I was planning on writing a blog post at least every other day….uh yeah, that hasn’t happened. We have been so busy catching mice in the apartment I haven’t had time to write. Yes, I said mice. We are up to 9 mice, thank you very much.

The hairdryer supplied by the apartment owner also caught fire yesterday as my husband dried his hair…sparks flying, smoke pluming…I think the darn mice had been chewing the electric cord…

Yes, before you ask, my father will be asking for some of his money back after this…EXPERIENCE. I will be writing a stellar review for this place once we arrive home on Friday. I say this while crossing all my fingers and toes by the way.

Despite the madness we’ve experienced here, and the fact that we caught a cab that was meant for four riders only, and there are seven us…which we were told by the cab driver, “If a NYPD cop passes by, please just have your children that are sitting in your laps, duck.”, it has been an AMAZING trip!

We took a very expensive, but well worth it, carriage ride through Central Park today. The weather was perfect, and our carriage tour guide was from Dublin, Ireland. He pointed out Beyonce’s apartment, Tony Bennett’s, Steve Spielberg’s, and countless others. He also pointed out the Plaza Hotel and the $8,500 to $14,000 PER NIGHT hotel rooms there. Well, that’s sweet and all, but I think I’d rather eat this year then spend one night in a hotel room. Good gravy, who spends that much money on a hotel room for one freakin’ night?! Oh wait, that would be Lindsey Lohan. I guess she chose to do that then pay her taxes last year. Moving on…

We feel pretty lucky to have taken our Christmas card photo in Central Park today. We did this right after we saw a guy get down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend. Incredibly sweet, and of course she said YES! Her ring was beautiful…so was he. Hello Tom Cruise look alike minus the weirdness!

Times Square…there is nothing quite like it. People watching is epic here! Yes, I saw the Naked Cowboy. He was naked with a pair of whitey tighties, a pair of boots, a guitar and hat…that’s it. I didn’t take a picture with him. He had a tendency to pinch ladies in their rears or kiss them. My husband would have punched him…and I would have let him. I’ll keep the Naked Cowboy I’ve been married to for almost 14 years instead. I don’t need to be groped by a stranger. Homey don’t play that…

A few things I’ve seen in the last 5 days that I’ve been here:

1) A man dressed in a Santa Claus suit on the Subway with a hook for a hand.

2) More dogs dressed in sweaters, rain boots, Burberry coats then I ever thought was remotely possible. People LOVE their dogs here. Too much. To the point of mental disturbance. Every food venue has a menu for your dog. I would never buy my dog a veal burger with vanilla custard, but everyone here seems to think it’s important to feed Fifi a burger instead of Purina. OMGosh…

3) Every New Yorker wears ear phones on the street. If you don’t have a pair of Dr. Dre’s Beats Audio headphones, then you’re a loser who doesn’t belong here. I fit into the loser category here. No, I don’t have a problem with that, thanks though.

4) Had a waiter tonight who was an extra in the movie “Friends With Benefits” with Justin Timberlake. He was uber-nice, and loves YA fiction books. We are now best friends.

5) A homeless man was selling Capri Sun’s on the subway today. For $5 a piece. A woman bought one for her screaming toddler. I have no idea where I was going with this…

Isn’t this picture AMAZING?! We took a boat tour of the city yesterday. Beautiful weather, stunning skyline. What a memory…

We also visited the 9/11 Memorial yesterday. I have a wonderful friend who lost her father on Flight 77 on September 11th. I was able to take some photos and offer a quiet remembrance to not only her father, but also to every victim and their families that lost their lives that fateful day. It was bittersweet to stand where so many fell and honor them. There were not many dry eyes around…mine included.

I have so many other things to post about, but I’m exhausted. Remember, I’ve been chasing mice and going to bed super late because we’ve been sharing some lovely family time in the evenings over a bottle of wine. It is times like these that I give thanks for such a beautiful family and the blessings we share. The good times and the bad times we’ve had since being here has been amazing…and I wouldn’t trade a single one for the world.

By the way, we just caught our 10th mouse. I named him Mickey….

I Love NY~

VSK