The Time I Got Stranded in New York

Another overdue post.  *sigh*  I'm just having too many adventures to keep up with lately.  So let's dive right in, shall we?  ;)

A couple of weekends ago, my brother, Joel, asked Doad and I if we would go on a special trip with him and his girlfriend, Lauren.  They wanted to spend the day in NYC (and Joel wanted to propose!) so we decided to go with them (and help Joel out).  ;)

We got up early on a Saturday morning and were on the road by 8AM.  There was even a beautiful rainbow wishing us well as we started off.  I think we got to the city around noon after searching for parking and all that fun stuff.  

We spent the afternoon shopping (LOVED this shirt!), 

eating delicious pizza, 

and wandering ALL over (from Central Park to Macy's and back - don't ask me WHY we didn't take the Subway, I still have no idea).  

One of the things Joel really wanted to do was get some cool night shots of the cityscape once it got dark.  (This is where he wanted to propose too.)  Obviously, you can't be IN the city if you're trying to take pictures of the city.  Joel didn't really know where to go so I tried to find out some of the best places to get these shots and most of them suggested that you go across the Brooklyn Bridge where there was this park.  

So we went back to the parking garage to pick up Joel's car and drive across the bridge.  We found a parking spot on the street, fed the meter, and raced off to get some awesome pictures before our hour was up on the meter.  This turned out to be a way longer/complicated process than we planned.  It involved a lot of hiking, Doad racing to refill our meter before we got towed, and lots of stalling til Joel could find the perfect spot to propose. 

Proposals are hard work!

Thankfully, we finally got it right, he popped the question, and she said "yes"!  :)  

All was happy and right with the world.  And as we scurried to get back to the car before the meter ran out again, all I could think of was how nice it will be to crash into bed in a few hours after all the walking and running around we did today.  

And this is where the story really begins....

It is now 10:00PM in the jolly little city of Brooklyn... and our car won't start.  Won't even make a noise.  Nothing.  

WHAT?!?!?!

So Joel calls home to try to get dad's AAA information and see if we can get some help.  Keep in mind that we have been roaming the city all day, texting and instagram-ing, so our phones are all on low battery or dead.  Meanwhile, Doad and I are praying that some nice person will stop and give us a jump.  And poor Lauren is just dying to call and tell her family the biggest news ever... and also to let them know we're stuck in New York.  Some seriously nice man stops and offers to help us jump the car.  We hook up the cables, charge it for a second, and then turn the key.  Still nothing.  :(

So now Joel is calling AAA and telling them we think it's the alternator, blah blah blah.  They tell us they're sending someone out and he will check the battery for us and if it won't start they'll tow it for us.  Ok, yay... 

An hour and a half later (a little after midnight), AAA dude comes driving along - not in a tow truck, but in a van.  A van!  Where is the tow truck??  Well, apparently all the tow truck drivers have gone home for the night...  So he checks the battery, tells us it's dead (um, duh!), and charges it up for us.  The car starts on the first try.  And then as soon as he unhooks the cables, it goes out like a light.  :(  He then proceeds to tell us that we've got a bad alternator (thank you, that's what we told you on the phone!)  

No tow trucks will be able to help us for another 2-3 hours.  Well, we are not about to hang out on the streets of Brooklyn for another 3 hours.  So we decide to leave the car there (thanking God that they don't tow cars in that area on Sundays) and walk to a hotel... 1.5 miles away.  Again, what were we thinking not taking the Subway!?!?  

We stop for a quick bit at a McDonald's since the last thing we ate was the pizza at noon and then we finally find a hotel with vacancies around 2AM.  

Four hours later, we wake up so Joel can call AAA again and ask for a tow and try to figure out where he can get serviced on a Sunday.  They tell him to wait until 9 when sears opens and see if they can fix it.  (Secretly, I'm hoping they can't so we can just rent a car and get home and worry about the car later, like after sleep and fresh clothes and real food - I know, I'm a horrible sister).  

But as luck would have it, they can fix it and they promise to do it in a two hour time frame.  Pardon my french, but Sears is full of $#!*.  

We waited there for four hours before they even started working on our car.  

Lauren finally broke down and started crying which got the manager to come out... He then proceeded to tell us that it was our fault the car hadn't been worked on yet because we should have come to him hours ago... excuse me?  And told you what exactly?  That you lied to us?  That you need to fire some people in your shop for taking a three hour lunch break?  That you should do your job and manage your employees?  

I'm so glad he didn't stick around 'cause I definitely had some words for him that would have gotten me in trouble.  :/  Fifteen minutes later the car was ready to go.  So pissed and so happy all at the same time.  Happy that it was ready and we could finally get out of there.  Pissed that we could have seriously been home already if he had done that when we first got there. 

So we left New York around 4:30PM.  What should have taken us 3-4 hours MAX to get home turned into 6 hours thanks to the rush-hour/weekend traffic we hit.  I blame the mechanics for that - I think they timed it that way on purpose.  I also blame them for making me miss my own birthday party with my family.  :(  And for missing the closing ceremonies of the Olympics.  And for global warming.  JK, but they made me mad.

Doad and I came back smelling like cavemen, and needing another weekend all over again, haha. But, I'd venture to say it was a successful trip for Joel and that's what matters.  He came back with a fiancee and a new alternator and battery for his car...sorta  (It died on him a few days later and he had to replace again - have I mentioned that I don't like Sears?)  But we are ever so happy for Joel and Lauren and can't wait to see what the future holds in store for them.  Love you two!!

The One About My Birthday

Yay! Finally a day to myself to reminisce and share about my birthday!  :)  

The week started out wonderfully with my sweet husband leaving me little surprises to wake up to every morning.  :)  He is so thoughtful.  These flowers were my first surprise gift.

As horrible as I am with houseplants, I have actually managed to keep this one alive and healthy looking so far.  :)  Maybe it will make it to my 24th birthday!

Ok, so a little back-story before I get to the present.  I have been bugging Doad for months about wanting an iPad for my birthday.  We share one laptop and technically it's "his".  He bought a Macbook before we were married, but I am definitely more attached to electronics than he is so I had basically adopted it. He he.  

Sharing one computer has been working out fine, but since I started selling Avon and blogging this year, I think my computer usage has increased quite a bit.  Along with Facebook and personal email, I now also use it to place orders, to advertise and email customers, to blog, to read blogs, etc.  So I've been dropping shameless hints about how having an iPad would allow us to both be able to do what we want online at the same time.  

[source]

Most of these hints carried an equal weight of seriousness and silliness.  I knew we were on a budget and that an iPad is a pretty pricey birthday gift for our family.  So I was kind of just enjoying giving him a hard time. :-p  As much as I hoped to join the "cool kid club" on my birthday and finally own an Apple product of my own, (I don't even have an iPod...sad, right?)  I wasn't expecting to get one at all.  In fact, I had been trying to save up cash from several haircuts and colors I had recently done so that I could put it towards one later this year.  

Well the night before my birthday, Doad hid a gift under the pillows on our bed.  And you guessed it... it was an iPad! :)  Isn't he the best ever?! :)  He knew I had work off the next day and wanted me to be able to play around with it on my actual birthday so he gave it to me a night early.  So thoughtful. :)  

I spent the next day at my family's house.  Mom made a delicious breakfast and we just spent time relaxing and catching up.  My siblings enjoyed the iPad and convinced me to download a couple of games for us all to play on it.  :)  Then I went home to get ready for evening celebrations with Doad.

[source]

He took me to one of my favorite places, The Cheesecake Factory! :)  Yum!!!  Then we went to the movies and laughed it up with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.  So funny.  But SOOO awkward! lol.

I forgot to take pictures of our delicious food.  Or of ourselves at all... lame, I know. :(  But I did remember the cheesecake which really is all that's important, right?

DEE-licious!

We got back home and I think my favorite part of the whole day was just being able to fall asleep in Doad's arms.  I get to do this every night, but I will never stop being grateful for it.  I truly do feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be married to Doad.  He is my best friend and and the best person I know.  He loves me more than I ever thought a person could love someone and I feel so blessed to be able to celebrate with him.  It was a wonderful birthday spent with my husband and sweet family.  I am a lucky girl, indeed! :)

I'm Still Alive!

Holy Cow!!!! Two weeks since I've posted??? Where have I been!!!

Well,  it all started with my birthday.  Which kept me super busy and hvaing lots of fun and I just decided I wanted to enjoy it and be in the moment and write about it a couple of days later.... I am still planning to do a separate post on it if I ever get my act together.  ;)

Then it really went downhill that weekend on a spontaneous day trip to New York that turned into a whole weekend trip when our car broke down.  Yes, I DEFINITELY want to tell you about that too.  I'm just procrastinating now...

After we finally got home from New York, I decided to take a few [more] days and relax and catch up on lost sleep and all that before writing.  My body decided that wasn't enough time and got all sick on me so I would have to rest some more. 

Anyways, I'm feeling mostly better now and just wanted to let my nine 13(!!!) sweet readers know that I am still alive and kicking and totally planning some interesting posts about my adventures the past couple of weeks.  :)  Thanks for stickin' with me! 

Hope you all are having a great week!

To My Little Jadie Girl,

Jade,

It seems like just a few years ago that I fell asleep in mom and dad's bed so I could be the first one they woke up when they came home from the hospital with you.

You were born two days before my 13th birthday and somehow that made you a little more "mine".

 I couldn't wait to meet you.  And, Lord have mercy, you were adorable.  And small.  I remember shopping with dad for Preemie outfits for you because you were so small - despite being born well after your due date.

 I was kinda proud that I got to pick out some of the first outfits you could actually wear.

I was proud of everything about you.  I was proud of how brave you were when you got asthma at 4 months old.  I was proud that you loved to lay on my legs and hang out with me while I did my school work.  When you let me "do" your "hair" and take funny pictures of you. ;)  And when you loved girly stuff like magazines and make-up even as a baby.

And I'm still so proud to be your big sister.  I'm proud of the way you like to imitate me and make funny faces with me.  How you look up to me.  And how you steal everyone's heart the moment they meet you.  :)  Including our whole family:

:) See?  You just fit right in.

Although, I'm pretty sure that we will never be able to fit all seven of us on one couch again. ;)  Gosh, we were tiny....


And now?  Well, now you're really growing up.  You are becoming such a sweet, smart, beautiful girl. You're adventurous, and fun-loving, and a great friend to your buddies.

You're not at all afraid to laugh at yourself (see pic above...) and be goofy.  But you also have the kindest heart too.  You're thoughtful, artistic, creative, spunky, witty, and generous.  You give some of the best birthday presents.  You're an expert on stalling at bedtime. ;)   You design the best outfits in your fashion design notebook.  You're a beautiful dancer.  You were the perfect flower girl in our wedding.  You give awesome hugs.  And I just wanted to let you know how much I love you.  

You are so special to me and I'm so glad to be your sister.  I hope this birthday was the best one yet.  I'm glad we get to celebrate together. :)

Happy birthday, Poopsie! ;)  Enjoy the double digits.

Mani Monday: Navy Polka Dots

I have been having a lot of fun doing my nails lately - Pinterest has gotten me addicted to trying new designs.  I decided I needed to order some dotting tools and brushes to try some of these adorable ideas.    Here is my first attempt at using the dotting tools.  :)

What I used:

Base Color: Robin by Julep

Accent Nail and Polka Dots: City Navy by Avon

Top Coat: L.A. Colors Top Coat

I signed up for my first Julep box last month and got two cute polishes.   One was a "juicy, watermelon red creme" called Rose that I used for the red in this manicure.  The other was a "Robin's egg blue creme" called Robin and is shown above.  

The box also came with some toe separators and some great smelling Pedi Creme.  I haven't been using it consistently enough to know how well it really works, but it smells wonderful and feels nice and light on my skin.  

The best news about this box is that I was able to get it for only a penny!  I tallied up the cost of these two polishes and the Pedi Creme and the total was about $50.  Yay for savings!! :)  I love getting a deal and I think this is a pretty fantastic one!  If you are interested in these kinds of savings, here's the link, and here's the code: PENNY

Happy Saving! :)

Linking up with:

PS. Have you entered my birthday giveaway yet?? Only two more days!!!!

Birthday Giveaway!!

Hee hee! August 9th in case you're wondering! ;)

It's officially my birthday month!!! :) What better way to celebrate than with a birthday giveaway, right?    I took 23 of my hard-earned dollars (cuz I'm turnin' 23!) and bought one lucky winner some of my favorite Avon/Mark products.  Here's what's up for grabs:

1. Avon Glimmersticks Chrome Eye Liner in Ultra Violet - This stuff is like gold to me.  Seriously.  I bought one just to try it out and loved it so much, I got another.  Then another.  My name is Jessica and I'm an eye liner addict.  The end.

2. Avon Naturals Blackberry & Vanilla Hand & Body Lotion - Smells sooo good!  You're gonna want to eat it... Don't.

3. mark. Self Sanctuary Peony Apple Scent Mist - More smell-very-good loveliness.  :)  L-O-V-E this fragrance!

4. mark. Salon Straight Shine Spray With Invigorating Orange - Works with all hair types and gives you a nice, glossy shine without weighing hair down.  And... it smells good too. :) 

5. Avon Pearlesque and Rhinestone Interchangeable Earring Set - I think these earrings are cute and darling, and yet sophisticated and classy all at the same time.  I don't have them yet, but have been contemplating buying myself a set... maybe a b-day gift to myself? :) 

6. Avon Empowerment Coin Purse - Cute little going out purse to add some splash to an outfit.  I also like this purse because 100% of net profits for this purchase is donated to the Avon Foundation to fund programs to end violence against women.

So there you have it.  I think that makes a nice little goodie bag, don't you?  One winner takes all.


Contest is open to US only.  It starts now and ends on the 8th at midnight so I can announce the winner  on my actual birthday.  :) Enter using Rafflecopter below.

Good luck!  :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway