Hayden's Birthday Splash

So many guest showed up for Hayden's big event.
The attention to details for this little kiddo's birthday was superb.
The grown ups ate well, while the kids enjoyed all the numerous water activities.
To top it off the kids got to bring home the gift bags stuff with cool gadgets and sweets. To Hayden's parents, well done!

It was a night filled with laughter and fun. Happy 3rd Birthday Hayden!

Bourdain vs. Ramsay

This is a lesson to oneself.
Do not let your expectations ruin your adventures.
In every sense, I spoiled my dining experience at
Les Halles because I had been enticipating it with such great lust.

I did have enough balls to try the foi gras and it was horrendous.
Not because it was prepared incorrectly, it was just not my cup of tea.
Okay, let's be truthful here, it was GROSS! Hated the texture and the taste.
I am glad I tried it but will never repeat this taste test again.
NEVER! What I should have ordered was the Foi Gras Pate, not the actual liver.
I still love Anthony Bourdain, just not my food selection.


But Gordon Ramsay has captured my heart (or more so my tummy).The Maze was a modern delicate whirlwind of happiness for my taste buds. The coffee, yum, with the raw sugar balls. For brunch, they brought out a tray of different pastries. Heaven! I watch so many of the food network that it was so good to actually taste a "pan seared" fish. Don't even get me started with the dessert.

I left, so thankful that my sister knew me well enough to insist I dine at The Maze. I wasn't going to go. Silly me.

OUCH

I am pointing to an old bite from Allie.
The other is a new bite from this girl.
Last night, she sat purring to me brushing her back.
She jumped off, I reached over to brush her, but only to get attack
by a love bite. It's gonna scar, bummer.

I didn't get mad at her, it was my fault, she did
walk away, yet I insisted on brushing.

Or...

What if she's still mad at me leaving her alone for so long?
Hmmmmm

Yo-MoMa...Oh No!

I, like thousands of other people, am not big on Yoko Ono, but this piece of art at the Moma, changed my opinion.

This is the Wish Tree, inspired by Yoko Ono.

I loved it. I wanted to take part on this exhibit. I didn't want to over analyze and just wrote the first thing that popped into my mind. Hindsight, I could have written something different but I am happy with it, in the end. Must mean something since my feelings flowed right on paper.

You can go inside the MoMa, and there is a clear box where the wishes are taken off the tree & placed inside for people to view. One in particular caught my attention and made me a little sad. I said a little prayer for this person, just in case this person felt lonely or excluded. That's one area in my life where I am pretty darn lucky.With a family like mine, lonliness is not an option.


And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow
Let it Be
Lennon/McCartney

Top Ten List "Favorite Things in New York"

10. There's more then ten things..Shit!
9. Eating at Central Park The Boat House
8. Eating at Gordon Ramsay's The Maze
7. Waiter from the Plaza "Elvis" hee hee
6. Strawberry Fields
5. Wishing tree
4. "Weird" & Praying Mantis
3. Sis found the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Subway
2. Sis "tipsy" for twenty minutes
1. Overheard a child asked his parents "Are We Staying in Trash"

What is it? Is it legal?

Ahhhhhh, it's the best buy in the world! Purchased this in Hell's Kitchen Flea Market early in the morning. It was a hot morning. I was sweating and now had to carry this thing, without a bag, back to the hotel. As I was walking, I thought, how crazy am I, to buy a friggin light fixture on vacation!

Secondly, how the heck am I gonna take this home? It's too fragile to check it.
So I decided to carry it as a carry on luggage.
Of course, I got stopped. It was inspected by three gloved Homeland Security Officials. Yes, I said three.
One wouldn't let me touch it while he was "investigating." They asked me what it was, why I purchased it and if it had illegal substance. Of course it didn't have illegal shit, but if it did, was I suppose to admit that to them? Please, get real. Stupid question. One official took a flashlight to it, looking at its screws. Finally, it got "swabbed" with a white cloth with a chemical, to make sure there were no traces of any illegal substance.

It passed.

Now, if only it will look good in my dining room.

Fingers crossed.

Pink Ladies

Keeping my promise, I got the supplies ready for Amber and her friend to add a splash of color to her room on Sunday.

Amber originally chose to paint the room ORANGE (Hook'em)
but changed her mind (probably my tone when I said, "Orange?")
to pink.

As I was at Home Depot with a friend: This "loco" Home Depot Lady asked if she could help me. I told her what I wanted, Enamel Behr Paint with the color selection of Pink Lemonade. She said, "Wait here and I will get it."
I waited only five minutes.
A nice guy came by and asked if we had been helped.
I said yes and told him that a lady had helped us.
He just smiled and said, okay, let me help you. Weird, but, okay.
Repeated my conversation and he got the paint and mixed it.
As he stepped away to help someone else, the same lady came back, looked at me right in the eyes and asked me, "Can I help you?" Annoyed at me because I said, "no thank you." I swear to GOD she did!

I always have crazy things happen to me, and when I tell someone the story, it seems as if I exaggerated. Today, I had a witness to my stories... there's not an ounce of embellishment;-)
We both laughed so hard as she walked away, not helping anyone else.
Poor guy worked the whole station by himself.

Back to the painting process...Aaron and his friend helped for 5 minutes and quikly realize it was hard work. They vanished to run around the house. However, Anh Vinh decided to add some entertainment. As the girls and I were painting and deciding how to keep Amanda's part of the room intact, Anh Vinh thought it was funny to wear a monster mask and scare the shit out of me! Yikes.

We didn't complete the room yet. Since I had a crazy busy week at work, I couldn't finish but plan on doing it soon. I think she will like the finish product. Hmmmm, she needs a ceiling fan in that room.

To be continued.