Weekly Favorites - Nuts for NY!

So I got back from vacation 3 days ago and I'm still exhausted.  NYC is NOT the place to go for a relaxing vacation. Did you know there are muscles in your shins?  Neither did I until I walked about 15 miles in flip-flops for 3 days straight (and I know Husband is shaking his head because he told me to bring my running shoes.  Um...running shoes do not go with cute skirts, Husband.)
But it's a summer Friday and that can only mean one thing.  I'm grabbing the kids and the cats and high-tailing it to the Happy Place!  Nothing like a couple of days floating on the lake to recharge the batteries. A little vacation after the vacation, if you will...
And Friday also means favorites around this blog so without boring you too much with the entire 456 photos I came home with, I thought this week I'd just share some of my favorite people, moments, and okay okay, like 20 photos from the trip.  You'd better grab a snack..

1.  Toys R Us Ferris Wheel.  SCORE!! -
If you read THIS POST, you might remember me saying that this time we were hoping for the red Little Tykes car on the Toys R Us ferris wheel and that I'd push little children down to get it if I had to.
Well, what we ended up with was far better for this family (and no small children were hurt, btw...it was by sheer luck of the wheel).

THE FREAKIN' BARBIE CAR!!

If you know my girls (which most of you do not) you'd know that they have acquired well over 125 barbie dolls over the past 15 years.  Seriously, the 4th bedroom in our house isn't a guest room, it's our plastic and very well-endowed 3rd daughter's room (who is coincidentally named BARBIE).  So you can imagine our delight when that little pink car stopped in front of us.  We were I was embarrassingly vocal about it.  And then proceeded to pretend we were barbies while we spun around.

2.  Thing 1 touring NYU - 

About 2 years ago, Thing 1 got it in her head that she wanted to go to college at NYU.  She's very involved in High School and Community Theatre, and despite the fact that she gets nervous to order for herself at restaurants, she's bound and determined to jump into the deep end of the ocean without a life-jacket and apply to NYU.  She also has a passion for History (specifically, European) and has a strong interest in studying abroad while in college (sob...sob...sob...).  After learning about NYU's fantastic fine arts department AND their first rate Global campuses AND after learning that one  of the dorms has a DUNKIN DONUTS in the freakin' lobby, she's ready to apply....tomorrow.

I just hope she can find someone to order her donuts for her.

All kidding aside, I'm so proud of her...for her ambition and for her excitement.  And if NYC takes her away from me, at least I'll have a fun place to visit.  Every 3 weeks.

3.  Steven, our awesome waiter - 
When we were in NY a year and a half ago, we discovered this great restaurant 1 block from our hotel called "The Red-Eye Grill".  Of course, we returned late the first night there on the way back to the hotel for dessert and drinks - oh, and this little guy.  Walking like 12 miles can make you really hungry...

Our waiter, Steven, was lovely and personable and funny and charming....and best of all, located a gigantic slice of chocolate cake for Thing 2 when she couldn't find anything on the dessert menu she wanted.  We told him we were coming back on Thursday, and he told us to request him.  Done.

I love how he posed for this photo for me. I seriously want to be best friends with him.

3 reasons I loved Steven:
1.  He reminded me a lot of Neil Patrick Harris, whom I adore.
2.  He almost was cast in "Jersey Boys" once.  Good enough for me.
3.  He brought us flutes of {free} champagne for our anniversary.  Hmm...that should have been reason #1.

4. Finding the Broderick-Jessica Parker home surrounded by Secret Service Agents - 
It's no secret I'm a huge celebrity stalker.  The fact that I have yet to spot one in the wild does not stop me from continuing my search.  So you can imagine my excitement when we stumbled upon this scene while taking a side street through Greenwich Village -

I thought the guys in black with the small headsets were directors and they were setting up to shoot a movie.  I lingered around the street hoping to be cast as an extra (obviously),  and then we found out that there was no movie being shot at all, but Obama was coming to attend a big fundraising dinner at Sarah Jessica Parker's house.  Hold on. Wait. Just. A. Minute.
This is Matthew Broderick's house????
Being neither a fan of SJP or Obama, but a huuuuuuge fan of Ferris and Simba, I was super-duper impressed (and yes, I realize he's guilty by association to the other two, but because he will forever be an integral part of my teenage years he is excused).  And apparently we had just missed him walking out and back in again. Story of my celebrity-stalker life.
In case you missed it, here it is close up (which may or may not be 1 of like 20 photos I took of this door).

5.  Lifelong friendships...and New Jersey?? - 

Our dear friends moved to New Jersey a couple of years ago, and we all met up in Central Park for the day before heading back to Jersey with them for a few days to end our trip.  We haven't seen each other in over a year, but as is always the case with lifelong friends, we always all pick up right where we left off...many, many laughs....relaxing in their hot tub with cocktails....kids who adore each other playing games in the pool (and questionable truth or dare now that they're older) for hours on end...and eating
gi-NORMOUS lobsters.

14 years of great friendship.
This family is definitely one of my favorites (and they would be even if they didn't feed me gigantic lobsters).

3 lb. Lobsters anyone?  Yep, we each ate one.
As my friend Julie said, "when have you ever said, 'that's too much lobster?'"

New Jersey is gorgeous.  Who knew??

5.  Random favorite pics from the trip for your enjoyment -

The Things are super excited to ride the subway.

See how crazy these nuts make me?  I really think there's crack in there.  Just sayin...

...and maybe my very favorite photo of the trip, because it is just such a moment in time...

Thanks for watching, kids!

Enjoy your weekend...