Holiday Classics: The Nutcracker

This post is from December 26 and The Nutcrackeris most likely not being performed anymore.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even though it is after Christmas, The Nutcracker is still being performed by many companies.  I think I have mentioned before that I have been in the show for seven years- so much fun!

I saw The Nutcracker three times this season- once by Joffrey Chicago and twice by Cincinnati Ballet.  It was definitely weird seeing Joffrey's performance because it was the first time I saw a different company perform The Nutcracker.  It was also the first time in at least seven years that I had sat in the audience and watched the show as an audience member from start to finish!

I had seen The Nutcracker over the years from the side of the stage or dress rehearsals that started and stopped, but never from beginning to end all the way through.  It was very good! I was really impressed with everyone in the cast.

I saw Cincinnati Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker twice.  The second time I saw the show it was  with Adi Almeida Santana as Sugar Plum and Sarah Hairston as Snow Queen.   WOW! They were great! Sarah was beautiful as always, performing one of her best Snow Pas de Deux I had seen her do.  Adi is an incredible dancer and I am glad I got to see her perform.  She was at Cincinnati Ballet a few years ago but left to go to other companies.  Now she is a freelance artist with Joseph Gatti.

I would highly suggest going to a ballet if you can.  It is definitely an experience and a great way to "be cultured."  One ballet will not hurt and you may even like it!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and are having a Happy New Year!
 

Birthdays! ~ Uncommon Ground

Birthdays are something that I love.  Not just my own but other people's too! There are 7-8 girls in my group of friends on my floor and for everyone's birthdays, we go out to a different restaurant to celebrated.  For one of my friend's birthday's we went to Thai Spice, previously reviewed here.

THAI SPICE

The owner is one of the nicest people and gave us some appetizers and desserts on the house!

We had mochi, macarons, and some kind of little chocolate covered bananas.  Everything was delicious.

My friend had to leave early because she had rehearsal so my friends and I went back to our res hall and filled her room with presents.  Her boyfriend sent presents and pretended to forget it was her birthday.  She was shocked and so excited when she opened her door to her flowers and presents.  

UNCOMMON GROUND

The Monday of our finals week, it was another of my friend's birthdays.  This time we went to Uncommon Ground.  It was delicious! We ordered sweet potato fries with goat cheese fondue for our appetizers. Oh my goodness, they were delicious!  For my main meal, I ordered two appetizers- shrimp and the mac and cheese.  

Yum!

For dessert we ordered a small flourless chocolate cake and split it between the 7 of us because we ordered a strawberry torte cake for later.  

It was also very good! 

We also have a "Birthday Tree" that we put on the door of the birthday girl.  We are definitely a hallway that likes to spoil! :)

New Things on my List: Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue

My lips are ALWAYS chapped.  Literally.  ALWAYS. chapped.  So today while I was at Target, I picked up Baby Lips Dr. Rescue by Maybelline.  I had seen an ad for this in Seventeen Magazine and decided to give it a try.  

Some of the lipbalm is tinted and can be doubled as a lipstick (in my opinion at least).  Also, the Dr. Rescue is medicated and provides 12 hours of hydration.  There is also a touch of ice menthol in the lipbalm.  Unfortunately, on the package it says to only use 3 to 4 times a day, because it is medicated, I am assuming.  

Image from Maybelline

I picked up the Just Peachy Dr. Rescue today.  Target was out of the color I wanted so I thought that this one would be best.  I was afraid of going too dark so I went lighter instead.  Although the color isn't exactly what I wanted, I think I am going to really like this lipbalm.  It is basically a combination of lipstick and lipbalm and has a minty feeling to it! What could be better?

What lipbalm would you recommend?

Thanksgiving

Yep, this post is about 2 weeks late.  But better late then never!   I love spending time with my family.  Sometimes they can drive me crazy, but if your family doesn't drive you crazy sometimes, something is wrong.  My family LOVES to bake, especially my father and my middle sister.  Thanksgiving is no exception.  We ended up making cupcakes, a chocolate pecan pie, and apple and cherry strudel.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Chocolate Cupcakes

I don't have a good picture of the strudel.  Otherwise I would post it!

I am on winter break now so expect many more posts.

Brownie Cookies

Things I love: sweets!

If you haven't been able to tell by now, I love sweets! I also love baking. Unfortunately, I have not had that much time to bake in college and it can be a hassle because the kitchen is in the basement. However, I did make brownie cookies last week for one of my friends's birthdays! 

Unfortunately I do not have a picture of them. They were delicious though! I wanted to make brownie cookies instead of brownies so it would be easier to eat and to share. The recipe can be found here. 

I expected the brownie cookies to be a little fudgier, but they were still very good! All of my friends loved them. 

My next post will be all about thanksgiving and the baking I did at home with my family. 

Senior Project- Cincinnati Ballet in Anchorage, Alaska

At my high school, all seniors are required to do a "Senior Project."  This year long "project" must involve a learning stretch.  We have to write a research paper, complete the project and give a ten minute presentation in front of a panel at the end of the year.  For my Senior Project, I created a documentary about what it takes to move The Cincinnati Ballet's production of The Nutcracker from Cincinnati, Ohio to Anchorage, Alaska.

I have been dancing in the Cincinnati Ballet's Academy for nine years, was in The Nutcracker for seven years, and was the rehearsal assistant for six years.  Although I was constantly busy, I loved it! I would not change a thing.  The Cincinnati Ballet became my second family.

I went to Anchorage, Alaska on November 17, 2013.  I filmed the crew loading in and setting up the theater.  The children rehearsing for the first time on the stage.  The Cincinnati Ballet dancers in the theater spacing and then with the children.  The performance.  The crew backstage during the performance.  The orchestra playing.  There is so much involved in putting on a performance.  Much more than even I knew about.  I was so surprised how much work goes into setting up a theater before the dancers get there!

After I got all of the footage I needed, I had to put the documentary together.  This took much longer than I expected.  I finally finished it- all by myself- a few weeks ago.  I am now allowed to publish it.

If you have time, I would love for you to watch it! I put so much time and effort into making it and I want people to learn about all the work that goes into a production!

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I LOVE Christmas time!  Everything is decorated beautifully.  There is snow on the ground (although I hate the cold weather...).  Christmas music is playing.  And everyone is just in a good mood!

The mall has been decorated for a little while now and it looks so pretty.  I went to the parade the week before Thanksgiving. It was SO cold but it was a lot of fun!  Mickey and Minnie were on the first float counting down until the lights would turn on on the Mag Mile.  There were some cool floats.  There were also fireworks at the end of the parade but it was so cold my friend and I left early. But it was really cool to see the lights light up the Mag Mile and decorate Chicago for the Christmas season.   

It is December 1st (can you believe it?!) and after Thanksgiving.  So that means that it is officially the Christmas season.

I have to add this picture again :)

My hall in my residence hall is decorating the hallway this week and we are having a friendly little decorating competition.  It is going to be fun, I love a little competition! 

How are you preparing for the holiday season?

Catching Fire

Oh my! Catching Fire was incredible!  I saw the 10:30 PM showing the night it came it.  The only thing I can saw is that is was amazing.  I read the entire trilogy and I really liked the first movie.  In my opinion, the second movie was even better than the first one.

I am totally Team Peeta all the way! Did you see the way he looked at her? Melts my heart.  I am a little scared for the third movie because well, I don't want to spoil the ending.  BUT for those of you who read the book, you know what I am talking about.

I think that the movie did the book justice.  Although some of the scenes were cut from the movie, everything that is important is obviously in the movie.  

What do you think? Did you like the movie?  Did it do the book justice?

Freedom

The past few weeks have been rough!  So much to do in so little time!  I promise to blog everything exciting that has happened in the past three or so weeks.  The past few weeks have included so much!

Do you ever just stop and think about how amazing some things are? This weekend has included a few of those moments. 

I honestly can't believe that I am living "on my own."  Yes, I do know that there are people still around me.  I have a roommate and my parents are paying.  Besides that, I can do whatever I want.  I still have responsibilites but I don't have to check in with anyone or worry about someone else caring about my schedule.  

This weekend I went downtown twice.  Once with my friend (more on that later) and once by myself.  It is weird to think that I can hop on the L and be downtown in 30 minutes.  I can literally go where ever I feel like.  

Today I had to do some shopping for gifts for my sisters.  I went downtown and found some things for them and just looked around the stores for myself.  I finished my homework early this morning and I had plenty of time on my hands.  

I think I went in 90% of the clothing stores in Water Tower Place.  It was nice shopping on my own and taking my time in different stores.  I love shopping with my friends but sometimes 

people don't want to spend as much time in some stores.  

I also went to Crumbs Bake Shop again.  This time I bought a Cookie Dough Cupcake.  It is very good! I expected cookie dough, but definitely still very good!  

I will be writing many more posts tonight and will be publishing them over the next week or so.  

Scavenge the City!

What a weekend! There is nothing better than spending some relaxing nights with friends.  

On Saturday afternoon my dorm hosted a scavenger hunt around the city for people in my dorm.  Three of my friends and I participated along with two other people.  It was so much fun! 

We had 4 hours to try and take a picture of our entire group at 35 different places.  We ended up with 21!  Some of the places we did go were:

- The closest Library

- The Cubs stadium

- New Chinatown

- Chicago History Musem

- Lincoln Park Zoo

- Water Tower Place

We were the only team to compete so we won! Haha it was still a lot of fun though! One of my friends has an app that tracks her steps and said that we walked 11.2 miles.  It was crazy how much we walked and sprinted. 

We were all competitive so we wanted to get all of them- which caused us to run and look like crazy people.  Oh, did I mention that we were also wearing all black?  Well, we were.  :) I will add a picture as soon as my friend sends it to me.  

They are going to have another one in the spring so we will definitely be doing that one so we can defend our title.  Maybe next time we will have some competition.

The scavenger hunt showed me how many small places in Chicago there are and how it is up to me to take advantage of all of them.

What are some of your favorite "less popular" places where you live?

Taking Advantage of Chicago- Food Style

I know I talk A LOT about food, but it is so good I want everyone to know about it!  This post is about Ghareeb Nawaz and Thai Spice- both of which are locally owned and delicious.  

Ghareeb Nawaz

Ghareeb Nawaz is an Indian restaurant.  I had chicken biryani and it was delicious.  It was a little too spicy for me because I don't like spice...at all.  But don't get me wrong, it was still good.  

Chicken Biryani

This restaurant is excellent for college students or people on a budget.  The food is very cheap and you get a ton of it.  I had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.

Thai Spice

This place is seriously amazing.  It is located on Devon Street in Chicago.  The owner is the nicest man and the restaurant has a great atmosphere.  The service is a little slow, but it is just because they are making the food fresh!

I got the Pad Seiw with shrimp and it was delicious! I know I say how good everything is, but I probably wouldn't make such a big deal if it was bad.  The food is more on the expensive side, but once again, there is plenty for left overs.  Two of my friends split a meal and it was the perfect size.

If you are in Chicago, you should definitely check these places out! Any other recommendations?

Hubbard Street and Magnolia Bakery

Wow I am behind on my blogging! Hopefully I can get a few posts written tonight and then post them in the next few days! 

Last Friday night, my friend and I went to see Hubbard Street Dance Company's Fall Series performance.  We both are ballerinas and we need to see two performances for our ballet class so we thought might as well! We decided that day to go and got student rush tickets.  

Laura and I (left) before we left.  

It was so much fun getting dressed up and having a purpose for going downtown! The show was very good! I had not seen many contemporary ballet performances before, besides the occasional Cincinnati Ballet shows, so it was a different experience.  

The dancers can definitely move their bodies.  I was shocked how much control they had of different muscles and body parts.  The show had 4 different pieces- each with their own style.  I think my favorite was a duet between two females because it showcased the strength and beauty each one had.  

After Hubbard we went to Magnolia Bakery.  I love sweets- especially cupcakes.  I got the snow cap cupcake and Laura got the carrot cake cupcake.  

I would suggest both of them, but I really liked the chocolate cake from the snow cap and the frosting of the carrot cake.  I love how many bakeries there are in Chicago.  I will be trying as many as I can.  Any suggestions?

Hubbard Street is definitely something that I will see in the future! Next week I am seeing Joffrey Chicago's La Bayadere, so look for that post next Sunday! 

A Little Bit of Home

So I am from Cincinnati and there are many things unique to Cincinnati- especially food.  The other day I stopped by a grocery store and bought Graeter's Ice Cream.  I had to have a little taste of home as well as tell all of my hall mates how great the ice cream is in Cincinnati! :)

Graeter's

Everyone loved it, of course!  I bought Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip because it is their most popular and most unique flavor!  I could really use some Graeter's right now. 

Another popular food is Skyline Chili.  You either love it or you hate it.  There really is no in between.  Most people who are not from Cincinnati do not like it at all.  I have to be honest- it is not my favorite.  However, it has grown on my a little bit! 

Chicago is home to deep dish pizza and Cincinnati is known for LaRosa's Pizza! It is delicious thin crust pizza.  I will always have a preference for thin crust pizza.  I definitely recommend trying LaRosa's Pizza and then getting Graeter's ice cream afterwards.  It makes the perfect combination.  

What local food would you recommend people try when they are in your city?

Family Weekend and Lincoln Park Conservatory

So as I mentioned in my last post, my family came up to visit me.  It was Family Weekend at Loyola last weekend and this past weekend was my fall break.  But of course none of the craziness stops!

Lincoln Park Conservatory

One of the places my family went before they left on Sunday was the Lincoln Park Conservatory.  It was a gorgeous day! Literally perfect weather.

The Conservatory is in Lincoln Park and there is no enterance fee!  I don't have a picture of the inside but all of the flowers are beautiful! It was a nice to just walk around and enjoy the beautiful flowers.  You can spend as much or as little time as you want there.  I definately recommend checking it out sometime! 

This is one of my favorite pictures from the day.  

I just love Chicago. :)

I loved seeing my family in Chicago and at home in Cincinnati.  

Chicago Food: Giordano's Pizzaria and Crumbs Bakery

So I've realized that I need to tell you more about the places I am going and what I am doing instead of every detail of my weekend. :)  But don't worry, I will still add many details about my week.  I might even do two posts: one describing what I am doing and one describing an awesome thing that you should also do!

Giordano's Pizzaria

You can't go to Chicago without trying Chicago style pizza! One of my favorite places for deep dish is Giordano's Pizzaria.  Their deep dish pizza has topping baked in the middle! So not only do  you get toppings on the top, but also in the middle.  I wish I took a picture to show, but next time I definately will!   My family came up last weekend and they wanted to try Chicago style pizza.  I took them here and they loved it! 

Crumbs Bake Shop

My sisters and I LOVE to bake and eat desserts.  Both sets of grandparents were bakers so you could say it is in our genes. :)  When we were shopping at Watertower Place, we finally decided to try Crumbs.  We had tried many other cupcake stores around Chicago so we thought it was time to try this one.  I bought a Blackbottom Cheesecake Brownie Cupcake and my sisters split a Cannoli Cupcake. 

This is a picture of my cupcake.


One last suggestion: If you are in Water Tower Place and want a meal, I recommend the food court on the first level.  It isn't a traditional food court with restaurants.  When you walk in you get something like a credit card and you can get whatever you want.  There are so many different options to choose from! When you want food you hand them your card and when you are ready to leave you go to the cashier, hand them your card and pay and then you leave.  Fast and Easy!

What a week!

Things I Love: exploring, new food, and retreats.  

College life never seems to stop moving does it?  This post is going to be a combination of the past 2 weekends.  On September 13, some of my friends and I went downtown.  It is so nice to be able to hop on the Chicago 'L' or the Loyola shuttle bus and be downtown in 20-30 minutes.  On Friday night we went to Roti.  Roti is basically like Chipotle but for Mediterranean food.   It was delicious! I was going to upload a picture of my food, but looking back, the picture isn't that appealing.  But I definitely recommend the place to anyone! After that, we went and got Garrett's Popcorn, a Chicago classic.

On Saturday, my friends and I went to Chinatown.  It was interesting to look around and see the different culture and way of living.

I also tried Bubble Tea from Joyyee.  I personally did not get any of the "bubbles" in mine but I tried some of my friends' drinks.  I got a Lychee and Strawberry fruit freeze.  It was delicious! I will definitely be trying more flavors.

On Wednesday, Soledad O'Brien came and talked at Loyola.  She is a very good speaker and encouraged students to do what they want to do.  She spoke about her difficulties in life and how she overcame these difficulties to get where she is and be who she is today.  

This past weekend I went on a Loyola 360 retreat specifically for honors students.  I have always loved retreats so I, of course, was very excited for this retreat. On Friday, almost 100 honors students boarded three buses for LUREC, Loyola's Retreat and Ecology campus in Woodstock, IL, about an hour and a half away.  Even though I love the city, it was nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and see trees and large spaces of grass! It's the little things you miss.

On the retreat, I met so many new people! You think since you live with these people and have some of the same classes that you would at least recognize a majority of the people.  I was surprised at how many people I did not recognize!  

We also completed a challenge course and a high ropes course.  I love adventure, so I was really excited for the high ropes course.  We didn't get to complete everything, but it was still challenging and a lot of fun! I hope I will get to do it again sometime soon!

We arrived back on campus late Sunday afternoon.  Even though the retreat was amazing, it was still nice to be back in my dorm room.  I also had a lot of work to do for Monday and everyone was tired, so that wasn't the greatest feeling, but I would not have traded the weekend for anything! 

Where is your inner compass leading you?

Papers

Well, I have officially survived my first Honors Paper!  The honors program is a very difficult program at Loyola and the first paper is always interesting.  The professors are always saying, since day one, how almost nobody receives an A in the class or on a paper... Talk about stress from the first class! They also said that the Honors program is "learning through suffering." 

All of the freshman honors students live together in one dorm, holding a little less than 250 people.  It was so interesting on Thursday night.  My hall at least, was out in the hallway editing each other's papers.  You could definately feel the sense of community and wanting everyone to do their best! 

This has been passing around my section of the dorm just for a little moral support! 

Tomorrow starts the fourth week of classes.  People are starting to find their rythm in classes, activties, clubs, friend groups, everything- you name it.  Of course people are still trying to figure everything out about college and what they want to do.  People will always be changing and growing.  College is the time for discovery!  

I am already understanding why people say these four years will be some of the best of my life!  The five weeks since move-in have flown by! 

What a great day

This post is from last Saturday- September 7, 2013. 

I have had such a good day today!  Some of my friends and I went downtown and shopped a little bit.  But the most exciting part was the Chipotle Cultivate Festival! The "festival" was all about Chipotle and their efforts towards a "world of more sustainable, wholesome food."  If you went to 4 out of 6 stations, you received a coupon for free Chipotle!  Who wouldn't want that?

There were so many people there! But fortunately, there was a lot of space to move around, so the only time it felt crowded was when we went close to the stage.

My friends and I went to see Walk the Moon.  They are a band that originally started in Cincinnati.  I have always heard about them from my friends, but this was the first time I had seen them.   AND they are very good live! I could not believe that this was the first time I had listened to most of their music.  I will definately be listening to it more! 

So it has been awhile...

Wow, it has almost been a month since I have blogged last! I have been so busy! I recently moved up to Chicago for my freshman year of college.  I began college classes and with that- the crazy schedules with homework and activities.  I will make sure I blog more regulary from now on.  

I have been living in Chicago for a little over 2 weeks now and I love the city!  Although I have not had much time to explore yet, the campus is gorgeous. Right on the lake and not far from the city.  Who wouldn't want that?  Isn't this just so pretty?

The first few days I had said goodbye to my sisters, moved in to my dorm, met my roomate, had orientation, said goodbye to my parents, and had some welcome week activities... in the span of 3 days.  It was full of excitment.  Some of the welome week activities were a lot of fun though! On Thursday night there was a trolley ride around Chicago with pizza afterwards.  The trolley ride showed the city lit with with all of the lights.  This was my first real taste of deep dish pizza, and it was very good!  

There was also a day of service that I did with some friends.  We went to a church and cleaned out one of the attached buildings that nobody had lived in for awhile.  It sure was dusty!  Sunday was more of a preparation day for everyone because most of us still had to finish The Odyssey.  The Honors program will definately be fun this year... But we will all survive! 

This was my first weekend in college in Chicago! Definately more to come.  

The Easiest Way to Make Friends

I wrote this last week as I was sitting in the airport...

I Love traveling and flying.  The one thing I don't always look forward to, however, are delayed flights. I have had my share of delayed flights from a certain airline recently.  And the first delayed flight in July ended up as a canceled flight and canceled our entire trip! As I am currently writing this, I am sitting in the airport waiting for our new plane to arrive.  Yes NEW plane.  It was originally scheduled for 10:50 AM but now I just hope our plane will take off at 7:00 PM tonight.  There were computer and tail problems.  We sat on the airplane in Atlanta for 3 hours and then by law, had to get off.  Hopefully after an 8 hour delay we can finally take off! I just want to get out of the time zone!

UPDATE: We FINALLY took off 12 hours later! Our 10:50 AM flight turned out to be a 10:50 PM flight.  It took four hours for food to get on the plane. The Atlanta police were even called! Even though it cut out 12 hours in Hawaii, we finally and safely made it.  My review of the trip will be coming soon!

Last Girls' Night

On Tuesday my friends and I had our last Girls' Night together before Chirstimas Break after we all return from our first semester of college.  We had an adventure- mostly around a fire pit but we did have some surprise visitors. :) We were all together so who could ask for anything more.  

It is so crazy to think that in less than three weeks I will be moving into a college dorm and a little more than four months the first semester of college will be over! How crazy is that?! I am so thankful for my friends that I have made over the past four years.  I don't know where I would be without them.  We are almost all going to different colleges- 7 girls and 5 colleges.  It will be good that we all have our own experiences, as long as we don't completely forget each other! I can't wait to see what college has in store for us! 

Of course there are so many other girls that I have grown close to and who have helped me through high school.  Like before, all of us are seperating and going our seperate ways to college.  But, we will have little lunch "reunions" here and there.  I can already tell! Are you ready for change?

New Obsession- Lilly Pulitzer

I LOVE Lilly Pulitzer!  My collection just keeps on growing.  My mall has a new Lilly store so I always have to stop in whenever I visit the mall.  I recently bought a dress and a planner for the upcoming school year.  I was debating between getting the Lilly planner or the up-and-coming Erin Condren planners.  I decided to go with the Lilly because I really wanted the horizontal lines on the weekly view instead of the columns.  I cannot wait to start using it! 

I also bought this dress on sale.  It fits perfectly and I cannot wait to wear it in Hawaii.  It is a perfect summer/beach dress.  The peplum is "in" this season and the length is perfect- not too long and not too short.  What are some of your new obsessions?

Senior Trip Part 2

The next two days in NYC were amazing as well.  On Saturday my friends and I went to Soho to go shopping- because we hadn't done enough shopping in Times Square :). We first had to figure out the Subway system.  It actually wasn't as hard as we thought it would be.  But anyway, there are so many cute boutiques and name-brand stores in Soho.  If you love shopping, this is the place for you!  For dinner we only had appetizers because we were going to eat after the show.  We saw Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark.  

It was an okay show.  The stunts and talent were good, but there are a few numbers in the show that could use some work.  We ate dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner- home of the singing waitstaff.  It was so much fun and the food was really good!  All of the waiters and waitresses are trying to make it on Broadway so they are making their living by waiting and singing at this restaurant.  They perform many different types of songs and it is just an overall fun experience!

Don't you just love Times Square at night?

The next day we went to The High Line.  The High Line is a park built on elevated railroad tracks in the Meatpacking District.  I think it is a hidden wonder of NYC.  

The views of the city are incredible.

I love this art.  It is on one of the buildings adjacent to the High Line. It isn't something I would have expected to see.  

On Sunday night my friends and I were lucky enough to attend The Tony Awards.  Even though our seats were in the 3rd Mezzanine, we could still see the stage and performers very well.  The performances were amazing! This year there were many children performers in lead roles.  It is incredible to see how talented some of these kids are- singing, acting, and dancing!  I wish I could be half as talented as they are.  

Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Awards for the fourth time.  He is a great entertainer and can definitely sing!  My friends and I flew home on Monday morning but we cannot wait until our next trip to the Big Apple, whenever that may be!

Senior Trip NYC Part 1

So many of my beginning posts will be about things or trips that have happened a few years ago.  I want to be able to share and document my experiences for myself and for others!  In June my two friends and I went to New York City for our Senior Trip.  While most people went south to a beach, we headed north to the city.  

This is the second time that I had been there so my friends and I skipped over some of the more touristy attractions.  However when we first arrived we did head to Central Park.  It is so big that you can never explore the entire thing! 

That night we went to one of the best Italian restaurants I have been too.  We ate at Azalea on 51st between 8th and Broadway.  I had Veal Ravioli and it was delicious! After dinner we saw The Lion King.  I was so impressed with the performance but it is a Disney show so only the best is expected. 

It rained all day Friday.  Literally. ALL. DAY.  I don't think we saw the sun once that day.  Because of the rain, we went to the MET.  There are so many fascinating exhibits.  My favorite exhibit was the Egyptians.  

While we were exploring, we found this artist making a sketch.  I was shocked how 

detailed the drawing was.  

We ate dinner at Ruby Foo's and headed over to see Once.  We got soaked standing in the rain waiting to enter the theater, but once the show started, it was all worth it.  I now know why it won the Tony Award for Best Musical.  The show was so different from any other performance I have seen.  The story, music, and actors were all amazing and brought something unique to the performance.  The actors are the orchestra and the entire show takes place in one set.  I highly recommend this show to everyone.  

We waited outside for the actors but it was raining so hard and we didn't have big umbrellas, we decided to leave and get cheesecake.  Once again, New York City has some of the best food!  We got cheesecake from Junior's.  It was a huge slice and well worth the price! (They also have some great burgers if you are looking to go somewhere for lunch).   

Welcome

Welcome to my blog!  I have finally gotten around to create a blog- just in time for my new life in Chicago!  I hope you enjoy learning something about me and my life.