A week in New York City will take it out of a girl. I had the most amazing tour guide ever and lucky for me she is a wonderful friend. Heather and I walked for miles, demolished our feet, froze our lunchladies in the AC and almost suffered from heat stroke. The week was jam packed full of seeing amazing sights, catching up with family and old friends, eating incredible food, indulging on pastries and cupcakes, being on TV, shopping, sunning on the beach, did I mention the eating? The food may have been the BEST part for this foodie! For being a Montana girl I feellike I have explored cities before..........but NYC is nothing like the sprawling cities of the west coast. Millions of people on a tiny island....not an ideal place to live in my mind....but it was an amazing vacation!
Our days were JAM PACKED! We spent every hour out and about. I squeezed in a 360 view of the city from Astoria, dinner at Il Bambino in Astoria, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, pizza at John's on Bleeker, Union Square farmers market, dinner at Sushi Samba with my cousin Isaly, Central Park, Rockefeller Center and the Top of the Rock, a live taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (he shook our hands and we were on TV), a back stage tour of the show, cupcakes from Magnolia, a near death experience in a bike chariot, an outstanding dinner at Ze Cafe where a high school friend is the head chef, the Today Show summer concert series with John Mayer in Times Square, Lady Liberty and Ellis Island, shopping/brousing on 5th Ave, dinner in Astoria at Locale with my friend from MSU Shane, an early morning mani/pedi to take care of the aching feet, Museum of Natural History with Heather and Isaly followed by dinner at UVA with the girls, an adventure to the LES to meet another high school friend Frank (Heather and I had not seen Frank for 10 years...since graduation) and a late night drink with Shane at Vynes, Sunday...beach day...sunning on Long Beach and dinner at Bare Burger in Astoria with Heather, Josh and Shane. I'm tired just writing it all down!!!!! I feel like I had a real NYC experience complete with crabby cab drivers and a mariachi band in the subway car :)
While the city was full of fun I was instantly reminded as I got off of the plane in Billings and started my drive back to the ranch that Paradise Valley holds that name for a reason. I live in PARADISE and not many people can say that.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
When your dog is 16...............
..you give him extra cookies and happy pills just because he is old and has probably earned them at some point
..you accomodate him in evey way you can....a special bed on the porch where he spends his days 'protecting' the ranch....leftovers 'because he's old'....special joy rides in the truch to do ranch chores....trying to limit his doggie visitors because of the stress and extra running around it causes....did I mention cookies?
..you accept that he just doesn't smell good.....EVER and that he makes strange noises, has annoying habits, and sheds so much hair that it seems like he is balding
..your heart skips a beat when you pull up, almost on top of him because he is sleeping in the driveway and doesn't move a muscle
..you have prepared yourself for his passing more than once (tear, sleepless nights)...he pulls through
..you develop a sort of sign language of claps, whistles and hand gestures because he is going deaf and somewhat blind
..and when he completely disappears one evening while on one of these said joy rides to check to pond and fields you spend 2.5 hours searching, whistling, clapping, yelling, retracing your steps, combing the fields, checking and rechecking the pond, 4-wheeling, driving, walking fences all in the dark with flashlights, tears running down your face (me) until 11:15pm. And when you don't know what else to do he will come meandering back up the driveway ready for some cookies and a happy pill....and that is what he gets...because he is 16!
..you accomodate him in evey way you can....a special bed on the porch where he spends his days 'protecting' the ranch....leftovers 'because he's old'....special joy rides in the truch to do ranch chores....trying to limit his doggie visitors because of the stress and extra running around it causes....did I mention cookies?
..you accept that he just doesn't smell good.....EVER and that he makes strange noises, has annoying habits, and sheds so much hair that it seems like he is balding
..your heart skips a beat when you pull up, almost on top of him because he is sleeping in the driveway and doesn't move a muscle
..you have prepared yourself for his passing more than once (tear, sleepless nights)...he pulls through
..you develop a sort of sign language of claps, whistles and hand gestures because he is going deaf and somewhat blind
..and when he completely disappears one evening while on one of these said joy rides to check to pond and fields you spend 2.5 hours searching, whistling, clapping, yelling, retracing your steps, combing the fields, checking and rechecking the pond, 4-wheeling, driving, walking fences all in the dark with flashlights, tears running down your face (me) until 11:15pm. And when you don't know what else to do he will come meandering back up the driveway ready for some cookies and a happy pill....and that is what he gets...because he is 16!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)