Girls on the Town

So here they are... finally... the pictures from the Girl's Trip!! We had such a great time! It was SO FUN to have visitors staying with us and being able to go and do and see all these neat things together! We did so much in such a short amount of time.... So here is the rundown:

Wednesday 4/25: After a long day of traveling Flori, Linsey, Lindy and Lindsey flew in at about 5:15pm. Kyle picked the gals up from the airport while I was at home scrambling to get the house cleaned and a home cooked meal ready for everyone when they arrived. I was so excited to have family around our dinner table... it is something we rarely get to enjoy... so I wanted to make it extra special with candles, goblets and all the whistles and bells. When the girls finally did get to our house it was SOOOO good to see everyone.... especially the cute prego bellies on Lindsey and Lindy!! We ate a yummy dinner all together and did what girls do best.... chat!! After dinner we took them around where we live in CT, the neighborhoods, up to UConn Health Center where Kyle goes to school and tried to give them an idea of New England life.

Thursday 4/26: We got up bright and early to cacth a train into New York City (we barely made the train we wanted!!!) and a short ride later we were in the Big Apple! After checking into our hotel (the Doubletree in Times Square!!! -Thanks Ricardo!) we headed down to Canal Street/ChinaTown to do some damage on the credit cards!! We made our way into SoHo from there and ate Lunch at SoHo Park, a cute little lunch spot in the heart of SoHo. After lunch we browsed around some of the interesting shops in SoHo then headed downtown to Battery Park. At Battery Park we saw the Statue of Liberty and all the Ferries... it was too bad becuase it was a little too cold for the street performers to be out at the park so we didn't get to see any of them. Then we went back to the hotel to freshen up for the evening. We went out to dinner at a restaurant called Langan's near Times Square... it was very yummy. After dinner we had tickets to see The Lion King!!! It was SO GREAT!!! I love Broadway shows... to take in the whole preformance is so incredible! I have to say the costumes were by far the most impressive thing to me about this particular show. Once you see a broadway show its like an addiction, you just want to go back and see every other show there is!

Friday 4/27: We slept in a little becasue we were SO tired from our busy day the day before. We finally got ready and first thing we went to see the Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral. I love the Cathedral... it is so breathtaking!! I almost get tears in my eyes everytime I go there. We spent a little time in the NBC store checking out all our favorite shows souveniers and went across the street to look in the windows at the Today Show. Next was one of my FAVORITE parts of the whole trip... we went out to lunch at Serendipity 3!!! I loved it!! The restaurant is SO cute -- very Art Deco/Victorian Era-ish. Its just the type of place that is only found in NYC -- ecclectic, unique, interesting and one of a kind! I have heard about the Frrozen Hot Chocolate and how good it was but I always figured it would be similar to a chocolate shake or malt.... boy was I wrong! It is unlike anything else... except hot chocolate... it's crazy -- it tastes like a Hot Chocolate smoothie but it is DIVINE!!! I think I could have devoured 3 or more!! The food was yummy too... such a fun assortment of items from simple to chic!! For my souvenier I bought a Serendipity cookbook that has all the dessert recipes in it (including Frrozen Hot Chocolate) and the owner of Serendipity 3 was standing there when I bought it and asked me if I would like him to sign my book!! So of course I let him!! I am going to treasure this book!! I can't wait to go back again!! After Serendipity we did a little more shopping at H&M (it was probably the 10th H&M we visited this trip in NYC) this one had a whole floor of baby and kid clothes. Lindy won the award for buying the most!!! :) She found alot of cute stuff for Ellie and her baby boy that is on the way! But she wasn't the only one... we all had a few shopping bags! At Bloomingdales next door there were some live models in the window modeling swimwear and one of the models was on America's Next Top Model acouple seasons ago!!! She got to the last 4 or 5 girls in the Cycle when they went to Africa (she was the elephant in the African animal photo shoot). I can't for the life of me think of her name.... it's driving me crazy!! After shopping we went to the Metropolitain Museum of Art ie... The Met. We just took a quick stroll by some of the more famous paitings and artwork that they have there. The Ferris Beuler style photo at the top of this post is of Kyle, me, Lindy and Linsey admiring a Jackson Pollock. His paitings are crazy but very fascinating at the same time. After our quick tour of the Museum we took a stroll through Central Park. It was really pretty all the trees are just starting to come out and some are in bloom.... I love Spring!! Then we made a mad dash to get all our stuff at the hotel to make one of the express trains back to CT. We barely made it... again!! Back at our house in CT we ordered some of our favorite East Coast style pizza (from Harry's Pizza) to share with the girls. Then we tried to watch Serendipity to celebrate our trip there but only a few made it throught the whole show.

Saturday 4/28: We were all so pooped from our busy days in the city that we decided to be pampered and go get pedicures.... oh boy did they feel good!!! And all our toe's looked so cute!! It was my first one and I think I will return for many more!! We spent a little time at the local mall here in CT and then went out to lunch at Cosi's is the West Hartford Center (a cute little outdoor shopping area). After lunch we toured the girls around the area again for them to see what CT is like. While we were driving around we drove past a little minature golf course and decided to play. I haven't played mini-golf in a million years and we had a great time. Afew of us even had a hole in one!! After golf we were driving around again and drove past a pottery painting studio and decided that it sounded like fun too... So we stopped and painted pottery and chatted and have a fabulous time!! Lindy and Linsey painted some tiles, Lindsey painted a "W" to put in little baby William's room when he is born, Flori painted a heart magnet, Kyle painted a cereal bowl with a tooth in the bottom and I painted a little flower pot. I just picked up the pottery the other day from being fired and it all looks SO CUTE!! I will take pictures this weekend and post them here so the girls can see thier work!! For dinner we went to Kyle's favorite restaurant... J. Timothy's. It's a steak house type place but very old, it has been open for over 100 years I think. Our favorite there are the Buffalo Wings... mmmmm good! After our delicious dinner we all stayed up late (I was having a hard time, for the first time ever!! I am usually such a night owl!) chatting and soaking up eachothers company because it was out last night!!! :(

Sunday 4/29: The fateful last day!!! BooHoo!!! In the morning everyone packed up and got ready to go.... what a sad day!! Then around 11:00 the dreadful hour came... I took them all to the airport to leave us!!! We had such a fun time and it was SO HARD to say goodbye. Kyle and I love living here but the hardest times are these... when we see out families and have fun then have to say goodbye all over again!! I admit I cried a little as they all walked away into the airport to go home... What a FANTASTIC weekend though!!!! I hope the "girl's trip" becomes a tradition and we can pick a new place every year!!! Thanks Flori, Linsey, Lindy and Lindsey for coming to visit us and fitting this trip into your busy lives, Kyle and I LOVED having you here!! THANK YOU a million times over for making the trip happen!! You are all welcome back (and any other family and friends that may be reading this blog are welcome too!) for a visit whenever you want!! We love to have visitors!!

Sorry this entry got SO long.... I couldn't leave out any of the details!! We hope all is well with everyone!!

Ciao!!

Kyle and the girls strolling the streets of NYC.

Group photo at Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty.

At the Lion King!!!

Lunch date at Serendipity3!

Kyle and I enjoying our Frrozen Hot Chocolate!! I want some more!!!

Kyle and his "Foot Long" hot dog at Serendipity. :)

The girls in Central Park.

Spring has sprung in the Park!!!

Kyle wanted some pictures of him in the Park too :)

Doing the moon-walk in Central Park... what a goof!!

I thought I would throw this one in too... This is Kyle helping me clean before the girls came. He was wearing his protective goggles vacuuming. I thought it was funny so I snapped a photo. :)