Crash Landing

Much to my dismay, our home PC is crashing. Big time. So no blogging for several days. Yuck. Working on getting a new laptop and will hopefully have it soon.....

Ramblings....

It feels like forever since my last post. I guess it's been a busy week. Sophie & I took a few days to visit my family up in Virginia. We had an awesome time! I got to spend some time with both of my grandmothers.....which really meant a lot to me.Sophie got to spend lots of time with Grandma, Grandpa and both of her great-grandmothers on my side of the family (how nice to have such a young family!). Anyway, I wanted to share just a few photos of the past week....

My Kenzie Snooter. She's starting to look very distinguished, isn't she? She's not aging nearly as fast as Hubbell but they're both turning white in the face. I simply adore senior dogs (always have) but, at the same time, it's hard. Dogs just don't live long enough. And, honestly, I feel quite lucky that mine are ages 10 & 11.....so many dogs pass away young these days...mostly from cancer....I hear these horror stories.....they're so heartbreaking.....so, these days, I'm just so thankful that my pups are still around and they're both doing well.

We found this awesome robin's nest in a tree in my parents' front yard. This was the best shot I could get. It was too high to see if there were any eggs and, frankly, I didn't want to disturb any more than I already had. I'm also in love with this tree. It's GORGEOUS. And we have no idea what it's called......if you know, please say so. I kinda' want one for my yard!!!

Sophie & I sitting on a hillside at the Lynchburg airport watching the Blue Angels practice. They're amazing, I must say. I think I could sit and watch them all day. It kinda' makes me feel like a kid again. Below is a photo of one as it was landing...

I also had a doctor's appointment this week (32 weeks ~ aahhh!!!!) and everything seems to be going great. This baby is still not head down though. She's side to side which has made me extremely uncomfortable. I've been having a lot of sleepless nights lately.....and this has made me quite grumpy and hard to be around. I am tired. Also, in Charlotte, the temperature is up in the 90's so it's hot and miserable. I don't go outside unless I absolutely have to.

I've been spending a good deal of time getting to know Atticus & Scout.....and they are such cutie patooties. I love them. We have a new routine where they get to spend some time outside on the deck each morning and evening. They really, really love it ~ I don't speak "bird" but I'd guess it's their favorite parts of the day. They've warmed up to us a lot although we're still not at the point where they will hop on our fingers. Slowly, slowly we're getting there though.... and I found I really missed them while we were gone for those few days....

Lastly, I have been reading some amazing books. This is the #1 reason I haven't been blogging. I've been spending every spare minute reading (while I have this luxury!). Just this week alone I've finished 3 books. They're SO GOOD and I'll post about them soon. Seriously, there is nothing quite like having a good book to read....one that you look forward to reading.....where you try to sneak in any spare moment you can to take in a few pages.....it's heavenly.

Okay, I have a meeting with the painter for the nursery in a few minutes so I'll be signing off now....

The Little Things....a Garden Edition

~ The smell of freshly growing basil. It makes me crave a good Caprese salad every time...

~ On Monday, I caught sight of several ladybugs crawling around. The first this year. I was so excited!! Welcome, ladybugs!!!

{these were the best shots I could get with my crappy camera}

~ My very first potato flowers. This is my first year growing potatoes. I've been winging it with no idea whatsoever of what I'm doing. Seems to be going well so far though.... We shall see. In the meantime, the flowers are pretty....

~ The smell of really good, fresh compost. It smells so clean.

~ The first tomatoes are visible. YAY!!!!

~ Those of you who know me well know I have a life soundtrack. And I've noticed that, each week, I seem to have a song or some type of music on my "Little Things" list. That wasn't intentional ~ I think I'm just always singing or listening to something. So, after some thought, my garden-themed song for this week is Tim McGraw's "Where the Green Grass Grows". (Believe it or not, I couldn't think of many songs that would be good for gardening....that aren't meant for preschoolers!???!!!) "Every night be tucked in close to you....."

*****

Although this isn't gardening related, I have to give a shout-out to my Lil' Bro because his race team won AGAIN in Atlanta last weekend. I was so thrilled! Best of luck to Chris and the rest of the team next weekend in Kansas.....

*****

Planting Dandelions

Calling all Moms out there!!!

Oh, do I have a book for you!!!

It's Planting Dandelions: Field Notes from a Semi-Domesticated Life by Kyran Pittman.

{image via Kyran's website}

I loved it so much that I promptly reread it as soon as I finished it the first time. Certain parts are so funny that I laughed until I cried. This is Kyran's personal story of how she met and married a Southerner, became a mother ~ more specifically a Suburban mother, grew up a Canadian who eventually (and reluctantly) became an American. My favorite chapter is actually the chapter on being Canadian, her first impressions of the US and the long road to becoming a citizen. Hysterical! (Tia Jenny, I thought of you throughout this entire chapter and wished that we could read it aloud together. I laughed so hard I thought this baby would pop right out. It felt so good....!)

Kyran also has been keeping a blog for at least five years which I promptly checked out after finishing the book the second time. This is how she describes her blog:

"....my field notes, the blog where for five years I've recorded my outside-looking-in observations on this big, little life. Part Underwood typewriter, part Moleskin journal, part refrigerator door: it's become a catchall for everything that digging in yields up."

I think a lot of us can relate to that. I hope you'll pick up this book and enjoy it as much as I did. If you do, please drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Capturing Motherhood in a Photo

Last May, The Stir sponsored a "Picturing Motherhood Photo Series" (in celebration of Mother's Day 2010). Essentially, different photographers, through photos, shared a glimpse of their own motherhood stories. I enjoyed seeing all the different photos and I've thought of them often over the last year....I often catch sight of something in my home that I know provides an insight into what motherhood means to me.

This came to me again yesterday when I was cleaning out Sophie's "paint pots" in the sink. The colors were so pretty, so primary. And this is a sight that you would NEVER see in my sink if I didn't have children. Also, I groan internally when Sophie wants to paint because the cleanup is so painful. It always takes way longer for me to clean up than it does for her to paint. Yet, I give in from time to time because I know how much she loves it and I do think painting is a wonderful form of self-expression. It's so therapeutic. Giving in to the occasional "art project" is just something mothers DO.

In this one instance, I actually made time to go grab the camera and take two quick shots. I'm going to try and do this more often and, one day, I'd like to make a "what motherhood means to me" slide show of my own.

Please give a warm welcome....

......to ATTICUS and SCOUT, the newest members of our family!!!

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to have some indoor birds. Recently, I've thought more and more about how I would like to have more animals in my life. Having birdsat in the past, I knew that parakeets were wonderful pets to have, fairly low maintenance and not too expensive to keep healthy and happy. Last week, as I drove past a local pet shop, I saw a sign that the store was closing and they were liquidating their inventory. Even the animals were on sale. The idea that these sweet little birds were "ON SALE" was rather heartbreaking to me. They're already so cheap ~ aren't their lives worth more than that? After three visits to the shop, some additional research and a talk with the hubbie, we decided it was the right time to adopt two feathery little babies.

On Saturday, we made our way to the store.....chose a new bird home and all of the accompanying food, treats, toys, etc.....and, finally, picked out the sweet little beings who would come home with us. Choosing them was the hard part ~ they're all so beautiful ~ how to choose? They're also very young so it's not easy to tell their gender. There were two with gorgeous pastel yellow plumage mixed with light blue and white feathers. I knew I wanted one of those. The second one was much harder to pick and, in the end, I picked a fellow with amazingly bright turquoise feathers....simply because his color (at least to me) was the most beautiful.

They were packed up in boxes (!!!!) and we drove them home.

We quickly assembled their new home complete with water, food, millet treats, toys, ladder, wheel, etc.

Then we put them in and let them find their way around......

Here are their first photos:

Scout (left) and Atticus (right)

A close-up of a very curious Scout

(As you've probably guessed, they are named after characters in my favorite book/movie, To Kill A Mockingbird. Although, after spending two days with them, I am quite sure that Scout is also a boy. Quite alright with me. No need to worry about baby birds in the future and the name "Scout" is just as fitting for a male bird.)

For $11.00 (can you imagine?), they've already brought us so many smiles and lots of happiness.

Welcome to the family, Baby Birds!!!

Do I still have some Working Mom in me?

I ask myself this question all the time. In September it will be two years since the last day I set foot in an office to work all day. Believe it or not, I've managed to find happiness in those two years, something that I never believed was possible. I am a worker bee, pure and simple. From my parents I received a very strong work ethic. I've always taken great pride in my work and, of course, I crave the financial independence. I miss the camaraderie and the close friends I had at work. I yearn for the travel and seeing new places....eating at amazing restaurants and sleeping in very nice hotels. And I long for that feeling of knowing my potential and making it blossom.

At the same time, I've been eating up the free time I've had to nurture another side of myself ~ the side that enjoys actually knowing my daughter and seeing her more than 45 minutes a day (on a good day)....the side that takes such pleasure and pride in my garden....the side that has discovered I really do have a creative side and I enjoy letting it out....the side that has more meaningful relationships because I have time to nurture them....the side that doesn't feel much stress at all and has a more leisurely and peaceful life....the side that can sleep peacefully without any *ahem* assistance from sleeping pills (a constant source of embarrassment that always left me feeling a sense of failure). I don't miss the stress AT ALL, not for one moment. I don't miss my commute. I don't miss the political BS that exists in every company. I don't miss the unfair treatment that I would receive from time to time because I worked in a more male-dominated industry.

I could go on and on and on and on and on about this subject for days....weighing both sides and mulling it over. It's mentally exhausting.

Anyway, the reason I'm bringing all this up is because I had a "work meeting" today. A former colleague resigned from our former employer to branch out and attempt to start up a new business. Earlier this year she asked me to be her partner but I eventually declined once I discovered I was pregnant. We meet up every six weeks or so and she updates me on her progress. This time she asked me to meet a gentleman that she's been working with....someone who might potentially create the technology platform for the new business...she desperately wanted my feedback and opinion. I can honestly say that my first inclination was to say NO THANK YOU. I didn't want to put on my business hat....have a technology discussion for an hour or more (zzzz!)....have to discuss my background and explain why I'm not currently working, etc. I could go on. These days I'm also not "groomed" for business.....I don't get my nails done weekly anymore....I certainly don't have business-appropriate maternity wear....my hair coloring is a little overdue. I guess you could say that I was feeling insecure and not at all prepared for this type of meeting. Yet, I knew it was the right thing to do...even if it was just being a good friend to my former colleague. It's also rare these days for anyone to ask for my feedback and opinions about anything. So I sucked it all up and I went.

I'm so glad I did. Despite all of the above, it was very much like riding a bike. It didn't take long for those insecurities to melt and sink down into the floorboards. I became very involved in the conversation and actually interested. I found myself excited to discuss my work background because it is quite diverse and, honestly, I think I have great experience. I'm proud of what I've accomplished and I know it shows through. I didn't have any other choice but to stand up and be proud about my decision to leave work and spend some time taking care of my family. In this case, it was very well received by this new party. This man just happens to be a huge family man and was supportive and understanding.

To my surprise and delight, he started asking very pointed questions about when I might be interested in returning to work and was obviously trying to measure my level of interest. When I once said, "I'm just hoping one more year or so of being out of work doesn't kill my entire career" he replied, "Oh Audrey, I'm definitely not worried about you". And it felt so good.

I don't really know how to make sense of these dilemmas and I honestly don't have many people to talk to who can truly understand. Most women I know (almost all, really) choose to stay home and they don't feel this constant pull and tug, the struggle to hang on tight to their ambition, the constant questioning of whether it's the right thing to do. I can't tell you how often I hear that, once the baby was born, there was just no question about leaving it in someone else's care....that so-and-so couldn't bear to leave the baby to go back to work. Well, I never felt that way. I left my daughter at day care without a second thought (I knew my daughter was well cared for!). People always, always, always assumed I went back to work because it was a financial necessity. Not true. I went back because I loved it and I needed it in my life. And how many times was I made to feel that there was something wrong with me because I felt that way and made that decision??? Countless times.

For me, it is ALWAYS in my head. Days like today don't actually help matters all that much. In a way, it only served to make me more confused about which direction I should head in. At the same time, I have to take delight in knowing that, for the moment, I'd still have no problem getting back in and moving forward. Whether I actually decide to or not still remains to be seen. Stay tuned. One day I'm guessing (and hoping) the answers will just come to me.

The Little Things....

~ Blogger is back up and working. Whew! (Smile)

~ With regard to the 52 Week/52 Letter Challenge, I've been keeping up. I really enjoy taking the time to handwrite a note to my friends and/or family. In most cases, I'm sending a birthday card or a thank you card but I take the time to write out updates, etc. What goes around does come around. In most cases, I get a nice email in return. But I've also reconnected in such a beautiful way with my friend, Jen, the recipient of my first letter. The challenge also prompted one or two folks to beat me to the punch and write to me first. How nice.... So glad I signed up to do this!

~ These gorgeous Gerber daisies that I purchased last weekend and potted in an old container I had around. This shade of pink is DIVINE! And I rather like the fringy petals....

~ Having a lovely, peaceful dinner with Alain on Saturday night, at one of my all-time favorite restaurants. We were celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary. Thanks, baby!

~ The song, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies. I just love it.

~ Having fresh lettuce whenever I want....(it's so yummy!)

~ Spending almost an entire weekend at home. This barely ever happens. It was very relaxing and we enjoyed a few delicious homemade meals. Our backyard is really lovely and, pretty soon, Charlotte will be too hot to stay outside for long (sniffle).

~ This photo of one of my cabbage plants. For some reason, I LOVE growing cabbage. I love the humongous leaves and the colors of the plant ~ the reddish-purplish veins running through the gorgeous green leaves. I measured last week and one leaf is over 12 inches long!!!

~ The first three Mother's Day messages I received on Sunday (aside from my immediate family) were all from guy friends. I love that! Those guys are the BEST.....

~ Spending four hours alone last Friday browsing at the International Collectible & Antiques Show. Too fun!

~ My new Delphinium plants. This photo speaks for itself. They are divine!

BIRD I.D.

Identifying our backyard birds is something I've been wanting to do for a long, long time. We're lucky ~ we have a lot of them. At this time of year we particularly enjoy their company, because they're really active and we're outside much more often. This year we're especially enjoying the baby chickadees that are living inside our basketball goal. Everyone has very strict orders not to play basketball until the babies are gone. So we listen to them calling out to their parents and we watch the parents working SO HARD to keep their babies fed. We can hear lots of other baby birds crying out but their nests are not within sight for us.

This weekend I finally had some free time and I sat out back with some binoculars and a bird book (that I've owned for a hundred years!). Most of the regulars I knew already. But I discovered two new birds that I hadn't even noticed before and I managed to ID them. It was exciting! They're obviously the more quiet, shy ones ~ how they've managed to escape my attention for this long is beyond me. Anyway, I don't have a great camera so I can't get great shots of "our birds" ~ I wish I could. So I am borrowing these images from Scotts.com (yes, I know the irony when they're the type of company to create products to harm the birds ~ but they had good photos).

American Goldfinch: We have a finch feeder filled with thistle so we get lots of finches ~ I know I shouldn't be partial but I really love the bright yellow ones.

House Finch: We have lots of these as well. The house finches will actually come to our window feeder and eat seeds. The yellow ones usually don't.

American Robin: Go out to our backyard at any time of day and you will find a robin digging around in the grass. They are extremely active. In my experience they're also the most daring ~ they allow me closer than any of the other birds.

Black-Capped Chickadee: Oh how I love these birds. They're so tiny and so beautiful. I'm so happy they decided to build a nest in our basketball goal!!! I wish I could get a view of those little baby chickadees....

Eastern Bluebird: I don't get to see these too often, unfortunately. But it's always an occasion when they do stop by. My dad built a bluebird house for me last year and I didn't get to install it in time for this year's nest. Next year....

The Northern Cardinal. He gets a big photo because he is the king of our yard. We named him Harry Winston several years ago. He and his girl (who is SO LOVELY!) are always around. He's so vibrant that you can pick him out no matter where he is. I love his song ~ he must have an easy time finding a mate!

* Yes, I realize it's not the same cardinal every year but, to my knowledge, Sophie doesn't know that. You can tell by his coat. Last year our Harry Winston was so intensely red it would break your heart to look at him. He was the most magnificent one yet. Our guy this year is not as vibrant and has some black feathers intermixed. But we love him just the same!

The two newbies:

Brown Thrasher: Now that I know he's here and I have him identified, I see him every day. He's definitely quiet and walks softly around the garden, usually at a distance from the deck & patio. He's gorgeous though and I'm so happy he's here.

Mourning Dove: This one's been around for a while although I see her less regularly. But I had no idea what type of bird she was. I usually see her on the ground below our big feeder digging around in the leaves and pine needles. She's also quiet and moves around very gently and gracefully. I like her.

I can't forget:

Our resident red-tailed hawk. She's something else. I see her about once a month when she parks herself in our yard. Ask anyone who's been lucky enough to be around when she drops by for a visit....she is large and intimidating. I read yesterday that these hawks have a territory of about 240 acres. Wow. When she stops by for a visit, I keep my child and my dogs within close distance. There's no telling what she's capable of! {this image via Wikipedia}

Last Note:

There are a few other birds that I see around from time to time. Most of them are nondescript and black. Maybe European starlings? We also see crows around from time to time but the only time you see them is when the smaller birds are screeching and chasing them away. Lastly, it appears that we have some type of sparrow residing in our front yard. I'm never out front so I haven't been able to identify which type of sparrow and I don't know much about his/her habits, etc. On the ride to school this morning, in our neighbor's yard, we saw a bunny chasing three crows around the yard. It looked like they were trying to infiltrate her nest and I assume she has some babies. It was rather heartbreaking and it took everything I had not to jump out and give her a hand. When I returned home, they had all disappeared. I am hoping there was a good ending!!!

It's that time of year again...

....time for good friends...

{Sophie & Jacob}

.....a new strawberry dress....

and a strawberry patch....

What a nice way to spend the morning!!! We enjoyed our own family version of Strawberry Shortcakes all weekend long. Yum yum....

Born2Shop

Who?

Moi?

Those of you who know me are probably laughing at the idea of me saying I'm "born to shop". I am not a shopper! I can't imagine a worse way to spend my spare time. Honestly. I go when absolutely necessary and maybe sometimes when I'm bored, unhappy, anxious, etc in an attempt to distract/cover up. Shopping just doesn't fill me up and make me happy.

I know there are people who live to shop and some who even plan vacations around shopping. Well, I'm about as likely to shop on vacation as I am to, say, go to work. I even have a number of close friends who use the term "retail therapy" quite regularly. As for me, well, I get my therapy other ways. In recent years I've subscribed to the school of "voluntary simplicity". It's true, at least for me, that the less "stuff" I have, the happier I am. There's less to maintain, pay for, clean, organize, worry about, take up space.

BUT there might be just one EXCEPTION....

I went out this weekend to purchase some plants, etc for my window boxes and something to grow up the trellis in my garden. Well, I got none of the above. BUT I did come home with about $80 in other flowers & plants. Walking around a nursery looking at all of these amazing flowers, veggies, succulents, etc is so relaxing and therapeutic to me. There may have been a couple moments of guilt at spending so much money on plants. But they're all perennials which means ~ assuming I can keep them alive ~ they'll bring color, joy and cut flowers for years to come. And just the thought of that makes $80 look like a great bargain.

Here's a peek at the back of the car as I left the nursery....

So all of you born shoppers can keep your new clothes, makeup, shoes, bags, household items, etc for yourselves. Just be sure to leave a few plants for me to admire and pick up every now and again!

Mother's Day 2011

For me, Mother's Day is a day that brings a lot of reflection.

I reflect back on my own 4 1/2 years as a mom to Sophie. I think of my own mother. My grandmothers. My aunts. My mother-in-law. My sisters-in-law. My friends. The mother that Sophie will possibly one day become. Same for Baby Girl #2. I think of all the mothers who came before me, all the mothers who exist out in the world. I also think of my friends who aren't mothers to little humans (whether by choice or by not finding the right partner or by infertility) but mother their furry kids with as much love, attention, devotion and adoration as those of us with human babies.

And you know what? I have so much respect for all of us. Motherhood is truly the hardest thing I've ever done. The greatest challenge. A source of much frustration on certain days. At the same time, it's changed my life in a million different ways. Made me a different person. I might even say a better person. My happiness, which was always there, has a sweeter quality to it. I never knew the sacrifices I'd have to make to be a good mother to Sophie. I had no idea. This is a good thing. I know damn well that I wouldn't have entered into parenthood had I known what was in store. Give up my career that I've worked so hard to build, that I'm so proud of, that means everything to me? Um, negative. Send my furry soul mate, my first baby girl, to stay with Grandma & Grandpa because she and her human sister are not, in any way, compatible? Not just no but HELL NO.

But I guess that's the beauty of life. I was clueless. I didn't know and I willingly made the choice to have child(ren). Had I not I would never have known this experience. And I am definitely the type of person who wants to experience just about everything that life has to offer! I would have spent the remainder of my life wondering what it would have been like. Wondering what my children would've looked like, who they might have become, if they would've been like me. I'd never have created another human being that is a crazy little mixture, a delicious concoction, of myself and Alain. Alain had a tiny little health scare last year and, at times, I was a little frantic considering the worst-case scenarios. The one thing that made me calm and brought me solace during that time was knowing that I had Sophie in my life. A tiny little version of her father. A flesh and blood reminder of this great love that I share with him.

I know for sure that I would've ended up one of those women in my 50's wondering why the hell I never had children and regretting my choice/decision. No need to think about that anymore ~ I was lucky and things worked out for me. I have an amazing daughter. I have another one due in two months. And they mean absolutely EVERYTHING to me. I can't imagine a life without them in it. Well, I can but I don't want to. My life is richer, happier, more meaningful because they are a part of it.

The images above are from the card Sophie gave me this morning when I woke up. It literally brought tears to my eyes. I hope she feels that way always. God knows I will do my best to make her always feel that sentiment is true.....no matter how big the challenge, no matter how great the sacrifices!

So on this day, as all these silly thoughts roll around in this big noggin, I want to wish all of you ~ including my own mom ~ a very happy, wonderful, most glorious Mother's Day. You all deserve it!!!

The Little Things...

~ Watching Sophie soak up New York City....

~ Feeling my own sense of amazement (STILL!) when I'm in New York...

~ Sophie's reunion with her favorite stuffed animals when we returned from NYC. How heartwarming to overhear her telling them all about her trip and how much she missed them!

~ Having friends like Calvin & Michelle who took such good care of Hubbell while we were gone. It only occurred to me once I got home that I didn't worry about him one single time while we were away. And that is SO NICE...

~ Hubbell's over-exuberant excitement when we picked him up. He was so talkative!!!

~ Coming home to my garden. I'm amazed at how much it grew in only one week....

~ Sophie's first day back at school yesterday. I sat in the shade on the deck and read a book for about an hour. It was so peaceful!!!

~ Listening to Fastball. Their music is so happy!

~ Sophie's absolute fearlessness to break out in song & dance at any time in any place. Here, she's "performing" her rendition of "So Long, Farewell" in the American Museum of Natural History....

~ Watching "Still Bill" last night. Can I just say that I adore Bill Withers? His music is so soulful. I admire his choices in life and his sensitivity. He's quite amazing. Great, great documentary!

~ Blake Shelton. Just because. See this video.... (Thanks, Valerie!) The voice. Those dreamy blue eyes. That smile. The right dimple. Swoon!

~ This dress that I mentioned in my first Little Things list. Soph lives in Green Crocs. It's nice to find a dress that actually somewhat works with them...

~ Just knowing that there are people in this world with amazing ideas that help to make the world a better place....that can provide the gift of nature and peace in the unlikeliest of places....

Snapshots of a Weekend in NYC!

We're back. Already. It always goes by so fast. There's no way to slow it down. There will never be enough time to fit everything in. I don't ever want to leave when I'm there. I'm always a little melancholic to come home ~ I can't help it ~ it's a totally different life. This time, with a little one arriving soon, leaving was hard because I don't know how soon I'll be able to return.... (sniffle)

Can I just say that the weather was DIVINE? We couldn't have chosen a better weekend. Not one drop of rain. Beautiful sunshine. Fair weather (unlike HOT Charlotte).

There were some overcast moments but even those were beautiful in their own way.

And then one always has the vibrant colors of Chinatown to liven things up...

Spring was in FULL bloom everywhere we looked.

We visited old friends and met some new "friends" too.

The T-Rex at the American Museum of Natural History was a real highlight for Sophie! Mom was rather partial to the elephants in the Hall of African Mammals and the Blue Whale (WOW!).

As always, I dreamed about city life and what it must be like. This second image is my dream address ~ 1 Gramercy Park.

We checked out some of our favorite places.....

{The Chrysler Building is my favorite skyscraper. Love ARTDECO!}

{The Flatiron Building}

{The Empire State Building}

{The Guggenheim Museum}

And even visited some new ones...

{The High Line....oh how I loved it!}

{The famous Apollo Theater in Harlem}

{Grant's Tomb. I had no idea this was in Manhattan!}

{Not sure what this building is but just enjoyed the architecture!}

Oh New York, New York....you are already missed....