New York Marathon! NOT ME!!!

My sister didn’t get to run the NYC marathon last year, but, went to New York and cheered my dad and me on. So, of course, I had to go back with her this year and support her run. Can I tell you how unbelievably happy I was not to be the one running? It was such a better trip this year! It ended up being a girls’ trip with Kris, Debra (Kris’s friend who also ran the marathon), Elizabeth, and me. We stayed at the Hilton Times Square in the heart of the city. Some people thought that hotel would be too loud with street noise, but, we were on the 33rd floor and barely heard anything. We had so much fun!

We arrived on Friday afternoon, checked into our hotel, and went to pick up the race packets. After spending some time roaming around the expo, we decided to take the subway into Greenwich Village to get cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery. Of course, we had to get two apiece. You’ll notice throughout this blog, food is the key. After eating one cupcake, we took the train back up to Times Square to grab a quick dinner. We had some delicious Chinese food at Ruby Foo’s.

Delicious cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. Note that two are already missing.

There they are...or the leftovers.

Elizabeth and Kris - after enjoying yummy cupcakes.

Saturday – Halloween in NYC. Yikes – the crazy people. First of all, don’t you usually just wear a costume on Halloween? Not in NYC. There were people in them on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. People there definitely enjoy dressing up costumes.

Debra, who has been to New York multiple times, suggested that we have lunch at a restaurant called “Peanut Butter & Co.” WHAT? A restaurant that makes everything with peanut butter? Heavenly!! We trained it back down to Greenwich Village for that deliciousness. We decided to get four sandwiches and just split them so we could try as many as possible.

Here they are in order of deliciousness:

Fluffernutter: creamy peanut butter, marshmallow fluff on wheat

Cookie Dough Surprise: creamy peanut butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla cream cheese on wheat

The Elvis: crunchy peanut butter, bananas, honey, toasted on wheat

Black and Tan: crunchy peanut butter, chocolate syrup, toasted on wheat


I bought a recipe book from the store, so, be prepared if I have to bring anything to your house – food-wise. It will contain peanut butter.

Yuminess!!!!

All four different sandwiches. The chips were needed to cleanse our palates.


We trained back up to Times Square and had tickets to see the musical, Chicago. Kris and I wanted to belt out the tunes because she has had the soundtrack since the movie came out and we knew all the words. We managed to keep our mouths closed….it was hard.

Kris and Debra walking to the theatre.

Elizabeth, me, Debra, and Kris after the show.


Afterwards, Elizabeth and I went downtown to meet up with Celeste, who was in town visiting another friend, Mallory. Mallory is attending fashion school in New York and has a kick ass apartment near the water. We also met her two friends, Freda and Andrew. We wanted to go to the Halloween parade that started in Greenwich Village. Due to some costume malfunctions, we didn’t leave Mallory’s until late. The subway was jammed with everyone headed to the parade.

Unfortunately, it was raining and the streets were way too crowded, so, we didn’t get to see the parade. That did not deter us (of course). We went to a bar near the parade route and had a few beers while doing some serious people watching. It was great seeing everyone’s costume…before you ask, Elizabeth and I did not dress up and we got crap from EVERYONE about it. How were we to know that everyone in New York dressed up for Halloween? Don’t’ worry…everyone who saw us, gave us crap for it. We had a blast that night. We went to three or four different bars…stopped at one gay bar for our new best friend Andrew, so he could check out the scene, and talked a doorman into letting us use his building’s employee bathroom. We ended up getting back to our hotel around 2:45am and had to be super quiet since the other girls were getting up at 5:30am to get ready for the marathon.

Elizabeth - trying to keep her hair dry from the rain.




Elizabeth, me and Celeste (she had on an '80s costume...very cute!)



Adorable little boy and Waldo on the Subway.

All we saw of the Halloween parade.

Elizabeth and me - soaked.

The group at the bar. Freda, Andrew, Celeste, Elizabeth, Me and Mallory.

Elizabeth and Celeste after a few beers.

Beauty Queen with creepy lizard guy.

Elizabeth and Celeste with Gumby.

Creepiest outfit that we saw. Super sweet girl, though.

The area where the doorman let us the employee-only bathroom.

The cologne in the bathroom area.....oh dear.

After waiting 40 minutes for the train....this is what pulls up. They have a freaking trash only train!!!! We were pissed...and also freaked...saw a sewer rat right after that. Gross!

Elizabeth's injury from the night. She was so busy looking at everyone's costume, she failed to look where she was going and walked into a concrete barrier.

Sunday was the big day. Kris and Debra left about 6am to get to the start line. Elizabeth and I got to sleep in for awhile, then watch the professional men and women race in its entirety before heading to mile 16 to see and cheer Debra and Kris on. Another of Elizabeth’s friends, Mindy, lived in New Jersey and had a friend who was also running so she came to our hotel to hang out with us and cheer her friend on. We somehow missed Debra at mile 16 (she must have been speedy) and almost missed Kris. We got to scream and shake our sign that we made for them.

We had some time before cheering them on again at mile 25, so, we headed to Dylan’s candy shop. They have bulk candy!!! Skittles (the worst candy in the world for you to eat), chocolate covered pretzels, sour candy and even chocolate covered gummy bears. There was also a candy that was called Chicken Feet that Elizabeth got, but, she said they were not that good. We hustled to mile 25 in Central Park to cheer on our girls. We may have gotten a few dirty looks while we were cheering…we were also eating our candy. I don’t think the runners were very pleased with us for that one. We tried to hide it behind our sign.

The girls - pre-race.

Kris at mile 16. That is a fake smile, by the way. She was not pleased after crossing the Queensboro bridge.

Our quick stop between cheering at mile 16 and 25.

They had a chocolate fountain - in the store!!!

The cheer squad!

Debra - looking great at mile 25.

We busted into the candy while waiting for Kris. Note the dirty looks from the runners.

Kris - delirious at mile 25.

It was a low key dinner and watching a movie in our room night after the race. Kris and Debra both did GREAT in the race and got their medals. However, both were completely pooped and sore. Debra headed to her Uncle’s apartment after the race so we were down to three. Bubba Gump’s for dinner and Musics & Lyrics on TBS. What else do you need?



Monday was our slow day. After a quick excursion to H&M for some shopping, we headed to a restaurant called “Burgers and Cupcakes”. Wouldn’t you go immediately to a restaurant named that? The portions were huge (why didn’t the waitress tell us this?) so we had to take our cupcakes to go. We were so full from lunch that we had to go back to the hotel and take a quick nap. Lethargy set in and we watched TV, messed around on the internet, and chatted the rest of the afternoon. We discussed going to The Met, Guggenheim, Empire State Building, etc, but, were just too tired from all our eating to get up and go. How’s that for lazy?

Best idea ever!! Well, maybe 2nd best. Peanut Butter restaurant is first!

Our huge lunch. We ordered sweet potatoes fries, onion rings and cheese fries.

So full, we had to take our cupcakes to go!

We had the best time and to top it all of: Elizabeth has decided to enter the lottery for the 2010 NYC marathon. She asked if I wanted to join her. Does she not remember my blog from last year? Heck NO!

Another Triathlon....Really?

Another triathlon. Silly, isn't it? I can't help myself. I can pretty much get talked into anything, I guess.

Since I did that triathlon in July, Tom decided that he wanted to do one. We had a bunch of people who wanted to compete, but, when it came down to it...it was me, Tom, and Larry. Pansies!

We "camped" Saturday night in Barbie and Larry's RV in Grapevine. The tri was in Keller so we thought we'd stay in the RV and get to sleep a little later. What we didn't count on was the drinking Saturday night. We tried to not overdue it since we were racing the next day, but, tasty beverages were enjoyed a little too much (ahem...Barbie). Even though wine and beer were consumed, we still made it on time for the race.

Started with a 300 meter swim in a pool. Would not recommend for anyone looking to do a triathlon. They let one person start every five seconds. I waited in line for 40 minutes!! Annoying! Why did I get up so dang early? Plus, a lake is crowded, but, you have room to swim. This was six laps in a pool. At every turn, it was a crowded mess.

Then, to the bike: 12 miles total. Two six mile loops. Hilly and windy. Yuck.

Last was the 3 mile run. You know how I feel about running. GGRR.

Here's the big story of the day: my goal was to finish the swim and bike without being passed by Tom or Larry. There were starting behind me in the swim so I thought that I could get a good head start and keep my lead. I knew that I would be passed in the run (as I hate to run) so I gave my all for the swim and bike. When I was in the transition area after the bike and heading out to the run...I spotted Tom putting his bike up and getting ready for his run. I thought to myself "Crap, get moving, Jen!" So, off I went and happy as a clam because I made it to the run without being passed by them. Barbie spots me and starts cheering and I say "Tom is right behind me, but, I haven't seen Larry yet." She responds "Oh, Larry is already on the run." WHAT????? Oh, I was pissed! No way!!!! Tom catches up with me about 30 seconds later (told you I was a slow runner) and I tell him that Larry is already on the run. He agrees that was weird and said Larry never passed him either. Aha! I knew it!!! Remember earlier when I said it was two six mile loop? Larry CHEATED. He only did one loop. That kept me going the rest of the run. I was ready at the finish line to give him hell. After my tongue-lashing, Larry admitted that he got confused and only did one lap. I took his medal away from him.

Not really...but, it sounded like something I would do, doesn't it?

Larry coming out of the pool area after his swim. He didn't want me to post this picture so I colored in a shirt for him.

Tom running his little heart out.



Me, at the finish. I was ready for it to be over.

I miss you. Why did you go away?

Oh, how I miss you. I'm not sure what I've done to make you angry and disappear, but, whatever it is...I am sorry. I know I went to Seattle earlier this summer and bragged about how great the weather was and the beautiful area. Was that it? Are you trying to punish me? Please, oh please...come back to me. I am getting better at applying lotion so you won't burn my sensitive skin.

I miss you.

What else can I say or do to make you come back to me?

Birthdays!

Lil' Abby turned 1 year old last week and had a yummy birthday party. I think she had the most fun, don't you?

At least she isn't afraid of me anymore. She used to scream bloody murder whenever I picked her up.

Happy Birthday, Abby!!

I missed Colin's birthday party because I was in Mexico, but, I hear he had a great time. He is five now and still as cute as ever!

Happy Birthday, Colin!!

Amigos, Dos!

Sorry for my delay in posting the second part....short work week, really short weekend. But, I'm back!

Stories:

We saw a "Variety Show" on Saturday night. I put it in quotes because it may have been the weirdest thing I have ever seen. The was a melody of different songs and the entertainment crew danced around in costume and pretended to know the words to the songs. I have no words for these costumes. They were SO bad.

Stevie Wonder song: he has the hair, wearing a Santa Claus outfit, and has Eeyore on a leash. Eeyore walked around him and lifted his leg to pee and then humped his leg. No words here.

Elmo, dancing around.

I think this was a Grease medley.


This guy kept singing and grabbing his crotch and butt. The crowd (all but us) loved it.

Guy dressed in drag, with a fake dog on a leash.

We also had some great people watching at the pool. There were some drunk people...not including us, of course. We saw a girl bust her butt as she tried to put on her flip flops. Her husband helped her up and then she did a face plant into the chair. She then laid on the lounge chair for a bit and then the dreaded leaning over to the side. Out came all the liquor she consumed. The husband was quite the helper with trying to clean her up. There was some negotiating on whether she would get up and go to the room. He finally got her up and walking.

There was another lady that threw up on herself and her wonderful friends rinsed her off in the outdoor shower and then put on her lounge chair and went back to their sunbathing. Great friends, huh? Didn't even take her up to the room. After a few hours, she got up and stumbled over to them and laid down in the pool lounger. We were freaked..thinking she was going to vomit in the pool. Julie and Elizabeth went over to the sober "friend" and volunteered to help get her to the room. Said friend was like "No, she doesn't want to go." I don't think she should have much of a choice, do you? After some major complaining by everyone in the pool, security brought a wheelchair and took her up to her room. They had to hold her head up because she couldn't do it herself. Seriously? That is terrible!

Let' see...other fun things:

The bathtubs in the rooms were oddly shaped. The base of the tub wasn't flat and it was hard to stand upright and balance. Imagine trying to do that after quite a few drinks? Enter Elizabeth. Julie and I were hanging out watching tv while E was in the shower. We hear a little slip then BOOM...we immediately took at each other and start laughing hysterically. I go into the bathroom and make sure E's okay. I can't even get the words out because I'm laughing so hard. E ripped half the shower curtain down in her attempt to stay upright. She had quite the bruise on her derriere from that one.

We went to the sports bar one night to watch the Cowboys game. We also brought along SkipBo cards. We played an innocent game and then decided to play partners. Julie and Barbie were one team and Elizabeth and I were the other. If you hadn't guessed, I'm a tad competitive. Elizabeth had played the game exactly one time prior to our partner game and she should have never been my partner. Poor girl. I may have said, "I will kill you." and "I'm going to punch you in the face." during the game to poor E. It was all meant in jest, I swear! I love Bert and would never harm her...intentionally.

I know I am forgetting some great stories, so I expect the group to post them in the comments.

In conclusion, I had a fabulous time with my girls and we're already planning our next trip!

Amigos!

Just got back from the last of the 30th birthday celebrations. We (Julie, Elizabeth, Barbie, Lisa, Robin and me) decided on Puerto Vallarta, after looking at many many many places. There is SO much to discuss, I'm not even sure where to begin.

We arrived in PV on Saturday. To our surprise, we learned that we had been upgraded to a newer RIU hotel. Never one to complain (well, without just cause), we all hopped into the taxi and headed to our new resort.

Overview of the trip: Excellent! We had a ton of laughs and lots of tasty beverages. We also played lots of card games and found a new drinking game that can be played in the pool with dice. We love Farkle!!! The food at the all-inclusive was in the "eh to bleh" range. Most of us had quite the tummy aches at one time or another, but, we didn't let it stop us.

Now, on to the pictures and stories:

Our hotel

Our room..notice the double beds pushed together to make one big bed. We didn't ask for that, you have no choice. It's one big headboard. Poor person who slept in the middle...sleeping in the crack.

This was in our room. Just make your tasty beverage before you leave the room!

Fabulous pool

Where we really spent most of our time...the swim up bar area.

Game and drinks of choice. Farkle! Beer, Mojitos and Lemon Drop shots.




Lisa and Robin..toasting in the sun



Lisa and Barbie

Julie and me - we may have had too many tasty beverages at this point.

Barbie and Elizabeth have definitely had too many tasty beverages!

My cat-like reflexes at work. DIE bees DIE!

Ok, the cat-like reflexes got out of hand. Bee carcasses everywhere.

Elizabeth's head on a statue.

To Be Continued........