minutes from the ground-level lobby to the 86th floor. It was still a little foggy, but again, totally worth not having to wait longer (especially since there is no seating). Incidentally, we overheard that just after us was a group of 100 that was going up. YIKES!



We had second breakfast at a little cafe around the corner from the Empire State Building. (I should have taken a picture - I ate there every morning while we were there. They had great bagels and breakfast sandwiches.) We checked out of our hotel and left our bags with the front desk. Since it was going now the middle of the day and close to the peek temperature (94 degrees!) We took the subway to 96th street and walked through Central Park again. (There's an amazing difference of walking through the city on cement and walking through on grass and dirt.) We even stopped at the Great Lawn and I took a nap while Roger watched what looked like a middle-school girls softball game. There were HUNDREDS of people in the park on Saturday and at least half were sun-bathing. It was fun to take pictures of the lakes and fountains. It was definitely an "Enchanted" moment.


Not much more to say for Saturday. We ended up walking back to our hotel on 38th and Park (That's right we started at 96th ...) with a stop at TGIFridays for some grub. We picked up our bags, got in a taxi that took us to JFK, and the fairytale trip was over. We landed in Las Vegas just before Midnight where Roger's sister and husband picked us up. They were planning to bring Sarah, but she was long passed out in her pack-and-play in the clothes she wore that day. (She wore herself out dancing at a Wedding Reception and fell asleep on the way home ...)

We spent Sunday and Monday with Nancy & Randy's family. It was good to be back with Sarah. However, it was a good thing that I was still on NY time as she woke up just before 6 am. I got her to take a morning nap before church (at 1 pm) but even so we didn't last through Sunday School before I had Rog take us home. After naps for both Sarah and myself, we gave out presents to the Gublers for taking care of our little one all week. The t-shirts and Statue of Liberty foam crowns were a hit! (Especially since Nancy & Randy lived in NY while he went to podiatry school.) Thanks again for being such great babysitters! Sarah totally felt right at home - as the #6 child of the family - going to the bus stop, ballet lessons, playing by the pool, etc. And Ollie was one of her favorites! She LOVES doggies.


We had dinner with Sally (Roger's Mom), Elwood and Crystal, who had driven down for Spencer's high school graduation the next day. Nothing beats homemade steak and potatoes on Sunday afternoon. Unless you count the homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert.


After dinner Rog, Sarah and I excused ourselves for a bit to visit my brother's family who live 15 minutes away. The girls showed us the intricate details of Wii Fit and Sarah loved being there with them. I'm not totally sold on the Wii Fit, but maybe once I'm not pregnant ... maybe Rog will be able to talk me into it.

Monday morning was swim time. I was glad I had foresight to pack my swimsuit although it appeared I wouldn't have a chance to use it. (Our original plans were to leave on the first flight Monday morning. However, we decided to take a later flight so Roger could attend Spencer's graduation.) After much persuasion, I was able to coax Sarah into the jacuzzi (which is set at bathroom tub temperature - no I wasn't going to boil either of my babies!) After a while, she got comfortable and was able to let go of me and sit on a step in the jacuzzi. She even got brave and started walking around on the tub's outer "seat." Unfortunately, I didn't realize there was a dip in the seat level and she tripped going face first in the water. I did regain her trust in the end, but not without much more reassurances. Hopefully when we go to St. George in a few weeks she will be ready to take the next step in the whole pool experience.

Well, I guess that's it. To summarize, we did a lot in such a few days and had such a wonderful time. We love our Sarah but we also have a deeper love for each other. I definitely recommend going on a twosome trip in your second trimester before #2 comes along. (Was that enough 2s for you?) All in all - definitely great and we will definitely need to go again!