Okay, so not exactly wordless. These photos are from my recent trip to surprise my grandparents on their 60th wedding anniversary. When I was in Connecticut a few summers back I took approximately 600+ photos of the farm...didn't quite make it to that number on this trip cause let's face it, cold and I are not friends. But here's a few shots I did manage to get...
So, surprise! I had barely stepped off the plane from NYC last week when I hopped on another one to surprise my grandparents for their 60th wedding anniversary in Connecticut!
After arriving (late) Friday night, we caught a ride to my grandparents house, walked through the door and SURPRISE! And boy were they...I believe my gramma's words where ' what are YOU doing here??!?!' It was worth all the traveling and planning just to see their faces.
The weekend was spent giggling, chuckling and having a wonderful time with family. On Saturday night the older cousins ventured into Hartford for a hockey game and then back to our old hometown for a few beers and fun.
Sunday we gathered the entire family together to celebrate my grandparents' sixty years of marriage. It's amazing to think that Adam and I could really make it that long - although I keep telling him I'll be on my fourth husband by then... ;)
Busyteacheramy and I flew back Monday night and are completely exhausted from the weekend, especially since we barely got any sleep (my cousins are wayyyy to fun to go to bed early). So I'm signing off to get some much-needed shut-eye. Goodnight all!
Alrighty then, time to get busy and give you all the down-low on my visit with my bestie Martha Stewart!
After discovering that Grace and I were indeed on the list, we immediately started planning our trip...including tacking on an extra two days in NYC because why fly all that way and not get to shop? Which is exactly what we did on Tuesday/Wednesday until Girlymama rode in on the train from Philly to join us! The three of us quickly got settled into our hotel and headed uptown...downtown...midtown... I'm not quite sure - I'm obviously not from NYC. We stumbled upon this hole-in-the-wall Belgium restaurant that had the most FABULOUS food.
We then scurried over to the Roger Smith hotelto meet up with some other blogger friends (and lots of Philly moms!) at a tweetup thrown by Katja and Erika. A few drinks and then early to bed because we needed to rest up for the big day!
We headed out early to get in line outside the studio. After being let in and signing our life away on the release forms we were ushered into the 'holding cell' until further instructions were given.
Here's a snapshot of the Philly Moms, I LOVED getting to meet all of them finally:
Finally we were ushered to our seats, set up our laptops and we're good to go! The set was AMAZING! A gorgeous kitchen with shelves lined with white dishware, a craftroom with rolls and rolls of ribbon and a greenhouse with flourishing plants.
The best of the entire set though was the full-kitchen to the side of the set full of bustling interns running around trying to get everything ready for Martha.
Here's Grace, Girlymama and I anxiously waiting...
And finally she walked out...in FIVE INCH HEELS!!! Apparently my bestie Martha and I share the same insecurities about our height, regardless of the fact that she is a whole foot taller than me. To be honest between tweeting, clapping and staring at those insane shoes, I really didn't get to see too much of the show. I mean really, look at these:
(Did you know she was a yoga instructor in a former life? She just THREW her leg up there to show those off...WOW)
The guests were amazing, especially Jennifer Hutt - I am OBSESSED with her hair...and she was a total doll. We also got a copy of Chez Pim's 'The Foodie Handbook' which I cannot wait to dive into.
It was a fabulous experience being a part of a live audience and the best part was that my blog was featured on tv! EEP! I know Martha LOVED having me there...and is looking forward to catering my wedding on July 2, 2010 (seriously Martha, that orange-almond cake looked to-die-for).
Seriously...really cool. REALLY cool. I can't wait to post photos of the outside from my camera. We had to stop in last night to get an iPhone charger (seriously, without the iPhone, Grace and I would still be trying to figure out what train to take) and it looked like a beacon in the dark city. SO COOL.
Pardon the blurry photo, I took it with the crackberry.
Yeah people really judge you when you whip out a blackberry in the middle of the apple store. My bad. (come on Verizon, get that iPhone already!)
Guess where I am???? Nope not at work...not even in Ohio!
I'm in NEW YORK CITY with my girlfriend Grace because she scored us tickets to the MARTHA STEWART BLOGGER SHOW!!! EEEP!
I completely forgot to write about it yesterday in the blur of packing and working and cleaning and packing...let's just say the computer was the last thing on my mind.
Other than our 4:15am wakeup call our trip has been loads of fun so far. Got into NYC around 8am, experience the standard crazy taxi ride, did some MAJOR shopping at Century 21...it was crazy. And there's nothing like a room full of designer shoes ON SALE! I have to brag, I scored a pair of $132 shoes for only $12!!
We spent some time walking around and then ate a late lunch at Pershing Square...their Waldork Salad = heaven.
(sorry the photo's a little blurry)
And now we're catching up on the emails and resting up before dinner...or dessert. Dessert sounds so much better.
Have a friend that is always jetting off to one place or another? Why not pick up a gift that they can use on their many adventures?
I love to travel and although I don't get to as much as I would like, I did manage to squeeze in one trip to Europe this year. If I were able to take more time off work and had an unlimited bank account, I definitely would put some of these on my Holiday wish list before jetting off to foreign lands.
1. Traveler's Journal - especially handy for longer trips! I took one with me when I went gallavanting around Spain for a month and it was great to have once I started showing people pictures at home. I was able to look at the journal in order to remember the names of the places we saw, recall funny stores and the food we ate.
2. A Passport Holder not only holds your passport, but keeps other important documents and boarding passes organized in one place so you don't have to go digging through your bag.
3. How about a copy of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die to give them inspiration when figuring out where to travel to next!
4. Make airport security a breeze with this travel kit filled with TSA approved bottles in a clear travel bag.
5, Pick up an extra memory card for their camera so they can really capture EVERY part of their trip. And don't forget to include a gift certificate to SeeHere so they can create a memory photobook of their adventures when they get home!
6. I was traveling with someone for work and they had this handy gadget in their bag - it's a door stop alarm! You simply place it at the base of your hotel door and the alarm will sound when pressure is applied (door is opened). It's compact for easy travel. This would be great if you are traveling alone.
Happy traveling!
disclosure: some of the above links are affiliate links which means i will be receiving a penny or two if you click on them and purchase something. i'd love ya for it. seriously. (did I mention that it all gets donated to charity?)
