Wednesday, April 27, 2011

More "How to Succeed" Love

So I've been swamped at work and I haven't written in forever! And I probably won't write much till I get this wedding all handled in a few days. But, until then, I found this awesome preview thingy of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which we saw and loved in NYC. So hope everyone enjoys!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Just a few shots

I'm so exhausted this morning that I can't even seem to make sentences so I'm just gonna post a few pics.
Hunt on the subway!

Museum of the American Indian (near our hotel)

Lady Liberty, who we visited on Day 1


Hunt in Central Park
The girlie in the park
A beautiful day in the park

Spent some time educating the kiddos

Some of our options

The first show we saw (highly recommended)


Our second show

My favorite!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Fortune cookies and Deadliest Whites

So I just have to start this off by posting this pic of the fortune my dear hubs got in his lunchtime fortune cookie...
This will go down in history as the best fortune cookie ever. I was so completely jealous (and pretty sure it was meant for me).

Anyway, I came home to see Not-So-Ex watching a marathon of Deadliest Catch. I never thought I'd be too into the show. I'm not too outdoorsy and water makes me really nervous so I couldn't imagine anything about the show that would pull me in.

I was sooooooooo wrong.

Not surprisingly, it was the human part of the formula that grabbed me. What really got me was the fact that I found it completely correlating with the White movie. Watching Phil, the Captain and father figure on the show, as he had a stroke and, eventually, passed away was like watching Bertie Mae all over again. Also, just like Phil, it was Bertie Mae who kept saying let them film.

I've always said that there is just something extra heartbreaking about big, physically strong men being brought to tears. And that was definitely true with these men. But, honestly, seeing Mamie fall into grief was just as painful. Here's this strong, fierce woman trying to come to terms with the one thing she can't even hope to intimidate or whip, death. I spent a lot of time sitting in a hospital room with Mamie and the worst thing was when things would get calm and quiet and I'd look over and see a tear trickle down her cheek. It wasn't about cameras, especially since I was often there just to check in on her and didn't have a cameraman with me, it was just real, honest pain.

As I kept watching Deadliest Catch (still watching it actually), I really felt for the crew as well. Not too many people know what it is to truly be in the middle of a verite documentary; to be pulled into another world. It became tough to separate life from the film. I became very close to Bertie Mae and probably spent more time in the hospital with her than I have most of my real family members, but I only knew her for a matter of months. Every film teacher will tell you that you have to maintain a distance from your subjects, but I didn't really.

When Bertie Mae died, I wasn't sure how to grieve. As I watched the show and how it dealt with Phil's passing, I really felt for the film crew. There were at least two film crew members who even lived on the ship, so it was a level of internment that even surpassed mine. I know there's a high rate of turnover on their film crews and I can definitely understand why.

The other thing that really got me, of course, was when Phil's son, Jake, admitted his addiction to his father and decided to seek treatment. There was even a scene where he was calling the rehab center trying to get in, just like Kirk. It killed me that his dad never got to see him clean, again, just like Kirk and Bertie Mae. I anxiously waited for the new episode hoping Jake would get and stay clean (which he has done so far) and I still hope for the same with Kirk.

Probably the saddest statement of all though is that watching the show made me wish they needed a new producer (and that I could do it). I still feel the pull of that kind of chaos and excitement. Of course then I remember I have a husband and two kids and I'm vaguely afraid of water...

Anyway, there's my treatise on Deadliest Catch... The fam and I will be heading to NYC in a couple days and I'm working quite a bit before then, plus trying to get everyone packed and the house ready, so I probably won't be writing much till we're back. So, see you all later!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Weird times

So basically I've had a pretty bad few days. I'm not gonna go into it, but it's not been a fun time.

On the plus side, I have my new hair color. And I like it, even though it's fading fast. So here's my standard post blow-dry, bathroom mug shot.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Still stressed, but with some hope!

So we got an interesting email yesterday. There's a house for rent that would be perfect for us. I had emailed the person earlier in the week and, when I didn't hear back in a few days, I figured it was gone. But we'll go look at it this weekend. It's a pretty homely house (LOL) but has enough bedrooms that our kids would each have their own (they currently share a room) and it has some awesome outdoor space. Plus it's in the area we want to stay in. Apparently there's been a lot of interest in it though, so we may not be able to get it. But we'll see. At least we have options.

Speaking of options, we changed some stuff for our NYC trip. I had been thinking about it and, with it being Not-So-Ex's first trip to NYC, us staying in Times Square when the first thing we have scheduled on Friday is a Statue of Liberty cruise didn't make much sense. It meant he would have to be comfortable on the subway immediately and I think we'll have to gradually ease into that. So we cancelled the one room and got a room at a gorgeous hotel right by Battery Park where the cruise will leave from. I've already done some looking around in the neighborhood and found some great bakery options, so I'm quite psyched! Now if I can just get Not-So-Ex as excited.

The doggers also went to the place they'll be boarding the other day and it went swimmingly! They also do daycare and grooming so we'll pick up two pretty, clean doggers when we get back. Plus they'll probably be worn out too! It's really a great place. No cages, no feeling all closed in, almost like being home but with extra space!

Well I guess that's it. I have a whole slew of sugar cookie orders to finish today plus like six cake orders so I'm gonna be swamped! But I guarantee the time will fly by!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Stressful times

So, to make a long story short, our landlord has come down on us about our dogs. And this leaves us with a very tough choice. We need to either find a new home for Lucy and learn to really limit Jake's outside time or we need to find somewhere else to live.

We've been halfheartedly looking for somewhere for Lucy for a while now. She should really be an outside dog and we just don't have the room for that. But, even though she's our problem child, it makes me incredibly sad to think of giving her up.

On the other hand, the thought of moving into another rental makes me wanna scream/cry hysterically. We had promised ourselves that the next move would be into our own home, not just another temporary stop.

The whole situation is just so incredibly stressful. I gotta say that it makes me even more excited for our NYC trip next week. We'll all need to be away, even if it's just for a little bit.

Monday, April 4, 2011

The rare moment of silence...

So since Not-So-Ex got laid off a little over a week ago, it's pretty rare to be alone. And we always seem to come up with something to do, even if its just lounging on the couch and watching Netflix. But, right now, I have a few minutes and figured I should probably write something.

There's not much going on. I've been baking a lot more at home, but there haven't been any new, groundbreaking recipes.

I work some days, and things have been good there too. I have my first wedding at the end of the month so I'm both excited and nervous over that. Luckily, the wedding is after I get back from NYC so I should be nice and chilled.

One thing I am looking forward to (other than NYC, which I'm already having weird dreams about) is a slight hair color change. I'm gonna try and go less crazy than normal and make it a little more subtle but we'll see. LOL

Well I'm gonna go check on the seeds I started the other day (my new obsession) so have a good day folks!