Day 3: Saturday aka Best Day of my Life

We got up this morning and met at 9 in the lobby. Mom, April and I followed later after the others left and I was really ornery and I am sorry. After mean-ness from me, and confusion on the subway because we got separated from the group, we made it to 5th avenue where we were going to shop before the girls had their first dance class at the Broadway dance place. We went to a Disney store and I got over my ornery-ness (really, sorry, nobody should go on trips with me) and then it was time for TIFFANY'S! I decided that I was going to buy myself a graduation present. I have had my eye on this Elsa Peretti starfish necklas for a long time, but it was $200 so I decided to go a little cheaper. I found another Elsa Peretti that I liked, a little sterling silver open heart charm. I love it! It was so exciting, happy grad to me! Mom said that she and Dad would go in half-sees with me, but they are paying for my grad party, so I told her that was enough. It was fun to see all of the other jewelry, there are some pretty phenomenal pieces of bling to be had there. We looked at the engagement rings and other diamonds, and I found one that I really liked. So, I hope the guy I marry is loaded. Actually, it wasn't too bad, only like 5 grand, and I'll just show him the picture and he can get the same thing for half the price at the Shane Co. I mean, it was only .3 carats.

After we left Tiffany's, we headed over to the Gershwin theater to participate in the Wicked lottery. We got there a little early, but then it was time and we (Mom, April and I) put our names in. Mom said that if her name was called, she would give April and I the tix because she would rather go to her dance class. Finally it was time for the 13 names to be called. Our chances weren't bad because there were probably only 100 people in the lottery, and I was due for some Karma payback. They called all 13 names and none of us were called. I was pretty bummed, but we decided to wait, just in case. They had one more ticket, so he drew one more name. The person had left (sucker). He called another name, but the girl was already going with her friend who had won and didn't need the tickets. One more name. IT WAS MINE!!!! I couldn't believe it. I'd been standing there with my fingers crossed on the sides of my face hoping hoping hoping and then it happened. I screamed and jumped and went to collect my tickets, when I learned it was only ONE TICKET. I told him I wanted it, and we would work out who was going. People were asking me to give them the ticket and one guy came up while I was in line and gave me this whole story about his girlfriend blah blah he was a slacker blah blah. . . but I kept it. I told April she could have it since she hadn't ever seen it, and she said that I could go since I wanted to so bad and she wanted to watch the dance classes. I'm so transparent and I could not believe that I would be watching Wicked for $26 on the FRONT ROW!!!! When I went to Wicked on my way to England, I paid $125 total for my ticket. Unreal!

We went to lunch and then we split up and I went back to the theater. I, of course, had put on the winner pin that I won. They showed me to my seat and really, really. FRONT ROW! I was so excited for the show to start and I don't think I breathed until intermission. I was so close I could see them spit when they talked. Ok, it only happened twice. It was so fantastic! When you sit in the back, it's amazing and wonderful, but you can only see colors in the costuming and set. On the front row, I could see texture and SHOES and wonderful things that I couldn't up in the mezzanine. Oh, their shoes. I wish I could have taken a picture, I really never realized how amazing their costumes were! Costume designer is a genious. Fiyero was a lot better this time than the last time I saw it but the most impressive to me was the girl who played Galinda. Oh my word, what talent! Her name is Alli Mauzey and she was second only to the original, Kristen Chenowith. If you click on Alli's name, it will take you to a you tube of her singing Popular in 2007, so you can only imagine how much better it was! Was that proper English? I've been writing these blogs for almost two hours.
Anyway, the show was beyond my wildest dreams and put me on a high for the rest of the day. After the show, I went back to our hotel and then we left to go to dinner and "Mamma Mia". It was sooo much better than the movie! There was definitely some poop in the punch, like in the movie, but so funny and entertaining! When we came out of the show, we were congregated on the sidewalk waiting to decide how we were going to get home. . .some of the girls wanted to take a taxi, others wanted to walk. When someone said loudly, "are we going to take a taxi?" a guy standing in front of a white stretch limo said, "take a limo! $5 person." Of course, we were all sold. It was a blast and the girls were totally enchanted. The first pic is of Nikea, Chandra and me, the second of all the girls. It really was such a fantastic day, definitely my favorite of the trip!

Day 2: Friday aka Longest Day of my Life

We got to the airport after a lo-o-ong flight, I wasn't able to sleep at all. It was pretty frustrating. Luckily jetblue has those personal tv's, which are nice when they work. It was funny how the girls were always dancing or posing or doing something besides just standing still.

We took our bags to the hotel to store them before we could check in. If you've ever been to NYC, you'll know that the drivers there have no concern for any lives. Our jamaican driver was on his phone, playing with the radio, all while dodging and swerving through rush hour traffic. We all had to just close our eyes and not pay attention to what he was doing. The interesting thing was that in our time there and with all the crazy drivers, we didn't see one accident. Maybe their years of psychotic driving has given them cat-like reflexes. We got on the subway and went to catch the ferry to the statue of liberty and ellis island. We were running late, so we were almost running. When we got there, we realized that we hurried just to wait. We should really call this the day of the lines. While we were in line to get on the ferry, there was this awesome guy entertaining all us waiters. He was really funny. He could say hello in like a million languages and he showed us. I dug his wig.

Once we got into the building, we had to do a security check and then wait again. When we finally got on the ferry, it was so crowded. I think they were lucky that there weren't any iceburgs out there because I'm fairly positive that there weren't enough lifeboats.

There were really so many people on the sundeck and it was hard to get any pictures. Well, without random people in them. But, let's be honest, who doesn't like random people in their pictures?

Seeing the statue of liberty was really cool. It is so huge! It was almost surreal, because it is something you see in movies and pictures but never really see in real life.

When we actually got on the island (getting on and off the boat is like a cattle drive... get those cheeky bulls on (or off) the big bloody ship), we walked over to where you go into the statue, and guess what? There was another line. While we waited, there were a few chairs that got used. The second picture is of an obvious tea party.


The line didn't look too long until you got inside the white tent, and then it snaked through the whole thing. It was like Disneyland without the excitement and distracting decorations. But we did have fun facts cards. I read them to those around me and they were impressed with my read-aloud skills. The only fact I remember now is that the statue weighs 450,000 tons. Insane! There was a really ornery guy who kept us in check, walking around and making sure that we were in two's and three's not single file. It was of the utmost importance that we get as many people as possible into that tent. We went through another security check point and were finally let into the building. I was with Alyssa, Jocelyn and Missy, and we booked it right up to the observation deck. This face is huge.

There was a line with a few people waiting for the elevator when we got up to the observation deck "entrance" but we decided to take the stairs. That was before we realized that there were 152 of them. Are you kidding me? My quads loved it. This is a picture off the observation deck, which was pretty cool. I didn't realize how high it was until you see how tiny the people are below!

The only drawback of this trip was trying to get everyone to meet in the same place at the same time. We didn't often have exact meeting times, it was just "when you were done" which we found did not work out. We finally got together and went to get on the ferry, where we waited again. By the time we got to Ellis island, we were all totally exhausted and starving. We Pauls were excited to go find the Simonsen's on the wall and take a picture of us pointing to it, but apparently they don't have that. They just have a dock of computers where you can research your family and print off the boat register page. I realize that there are over 20 million names, but I wanted them to have a wall. So Tracie went off with her friends and mom, April and I went out to find a seat. We laid down on the grass outside and took mini-naps. Mom took a picture of that, so I'll post it when I get it. If it's a good one. :) Why can't they create a right-side-up smiley face for blogger? Annoying. Anyway. We finally got together and headed off the island. It was cool to see Ellis island from the boat, because it was a good example as to what our family saw once upon a time when they first got to America. What a vision of hope and excitement that must have been! Thanks Simon and Karoline Simonsen for following your faith and coming to the United States.

Is this post long enough yet? After we got off the ferry we started walking through Battery Park to go to lunch we were stopped by these street performers, who were pretty impressive. I guess this is how they make their living, and do a couple of shows a day and they were funny. I wonder how much they make. . .

They pulled a few people from the crowd, two from our group. Alyssa and Nikea. They were standing there forever in "anticipation" of what was going to happen. The shirtless main guy had them all bend over like they were touching their toes, and then he jumped over them.

Seriously, it was really cool.

We went to lunch at this funky deli that was really yummy and then most of the girls wanted to go back to the park and get a few things, many of them wanted their charicatures done. This picture is of Sam getting drawn, and it was probably the best one until the artist gave her huge boobs and a mermaid tail. It was pretty funny. I don't know what it is with charicature artists and boobs. There was one guy who did two of the girls, and they were exactly the same but one had a beauty mark. It was pretty funny. The most annoying thing about Battery Park were the guys who walked around trying to sell their fake designer bags and jewelry. Seriously, they were so obnoxious. You couldn't go three steps without them asking you to buy something, they were so relentless.

This is a picture of Battery park as we were leaving.

We got on the subway to go check in to our hotels. The girls were hysterical on the train. They were always trying to do something. The girl next to Tracie, Emily, would often do handstands against the pole, which was funny. I wish I got a picture of that. Here, Trace and Em are trying to keep their footing as the train went. Funny little competitions.

We got back to the hotel, checked in, and slept for about an hour until we met up again to go to Times Square. See, if you're thinking this post is never going to end, imagine how we felt. We walked over to TS, it was only about 8 or 9 blocks away, but don't let that fool you because their blocks are like three of ours. I don't really know, I forgot my tape measure. We split up to explore and eat dinner, and Mom, April and I usually stayed together.

We went to the M & M store and where else? I don't remember. We ate dinner and then met up with Tracie, who was starving and ate the rest of mom's pizza. While mom went back to get Tracie a piece of pizza (nicest ever), we went in search of the wicked theater so I could buy a poster. We kept getting different directions or street names, so we were excited when we finally found it. They let us in to hurry up to the gift shop "Ozdust Boutique" and they told us about a lottery that takes place two hours before a sold-out show, where you put your name in and they choose 13 people to win the opportunity to buy front row tickets for only $26.25. Seriously. We were so excited, and decided to go back the next day to see if we could get tickets for the matinee.

I like how the harlot m&m is showing so much leg in that statue. Anyway. We met up with mom, went and bought some cheesecake to go, caught a cab to go and went back to the hotel. Just so you know, the cheesecake blew our minds. So so yummy. It was pretty funny because while everyone was getting ready for bed, we turned on the tv, which was a mistake. None of us have cable, so we were really excited to watch "what not to wear." We had to finish it before we went to bed, but then we all had a blissful sleep.

Day 1 (technically): Thursday night

This is Tracie and I in the car on the way to the airport, we were very excited. It was a red eye flight, and we were expected to get into NYC around 5:30 in the morning.

Here we are before we checked in all our bags. We all met there at the check-in gate and I feel bad for all the workers. Of course the girls were all loud and squeal-y and it brought back fond memories of when I used to be loud and squeal-y. I'm so glad I grew up. Ok, so I'm just not squeal-y anymore. In the picture below, some of the girls are doing their "dc" gang sign, they are so tough and west side. It was also what they did at the beginning of their hip hop dance for their concert. There were only 14 girls who went (I think out of 20) but there were also 14 chaperons. We take safety very seriously. Or we all wanted a cheap trip.


This picture is of me and Shanay-nay. She has the haircut where the bangs are cut really far on the side of her face so they fall into her eyes all the time. I was teasing her about them so she put them in a ponytail. I had to follow suit. We wore our hair like this until my mom told me I had to take my hair down. I, of course, am an obedient child. Sometimes. This is our myspace pose.

Here is Mom and April on the plane. April was so excited to fly, this was her first time! We were so excited to have her come with us, and we all made lots of comments about the baby. I was probably really annoying. I'm so excited for baby to come but I'm glad she (I think) waited!

Yahoo!!

Tracie, Mom, April and I are heading out tonight! We are going with Tracie's dance co. and will be gone until late Monday night. It will be spectacular. I will be sure and post a lot of pictures and terrific stories when we get back, but until then, PEACE OUT!

A Special Find

Once upon a time, I worked at a credit union. It was a joyful time. Sometimes, I would clean out cupboards and drawers. On one of these occasions, I found a wonderful surprise. Somewhere out there, someone had left their glasses at the credit union and never returned for them. These were fantastic, amazing glasses. I popped out the lenses and wore them all day. I loved the looks I got but everyone was too polite to ask if they were my real eye supports. There is something magical about these glasses and when I wore them when I was student teaching, one student said that "when you put them on, they transform you into a sexy beast." Truly, wonderful spectacles.
Tracie has recently discovered the magic in the specs and loves to wear the glasses. She puts them on and wears them all night long. She likes to say, "If I wasn't wearing these glasses. . ." I would hit you, or life would be so hard, or boys wouldn't like me, or you would be wearing them. And she's right. I hope that all of you will one day find something that makes your heart as happy as these glasses do for little Tracie. It's wonderful to look into her eyes and see pure joy. Fantastical, child-like, "special" joy.

Happy Birthday Mom! and other musings.

My mom is so old. But you would never know it because she looks like such a fresh young kitten. And she's not really that old, either. But it was her birthday on Saturday so I went all out and mopped the kitchen floor for her. I know, it might be a little too much even, but that lemon-y ammonia scent wafting through the house was worth it. Seriously, though, I want to just take a few seconds and let you know that I feel very blessed to have such a great mom. We've had some rough times ("You make me craaaaazyyyy!" k-1997), usually because I'm a supersnot, but I'm really glad that I grew up and realized how lucky I am. Not only is mom a grade-A seamstress that can do anything, she is also an excellent cook, journal-writer, kitchen dancer, dog-washer and visiting teacher. And it doesn't have to really go in that order. Mom is incredibly patient and caring, compassionate and rock-solid in her faith. I am often humbled and spurred to do better when I see her studying her scriptures or getting ready to go to the temple. I am so excited to have kids someday because Mom has shown that she likes grandkids enough to watch them all the time, and since I won't be there to give myself free babysitting, and Alan and April will probably have 10 kids by then, and Tracie will have three dates a night, so I'll have to always leave the kids with Mom when I go clubbing.
So, Mom, here's to you. You're the best. You write the best missionary letters, you are so great with Grandma, you are so willing to give of yourself and your time, and I love ya. And one more thing, I have to say that the thing that makes me the most sad about Sister Jackman dying is that she was your age and I can't even think about what we would do without you! You are the heart of our home and make the world go round!


Now for the other musings. Here's one of my quirky things that I would add to a tag: I love awards shows. I love beauty pageants. I love any show where people cry because they are living the dream. I can't cry on cue or cry when something sad or sweet is happening unless it's on tv. Honestly. I think it's the new digital box thing. Anyway. So I was watching the ACM (American Country Music) awards and I have to say that I usually don't agree with the winners (like when Alison Krauss and that random guy kept winning at the Grammy's) but I think they were totally on tonight. I was so excited that Taylor Swift won for Album of the year for "Fearless." I don't know if I did a blog on this cd, but I should have. I really, really love it. I don't always love Taylor because she's a little annoying sometimes (I know, she's 19, she'll grow up,) but man, can that girl write a song. She truly has talent, and I love her songs. I don't love listening to her sing live, though, it's like watching John Mayer sing live. Not so appealing. But, the ACM's got it right giving the award to her. Also, Carrie Underwood won Entertainer of the Year, which I so wholeheartedly agree with. I have such a girl crush on Carrie, and I think it's because she is so real. She knows how lucky and blessed she is, but the truth of it is, she has got SKILLS.
So those are the ramblings that I had on my mind right now, but I better stop while I'm ahead, because I can feel the NyQuil starting to kick in. We don't want those kind of musings, believe me.
Ok, really quick, one more thing. I am also digging Sugarland lately. I didn't like them at all at first because I had to get used to Jennifer Nettles "different" sound, but she can write a song too. And there's something about her face that always reminds me of my Aunt Alyce. I know, Jamie, weird, and I'm glad your mom knows that modest is hottest. But for some reason, she does. Really, that's all. I think.

Winner, Winner, JBC Dinner!

So I've been doing this psuedo-biggest loser weight loss challenge with Laura (promoted by Herbalife. . .I got through without purchasing anything) and tonight was the final week (out of 6 weeks.) I won $186.50 for losing the most inches, 15! Yay, me! That's not 15 all in one place, but from chest, waist, hips and right thigh. So. I love free money! Not bad for a $35 investment!