New York: Part Deux

Sunday morning, we woke up with a purpose. We met with the realtor in the morning to prepare for “the hunt”. Don, the realtor was friendly and ready to help us. He showed us four places. When we saw the first place in Diplomat Towers, we thought it was relatively nice and spacious… except for the kitchen. I love to bake and cook, so the closet-sized kitchen didn’t particularly appeal to me. Plus, as limited as the counter-space was, the kitchen lacked a built-in microwave. This means that a good chunk of the tiny counter would need to be taken up by our large microwave. Where would I cut things? Where would my mixer, toaster oven, and coffee maker go? Well… hmm… that would pose a problem. But it was still nice, so who knew? Maybe it would work out somehow.

The next apartment we checked out was in the same building but on the bottom floor and furnished. It looked really nice furnished and painted. The kitchen was just as small, but much nicer because it had wood cabinets, a granite counter top, and- whaddayaknow- a built-in microwave! It was still teensy, though. We figured that if we were to live in Diplomat Towers, we would choose the latter. However, we did need to consider the danger of being on the bottom floor. Oh well, they both were pretty nice… we thought. We just didn’t know what we were missing...

After Diplomat Towers, Don brought us to Heritage Hills- a beautiful community of duplex apartments in Somers. The first one that we viewed was pricey for us yet magnificent. It was painted, had hardwood floors, and included modifications that were rare for a small place. For example, the bathroom included a shower with glass doors and a separate bathtub- a Jacuzzi brand bathtub. Oh yes. We instantly fell in love.

Why haven’t we booked it yet?

1. We visited this place in late June when we need to move in in early September.

2. It is pricey.

3. The commute is 1 hour and ten minutes! Ouch.

We ventured onward. The next one we viewed was also in Heritage Hills, was pricier, and less appealing to us. It didn’t contain the interesting modifications, it wasn’t painted, and it looked overall… sterile. Now, clean we want- doctor’s office we don’t want. We then took a short visit to the “club” of Heritage Hills where there are many activities. You must be a member to use the private golf course, but there were many things one could do for free such as billiards, swimming, exercising in the gym, ping pong, classes, etc., etc. Needless to say, we were impressed.

It was then time to get some grub, and consider the options we had just viewed. We ventured to a local restaurant where I inhaled a huuuuge burger because I realized during our expedition that I hadn’t had anything to eat that day. I was living on 90 Calories of Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks. That’ll keep you going, not. Ahhh, we were done with all of the exhaustion and ready to turn in, right? Ha! As I passed out on Travis’s lap in the back seat, we traveled to Irvington, Tarrytown, and Dobbs Ferry to check out more possibilities. Obviously we couldn’t go into any apartment because we weren’t with a broker, but we wanted to see the areas. Sure enough, Dad E. found a realtor in Irvington who set up a meeting with us for Monday.

We finally made it to our Holiday Inn in Mt. Kisco, which was in better shape than the ridiculously expensive hotels in Manhattan! We relaxed until finally going downstairs to partake in cookies and conversation- it was actually a “tea time” kind of thing… or liqueur, if you were a drinker. The hotel lady lead the conversation and trivia! Dad E. won a big chocolate bar thingamajig. Trav and I didn’t answer any questions. We went up to the room for a little while before heading back down to talk to the hotel lady about the train system and the commute in general. She was definitely knowledgeable and helped us gain a better understanding of the commuting system. Finally, it was time for bed after a busy day. We already felt the decision making pressure descending upon us, and we weren’t even finished looking. Ohhhh boy.

***Tune in next time for the final episode of our New York journey to hear all about the next realtor; the nice places; the junkers; Angelo- the landlord straight out of a sitcom; and weird, naked hoarder man.***

I'm in a New York State of Mind

As many of you know, Travis, Mom E. (A.K.A. MomEEEEEEE as she likes to refer to herself), Dad E., and I travelled to New York to apartment hunt for Travis and me. Fun fun! the end.

Ahhh, JUST KIDDING! You know I can't shut up that quickly! I will tell you alllll about our journey, so sit back, relax, and enjoy your virtual trip to New York. (Cue fog machine and blackout into Scene 2: Flashback.)

Our journey began obviously by laundry... then packing... then 4 hours of sleep the night before our flight out of Charlotte Airport. Travis's license recently expired, so guess who had to drive the two and a half hours to the airport... joy. Oh, did I mention that Friday night (we left Saturday morning) I babysat from 6:00pm until 12:00am in Beech Mountain, NC (40 minutes away on The Long and Winding Road)? Regardless of our grogginess, we woke up, got ready, and left half an hour late; big surprise, eh? Despite the late departure of Taxi a la Brittany, we arrived in time for our flight and left for our future state of occupancy.

Once arriving, we found the guy who sold tickets for the bus. He promptly looked at my legs and said, "Nice tan! Where are you guys from? You guys are tan!" We replied, "Florida." He wasn't surprised. We bought the ticket and arrived at Grand Central Station after a lovely bus drive... one word- yum.


I decided, once arriving at Grand Central, that I was going to count the number of Starbucks cafes from Grand Central to our hotel.



Four.



Eight blocks, four Starbucks cafes...



my kind of city.



Now, if you live in an area that gets hot and muggy, you understand how miserable that can be. Well, let me paint a picture for you. Add the smell of molten garbage and the feeling of decaying city sludge being baked into your skin as you walk around in the heat. Ahhh, almost as great as Da Vinci, eh?

Once arriving to our hotel, we got settled and headed to the parents' hotel. Both our hotel and their hotel were grossly overpriced and housed relatively unimpressive rooms with grotesque carpets in need of replacing if I do say so myself. Regardless, we hung around for awhile until Dad E. had to get back to work (he was on break from conferencing, etc.); we then went back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the evening. What was in store? Not that, ya nasty! We were going to see The Lion King, of course!

Now, I cannot possibly go on without giving our shower an honorable mention- not that it deserves it. Truth be told, this shower does not deserve to be in my blog, but I couldn't leave it out after the lovely experience it gave me. Now, by lovely I of course mean painful, and by experience I mean the high pressured water leaving me begging to have skin remaining after showering. Usually when you think of someone having a problem with the pressure of water in hotels, it is that the pressure is just not high enough. But this shower? No no... this one left you with the ability to make a commercial bragging, "I lost 15 pounds using the 'Blow Your Skin Off' Shower! It is guaranteed to blow most if not all of your skin off so that you can fit into that summer dress!" Well, that is about all I will waste on that waste of a shower. Hey, I suppose I at least knew that I was clean to the point of exfoliation afterward. Always a silver lining.

Aaaaanyway, after getting pretty, we headed out in the city to dinner! After a yummy dinner, we were wowwed by The Lion King. I was thoroughly impressed. I have seen multiple Broadway shows, and this one gets four thumbs up (including my "toe thumbs"). If you are going to be hitting the Big Apple anytime soon, I urge you to see this phenomenal work of art. Was the singing incredibly impressive compared to other classic Broadway shows such as Phantom of the Opera and Wicked? No. The singing was not what truly amazed me. I was blown away by various components to this exciting show:

1. The unbelievable energy and chemistry of the cast
2. The mind-blowing props
3. The stunning set
4. The unique, fun costumes
5. The overall color
6. The overall energy and "pizazz" that had goosebumps forming, tears rising, hands clapping, and audience members thirsting for more

Please, do yourself a favor the next time you hit NY- see it, absorb it, love it. Although, if you do the first, you have no choice for the latter two. ;)

After my mind was officially blown, it was my taste buds' turn. We hit the Stage Deli where I consumed 1/3 of the best chocolate cake ever to grace my lips. I shared it with Travis and Dad E.; we were all swept away by the nearly coma-inducing scrumptiousness. After being fatty fat fats, we headed back to the hotel where we all died. Thus ended the first day of our New York weekend.

(To be continued...)

By Popular Demand... My Dinner Story

Okay so the other night, Friday, I was planning on babysitting for a woman who is renting the Beech Mountain cabin from my parents. The job began at 6:00pm- right around dinner time. Well, my family and I decided to go out and spend some time together in North Carolina, visiting various stores and... eating dinner. One of the stores we visited was the Mass Annex General Store.

Now, if you have ever been to the area of NC of which I am writing, you know that the Mass Annex General Store is the diabetic coma inducing candy store of the town that would make any kid squeal with joy and buzz with sugar-filled blood accelerating through their veins. After indulging in too many scrumptious treats with waaaaay too many Calories to count, we headed to the local Mexican restaurant. Great. Now that I had overloaded myself with sugar, it was time to overload myself with grease and fat. Joy to my thighs.

After feeling totally gross from overeating candy, I decided to eat something lighter than a quesadilla or taco, etc., etc. I decided to get mojarra- A.K.A. Tilapia. The fish was delicious, the fish was tasty, the fish... still had a face when it arrived. The server came with the ginormous fish that looked as if it were going to swim off the plate. Yummmmmmm....not. I stared at the fish for a moment, pondering if I should eat it or name it. I decided I would attempt to eat it, but I first said to the waiter, "I don't want to be weird about this... but could you guys chop the head off for me? ...I just can't do this." He totally understood and promptly took it back.

It came back... headless this time, thank goodness. However, it still had the tail and fin-like spikes on its back. I was still weirdified by the whole thing, but I proceeded to eat Goldie- he tasted delicious! That is, until Travis declared that it looked so much like they had just caught it that I could probably find an egg sack in it. Thank you, loving husband. Thank you.

Oh, I almost forgot the very best part of the whole experience. As many of you know, Travis is a financial guy- always looking to make some money to help support our future in New York. His deal of the night to my parents was that he would eat the fish eyeball for $50.00. Glad to know that I married such a financially savvy guy willing to perform grotesque stunts for my parents to earn some extra cash. Did he eat the eyeball? You will never know...

fin.

Our Hike to Exhaustion Peak

Friday was the perfect day to go hiking in the Appalachians, so of course we took advantage of the excellent weather. We began our trek at about noon; we returned from our voyage at 3:30. Ahhh yes... a 3 1/2 hour hike. We were prepared: three bottles of water, two bottles of tea, one and a half sandwiches (one for my parents to share and one for Travis-half of which he used to nourish himself prior to the hike), Siegal diet cookies for me, granola bars, and graham crackers... oh yeah... we were ready. Anyway, we began our journey, pumped and ready for action.

Being young whipper snappers, Travis and I pulled ahead. We came upon a rock near Jane Bald (I wonder which "Jane" this was named after- unfortunate bald woman), and we stopped for a break to rest and allow the parents to join up with us. It was at this joyous stop that we realized we only had one water bottle in addition to the one bottle of tea (which my mom was currently guzzling since she thought we had plenty of fluids). In addition to no water bottles, apparently the cookies were forgotten in the car. This wasn't so bad... for everyone else. However, I did not bring anything else to eat because I figured I would have the cookies. Nope. We tried just sipping a little bit of water since the bottle was technically my parents', and we didn't want to drink it all. When my parents showed up, we shared the bad news with them, and they actually ended up finding the rest of Trav's sandwich but no water bottles. Travis ate his sandwich (I wasn't hungry), and then we all concluded that we would be fine! No worries, right?

Once we arrived on Jane Bald, we decided to reach the next bald since Jane was a lot closer than expected. We continued our trek to the Grassy Ridge despite the lack of food and water. When Travis and I arrived, I felt like collapsing on the big boulders that were at the top. However, I am far too much of a sissy to sit on a boulder where I know... critters... dwell. I had seen too many spiders on our journey to be stupid enough to sit on one of the boulders. When my parents finally arrived at the Grassy Ridge, we all decided to eat something. I was going to just eat graham crackers, but my dad made me eat half of my parents' sandwich while they shared the other half so that I would have some nourishment. We walked a little bit further until we realized we were walking downwards; we then turned back.

You know what the worst part of hiking is? That moment when you realize that allllll of that hiking you just did... you know... all of that intense walking and climbing that nearly killed you... was only half. Ahhh yes... when you hike into the mountains, you are only hiking into the mountains. This means that all the time and effort that it took you to get to the destination at which you are resting and relaxing now… you get to do that again. :D Unfortunately, we were not born with “gas gauges” built into our bodies. Therefore, we cannot tell that, “Oh gee, I am half tired now; better turn back!” By the time we reached the Grassy Ridge… I was whipped… not only whipped but dehydrated as well. Either way, we had no choice but to head alllll the way back to our car.

When we finally trudged back, I had already had fantasies of guzzling water until content. Thankfully we were not too far from home: about 15 minutes. When I got into the car there was a little bit of warm… nay… hot tea in a bottle... hot or not, I needed it. Slurp! Ew. It was gone in half a second. I laid down on Trav’s lap for the drive home; when we returned home, I drank and drank and drank and drank! …water! Ahhhh, hydration at last…

Well, there you go… that is the story of our near fatal hike… eh okay… so not near fatal… but we WERE tired! Have a similar story? Gone on a beautiful hike recently? Share!

Brittany's Blissful Blogging Brought on by Boredom (oh, alliteration- how I love thee)

So I decided that I am bored of responding to blog requests. Ha ha! No worries to those of you who requested something. I will get back to those requests when I once again fall prey to writer's block. That, however, is not the case for me right now. Actually I have a couple things to talk about. The first is a formal "blog thank you" to Travis for my hacked birthday blog. Thank you, honey; it was sweet and hacktastical!

The second is that, yes, Brittany, A.K.A. "Galinda" from the Broadway musical Wicked A.K.A. "Barbie" (when I put on my blue Betsey Johnson dress with my sequin heels), is no longer a blonde. *GASP*! No. I have done this before, everyone! For those of you who have seen me regularly for the past few years, you will know that this is an annual event- a celebration of the fall season! ...wait... June isn't in the fall? Oh crudmuffins! I need to bleach it ASAP!!!! ...just kidding. :D


The deal with the awkward month change is due to the fact that I wanted to be blonde for my wedding... thus, I didn't dye it last fall; therefore, I am "off" by a few months. This time, however, I don't know if I will be going back to blonde soon. This is because brunette is easier and cheaper to maintain, and as you all know, Travis and I are moving to New York which has the dandiest cost of living ever! epic. fail. So please don't be frightened by this sudden change... I know it will be difficult to get through, but we can do it together.

Anywho! Another thing to discuss is an update on my Summer Lovin' List. Here goes:

1. Go hiking on Grandfather Mountain
Oops! Haven't done this yet, but we have hiked in Tennessee... does that count? No?... dang.

2. Lose ten pounds
Bahahahahahahahahaha!.... ahahahahahahhahahaha!!!

3. Finish reading the Spirit Flyer series with Travis
Man. I'm not doing so swell am I?

4. Watch Up Close and Personal with Mom
Ha! Win! Oh, and it was good by the way. Very cute... but sad. Beware to those of you who really hate sad movies.

5. Ride on the ATV
Check! This was a wonderful experience when Travis and I were out there for about 10-15 minutes and a torrential downpour occurred on us... on the ATV. That was a winning combo.

6. Go to the beach
D.O.N.E.

7. Play frisbee
Oh yes! And may I just say that Travis and I are epically winful at frisbee? I may? Well then... we are. :)

8. Take an apartment hunting trip to NY
Not yet, but we have the tickets! Woo hoo!

9. Take NY certification tests
I called to find out what I needed to do to be certified in NY, and taking the tests right now was not required. Thus, number nine is void. "Number nine... number nine... number nine..."

10. Apply for jobs in NY
Probably should get on this, eh? Still haven't gotten my fingerprinting kit! Love government organizations- especially ones in the Northeast... yay.

11. Hike in TN to see the "balds"
Been there. Done that. It was beautiful. And bald.

12. Go on a cruise with the Engebretsens
Absolutely! It was fantastically fantastic! :D

13. Play Beatles Rock Band with Dad and Trav (and Mom if she will participate)
Nope. I have not yet jammed out to best classic rock group of all time. Beatles= the definition of amazing... and groovy (but that was expected).

14. Take a trip to see Ivan and Linz's new place in TX
Not yet. Once again, it is planned.

15. Get a better tan
I've been burnt; I've been browned. Either way, I definitely have an improved tan

16. Get closer to Jesus
Hmmm... in certain ways yes... in others no. I definitely want to get closer than I am now, though.

17. Get closer to Travis
This one is kind of hard to gauge... I think 16 and 17 go hand-in-hand. However, I do suppose we get closer with each passing day... each passing moment even!

18. Read The Essential 55
Working on it! It is definitely an entertaining book; as a future teacher, I can definitely appreciate the stories and advice.

19. Buy new "teacher" shoes
Boring. Yes. Done. Meh.

20. Crochet
Complete! Well... I haven't technically completed a crochet project... but I HAVE completed this item on the list. ... :D That counts.

I have completed a definite 9/20 from this list. Not too shabby for now! Granted... this grade would be no means be an A in anyone's book, but I am workin' on it! Phew! That was a LOT of typing. Now that my fingers are about to fall offsdfklds... sorry... lost one there. As I was saying: now that my fingers are about to fall off, I think I will head to bed! Nighty night!

-->But WAIT! There's MORE! Before I go, I have some questions for YOU, yes YOU- the reader! What are some of your summer plans/goals? What have you accomplished from your list thus far? What do you still plan on accomplishing? Please leave a comment to fill me in on your Summer Lovin' List!<--