Pinnable Me Friday!

If you haven't heard of Pinterest by now, then you should really go check it out.  Basically, it is a place to catalog ideas.  Since I've been on such an organization kick, this online bulletin board has really come in handy.  In the past, I would browse the internet and then email links to myself.  Then, I'd have to scroll through email after email trying to find the link.  Pinterest allows me to store everything in one place with just the click of a button.  Amazing!

This week, I'm going to share some of my favorite organizational ideas with you.  Some of these ideas are so practical that I'm sad I didn't think of them before now.

I am a terrible sheet folder and I'm always searching for matching pillowcases, so when I saw this idea I knew I needed to implement it immediately! Not only does this method keep all of the sheet sets together, it also helps de-clutter the linen closet.

Source: marthastewart.com via Tessa on Pinterest

I love new uses for old things and this one is just too practical to not share.  You know how Christmas ornaments never fit in the boxes once you are ready to put them away?  Well, just start keeping all of your egg cartons from now until December and you won't have to worry about finding all of your ornament boxes again!

Source: re-nest.com via Tessa on Pinterest

This next idea might just be my favorite of all.  How many times do you go to look for ribbon to wrap a package and the little piece of tape that you used to secure the end the last time you used the ribbon had come unstuck and your ribbon had unraveled all of your storage box?  Never again!  Can you believe this?  Why didn't I think of it?

Source: spunkyjunky.blogspot.com via Tessa on Pinterest

I've always wanted to utilize the space under the kitchen sink a little better and now I know how! 

Source: smg.photobucket.com via Tessa on Pinterest

Happy Pinning!

Fun Phone Photos

This is a picture of the the temperature around 4:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon.  Ughhh!!

Due to the extreme heat, I took the dogs on a ride in the car the other night rather than taking them for a walk and this is what Koby did the entire car ride.

 

Speaking of Boston Terriers, I got this super cute magnent in the mail the other day!  Natalie, you know me all too well!

I bought these flowers for myself last weekend.  I told Brandon they would cheer me up while he was away.   Aren't they neat?  I don't remember what they are called, but they were in the loose flower bunches at Dillons.  I love them!

If this isn't a pitiful, face I don't know what is.  He was begging to get on the (unmade) bed.



The Other White Meat

Yes, I grew up in a beef family where the slogan was "Beef.  It's What's For Dinner," but we did eat "The Other White Meat" occasionally.  So, I can appreciate a good pork recipe when I find one.  And, I have definitely found one!

This past weekend we invited Brandon's sister and brother-in-law over to celebrate our joint birthdays a little early.  A month before at Bunco, our hostess made a delicious pulled pork dish that left me wanting more, so I took this opportunity to make the recipe myself.  And I think everyone liked it!  I also made the Asian cabbage salad mentioned here, cheesy potatoes, and we had ice cream cake to celebrate...YUM!

{Photo courtesy of BHG.com}

Pulled Pork with Root Beer SauceCourtesy of BHG.com

2-1/2- to 3-pound pork sirloin roast
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon cooking oil

2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges

1 cup root beer*

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups root beer (two 12-ounce cans or bottles)*

1 cup bottled chili sauce

Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut roast to fit into a 3-1/2- to 5-quart crockery cooker. Sprinkle meat with the salt and pepper. In a large skillet brown meat on all sides in hot oil. Drain off fat. Transfer meat to cooker. Add onions, the 1 cup root beer, and garlic.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

Meanwhile, for sauce, in a medium saucepan combine the 3 cups of root beer and the chili sauce. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 2 cups. Add root beer concentrate and bottled hot pepper sauce, if desired.

Transfer roast to a cutting board or serving platter. Using a slotted spoon, remove onions from cooking juices and place on serving platter. Discard juices. Using 2 forks, pull meat apart into shreds.  Top with sauce just before serving.

**My sauce did not thicken like the sauce I had before.  I'm not sure what I did wrong.  It still tasted good, it was just a little runny.

Enjoy!

Being a Bachelorette

As shocking as it may be, this is not a post about "The Bachelorette" TV show.  I know.  Crazy, huh?  Actually, I'd like to put it on record that I did NOT watch this season of "The Bachelorette" at all.  I just wasn't interested.  I guess I had better things to do.

Anyways, what I really want to talk about is the fact that I've been living a "bachelorette" life the past few days.  That is right.  Brandon has been out of town and I've been living it up as a "single lady" (ha!).  I admit, I used to dread the times when Brandon would leave town.  I hated being home alone.  I hated coming in the house after dark.  I hated trying to fall asleep with all of the noises outside.  I pretty much hated everything about it.  As time has gone on though, my attitude has changed a bit.  And I think Brandon appreciates that I'm confident enough to stay by myself.  He doesn't worry as much which allows him to have more fun.  So, it all works out.

As I think about the things I looked forward to doing while he was out of town, I realized that a guy's idea of a weekend alone and a girl's idea of weekend alone are very different.  When guys have a weekend alone they watch hours and hours of ESPN (or the Golf Channel in our household), invite their friends over to grill and drink beer, play golf, leave the bed unmade everyday, sleep in until noon, cook as little as possible, etc.

My idea of a girl's weekend definitely did not include any of the items above.  Here is a breakdown of my weekend:

• Sushi dinner with a dear friend
• A knitting lesson and light dinner with a new friend
• Soaking in the bath tub every night
• Getting organized
• Making and eating recipes Brandon doesn't necessarily like (chicken salad, bruschetta, lemon bars)
• Running errands leisurely
• Watching uninterrupted reality TV
• A lunch date with a long-time friend
• Keeping a relatively clean and uncluttered house (I love you honey!)

I just realized there was a lot of eating on that list...oy!  Anyways, as much fun as I had, I also had a few extra chores to keep up with.  I always appreciate everything Brandon does around the house, but when he's not home I realize how much there is to do on a daily basis.  Here is what my chore list looked like:

• Feed two dogs two times per day
• Give one dog medication two times per day
• Move sprinkler daily
• Water plants and flowers daily
• Empty dishwasher by myself
• Make the bed by myself
• Take the trash to the dumpster (I hate taking the trash out!) and replace the trash bags
• Make sure all the doors are locked and the front porch light is on each night
• Play with the dogs at night (or take them for a drive since it is so hot out)
• Put gas in my car
• Make sure the house was picked up each morning so the dogs couldn't find anything to play tug-of-war with

Yes, I do some of these things even when Brandon is home, but combined with everything else it did take quite a bit of time and effort.  And, chores are not as much fun when you have to do them by yourself.  At least Brandon provides some comedic relief (most of the time, anyway)!

Brandon comes home this evening and I'm really looking forward to seeing him.  I know he had a great trip, partly because he knew I was content here at home, and I had a great weekend taking some time for myself as a "bachelorette"! 

And, I just saw a commercial for "The Bachelorette Men Tell All" show and I think I am super glad I didn't watch this season...a guy with a mask?  Seriously?

Let's Get Organized, Organized!

(To the tune of Olivia Newton John's "Let's Get Physical")

Getting organized around the house is sort of like a work out.  I mean, it takes a lot of patience and determination to go through the stacks that pile up on the counters or to weed through the coupons that have accumulated over time only to find out most of them expired a month before. But, thanks to this blog, I got inspired to combine all of my piles and lists into one source.

Introducing, my organization notebook (or my trapper-keeper as Brandon calls it...):

This notebook is a one-stop-shop for everything - menu plans, recipe ideas, coupons, to-do lists, coupons and gift cards, monthly calendars and birthday and anniversary reminders.  Basically if it was piled on the counter, it ended up in this notebook.

I found several sources online that offered free printables which helped me to determine the categories for my notebook.  I have listed the sources below, just in case anyone else gets inspired to get organized.  Basically, I looked to see what printable lists, forms, etc. were available and then tailored those items to my everyday routine. The categories in my notebook are:

• Meal Plans and Recipes (with a pocket folder for recipe tear sheets)
• Shopping Lists
• Coupons (with a pocket folder to hold coupons, gift cards, special offers, etc.)
• To-Do Lists
• Calendar
• Blog Ideas
• Projects and Goals (with a pocket folder for idea tear sheets)

As much as Brandon makes fun of me and my "trapper-keeper", I do plan to use it a lot.  In fact, I might even take it to the grocery store next time I go just to embarrass him :)

  

Notebook Sources:

• Blue Eyed Bride
• Life...Your Way
• Organized Home

Summer Salads

With the recent heat wave, I've not had much motivation to do any real cooking, as in turn on the stove or oven.  So, I challenged myself to find recipes that require very little, if any, cooking and thanks to my favorite blogs, I found a few that fit the bill.

{Photo courtesy of Our Best Bites}

I am always looking for good "take to work" lunch recipes as I'm not the biggest fan of eating leftovers over and over, nor am I a fan of deli sandwiches.   This salad uses fresh veggies that are currently in season and the addition of chicken makes it a great entree salad that fills me up and stays with me all day (as opposed to a lettuce salad), which then keeps me from snacking in the afternoon.  And, most importantly, the only cooking required was boiling water for the pasta.  This would be a great recipe to make for your next picnic, pot luck, or luncheon.


Southwest Pasta Salad
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 lb bowtie pasta
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 roma tomatoes, diced or about 3/4 C or halved cherry tomatoes
1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 C sliced green onions
1/2 C frozen fresh corn (I used fresh corn on the cob)
zest from 2 limes
optional: 8 oz diced cooked chicken (I used a store bought rotisserie)
1/2 C Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese (or you could sub grated jack, cheddar or pepperjack)

Dressing:
6 Tbs fresh lime juice (about 3 juicy limes)
1/4 C white wine or rice vinegar
4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 tsp sugar (add a touch more if your limes are extra sour/bitter)
3/4 C canola oil
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro

Boil pasta in salted water until cooked.  While it’s cooking, prepare dressing.

First zest your limes and place the zest in a large salad bowl.
Place the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and sugar in a blender.  (Basically everything except the cilantro and oil)  Process until smooth.  With the motor running slowly, add the oil in a steady stream until incorporated.  Add the cilantro and pulse so it gets broken up, but some pieces still remain in tact.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse immediately with cold water to cool.  Place the pasta in the large salad bowl with the lime zest.  Add black beans, tomatoes, diced pepper, green onions, corn (no need to thaw the corn),  and chicken if desired.  Toss with dressing.  Taste, and add additional salt and pepper to taste.  For best results, chill for 1 hour before serving.  Right before serving, sprinkle cheese on top.  Serve with extra lime wedges if desired.

Makes about 4-6 dinner sized servings or 10-12 side servings

{Photo courtesy of Our Best Bites}

Brandon is a big fan of Asian cabbage salads, but I always think they need something more.  Don't get me wrong, I really like the original recipes, but when I saw this recipe with the added veggies I knew I had to try it.  I thought the added "crunch" of the veggies would be perfect and I was right.  Also, this recipe required NO cooking at all!
 

Asian Cabbage Salad
Recipe by Our Best Bites
 
1 14 oz bag coleslaw mix
1 rib celery, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 small handful sugar snap peas (about 20 baby ones)
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
1 T toasted sesame seeds*
1/3 C slivered or sliced almonds, toasted*
Optional: 1 1/2 C cooked, shredded or diced chicken

Dressing:
2 T canola oil
2 T cider vinegar
1/4 C seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T sugar (or equivalent of sugar substitute)
1 t kosher salt
2 t soy sauce
1/4 t garlic powder, or one small garlic clove, minced
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t sesame oil

* To toast almonds or sesame seeds, place them (not together, do one thing at a time!) in a dry skillet over medium heat. Turn constantly until golden brown. Let cool before using.
Begin by making the dressing.  Combine all ingredients in a jar or tupperware bowl, cover and shake.

Next, place all of the salad ingredients, except almonds and sesame seeds, in a bowl and toss with the dressing.  Place the salad in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes prior to serving.  Top with toasted almonds and sesame seeds just before serving. 

I tossed the salad ingredients and left the dressing off since I knew we wouldn't eat it all at one meal.  Then, I just dished out enough salad for our meal and dressed while I made the rest of our meal and it was perfect.  To me, there is nothing worse than a leftover soggy salad. 

Aside from these salads, I also found a crockpot recipe that I plan to try this weekend for my sis-in-law's early birthday dinner.  I also used a loaf of jalepeno cheddar bread from our farmers market along with fresh tomatoes to make a pretty awesome BLT. 

What are some of your go-to summer recipes?

Friday Five

1.  It's Friday and we have a staff retreat this afternoon.  At least we get done at 4:00.  On the bright side, I was in charge of ordering lunch so at least that will be tasty.  On the menu: Chili's Fajitas, Quesadilla Explosion Salad and Chips and Salsa.  Oh yeah, and super cute cupcakes from Dillons!

{Sorry about the quality.  The photo was taken on my phone.}

2.  I made a decision this week that I'm going to learn how to knit.  This decision was partially inspired by Pinterest and Etsy and partially by a friend who knows how to knit.  Wish me luck!

3.  My birthday is two weeks from Tuesday!!  Woo hoo!!  Have I mentioned that I really love to celebrate my birthday?  Brandon asked me about my birthday list the other day and I realized I hadn't even thought about it.  So, this weekend I plan to do some brainstorming. 

4.  We have been debating about getting another Boston puppy.  We have been highly discouraged by my mom who keeps telling me we will regret the decision and that she will not welcome more than one dog per family when we're all together.  However, I think she would have a hard time resisting another face as cute as this one...

5.  I'm already looking forward to the Farmers' Market tomorrow morning!  Last week I bought a loaf of jalepeno cheese bread that was to die for topped with cream cheese and a fresh tomato slice.  YUM!  I have also been craving cucumber and tomato salad so I plan to buy the fixings for that as well. 

Happy Friday!  I hope you all enjoy your weekends!



Attempting to Beat the Heat

The mercury continues to rise here in Kansas.  In the past week, I think the heat records have been broken at least three times and our city was named the 4th Hottest City in the country -- woo hoo!  Everytime I walk out of my office building I feel like God is sitting outside with a gigantic hair-dryer blasting us in our face.  Some people have commented that it feels like a sauna outside and I must say, I don't disagree with that assessment either.  Needless to say, it is pretty miserable and it is only July.  I can't imagine what August and September are going to be like.  Nevermind...I don't want to even try to imagine.  I've sat through enough scorching early September KSU football games to know what we're in for. 

As you can imagine, it is hard to get motivated to do much of anything when it is so hot outside.  I break a sweat just walking to my car (which might be a sign I need to work out more...).  However, I don't want to just waste our summer by sitting around watching horrible summer TV -- even though I'm known to watch some pretty bad TV, the summer lineup is just bad.  So, I've decided to make a list of things we can do to beat the heat and still enjoy our summer.  I would also welcome any other ideas because I know I have readers down in Texas (Hi Heather!) who battle this heat all the time and I'm sure I'm missing out on some fun activities.

How to Beat the Heat in Kansas

• Go to a matinee movie -- Matinee movie ticket prices are cheaper (which frees up a few extra dollars for movie popcorn!) and the movies play in the afternoon, which is the hottest part of the day.  We met up with a couple of friends for a movie on Sunday afternoon and then picked up Papa Murphy's pizza for an impromptu pizza party afterwards.  It was a great afternoon!
• Take the opportunity to work on indoor house projects that have been neglected -- We have a bathroom that needs repainted and we have a been talking about painting our bedroom for a long time but we have just never gotten around to it.  I also often find fun projects online but never seem to have the "time" to work on them, so now would be the perfect opportunity to get crankin'.
• Go to the Farmers' Market early in the morning and enjoy all the fresh produce all week long without having to spend the time and energy tending to a garden.
• Quit cooking! -- There is nothing worse than coming home to a hot house and turning on the oven or stove to make dinner and then sweating to death just to make dinner.  I've been finding some great cold salad recipes that require little cooking and little time.  I've also thought about spending one day of the week cooking and prepping for meals so we don't have to endure the hot oven every day.
• Take a "cool" tour of your city -- We have always told ourselves we need to be tourists in our own city.  This summer would be the perfect time to explore museums, restaurants and other indoor attractions our city has to offer.  And one of the perks is that some of these places are FREE!
• Find the best scoop in town -- I know my diet might not appreciate this activity, but I've always heard of people who go on a mission to find the best hamburger/pizza/etc. in town so why not take it to another level and find out who serves up the best scoop of ice cream in town? 
• Make gifts -- Every year when Christmas rolls around (or birthdays for that matter) I find myself wishing I would have planned ahead and bought gifts ahead of time.  It is no secret I love Etsy and I'm becoming quite a fan of Pinterest which are two sites that are filled with all kinds of homemade gift ideas (and much much much more).  Now would be the perfect time to work ahead on gifts for the upcoming year.

As I mentioned, I would love to hear how everyone else is beating the heat this summer!  Please feel free to leave a comment or suggestion!

When Life Gives You an Abundance of Basil...

 

...Make Sparkling Strawberry Basil Lemonade!

A few weeks ago we had some friends over for dinner and I was trying to figure out how I could incorporate the crazy amount of basil that was growing in our herb garden into our meal.  I knew I wanted to make a tomato, basil,and mozzarella salad, but I also remembered a recipe I found for Strawberry Basil Lemonade (found here) and just had to make it as well!  As I read the recipe, I remembered another recipe I had found for Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade (found here) and decided to sort of combine the recipes into one, and I'm sure glad I did!  The lemonade was pretty much gone before we even ate dinner.

Last night, Brandon and I decided to have a relaxing dinner on the patio and we had a container of strawberries that needed to be consumed so I made the lemonade once again, but this time I added a little excitement to the mix -- vodka!  I didn't add the alcohol the last time but thought it would be fun to try and really, you couldn't even taste it, which is the way I like to drink :)

If you have a party coming up or just want a perfect summer drink, I highly recommend this one!


Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
10 lemons, juiced, approx 1 cup of lemon juice
3/4 cup super fine sugar
8-10 strawberries, hulled
1/3 cup fresh basil
4½ cups cold sparkling water or seltzer
1/2 cup vodka (optional)

Place lemon juice, sugar, strawberries, and basil in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Pour juice mixture into a glass pitcher and refrigerate until serving time.  To serve, pour sparkling water and vodka over the juice mixture and gently stir to combine.  Fill glasses with ice and lemonade and garnish with a fresh strawberry or a wedge of lemon.

 

An Empire State of Mind - Days 3 and 4

When I last left off, I mentioned we didn't get home from the Yankees game until 3:00 a.m.  which meant our plans to get up at 5:30 a.m. to attend the Today Show were not looking very appealing.  After some consideration, half of our group (Pam, Ashley and Craig) decided to forge ahead with the original plan, while the other half (which included me, Brandon and Justin) decided to take advantage of some sleep :)

Around 8:15 a.m. our phones started ringing.  We had overslept.  Brandon's mom, sister and dad were ready to leave the Today Show to meet us for breakfast.  So, we hustled around to get ready while they made their way back to the apartment.  We then hopped on the subway and made our way over to Good Enough To Eat (Brandon and I ate at this restaurant on our last trip to NYC).  I was so looking forward to the Pumpkin Bread French Toast which I regretted not ordering before, but it wasn't on the menu...sigh.  It was probably a seasonal item that does not appear on the "summer" menu.

After we filled our tummies, we made our way down to Chinatown and Little Italy.  After taking a short scenic route through the garment district (for all you Real Housewives of NYC fans, we happened to stumble upon Zarin Fabrics but I didn't get a pic.  However, as many things often do, it looked quite different from what they show on TV.) we found our way to Chinatown and began the purse pursuit.  If you have never tried to buy a purse in Chinatown, it is something everyone must do.  Once.  It really is an art because you have to find the right people who will then lead you through the streets to their "stores".  You may have to go through a trapped door or down into a creepy basement and then you have to know what you are looking for because they don't want you to waste any time!  Since I had already purchased a couple of purses on our last trip, I was simply along for the ride while Pam and Ashley looked for their purses.  The first place we went to wasn't very willing to negotiate their prices so we ended up leaving, but not before the guys started to get a little worried.  I will never forget the look on their faces when we surfaced from the basement!  If only I would have had a camera!

We continued on the purse hunt and still couldn't find what they were looking for so we decided to just give up.  However, we stumbled upon another shop and they hit the jackpot!  I think they ended up getting six purses total.

By this time it was getting pretty warm so we made our way over to Little Italy for some gelato!

Ferrara Bakery and Cafe has been featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network and had the most delicious looking pastries, but we were there for one thing.  Gelato!  Like I mentioned, it was getting pretty hot and a few people from our group had only gotten two hours of sleep the night before, so we were all ready for a cool treat!  I took the opportunity to go to a local Italian market across the street to purchase a bottle of olive oil.  The little market is another reason I think it would be so fun to live in NYC.  Everything in there looked amazing!

After we finished our gelatos, we headed back to the apartment to regroup.  The "early risers" wanted to take a nap and rest up for the evening so Brandon and I took the opportunity to browse Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue, which is something we didn't do much of on our last trip.  One of the places I most wanted to visit was the iconic Tiffany and Co.   I had saved up some money from Christmas and other random things and wanted to purchase a piece of jewelry.  We were definitely intimidated as we entered the store - picture Sweet Home Alabama when Patrick Dempsey takes Reese Witherspoon to Tiffany and Co. and all the jewelry cases are illuminated with sparklers and he tells her to pick whatever she wants - yeah, that is what we were dealing with!  However here is a little insiders tidbit, the engagement ring section is actually on the third or fourth floor, not the first floor!  So, if that movie was real, she would have taken an elevator, but that wouldn't had the "wow" factor.  I digress.  So we entered the doors and browsed around the first floor, noticing that the items I was looking for (sterling silver) were nowhere to be found.  Thankfully, Brandon noticed a little sign by the elevator door that said the sterling silver section was on another floor.  We quickly hopped on the elevator and went to the appropriate floor, which much to our delight was filled with tourists!  I browsed around for a while and found a couple of pieces I wanted to try on.  A kind and funny salesman was helping us and I was being all awkward not knowing how to let him put the necklaces on me, etc. etc. when I finally decided on the perfect necklace.  I watched as he carefully pulled out the Tiffany and Co. box and wrapped it up with the white satin ribbon.  As I mentioned I had saved money, so I was planning to pay in cash.  When the salesman gave me the total, I carefully counted out my money, but kept trying to give him an extra $10.  Brandon was quietly standing by as the salesman was being patient and finally Brandon had had enough and totally busted me on not being able to count.  I was so embarrassed and the kind man told me had Brandon not stepped in he would have just taken the extra cash and given it back to me with my receipt, but no, Brandon just had to make light of my mindlessness!  And that is not the end of it.  After I got my cute little bag with my cute little box, we headed down the elevator when Brandon noticed I had something in my teeth the WHOLE time!!  Talk about embarrassing!!!  I was so mad at him, but realized it turned out to be a good story.  All in all, I got what I went in for and now I can say I've actually purchased a piece of jewelry at Tiffanys.

Here is a picture of the necklace I purchased.  I wanted something unique that could be worn with everyday items or dressed up.  I think I found the perfect necklace!

After we left Tiffany's we just meandered around as we window shopped.  We did stop in FAO Schwarz and I took my turn on the Big Piano!

I was quite possibly the oldest person on the piano, but I didn't care.  It was fun to play around for a bit!  After we went to FAO Schwarz, we made our way up Madison Avenue and back up down on the west side of Central Park before heading back to get ready for Wicked!

One of the highlights of our last trip was seeing Wicked on Broadway and since we enjoyed it so much, Brandon's family knew that was the show they wanted to see on this trip.  And of course, it didn't disappoint!

 

We had great seats and of course we caught things we didn't notice the previous time, so it was very fun!  The scenery and dancing and the vocals are all just amazing.  If you ever go to NYC, I would highly recommend a show.  It is a must do!  After the show, we headed back to the apartment to turn in for the evening.  Friday was a very long day and we still had one more full day left.

Saturday morning, we slept in a little bit and then headed to our last "planned" activity of the trip - a movie tour through Central Park.  While it might have been a little hokey, it was a great way to see the park and not get lost!  The weather was a little dreary, but the rain held off for our tour!  We saw everything on the south side of the park including the Mall, the Dairy, Bethesda Fountain, Sheep Meadow, Bow Bridge, Loeb Boathouse, Naumburg Bandshell, Strawberry Fields, and Wollman Rink.  The park really is breathtaking and was quite possibly my favorite part of the trip!

{Yoko owns the entire top floor of this building! And she's the only one who lives there!}

Click on the Central Park link above to see more in-depth descriptions of everything mentioned and pictured.  It was take an entire blog to describe these things in detail so I'll spare you!

After we finished our tour, it was beginning to drizzle a little bit harder, but we were hungry and were determined to make it to Carnegie Deli before the trip was over.  You might remember this from our last trip...

 ...well, we went back for more!  We didn't take any pictures because I was a little preoccupied with a missing stone from a ring Brandon bought me for our anniversary.  It must have fallen out while we were in Central Park and I didn't notice it until we sat down for lunch.  However, I was soon distracted by the amazing cheesecake that we ordered to finish off our lunch (Oh man, just talking about the cheesecake makes me drool!  I am desperately trying to lose my last 5 pounds so I can reward myself with a Carnegie Deli cheesecake on my birthday and yes, the do ship their cheesecakes!).  We were barely able to roll ourselves out of the deli in order to head back to the apartment.  By this time, it was raining pretty good and had gotten a little bit chilly so we were happy to get back and rest a bit before heading to St. Patrick's Cathedral.  Brandon's parents wanted to attend the service that evening so we all went and walked around prior to the service.  It really is a beautiful church and reminds me so much of the cathedrals in Europe.  While his parents attended the service, we, along with Justin and Ashley, walked around window shopping once again.  We then went to Dylan's Candy Bar (which has also been featured on Dinner Impossible on Food Network) to stock up on some chocolate.  While I was a bit disappointed in the actual store, the candy bars we purchased were really good!  After church was over, we met up with Brandon's parents and headed back down to Little Italy for our final dinner.

{Photo courtesy of Google Images}

We ended up at Cafe Napoli for an amazing dinner!  Italian food is probably my favorite type of food and Cafe Napoli did not disappoint.  I had the Penne alla Vodka and it was delicious.  In fact, it was so good I would like to recreate it here at home.  I know my version won't come close, but it would be a great substitute.  After a nice dinner, we decided we wanted to go back to Ferrara Bakery to find something sweet.  Brandon and I ended up getting a few miniature pastries and I think everyone else got gelato.  We tried to savor the last night in NYC by slowly making our way back home.  This evening was a perfect ending to a wonderful trip!

We got up early the next morning and headed to the airport.  We were bumped to a flight an hour later but we still made it home without any disruptions and we all dreaded getting back to our normal routines the following day.  We are always so thankful for time away and we are especially thankful to Brandon's parents for their generosity!