New York City Day 2: It's Not a Vacation Until You Wait in a Line

On Thursday morning we woke up rather early to go wait in line.

In the weeks before our trip, I had been calling NBC studios to try to get tickets to a taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Apparently they had been sold out for quite some time. They advised us that we could go on the day of taping at 8:00am and try to get tickets. By the time we got to 30 Rockefeller Center at 7:40am, the line was already forming.

We waited in line for about an hour drinking coffee and eating croissants and listening to some annoying people have some annoying conversations. Meanwhile we somehow got into a conversation about our ancestry. We are fascinating people. After we were given the stand-by tickets (which just meant "Hey, you still can't get in for sure, but make sure to arrange your entire day to be back here by 3:45 just in case you get in) we took a subway to the Museum of Natural History. Of course, we were looking for characters from the "Night at the Museum" movie but were unable to find any other than the dinosaurs.

One thing we did see was Dean McDermott (Tori Spelling's husband) filming his reality show with his children.

Immediately after this photo was taken, two young foreign girls came to me and said "Excuse me, do you know?". Once I realized that they were wondering who this was, I said "Do you know who Tori Spelling is?". I think they figured out who I was talking about once we established that Tori Spelling played Donna Martin in Beverly Hills 90210.

After this we took a walk across Central Park to make our way over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Now, I love the arts but I'm more of a music girl. I was quite surprised how much I really, really enjoyed this museum.

There was a whole section where they assembled some rooms from an old French hotel using the original flooring, doorways, walls, and furniture. This was SO COOL.

This is our bed from our hotel room. Just kidding. :)

She has to pee.

Ah, my first real, live Monet. Absolutely stunning.

This is my favorite Van Gogh. I have to apologize for my appreance. I had recently been wearing a hat and spent alot of time walking outside. I looked cuter than this for the majority of the trip, I promise. Please look at the Van Gogh.

Another Van Gogh.

After the museum trips, we headed back to 30 Rock to see if we had made the Stand-by list. We just waited alot more. And then we found out we made it.

My friend Jennifer saw me and Grant on TV. See the back of my head? I'm waving my hands like a fool.

Our guests were Helen Mirren, Damon Wayans Jr., and Paul Simon. Paul Simon was SO COOL. Played two songs for us. I was missing Garfunkel but still, it was awesome.

We went straight from Jimmy Fallon to grab a quick bite at the Olympic Diner before we caught the broadway show! We saw "Catch Me If You Can" at the Neil Simon theater. Our tickets were AMAZING. 4th row center. The music, dancing, and singers were FANTASTIC. Also, Doris Roberts, the grandma from "Everybody Loves Raymond" was there and that was super fun :)

And after that we went to bed because WE WERE EXHAUSTED.

However, this was probably my favorite day of the trip.

Tune in tomorrow for Day 3!

New York City Day 1: Women Are Emotional Creatures

Our flight departed at 9:20am.

Due to the fact that it took an hour and a half to get to the airport (6 accidents, people. SIX) and then another half hour to get through security, we arrived at the gate at 9:12am. 8 minutes early.

TOO BAD THE PLANE HAD ALREADY LEFT.

Now, I had just run through the airport. Barefoot. Carrying my shoes, purse, cellphone, and jacket. Grant sprinted ahead of me. As I turned the corner and saw him shaking his head, I knew we had missed the flight.

Grant said the look on my face could only be described as "someone very close to you must have died" because apparently I started right in with the weeping.

REASONS I CRIED

1. I had been stressed for a solid two hours due to traffic and security lines

2. I had not yet eaten

3. I had not yet had coffee

4. I had just run barefoot through the airport (no time to put shoes back on) and the floors were icky.

5. I REALLY REALLY WANTED TO JUST GO ON MY VACATION

Thankfully, we got on the very next flight (2 hours later) and I pulled myself together after I had coffee and food. The plane had live TV and I was very happy about all that. We got to New York City and I immediately got giddy.

We took a cab to our hotel where we learned that if you're taking your 9th grade class trip to New York City for Spring Break, apparently this hotel is the place to stay because THE TEENAGERS, THEY WERE EVERYWHERE.

We walked to find some food and also learned that President Obama was doing a press conference across the street from our hotel. We knew this because we couldn't walk anywhere. And also there were snipers on the roof and Secret Service at the doors and the streets were blocked off and they kept sending decoy cars.

We finally got to walk and ate some dinner at The Carnegie Deli. Grant got a sandwich. And by "sandwich" I mean "A cow between two pieces of bread". See below.

It was impressive and disgusting all at the same time.

We then spent a long time walking around the city and Times Square. We walked ALOT on this trip. We walked so much I don't feel bad about all the food I ate.

We went to bed early from our long day of traveling.

The teenage boys were super helpful in my ambitions of falling asleep and staying asleep. Our hotel hallway soon became known as "The Hallway of Slamming Doors and People Shouting the Word "DUDE"

I didn't care though. I was on vacation. Tune in tomorrow for the celebrity sightings of Day 2!!

Well, We're Home

I am exhausted and SO excited to share every little detail about our trip with you. I bet you are SO excited to hear about it too. Or perhaps you are dreading it. Who knows. All I know is that I am going to go to the grocery store, and then I'm going to go pick up my Moxie dog from the kennel, and then I'm going to come home and continue with the peaceful happiness that I'm feeling in this moment. I love vacations and I will take a vacation 3 times a month from now on. Pictures and details coming soon! By the way, I was playing around with headers while I await my turn on the blog designer's waiting list. The above is what I have come up with in the meantime using the limited tools that are available to me. It looks so sad and pathetic.

Header

See that header up there? The big thing that says "Jen the Newlywed"? I made that in Microsoft Paint. I used the header image from Shabby blogs and then I saved it, opened it in Microsoft PAINT (can we just have a moment of silence for Paint) and then typed "Jen the Newlywed" on top of it. It's quite sad.

My computer has no fancy tricks. My computer is the most basic of computers. But he's a trusty little fellow, my dear Dellbert.

Anyhoo, I'm in the process of reinventing the blog. I think I might pay someone some actual money. I've been on a wait list and I'm pondering the following questions: What color scheme do I want to go with? Do I want to have a picture of me up there? A picture of me and Grant? Is that vain?

I've been "Jen the Newlywed" for over 4 years now (crazy) and I'm wondering if I need to make an adjustment to that. I understand that "Jen the Newlywed" is a bit of my identity now but I'm wondering if I could be "Jen the (not-so) Newlywed". I was thinking that I could be "Jen-formerly-known-as-the-Newlywed" but then I was afraid that people would think I was divorced. What do y'all think? Name change? Or be Jen the Newlywed well beyond our 20th anniversary?

For now, please excuse my sad little header. It's getting the job done but it sure is depressing. Poor little Microsoft Paint. When Photoshop came along that poor thing never stood a chance.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday

Today is Saturday.

Tomorrow is Sunday.

And after that comes Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday.

No, I'm not singing that Rebecca Black song. I'm counting down the days till New York. WE FLY TO NEW YORK ON WEDNESDAY!!! :)

Are you people tired of hearing about our New York trip? Especially since this is my 11th blog about it and we haven't even left yet? If you are tired of hearing about it then I am sorry but I also regret to inform you that this is not stopping anytime soon.

So much to do! Thursday I went to Ann Taylor Loft on my lunch break and I bought the CUTEST spring time jacket in the prettiest shade of coral. I love it. Not sure how warm I'll be but my jacket will be fabulous.

Grant is at Final Four and I am sitting at home, watching Runaway Bride, doing 3 weeks worth of laundry and cleaning the house. In all honesty, that is exactly what I want to be doing. I've had no time to clean my house in a loooong time and it's so bad that I need to get it done and I need Grant out of the house to do so! I'm looking forward to a slow, relaxing night where everything gets put away. And also I'll be watching some awful Lifetime movies while cleaning. It's the best night ever.

This morning I went to a day spa and got a 30 minute massage and a 1 hour facial. I have been in a drunk-like state the rest of the day. I'm practically comatose. I LOVE DAY SPAS. They make me feel happy and rested.

Now I'm going to go read Southern Living while waiting for the third load of laundry to dry. Yes, I said third. I'm having a folding party tonight while I'm watching a Lifetime movie. Can life get better? I submit that it cannot.

New York On My Mind.....

So, I'm pretty much checked out. We leave for NYC in a week and I'm pretty sure that mentally I left about 4 days ago. Seriously. I scheduled a massage and a facial for myself for this Saturday. As if I'm on vacation already. I haven't done laundry since last Monday. Because I'm on vacation already. I NEED THIS TRIP. I'm stressing about clothing since it is likely to be cold and rainy while we were there. However, I'm not going to walk around NYC in a North Face jacket and tennis shoes everyday. When you're in New York, you need to feel chic and trendy. Perhaps this Saturday I will go on a shopping spree and spend all of my gift cards. Does Home Depot have cute things for New York? In all honesty, I have a ton to do this week. We have crazy stuff going on at work, crazy stuff going on in Kids' Choir, and as stated previously, no laundry = no clothes to wear. I need to get my rear in gear and be productive. But not right now. I'm going to spend the next hour staring at pictures of the hotel we are staying in.

And Now For Something Happier

Okay, I can't stand to leave a depressing post up on the blog too long. It just makes me sad. When I was trying to think of what to write about, I remembered that blog reader Marie sent me a facebook message reminding me that I haven't discussed my Idol predictions for this season! Marie, your wish is my command! :)

I'd like to start by saying that this is a VERY talented group. This season has been really enjoyable to watch because there is so much talent and I am LOVING the judges. They say helpful things, not hurtful things. Let's just get right into it:

Pia Toscano - The One With the Voice

Pia is beautiful, poised, and the girl can sing a song. She is the ultimate power-ballad singer. I'm pretty sure she is going to sing her way to the top if she sticks with Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. When she belts out those high notes, it sounds so effortless. I'm impressed.

Lauren Alaina - The Talented Little Spitfire

I'm not gonna lie, I like Lauren. She has a great voice and a ton of personality. I'm not sure that she'll win, but I think she'll have a career. She is still very young and has some maturing to do, but the voice speaks (sings) for itself. She's good. Really really good.


Thia Megia- The One Who Should've Been A Disney Princess

Okay... THIA IS SEVEN KINDS OF ADORABLE. She is so elegant and poised and I can totally see her on Broadway in a few years. I can also see her with her own show on the Disney channel... and that's not to say that she isn't a contender. She is. She is consistent and powerful and pretty and seems to take direction well. I see a bright future for this sweet girl.

Stefano Langone - The Dark Horse Ladies and gentlemen, this boy blew me away. When he was "singing for his life" a few weeks back and sang "I Need You Lord".... JEN THE NEWLYWED WAS IMPRESSED. I came really close to giving him a standing ovation from my living room but I stopped because I was comfortable and didn't want to come out from under my blanket and get cold. The thing is, the kid has a fantastic set of pipes. When he sings, you can tell that he is doing what he was born to do. He SOARS and I feel like America is just starting to see just how good he is. I would not be surprised if he is in the Top 5.


Scotty McCreery - The One Who Sings Out of the Corner Of His Mouth And Leans to One Side

Take a good look at this photo. This is how Scotty sings every song that he sings. He leans to his right, holds the mic with his right hand (awkwardly) and sings out of the right corner of his mouth. Look, I know he has a low range and that's all well and good, BUT MR. SCOTTY MCCREERY MAKES ME CRAZY. He is clearly a Josh Turner fan and wants to be just like him. But we already have the real Josh Turner and he is fantastic. And really, really, really attractive. I think Scotty is a good singer but he annoys me. Sorry, had to say it. Maybe if he made everything a bit more symmetrical and gave his left side some time I would calm down a bit. Otherwise, I'm ready for him to go.

Paul McDonald - The One Who Needs To Have His Guitar With Him At All Times

If he doesn't have his guitar with him, he hops around on one leg and looks like a weirdo. This happens alot with guys that are used to having a guitar when they perform.... they don't know what to do without it. He is soooo unique and very radio-friendly. He's more of a singer-songwriter and I don't think Idol is his best platform.... but I think it'll get his name out there enough for him to get his own record deal. I like him, he's fun.

Naima Adepado - The One Who Has Dance Solos

In all of my American-Idol-Watching years, I've never seen a contestant who breaks out into all out dance solos. I'm not talking about a step-touch, step-touch, snap your fingers, bend your knees kinda dancing. I'm talking about 20 seconds of jumping, spinning, leg-kicking madness. It's bizarre. She will not win. Her voice isn't that good and she just has too much going on.

James Durbin - The One Who I Think is a Bit Overrated

I think James has a good voice, I've just never been falling off the couch in amazement. He should be the lead singer of a band.... he definitely has alot of power, but I'm never that impressed with his musicality. He won't win.

Jacob Lusk - The One Who Needs to Calm Down

Up until last night, I was irritated with Jacob. I was irritated because I think he is SO GOOD but he always over-did every song he sang and it ruined it. Finally, last night, he sang a song and just sang it straight (without all his crazy antics) and I LOVED IT. If he keeps it a bit smoother, he'll go far. He's got a God-given gift.

Haley Reinhart- The One Who is a Bit Under-Rated

I think Haley is really, really, really talented. Her voice is unique and she has complete control. She would be a fantastic recording artist and I think they've been a little tough on her. I've been really impressed, personally, and think that she is one of the better voices on the show. She doesn't have enough buzz around her, so I don't think she'll win, but I think the judges need to ease up on her a bit. She does really difficult things in her performances and makes them look easy. That is hard to do.

Casey Abrams - The One Who Is a Legitimate Musician
It's been awhile since we've had an honest-to-goodness MUSICIAN on American Idol. This boy is amazing. He plays several instruments and plays them well. He first got my full attention during the Hollywood round where he played an up-right bass. He doesn't really belong on Idol, but I think he is amazing. He COULD win...... Top 5 for sure.


Lauren, Casey, Stefano, Pia, and Thia will go far. Those are my predictions :)

So what do you think? Who are your favorites? And when will Scotty lean to the left?