New York City | Day One

I mentioned on Monday that my Grandma, cousin, and I went to NYC over Spring Break. My grandma and I have both been dying to go back and it's not a location that Thomas is really interested in so we thought it'd be the perfect girls trip. The weather wasn't very cooperative, but we made the best of it.

Poor Duke wanted to go too!

I made the mistake of booking a 6:30am flight out of Detroit, which meant that we needed to head to the airport by 4:30am. I won't be doing that again! I like early morning flights, but that was a little too early. Not to mention that it was all for nothing since our plane got delayed two hours and then the weather in New York was crappy so flights were grounded for another hour. Oh and I should mention that we were on a pretty small hopper plane with only 50 or so seats. I have never been happier to land!

Once we landed, we caught a cab and headed to our hotel to drop off our bags. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Times Square and thought it was a great home base for our trip. Once our bags were in our room and our rain boots were on we set off to explore. We also booked our CityPass, which was an awesome money saving tool this trip!

First on our agenda was visiting the 9/11 Museum and Memorial. We headed down to the Subway and made our way down there. I was so proud of myself for learning how to navigate the Subway system this trip. Typically I'm considered what one would call directionally challenged :)

I thought the museum was beautifully done. It was respectful, educational, and not too long or short. Don't plan on eating there though. The reflection pools were heartbreaking, but beautiful at the same time. It was incredible to see Ground Zero/One World Trade Center, because the last time I was in NYC was in 2006 and it was still complete rubble.

Since we were starving and it had started to rain, we walked to the nearest restaurant which happened to be O'Hara's. Decent food and we loved all of the firefighter/police patches stapled to the walls. We even found a Livonia, Michigan patch which was crazy. After eating we were all exhausted and decided to head back to the hotel for a little cat nap. It ended up being both a great idea and bad idea at the same time.

As soon as we woke up from our naps, we set out to do a little more exploring. Our first stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral. The Cathedral opened in 1879 and has been breathtakingly beautiful ever since!

From there we made our way towards Grand Central Terminal. Grand it is... I was blown away by how big it was. We walked around for a while, checking out the market and food court area. I had quite a few Gossip Girl flashbacks!

By this point we were ready to call it a night. We had walked over eight miles so we headed back to the hotel. Since our hotel was in Times Square we got our first glance of it at night!

Midweek Rambling + Recent Purchases

People don't take trips, trips take people. - John Steinbeck

Ramblings
Podcasts: I'm hooked on Podcasts again. It all started with S-Town, which I finished in two days. If you haven't listened yet, download it now! This American Life is just so damn good. Now I'm hooked on Casefile, which was recommended by one of Thomas' Army buddies. It's a Podcast channel that publishes true crime stories.
Spring Weather: I cannot get enough of the weather in Michigan right now. The sunshine makes me smile every single day. I am ready for summer.
House Hunting: T and I have been house hunting unofficially for a couple of months now, but we've recently kicked it into high gear. Man is it stressful! Our lease at the apartment ends at the beginning of July, but at this rate we might have to sign an extension.
13 Reasons Why: Just like everyone else that you know, I've spent a good chunk of my evenings binge watching 13 Reasons Why. I've since finished it and it was really eye opening to me. I'd highly suggest watching it unless suicide is a trigger/stressor for you.

Purchases
My one souvenir from NYC was this phone case from a bookstore in the Chelsea Market. A little lame that all I bought for myself was a phone case, but I love it! Now I want that same print in a camera strap. How adorable is that?!
I finally caved and purchased the T3 Only Whirl during the Ulta Platinum sale at 20% off. I've debated getting it for years now and decided to finally bite the bullet. I love my T3 hair dryer and straightener so I have high hopes for it. Now I just need to teach myself how to use it..
I've purchased quite a bit of new clothing pieces that were on the shopping list from the Spring Challenge by Audrey at Putting Me Together. My favorite items being; lace shirt, AG Farrah jeans, olive jeans, and white jeans.

Happy hump day! It's almost Friday :)

Life Lately

Happy Monday! I wish every weekend was three days. I think we'd all be much happier :) It's been a while since I posted and that's for a variety of reasons...

It's officially "IEP season" which means work is a bit crazy and I have been bringing a lot of work home.

I took a trip to New York City with my Grandma and cousin over Spring Break. NYC is always a great time and this trip was no exception!

The weather is finally enjoyable again in Michigan, which means we've been spending as much time as possible outside. Which means we've spent a lot of time flying the drone.

We've enjoyed quality time with our families and friends, which is always cherished.

I hope everyone else is getting to enjoy the warm weather and has a great week ahead! Linking up with Biana here.